Jan. 20, 2007: Bud Talkinghorn

"The Little Mosque on the Prairie"--Praise Allah for the good reviews

The accolades just keep pouring in for this show. One TV critic called it, "The best comedy series of the year". This, after only one episode.* Granted, CBC has hyped it so much, that you feel that you have seen every future episode. However, Tarek Fatah, the founder of The Muslim Congress of Canada gave the best review, "It didn't even cause me to giggle." The heavy-handedness of political correctness, painting Canadians as hopelessly biased was absurd, but not funny. It is that old self-hatred of their own puny culture which shines through this CBC effort from the get-go. Presumably, even Muslim-Canadians, who possibly have encountered some discrimination, see the show as a wildly inaccurate portrayal of their daily existence. Or maybe It is me who is totally out of step with the new sensibility of cultural guiltdom. (* Who's paying for that kind of praise? FHTR)

The second episode of "The Little Mosque on the Prairie" was...well, was actually the first episode shown for the third time in 9 days. Or as CBC would call it, "an encore of our encore presentation". The laugh meter must have gone through the roof during the first episode. However, CBC is going to show "The Little Mosque" again this week. Will it be a genuine second version, or an encore of their encore, encore presentation?. Has Fort Dork got any inkling of how ridiculous they are appearing? Or are they planning on stretching six episodes of this "comedy" throughout six months? What are they doing with that billion Canadian taxpayers give them to produce intelligent, balanced fare?

(Later)

Well, CBC felt embarassed enough to actually show the second episode. It centered on the Islamic patriarchy and those fledgling feminists of Islam. Separatism in the mosque was the big theme. The radio talk guy gets involved on the side of equality, and is denounced by some Muslims as "racist". The rest of the show is too puerile to elaborate. If you missed it, I'm sure that CBC will show it twice more. You wouldn't want to miss, "The funniest comedy of the year".

My contact in the East tells me that the "new, improved, lengthened" local 6 p.m. news is a joke. First, CBC demoted or got rid of all the old CBC white folk and larded it with three Asian-Canadians correspondents (representing 0.05% of the province's population) and then reneged on the expanded coverage pledge. In fact, in the capital of NB, to augment the 22 minutes of "news", they often cut to "School Zone". This is a cutesy look at school kids and their projects. Cute animal stories are acceptable filler also. Heck, if the province got 6 cms of snow, kids shown sledding will do. Then the whole thing is handed off to Ian Hanomansingh for the 5:30 P.m. national news. Who knew that there was no real news in the Maritimes? Seeing as pollution has become the new CBC dog with a bone issue (especially since the federal Conservatives have come into office), it seems to me an expose of the Irving corporation, alone, could occupy months of riveting coverage.

© Bud Talkinghorn--Maybe Ian Morrison of The Friends of the CBC could look into some of these defects and give the Mothercorp a bracing report. Meanwhile, my friend is writing the CBC ombudsman to complain about the local news. The ombudsman did not answer my formal complaint of a year ago, so good luck.



Bud, who watches CBC news any more, anyway? Unless I specifically want to check something, not me. If I hear any of it, it is in passing. Of CBC, I have heard enough that I often dismiss it and read or listen to music. I know what CBC's position on anything I value is, for the most part, with some documentaries excepted. That is how predictable it has become ... for a billion taxpayer dollars. Dull and predictable. FHTR


On being a compacter

There is an organization in North America called the compacters, who refuse to buy into the wildly advertised gizmos and fashions of our hyper-consumer culture. George Carlin, the comedian, is their guru. He identified the problem with "stuff" in a classic routine. I won't give his whole routine--unnecessary verbosity is very uncompacter-like. The gist was that we have to keep buying ever bigger properties to accomodate our "stuff". So compacters try mightily to live with their old, but still usable "stuff". If dire necessity dictates new spring weather clothes, they go to the thirft stores and buy a Burburry coat for $4, although it is better to wait until the "all you can stuff in a bag for $5 days, so you can put those slightly-worn, OJ-ugly Ferragamo shoes on top.

Living rather rough in various spots helped me gain enlightenment. My significant other and I slowly weaned ourselves away. Our experiences proved that most of these comsumer goods were mere dross. The tie I threw out yesterday because it was too wide, is back. Now it is labelled "retro". I decided that an old car with low mileage, would do as well as an out-of-the-showroom model. Then there is the library for most magazine, book, and music needs. Not only were these free, but the music librarian brought in music that Best Buy wouldn't touch. The blues selection outweighed the rap-crap by a factor of five. And if you want to regress to your childhood, the place even has graphic "novels", aka arty comic books.*

As for food, the due date meat at the supermarket is not only cheaper, but it much more tender. As one butcher said to me, as I lifted a half price $16 prime rib roast into my basket, "If you hadn't taken that baby, I was having it for supper tonight." He just shakes his head at the gross stupidity of shoppers who want "red, red, meat". For over-the-counter drugs, the store brands are always cheaper and have the same medicinal ingredients in them as the brand names. Druggists also shake their heads at the inability of many shoppers to see this.

Anyway, as a proud compacter, I must end this missive to the "more addicted" consumer. Don't overdo it is my motto. I fully realize that my stand is highly subversive, and if it caught on massively, would sink our economy--or maybe just China's.

Christmas time is nirvana express time. Want nothing, get nothing, give nothing. The average Canadian couple feels obliged to spend $1,800 on gifts--often gifts for people they loathe, or would if they weren't family or people they're supposed to like for some reason or another. Instead, spend zero, outside of the cost of lashings of succulent food and palatable wines--friends invited. Gifts are well thought out books and CDs--from the library of course; well, mention of them suffices, and then we may talk about them.

© Bud Talkinghorn



Bud, I love it. You have just admitted you've joined the grinch club, a small sub-set of those who have had it with Christmas as marketing. Welcome! Some even attend church as a protest. Think of that for a desecration of what has become the traditional Christmas spirit, perhaps for next year. FHTR


* To think I used to laugh at adults reading comic books ... uh, graphic novels. The purpose of a Canadian education has come to fruition. Years of social engineering and language training where students are taught ... well, never mind. The upshot is that the latest test results from the one of the Maritime provinces, NB, reveal that, of the grade 1 to intermediate level core French students (English students learning French), only 15% passed French to advance to the next level, intermediate. There is great consternation; more money will flow in the usual direction. SNAFU.

The kids can't or don't read books any more. Their attention spans suit the television format of advertising after every three minutes of programming and the repetition of sound bites and lies ... if they're not the same. Perfect for control, too. Would we say that their education has fitted them to read "graphic novels", just like their Third World counterparts? The better to lead them around by their noses, my dear. To get a compliant, easily hood-winked populous and thus remain in power forever, first, you make sure the children are not educated, (expression of "feel good" mantras and one's feelings are enough - don't analyze too much - don't question - accept what you're told). Job done! Talk and more talk will follow the test revelations. Nothing will change. Well, maybe more teachers will be hired from the usual job pool / gene pool. Would that complete the job?

Have you ever wondered why the sound bite has taken over from reasoned argument and analysis? That's all that the products of a Canadian education can handle. For those who still read, understand, think, analyze and try to formulate their thoughts by writing, editing and re-writing, those comments are not meant for you. I hear that a number of the above-mentioned socially-engineered-edu-products have, in their educated wisdom, decided that comedians provide the greatest political commentary. That should bring the natural governing party back to power, forever. Enough said. FHTR