Colbert - Some Politicians should not do media

Republican Congressman Lynn Westmoreland explains to Steven Colbert how he avoids getting sucked into making laws as well as his support for the 3 commandments (that he can remember) being posted in Court Houses. Some people really can use some media training.

Hat tip to AG

Screwing over parents, it's sad really

The National Post reports today that the Conservative government won't dictate rules on how the$250-million it will send provinces and territories this year to create daycare spaces should be spent.

Monte Solberg said the Tories have no plan to set national child-care standards, unlike the child-care plan of the former Liberal government. Mr. Solberg said he has put his provincial-and-territorial counterparts "on notice" the federal government expects them to use their share of the $250-million to build on their child-care systems.

The $250 million, which started flowing on April 1, is a mere one-quarter of the amount of the previous Liberal government's Child Care Plan and will replace the Conservatives' failed Big Box Daycare approach from their platform.

Under the Liberal plan, which the Conservatives cancelled, money was supposed to flow only to centres providing quality spaces at affordable prices that also offered an educational component.

So just to re-cap, provinces get 25 cents on the dollar and parents lose the assurance that the money is going to quality, regulated daycare spaces...Nice.

What if you called an election and nobody showed up?

So The Yanukovych dominated Verkhovna Rada Parliamentarians decided to reject the Presidential order dissolving Parliament and calling for new elections...

Radio Free Europe is reporting that the political crisis in Ukraine has intensified following President Viktor Yushchenko's order to dissolve parliament and hold new elections.The parliament, dominated by lawmakers loyal to Yushchenko's rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, has moved to defy the dissolution decree by passing a measure that blocks the government from funding the early parliamentary polls set for May 27.

They also passed a decree reinstating the former head of the Central Elections Committee who was removed from the job as a result of fraud during the 2004 elections. The incumbent, Davydovitch, is an honourable and courageous man who put his own life and personal safety on the line for the truth and the desire of his countrymen to have free and fair elections. He also put in place measures to ensure ballots could not be manipulated.

Hopefully, President Yushchenko knows what he is up against and has come to this knife fight properly armed this time, because there is no honour among Yanukovych's gang of thieves, thugs and poisoners.

Election called for May 27

According to RIA Novosti, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko just signed an order (Monday) to disband parliament and called new legislative elections, promising that they will be held in line with the constitution.
Viktor Yushchenko signed the parliament dissolution order after hours of crisis talks with parliamentary leaders failed to produce a compromise decision. He accused the majority coalition, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, of trying to expand its power base by unconstitutional means, notably by taking in individual lawmakers. Under the law, only entire factions can join the coalition.
But Speaker Oleksander Moroz said the president had no legal grounds to disband the assembly. The election, set for May 27, is another attempt by Yushchenko to resolve the country's ongoing political crisis, which has faced Ukraine since the latest ballot in March 2006.
Over the weekend, 70000 Yushchenko supporters and 20000 Yanukovych supporters took to the streets in central Kyiv in mass rallies. Yushchenko's Our Ukraine Party urged him to dissolve parliament while protesters from the Yanukovych camp said they would dispute the legality of such a move with the Constitutional Court.

A lot more interesting to me than the unveiling of Tory Campaign HQ here in Ottawa.

Conspiracy Theory

There was a movie that came out in 1997 starring Mel Gibson called Conspiracy theory where this cabbie has this crazy theory about the inter-connectedness of world events and how government intelligence agencies manipulate world events to have the MSM focus on certain things. This weekend's events made me think about this.

In 2004, I was in Ukraine for the Elections, now known as the Orange Revolution, and as soon as the re-run of the elections was done and while the results were in legal limbo, an earthquake with an epicentre in the Indian Ocean Tsunami swept throught Southern Asia, hitting Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and Thailand.

Just like whenever a prominent Western looking person gets poisoned be it Litvinenko or Yushchenko, the Russian security services always say, "Must have been some bad sushi."

So I was surprised in a cartoon abstract way when following yesterday's 90,000 person pro-Yushchenko protest in Kyiv, that a Tsunami had swept through the Soloman Islands.

It really is a tragic event, that really had nothing to do with Viktor Yanukovych's Russian backers, but since it happened on April Fools Day, I am left to wonder "or did it?"

This has got to be an April Fool's Day Joke

A CTV News website is reporting that Lord Vader's boy,Ben Mulroney, is set to run in Papineau for Conservatives according to National Newswatch.

CTV News says that Ben Mulroney, will announce his bid to seek the Conservative nomination in the Montreal-area riding of Papineau, Monday.
Last month, Justin Trudeau, the eldest son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, confirmed to the media that he would be seeking the Liberal nomination in the same riding.
Conservative Party officials were not available for comment early Sunday morning, however one Tory insider confirmed to CTV News that Mulroney will be parachuted into the riding by Prime Minister Harper. Mulroney is also expected to immediately step down from his hosting duties of the wildly popular CTV series 'Canadian Idol,' currently in production.
Producers of Canadian Idol refused to confirm reports that home-grown comedian Mike Bullard was being wooed to fill Mulroney's hosting shoes.

At least the TV watching public will be rid of him.

UPDATE: The link is a fake. http://www.ctv.nationalnewswatch.com/CTVNews_019291019_TopStories_.htm
But we can still dream about being rid of Ben Mulroney.

90000 out in dueling protests in Ukraine

Here they go again. If nothing else, Ukrainians are bound and determined to have a democratic and representative government.

More than 70,000 Ukrainians rallied in the center of Kyiv to press President Viktor Yushchenko to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and call new elections, deepening a political feud between the President and PM Yanukovich.

President Viktor Yushchenko accused the Yanukovych government on Thursday of violating the constitution by forming a coalition based on individuals rather than political factions. Yushchenko's charges were linked to a recent defection of a dozen opposition lawmakers to the ruling majority.

Yushchenko slammed the ruling (Party of Regions) majority for a "baldfaced revision of the will of the Ukrainian voters, a breach of the constitution, and a direct road to lawlessness." He suggested that he might respond by dissolving parliament. "I will never allow the parliamentary majority to be reformatted in violation of the constitution. If any political forces believe they can claim 300 seats and they declare repeatedly that there will be a 300-deputy coalition in parliament, then a political decision shall be made and we will call early parliamentary elections," Yushchenko said.

Yushchenko has reportedly invited Yanukovych and parliament speaker Oleksandr Moroz as well as leaders of parliamentary factions for consultations on this controversial issue, but it is unclear when such talks could take place.

Demonstrators at Saturday's rally were unhappy with attempts by Yanukovych to expand his power base by siphoning away lawmakers from pro-Yushchenko factions — a move that has significantly strengthened Yanukovych's control over Ukraine.

Earlier Saturday, the increasingly sidelined Yushchenko, who did not attend the evening rally, accused Yanukovych of breaking promises he made in a power-sharing agreement and trying to amass more power by poaching lawmakers from the blocs that support the president. Yushchenko has expressed concerns that Yanukovych could strengthen his parliamentary majority to 300 seats in the 450-seat parliament — enough to override presidential vetoes and make changes to the constitution.

Yushchenko threatened to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada if the situation did not change.

"If the work of the majority is not renewed on the basis of the constitution, I will sign the decree to dissolve parliament," Yushchenko told a conference of his party's delegates Saturday morning, prompting wild cheers and applause.

Seeking to push him to go ahead with the threat, his political backers called supporters out into Kiev's Independence Square, which was the epicenter of the 2004 Orange Revolution protests that ushered Yushchenko into power.

About 70,000 people turned out, waving flags and banners. The demonstrators accused Yanukovych of effectively trying to revise the results of last year's parliamentary election. "It is not the right of the president, it is his obligation," Yulia Tymoshenko told demonstrators.

The crowd shouted, "Together we will win."

Meanwhile, a smaller crowd of about 20,000 Yanukovych supporters held a rival rally nearby.

Dissolving parliament could plunge Ukraine into a new political crisis, particularly since Yanukovych's coalition has stated it will refuse to abide by the president's decision.

