Canadian Crossing

Windsor Hum is a real issue on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border

While the Windsor Hum is louder on the Canadian side of the border, the noise about the noise is getting louder in American media circles.

The Wall Street Journal reported on the phenomena. This take from ABC News portrays Canadians as hearing things.

The Windsor Hum has been going on from some time. The likely source is on the American side at Zug Island. The problem is that those on the Canadian side can't get those on the American side to investigate.

Reports have ranged from a low murmur to rattling and shaking.

In my trips to Windsor, I personally have not experienced this occurrence. However, with the number of complaints, you have to realize something is going on.

Audio scientists could explain why those on the Canadian side are hearing the noise, but not on the American side. Despite the snide take by the U.S. media outlets, Canadians don't hear any better than Americans and their ears work the same way. This could be as simple as the dynamics of where the sound comes from, or that more Canadians live near the source of the sound than Americans do.

Chances are that Barack Obama and Stephen Harper haven't discussed the Windsor Hum. The Windsor area already feels ignored by Queen's Park (provincial capital in Toronto) and Ottawa (national capital). And Detroit, outside the auto industry, is ignored on the U.S. side. Still, someone should step in and find out the source of the noise, and if that can't be adjusted to give Americans and Canadians more peace of mind.

Mitt Romney does know a lot about Canada, which should be necessary when running for president

We made a big deal in 2008 when John McCain went to Ottawa in the middle of the 2008 campaign. McCain spoke to the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa on June 20. U.S. presidential candidates don't usually know much about Canada, and the country rarely comes up in the debates.

In one of the early debates for the Democratic Party in 2007, Barack Obama slipped and said "president" instead of "prime minister." Then again, Obama's first trip as president was to Canada, restoring a proud tradition, and has worked well with Canada and the Harper government.

If Mitt Romney is the GOP nominee in 2012, and all signs are pointing that way, Romney does have extensive knowledge of Canada.

Romney spent part of his summers near Grand Bend, Ontario. Romney's father, George, was president of American Motors Corporation before becoming Michigan's governor. The Globe and Mail reported that "Mitt remarked during one of his father's political campaigns that he first spent July 4 in the United States at age 15."

Most of Bain Capital's relationships with Canadian companies occurred after Romney left the company, but the interest Romney gets (at a 15% taxable rate) is in part from those agreements.

Then there is the dog story.

In 1983, Romney and his family drove from Boston to that cottage in Grand Bend, Ontario. Romney loaded the station wagon and put the family's Irish setter, Seamus, in an "air-tight container" (Romney's words) on top of the family station wagon. Well, despite Romney's self-assuredness that the dog would be fine, Seamus started having accidents as the no longer air-tight container began to leak. Even after the trauma of what happened, Romney hosed everything down and put the dog back in there for the rest of the trip.

We have seen reports that Seamus ran away once the family was in Canada.

On top of that, Newt Gingrich attacked Romney for speaking French. Given that Romney spent time in France as a Mormon missionary and has taken his family on vacation there, one would assume that Romney's French is better than George W. Bush's Spanish, and Romney would do just fine in Quebec and New Brunswick.

Newt Gingrich mentioned the elephant in the room (pun heavily intended) when he praised Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as "conservative and pro-American" after Gingrich's win in the South Carolina primary. Gingrich brought up pipelines, specifically the Keystone XL pipeline and the proposed pipeline that would carry oil from Alberta to the Pacific Ocean.

"Now, an American president who can create a Chinese-Canadian partnership is truly a danger to this country," said Gingrich, never one to be subtle in his remarks.

Speaker Gingrich, once 2 heartbeats away from being president, should know that referring to Canada's PM as "pro-American" doesn't go over well in Canada, even if it's true.

Diplomacy is crucial in being president but not always required in being House Speaker.

Other than representing a state that barely borders a Great Lake, Rick Santorum hasn't weighed in much on Canada, though you have to imgaine that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Santorum agree on way too many issues.

Unlike John McCain's 2008 running mate — okay, Sarah Palin — the reason Mitt Romney may not be able to name the number of times he has been to Canada is that there are so many of them. And the fact that Romney's father, George, was born in Mexico gives him complete NAFTA cred.

This isn't to say that Romney would make a good or bad president. However, in a Obama-Romney battle, both have a keen awareness of Canada.

Global Saskatoon sausage video goes viral

The Global station in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan has only been doing the Morning News since December. Well, Canada and the United States, as well as elsewhere in the world, knows about the Morning News on Global Saskatoon thanks to a viral video involving two female anchors … and sausage.

The verbal slip by Lisa Dutton was barely noticeable, especially if you have no idea what picatic.com does. Well, Dutton didn't say picatic.com. You can watch the video to learn more.

