Ira Glass Interview

Search Engine’s Jesse interviews public radio star and statesman Ira Glass.

Theoren Fleury’s Shootout Winner

Fleury steals show with whiz-bang shot

Fleury makes triumphant return with Flames

Fleury caps emotional return with shootout winner

Wonderful to see someone, in this case Theo, being given a second chance. Good luck Theo.

Calgary-Glenmore Election irregularities (Sept 17, 2009 – Calgary OMNI News Cantonese)

In last night Sept 17, 2009 news, Calgary’s OMNI News Cantonese reported on the Calgary-Glenmore Election irregularities.

You see, Mr. Westwater actually said this to Calgary Herald, Sept 14, 2009, (in the middle of the election day)

“You cannot talk to electors at the poll in any circumstance, whether they’re lined up inside or outside the school or wherever it is located,” Westwater said, adding that campaigning is also not allowed at entranceways or parking lots outside polling stations.

In the following video, Paul Hinman, Kent Hehr, and Drew Westwater were interviewed for the news about the election irregularities.

And as you can hear, Mr. Westwater is giving a contradictory opinion now, totally opposite of what he said previously.

New quote I love

Here is a new quote I love,

“Why think about a half full or half empty glass when you are next to a lake?”
- Kempton

Well, a blog friend needed some positive energy/support, so I took time to send along a few messages earlier today. And then, to my surprise, this friend asked if the above quote of mine, written as part of the encouragement, can be reposted. Of course! And it made my day.

Once the half full/half empty problem is reframed, it is no longer about the water in that damn glass. It is about opening our eyes and realizing one is standing next to a lake.

True or False? : OK to campaign outside Alberta polling stations

In a healthy and functioning democracy, it is of utmost importance that elections are seen by voters as being held in an open, fair, and impartial manner (Election Alberta’s first mandate).

As a Calgary-Glenmore voter, Elections Alberta’s spokesman Drew Westwater was very clear when saying this to Calgary Herald in the September 14th article (posted online on election day),

“You cannot talk to electors at the poll in any circumstance, whether they’re lined up inside or outside the school or wherever it is located,” Westwater said, adding that campaigning is also not allowed at entranceways or parking lots outside polling stations.

And according to Avalon Roberts campaign co-chair Mr. Donn Lovett, he took this confirmation from Elections Alberta seriously and treated it as a confirmation of candidates and their volunteers are not allowed to “talk to electors at the poll in any circumstance, whether they’re lined up inside or outside the school or wherever it is located”.

While I am still waiting from Elections Alberta to reply to my formal Calgary-Glenmore by-election complain, Elections Alberta has now appeared to have changed its mind !

According to this latest Sept 17th ffwd article, “OK to campaign outside polling stations: Elections Alberta” Elections Alberta has now changed its opinion AFTER the election,

Elections Alberta briefly investigated Hinman [...] but concluded he did nothing wrong. The Elections Act forbids campaign materials in polling stations but doesn’t restrict candidates from campaigning or distributing pamphlets outside a poll, says Drew Westwater, Elections Alberta’s director of operations and communications. “As long as you’re not inside the poll, or as long as you’re not interfering with electors either entering or leaving the poll… it’s perfectly fine to campaign on election day.”

What is a “fair” election ?

To me, one of the criterial of a “fair” election is that all candidates are required to conduct themselves under the same fixed set of rules and laws.

You see, what seems totally unfair to me in this case is when one candidate decided to IGNORE Elections Alberta’s ***election day directives***, while other candidates were obeying  the same Elections Alberta’s ***election day directives***. Can this be fair? Does this seem fair to you?

Concluding thoughts

I hate to say this, but I am starting to lose confidence in Elections Alberta as it was saying one thing on election day (arguably the most important make-or-break day), and then reversing itself after the election thus effectively forcing by-election candidates to follow DIFFERENT standards in the Monday Sept 14th by-election.

Is this fair? This just doesn’t look fair to me but I will see what is the official reply from Elections Alberta first before I decide if I want to take any further actions.

I am asking myself: Do we have rule of law in Alberta? Do we have one set of consistent rules and laws for everyone, or the rules and laws can shift and change anytime?

What’s next?