The standoff between the the 2 Viktors arose earlier this month after 11 lawmakers allied with the president defected and crossed over into Yanukovych's coalition, in violation of a new law that compels lawmakers to remain with the party they were elected with. The constitution also requires that political coalitions must be formed between entire parties — not individual lawmakers or small groups of lawmakers. There were news reports that the bribes being offered by the party of regions for floor crossers were in the neighbourhood of $6 million (US).

Yushchenko came to power after hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flooded onto Independence Square to protest Yanukovych's fraud-marred presidential victory in 2004.

"Razom Nas Bahato" may make a comeback...
(With Files from AP/RFE)

In moderation...Charest and Dumont

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf barely meets classless Steve

I was at the Canada 2020 conference for the past 2 days. There were a series of extraordinary speakers including: former NB Premier and TD Bank vice-Chairman Frank McKenna, author Salmon Rushdie, Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson and finally the amazing Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. There were other speakers as well but I was blown away by those 4 and particularly Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf who proved that with leadership, determination and will a ray of sunshine can polk through the cloudy political skies of Africa to provide a better future for the children of that underdeveloped continent.

So while Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia visited QP Tuesday and no less than 2 of his Ministers were at the conference, PM Steve only squeezed Liberia's president into his schedule after MPs criticized the snub of this woman Time Magazine called one of the top 100 in the world.

In fact, Steve scrambled yesterday to deny he snubbed the Liberian President during the visit. The PMO said yesterday that Harper did briefly meet with Johnson-Sirleaf late yesterday afternoon. Organizers of Johnson-Sirleaf's trip to Canada say an unofficial request was made but were told Harper did not have time in his schedule.
Liberal MP Bryon Wilfert raised the issue in Question Period stating that Harper made time to meet with former Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak but not Johnson-Sirleaf.
"As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, why will the Prime Minister not take time from his schedule today to meet with the president of Liberia," Wilfert said.
Harper told reporters later that he found out Johnson-Sirleaf was in town only when she was introduced in the Commons on Tuesday. Since the Foreign Affairs Protocol office had arranged security and the Parliamentary visit and Harper's office would have been aware of this, could this be a little bit of tit for tat from Steve's former leadership rival potato patch Pete MacKay to try to embarrass his boss?
Liberal MP Belinda Stronach (Newmarket-Aurora) told the Toronto Star that a request was made to have Harper meet with Johnson-Sirleaf but "that the Prime Minister had a busy schedule, (he) met with Tretiak. It is in our national interest to help nations such as Liberia succeed," she said after Johnson-Sirleaf spoke at the conference.
Stronach and Canadian comedian Rick Mercer presented Johnson-Sirleaf with 33,000 anti-malaria bed nets for Liberia.
These bednets are a great thing, for $10 Canadian, they can help reduce child mortality in Liberia from above 30% by killing the mosquitoes that transmit the disease.

Conservative Ethics Sham

Ottawa area Con MP, dweeb ansd sleazebag Pierre Poilievre has publicly disavowed PM Steve's campaign promise that:

A Conservative government will:• Establish a Public Appointments Commission to set merit-based requirements for appointments to government boards,commissions, and agencies, to ensure that competitions for posts are widely publicized and fairly conducted.

It was interesting, thus, to read this morning that the Conservatives have no plan to cleanse partisanship from government appointments and will use the promised Public Appointments Commission to ensure their qualified friends get the jobs, according to Pierre Poilievre.

Poilievre, parliamentary secretary to Treasury Board President Vic Toews, said the government won't appoint people who don't agree with its agenda. "We will be appointing people who will further that agenda. That is nothing new. In fact, it's worth saying twice: We are going to appoint people who agree with the agenda we intend to implement," said Poilievre, during a Commons government operations committee meeting.

This, from a government that has tried to interfere in judicial appointments, tilting other quasi-judicial panels to the right, and sacking the President of the Wheat Board and the Environmental AG because they were critical of the world according to Steve.

Liberal Minority government

The Liberal Party of Quebec won yesterday's election with final results creeping in around 11:30 p.m. This was late enough for some Canadian papers to have a Dewey-Truman moment, with the Globe and Mail announcing incorrectly that Liberal leader Jean Charest had lost his seat.

In the end, and before any recounts, the federalist Liberals beat the right wing ADQ winning 48 seats to 41 for the ADQ. The secessionist Parti Quebecois was relegated to 36 seats, its poorest showing in over 30 years.

At least we won't have to worry about another referendum on separation for awhile.

Pumpernickel Recipe Number 16 - Grilled smoked Turkey and Cheese on pumpernickel

This is part recipe, part description of my lunch today.

Ingredients:

2 slices pumpernickel bread
4 slices smoked turkey breast
2 slices Havarti cheese
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp butter

1 dill pickle

Butter outsides of bread. Spread mustard on bottom and top insides of bread. Add turkey, cheese and top slice of bread. Place on a hot frying pan for 3 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Enjoy with dill pickle.

New Patronage Scandal envelopes Conservatives

The Canadian Press is reporting that the Ontario provincial police are probing a Conservative link to the city of Ottawa mayoralty investigation. My favourite part is the absolute flip-flop by Reynolds and his belief that a $550k inducement is not a lot of money:

Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- The Ontario Provincial Police have launched an investigation into a sworn affidavit that claims a senior Tory close to Prime Minister Stephen Harper was involved in an alleged bid to buy off an Ottawa mayoralty candidate.
The affidavit, sworn out by former mayoralty candidate Terry Kilrea, names John Reynolds, the co-chairman of the 2006 Conservative election campaign, as the federal contact in a purported Parole Board appointment offer by eventual winner Larry O'Brien. In return, Kilrea was to drop out of Ottawa's 2006 municipal race.
Such an arrangement, if true, is a possible breach of both the Criminal Code and the Ontario Municipal Elections Act.The Ontario Provincial Police, acting on the advice of the attorney general of Ontario has launched an investigation.
The job offer was allegedly made to Kilrea by incoming mayor O'Brien, a millionaire businessman who, like Kilrea, campaigned as a tough-on-crime, fiscal conservative in the crowded mayoralty field.
"It didn't happen, it's that simple,'' Reynolds said in an interview. "My point of view, I never put anything in for anybody. I don't do that kind of stuff.''Added Reynolds: "I've talked to Larry (O'Brien), and I said, 'Larry, did you ever ask me?' He said, 'Well, we may have talked about it, but he never asked me to do anything.''
Reynolds, a former Conservative MP, interim party leader and currently lobbyist who meets regularly with the prime minister, said he doesn't know Kilrea "from Adam,'' but he hesitated to call Kilrea's affidavit a fabrication.
"If Larry said to him, 'Hey, I can talk to John Reynolds and put your name in,' that would be a fair statement, a fair thing to do. But I never did (forward Kilrea's name), so I doubt that he asked me. I would have done it.''
The complaint is the latest twist in a municipal story that appears to have multiple connections to the federal Conservatives. Then-treasury board president John Baird's unusual, mid-campaign intervention on a federal transit grant dramatically altered the course of the campaign, and ultimately helped O'Brien win by a wide margin. Kilrea's claim that he was offered expense money by O'Brien if he would drop out was previously reported.
In Kilrea's affidavit, he alleges that during a meeting last summer with O'Brien on a coffee-shop patio, he was also offered a Parole Board job. "At approximately 2 p.m. later that day (July 5, 2006), O'Brien called to advise that my name had been put forward for an appointment to the National Parole Board,'' states the affidavit.
"When I asked how this was possible, he responded that he had spoken to John Reynolds. He then instructed me to call John Baird, President of the Treasury Board, and to tell him that my name `was in the queue' for an appointment to the board.''
Kilrea claims he then e-mailed Baird, a local MP whose federal nomination Kilrea had supported, but was told by the Treasury Board president that he knew nothing about the matter.
Kilrea claims that in a subsequent phone conversation with O'Brien on July 19 he was told "the offer 'would not be on the table forever' and that I needed to make a decision.''
Kilrea, a local bailiff who ran unsuccessfully for the Ottawa mayoralty in 2003, is sticking to his story. "Before I turned down the offer, (O'Brien) told me the Parole Board was a five-year appointment at $110,000 a year,'' Kilrea said in an interview.
"Did I consider it a bribe? Looking at it now, a lot of people are saying it is,'' said Kilrea. "It is an inducement. In the Municipal Act it's very clear that you're not allowed to offer a job or anything like that to somebody to get them out of the race. Under the Municipal Act, it looks like this is a violation.''
Reynolds maintains there's nothing sinister. He said he would be happy to put Kilrea's name forward, or any other person's, for a Parole Board appointment because not many people want the job. "They're looking for people to go on parole boards,'' said Reynolds. "Most guys don't want the jobs. They don't pay that much.''

