International

Wednesday April 24, 2002

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 24, 2002

Canada Addresses a Meeting of the Insecurity Council of the United Indignations

Fidel Castro on Monday offered the world a chance to eavesdrop on a falsely cordial exchange between heads of state and the behind-the-scenes choreography of a summit meeting. Upset at Mexico’s support of a U.N. condemnation of Cuba’s human rights record last week, Mr. Castro released a tape of a phone call he received from Mexico’s president, Vicente Fox, before last month’s U.N. aid conference in Monterrey. Mr. Fox was outwitted by Cuba’s wily 75-year-old dictator. Contrary to his claims that he had not pressured Mr. Castro to leave the meeting early, Mr. Fox is caught on tape asking ”as a friend” that Mr. Castro do just that. After Mr. Castro agreed to leave early and asked what else he could do for his Mexican ”friend,” Mr. Fox requested that the Cuban leader refrain from criticizing the United States and President Bush. Mr. Castro was incensed. Mr. Fox’s call was akin to a dinner party host reaching out beforehand to an ill-mannered guest. (The New York Times) 

 

Tuesday April 9, 2002

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 9, 2002

A Queen for Canada

A snap of history’s thread, a chunk of Canada’s past cut adrift. It will get harder now, with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon gone, to remember who we were and what our national problems were six decades ago when she first came here as a queen. To remember what her importance was to Canada’s story of the day.

The British Monarchy

To view the country as it was in May, 1939 — when the CPR’s Empress of Australia and four accompanying naval ships sailed up the St. Lawrence River, bringing Elizabeth and her emperor-husband, King George VI, to Canada for a four-week visit — is to look at a quaint curiosity. Like a photograph of one’s parents, much younger, sweetly smiling, dressed in old-fashioned clothes.

The king’s assistant private secretary, Alan (Tommy) Lascelles, saw Canadians thus: “They sing ‘God Save the King’ as if it really was a prayer.”

Our prime minister’s behaviour, as always, was interesting.

William Lyon Mackenzie King recorded in his diary that the late king, George V, had visited him in spirit form to tell him the reason George VI and Elizabeth were coming to Canada was “due to their affection for you.”

Most engaging of all was how Mr. King, for whom the adjective “wily” eternally seems appropriate, so skilfully used the presence of the king and queen in Canada — especially the media-savvy, charismatic queen — to address Canada’s perpetual difficulties around national unity, French-English fissures and, above all, recognition by others of Canada’s sovereignty. (CP)

 

Wednesday February 27, 2002

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday February 27, 2002

“Election” time in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe prepared to take his re-election fight to urban areas on Tuesday amid a rising chorus of condemnation of his government’s pressure on his main rival as the election loomed.

The United States and Britain accused Mugabe of trying to fix the election after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who presents the greatest threat of Mugabe’s 22 years in power, was charged with treason Monday, just two weeks before the vote. 

The official Herald newspaper reported that Mugabe was expected to hold rallies in two Harare townships Tuesday. 

The head of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community parliamentary observer group, Duke Lefhoko, said he was worried about the safety of observers and wanted talks with Mugabe’s government to encourage the police to protect them. 

Election observers have been stoned by Mugabe supporters and caught in an attack on opposition party offices in recent days. 

“Perhaps if they gave us security personnel in plain clothes and just guarantee that, especially when we attend rallies, we have the attention of the police, a police presence to see us in and out. That will assist,” Lefhoko told South African radio. 

