No. 9, September 15, 2008
UK vs. US: a debate

Big Ben or Big Apple?

It’s not likely to put an end to the transatlantic alliance, but the jibes will likely come thick and fast in an upcoming debate on relative merits of British and American institutions and ways.
“Is the US President more relevant than England’s Queen? Does American dress down top British sartorial elegance? Is New York better than London?”
Those are some of the questions to be addressed in the inaugural Alfred Dunhill Debate on September 19 in New York City. The event is publicizing the opening of a Madison Avenue store by dunhill, the British luxury goods firm.
Taking the American side is Donny Deutsch, advertising agency head and host of CNBC’s The Big Idea, and for the British, Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror and News of the World (News of the Screws, as Private Eye has it) tabloids and reality TV “personality.” The winner will be awarded $10,000 for his chosen charity.
Other debate topics will include football versus football (soccer) and possibly the New York yellow taxi versus the London black cab.
A number of other possibilities also come to mind: Hot dogs or pork pies? Harvard or Oxford? James Bond or John Rambo? Bourbon or Scotch? NHS or managed care? Kentucky Derby or Grand National? Overt class system or unacknowledged? Special Forces or SAS? Cadillac or Bentley? Yobs or rednecks? Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren? Grouse shooting or deer hunting? Walmart or Marks and Sparks? New York Review of Books or Times Literary Supplement? Bud Lite or Best Bitter? (Actually no debate on that one – I’ll have a proper pint, thanks very much.)
So go to it, boys. I’ll be interested to hear the result, while sharing with other Canadians the not unjustified view that this is really the best place to be.

At Giza

No. 8, August 15, 2008

When I read earlier this week that the area around the Pyramids had been cleared of peddlers, my immediate thought was, "That's great!" Hawkers who won't take no for an answer are perhaps the biggest bane of tourists to Egypt -- disputatious taxi drivers being another. Visiting in June, I found the Giza Plateau, site of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, to be the worst place in the country for hawkers.
The area teems with men in turbans and galabayas attempting to sell visitors statuettes, "papyrus" paintings, camel rides or seeking to pose for photos -- for cash, of course. It's difficult to keep in mind that 40 centuries of history are looking down on you from the Pyramids -- as Napoleon once exhorted his troops there to do -- when the representatives of contemporary Egypt are so much in your face. At least it was for me.
The situation at the Pharaonic sites farther south, Abu Simbel, Philae, Kom Ombo, the Luxor and Karnak temples and the Valley of the Kings, is much more controlled. Each site has a sort of mini-bazaar whose merchants favour a persistent hard sell, but no hucksters right around the temples. Although in Aswan and Luxor the carriage drivers and felucca crew seeking hires were tiresome.
Now similar controls are likely to be put in place at Giza as part of a $26 million modernization project and security upgrade that will include 20-kilometres of chain-link fencing with cameras, alarms and motion detectors, as well as a visitors' centre, cafeteria and bookstore.
It seems the peddlers may not actually be gone yet, having been forced out by police specifically on the day the press were invited in for the project announcement. However a different perspective on the coming restriction is given by the comment made by a camel-ride seller, now outside the site to an AP reporter:
"I've been working here for 25 years," he said. "Now I don't know if I will be here tomorrow. I have five children, a wife. What will happen to us?"
Maybe this development is not that great for everybody, after all. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that what is merely an annoyance to the visitor is a struggle to earn a livelihood for the Egyptian. Officials have said that the new restrictions will not be "sudden" or "unkind." Hopefully not -- other employment is not likely to be easy to come by for them, to say the least.
I'm also brought to the realization that with persistent hucksters being the worst hazard that most tourists are likely to encounter, and with all its historical and cultural riches, Egypt is indeed a good place in which to travel.