Quebec Election - ADQ candidate named Xenophobia

ADQ leader Mario Dumont has been fending off charges that his candidates are a bunch of genocide deniers, anti-semites and well...losers.
Imagine how Chomedy ADQ candidate Phani Papachristou felt when Super Mario could not even remember her name during a visit to a Montreal radio station. While doing an interview at the Radio énergie morning show, the hosts tested his knowledge of ADQ candidates by flashing photos them and asking him to name them.
He got half a few right before Papachristou’s pic came up and he was stumped. He recognized her as the Chomedy candidate, but just couldn’t come up with her name. To make matters worse, he said that all he knew is that he couldn’t pronounce it.

As they say in Quebec, Phani will never be pur laine.

h/t AR

Schreibergate hits Conservatives like a two by four

Karlheinz Schreiber is suing former PM Brian Mulroney for failing to "provide any services” for the $300,000 that he was paid by the German businessman at the centre of the Airbus affair.

In his statement of claim, Schreiber reveals his explanation of why he gave Mr. Mulroney $300,000 in cash in meetings in hotel rooms in Montreal and New York in 1993 and 1994.
Schreiber states that he initially hired the Mulroney to help establish a Quebec factory to build light-armoured vehicles for Thyssen AG, a German arms company. Mr. Mulroney failed to advance the project despite demands from Schreiber.

The claim also alleges that Mr. Mulroney “further defaulted on his promise” to promote Mr. Schreiber's Reto Restaurant Systems International, a company that sells a specialized pasta-making machine.

Schreiber is seeking $300,000 plus interest.

Another Senior Bush Official CONVICTed

Former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles on Friday became the highest-ranking Bush administration official convicted in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal, pleading guilty to obstructing justice by lying to a Senate committee.
The former No. 2 official in the Interior Department admitted in federal court that he lied to investigators about his relationship with convicted lobbyist Abramoff, who repeatedly sought Griles' intervention at Interior on behalf of Indian tribal clients.
Griles, an oil and gas lobbyist who became an architect of President Bush's energy policies, is the ninth person convicted in a continuing Justice Department probe.

In an unrelated story, at the same time in Canada, Stockwell Day pondered whether or not to have his wetsuit make a come back, but thought better of it.

Escalation in Middle East - Iran seizes 15 British soldiers

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iranian forces seized 15 British servicemen on Friday in the mouth of the waterway that separates Iran and Iraq, triggering a diplomatic crisis at a time of heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Britain said two boatloads of sailors and marines had searched a cargo ship in Iraqi waters on a U.N. approved mission when Iranian gunboats encircled and captured them. No shots were fired and the British servicemen were unharmed, officials said. Iran accused the British of illegally entering its waters.
I always get a nervous, sick feeling when I post and the words Iran and escalation appear.

Gerard Kennedy, Liberal MPs Serve Libel Notices Against The National Post

Former Liberal leadership contestant Gerard Kennedy, Navdeep Bains, MP for Mississauga – Brampton South; and Omar Alghabra, MP for Mississauga – Erindale, served the National Post, columnist Jonathan Kay and related persons with notices of libel over statements that the three politicians were involved in deals to exchange votes in return for changes to national security policy.

Kennedy, Bains, and Alghabra serve columnist Kay, publisher and John Doe sourceIncluded as a defendant in one of the notices is John Doe, representing the anonymous source cited by Mr. Kay in his column published in the National Post February 27th, 2007.“Mr. Kay has suggested criminal conduct on the part of Mr. Kennedy. This suggestion is false and defamatory. The situation is particularly aggravated by the fact that Mr. Kay's article is based on the information of a source whose identity, motives and credibility have been concealed. We look forward to exposing Mr. Kay's anonymous source so that Mr. Kennedy may be fully vindicated,” said Mr. Howard Winkler of Aird and Berlis, LLP, lawyer for Mr. Kennedy.

The conversations involving Mr. Bains related as fact in the column never took place, according to the notice prepared by Julian Porter, lawyer for Mr. Bains."In his notice of libel, Alghabra denies his political and policy decisions are driven by his ethnicity and that he knew of and condoned the vilification of Bob Rae and Arlene Perly Rae, at the Liberal leadership convention," stated Cliff Lax, counsel for Mr. Alghabra. Kennedy said“These are equally very serious and completely false statements that if left alone would mislead the public and distort public debate.”

The service of a libel notice is the first step in a defamation suit.
(National newswatch)

"The White House is adamant That their Advisors...Retain the Right to Lie"

Sometimes Jon Stewart needs no explanation.

Larry 'Bud' Melman dies 85

Associated Press reports that Larry "Bud" Melman passed away Monday.

Calvert DeForest, the white-haired, bespectacled man who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows, died after a long illness.
The Brooklyn-born DeForest, 85, died Monday at a hospital on Long Island.
He made dozens of appearances on Letterman's shows from 1982 through 2002, handling a variety of duties: dueting with Sonny Bono on "I Got You, Babe," doing a Mary Tyler Moore impression during a visit to Minneapolis, handing out hot towels to arrivals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
"Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself – a genuine, modest and nice man," Letterman said in a statement. "To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him.''
The gnomish DeForest was working as a file clerk at a drug rehabilitation center when show producers, who had seen him in a New York University student's film, came calling.
"It was the greatest thing that had happened in my life," he once said of his first Letterman appearance.

May he rest in peace.

UPDATE: If you listen to Conservative MP Leon Benoit with your eyes closed, he sounds just like Larry "Bud" Melman.

Ukrainian Drag Queen in Eurovision 2007 contest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHR491s3iSw

Having trouble posting directly from Youtube. The Telegraph explains it here.

Couple of things

Oh yeah, the Tories are ducking for cover trying to defend this Budget that screws the people of Nfld, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and BC more than other Canadians, and the best defense they can come up with is Premier Lorne Calvert's a "socialist and a liar"? I guess that's what you get when Maurice Vellacott is your bench strength.

On another note, after ignoring a vote in the House of Commons to implement the Kyoto Agreement, Canada's new government has indicated that it will be ignoring a vote in the House of Commons which tonight passed a Private Members Bill asking that the government fulfill the Kelowna Accord. Since when do these so-called law and order guys get to pick and choose which laws they respect?

NF MP says voting against budget he'd be "as good as out of the party"

Looks like Mr. Harper has a small budget-related problem on his hands, what with Budget votes being confidence matters and all:

MP Fabian Manning says he can do more for the province as a member of the governing Tories than as an independent. He says he lobbied to have non-renewable natural resources removed from the equalization formula, but the decisions are made. Manning told VOCM Back Talk with Bill Rowe, if he votes against the federal budget, he's as good as out of the party.

www.vocm.com

Dion makes the right decision

Stephane Dion showed some backbone today in turfing sometimes liberal MP Joe Comuzzi out of Caucus. Dion showed some real leadership today in the face of Comuzzi's public musings:

"The Hon. Joseph Comuzzi, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay - Superior North, has been expelled from the Liberal Caucus. This is not a decision that I, or anyone in the Liberal caucus, takes lightly.
I encourage the discussion of opinions on matters of policy. However, it is not possible to support this bad Conservative budget and to be a member of the Liberal caucus. Mr. Comuzzi has made it very clear that he will vote in favour of the budget. A vote on a budget or a Throne Speech is always a vote of confidence. The unavoidable consequence of voting against the caucus on these votes is to no longer be part of the caucus."

