Red Ensign Standard #45

Welcome to the Red Ensign Standard! This is a compilation of links from bloggers who are a part of the Red Ensign Brigade. I have perused all the blogs on the blogroll and selected some posts to highlight what our group has been talking about recently. Keep this in mind as you read the Standard and click those links: this is only a sampling of what you'll find with the Red Ensign Brigade. We are a group of bloggers that come from all over the place, bound together by a longing to see Canada take the lead on the important issues of our day, and to see Canadians building up the foundation that was left to us by our history. We post on a variety of subjects, and we each have own own distinct style. The Red Ensign flag represents a great deal to us, and if you asked each of us, you would most certainly get a mosaic of answers. It may sound cliched, but for me this flag symbolizes the True North Strong and Free, and it does so in a way that nothing else does.

I have divided the Standard into a few categories. Naturally, I encourage the reader to click all the links in every category, but I recognize we all have interests that we gravitate towards. The time frame for this Standard is Oct 8th to the 22nd. With that, I give you the Standard.


Photoblogging

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than Nicholas at Quotulatiousness has written an essay on Algonquin Park.

Dirtcrashr at Anthroblogogy is taking advice on cargo pants!

Chris Taylor has published some photos from a previous trip to the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum. My favourite is number 17 :-)


Politics

There was plenty of commentary this week being offered up by Brigade members over the allegations that Peter Mackay referred to his ex-girlfriend (and current Member of Parliament) Belinda Stronach as a dog.

Steve Janke posted about it.

Andrew Anderson of Bound by Gravity offers his thoughts.

Canadianna has a few words to say about the situation.

John Murney's post elicited a variety of comments from both sides of the aisle.

The Raging Ranter offers some thoughts along with a criticism of CTV.

The High Places takes the Globe and Mail to task for their coverage of the allegations.

And the Phantom Observer shares his thoughts as well.

Bound by Gravity also has a nice round-up of reactions to Garth Turner's expulsion from the Conservative Party caucus.

Canadianna has a thorough post on Turner.

Stephen Taylor praises Turner for his involvement in the online community.

Scott at Conservative Canadienne has a post up about conservatives of convenience in Alberta.

The Clean Air Act is a hot topic for Stephen Taylor as well.


Canadian Stuff

Recently the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, discussed the relationship between Britain and Canada. This prompted Tweedsmuir at the Monarchist to remind us of our history.

Rob Huck posts about basic needs with regards to aboriginal education in Manitoba

Debating dual citizenship over at John Murney's blog.

The High Places is in favour of "Three Strikes" legislation for dangerous offenders.

Lisa reminds us that the silliness continues at the Six Nations reserve in Caledonia, Ontario.

Scarborough: the next tourist hotspot! Who knew? The Phantom Observer knows!


Global Stuff

The Denizens over at ARGGHHH! have been discussing the apparent culture war going on in France. John also has a post up entitled A Doom and Gloom Moment which is certainly worth a look.

Enter Stage Right sure isn't happy about a recent Boston school banning such violent contact activities like tag.

Customer Service: The American Way! brought to you by Grandinite.

Jason Hayes speculates on the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections in the US, it is cause for despair and cause for evaluation. As well, a French geophysicist has a change of heart on global warming.

Lisa at the London Fog tears Bono a new one and calls out some apparent hypocrisy.

Ed the Robot Guy has created a really cool video using imagery from the Mars Orbiter.


Miscellaneous

Steve Janke deserves a pat on the back for having his blogging recognized in print.

Chriscam expresses concern over a piece written by Mark Steyn in the NY Post.

Where cows are called "kews"... at Just Between Us Girls!

Nicholas reminds us how addictive online gaming can be.

The Raging Kraut gets himself a Flying Dutchman!

Poor Ed's been having template problems lately (anyone using blogger can certainly empathize). Any tech guys and girls out there who can give him a hand?

Chris Taylor has been swamped this week, but with the help of bullet time, he still manages to post his thoughts on a variety of subjects.

The Conservative Hipster offers some rainy day musings.

And of course, The Red Ensign Brigade is happy to hear Ontario's Premier has no intention of changing the provincial flag, which is a classic red ensign design.


This concludes the 45th edition of the Red Ensign Standard. If you would like to become a member of the Red Ensign Brigade, feel free to drop me an email at beastnines -at- hotmail -dot- com (replace the -at- with and @ and the -dot- with a . ). I can forward your application to the proper authorities, and after a rigorous training session (heh), you may be included in our group!


The following folks did not update their blogs in the Oct 8-22 time period and are not included in the main links section of the Standard: A Chick Named Marzi Absinthe & Cookies Canadian Comment Italics Mine Jesse Gritter John the Mad Ravishing Light Rhetoricking With Myself Rightjab Shiny Happy Gulag Ben Skeets Striving Against Opposition The Meatriarchy Toronto Tory

Edmonton Wrap-Up

As promised, here's a little look into my recent foray to Oil Country. As I mentioned previously, it was crummy weather almost the entire time. However, I did manage to get a few good pics on my way through Jasper. I had heard about the wildlife in the park, and how they pretty much ignore those pesky humans and their cameras, but I had no idea it was quite like this (Click to enlarge all photos).