No. 7, May 6, 2008
Requiem for some watering holes
A front page article in the April 23 Los Angeles Times chronicles the dismay felt by San Fransisco drinkers over the recent loss of some of their favourite bars. Among the well-loved classic bars that have closed their doors in recent times are the John Barleycorn ("The Corn"), the Washington Square Bar and Grille ("The Washbag"), Dago Mary's, Moose's, the Hole in the Wall and Bobby's Owl Tree.
All sound like worthy establishments in which to quaff a pint of Sierra Nevada or perhaps sip a dry martini, and I regret not having visited any of them when I was in the city a couple of years ago. Linda and I did stay across the street from the Owl Tree, in the ancient Dakota Hotel. The bar, noted for crusty proprietor Bobby Cook and the huge collection of owl paraphernalia that adorned it, came highly recommended , so I made a as much of an effort to get there as a few days' visit allowed. But Bobby, who died last year, kept erratic hours.
In San Francisco, I mostly hit North Beach bars with literary/Beat connections -- Spec's and, next to City Lights books, Vesuvio, where Kerouac downed more than a few. Also the London Wine Bar in the financial district, which is in fact much like a classic wine bar in London, say El Vino in Fleet Street. Actually quite a bit clubbier and more well-kept-up.
Friend Jim Simpson, recently returned from the City by the Bay, informs me that some kind of work, possibly renovations, was taking place at the Owl Tree. Hopefully it reopens as a new bar, although it can obviously never be the same.
The other bars mentioned in the article were closing their doors for reasons such as the landlord refusing to renew the lease or rising rents, or the owner retiring. Of course, these will always be factors, and bars come and go. But the Times article suggests that the economics of the industry, along with changing tastes, mean that the classic local bar -- the kind of place where regulars have nicknames -- is a dying breed. Commentators in the United Kingdom have also bemoaned the decline and in some cases disappearance of the local pub. High real estate values that make other uses more attractive are often fingered as a major culprit in putting pubs out of business; the proliferation of chains results in a big loss of character and quality.
It can be tough to put your finger on what it is that makes a good bar, and what makes the loss of any particular one a tragedy. Times writer John Glionna makes a gesture toward a working description when he notes one bar that has "sociable bartenders, spacious booths and saucy regulars." Really, spacious booths are neither here nor there, but a good crowd of regulars is a must, and sociable bartenders are a definite plus. While its possible to quibble over the details (TV or no TV?) bar regulars and aficionados know a good bar when they've found it. And once settled into such an establishment, its loss is bound to be wrenching.
The joint doesn't even have to actually go out of business. It can be ruined by unsympathetic new owners and/or ill-advised modernization schemes. A case in point is the tavern of the Bessborough Hotel ("The Bess," pronounced Bezz) in Saskatoon, the lively social hub of the city when I was there in the late 70s, which was transmogrified into a characterless sports bar.
Another sad story is that of Edmonton's Rose Bowl lounge, never known as the Backstretch, its proper name, but always by that of the pizza place to which it was attached. Presided over for much of the time by the inimitable Janice, and notable for its diverse (some might say motley) collection of regulars, it was my home away from home for many years. Our tertulia met there regularly on Fridays. New management tore the place apart, renamed and reinvented it -- as what it is hard to say exactly -- but the bar doesn't appeal much.
At one point there were dire predictions that the days were numbered for my current local, Martini's, but a shift in ownership seems to have warded off that danger -- and the charming and accomplished staff, including Mary, Nancy, Barb, Deb, Shyla and Heather will be keeping the customers happy there for a while yet.
Another Edmonton bar that has apparently dodged the bullet is the Jekyll and Hyde Pub, an agreeable spot for an occasional pint, which was recently forced out of their rather cavernous downtown venue. They've apparently found a new home in the Riverview Inn (the Greenbrier Hotel of ancient memory), where another sometimes amusing bar shut down. According to their website, Jekyll and Hyde hopes to be back in operation soon.
For its loyal customers that's a very good thing. Finding a new bar is not easy. Because as former John Barleycorn patron Tony Antrico says, "It takes a while to break in a new bar. It takes a commitment."

No. 6, April 14, 2008

Seized by pirates (Finale)

The saga of the Ponant, the French luxury yacht captured by pirates off Somalia, came to a relatively undramatic end on Friday. After receiving a reported $2 million ransom from the vessel's owners, the pirates released the 30-member crew and went shore. Tracked by helicopter, they attempted to make their getaway in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, but six were captured by French commandos after it was disabled by sniper fire. Whether anyone was killed in the affair is disputed: the Somalis say three, the French say none. The pirates may be tried in France. They will escape the traditional fate of pirates -- the gallows -- as France abolished capital punishment in 1981, in line with other civilized countries (and in any event had used the guillotine for executions since the French Revolution). Read more from Agence France Presse.