Despite his near 2 decades in Parliament, Comuzzi is best known as the MP for Boca Raton as he seemingly spends more time in Florida than Ottawa and for his knuckle-dragging stance opposing equality rights for gays and lesbians which saw him leave Paul Martin's Cabinet.

Comuzzi had already announced that he was not seeking re-election and was only seeking to undermine the Liberal leader. It's time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Goodbye Joe and good riddance.

Nova Scotia's Keystone Minister

ATV reported yesterday that Ron Chisholm, Tory MLA and Minister of Fisheries, was stopped by police after picking a prostitute up at a Tim Hortons a month or so ago. He says he was just giving her a drive home because it was very cold outside. He didn’t tell either his wife or the Premier until yesterday.

This morning's Chrinicle Herald had this on the issue:

Passenger trouble for Chisholm
Minister gave ride to woman known to cops in Dartmouth
By JEFFREY SIMPSON
Another provincial Tory cabinet minister has been involved in an incident involving police that he didn’t report to the premier.
Officers pulled over Fisheries Minister Ron Chisholm two weeks ago in Dartmouth as he was driving with a woman they described to him as "a person of interest to them."
Mr. Chisholm wasn’t charged and drove away while the woman remained behind with police. But he didn’t mention the matter to anybody, including Premier Rodney MacDonald, he said. "I didn’t really think anything much of it," Mr. Chisholm told The Chronicle Herald on Tuesday. "I didn’t do anything wrong."
Mr. Chisholm said he had been working until about 10 o’clock that night, which he believes was March 8, and decided to drive to Dartmouth for some Chinese takeout from Yum Yum’s. After picking up some beef fried rice and two egg rolls, he stopped at a Tim Hortons near the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge as he headed back to Halifax, where he has an apartment.
After buying a coffee, he got back into his car, he said, and a woman wearing a hat and scarf beat on the window and asked for a lift home. Mr. Chisholm said he initially turned her down. But she persisted.
He said he felt sorry for her because it was —30 with the wind chill so he agreed to drive her. "She was pleading with me," the Guysborough-Sheet Harbour MLA said. "I gave in, I guess. "I didn’t know who this lady was."
The woman, who he believed was over 25 years old, was directing him to where she wanted to go as they drove. They only got about a mile, he said, before police stopped them. An officer took his licence and explained that they wanted to speak to the woman. Mr. Chisholm said he doesn’t know how the police knew she was in the car. "I couldn’t tell you — I have no idea," he said.
But he suspects they might have seen her getting into his car. "It appears that way," he said. "I had no idea why they wanted to talk to her. They didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask."
Mr. Chisholm was free to continue on his way, while the woman stayed with police.
"Was it good judgment on my part?" he said. "Probably not. But I guess if somebody asked me for a drive home on a cold night, I’d probably say yes again."
Mr. Chisholm said he buys Chinese food from the same takeout all the time; he gets his hair cut at a barbershop in the same area and often patronizes a nearby tailor shop, where he had a snowmobile suit altered a few weeks ago.
He said he didn’t think the incident was worth making a big deal over.

Williams doesn't like the Budget

A word of advice for Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and his staff - Bundt cake. Newfoundland and Labrador Conservative Premier Danny Williams had this to say about his federal counterpart.

"This is the same Prime Minister who basically reneged on money for women, for literacy groups, for volunteers, students, has not lived up to the Kyoto Accord, for aboriginal people. There's a long list of people that have been hard done by this government in a minority situation. If they get a majority government, we have to be very concerned about what commitments they will deliver on,"
Newfoundland and Labrador's Progressive Conservative Premier Danny Williams,today's St. John's Telegram.

The last time that Premier Williams lost his cool and took the Canadian flags down from every flagpole on the "Rock", Ralph Goodale's staff turned to Bundt cake.

Of sluts and vermin

Lady Crossharbour Black-Amiel apparently lost her cool today referring to female journalists as sluts and vermin. I believe that her comments were not only sexist and inappropriate, but belie a need for Lady CBA to go to summer school to brush up on that being humble and endearing stuff that Lord Tubby was spinning last week. Tut, tut...

Carol Burnett Sues Family Guy (the cartoon)

She is suing a cartoon. That's right, the comedienne is suing a cartoon for parodying a 20 year old skit from her variety show.

According to Reuters:

Comedian Carol Burnett has filed a copyright infringement suit against the makers of Fox TV's cartoon sitcom "Family Guy" over an episode poking fun at the performer and her variety show from the 1960s and '70s.
The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims "Family Guy" violated Burnett's exclusive rights to her name and likeness by depicting her signature cleaning-woman character in a segment last April without her consent.
The suit, which seeks at least $2 million in damages, also says the cartoon episode used a "slightly altered version" of the copyrighted musical theme to "The Carol Burnett Show" without permission from the 73-year-old entertainer.

That's pathetic, I wonder if Tarzan can sue her retrospectively for copying his jungle call...

Bong hits for Jesus

A US Supreme Court case about the free-speech rights of high school students will be argued on Monday, has opened an unexpected fissure between the Bush administration and its usual allies on the religious right.

This story dates back the the 2002 Winter Olympics when the Olympic torch was carried through the streets of Juneau, Alaska, on its way to Salt Lake City, students were allowed to leave the school grounds to watch. With television cameras focused on the scene, Mr. Frederick and some friends unfurled a 14-foot-long banner with the inscription: “Bong Hits 4 Jesus.”

Mr. Frederick later testified that he designed the banner, using a slogan he had seen on a snowboard, “to be meaningless and funny, in order to get on television.” His principal Ms. Morse found no humor but plenty of meaning in the sign, recognizing “bong hits” as a slang reference to using marijuana. She demanded that he take the banner down. When he refused, she tore it down, ordered him to her office, and gave him a 10-day suspension.

And now it is before the Supreme Court wreaking havoc for Dubya.

Rob Anders is an idiot

I was saddened that a judge has overruled the acclamation of neo-Con nutbar Rob Anders in the riding of Calgary West.

Judge overrules MP's acclamation
New nomination meeting ordered in Calgary West riding held by Rob Anders
JAMES STEVENSON (CP)
CALGARY -- The federal Conservative Party appeared unwilling to back down from a legal fight with its own members yesterday after an Alberta judge ordered a new nomination meeting in the Calgary riding held by controversial MP Rob Anders. Just hours after the release of the written ruling that set aside Mr. Anders's acclamation
last August, the party tried unsuccessfully to have it blocked pending an appeal.
A lawyer for an anti-Anders group said yesterday afternoon that he would be "astounded" if another stay application didn't go to Alberta's Court of Appeal early next week. In a terse statement, Conservative Party president Don Plett said the Tories "will be reviewing the decision carefully." The legal manoeuvring came after a victory by 11 disgruntled Conservatives who have fought Mr. Anders's acclamation since last summer, claiming that the party didn't follow its own rules regarding nomination races.
Mr. Justice Ged Hawco of the Court of Queen's Bench agreed that the party didn't conduct a "fair and effective candidate selection process" and didn't adhere to the rules about setting nomination meeting dates.
Along with ordering the Tories to hold a new nomination process, Judge Hawco ordered the party to pay all legal costs in the protracted dispute.
Mr. Anders has been at the centre of unwelcome attention for the Conservative Party and its predecessors dating back to 2001, when he was the only MP to vote against making Nelson Mandela an honorary citizen of Canada. He defended his actions by stating that Mr. Mandela was a Communist and a terrorist.
He faced a wrongful dismissal suit from a former staffer who alleged that the Calgary politician borrowed cash from him, which was repaid, in part, by taxpayers through salary increases, false travel expenses and with furniture from the constituency office.
Before entering politics, the University of Calgary graduate worked as a heckler in the 1994 Senate campaign for Oklahoma Republican Jim Inhofe, which earned him the label of "a foreign political saboteur" from CNN.

