He gave a great performance Tuesday. The speech itself, however, was a dud. So much skill operating on so lifeless a text. It was Vladimir Horowitz playing Chopsticks. A speech that has hardly begun gives us clouds that are “gathering,” storms that are “raging,” a fear that is “nagging,” grievances that are “petty,” interests that are “narrow” and decisions that are “unpleasant” displays an alarming hospitality to cliché. Is there a dull-adjective shop in the new White House?

Check out the article here in yesterday’s Globe and Mail.

The 34-year-old worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m. Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.

What a tragedy. Discovered via Reddit.

Black Friday/Boxing Day sales should be held online these days. Beyond that, require a line to be formed and hand out vouchers for people to fill out. First come, first served until there is nothing left.

His message of hope has already been vindicated, let’s just hope he can deliver on his promise of change.

Indeed, Obama will have to start managing his electorate’s, and indeed the world’s expectations. The recession, the American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, global warming—none of these issues will respond to campaign rhetoric alone, beautiful as it is.

There is no doubt in my mind that, in order to take on the issues, Obama will need bi-partisan support. It was a sentiment underlined by John McCain’s eloquent concession speech, wherein McCain acknowledged the historic significance of Obama’s victory and urged Americans to put aside their differences in order to reach mutually beneficial goals. Obama shouldn’t hesitate to embrace any of McCain’s good ideas. For his part, McCain can help Obama bridge the partisan divide in Washington.

I am hopeful because this week, I am part of a generation of young people that is bringing a message of hope and change to the world and, while not American, I share in the joyful anticipation of the possibilities of an Obama administration and its implications for the entire world.

Snagged via Yahoo! News. By far the weirdest interaction during their presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. McCain’s a tool.

This has to make Stephen Harper a little worried. He sees the power of the “yes we can” and “change you can believe in” mantras resonate for the majority of Canadian. Obama’s triumph is a daunting prospect for Harper, who would be concerned that a majority of Canadians might think it is in danger of falling out of sync with the rest of the world, keeping someone sympathetic to the Bush administration in power.

Click here to read more. Via Digg.

“I’m asking you to believe, not in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I’m asking you to believe in yours.” —Barack Obama.

“We did it, myself and my tour guides,” said Sam Porpora. “It was a promotional idea. We made it up, never dreaming it would go worldwide.”

Porpora is an energetic, dapper fellow in a newsboy cap and a checked suit with a bolo tie. He’s got a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile, and he tells his tale in the rhythms of a natural-born storyteller. No one has ever claimed ownership of the legend. So why is Porpora coming forward now?

…

“I don’t know what to say,” said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House in Baltimore, who has nurtured for years the legend of the so-called Poe Toaster. Confronted with Porpora’s assertion that the whole thing is a hoax, Jerome reacted like a man who’s been punched in the stomach by his beloved grandfather. He’s sad. He feels betrayed. But he’s reluctant to punch back.

“He’s like a mentor to me,” Jerome said of Porpora. “And I can tell you that if it weren’t for him, Westminster Hall may not be there. But to say the toaster is a promotional hoax, well, all I can say is that’s just not so.”

Click here to read more. Discovered via digg.