Author: Joey deVilla

Kathy “Relapsed Catholic” Shaidle is not handling David Miller’s mayoral election victory very well:

Toronto’s new civic slogan is: WHAT ASH-HEAP OF HISTORY?

Torontonians have elected a man whose heroes are pompous blowhard Bruce Springsteen and two-faced millionaire RFK Jr. I wonder how long the heroin shooting galleries will take to show up in Parkdale storefronts.

Of course, a quick perusal of Kathy’s blog archives will show her hero is drooling hyper-reactionary pin-up Ann Coulter. Given Kathy’s gift for hyperbole and her tendency to paint Toronto’s entire Chinese community with the same “why do we let these people in the country?” brush, you can always say “I wonder how long it’ll be before she writes an article claiming that the blood of white babies is a necessary ingredient in egg rolls”.

I anticipate the return salvo. Feel free to throw your two cents in the comments, and let’s keep the barbs witty and civilized. I’ll try and answer as quickly as I can, but there’s some software that ain’t gonna write itself.

I’m sure David Janes will represent the Reasonable Right with a less-drooly writeup soon (he’s got a kid and has to software that ain’t gonna write itself — and in Java, no less — so I understand that I’ll have to wait for his take).

My favourite summaries so far are by Rick McGinnis on his election blog.

Now I have to go and make the Internet a better place. More later!

As the tradition for this day and in memory of those who are honoured by this day, a moment of silence on an otherwise noisy blog.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

— John McCrae

For your sacrifices, you have my eternal gratitude.

I point to an article covering an open source development toolkit for the GameBoy Advance in my other blog, The Farm.

Happy birthday to two geeks who have my respect and admiration: Jamie “jwz” Zawinski and Aaron “aaronsw” Swartz!

Aaron turned 17, a fine age. Why, I remember that when I was 17, it was a very good year. There was this girl, see, and…

Hmmm.

On second thought, Aaron, buy a good WWI-style army helmet with a wide brim. As my buddy Festus used to say, “Sometimes the shit comes down so heavy, you have to wear a hat.”