The reason I hope that Anders is the candidate is because of my support for big Al at Mascots Galore and that with Anders' removal, mascots will be disenfranchised.
And I for one believe that the rights of mascots are as important as the rights of those who don't want to be represented by an idiot.

The Conservatives are afraid - Schreiber

Karlheinz Schreiber has asked the Conservative government to launch a full public inquiry into the Airbus Scandal. The Harper government has refused. What are they so afraid of? There was something about $300,000 in cash payments...

Conservatives Flip flop on Big Box Daycare

So the Conservatives have failed to fulfil their campaign promise to incent business, through tax credits, to build day care spaces. This approach was doomed to failure, as a similar gimmick in Ontario had produced exactly the same results. Now Canada's Neutered Government will provide 10 cents on the dollar to provinces for having broken the agreements signed by the previous government government before the election. And Steve wonders why the Premiers never say thank you.

Other related duties

Bill Blaikie, the longest serving MP in the House of Commons, has called it quits and will not seek re-election whenever the current minority government falls. "I have advised the executive of the Elmwood-Transcona NDP Association that I will not seek re-nomination, and urged them to begin the search for candidates to run for the NDP nomination in this very winnable riding for our party," the Winnipeg MP said in a written statement.
Blaikie was elected almost 28 years ago, on May 22, 1979, and has served as NDP House leader, NDP parliamentary leader, NDP deputy leader, and deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

I wish him well and would like to add these 2 anecdotes from a friend who worked for him a long time ago. "Never called him reverend, my friend once told me, alluding to his United Church Minister background, before confiding in me that the worst part of the job was constantly sweeping the dandruff from the tweed jacket."

Oh the glamourous life of those Hill staffers. Other related duties indeed.

Did I ever tell you about the time the former MP and Senator from Quebec answered the door to the office without pants...?

I support the seal hunt

In December, I mentioned my unequivocal support for the Atlantic seal hunt in the Gulf and on "the Front" here. I believe in the rights of natives and rural Quebecers, Newfoundlanders and Labradorans to make a living. Honest, hard-working people in rural and remote communities who make an extra $4-6 thousand from the seal hunt and can buy a few extras for their families are not the villains in this story.

The real villain in this story is the anti-sealing industry. Like the famous five big tobacco executives who swore that they had no knowledge of the ill effects of cigarettes in Congress, the anti sealing groups base their arguments on the big lie.

Even in the images in the media today, these groups portray the hunt as being somehow related to the killing of baby seals, a practise which has been outlawed in Canada for 20 years. And yet they still use the white coat imagery in their ads. Why?

Well according to various reports, the graphic image of the bloodied seal in contrast to the white ice is very effective at raising money for these groups. They invent horror stories such as this one in the Boston Globe. A report in the St. John's Telegram a couple years ago put the advertising revenue gained by anti sealing groups at double the estimated $60 million value of pelts, meat, and omega oils to the Newfoundland economy.

It's no wonder these same activists want to block Radio Canada from airing a documentary that shows them standing around on the ice as a seal pup washes up and eventually dies.

Phoques, le film, (Seals, the movie), produced by Quebec filmmaker Raoul Jomphe, has ruffled feathers at the Humane Society of the United States, because of a scene showing members of the group watching a dying seal for more than an hour as they filmed a promotional video of the hunt on ice floes in Atlantic Canada.
- Report from CanWest news service March 6, 2007

No, I think Canadians understand the interests of the parties. And I didn't even mention the seal-flipper pie.

Dion does the right thing and appoints Martha in Willowdale

The leader of the Liberal Party has the authority to appoint candidates. Today, Stephane Dion appointed last place leadership candidate Martha Hall Findlay in the riding of Willowdale. Other leadership contestants Gerard Kennedy and Bob Rae have both decided to try to win the nomination battles in their chosen ridings. This is noble of both of them.

Is Dion, then, wrong in appointing Martha in Willowdale? Absolutely not. The leader has every right to appoint candidates, but he must choose to exercise that power fairly and judiciously. Martha getting the nod for a safe Liberal seat in a winnable riding is consistent with Dion's leadership campaign promise to up the number of women in the House.

Thumbs up to Dion for this appointment - but everyone will be able to judge the leader's use of this power to make sure that it is consistent and judicious.

After lobbying investigation, Reynolds registers

Last week I mentioned an illegal lobbying investigation and wondered whether it might prompt John Reynolds to action. Well, the Vancouver Sun today reports that Mr. Reynolds has decided to register as a lobbyist...and by the way, he's not breaking his word. Mark it down - "I'm not making a penny out of this..."

Last year there was a revolving door of lobbyists with access to Ministers - and this was bad. This year, Reynolds says,

I'm a prominent person within the party, and I'm going to make recommendations to our guys, cabinet ministers and others, including MPs, that hey, these are good projects for my province (British Columbia) and I'd like them to happen.

You decide if there is any inconsistency.

Now THAT's advance work!!!

From today's Globe and Mail online update. There's something ironic about this...I kinda half expect that his political staff was up all night making crank calls and forgot to report for work.

O'Connor fails to get detainee meeting

KANDAHAR - Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor's attempts to meet with the head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission failed Monday when he discovered the organization's director wasn't in Kandahar.
Mr. O'Connor said after arriving Sunday night that he wanted to meet AIHRC head Abdul Qadar Noorzai to look him in the eye and confirm that his group, the newly appointed monitors of Canada's detainee agreement, are "going to do what they say they're going to do."
But the meeting was cancelled late Monday afternoon when it emerged that Mr. Noorzai was in neighbouring Helmand province. It's not known why Mr. Noorzai was in Helmand or whether the meeting will be rescheduled. Mr. O'Connor recently announced that Canada has asked the AIHRC to monitor detainees handed over to Afghan authorities. Unlike Britain and the Netherlands, Canada did not retain the right to verify that detainees transferred to Afghan custody are being properly treated.

H/t to gmac.

Dion affirms Liberal position on WWI Internment of Ukrainians

Canadian Press
WINNIPEG — Stephane Dion used a stop in Winnipeg on Saturday to take a few shots at the federal government — and to rally troops for an election he says his party doesn't want, but will be ready for.The Liberal leader attended a Ukrainian commemorative ceremony and criticized the Tories' lack of action on money committed by the former Liberal government to commemorate the internment of Ukrainian Canadians during the First World War.Mr. Dion said they'd committed $12.5-million for educational outreach programs, but that money hasn't been issued since Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Tories took power in 2006. “Why are they dragging their feet, I don't understand,” said Mr. Dion, speaking to dozens of members of Winnipeg's Ukrainian community gathered for an annual celebration.
“It's unfortunate because not only does it create a tribute to Canadians of Ukrainian origin, it is to be sure our country understands when we keep in mind the mistakes of the past we will not repeat them in the future.”

How low can you stoop?

So this guy mugged an 85-year old and a 101 year old lady after offering to help them in the NYC borough of Queen's. The two women were each beaten as part of the muggings. God bless 101 year old Rose Morat for her moxy.

"I'm quite sure that if it had happened when I was younger, I would have been
after him," she said.

I am glad that neither woman was injured seriously, but this has got to be one of the most despicable, cowardly acts that I have heard of recently.

I hope police catch this guy quickly and let the 2 ladies have at him in an interrogation cell so that swift, granny justice can be done.

Gingrich: I did have relations, with that woman, not Lewinsky

And so the irony of the headline screemed out at me: "Gingrich admits having an affair during Lewinsky scandal"

These were the holier than thou fellas who were seeking the impeachment of Bill Clinton, with Gingrich leading the charge...while at the same time:

Gingrich, who frequently campaigned on family values issues, divorced his second wife, Marianne, in 2000 after his lawyers acknowledged Gingrich's relationship with his current wife, Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide more than 20 years his junior.
His first marriage, to his former high school geometry teacher, Jackie Battley, ended in divorce in 1981. Although Gingrich has said he doesn't remember it, Battley has said Gingrich discussed divorce terms with her while she was recuperating in the hospital from cancer surgery.

Discussed divorce terms while she was recovering from cancer. Lovely, f*&%in, lovely. The right wingers are always so hypocritical.

