Little Mosque on the Prarie...

[Selene]

William:

Thanks. I am going to explore the voting results for the Calgary mayoralty. Do you have a petition process? Or, do you have primaries?

I found Naheed's statement to be quite telling:

“I betcha they never imagined that their loud-mouthed kid would end up standing here today. But if it wasn’t for the values they instilled in my sister and me, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Values, values and values. Just like location in real estate, they provide you with the fullness of the man or woman.

In terms of the show, I am still surprised that there is no "outrage" because the setting is in a Mosque. The Mosques that I am familiar with are in Brooklyn and Newark and in the past, Harlem, in Manhattan, NY City. These are, and were, centers of anti-American hatred, violence and now Jihad. This show would be used as a weapon in the public arena by a number of groups.

The Black Muslims, the Five Percenters (5%) *** and the current radical Muslim converts at those Mosques should not let this opportunity go by. We will see how this plays out now that it is on the Blaze and more public here in the States.

I have a number of friends and clients who are practicing Muslims, mostly from Egypt, Palestine, Persia and a few Nigerians. It will be interesting to see if they become aware of it, and their reaction.

*** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nation_of_Gods_and_Earths

Early Hip-Hop acts affiliated with the Five Percenters, and who spread its teachings through Hip-Hop, include two highly regarded MCs of the late 1980s–early ’90s conscious rap era, Rakim of Eric B. & Rakim and Big Daddy Kane. These two acts, as well as some of their other contemporaries, infused Five Percent teachings and symbolism throughout their music and videos. This reputation brought fans of Rakim in particular to refer to him as "the God MC." Not soon after Rakim and Kane's heyday rose acts who were even more explicit with allegiance to the NGE, most notably Brand Nubian, Poor Righteous Teachers, and the Wu-Tang Clan(as well as Jedi Mind Tricks). The popularity of these acts sparked a boom of new NGE students.

City Hall and the Urban League

The Five Percent established a headquarters in the Harlem section of Manhattan. The Allah School in Mecca, previously known as the Street Academy, was founded in 1966 through the Urban League, with the help of the Republican mayor of New York, John Lindsay, and his assistant, Barry Gottehrer. The agreement reached between The Father and the Urban League was a payment of one dollar a day.

The first programs instituted in the school contained 10 to 30 youth, state certified teachers, and three street workers. Graduates of the street academy would transfer to an academy of transition and then on to college preparatory school. The Father disagreed with the program originally instituted at the Urban League, and so the curriculum was later turned over to him to manage, while the daily programs switched to math, English, and self defense.^[3]

There is another academy, the Allah School in Medina, located in Brooklyn.

I dealt with this group during the Lindsay administration and the anarcho-capitalist/libertarian movement in the late '60s and '70s. Not easy for a white man lol.

The spreading of the message through hip hop is another example of the varied and powerful paths that can be employed to market ideas.

Objectivism's failure to employ a broad spectrum of messenging (sp?) certainly did not help it's spread.

At any rate, it is going to be quite interesting to see whether this show and the Katy outburst attracts incoming fire.

Thanks William.

Adam

[caroljane]

"we should have annexed..." WARNING: Loathsome smugness to follow.

If the "chance" you are referring to was the war of 1812, we won it, topped off with a barbecue at the White House.

The new Calgary mayor is an Ismaili Muslim. This sect is the most enlightened and secularized form of Islam that I know of. The Aga Khan, who is building an Islamic art centre here, is one of the few honourary Canadian citizens.

One of my best friends is an Ismaili, from Tanzania. Another good friend is Jewish. And yes, we do walk into bars together, I'm the Anglican UEL type, and the only one who drinks, but they always insist on splitting the bill evenly. O Canada!

We should have annexed Alaska when we had the chance, but the government was too cheap to pay what the Russians were asking. Just to think, Sarah Palin could have been ours, all ours!

Oh, my. Did I say "Great White Nought"? Must have been a Steynian slip.

And unless the women you are pandering are Ukrainian expats, William, why would either my boyfriend or I want to marry anyone from Montreal?

I say, Ted, some weekend you and your boyfriend should cross the border and whoop it up in Montreal, maybe get married, and see what a seething pit of horror that multicultural burg can be.

Ted, I thought he was implying that you and your boyfriend get married to each other because you can't do that in NY and many other states...

you know that snarky Canadian attitude he referred to ...

We should have annexed Canada when we had the chance!

Adam

[Selene]

Carol:

If the "chance" you are referring to was the war of 1812, we won it, topped off with a barbecue at the White House.

Lol - figures you Cannucks would refer to "winning" by using the British to fight!

