[BRIEF NOTE] Headlines for home, but such headlines

Prince Edward Island has just gotten headline coverage on Reuters and even CNN. Shawna Richer's article "Bankers' hours for suicide line overruled by angry public" has it all.

Prince Edward Island's 24-hour suicide hot line has been given new life.

The Progressive Conservative government said this week it was shutting down the round-the-clock service as of June 1 in an effort to save $30,000.

Health Minister Chester Gillan said that in its place, a suicide hot line with bankers hours would be available for distressed Islanders from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

That would make PEI the only province without a provincially funded 24-hour crisis line, and a cry for help arose immediately from the public and from health professionals.

The next day the province backed away from the plan.

"The outcry from the public and medical communities really captured the absurdity of the decision," said Kathryn Bigsby, president of the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island. "And the decision to put it back may be purely political, that they reacted solely to the outcry. It struck a nerve with a lot of people."

Struck a nerve and sparked a little international mocking.

Yesterday, CNN's American Morning crew jumped on the item.

"Makes perfect sense," crusty anchor Jack Cafferty told millions of viewers around the world. "When are you most likely to be troubled by something? Noon on Tuesday, right? When you're all alone in the middle of the night, the suicide thing will be closed.

"However, Prince Edward Island is apparently a happy place. The hot line only gets 50 suicide-related calls a year. The officials hope they'll all come during the day."

"That is not a great way to be on CNN," winced one Islander familiar with the comings and goings in the provincial legislature. "We should be on CNN for our great golf courses, not cancelling the suicide hot line."

[. . .]

Mr. Gillan, who did not return calls yesterday, told the legislature the decision wasn't made lightly.

"We spent a number of, obviously, hours and more so thinking, days even, of all the provisions," he said. "A government . . . has to be able to make those tough decisions."

Liberal Opposition Leader and health critic Robert Ghiz commented yesterday, "It seemed everyone except for the government knew it was a bad decision."

As one person involved in the battle to revive the line quipped, "You know what they say, "When it's 10 a.m. in Toronto, it's 1952 on the Island."

That last line is a bit unfair. I think.

[BRIEF NOTE] New Klaus Nomi

Since I wrote in April about Klaus Nomi, I've discovered via the blog of producer and musician Man Parrish that he has a new remix (mp3 format) of Klaus Nomi's "Total Eclipse" up. While it's nice to have new Nomi material up, it would have been nice to have had an undiscovered or lost track up. As someone who isn't a fan of Parrish's brand of techno, I'm not sure what I think about the remix, either.

[MUSIC] Rodney Graham, Rock Is Hard

Listening to Vancouver-born conceptual artist Rodney Graham's CD Rock Is Hard, I'm taken by the gentle musicality of the rock-based album. His slightly nasal but mellow voice accompanies his acoustic guitars well, his lyrics are funny in a non-overintellectualized sense, and the overall laid-back effect of the album is rather pleasing. I'm reminded of David Bowie's Reality or Heathen. Likely because he had an exhibition at the AGO last year, his CD can be purchased through the Art Gallery of Ontario, online or at their gift shop.

[LINK] The Fine Art of Shark-Jumping

Via james_nicoll, more proof that Orson Scott Card Has Issues, Indeed.

[BRIEF NOTE] Elsewhere in the blogosphere

Am I mistaken, or does John at Iberian Notes not like the Spanish very much?

[META] What do you think of my new user icon?

[Poll #502522]

UPDATE (10:25 PM) : And now?