What would Thomas Edison say?

At first I thought this was a joke, but unfortunately, socialist Nanny state supporter MP Paul Dewar is proposing legislation to ban incandescent light bulbs.

There are several socio-economic arguments that can be made about this and its disproportionate impact on lower income households, limits on choice, but my big concern is this: "What will cartoonists use to symbolize/represent an idea?"

Guess which Canadian party is duking it out for 4th place with the Greens?

Mr. Dion's next challenge

Bill C-257 (previously discussed here) will be returning to MPs for a vote after next week's Parliamentary break. John Ibbitson of the Globe summed up the challenge facing the Liberal leader last month:

Mr. Dion has to make up his mind about Bill C-257, and then he has to sell
that decision to the caucus and the country. Managing this challenge will tell
us a lot about how, and how well, this Liberal leader leads.

Today, in the National Post, former Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees and AFN National Chief Matthew Coon Come challenged MPs to defeat the Bill. In the last vote, the NDP and the BQ supported, the Conservatives opposed, leaving the Liberals holding the balance of power. Last time, most Liberals supported the Bill. Will the Liberal leader ensure that his Caucus stands up and supports First Nations? I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Wells nails it

Every so often, Paul Wells succinctly nails the essence of an issue, as he does here. As someone interested in strategy, there could be no more apt description than "crack-smoking moron" to describe the hijinx coming out of the Liberal Leader's office. The question is, how will said Principal Secretary respond to that wake-up call?

Justice Served, Libby Convicted

Sometimes the rich and the powerful think that they are above the law. In convicting, former US VP Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, on 4 of 5 counts, we are shown again today that sometimes there is justice in Western societies.

Libby faces 25 years in prison and a $1 million fine for his part in a politically motivated scandal that "outed" a CIA operative, therby putting the agent and spouse in danger. And to quell any suspicions, the reason I am celebrating is not because the chief of staff the the American Vice President was named Scooter...

American GIs getting ugly in Afghanistan

AP reports that American soldiers are trying to sanitize the visuals coming out of Afghanistan after having opened fire on civilians:

Afghan journalists covering the aftermath of a suicide bomb attack and shooting in eastern Afghanistan Sunday said U.S. troops deleted their photos and video and warned them not to publish or air any images of U.S. troops or a car where three Afghans were shot to death.
Afghan witnesses and gunshot victims said U.S. forces fired on civilians in cars and on foot along at least a six-mile stretch of road in Nangarhar province following a suicide attack against the Marine convoy. The U.S. military said militants also fired on American forces during the attack.
The U.S. military and Afghan officials said eight Afghans died and 34 were wounded in the violence. One Marine was also injured.
A freelance photographer working for The Associated Press and a cameraman working for AP Television News said a U.S. soldier deleted their photos and video showing a four-wheel drive vehicle in which three people were shot to death about 100 yards from the suicide bombing. The AP plans to lodge a protest with the American military.

Note to Bush/Cheney and Steve, this is not the way to build democracy in Afghanistan or anywhere else for that matter.

Swiss invade Liechtenstein, accidentally

I thought that the Swiss were known for their precision (not to mention their cheese and chocolate)...but I guess when you invade without ammo or being noticed it doesn't really count.

Pumpernickel Recipe #15 - German Pumpernickel

German Pumpernickel

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast

1/8 Cup cocoa

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 Tablespoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups rye flour

1 cup water

1/8 cup molasses

1/8 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Shortening (to grease pan)

In large bowl, stir together yeast, cocoa, sugar, caraway seed, salt and 1 cup rye flour; set aside. In medium saucepan over low heat, heat water, molasses and butter until very warm. Gradually beat molasses mixture into yeast mixture (with low speed mixer) until well blended. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Add remaining rye flour. Increase speed to high; beat 2 more minutes. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to make a soft dough. Turn out dough onto lightly floured wooden bread board. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Place into greased large bowl, turning over dough so that top is greased. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until almost doubled in size, about an hour. Punch down dough. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Shape into a round loaf. Place on greased large baking sheet. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, 45 minutes. Diagonally slash the top of the loaf, crosswise, 3 times. Bake in 375°F oven for 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Immediately remove from baking sheet. Brush top of hot loaf with shortening. Cool on rack.

New Poll has NDP support at 13%!

The new Decima Research poll out today has the Conservatives at 36%, the Liberals at 27%, the Green party and the NDP tied at 13% and the separatist Bloc Quebecois at 8%. This is very bad news for the NDP. And they wonder why people don't take them seriously...

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Peacekeeping

This year marks the 50th anniversary of former Canadian Prime Minister Lestor B. Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize. Pearson was the "inventor" of peacekeeping and his efforts are being celebrated in Canada this month with a model peacekeeping mission being held in Ottawa at the Canadian War Museum.

I understand that Peter MacKay and General (retired) Lewis MacKenzie will be on hand for a Model Peacekeeping Mission for 100 young people from accross the country who will be trained and participate in a mock mission.

It is thus interesting that Ukrainian President Yushchenko and his Georgian counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili , have proposed the creation of a joint peacekeeping force. This is an area where I believe that Canada needs to examine all options given the changing nature of international peace operations.

I saw Canada's former ambassador to Afghanistan, Chris Alexander, speak at a lunch earlier this week where he spoke of the tremendous progress that has been made in that country over the past 5-6 years. He rounded off a list of indicators from reduced poppy production to increased enrolment of girls in schools that demonstrated the absolute need for the World to allow Afghanistan to once again be a leader among the nations of the world and to avoid capitulating to the Taliban.

I believe that Afghanistan poses a formidable challenge to the world community and that Canada must re-take a leadership role in providing aid and other development assistance as well as an effective peacekeeping role there in the medium term.

PS: Did you notice that Yushchenko's complexion doesn't look as good as in some of his recent "touched up" photos?

What could be more Canadian?

What could be more Canadian than a home hockey rink building contest? I remember growing up and you would always here the greats like Wayne Gretzky telling stories about how they had learned to skate in their backyards that their parents had flooded, etc.

I always thought that it was neat that in some places this was the reality, but hadn't stopped to think that people still flood their yards to make hockey rinks to this day until I had heard about this contest on TV.

I must say that the kids in Sylvan Lake Alberta are very fortunate. Some of the other entries are equally spectacular.

PM Harper continues his purge of moderates

This Canadian Press story really surprised me. When combined with the other high profile purges in the Immigration Refugee Board, Elections Canada, Environment Commissioner's Office, I am left feeling more that a little nervous about what Steve's agenda would be if he had a majority...

OTTAWA -- Parliament's upper chamber has been swept up in a wave of acrimony and turmoil over a spate of forced Tory resignations from Senate committees.
The Conservatives say the musical chairs in committees is their prerogative and simply administrative. The Liberals say it's a case of a crackdown on independent-minded senators by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office.
The latest to announce his resignation is Senator Michael Meighen, who told his colleagues on the security and defence committee late Monday that he has been told to resign as vice-chair. Meighen had served on the high-profile and prolific committee since its inception in 2001.
"I had a conversation with the leader of the government in the Senate, who asked me if I would tender my resignation," Meighen told the committee.
"I have always been a loyalist to my party. I expressed my amazement to her. I am obviously not going to recount the nature of our conversation, but I indicated I was extremely disappointed."
Meighen had contradicted the government last fall when he defended a committee trip to the Middle East. The senators ran up a hefty tab in Dubai when they were unable to get into Afghanistan, spurring the Tories to accuse the committee of wasting taxpayers' money on a junket and demanding an internal investigation.
The senator said in an interview he doubts that was a reason for the requested resignation, which was explained to him as "administrative." But Meighen says he remains perplexed.
"I think for some reason they seem to be quite cross at me," Meighen said. "I was not given any example of some heinous crime that I had committed, or that my work was not of the best quality. I have no idea."
Meighen's departure follows that of Tory luminary Hugh Segal, who announced he had been instructed to resign as chairman of the foreign affairs committee. Senator Donald Oliver was asked to resign his chairmanship of the legal and constitutional affairs committee to replace Segal, but was blocked by angry Liberal senators.