Tsvangirai was charged after being summoned to police headquarters to answer questions over an alleged plot to assassinate the president. (AP)

 

Saturday February 23, 2002

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Saturday February 23, 2002 Asymptotic Analysis with CBC's Brian Williams If you have been watching the Olympics in the evenings these last few weeks -- or if you have ever watched CBC's telecast in your entire life -- then you have probably become well acquainted with Brian Williams, master of the time zone, Mr. TimeAndDate himself. After spending quite some time practicing analyzing the runtime of algorithms while listening to Brian Williams relate the time in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Greenwich and Turin I was feeling a little timed out and last night finally went over the edge: The nightmares came all last night in anticipation of today's midterm, Brian Williams teaching algorithm runtime analysis. For every question, not only having to compute the runtime in Waterloo, but then translating that into Pacific, Central Standard, Greenwich Mean, and Mountain Standard times. Now, I know what you must be asking, what should be of more worry: dreaming about algorithmic analysis or about Brian Williams. Now, I'll tell you my opinion. Given the choice, I'd want to dream about big-Oh over old Brian every day of the week. My peaceful night sleep can do without him telling me "there's more to come", and that he'll have the runtime for me in a minute. Then giving me a disapproving look, while he leans forward and taps his pencil on the paper, telling me that in fact if the runtime is O(n) in Waterloo, then in Sydney it's O(n-14h). Can you imagine if after years with CBC sports Brian Williams deciding that he was in dire need of a career change and going into teaching. Although he would be good at consoling you after a failed test -- having had much experience interviewing athletes after bitter defeat, asking uncomfortable questions and forcing them to relive the entire ordeal in detail -- having to memorize the time conversions for every time zone and how they related to each asymptotic order would be worse t

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday February 23, 2002

Asymptotic Analysis with CBC’s Brian Williams

If you have been watching the Olympics in the evenings these last few weeks — or if you have ever watched CBC’s telecast in your entire life — then you have probably become well acquainted with Brian Williams, master of the time zone, Mr. TimeAndDate himself. After spending quite some time practicing analyzing the runtime of algorithms while listening to Brian Williams relate the time in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Greenwich and Turin I was feeling a little timed out and last night finally went over the edge:

The nightmares came all last night in anticipation of today’s midterm, Brian Williams teaching algorithm runtime analysis. For every question, not only having to compute the runtime in Waterloo, but then translating that into Pacific, Central Standard, Greenwich Mean, and Mountain Standard times. Now, I know what you must be asking, what should be of more worry: dreaming about algorithmic analysis or about Brian Williams. Now, I’ll tell you my opinion. Given the choice, I’d want to dream about big-Oh over old Brian every day of the week. My peaceful night sleep can do without him telling me “there’s more to come”, and that he’ll have the runtime for me in a minute. Then giving me a disapproving look, while he leans forward and taps his pencil on the paper, telling me that in fact if the runtime is O(n) in Waterloo, then in Sydney it’s O(n-14h).

Can you imagine if after years with CBC sports Brian Williams deciding that he was in dire need of a career change and going into teaching. Although he would be good at consoling you after a failed test — having had much experience interviewing athletes after bitter defeat, asking uncomfortable questions and forcing them to relive the entire ordeal in detail — having to memorize the time conversions for every time zone and how they related to each asymptotic order would be worse than dreaming of nothing but Brian Williams for a year. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Tuesday December 18, 2001

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 18, 2001

Open hearts, wallets make merrier season

Poverty: Cry was never louder The huge, free Christmas dinner served to some 3,200 people by the Hamilton’s Good Shepherd Centres is a wonderful event that affirms the values of our community and of the holiday season. 

But the dinner has almost nothing to do with feeding the poor. As greatly as the meal is appreciated and enjoyed, as much hard work and volunteer effort that goes into it, a bellyful of turkey on Sunday afternoon does little to ease the pangs of hunger mid-week when the cupboards are empty. 

A Christmas dinner such as this is less about the food and more about the meal shared with others. It has more in common with a church’s potluck meal than with shelters and food banks. A communal meal is about feeding the soul, not the stomach. 

Poverty isolates its victims, cutting them off from the so-called mainstream. A Christmas dinner such as this is, for many people in need, a rare time to feel part of a larger community. The weariness of living hand to mouth is assuaged, we can only hope, by sharing a meal with others who also share similar circumstances. 

Humans are social animals, and there is little that brings us into more intimate contact with others than breaking bread with them. For the most marginalized in our society — the homeless, the runaways, the mentally ill — a shared meal may be a bright spot in the bleakness of winter on the streets. (Hamilton Spectator)