Again, depending on the pending Elections Alberta’s reply with respect to my formal complain, what I do may be very different. I am not a lawyer but I will probably need to seek legal advice first to help me decide if I should invoke my Alberta Elections Act section 185 rights.

Section 185 (1)

(1) A petition may be filed with the Court in accordance with this Part to void an election by reason of the undue return or undue election of a candidate as the member of the Legislative Assembly for an electoral division.

and Section 185 (2) (a) (ii),

(ii) a person who on the polling day of the election was qualified to vote at the election,

I never talk about invoking my section 185 rights lightly. But when our Canadian soldiers are fighting and dying in Afghanistan, most recently for an election that has reported widespread fraudulent activities in the election process, how can I NOT speak up when I see election irregularities right in Alberta, Canada! A province and a country I love dearly!

“It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” – Winston Churchill

Democracy is not free.

Democracy is not easy.

When Lady Democracy needs defending, can I simply walk away and turn a blind eye to Lady Democracy’s cry for help?

TIFF Fairy – 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

Thanks to my TIFF Fairy, I’ve just received my 2009 TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) t-shirt and program book.

Thank you TIFF Fairy!

P.S. The following are two 2009 TIFF filmmakers interviews I conducted.

Audio interview:

My Toxic Baby – Min Sook Lee Interview (2009 Toronto International Film Festival)

Skype Video interview:

A chat with Oscar winning animator Chris Landreth about his new film “The Spine”

Missing Respect in Divided States of America

From ITN: Jimmy Carter says outbursts against Obama may be racist

P.S. There are also times that I am sadden to hear what some Canadian politicians will say about their opponents.

Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History – Ted Sorensen

In the midst of the Calgary-Glenmore by-election and election-day madness, I have been listening to the audio version of the book Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History written and read by Ted Sorensen. This audio book is very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Quoting Wikipedia, Sorensen is

best known as President John F. Kennedy’s special counsel and adviser, legendary speechwriter, and alter ego. President Kennedy once called him his “intellectual blood bank.”

From The Washington Post
Reviewed by Ted Widmer (excerpted from Amazon.com, emphasis and links added)

“There will never be another speechwriter like Ted Sorensen, if only because there will never be a relationship like the one between Sorensen and John F. Kennedy. Staffs have mushroomed along with expectations that presidents will speak more or less incessantly, on all subjects, from Earth Days to birthdays. Burnout sets in earlier, and few writers stay with a politician for anything like the length of time Sorensen worked for Kennedy, from January 1953 to Nov. 22, 1963. Arguably, he has never stopped working for him.

From the beginning they were an unlikely couple. JFK was infinitely urbane, cool before the word went mainstream. Sorensen was stress personified, a teetotaling taskmaster, admittedly unlikable in his single-minded dedication. But they shared certain qualities, ranging from impatience with the old order to respect for history and passion for words. If no other speechwriter ever had Sorensen’s access, then it is probably also true that no politician ever benefited more from his wordsmith’s talents than Kennedy did. Nothing in recent memory compares to the body of work that Sorensen and Kennedy authored collaboratively, from Profiles in Courage through the 1960 Democratic Convention (“We stand at the edge of a New Frontier”) to the 1961 inaugural (“Ask not what your country can do for you”) and the triad of memorable orations (at American University, to the nation on civil rights, and to a crowd in Berlin) from a single month, June 1963.”

Paul Hinman possible Alberta Election Act violations in the Sept. 14th Calgary-Glenmore by-election

Sept 15th, 2009

Subject: Suspected Alberta Election Act violation by Mr. Paul Hinman in the Sept. 14th Calgary-Glenmore by-election

To: Mr. Drew Westwater
Director, Election Operations and Communications, Elections Alberta

cc: Ms. Lori McKee-Jeske, Acting Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Alberta

cc: Mr. Marc Mayrand, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada

I am a Calgarian living in the electoral district of Calgary-Glenmore and I, like many other Calgarians, cast my vote in the Sept. 14th by-election in Calgary-Glenmore.

I have never doubted Elections Alberta’s ability to administer open, fair, and impartial elections until yesterday.

I was honestly shocked when I saw Mr. Paul Hinman and his agents actively campaigning and greeting voters at two different polling stations in possible violations of Alberta Election Act (section 135), after being warned it is illegal the first time.

