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Showing posts from November, 2016

DAVID CLIMENHAGA ON TURMOIL IN ALBERTA POLITICS, FLOOR-CROSSING, KENNEY'S "TRUMP STYLE" (MF GALAXY 099)

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EX-PC LEADERSHIP CONTENDER’S FLOOR-CROSSING TO THE NDP GOVERNMENT “SLEAZY” CAMPAIGN TACTICS BY THE JASON KENNEY CAMPAIGN TAKE OVER THE PC PARTY FRIGHTENING MISOGYNY IN THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT   DESPERATE FUTURE OF WILDROSE LEADER BRIAN JEAN NDP MISFIRES ON THE ROAD TO RE-ELECTION THE COLD REALITY OF PETRO-CAPITALISM HOW CORPORATE JOURNALISTS BENT OVER TO MAKE “OIL SANDS” POLITICALLY CORRECT LISTEN/DOWNLOAD If you’re not from Alberta, you  may not know that the province has been, functionally, a one-party state  for decades at a time. Thirty-six straight years of Social Credit rule  collapsed to forty-four straight years of Progressive Conservative  control. 2015 saw the  unexpected election of the New Democratic Party under the leadership of  Rachel Notley, leap-frogging over the right-wing splinter party Wild  Rose led by former Conservative MP Brian Jean, and crushing the PC party  led by former Conservative MP, the late Premier Jim Prentice. But  no one expect

ANTHONY Q. FARRELL ON WRITING FOR NBC’S THE OFFICE, PITCHING JOKES TO STEVE CARELL, AND WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED AS A TV COMEDY WRITER (MF GALAXY 097)

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Anthony Q. Farrell is an amazing cat. He’s from Toronto, went to actual comedy school, and ended up writing for one of the most influential US comedy series ever, The Office on NBC, which is also one of my favourite shows. He wrote two of its most enduring  episodes: “Casual Friday,” in which Dunder Miflin former district manager Michael Scott returns to his old job with also former-ex-employees Pam Beesley and Ryan Howard, and the emotional “Employee Transfer,” in which Michael Scott breaks up with Holly Flax, the love of his life, during a road trip to her new home. Farrell also served as the Canadian culture consultant on “Business Trip,” in which Michael Scott, Andy Bernard, and Oscar Martinez go to Winnipeg. In addition to having written for two years on The Office including the Office short films “Taste the Ice Cream” and “Money Trouble,” Farrell wrote for The Thundermans, Originals, In Gayle We Trust, and was the series creator of Dwelling and The Secret

TOBIAS BUCKELL ON TRANSFORMING SLEEPING-PILL PLOTS INTO UNPUTDOWNABLE PAGE-TURNERS (MF GALAXY 098)

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TURNING A READING DISABILITY INTO A WRITING SUPERPOWER, GROWING UP ON A BOAT, THE BIGGEST SIN OF LIT ACADEMICS LISTEN/DOWNLOAD Called “Violent, poetic and  compulsively readable” by Maclean’s , science fiction author Tobias S.  Buckell is a New York Times Bestselling writer born in the Caribbean. He  grew up in Grenada and spent time in the British and US Virgin Islands,  and the islands he lived on influence much of his work. His  Xenowealth series begins with Crystal Rain. Along with other  stand-alone novels and his over 50 stories, his works have been  translated into 18 different languages. He has been nominated for awards  like the Hugo, Nebula, Prometheus, and the John W. Campbell Award for  Best New Science Fiction Author. His latest novel is Hurricane Fever, a  follow up to the successful Arctic Rising that NPR says will ‘give you  the shivers.’ He currently lives in Bluffton, Ohio with his wife, twin daughters, and a pair of dogs. He can be found online at www