Quench your thirst

My friend Inna Spice has recently had a book of erotic short stories published. On her website she describes Quench Your Thirst thus: "Fourteen original anecdotes of humour, desire, and despair from the editions of Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica, Clean Sheets, Ruthie’s Club and others. Amusing, erotic, sensual, and moving stories about real-life sexual challenges and their effect on human behaviour . . . Some stories will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. Some will make you gasp. Some will make you tingle. Some will make you wet. But most will spark new ideas for your own sexual pleasure." For purchasing and other information see Inna's website or go to lulu.com.

No. 5 April 11, 2008

Give us Obama

A recent Canadian Press Harris/Decima survey asked Canadians who they hoped to see become the next U.S. president. The results show:
A plurality (39%) hope Barack Obama becomes the next president, followed by 30 per cent who prefer Hillary Clinton, and eight per cent John McCain. The rest offered no opinion.
According to the pollsters, this represents a major swing in preference away from Senator Clinton in the last three months. A poll in early January saw Senator Clinton with an 11-point edge over Senator Obama with this lead dropping to three points by mid-February, followed by the swing to Obama in front by nine points now.
Senator Obama is most popular in Ontario and Alberta where he has the support of 42 per cent and 44 per cent of respondents compared to 28 per cent and 21 per cent for Senator Clinton.
Obama also led among all age groups, but his support was fully double that of Clinton among those under 25 (54% Obama, 27% Clinton).
Men more heavily favoured Obama (44% Obama, 25% Clinton, 13% McCain) than did women. However, Obama also has a slight lead among female voters (34% compared to 33% for Senator Clinton and 4% for Senator McCain).
Obama is preferred across vote intention lines. His lead is smallest among Conservative voters, 36 per cent of whom prefer Obama, compared to 31 per cent for Hillary Clinton, but still only 19 per cent for John McCain.
Asked who they thought would win the presidency, 44 per cent said that Senator Obama will go on to win, 19 per cent felt Senator McCain would win, while only 17 per cent foresaw a second President Clinton.
Declared Harris Decima President Bruce Anderson, “The momentum for Senator Obama that became evident over recent months in the US, is now showing up in Canada. Not only is he now preferred by more Canadians than the other two candidates, Canadians believe a Democrat will win the White House and that Senator Obama will be that Democrat.”

The plight of the Assyrians

The Christian Assyrians in Iraq are suffering disproportionately more than other segments of the population believes a member of the Dutch parliament who has recently returned from the northern part of the country. Joël Voordewind of the Christian Union party, made the statement in a story carried by the Assyrian International News Service (AINA). "The impression I had was that this minority has been targeted more than the rest," he said. "This impression was confirmed through my visits to regional politicians, aid societies and refugees from Mosul and Baghdad," Voordewind noted that of the original 1.4 million Christian Assyrians in Iraq, there are about 400,000 remaining. About 100,000 of these are in the Kurdish part of Northern Iraq as displaced persons.read the full story here.

A gold-standard martini?

The makers of Gold Flakes Supreme French vodka claim martinis made with their product set the gold standard for the cocktail.
“Maximize your liquidity,” says a PR release. “With the current market fluctuations, credit crunches and housing busts, Gold Flakes Supreme is the only recession-proof vodka available. This unique, quadruple-distilled vodka is made with edible flakes of 24 karat gold that glitter magically in the glass. The Gold Flakes Supreme martini can help smooth investors over the rocky patches ahead. It is a no risk venture, a liquid asset that will return the investment in pure pleasure -- shaken or stirred.”

No. 4

Take me to your Euro-fuhrer

Germany is the leader of Europe according to respondents to a Harris Interactive/France 24/International Herald Tribune survey.

Majorities of the public in France (68%), Spain (57%) and Germany (57%), as well as 39 percent of Italians and 35 percent of British adults consider Germany to be the “leader” of Europe. Of these European countries, Germany is considered the leader by all five. In the United States, almost two-thirds (63%) of Americans lean more towards the country they believe to be their closest partner, Great Britain, as the leader of Europe today. Surveyed online were a total of 6,478 adults aged 16 to 64 within France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, and the United States, and adults aged 18 to 64 in Italy, between February 27 and March 6.