So let's see...the last battle before the Peace Treaty of Ghent and the last battle after the Peace Treaty of the War of 1812 resulted in your side's forces being decimated.

Your attack on Fort Erie in the Summer of 1814 resulted in:

"The journal of surgeon William Dunlop described working on the wounded for nearly 3 days without ceasing. The Americans reported capturing 360 prisoners, 174 of whom were wounded.^[24] General Gaines reported that 222 dead British troops were left in and around the fort.^[24] This would give a revised British loss of 222 killed, 309 wounded, 360 captured (of whom 174 wounded) and 12 missing.

The garrison suffered 17 killed, 56 wounded and 11 missing.^[25]

The Battle of New Orleans:

From December 25, 1814 to January 26, 1815, British casualties during the Louisiana Campaign, apart from the assault on January 8, were 49 killed, 87 wounded and 4 missing.^[3] These losses, together with those incurred on December 23 and January 8, added up to 386 killed, 1,521 wounded and 552 missing for the whole campaign. General Jackson reported a grand total of 55 killed, 185 wounded and 93 missing for the entire siege, including December 23 and January 8.^[5]

Although the engagement was small compared to other contemporary battles such as the Battle of Waterloo, it was important for the meaning applied to it by Americans in general and Andrew Jackson in particular.^[39]

A few more "victories" like these and we would be supervising the Calgary elections.

Just having fun with you Carol.

Adam

[caroljane]

Of course we used the British-- we were still their colony. And we did win, as you may note we did not become part of the US.

We were Canucks (and Habs) long before Confederation, and brought intense patriotism(s) to the new nation. This patriotism (and OK occasional smugness) is at least for me, an acknowledgement of the historical and geographical luck that has blessed us. We have had rebellions but never had to undergo civil war (England and France had it for us, so to speak).The British 1763 victors endowed the losers with rights in perpetuity to their distinct language, religion and culture.

Also, as a country founded on pragmatism and compromise rather than revolutionary individualism, we do not have to wrestle with our souls and consciences about the true, essential, ideal Canadianism. We were not enjoined to pursue happiness, just to maintain "peace, order and good government."It's a lot easier on the nerves.

Geographical luck --it's too cold for huge masses of people to want to move here, so we are in no danger of overpopulation. And the long winters nurture development of the aforementioned ideal Canuckism. Sidney Crosby. Joannie Rochette. Like that.

I'm having fun too!

Carol:

If the "chance" you are referring to was the war of 1812, we won it, topped off with a barbecue at the White House.

Lol - figures you Cannucks would refer to "winning" by using the British to fight!

So let's see...the last battle before the Peace Treaty of Ghent and the last battle after the Peace Treaty of the War of 1812 resulted in your side's forces being decimated.

Your attack on Fort Erie in the Summer of 1814 resulted in:

"The journal of surgeon William Dunlop described working on the wounded for nearly 3 days without ceasing. The Americans reported capturing 360 prisoners, 174 of whom were wounded.^[24] General Gaines reported that 222 dead British troops were left in and around the fort.^[24] This would give a revised British loss of 222 killed, 309 wounded, 360 captured (of whom 174 wounded) and 12 missing.

The garrison suffered 17 killed, 56 wounded and 11 missing.^[25]

The Battle of New Orleans:

From December 25, 1814 to January 26, 1815, British casualties during the Louisiana Campaign, apart from the assault on January 8, were 49 killed, 87 wounded and 4 missing.^[3] These losses, together with those incurred on December 23 and January 8, added up to 386 killed, 1,521 wounded and 552 missing for the whole campaign. General Jackson reported a grand total of 55 killed, 185 wounded and 93 missing for the entire siege, including December 23 and January 8.^[5]

Although the engagement was small compared to other contemporary battles such as the Battle of Waterloo, it was important for the meaning applied to it by Americans in general and Andrew Jackson in particular.^[39]

A few more "victories" like these and we would be supervising the Calgary elections.

Just having fun with you Carol.

Adam

[Selene]

Carol:

Understood.

Our nations have fought side by side for almost a century and a half, and, last I checked, you guys were our largest supplier of oil. Additionally, our nuclear umbrella keeps the Russians at bay and of course Sarah Palin's rifle with scope is our ultimate Dew line!

Adam

[caroljane]

Illegal Immigration

Speaking of fun, I saw a great piece awhile back on American lib-leftists fleeing north from the Bushites. It was posted from Calgary but I forget the writer's name. I'd love to read it again, does anyone know where I could find it? Thanks.

[Selene]

Illegal Immigration

Speaking of fun, I saw a great piece awhile back on American lib-leftists fleeing north from the Bushites. It was posted from Calgary but I forget the writer's name. I'd love to read it again, does anyone know where I could find it? Thanks.

