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Sunday Link-Off: Crafting a Response

camille-rowe-victoriassecret14-93So Canada Day is on Tuesday and I realized that I’m well behind on the usual Canada Day content that I put on the blog. I think that I might push it back to the weekend so I have enough time to prep it. Once July rolls around, I might actually have time to start writing again. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Anyway, I still have some links for you to enjoy today. Let’s start with Camille Rowe.

While many world leaders led an outcry over the persecution of Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt, Stephen Harper and the Canadian government were quiet and overly politically correct given the circumstances. (Toronto Star)

Speaking of Prime Minister Harper, the folks at Shit Harper Did are doing their own parody Economic Action Plan ads from EconomicActionPlan.ca. Should’ve bought that Stevie. (Shit Harper Did)

How outlandish is Fox News getting? They’re suggesting that President Obama’s focus on climate change is tantamount to treason. What is wrong with these people? (Mediaite)

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Sunday Link-Off: The Political Machine

jinna-cabrera-fredericks14-01We’re just a few days away from a provincial election in Ontario. Most of the major newspapers are endorsing the Conservatives because they 1) forget the last Ontario PC government; 2) they seem to hate unions, public sector employees, education, social spending and anybody who makes less than $100,000; and 3) they figure that all politicians suck so why not get a new crew in there.

While I agree with #3, I can’t shake the fact that the Conservative job plan’s math is all made up and is based on job-years created rather than jobs. There’s also the commitment to cripple the education system. That’ll do us a lot of good. So I say vote Liberal. People will cry scandal and all that but do you really trust a Conservative team who can’t do basic math and still want to cut education spending. Economic growth starts with good education if you ask me.

Anyway, enough pontificating. It’s time for the links. Let’s start with new model to the blog Jinna Cabrera.

The big news in Canada this week was a shooting in Moncton. Here’s a look at how it came to an end. (The Globe and Mail)

Fixing the American electoral system can be accomplished in one easy stroke: Stop letting the politicians gerrymander the districts. (Washington Post)

The US National Research Council says that a manned mission to Mars will be ungodly expensive but important for the future of the space program. (USA Today)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Memorial Day Hangover

kate-bock-gq14-01The one problem with doing linkdumps around holiday weekends is that the internet seems to shut down and it gets harder to find quality links. I’ve got a few links this week but not as many as usual. Hopefully, normal service will resume next time out.

For now, it’s time for the links. Since an American holiday caused these problems, let’s kick things off with Canadian model Kate Bock.

Good news, Toronto! Doug Ford says that Rob Ford is doing much better in rehab and is going to be a brand new man when he returns in a few weeks. (Globe & Mail)

A writer goes through his reasons for changing his mind about reparations to victims of slavery in America. (The Atlantic)

A recent study on the effectiveness of airport security showed that all those TSA scans decease terrorism on airplanes but diverts terrorist attention elsewhere. (Vox)

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Wednesday Link-Off: ‘Murica

nina-agdal-bebe14-01You would think that our Memorial Day edition of the links would be the one with all the America links but I just happen to have a whole pile of them for today’s linkdump. At least they’re sort of interesting.

But just because there are a whole pile of ‘Murica links doesn’t mean that we’re going to lead with an American woman. No, here’s Nina Agdal.

The US Attorney General’s department has charged the Chinese government officials with cyber espionage. Unfortunately, the US Attorney General’s department immediately charged itself with criminal irony. (Time)

The US Department of Defense has a zombie defense plan. Well, I guess it’s better to be prepared than get caught off-guard by the apocalypse. (Foreign Policy)

Gay marriage may not be legal in most of America but most Americans support it. It’s gone from no support to majority support in less than fifty years. (Al Jazeera)

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Sunday Link-Off: They Actually Made Me Go to Rehab

kim-cloutier-soma14-01If you’re not here in Canada, you might not know that this is a holiday weekend. It’s our version of the May long weekend coinciding with the third Monday of the month while America’s Memorial Day is on the fourth Monday. The more you know… not that you needed to know that. I like to educate every now and then.

And since this is a Canadian holiday weekend, we should start this post with a Canadian model. Here’s Kim Cloutier. Really, no one else could kick off this post.