The cariboo were eating the grass right beside the highway. I swear I could have reached out and touched them.



And the antlers on those things? Wow. Huge.





As dozens of tourists and photographers snapped away, the cariboo simply carried on about their business, merely ignoring the excitement going on around them.




If only the weather would have been better, I would have taken more pictures of the various towns I went through, as well as the city of Edmonton itself. It has become clear to me why the middle of October is not exactly peak-tourism season in central and western Alberta! This was the view from my hotel room. "Overcast" doesn't quite describe it.




We probably had the worst room in the entire place. It sounded like there was a drier vent right outside our window... and there was! Normally when I fall asleep, I am out until my alarm goes off, but the second night there I couldn't sleep, and the sound of that rotten vent was magnified by a thousand. So, when 5:30 rolled around I decided that I had had enough. I put on some clothes and went for a little stroll.
Looking down 51st Ave and Gateway Boulevard:



Did I mention it snowed? Yeah, it snowed.





Ahhh, Tim Hortons. The last refuge of the scoundrel tired and weary traveler, as well as those hard-working souls on their way to financial prosperity. For the longest time I thought Smithers had the worst Tim Horton's in Canada. Not that the food is bad, mind you, but the service is quite lacklustre, and it is blatantly obvious that none of the employees actually want to be there. Imagine my horror when I discovered the same is true in Edmonton! There were four or five employees working (keeping in mind this is around 6 in the morning) and all of them looked ready to go postal... errrr, "go donut" perhaps is more appropriate. It wasn't even very busy! At any rate, the service was a little slice of Smithers, right there in Edmonton. Warmed my heart, really.

Naturally, I took a few pictures at the hockey game. My heart, which had been previously warmed, was devastated upon hearing that Roberto Luongo would be sitting this one out. Dany Sabourin would be getting the start in goal for the Canucks. Indeed... Dany Sabourin...



Dany Sabourin of the "two goals in two shots in one minute" fame. Yeah, THAT Dany Sabourin. He looked good in
warm-up though!

Obligatory Luongo pic...



The most exciting part of the game was the opening faceoff.



After that it was a complete blur until the last five minutes. Apparently a game went on in between, but it was really anti-climatic. Nonetheless, the beer was only six dollars, as opposed to seven at GM Place!

On Wednesday afternoon, we made the trek to West Edmonton Mall. We managed to kill about eight hours there, several of which were spent here, at Ed's Rec Room (formerly known as Reds).



We also ventured through Galaxyland, and enjoyed both the "Space Shot" and the "Mindbender" roller coaster. Fortunately, on Wednesdays they have a special price of $9.95 for a day pass. It would have been $26.95 any other day. Yergh!

The return trip saw even heavier rain than before, but also some brief and beautiful clearings that gave me the opportunity for more sight-seeing. Offered without any further commentary, Jasper National Park:













Oh! I almost forgot! On the way home, we happened to meet some of the Edmonton Oilers in Jasper too. It was pretty exciting for both of us, and even though we are ardent Canuck fans, whenever you get a chance to say hello to an NHL star, you simply must do it!
To conclude my little Edmonton Trip Recap, I'd like to thank Ales Hemsky, Petr Sykora, Fernando Pisani, and Ryan Smyth for allowing me to take their pictures in their natural habitat. Thanks guys!

Home is where the sun is

I've returned safe and sound from Edmonton, and hope to post the pictures and do a complete round-up tomorrow. But for now, a few quick thoughts:

* The drivers in Alberta weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. Sure, they are all over the road when they come to BC, but in their home province they seem to know what they are doing.

* It rained the whole way to Edmonton. It rained almost the entire time I was there. When it didn't rain, it snowed. It rained almost the entire way back, except through Jasper, and it finally cleared up around Vanderhoof.

* Although I consider myself a spiritual man, I don't put a lot of stock in the supernatural. Certainly not the psychic/demonic/witches/wiccan type of thing. But I am truly starting to feel cursed. Darn thing keeps following me too! I'm now 0 for 6 when watching the Canucks live. Lucky number seven on October 27th? SURELY NOT!

*People often refer to the "labour shortage" in Alberta right now, especially in Edmonton. Labour shortage? Let's call it what it really is: a small-business owners nightmare! Every single restaurant, fast food place, car dealership, clothing store and hardware store had "help wanted" signs posted. You have to see it to really believe it.

Evidence and full disclosurePhotos and more commentary tomorrow!

Prairie bound

I'm off to Edmonton for the next few days. I've got some business to attend to.



If you happen to read anything in the Edmonton Sun of a 28 year old man being assaulted and beaten to within inch of his life on Whyte Avenue, then pay no heed. I will be in extreme agony, but it will mean that the Canucks have demolished the Oilers and I've gone on a bender, picking fights with every pipeline worker, truck driver, and Oiler fan I can find.

Go Canucks Go.

Cox and Forkum enter Holocaust Contest!

What a clever ruse!