This wouldn't have been more uncomfortable if there had been a male anchor and a female anchor. Somehow, it was funnier having this conversation with two female anchors, and in the video, Dutton is being egged (get it, sausage, eggs) on by her female co-anchor.

The actual sausage event that they were talking about is tonight. Here is the link (get it, sausage, link).

photo credit: picatic.com

Jennifer Granholm debuts 'War Room' on Current TV

We noted Jennifer Granholm's recent appearance on the "Colbert Report" as she promoted her new book. Well, the other reason she was there was to promote the new show on Current TV entitled the "War Room."

Granholm has helped out with Current TV's primary and caucus coverage along with the Young Turks and Current chief and former Vice President Al Gore. Granholm, who served as Michigan's attorney general and governor for two terms, doesn't have that much experience on television, other than her brief stint on "The Dating Game."

In her first episode, she had a rough time in the beginning; walking and talking on live TV is harder than it looks. Once she stayed still and started interviewing, Granholm had a natural charm in talking with her guests. And she even had a Republican, fellow politician Bill McCollum from Florida. McCollum is a Newt Gingrich supporter. 

Journalism is not Granholm's thing, and no one will mistake her for Charlie Rose. She is very excited about liberal things. If you have at least two posters of Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen, you are pretty liberal.

Granholm doesn't play up her Canadian ancestry in public interviews. However, we hope that if/when Canada comes up in the presidential debate, Granholm will spotlight her knowledge. After all, besides her first four years in Canada, she did deal with Canada on issues as Michigan's governor. Then again, Rachel Maddow, who followed Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, has a mother from Newfoundland and Labrador.

The more pundits who know about Canada, the better Canada looks on U.S. television news.

photo credit: Current TV

Colbert Report spotlights Canadians Jennifer Granholm and David Frum

The Colbert Report loves Canada, beyond the mocking. As we should know, the Colbert Report airs in Canada on CTV and the Comedy Channel. So having back-to-back Canadians on the Colbert Report this week might have been a coincidence, but a happy one it was.

The two Canadians are political, one from "each side." Tuesday started off with former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who has a new book out — A Governor's Story: The Fight for Jobs and America's Economic Future — and will start soon on her own nightly series, "The War Room," on Current TV. Granholm has contributed to coverage of debates, the Iowa caucus, and primaries on the cable channel.

Colbert sneaked up on Granholm, trying to get her to admit the deep dark secret about why she can't run for president. Colbert wanted her to say because she was born in Canada. Granholm threw him off by mentioning she was on "The Dating Game."

Eventually, Granholm admitted she was born in Canada and moved to the United States at the age of 4.

When Colbert mentioned Canada, someone from the audience shrieked in delight. Granholm said, "Oh, you got a Canadian up here."

"Or a wayward moose that just got goosed by a loon," Colbert replied.

Later, Colbert called Granholm a "maple syrup back." Colbert asked her whether she had a green card at the age of 4. Granholm said she did.

Colbert went to the other side of the aisle with his interview with David Frum. Unlike Granholm, Frum previously has been a guest on the Colbert Report.

Since Frum has been on the show, Colbert didn't point out Frum's Canadianness. Frum is definitely more Canadian than Granholm, having grown up in Canada and only becoming a U.S. citizen in 2007. Colbert and Frum argued Republican philosophies and the two Mitt Romneys from different vantage points.

ESPN writer grossly misuses Montreal mass-shooting reference

We have certainly run into instances of American journalism where their knowledge of Canada isn't up to speed. But when a Canadian writer gets involved, well, that is news.

Chris Jones is Canadian, but also grew up in Australia, and writes for ESPN magazine, based in the United States. Jones wrote a column about Jeffrey Loria, current owner of the Miami Marlins (nee Florida) and loathed former owner of the Montréal Expos.

Jones' column was warning fans of the Marlins that Loria would repeat himself and the Marlins would eventually be without a team. While the sentiment of the column was something we would applaud, this wasn't the most well-researched column and there are a number of holes, a la fromage Suisse.

The column in itself isn't why Jones got into trouble; he referred to what would happen in Miami as "Montréal Massacre, Part II." What Jones said he didn't know, and what the ESPN copy editors should have caught is that "Montréal Massacre" in non-sports terms refers to the Ecole Polytechnique shootings in 1989, when gunman Marc Lepine targeted women and killed 14 female students before turning the gun onto himself. The reference is more disturbing since the anniversary was in early December, and the Stephen Harper government is getting rid of the long-gun registration, which was originally inspired by the Montréal Massacre.

Once Jones realized what happen, he said he tried to fix the situation as best he could. While the online version was changed, the printed version contains the horrible phrasing.