New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson was fired because she demanded equal pay to her male predecessor. That’s a sad state of affairs when that happens. (The New Yorker)

How far behind male colleagues was Abramson? Only about $100,000. (Politico)

It’s not just the Fair Elections Act that the Harper Government is missing the mark with. Everyone from lawyers to NGOs to the victims of cyberbullying are opposed to the Canadian Government’s cyberbullying bill. And you want to elect Harper’s Ontario lieutenant. (Vice)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Shady Dealings

yara-khmidan-beachbunny14-01So, I was so out of it while drafting today’s Wednesday links that the original draft title Sunday Link-Off. Though maybe that wasn’t so much a case of being out of it as it was a case of wishful thinking.

Regardless of whether it’s Wednesday or Sunday, it still means that it’s time for me to bring you my semi-weekly set of links. Let’s kick things off with Yara Khmidan.

In news that I probably shouldn’t be surprised by the report that Silvio Berlusconi has ties to the Sicilian Mafia. (The Independent)

The next victim of the ongoing sanction war between Russia and the West? Space-based cooperation seems to be coming to an end after 2020. (Vice)

Just to remind voters that they hate voting, the Conservatives have passed the so-called Fair Elections Act. (Toronto Star)

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Sunday Link-Off: A Fresh Take

miranda-kerr-harpersbazaaruk14-01Happy Mothers’ Day to all the mothers reading today. Given our demographics (mostly male, generally under 35 and without children), I somehow doubt that any are reading but it’s nice to get the greeting out there.

With that out of the way, let’s get the links underway. Here’s Miranda Kerr. I think that’s an appropriate choice for the day.

People who follow international news have heard the name Boko Haram for years. Why are they only now becoming a big deal. (Mother Jones)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is reportedly showing the signs of being drunk on power. (That’s the opposite of how Rob Ford is often found drunk.) He’s reportedly stopped taking advice. (Toronto Star)

The Globe and Mail is trying to negotiate with its union to get journalists to write advertorials. It’s bad enough when I’m covering the video games beat that half of the content is advertorial (to a degree). For a reputable, respected newspaper to want legitimate journalists to do it is reprehensible if you ask me. (The Albatross)

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Sunday Link-Off: Wonderful Easter Time

christina-hendricks-rhapsody14-01It’s Easter Sunday but that doesn’t mean that we’re taking the day off. Granted, because the rest of the internet has been on holiday since Thursday, the links are a bit thin but I’ve still found the best posts from around the interweb over the last half-week.

Since there’s another new episode of Mad Men today, I thought that I’d start this post with Christina Hendricks. Not only does United Airlines have poor customer service but their magazine did an unforgivable crime of photoshopping Christina almost beyond recognition.

The pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine are getting very worrying. They’re forcing Jewish residents to register with them. This won’t end well. (USA Today)

Canadians who know nothing about it think that the Fair Elections Act lives up to its name. Maybe it’s best that most of the electorate doesn’t vote when they’re so ill informed. (The Globe and Mail)

Liam Neeson still wants horsedrawn carriages in Central Park. I wouldn’t argue with him. He will find you and he will kill you. (New York Times)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Breaking Book

anais-pouliot-victoriassecret14-21It’s a slightly shorter edition of the Wednesday links today but that doesn’t mean that this a bad set of links. In fact, I think there are a couple of worthwhile reads in here.

But before we get to the links, let’s start with Anais Pouliot.

Newsweek is owned by the International Business Times but do you know who is behind IBT? The answer may worry you. (Mother Jones)

You may not believe it but there are some good guys on Wall Street. The folks behind IEX wanted to make a better platform for traders that didn’t allow for predatory activity. (New York Times)

These guys got a Michael Lewis book deal and a 60 Minutes feature for their efforts too. (New York Magazine)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

danielle-knudson-barenecessities14-01I’ve had a busy couple of days. A lot of time goes into these F1 previews and there are still three more posts coming up this week. Hopefully, you’ll be up to speed on the new Formula One season before the first race starts.

For now, though, it’s time for the links. Let’s start with Canadian model Danielle Knudson.

A Republican congressman thinks all NBA players are criminals. No, wait. He meant to say that they all smoked marijuana. No, wait. He meant to say that he’s racist. (The Daily Beast)

Speaking of the Republican bubble, a different congressman says that the government didn’t shut down during the government shutdown. (BuzzFeed)

Only in Canada can a porn channel get in trouble for a lack of Canadian content and too little closed captioning. My tax dollars at work. (New York Times)

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