The winners have yet to be announced, but the 200-plus finalists in Iran's "Holocaust International Cartoon Contest" were recently exhibited in Tehran and posted online.
And though not among the finalists, the above image was part of a cartoon accepted into the contest, one of over a thousand entries accepted. The cartoonist's name, Hugh Bradley, can be seen on the contest's list of participants under USA.

When I read this, I thought to myself "Anyone from the west who entered this contest must be a complete moonbat". Imagine my surprise when I read the following:

Obviously a cartoon featuring Adolf Hitler could be appropriate for such a contest, but there's more to the image than meets the eye. It also contains a hidden message critical of the Iranian regime.

We know this because "Hugh Bradley" is really Cox and Forkum.

I had higher hopes for this covert cartoon, but our efforts have become a "one that got away" story. In this unusually long post, I will reveal the hidden message, show the full cartoon as entered in the contest, recap the contest's history, and explain my intentions, all of which is in the "Continue Reading" link below.

Fantastic! And the hidden message in the cartoon is tremendous! Too bad they didn't win.

I wonder when Canada's sole entrant into the Holocaust-denying cartoon contest will reveal his cartoons. One wonders if he has something to hide!

Victoria Crater on Mars

Wow.

Ed's converted a 27 megabyte image from the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter into a sweet little movie clip.

The result is, well, quite something. And you thought Google Earth was cool!

When I win the lottery...

I want one of these babies!

A model of the Starship Enterprise used in the pilot and title sequences of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" sold for $576,000 Saturday at an auction of costumes, sets and props from 40 years of the "Star Trek" sci-fi franchise.

The 78-inch-long miniature of the "Enterprise-D," built by Industrial Light and Magic, debuted in 1987 in the episode "Encounter at Farpoint," and then was used in many subsequent episodes, as well as the film "Star Trek Generations."

Before you laugh, please remember that it beats the bloody hades out of this cheap, pathetic hunk of plastic garbage.
Beats it anyday of the week!

Ha, like anyone would pay money for something like that anyways.

Baby Names

File under: Wierd!

Leann Real promised her husband, an avid sports fan, that if they ever had a son he'd get to pick the name. ESPN Montana Real was born this week at Biloxi Regional Medical Center.

Wouldn't be my choice, but he's American so I guess I understand. I'm partial to NHL or HNIC or the ever-popular Sportsnet news with Martine Gaillard. Although I understand that little "HNIC" would be tormented at school:

"Hey HNIC, how's the CBC doing?"

"HNIC, why don't you go back to Toronto where you belong?"

"Communist Swine!"

Chirac loses wine

I've never been partial to Jacques Chirac, but stealing his wine, selling it, and putting the money into government coffers?

Now the current socialist mayor, Bertrand Delanoë, has opened up Mr Chirac's old wine-cellars under Paris's picturesque town hall and brought in the auditors. When specialists uncovered the prestigious collection of aged bordeaux and some of the best wines and champagne available in France, Mr Delanoë ordered most of them be sold and the money ploughed back into public funds.

He argued that if the River Seine flooded the cellars, the wines would be irreparably damaged.

****

"This is an exceptional collection," said Claude Maratier, the wine expert in charge of the sale. "The wines are in excellent condition and many are the best vintages from the last 30 years."

Well yeah, it's Jacques freakin' Chirac's! Nothiing but the best for him.

But Bernard Bled, the former town hall official who lovingly collected the wines for Mr Chirac and the later mayor Jean Tiberi, said he was pained to learn that thousands of the bottles had never been drunk. "I started in 1975 and built up the collection over 30 years, pouring my personality into it. It was essential for us to offer the best wine to the big international personalities we hosted in Paris. This wine cellar is about prestige, it's a part of French heritage, a way of showing visitors the best of France.

He added: "I'm sad to see it dispersed like this, it was a great collection meant to be drunk, not saved. It's a shame it hasn't all been tasted and presented at functions. Maybe the town hall should have been a little less niggardly and parsimonious about what they served."

If I was Chirac, I think I'd be a little cheesed about this redistribution of wealth!

Sweet!

I'm so glad hockey is back.

This isn't going to help the severe blog-neglect issues I've been having. Be sure to stop by Waiting For Stanley, Vancouver Canucks OpEd, and the Crazy Canucks for more on Canada's Team.

Brian Spencer

If you've never heard the story of Brian "Spinner" Spencer, I'd suggest you go do some reading.

Brian told his parents that he would be a second period guest during Hockey Night In Canada's telecast of the Leafs game against Chicago on December 12, 1970. Brian's parents were extremely proud to have a son in the NHL, especially his father Roy, who had recently purchased his first black and white television for the occasion.

When Brian's father discovered that the CBC affiliate near the family's Fort St.James home was carrying the Canucks - Golden Seals game instead of the national telecasts, he became enraged. He furiously drove two hours to Prince George Television station CKPG and held employees hostage with his pistol and forced them to cut the transmission power. Soon after, the RCMP arrived and a shootout followed. Roy Spencer was shot and killed at the age of 57.

Unbelievable.

Go read the whole thing.