This Globe and Mail story tells of how the Edmonton Police were trying to nail an Edmonton Sun columnist, one who had been critical of them, for drunk driving.

A paper written by a pollster and a strategist with the beige-neutral title "Is environmentalism dead?" has unaccountably stirred up debate within the U.S. environmental movement, reports the NYT.

The NYT has done a significant feature on the anglo music scene in Montreal. It's mentioning it in the same breath as Seattle, Minneapolis and Austin (OK, if you're 25 or younger, that might not mean much, but trust me; once upon a time ... :) ).

If you're interested in reading my CTV.ca review of The Assassination of Richard Nixon, you know where to click! If you don't, click here.

This particular line in the Sunday Toronto Star interview with Barbara (Amiel) Black caught my eye:

Had he lived, reggae legend Bob Marley would have turned 60 on Sunday. But sadly, a brain tumour took him too soon, back in 1981.

Here's one BBC article on Marley. And here's another on the Sunday concert in Ethiopia that celebrated his birthday.

Times must be flush at the Toronto Star. They sent a reporter and a photog across the country to ask people what they thought of T.O. They found people don't like Toronto -- a shocker, if you ask me! :)

A round-up of analysis from the past few days on the Iraq election.

This NYT article describes who the major satellite TV and newspaper players are serving the Arab world.

Daniel Okrent, the NYT's public editor, on the impact to a newspaper's credibility when one of its reporters pops off without thinking on TV.

Normally, I don't bother with stuff I can't link to, and Globe and Mail columnists are only available on a pay-to-view basis. But Jeffrey Simpson does make a point both worth noting and discussing today.

Here's an ...   more »

If you don't know who Rodney Bingenheimer is, you have two choices (although I recommend you do both): Watch Mayor of the Sunset Strip, or read the Guardian article below:

Conservative NYT columnist David Brooks analyzes what he sees as the rise of Deanism in the Democratic Party (Dean is poised to become the party's new chairman):

Chantal Hebert of the Toronto Star seems to think so, particularly in Quebec, which she says is "hotbed" of anti-missile-defence sentiment. And Quebec holds the key to a Liberal majority government.

The first known kidnapping of a foreigner in Iraq since the Jan. 30 election is now on the books.

It's with Shamil Basayev, who masterminded the assault on the school in Beslan, Russia. And Russia's not happy about it. Here's the Reuters story via globeandmail.com:

This is a very interesting story from The Globe and Mail about a split developing within the federal Tories over social issues like abortion and gay rights.

But they aren't the only federal parliamentary caucus having trouble getting along!

This BBC story is about a radio show produced exclusively by patients of a mental hospital in Argentina.

Ian Fleming's first novel, then made into a spy spoof movie, will be the next James Bond flick, the BBC is reporting.

It will be directed by Martin Campbell, who did Goldeneye, the 1995 ...   more »

An odd story out of the Russian Duma, or Parliament, by the the BBC about a piano player banned after playing music with (gasp!) criminal undertones.

This is a story about a wildly creative chef in Chicago who makes dishes out of edible paper.

That's the alarming observation of one practitioner of the plate-carrying arts in this NYT piece that looks at the online bitching of those who bring us our chow.

The Toronto Star's James Travers had an interesting piece on tsunami relief today, including this observation about the media's handling of the DART issue:

First of all, I was almost sick when I saw a bunch of grinning Republicans hold up index fingers that had been drenched in purple ink.

I hope none of them were from Ohio or Florida.

Bill O'Reilly, host of the O'Reilly Factor on Fox News, was in a snit last week over CBC's The Fifth Estate segment  Sticks and Stones that devoted about 10 minutes to ripping his employer.

In soccer terms, that's a free kick for a media columnist.

What I most like about watching State of the Union addresses is how well-choreographed the standing ovations are. Joe Stalin would have been envious!

I feel like Dubya should have a pail full of herring to toss into the crowd after they get up and slap their flippers together -- er, I mean clap.

CTV colleague David Akin has a blog posting (which I first saw through Blog on blog) talking about an interview he did with j-prof Jay Rosen of PressThink.

In it, Akin makes the ...   more »

Taxi Driver was one of the bleakest, best movies of the 1970s. Frankly, it still stands up today. But a sequel?

Here's an excerpt from the Guardian story:

This BBC story about an Italian government report doesn't make Italian males look like the spread-your-wings-and-fly types. But there's a reason.

According to this BBC, an actor I have apparently seen but who has never registered an impression on me is now one oddsmaker's choice to become the next James Bond.

More good news for my business! Another positive article about online advertising -- the economic lifeblood of online journalism. :)

This is a look at a company in Texas that's starting up a new chain of Spanish-language newspapers. Rumbo looks at the demographic trends which say Texas could have a majority of Spanish speakers in ...   more »

A.O. Scott, chief film critic for the NYT, ruminates on the films he saw at this year's Sundance Film Festival  -- especially the diverging paths of docs and drama.

If you're curious about what people read on this site in January, or about what I'd wished they'd read, step inside!