Criminal Behaviour in Contempt of Humanitarian Conventions

Politics

SONTAG

Perhaps the most devastating essay that VanRamblings has read, reflecting on the ‘meaning’ of the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, as well as in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, may be found in an essay length article published today in The New York Times.
Susan Sontag, in writing the cover story for the NY Times Magazine, seeks the answer to a number of questions, not the least of which is, Why?
The answer, in part at least, offers an indictment of the ‘either yer for us, or yer agin us’ philosophy that has very much been a part of the Bush administration’s governing raison d’être, dating back to 9/11. As such, suggests Sontag, the contrary administrative world view put forth by the Bush White House has inevitably led to the demonizing and dehumanizing of anyone who declares their interests as contrary to those of the U.S.

Martin Makes It Official: Canada Votes on June 28th

Decision Canada

ELECTION-CALL

On the heels of one of the worst-kept secrets in Canadian political history, Prime Minister Paul Martin dissolved Parliament today, and early this afternoon called for a federal election to be held on June 28th.
Allison Dunfield and Darren Yourk, throughout their story in The Globe and Mail, suggest that Martin is in real trouble with a ‘volatile’ electorate, not least because of the ongoing sponsorship scandal, an issue which has dogged the Martin forces for months. Nonetheless, Martin seems intent on putting forward a positive platform, based on core Canadian values, a strong health care system, and respect for the Canadian cultural mosaic.

“The Liberal Party stands for a balanced approach where economic prosperity matches social justice,” Mr. Martin said. “An all inclusive approach that respects our differences. To those who share our values as Canadians, to those who see Canada as we do, I ask for your support.”

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party — a federal coalition of Bush, Mike Harris, and Gordon Campbell acolytes — is attempting to paint itself as a moderate government in waiting. “For the first time in generations, Canadians have a choice that is moderate, modern and mainstream,” Harper says. Yep, that’s right. And the moon is made of cheese, too, and Stephen’s name is Sally.
The New Democrats have this ad at the ready, pretty much encapsulating their strategy over the next month, although one would have to think that the federal election campaign is bound to become signifcantly less sanguine and much more sanguinary over the course of the next month.

Shrek 2 Breaks Box Office Record

Cinema

SHREK2

Although VanRamblings had predicted a couple of days ago that Shrek 2 was on its way to setting a box office record for the month of May, in fact, the Dreamworks release clobbered its way to 3-day weekend record, to become — along with Spiderman — only the second film ever to cross the $100 million mark Friday to Sunday.
How much has Shrek 2 raked in since last Wednesday? Would you believe $125,300,000? If figures hold when final numbers are released on Monday, the total box office will set a new record for a Wednesday release, besting the $124.1 million earned by Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King last December.

Sun, Beach, Vacation, Leisure and … What’s New on TV

Television

SUMMER-PLACE

Daniel Pollera, Summer Place

Of late, what with the blog and all, VanRamblings’ regular television-watching has tended to fall by the wayside. Not everyone, though, sits around in their underwear surfing the Net, hour after hour, in search of stories to post, or reflecting on issues of the day about which to blog. And, thank God for that, eh?
So, maybe, as was written mid-week last week, Fox’s proposed programming schedule isn’t all that confusing after all. As Alex Strachan wrote in the Vancouver Sun yesterday (and damn CanWest for not making The Sun available online to non-subscribers), “Summer used to be a time of reruns and low viewership, but the TV model has changed in recent months to a year-round schedule.”
How so? Well, take The Jury, for example. A new drama from Oz and Homicide: Life on the Street-producers Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson and Peabody Award-winning writer James Yoshimura, which was originally set to air in the fall. Instead, it will d�but next Monday, June 7th, on Global (in Canada) and Fox (in the U.S.).
Other new series include:

  • North Shore, a Fox soap set in a Hawaiian resort, featuring Brooke Burns and James Remar. It débuts Friday, June 18th.
  • Good Girls Don’t, a comedy from the creator on That 70s Show, about five 20-somethings who will go to any lengths to find love and affection. Due in Canada on June 24th.
  • Touching Evil, the made-in-Vancouver USA Network series, which Gillian Flynn in Entertainment Weekly recently called “brilliant.” Set to premiere on Global, June 27th.
  • The L-Word, an ensemble drama about the lives and loves of a group of lesbian friends living in Los Angeles, featuring Jennifer Beals, Toronto-born Mia Kershner, Karina Lombard and Vancouver’s Robyn Ross and Lauren Lee Smith. The L-Word will arrive on Global sometime in August.

Other summer programming includes a new airing of the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers, which will air on CBC beginning on June 22nd.