Survey respondents in each of the five European countries consider German Chancellor Angela Merkel the most influential leader in Europe today. At the top for is Only the United States differs, as the person they think is most influential is British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Considering a possible European president there are a couple of people that rise to the top for each country in the survey results. In Great Britain and the US, adults are more likely to believe Tony Blair should be the European president. Italians and Germans tend to believe Angela Merkel should be the European president. French adults are more likely to believe Jacques Delors, the former President of the European Committee, should be the European president while more Spaniards think it should be Felipe Gonzalez, the former president of Spain. However, many people, including 46 per cent in Britain and 32 per cent in Germany and the United States, are opposed to the idea of having a president of Europe.
Who would have thought it?
Falls overboard can be deadly for boaters, discloses a U.S. recreational boating association. According to the BoatU.S. Foundation, a fall overboard is the number one boating accident that leads to the most fatalities. The organization suggests that boaters invest in a portable boarding ladder to help them get back in their boat.

No. 3

Seized by pirates! (II)
At time of posting, not too much new in the situation of the Ponant, the French yacht seized by pirates near Somalia on Friday. According to news services, contact has been made with the ship, which is anchored off the coast of Puntland, a breakaway region of the country.
According to Agence France-Presse, Puntland's leader wants French and American forces in the area to take the pirates out. Musa Ghelle Yusuf told the the agency he would be "happy . . . to see the pirates killed." "The French and American ships must attack the pirates. They have our blessing." However French Defence Minister Herve Morin is quoted as saying there won't be any military intervention unless the safety of the crew can be guaranteed.
Ailments Of Our Times Dept.
Michael Quinion's always interesting newsletter World Wide Words for April 5 notes a UK Post Office survey in which nine per cent of respondents said having their mobile (cell) phone switched off made them anxious. A spokes person for the Post Office was quoted in the Glasgow Daily Record as saying, "Whether you run out of credit, lose your phone or are in an area with no reception, being phoneless can bring on panicky symptoms. The Post Office coined the name "nomophobia," short for "no mobile phobia," for the condition. Quinion describes nomophobia as "a dreadful term, doubtless fated to vanish together with the papers it was printed in this week," while admitting there isn't another. The suggested "atelephobia," while "rather neat" and with proper Greek roots, could be fear of not having any telephone access.
A much more pressing concern, to my mind, could be called "abibliophobia," the fear of being stuck without a book on an airline flight, in a waiting room or some other dreary situation.
Where's Mussolini when you need him?
A recent report to Congress by the US Department of Transportation described big problems produced by the Amtrak rail service's poor on-time performance. The report found the tardiness "significantly undermines the viability of intercity passenger rail as an option for travelers and also weakens Amtrak’s financial position by reducing its revenues and increasing its operating costs."
The analysis focused on Amtrak’s long- and medium-distance routes outside the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak considers a train to be on-time if it arrives at its destination less than a prescribed number of minutes after its scheduled arrival (the specific thresholds vary depending on the end-to-end route length). In fiscal year 2006, average on-time performance across Amtrak’s long-distance and medium-distance routes (excluding the Northeast Corridor) was 30 per cent and 67per cent, respectively.
For these routes, it was found found that significant improvements in on-time performance could lead to substantial increases in ridership and revenue. For example, if Amtrak had attained on-time performance values of 75 per cent, 85 per cent or 100 per cent in fiscal 2006, it could have increased its actual annual revenues by $91 million (15.4 per cent), $111 million (18.9 per cent), or $143 million (24.3% per cent), respectively.
Of course, Canada's Via Rail train service also has its own on-time performance issues.
Silent but deadly?
Another U.S. transportation item illustrates the adage that one man's meat is another man's poison. Many new vehicles, particularly those using hybrid or electric engine technology, are silent. This might seem like an unalloyed good, considering the pervasive noise pollution we endure. But advocates for the blind say that not being able to hear engine noise can be very dangerous to them and others.
Legislation intended to protect the blind and other pedestrians from injury or death as a result of silent vehicle technology will be introduced by Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) and Cliff Stearns (R-FL) at a press conference tomorrow. The legislation is supported by the National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people, according to a press release.
"Other people, including pedestrians who are not blind, bicyclists, runners, and small children, also benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle engines, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other. This bill will ensure the safety of pedestrians who, for whatever reason, do not see a vehicle approaching and are placed at risk for injury or even death," the release stated.