|
Senators Behaving Badly
 Posted 7/3/2009 7:09:00 AM
What will the voters think? Oh wait... never mind:
The shouting, swearing and even name-calling at a high-profile Senate committee have rendered it a dysfunctional, public spectacle on Parliament Hill, senators have told CBC News.
And after videos of a meeting of the committee on national security and defence were posted on YouTube, it has reached a new level of notoriety.
The committee's mandate is to examine key issues such as the war in Afghanistan, the security of Canada's borders and ports and the performance of the RCMP.
Its June 15 meeting — portions of which have been posted at the video website — started as usual with classical music playing as senators convened. However, the elegant prelude belied the bickering and sniping that followed — all of it caught on cameras and microphones.
See for yourself:
Happy Canada Day, CAF Style
Posted 7/2/2009 7:32:00 AM
UPPERDATE: Tarek Fatah audio added (audio player below picture at right)
The Canadian Arab Federation moved to distance itself from one of its own executives who resigned yesterday after he apparently posted "F--- Canada Day" on his Facebook page, called Canada a "genocidal state," and said he "couldn't be more ashamed to be Canadian."
The tirade on Omar Shaban's profile stirred up a firestorm of controversy and put CAF leaders in damage-control mode as they were quick to condemn the posting on the social networking site.
Just after 8:30 last night, Shaban, 23, resigned his post as the CAF's executive vice-president for Western Canada, CAF national president Khaled Mouammar confirmed.
"There was a big outcry from our member organizations and it was felt that he had to correct that," Mouammar said. "He decided that the best thing for him to do was to resign." ...
Alexis Arguello, RIP
Posted 7/2/2009 7:03:00 AM
Alexis Arguello, a three-time world champion boxer and national hero of Nicaragua, who was elected mayor of the capital city of Managua last year, was found dead July 1 at his home in Managua. He was 57 and, according to press accounts, had shot himself in the chest.
Mr. Arguello won his first world championship in 1974 as a featherweight and later won titles in the super featherweight and lightweight classes, making him the sixth fighter in history to capture titles in three weight divisions. His boxing brilliance made him a celebrity in his native country, but his success was repeatedly undercut by the convoluted political fortunes of his homeland.
In the ring, Mr. Arguello was a peerless tactician who was ranked by Ring magazine as the finest junior lightweight (also ...
|
|
|
|