Jones said he was living in Australia in 1989 when the shooting happened, and didn't associate the term with the shooting. For now, we can accept that explanation.

As someone who is a journalist, writer, and editor, writers have a requirement to stretch the language. Editors are paid to recognize when something can be disturbing or offensive. Even if the U.S.-based copy editors don't know of a Montréal Massacre, they should have taken out the violent element of the phrasing. An editor isn't always the popular one, but a good editor knows that being right is more important than being cool.

When writing about a culture that you aren't familiar with, you do have to go overboard to make sure what you are saying isn't taken badly because of circumstances that they know and you don't.

In the United States, a mass shooting involving 15 people is almost a ho-hum moment. In Quebec and Canada, the Ecole Polytechnique shootings were a big deal for the gender targeting and that 14 innocent people were murdered in the prime of their lives. It was, and still is, a big deal 22 years later.

Sports is sports, and real life is real life. Sports writers and editors (and I have been one) don't always get the difference. The folks at ESPN didn't set out to upset the people of Montréal and Quebec and Canada, but they should have been paying more attention to their copy. Normally, having a Canadian writer means Canada won't get as slighted as sometimes happens in American journalism. But journalism means double and triple checking, even when things are obvious.

Rick Perry tripped up by obvious Canadian satire of Occupy Toronto

 

Good to know presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry reads the Globe and Mail. Next, Perry should learn the difference between satire and news.

What is with conservative politicians being foiled by Canadian humorists? First, we had Toronto Mayor Rob Ford confused by "This Hour Has 22 Minutes." Now we have Perry clearly confused by satire as he quoted from a Mark Schatzker column in the Globe and Mail on Occupy Toronto.

The Schatzker column was a satire of the one-week anniversary party of Occupy Toronto and all that they had accomplished in less than a week. Whether you think that is funny, in reading the content, you realize it isn't real and, by the way, the column is labeled satire.

"It's weird protesting on Bay Street. You get there at 9 a.m. and the rich bankers who you want to hurl insults at and change their worldview have been at work for two hours already. And then when it's time to go, they're still there. I guess that's why they call them the one per cent. I mean, who wants to work those kinds of hours? That's the power of greed." – Jeremy, 38

That is the original quote for the satirical column. This is Perry's summary:

"I guess greed just makes you work hard."

Admittedly, the satire is subtle, especially in that context. However, when you read passages such as this one, you should be able to see the value of humor:

"Looking back, I can't believe what we achieved in a few incredible days: government-funded health care, a well-regulated banking system, and a cap on corporate political donations. Our work is done." – Tracy, 20

Nothing globally works that fast. Even liberals don't expect change that quickly. Though Canadians do have government-funded health care and a well-regulated banking system, neither of which the U.S. can claim.

In the video, Perry said he got this from his son, but what isn't clear is whether his son send him the article or just one paragraph. Usually when you pass on a story, you send a link. Perry and/or someone in his campaign should have checked the original to make sure what Perry would say would be valid.

This does remind you of another presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, who passed on something without checking it out first when she told us that a woman told her that the HPV shot led to her daughter's retardation. In both cases, vetting wasn't done.

As funny as Gov. Perry's faux-pas was, other conservatives reacted poorly to the satire, mainly assuming that Perry was correct without checking any details. So you had conservative media not vetting the candidate who wasn't vetting what he said.

Satire lends itself more to liberals more than conservatives, a statement where both sides of the aisle can agree. Still, if you are running for high office, and someone tells you something that sounds unusual, you should make sure that what you saying is true. From the Daily Show and Colbert to This Hour Has 22 Minutes and The Onion, we live in a satirical world. Politicians are obvious targets in this world, and until they figure out what is happening, well, we'll have plenty more to write about, especially when Canada is involved.

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Kudos to those in Canada who have been taken by the spirit of Occupy Wall Street. Toronto and Vancouver are just two of the Canadian cities that have their own version of Occupy. We note that the Canadian economic situation is much better in the United States, but this doesn't mean that Canadians don't have economic issues, especially in younger demographics, similar to what is happening in the United States.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford wins Keith Olbermann's 'Worst Person in the World'

 

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been a lightning rod of controversy since he took over as mayor about a year ago. But an encounter with CBC's "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" captured him in a way that burst out past the city limits of Canada's largest city.

The "confrontation" with actress Mary Walsh (as Marg Delahunty) from the political satire program, while offbeat, wasn't what got Ford in trouble, which led to Keith Olbermann's proclaiming Ford as the "Worst Person in the World" on Friday.

Olbermann's segment on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" is serious news presented as satire. These are not literally the "worst persons," but a way to showcase people that do stupid and offensive things.