I see a very clear not-too-Canadian pattern developing here.

Republican Leadership race heats up with Giuliani in Drag video

The US Republican Party stands for a lot of things, but I am not sure whether Rudy Giuliani in drag with Donald trump will help or hurt his chances of winning the Republican Party nomination for president. And the other question, with a McCain-Giuliani Presidential ticket, who would be on top (of the ticket!!!)? Or maybe this was Rudy's audition for the remake of Hairspray.

Most people use garlic to enhance the flavour of food

A new study published by California researcher in this morning's Toronto Star indicates that garlic is not a significant factor in lowering cholesterol. The study went on to say that researchers did not test for its impact on heart attacks or cancer.

For its part the pumpernickel Research Institute has found conclusive evidence that garlic is effective at warding off vampires, sauteeing shrimp and making dill pickles.

For a list of other "proven benefits" and recipes, check out Garlicster. H/t to Sheena from Sheenavision.

Habs Deal Rivet for Jorge, 1st round pick

The attached article from the Montreal Gazette illustrates just what a class act Craig Rivet was as a Habs Defenseman.

Rivet was a solid guy on the blueline who you didn't need to worry about. I wish him well in San Jose. Waiting to see what other action there may be before the trade deadline...

Pumpernickel Recipe 14 - Roasted Garlic and Pepper soup with Pumpernickel croutons

This delicious soup will give you a hit of roasted chili flavor that's perfect for the tail end of winter. Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:

Soup
4 fresh Hungarian or poblano peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons butter
1 small white onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 heads of garlic, peeled
1 bunch shallots chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons chopped parsley leaves
Sour Cream (optional)

Pumpernickel croutons:
4 slices pumpernickel bread, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon hungarian paprika
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Preparation:
Turn on broiler to 450 degrees. Baste peppers with 1 tbsp of the ovile oil and place on a cookie sheet. Broil for 12 minutes, turning, until the peppers start to blister. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, and change the oven setting to bake, remaining at 450°F. In a 4 quart saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and shallots. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables begin to brown. Add the cumin and cook for 1 minute more. Add the water and chicken stock, and cream. Bring just to boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes.

At the same time, once the peppers are cool enough to handle, use your hands to remove the skins, pull off the stem and remove the core and seeds. Chop the peppers coarsely and add them to the soup while it simmers.

Toss the crouton ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes or until browned. Be careful to avoid burning them. Remove immediately and let cool.

Purée the soup using a blender or a food processor. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with pumpernickel croutons and parsley, and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Suzuki turning into self-parody

There is an interesting article in today's Calgary Herald about the spat between Ed Stelmach and David Suzuki. These are the most interesting parts:

Suzuki says Premier Ed Stelmach doesn't deserve to lead, and adds that Prime Minister Stephen Harper hasn't a green bone in his body.
Finally the Great Green Guru flings himself right over the top, proclaiming that Alberta has "always had the highest standard of living of any province in the country." Suzuki might know biology, but he's weak on history. There was a time in the 1930s when Alberta was so dirt poor that the government couldn't pay its civil servants.

Suzuki with his off-the-cuff, speak-before-you-think comments fuels the belly of Alberta separatists by ignoring the country's history. When Alberta went bust, the government of Canada stepped in to ensure that it could continue. Canada is built on what is often called, shared risks, and in this example, it was Alberta that benefitted from a very early form of this sharing of vulnerability. I am sure that a well-read federalist and environmentalist like Stephane Dion would want to distance himself from Suzuki's comments.

The premier fired back Saturday afternoon, noting that "greenhouse gas reduction will require more than hot air and grandstanding." This spring, Alberta will almost certainly announce a Kyoto-like emission credits system to function within Alberta. Companies will also be made to contribute to a fund for creating new green technologies. Greenhouse gas could be shipped by pipeline for sequestration or producing energy. Over time, Stelmach says, the province will move from reducing emissions intensity (CO2 per barrel) to cutting overall emission levels.

With his increasingly wild attacks, his conviction of rectitude, his foundation named after himself, and his website laden with photos of himself, it really does seem to be mostly about David Suzuki.

To be honest, I am not a fan of David Suzuki. Ever since some of his baseless rants about aquaculture, I find it hard to take him seriously. We need to move away from the extreme rhetoric from all sides to arrive at real, workable solutions.

UPDATE: I shared a bus with Diane Ablonczy this week where she welcomed a few degrees of global warming. Nice to know that Steve isn't the only climate change denier in the Tory caucus.

Emerson Shocker - Turncoat remorse!!!

Today's MacLeans (Mar 5th edition) Capital Diary, p 10. (At the Canadian Arab Business Council annual dinner)
"When (Emerson) took the podium, he said that when he told Bill Graham he was going to leave the Liberals and cross the floor, the interim leader told him that he might regret it and to think twice. Emerson shocked the crowd when he said he wished he had listened to Graham."

Harvest of Despair 1933

The attached video is a graphic and very sad depiction of the brutality of Stalin's regime and the damage inflicted on the Ukrainian people. It is interesting that both Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yushchenko come from famine ravaged regions. For all those that perished, we must not forget.

Canada must recognize this tragedy.

Thanks to pawlina at Nash Holos for the link.

Harper's becoming his old Angry, stubborn self

Steve, a piece of advice, even the Fonz was able to admit he was wrong and say he was sorry.

Do I expect the Conservative Leader and Prime Minister to admit that he was wrong and pull his French language ads that besmirch the reputation of Ralph Goodale as explained by Susan Riley today? Do I expect my Prime Minister, the PM of all Canadians to apologize for smearing the reputation of MP Navdeep Bains as suggested by today's Globe editorial which states

Mr. Harper essentially accused them of sabotaging the fight against terrorism for the benefit of an MP's relative. Yesterday, instead of apologizing for this personal attack, he taunted the Liberals to prove that any fact in the article was wrong.

This is not the first time Mr. Harper has exhibited this nasty, stubborn streak. In 2004, he may have cost himself the election when his party issued a release charging that prime minister Paul Martin supported child pornography. Although the Conservatives later withdrew the release, Mr. Harper refused to apologize. He has also refused to apologize for Tory ads that smeared the stellar reputation of former finance minister Ralph Goodale.

His scurrilous suggestion this week marked a new low in this Parliament's civility. Mr. Harper should express regret to the Opposition, and to the House of Commons as a whole, for his remarks.?

No I do not expect Steve to apologize for his base, false and cowardly attacks. I do hope that he keeps it up though, because the real Steve Harper is standing up against civility and Canadian values of fairness and decency. Canadians, already worried about his real agenda, can only feel sorry for any chairs that get in his way during his next temper tantrum.

Hillary Clinton's thin skin

The Clinton campaign is incredibly thin skinned. Hillary's mouthpiece is a whiner. Her problem is that she cannot believe that the stars in Hollywood, not to mention pundits and ordinary people find Obama more intelligent,interesting and intellectual. Hillary's whining is not inspiring me.

Just who's having the bad week?

So let me get this straight, PM Steve in the past week has:

1) Picked a fight with judges over the independence of the judiciary and gets smacked down by Beverly McLoughlin;
2) He makes potentially libellous comments about a possible interview of an in-law of a Liberal MP as part of an ongoing police investigation;
3) His government is caught up in a second tainted tuna scandal/coverup;
4) He boots MP John Cummins off the Fisheries Committee for being too extreme and Senator Hugh Segal off the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for being too moderate;
5) An investigation is launched into unregistered lobbying practises;
6) Makes a disabled Canadian hero use the rear freight entrance to attend a meeting with him;
7) Sees his Environment Minister called a liar by Al Gore and his Foreign Minister called "an arse licker of Satan" by Mary Walsh at the ECMAs;
8) three quarters of Canadians believe that Steve is lying on his commitment to the environment.

Stephane Dion needs to heed the advice of one of his predecessors and not worry about the "Nervous Nellies".

