Don't Eat At Zak's!

Zak's Diner - Byward Market Street - Ottawa (Downtown)

This was about the most disappointing lunch I have had in a long time. The only door into the place is barely 2 feet wide, you're lucky if you don't get run over just trying to get into the building. The music was 80's pop, which is not to my tastes, and is so loud I could not ignore it or even talk over it.

The onion rings that came with my burger were soggy and cold, although the burger was acceptable. They got my date's order wrong and her fries had evidently been cooked in the same deep frier as the fish which you do not do because (a) people have allergies (and if you where getting fries, would you tell them that you are allergic to fish?) and (b) it makes the fries taste like fish. I'm as big a fan of fish and chips as the next guy, but not in the same mouthful. And you can forget about a tip.

In summary, don't eat at Zak's. Rating: * (suck bomb)

In sports ... Sens 5, Islanders 2

Had a chance to take in the game in person last night, a rarity for me given my current low-income status (job hunting sucks!).

Chris Niel scored his 100th career point and the Sens scored the fastest three goals in team history (176 seconds early in the third). After calling nothing all night, the officials decided to call 2 quick penalties on the Sens shortly after the goal streak put them up 5-0. A belated attempt to keep the game close? It has been my observation, although this is purely anecdotal, that the team leading late in a game is more likely to be penalized. Nothing like a waved-off 6th goal and an ensuing 5-3 power play to leave a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway, worth the trip, even with the stadium located waaaaayyyy out in the west end. The atmosphere in Scotiabank place is always great and makes me wish I could afford tickets more often. Count me in for season tickets to whichever is the top level hockey team in town when I find a permanent job.

Book Review: Love My Rifle More Than You

(Young and Female in the U.S. Army)
by Kayla Williams

290 pages, trade paperback, ISBN-10: 0-393-32922-4, 19.50 CAD (14.95 USD)

Kayla Williams went to Iraq as part of the initial occupation, an Arabic language specialists in a military intelligence company attached to the 101st Airborne Division .

The book actually contains a disclaimer stating that the book does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense. In this case the word 'necessarily' can be removed without making the statement inaccurate. Williams takes the position that initially good relations with Iraqi civilians were poisoned by cultural misunderstandings, paranoia, and later, random arrests of civilians on suspicion of terrorism. She also talks about participating in the interrogation of an Iraqi man in which he was burned with cigarettes and struck several times by the lead interrogator. So while the US Army would like everyone to believe that Abu Ghraib was an isolated incident, I am disinclined to believe them, as more reports of this type have surfaced recently.

Above all, the author's frustration with the entire experience is clear. I've often heard of soldiers talk about boredom punctuated by shear terror while on mission, Iraq may be more frustrating still because the regime that was (at least nominally) the target of the official invasion is long gone. Not that anything has gotten peaceful. Williams describes coming across a children playing soccer in a field full of unexploded ordinance (UXO), a mixture of shells from the Iran-Iraq war, bomblets from American cluster bombs dropped during the first Gulf War, and various other nasty surprises. And there's nothing she can do about it, it takes weeks for a team to arrive to clear the field and the crossroads nearby, which was likely the target in the first place. I mean, kids are playing surrounded by this stuff, and all she can do is try to explain to them why they need to stay away. Try coming out of that experience sane.

Well worth reading, particularly if you've read Jarhead by Anthony Swofford (or at least seen the film). I'm not saying that the two are the same, but the two individual perspectives are a great insight into what has been a global issue for quite some time now.

Book Review: A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons

By Geoffrey Hindley. Trade Paperback, Robinson publishing, ISBN-10 1-84529-161-1. 8.99 Pounds, or around $2o Canadian.

Giving a historical account of Anglo-Saxon England, as well as Anglo-Saxon influence on mainland Europe, from the withdraw of Roman troops from Britain around 410 up to the period immediately following the Norman Conquest of 1066, this book reflects a great deal of recent scholarly work on the subject (as late as 2005) in a compact form for non-history majors such as myself. Although a fascinating read, I would like to mention to non-UK natives that you might want to keep a map of the UK at present day handy because the author assumes the reader has a fairly precise knowledge of the lay of the land and where various places are in relation to one another in describing thing like the location of battles and the course of settler migrations. Hindley has a fairly harsh assessment of the Vikings (both Norsemen and Danes), attacking current theories about the Vikings and their culture and the trading versus raiding issue as "fashionable re-imaginings" of modern-day museums directors. Taking a very black view of the Vikings is common enough, as is taking to forgiving a view, but a general review of the subject should discuss both views, whereas Hindley routinely attacks the later. These weaknesses aside, the chapters on 7-9th century Northumbria and the hegemony established by Wessex around the year 900 (the first united, recognizably "English" state) are particularly well written and worth the price of the book on their own.

Next up in the book review section, Love My Rifle More Than You, by Kayla Williams, formerly and Arabic interpreter in the US Army about her experiences in Iraq as well as being female in the US military.

Well, Duh

Another study with an obvious conclusion: the rich are getting richer. In Canada since 1970, only the top 10% income earners have seen any real increase, once the effects of inflation are accounted for. This somehow made the front page of practically every newspaper in Ottawa. Sorry to say, its not news to me, since I've never been in the top 10% and never will be, barring a miracle.

Its been a disappointing week overall. The trade deadline in the NHL came and went. Ottawa was not busy, Oleg "Freakin'" Saprykin, who has probably been in the papers more because of his nickname then his expected contribution to the team, was the lone acquisition. Gums flapped quite a bit in Sens country about this, but on a team that already has so much talent and depth what more do you really need? In spite of the controversy local columnists have attempted to stir up, this is not a rebuilding year, nor is their any great need to retool. And Mike Comrie was already added well before the deadline. I suppose the pundits wanted more action on the trade market so they'd have more to write about.

In the west, Edmonton (7 points out of a playoff spot at the deadline) gave up on the playoff hunt by trading team captain Ryan Smyth to the Islanders for pretty much nothing after a dissagrement on his salary reported to be under $ 100 000, which is peanuts for a guy that makes in the 5 million range. To the Oilers head office I say: WAKE UP!! Your and the team captian and the face of your franchise should be worth more to you then 100 large, a prospect and two draft picks. In their two games since, the Oilers have come out flat and lost both horribly, perhaps because Smyth isn't there, perhaps because the remaining players have no confidence in their leadership. Well, if management doesn't think we have what it takes to make the playoffs, what's the point in playing hard?

Duh.