Here are links to two videos I recorded of Mr. Hinman campaigning at polling stations in Calgary-Glenmore,

1) Mr. Paul Hinman campaigning at Nellie McClung Elementary School polling station at around 2:43pm (greeting and shaking voters hands).

2) Mr. Paull Hinman campaigning at Louis Riel School polling station at around 6:28pm.

While Mr. Hinman was campaigning at Nellie McClung Elementary School, I’ve been informed that Mr. Hinman was told by Elections Alberta officials that campaigning at polling stations were not allowed and Mr. Hinman left as a result.

The surprising thing to me was that Mr. Hinman was later found campaigning *again* at a different polling station, this time at Louis Riel School polling station at around 6:28pm, with another of his agent.

It lead me to question if political candidates and their agents in Alberta are actually above the law? Or if the Alberta Election Act is simply a powerless piece of “decorative paper” that candidates can totally disregard without any meaningful consequence or punishment?

May I know what is the penalty for breaking election law like what I suspect Mr. Hinman might have done yesterday? If there is a fine or punishment, is it meaningful enough that offenders cannot simply take it as “cost of election“? Small enough that some illegal street racers can treat the few hundred dollars fine in speeding tickets as a “cost of city street racing“?

The irony is that Mr. Hinman is now MLA-elect for Calgary-Glenmore and is joining a legislative body that is supposed to draft and update laws! Including laws like the Election Act which he and his agents seemed to have willfully broken.

I have copied Ms. Lori McKee-Jeske, Acting Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Alberta and Mr. Marc Mayrand, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada for their information and in hope their collective wisdom may assist in this matter.

Please kindly acknowledge and confirm receipt of this official complain to Elections Alberta.

And I look forward to hearing form you and reading the investigation report of the suspected Election Act violations by Mr. Hinman.

Please also kindly advise what will the appeal process be if I find I am unable to agree with Elections Alberta’s investigation report and/or decision.

Best Regards,
Kempton Lam
Calgary-Glenmore

P.S. Mr. Westwater, I am cautiously optimistic after reading what you said to Calgary Herald, Sept 14,

“You cannot talk to electors at the poll in any circumstance, whether they’re lined up inside or outside the school or wherever it is located,” Westwater said, adding that campaigning is also not allowed at entranceways or parking lots outside polling stations.

I will reserve my judgement until I read Elections Alberta’s official investigation report and decision.

P.P.S. The content of this post has been sent to the three recipients as an email and posted here as an open letter for the record.

*******

8:54am Sept 16, 2009 Update: Elections Canada, Enquiries Unit,

“We acknowledge receipt of the electronic message you sent to Elections Canada on September 16, 2009. Your message has been forwarded to the appropriate directorate.”

9:27am Sept 16, 2009 Update: Elections Alberta, Drew Westwater, Director of Operations and Communications,

“I acknowledge receipt of your complaint, dated September 15th at 11:20 p.m., regarding the campaigning activities of Mr. Paul Hinman during the by-election in Calgary-Glenmore, held on Monday, September 14th, 2009. Elections Alberta will review your complaint and advise if any violations of the Election Act have occurred.”

Guardian: Kim Clijsters seals the mother of all comebacks with US Open title

After winning her previous game in a strange manner (because of her opponent’s lack of manner), Kim Clijsters beat Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 to win her second US Open title. (beautiful picture of Kim and her daughter after Kim’s win)

New quotes I love

Adding the following two quotes to my “Quotes I Love” list.

“新聞是短歷史，歷史是長新聞。” – 許倬雲 (cited in this interview of 金庸 by 時代周報)

“Comment is free, but the facts are sacred.” – C.P.Scott

US Open Meltdown – Serena Williams lost to Kim Clijsters

The reporters made great points in these two articles.

LA Times, “Serena Williams’ makes a fool of herself and deserves punishment“

Huffington Post, “Serena Williams Loses It“

Williams had not dropped a set all tournament. She was on cruise control and seemingly unbeatable. A T-Shirt she wore earlier this week said it all: “Can’t Spell Dynasty Without Nasty.” But that shirt cast its own spell. In this semifinal Serena’s second serve win percentage was neither nasty nor nice. She was winning just 32% of her second serves to Kim’s 72%. That was the match difference in a nutshell, or at least we thought so.

Here is a good Tennis Blog of the match at New York Times.

Possible lessons:

Try never to “lose it” in public.

