Don’t tell anybody, but I’m rather tickled that the Queen Charlotte Islands have been given back the name of the slaveholding empire that was once centred there. Such a cheeky gesture! So politically incorrect! So contrary to the stifling liberal spirit of our age! It is almost literally as if Mississippi got renamed Whitetopia; and yet the progressives are simply falling over themselves with naïve praise. I raise a glass to you and shoot you a sly wink, Government of British Columbia!
Colby Cosh, “Come to think of it, why use ‘volunteers’ to run the Olympics?”, Macleans, 2009-12-11
December 14, 2009
QotD: BC does a sneaky anti-PC move
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Shock! Horror! Children’s book series from 1940’s has “conservative values”!
I guess it must have been a slow news week, if this makes the news:
Thomas the Tank Engine attacked for ‘conservative political ideology’
Children’s favourite Thomas the Tank Engine has been attacked by a Canadian academic for its “conservative political ideology” and failure to adequately represent women.The show’s right-wing politics shows the colourful steam engines punished if they show initiative or oppose change, the researcher found.
She also highlighted the class divide which sees the downtrodden workers in the form of Thomas and his friends at the bottom of the social ladder and the wealthy Fat Controller, Sir Topham Hatt, at the top.
[. . .]
She was critical of the fact the show only has eight female characters out of the 49 who feature.
“The female characters weren’t necessarily portrayed any more negatively than the male characters or the male trains, but they did tend to play more secondary roles and they’re often portrayed as being bossy or know-it-alls,” she said.
Let’s see, a series of stories, written for children starting in the 1940’s. Conformist? Check. Sexist? Check. Reinforces class-based stereotypes? Check. By God, she’s right! Call out the Human Rights pitbulls!
File this one under “Obvious”.
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This is interesting . . .
Charles Stross links to this story:
Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN advisor
Drugs and crime chief says $352bn in criminal proceeds was effectively laundered by financial institutionsAntonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said he has seen evidence that the proceeds of organised crime were “the only liquid investment capital” available to some banks on the brink of collapse last year. He said that a majority of the $352bn (£216bn) of drugs profits was absorbed into the economic system as a result.
This will raise questions about crime’s influence on the economic system at times of crisis. It will also prompt further examination of the banking sector as world leaders, including Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, call for new International Monetary Fund regulations. Speaking from his office in Vienna, Costa said evidence that illegal money was being absorbed into the financial system was first drawn to his attention by intelligence agencies and prosecutors around 18 months ago. “In many instances, the money from drugs was the only liquid investment capital. In the second half of 2008, liquidity was the banking system’s main problem and hence liquid capital became an important factor,” he said.
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Vikings back in the Win column, beat Bengals 30-10
If last week’s terrible outing against the Cardinals was a wake-up call, then I think it worked: Minnesota put on a comprehensive display of dominance in all three phases of the game yesterday against Cincinnati. Despite two defensive rookies making their first career starts (middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley and safety Jamarca Sanford), the Bengals had trouble moving the ball (Carson Palmer had his second-worst statistically).
Cornerback Antoine Winfield made his triumphant return to the field after an extended time recovering from a foot injury. He had nine tackles and forced a fumble late in the second quarter, which led to a Viking field goal. He’s still not back 100%, as he dropped an interception and lost Chad Ochocinco on a passing play to give the Bengals their only touchdown of the day. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert was very impressed with Winfield’s performance, saying “Antoine Winfield picked up where he left off as the NFL’s best tackler.”
In the duel of the running backs, the numbers were close with Adrian Peterson logging 97 yards on 26 carries against Cedric Benson’s 16 carries for 96 yards, but Peterson had two touchdowns to set a new scoring record for a Viking running back. Peterson also added 40 yards receiving on 3 passes.
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Sorry for the lack of posts over the weekend
I hadn’t planned to avoid blogging all weekend, it just sort of happened. Of course, at this time of year, many of you aren’t reading the blogosphere as frequently, so it probably balances out.
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