mike watkins dot ca

Green Party Name Change

Tue, 03 May 2011 07:46:50 GMT

BREAKING NEWS

In wake of Elizabeth May's historic win, party changes name to Liz Party of Canada (LPC) to reflect its singular focus.

Related: Greens need more green -- Prime Minister Harper vows to eliminate per-vote subsidy as soon as the 41st parliament reconvenes.

Timely Ditch Harper Ad

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:17:53 GMT

Love it! Direct link.

Stephen "Chicken" Harper

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:52:17 GMT

h/t to John Prince

City considers underwater bike tunnel

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:38:27 GMT

Dear residents of Vancouver, please carefully consider the following:

City considers underwater bike tunnel (April 1, 2011 - The Vancouver Courier) Plan may cost $420 million [...] James "Bud" McElroy, professor emeritus at UC Berkeley, is a consultant with DigableProjects, one of the contractors mentioned in the city report. McElroy visited city hall in October, and alongside deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston, helped city planners draft the tunnel proposal.

Speaking by phone from his home in San Francisco, McElroy said the Funnel plan was modelled after bike tunnels in Venice, Italy and the controversial Tsrif Lirpa connector in Helsinki, Finland.

Those adept at reading backwards will recognize the name of the controversial connector as being 'April First' in reverse. Unfortunately and likely with the intention of spurring on additional anti-cycling sentiment, the article's writer, Mark Hasiuk, seems to have snared quite a few people into his April Fools trap.

Toronto Mayor: In The Buff

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:45:38 GMT

Apparently Toronto's right-wing anti-bike mayor Rob Ford has ordered that all current copies of the Toronto city life magazine NOW be pulled from city-owned distribution locations.

I can't imagine why.

Technical Support

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:24:30 GMT

I have had this experience, at least up until the fourth frame. If only the dream sequence were a reality...

From my favourite comic, xkcd, a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

The Wreck Of the Conservative Party

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:59:52 GMT

To the tune of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, with all apologies to the great Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from Ottawa on down
Of the Fake Lake they call Harper's Folly
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the moods of electors turn gloomy.

With a load of bull manure - 26,000 tons more
Than the Conservative caucus weighed empty
John Baird it is true has a bone to be chewed
When the cries of opposition come early.

The Conservatives are the pride of the Republican side
Takin' cues from angry old guys in Washington
As the big parties go it was bigger than most
With a crew the Captain kept silenced.

Concluding some terms with a couple of display firms
Lawrence Cannon day dreamed of Lake Nipissing
And later that night when the CP wire rang
Could it be the issue they'd been fearing?

The copy on the wires made a tattletale sound
And the story sent everyone wailin'
And every MP knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the waste of G20 come ricocheting.

The dawn came late and the coffee had to wait
When the scrums of journos came hounding
When Question Period came it was really quite plain
That the spin they'd used wasn't working.

When supper time came Tony Clement came on screen
Saying fellows it's too rough to shield ya
At 7PM Senator Duffy weighed in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had Karl Rove coming in
The fake lake imperiled the Tories
And later that night when his support dropped out of sight
Came the wreck of the Conservative Party.

Does anyone know where the love of Guergis goes
When her hubby hangs out with busty hookers
The pundits all say she'd have made election day
If she'd just put more judgment behind her.

They might have stood ground or they might have prorogued
They may have sent for Mulroney
And all that remains are the empties and the trays
Of the big party they called G20.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
One is nearby the G8 meeting
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
Its islands and bays aren't pretending.

And farther below Lake Ontario
Stands a Fake Lake yet you and I can't stand there
And the political polls go as the pundits all know
With the waste of G8 and G20 remembered.

In a musty old hall in east Ottawa they prayed
In the Conservative tactical war room
The House bells chimed, 'til they rang one forty three times
For each Tory facing re-election.

The legend lives on from Ottawa on down
Of the Fake Lake they call Harper's Folly
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the moods of electors turn gloomy.

-- Mike Watkins, @confute on Twitter - retweet this if you like it.

Improv Everywhere: Ghostbusters!

Wed, 19 May 2010 05:24:02 GMT

I love the Improv Everywhere group. Watching their captivating and usually hilarious productions makes me all warm inside...

For our latest mission, we brought the movie Ghostbusters to life in the reading room of The New York Public Library at 42 Street. The 1984 movie begins with a scene in the very same room, so we figured it was time for the Ghostbusters to make an encore appearance.

Who you gonna call? Check out the behind-the-scenes details.

Obama Points Finger At Harper

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:28:55 GMT

Dragged to Copenhagen

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:03:16 GMT

By now it is old news that Stephen Harper will indeed go to the Copenhagen climate change summit, but only because U.S. president Barak Obama is attending.

What is not widely known is how desperately Stephen Harper had sought an excuse not to attend. Caught on film here's Stephen spending time in places he'd rather be than Copenhagen.

Stephen Harper would rather be in an Afghan prison than in Copenhagen. Click on image for full-size rendition.

The Liberals are running a mini-contest - submit your entries soon! See the Stephen Harper Anywhere But Copenhagen Photo Challenge page for more information.