Apologize as soon as possible (and often) if it ever comes down to it. No one is perfect but covering up a mistake only compound it and make it worst.

Kim Clijsters fought hard and deserved a clean win and the joy that she outplayed Serena Williams. It is a sad night for US Open Tennis and sad for any sportspeople that play the games by the rules.

The Most Amazing – Voice Over

I have four more episodes to record and then I’ll have finished the voice over (and VO translation) work of the Cantonese edition of “The Most Amazing“, a “top 10 countdown” entertainment show.

You can watch the show across OMNI TV in Canada and also on OMNI TV (Alberta) . It airs each episode like a total of four times a week!

Here is a sample of the first aired Cantonese episode. (note: I think my voicing actually get better in later episodes.)

P.S. After recording the last four episodes, I will have done 52 episodes and thats a wonderful learning experience to have. It was a ton of fun working with the many audio-engineers and the people at the TV production company are great to work with.

For someone new to vocing, I am voicing like a “pro” now. :)

Nature Genetics: New Alzheimer’s Gene Discovery

New Alzheimer’s Gene Discovery Sparks Hope for Treatment

Faron Hall: a hero, not a superhero; a man, not a superman

“‘I didn’t have the strength’ – Heralded again as a hero, but river rescuer Hall mourns the man he couldn’t save“, Winnipeg Free Press

I deeply admire and respect Mr. Faron Hall for his bravery but he is a hero, not a superhero; a man, and not a superman. And I have tears in my eyes after reading the article and watching the video (Gordon Sinclair Jr. of Winnipeg Free Press did a great job).

I am no expert in the larger issues of homelessness, drugs & alcohol abuse, etc, but I know enough that our society can use more spotlight and attention to try to improve on these larger issues than simply having another round of momentary attention around Mr. Hall as a hero.

A true hero like Mr. Hall will likely want to see more systemic effort in improving on these larger issues over time rather than another round of “media circus” for a few weeks.

Update: CBC News report, “Winnipeg man speaks of difficult choice in river rescue“.

Green Porno with Isabella Rossellini

Watch season 1 & season 2 of Green Porno at Sundance Channel. Very creatively done, cute, scientific & informative.

[via BMD]

Best slug sex with & without BBC Attenborough commentary

Best slug with David Attenborough’s commentary.

Slug sex without David.

[via BMD Love here and here]

Homeless hero Faron Hall involved in another river rescue

Faron Hall is a hero and a man living a hard and troubled life. After Faron jumped in the river again to save another life, this time the story has a sad ending as a male friend died trying to rescue the woman who felt into the river first.

While we admire the selflessness in Faron, we should provide more sustain and long term assistance to homeless people in Canada. A troubled hero like Mr. Hall deserve our respect, love and attention. I hope Canadians across the country can face up to our homeless and related problems. And try to help our fellow Canadians when they are in need of our care and attention.

See my previous blog entries here and here plus related CBC news reports,

1. Faron Hall getting a hero’s day in Winnipeg
2. Outpouring of praise for homeless man who rescued teen from river
3. Homeless man in Winnipeg jumps into river to save teen

*******

Sept 6th update: Faron Hall: a hero, not a superhero; a man, not a superman (with video interview)

NowPublic Acquired by Examiner.com

In the past, I had contributed a few articles to NowPublic so it is nice to hear that NowPublic has been acquired and the founders probably made some good money. At the same time, I doubt if I would write for Examiner.com.

My Toxic Baby – Min Sook Lee Interview (2009 Toronto International Film Festival)

My Toxic Baby is a new documentary film by Min Sook Lee. One mother’s search for safe, sane and affordable ways to raise her child (Song Ji) in a toxic world. The film is having its world premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept 11th. For more info see this TIFF page.

I had a very enjoyable phone interview (mp3) with Min Sook to talk about My Toxic Baby. In the interview, we talked about topics like diapers & EC (Elimination Communication, i.e. taking your babies to pee or poop instead of letting him/her do it in the diapers), breast feeding, organic food vs processed food, the toxicity in babies’ toys & clothing, and living space.

If you get a chance, I highly recommend you checking out Min Sook’s My Toxic Baby as I think you will find it insightful and enjoyable to watch.

My Toxic Baby Trailer

See below for four more “My Toxic Baby” clips.