After the encounter with the comic actress, Ford went into his home and called 911. Frustrated that the police weren't getting there fast enough (again because of a comedy program), his second call to the police was laced with profanities and allegely an unkind b-word toward women.

The alleged quote: "You … bitches! Don't you fucking know? I'm Rob fucking Ford, the mayor of this city!"

Olbermann went from a story from England before this story, but pointed out that this was international. Unfortunately, Olbermann read Ford's statement in a stereotypical Canadian accent.

Ford is not the first politician to be confused by Mary Walsh's antics. Olbermann should also know that Walsh confronted Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnell. Unlike Palin and O'Donnell, Ford should have an idea as a Canadian politician about "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" and the CBC. We know doubt either is true. Anybody who is seriously scared of Delahunty/Walsh should really rethink a number of issues in one's life.

Olbermann came back on Monday and thanked Canada for its reaction to the story, noting several media accounts from Canada that mentioned Olbermann's award, naming several specific media outlets. He seemed genuinely appreciative about the generous reaction from Canada for giving Ford the award.

Olbermann gave Ford the bronze award (3rd worst person) on Monday because Ford's supporters claimed the 911 tape would vindicate Ford, clearing him of charges of using the b-word and Ford's claim that his daughter was scared and could be heard in the background during the 911 call. Yet Ford hasn't called for the release of the tape that would theoretically absolve him of most of the blame.

"This Hour Has 22 Minutes" airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. local time (9 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador) on CBC-TV. "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" airs weeknights at 8 p.m. on Current TV.

Wall Street Journal presents narrow and conservative view of Canada

"Why Canada Is Beating America" is a headline that you can't really ignore, especially when the article is in The Wall Street Journal. Turns out the opinion piece talks about why Canada is doing better financially than its neighbors to the south.

Jason Clemens, the opinion writer, praises Canada for its business practices in terms of its unemployment rate, better deficit and debt numbers, lack of bank bailouts, and actual GDP growth. Yet he says now that Canada has a majority Conservative government, "the country has an opportunity to vault forward."

Wow! We already thought Canada was forward, but not forward enough? Makes the U.S. look extra bad in this person's view since the U.S. is behind a country that isn't even forward.

As for that lack of bank bailouts, one reason is that the banking system wasn't undercut by legislation passed by a Republican Congress (and signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton) in the late 1990s. And those deficit and debt numbers came about as a result of strong leadership from Liberal governments, led mostly by Jean Chrétien.

Clemens notes that Canada has two concerns: "health reform and taxes." Conservatives love pointing to Canada's health care system and saying how bad things are because patients have to wait longer for MRIs. And Canada's system does have problems, but one major reason is that those cuts that reduced the deficit came from health care money. Still, even with Canada's "problems," the country gets more health care with less money per person than the United States spends.

His other concern is taxes, but again, with U.S. tax rates at a 60-year low, Canada's taxes help make sure the deficit and debt is smaller: a hypocrisy on the part of the opinion writer. Yes, Canada is a country where the rich are taxed at a higher rate than the United States, but Canada gets something for its tax money.

Clemens' solution is to follow the U.S. method of starving domestic spending to reduce the impact of government.

To implement meaningful income tax cuts, the Conservative government will also need to be more proactive with spending reductions. As demonstrated in the 1990s by their Liberal Party predecessors, spending reductions now will result in a balanced budget sooner and an opportunity for large-scale tax relief.

So Clemens praises Canada for beating America, and his solution is to make Canada more like the United States. Seems like the solution would be to make the U.S. more like Canada.

You can read the WSJ article for yourself and feel free to respond below in the comments section. We welcome those of all stripes: liberals, conservatives, NDP, Greens, Tea Party, libertarians, etc.

'The Onion' expands to Canada, asks for winter coats up front

Canadians are certainly exposed to American irony and satire, but those in Toronto will have a new source coming this fall. The Onion is expanding beyond the United States and its first non-American market is Toronto.

Torontonians already enjoy the satirical Web site online, as Toronto is in the top 10 cities that enjoy the paper's Web site. The Toronto Star has agreed with The Onion to carry its paper and its sister publication, the A.V. Club, in the newspaper. While the Globe and Mail has the most significance, the Toronto Star has a higher circulation than any other Canadian newspaper.

Toronto and New York City are the two cities in North America that still has a rich newspaper battle for readership. The Star is looking at this move as a way to draw in younger readers, many of whom read alternative newspapers.

The New York Times, in its attempt to be Onion-esque, posted a headline that read: "The Onion Expands Internationally, if Canada Counts." Ha ha. Extra stories about Canada aren't part of the deal, though The Onion hasn't been shy about writing about the Great White North in the past. The A.V. Club will have Toronto listings.

If The Onion ever makes it to Montréal, the name should change to L'Oignon.