A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via wehaitians)

In: Wyclef Jean. As the soi-disant "Diddy" (Averted Gaze) was opening the vapid VMA Awards with Luke "Me so horny" Campbell (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment), Wyclef Jean was out there raising $100,000 in development aid for Haiti. This, according to Lloyd Grove's Lowdown:

"While Sean Combs strutted around Miami's Video Music Awards festivities last weekend, trying to hog every last ray of spotlight, Wyclef Jean decided there was no better time to dis His Diddyness.

"At a fund-raiser for his Yele Haiti charity in Wainscott Saturday night, Wyclef took the stage and riffed on Combs' famously gauche Hamptons parties, quipping to the well-heeled crowd: 'P. Diddy, he be so corny.'"

He love you long time ...



Ambassador McKenna presents his credentials to President Bush. (image via dfait-meci)

Out: US-Canadian Relationship. The peaceful conclusion of The Cold War has, for all intents and purposes, disturbed the once impenetrable trans-Atlantic network of alliances that held together the disparate nations collectively known as The West. (The Corsair sparks up a Montecristo Diplomaticos)

As you know, The Corsair is a "diplobrat," or, the child of a United Nations diplomat; forgive us if this blog gets to "diplogeekish," but the Canadian-American relationship is of particularly importance to us as Father was a part of Uganda's first delegation to Canada, helping to forge tourism between Ottawa and Kampala immediately following the end of British colonialism, and, thus, The Corsair spent part his early wide-eyed childhood in the rustic (and comparatively frigid) Canadian countryside.

After Canada, The Corsair's family moved to Kips Bay, where Father became Uganda's Ambassador to the US, then, in 1979, Uganda's Ambassador to the United Nations, so, as you can see, the diplomatic relationship between the US and Canada is not without some nostalgic importance to this blogger; it is a part of our childhood and our existential fabric.

That having been said, According to the CBC:

"One of the Canadian signatories of the North American Free Trade Agreement says he would have been reluctant to sign had he known it wouldn't be respected by Washington.

"Frank McKenna, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., said Monday the dispute between the two countries over softwood lumber has raised concerns that the rules of free trade are unraveling.
'It's fair to say for me and the other architects . . . of the free trade agreement, if we had not thought the rules were going to be there to resolve disputes and be respected, we would have been very reluctant to enter the relationship,' McKenna said during a conference of eastern premiers and New England governors in St. John's.'"

Further complicating matters, according to Bloomberg, just one hour ago, "The World Trade Organization ruled that U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber are legal, according to U.S. industry representatives, contradicting findings from a North American Free Trade Agreement panel."



Whoopsie! (image via chadmuska.org)

In: Blind Items. From the Daily Mirror, "WHICH blonde celeb annoyed partygoers by smoking joints all the way through the aftershow parties? Usually this star likes to neck ecstasy instead but was clearly in a mellower mood." Does the answer rhyme with "Waris Shilton"? Just asking.



(image via photobucket)

Out: Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth. The Bloom is off the rose. What can you expect from a man who doesn't pay his dinner bills and cheat with exotic women in Dubai. Does he take his lessons in fidelity from ubercad Jude Law (Averted Gaze)? Orlando, like most men, has a problem with commitment. It's hard. Nature conspires against our best intentions. But we thought that when he recently reunited with Kate Bosworth (who, we cannot fail to note is in dire need of a robust multivitamin and some smothered pork chops), he had come to some sort of understanding of himself. Not hardly. According to the 3AM Girls:

"The 28-year-old Lord Of The Rings star was the talk of the town after he was busted enjoying a spot of dirty dancing and kissing with actress pal Kirsten Dunst.

(The Corsair mouths the words "homewrecker")

"The duo were in Miami at the MTV Video Music Awards this weekend.

"They left the pre-show party at the Raleigh Hotel together in the early hours on Sunday. They then returned to the hotel later in the day where they stunned guests with their poolside frolicking.

"That evening they presented Best Rock Video to Green Day and canoodled all night at the after-show parties.

"... Last August (Orlando and Sienna) had a bust-up after he spent all his time with Kirsten when the cameras stopped rolling. But while 22-year-old Kate remained in Australia this weekend where she's filming Superman Returns, Orlando hot-footed it to Miami."

The full story here.



(image via weimax)

In: Tom Biro. Congratulations! Three cheers to our blog amigo from TheMediaDrop, Tom Biro. As he tells it:

"Well folks, I'm happy to announce that I've now been formally announced as Director, New Media Strategies for MWW Group, a public relations firm based in East Rutherford, NJ.

"... In this new position, I'll be working on blogging strategies, podcasting, wikis, mobile technologies, measurement of 'you' media like blogs, etc., and other 'new media' programs for both MWW Group as well as its client base."

For you, Tom, in celebration we pop only the finest bottle of "the fizzy." Cheers.



(image via cnn)

Out: Senator Rick Santorum, Vulnerable. The next Presidential election will be all about "The Centrists," just as this past one was about "The Evangelicals (As opposed to the "Vote or Die" youth vote that wasn't)." And where else other than the "exurbs" of Pennsylvania, in 2006, can we get a more perfect bellwether as to how exurban centrists will vote (Or, some might argue the Western states).

In 1991, George Bush Sr's candidate for the Senate, Dick Thornburgh, former Attorney General, was defeated by the little known Harris Wofford (On health care; which became the centerpiece of the Clinton candidacy, later, in 92). This was ultimately seen as the beginning of the Democratic comeback. It all began in the exburbs of Pennsylvania.

If this is the case, then could Rick Santorum might be part II (Or, perhaps am I speculating waay too much here)? Says the Rasmussen Report:

"The latest Rasmussen Reports survey shows that Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is living up to his reputation as the most vulnerable incumbent at this point in the 2006 election cycle. Santorum trails Democrat Bob Casey, Jr by eleven percentage points, 52% to 41%.

"Casey is viewed favorably by 49% of the state�s likely voters while 27% have an unfavorable opinion. For Santorum, 44% say favorable and 43% unfavorable.

"Casey earns 85% of the vote from self-identified liberal voters and 62% from moderates. Santorum currently attracts 66% of the conservative vote."