This is a spoof written by a “Clive Runnels” (the name is probably fake), about liberals fleeing the country to escape the wave of Republican/Tea Party victories in the recent mid-term election. The Manitoba Herald was published only from January to August of 1877.

Hi-larious.

The Manitoba Herald

as Reported by Clive Runnels

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they’ll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck.

Canadian border farmers say it’s not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

“I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn,” said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn’t have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?”

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. “Not real effective,” he said. “The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn’t give any milk.”

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves.

“A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions,” an Ontario border patrolman said. “I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water.

They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though.”

When liberals are caught, they’re sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.

In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the ’50s. “If they can’t identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age,” an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. “I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can’t support them,” an Ottawa resident said. “How many art-history majors does one country need?”

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Biden met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals. A source close to President Obama said, “We’re going to have some Paul McCartney and Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might even put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out,” he said. The Herald will be interested to see if Obama can actually raise Mary from the dead in time for the concert!

If only it were true……

[caroljane]

So great, eh? It was even funnier on 2nd reading. Did you catch the nod to the Red Green Show?

Duct tape rules!

Illegal Immigration

Speaking of fun, I saw a great piece awhile back on American lib-leftists fleeing north from the Bushites. It was posted from Calgary but I forget the writer's name. I'd love to read it again, does anyone know where I could find it? Thanks.

This is a spoof written by a “Clive Runnels” (the name is probably fake), about liberals fleeing the country to escape the wave of Republican/Tea Party victories in the recent mid-term election. The Manitoba Herald was published only from January to August of 1877.

Hi-larious.

The Manitoba Herald

as Reported by Clive Runnels

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they’ll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck.

Canadian border farmers say it’s not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.

“I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn,” said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn’t have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?”

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. “Not real effective,” he said. “The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn’t give any milk.”

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves.

“A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions,” an Ontario border patrolman said. “I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water.

They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though.”

When liberals are caught, they’re sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.

In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the ’50s. “If they can’t identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age,” an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. “I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can’t support them,” an Ottawa resident said. “How many art-history majors does one country need?”

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Biden met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals. A source close to President Obama said, “We’re going to have some Paul McCartney and Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might even put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out,” he said. The Herald will be interested to see if Obama can actually raise Mary from the dead in time for the concert!

If only it were true……

[william.scherk]

Thanks. I am going to explore the voting results for the Calgary mayoralty. Do you have a petition process? Or, do you have primaries?

Voting results from the City.

Yes to municipal petition process in Alberta, details here.

No to primaries. We don't register our party affiliation with the gummint nor does gummint supervise or carry out party leadership elections. Nor are our federal electoral districts apportioned by legislators, thus leading to lesser gerrymandering, or at least less of those strangely-shaped congressional districts you find in Florida and Illinois.

In the province of Nova Scotia, a kind of gerrymandering did result in a black majority federal riding, Preston.

If you will allow some shameful smugness, your electoral system seems kooky at times compared to ours.

Edited January 2, 2011 by william.scherk

[Mike11]

If you will allow some shameful smugness, your electoral system seems kooky at times compared to ours.

[caroljane]

Joel, thx for the Mercer gem! I teach an Adult ESL Citizenship class and that's definitely going on the curriculum.

The students won't understand it but I'll get to giggle a

gain.

If you will allow some shameful smugness, your electoral system seems kooky at times compared to ours.

[william.scherk]

Joel, thanks for that. Rick Mercer is a scream.

My faves are when he cajoles federal politicians to appear on his show.

[caroljane]

WSS, be envious-- RM lives in my neighbourhood (up at the prosperous end) and I've seen him 2or 3 times. Of course I'm canadian, I would not embarrass him by acknowledging I recognize him or am a big fan or anything, but if you'd like I could get you an autograph "for a friend".Minimal fee!

Even though it would mean lurking at the liquor store on a daily basis, I'd do it for you.

Joel, thanks for that. Rick Mercer is a scream.

My faves are when he cajoles federal politicians to appear on his show.

[algernonsidney]

Little Mosque on the Prairie is hilarious. I have watched on the Net a few times.

I especially think it's hilarious that one of the main characters is played by the guy who tried to kill Diana on Cheers.

[caroljane]

I have a student who is so like Fatima the diner owner, in looks and force of character, that I put her in charge of coffee break. Best coffee we ever had, and for the first time in ESL history the coffee fund is earning a profit.

[Philip Coates]

You are probably an amusing teacher -- I'd love to sit in. Did you ever see that early scene in "Stripes"? Bill Murray's geeky childhood buddy was an ESL teacher leading them in obscene chants?