Archives

Archive for November, 2009

Advice to Tiger Woods: repeat after me… “mind your own business!”

TORONTO — This just in… Michael Jackson is still dead. Meanwhile, in the first news story that threatens to knock MJ off the tabloid covers, Tiger Woods is still not talking about his mysterious midnight meandering early Friday morning that ended with him briefly in the hospital and, less briefly, on every newscast in […]

It’s time to align campaign finance rules with democracy

( Politics and Canada and Ontario and Toronto )

TORONTO – Today’s buzz around Toronto City Hall relates to a proposal to ban corporate donations to political campaigns. There are so few reasonable ideas (and almost no good ones) at City Hall these days, that I am compelled to speak up about this one, because it’s bang on.
Banning corporate money is the right thing […]

See Jack run – for Mayor?

( Politics and Strategy and Canada and Toronto )

TORONTO – In his Macleans magazine column this week, Paul Wells rightly points out that the coming détente between federal Liberals and Conservatives mark the end of Jack Layton’s tenure as leader of the federal New Democratic Party.
Wells outlines a believable scenario that would see a tenuous truce between the two major parties in Canada’s […]

The solution to Canada’s cable TV war: both sides should lose

TORONTO — My apologies to my international readers: this post is entirely Canada-centric. Then again, my American friends may find the current war between Canada’s cable TV providers and its major TV networks strangely amusing, in a “WTF goes on up there?” kind of way.
The background (in case you’re not Canadian, eh?)
Canada’s TV industry is […]

Quick hits on Obama and Afghan corruption

TORONTO — Just a few “quick hits” in the blog today.
Obama to land in Kabul soon?
With U.S. president Barack Obama currently on a tour of Asia after the APEC conference, and the world waiting for him to announce his decision on a way forward in Afghanistan, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pop up […]

A very worthy cause

( Politics and Marketing and travel and Canada and World )

TORONTO — I’m back in Toronto and am interrupting my normal program of venting and unsolicited prosthelytizing to bring you a blatant, but entirely worthy, non-commercial advertisement.
I have been involved with Youth Challenge International for a number of years and believe it’s an outstanding organization that does two exceptionally valuable things very well:
1. It sends […]

Some musings on Remembrance Day

( Politics and Marketing and Canada and World and Ontario )

BRUSSELS – I woke up early today and, eschewing the 30 Euro buffet breakfast proffered in the hotel, headed out onto the streets of Brussels to find a coffee and croissant. Or, even, just a coffee. Alas, I was stymied. Not a coffee or pastry to be found today. All the shops on the high […]

Ft. Hood massacre highlights cable news flaws, provides lessons

TORONTO — First, let me say that my thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and wounded in yesterday’s horrific shooting incident at Fort Hood in the U.S. Second, let me say how disappointing it was watching the “insta-news” media machine grind through the day.
Much of what I’m going to cover in […]