Sunday 27 February 2005

In Niagara Falls, Ontario...

As some of you may know, last week I travelled to, and returned from Ontario's beautiful (and usually warmer) Niagara region. It was an opportunity to see the incredible Niagara Falls in the White of Winter, as well as lots of other reasons I'll get into Real Soon Now, I hope.

Pictures very pretty, though. You should go look at them. ;-)

Tuesday 15 February 2005

The Prodigal Son

Ceilidh

Then the father said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead, and has come to life; he was lost, and has been found."
- Luke 15:31-32

For those of you who hadn't heard yet, Ceilidh, seen above, and in all her glory (ahem) at her new gallery, along with her step-sister Missy, ran away from home in a burst of particular stupidity on Sunday morning. Note that I say particular stupidity. This is to create a differentiation between it and routine stupidity, which she seems to poseess all the time, inspiring such brilliant ideas as eating peoples' shoelaces, shredding Kleenex, chasing (and catching) her tail, and eating more shoelaces. Not a brilliant animal, by any means.

After two days alone, wandering through the woods, she emerged yesterday evening in a backyard several kilometres from where we live, and made herself at home there until, through word of mouth, we discovered that she had been found. She came home this morning.

This adventure has led to two discoveries:

(1) We love her SO much.
(2) She is never allowed outside again. :-P

Yay! She's back!

Tuesday 8 February 2005

NewsNight

CNN, you have restored my faith.

Tonight, I'm told I saw a most magnificent handshake, as Palestinians and Israelis agreed today to start working toward peace between their two peoples again. Already, around the world, great leaders and citizens alike are expressing their hope this time will be different; that, this time, the words and gestures are more than empty promises and hands joined in betrayal.

Oh, CNN, how I wish it were so. Except you should have watched your B-roll a little closer before you chose it, because you only got 50% of the relevant leadership team in the shot. On the right, just as you'd expect, was Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Missing though, on the left, was Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (AKA Abu Mazen). And who should we find in his place, apparently promising peace with a handshake, but long-time Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

I found this amusing, since the last time I checked, following the Arab-Israeli War of the late 1940s, the Six-Day War of 1967, the War of Attrition between 1968-1970, and the Yom Kippur War in September 1973, Israel and Egypt signed the Arab-Israeli peace treaty -- the first Cape David Accord, organized by Jimmy Carter. In 1978.

So, kudos, CNN, and Aaron Brown. Great fact checking. And, you know... looking at the footage you broadcast.