Tory MP Rajotte, Don Cherry investigated in illegal lobbying scandal

The Nov. 7 activities of Jacqueline Shan, president of CV Technologies, Inc., and loud mouth Don Cherry, spokesman for COLD-fX, are now under the microscope of Karen Shepherd, director of investigations for the federal Registrar of Lobbyists.

The Registrar of Lobbyists is reviewing the activities and assembling evidence in order to determine whether to launch a formal investigation.

If the office finds "reasonable grounds" to believe federal lobbying rules were breached, the registrar can turn the matter over to the RCMP for a full investigation.

The Lobbyists Registration Act says individuals who work for corporations and communicate with public office holders on behalf of the employer should be registered as lobbyists.

During the election campaign Steve said he was gonna crackdown on illegal lobbying activities by:

• Give the Registrar of Lobbyists the mandate and resources to investigate violations.
• Extend to ten years the period during which violations can be investigated and prosecuted.

Well, I wonder if this investigation will be enough to make John Reynolds...

Canada must formally recognize the 1932-33 Famine Genocide in Ukraine

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Holodomyr, Ukraine's Famine Genocide. I am attaching the first person account of Russian journalist Vassily Grossman.

Vasily Grossman, Forever Flowing, New York: Harper & Row, 1972 (Chapter 14).
I don't want to remember it. It is terrible. But I can't forget it. It just keeps on living within me; whether or not it slumbers, it is still there. A piece of iron in my heart, like a shell fragment. Something one cannot escape. I was fully adult when it all happened...
No, there was no famine during the campaign to liquidate the kulaks. Only the horses died. The famine came in 1932, the second year after the campaign to liquidate the kulaks...
And so, at the beginning of 1930, they began to liquidate the kulak families. The height of the fever was in February and March. They expelled them from their home districts so that when it was time for sowing there would be no kulaks left, so that a new life could begin. That is what we all said it would be: "the first collective farm spring."...
Our new life began without the co-called "kulaks". They started to force people to join the collective farms. Meetings were underway from morning on. There were shouts and curses. Some of them shouted: "We will not join!"...
And we thought, fools that we were, that there could be no fate worse than that of the kulaks. How wrong we were! The axe fell upon the peasants right where they stood, on large and small alike. The execution by famine had arrived. By this time I no longer washed floors but was a book-keeper instead. And, as a Party activist, I was sent to Ukraine in order to strengthen a collective farm. In Ukraine, we were told, they had an instinct for private property that was stronger than in the Russian Republic. And truly, truly, the whole business was much worse in Ukraine...
Moscow assigned grain production and delivery quotas to the provinces, and the provinces then assigned them to the districts. And our village was given a quota that it couldn't have fulfilled in ten years! In the village rada (council) even those who weren't drinkers took to drink out of terror...
Of course, the grain deliveries could not be fulfilled. Smaller areas had been sown, and the crop yield on those smaller areas had shrunk. So where could it come from, that promised ocean of grain from the collective farms? The conclusion reached up top was that the grain had all been concealed, hidden away. By kulaks who had not yet been liquidated, by loafers! The "kulaks" had been removed, but the "kulak" spirit remained. Private property was master over the minds of the Ukrainian peasant.
Who was it who then signed the act which imposed mass murder? ... For the decree required that the peasants of Ukraine, the Don, and the Kuban be put to death by starvation, put to death along with their tiny children. The instructions were to take away the entire seed fund. Grain was searched for as if it were not grain but bombs and machine guns. The whole earth was stabbed with bayonets and ramrods. Cellars were dug up, floors were broken through, and vegetable gardens were turned over. From some they confiscated grain, and dust hung over the earth. And there were no grain elevators to accommodate it, and they simply dumped it out on the earth and set guards around it. By winter the grain had been soaked by the rains and began to ferment -- the Soviet government didn't even have enough canvases to cover it up!...
Fathers and mothers wanted to save their children and hid a tiny bit of grain, and they were told: "You hate the country of socialism. You are trying to make the plan fail, you parasites, you pro-kulaks, you rats." ... The entire seed fund had been confiscated...
Everyone was in terror. Mothers looked at their children and began to scream in fear. They screamed as if a snake had crept into their house. And this snake was famine, starvation, death...
And here, under the government of workers and peasants, not even one kernel of grain was given them. There were blockades along all the highways, where militia, NKVD men, troops were stationed; the starving people were not to be allowed into the cities. Guards surrounded all the railroad stations. There were guards at even the tiniest of whistle stops. No bread for you, breadwinners! ... And the peasant children in the villages got not one gram. That is exactly how the Nazis put the Jewish children into the Nazi gas chambers: "You are not allowed to live, you are all Jews!" And it was impossible to understand, grasp, comprehend. For these children were Soviet children, and those who were putting them to death were Soviet people...
Death from starvation mowed down the village. First the children, then the old people, then those of middle age. At first they dug graves and buried them, and then as things got worse they stopped. Dead people lay there in the yards, and in the end they remained in their huts. Things fell silent. The whole village died. Who died last I do not know. Those of us who worked in the collective farm administration were taken off to the city...
Before they had completely lost their strength, the peasants went on foot across country to the railroad. Not to the stations where the guards kept them away, but to the tracks. And when the Kyiv-Odesa express came past, they would just kneel there and cry: "Bread, bread!" They would lift up their horrible starving children for people to see. And sometimes people would throw them pieces of bread and other scraps. The train would thunder on past, and the dust would settle down, and the whole village would be there crawling along the tracks, looking for crusts. But an order was issued that whenever trains were travelling through the famine provinces the guards were to shut the windows and pull down the curtains. Passengers were not allowed at the windows...
And the peasants kept crawling from village into the city. All the stations were surrounded by guards. All the trains were searched. Everywhere along the roads were roadblocks -- troops, NKVD. Yet despite all this the peasants made their way into Kyiv. They would crawl through the fields, through empty lots, through the swamps, through the woods -- anywhere to bypass the roadblocks set up for them. They were unable to walk; all they could do was crawl...
What I found out later was that everything fell silent in our village... I found out that troops were sent in to harvest the winter wheat. The army men were not allowed to enter the village, however. They were quartered in their tents. They were told there had been an epidemic. But they kept complaining that a horrible stink was coming from the village. The troops stayed to plant the spring wheat too. And the next year new settlers were brought in from Orel Province (Russia). This was the rich Ukrainian land, the black earth, whereas the Orel peasants were accustomed to frequent harvest failures.

And like Grossman, Canada mustn't forget this terrible tragedy.

Pumpernickel Recipe 13 - Boar's Head Turkey Jerky

This sandwich is a favorite of a buddy of mine and originates, I believe in Peoria.

Ingredients:
2 slices pumpernickel bread
4 slices roasted turkey breast
4 slices corned beef
2 slices Swiss cheese
Cole slaw
Thousand Island Dressing

Stack all ingredients on pumpernickel bread. Serve with ripple potato chips and Smithwicks or your favorite similar brew.

Has the CBC broken a 2nd Tunagate Scandal 22 years later?

Tunagate was a 1985 Canadian political scandal involving large quantities of possibly tainted tuna that were sold to the public under order of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, John Fraser.

The story broke on September 17 in the CBC program the fifth estate. Fisheries inspectors had found that StarKist tuna, made by a New Brunswick plant, had spoiled and declared that it was “not fit for human consumption,” or even fit for cat food.

A St. Andrews, New Brunswick plant had processed the tuna, and the forced destruction of a million cans of tuna would likely cause the plant to close down. The owners of the plant thus lobbied fisheries minister Fraser who decided the tuna should be allowed on store shelves. He later defended himself saying he felt the business owners were right that the inspectors were too severe, or that the inspectors could have made a mistake. He also stated that he had two other independent groups test the tuna, but the lab that did these tests later revealed that their testing was not complete when Fraser made his decision.

The day after the story broke, both opposition parties attacked Fraser, and on Thursday, a recall of the tuna was announced. The following Monday Fraser resigned, mostly settling the affair.

Fast forward to 2007, once again CBC News breaks a story that a CBC investigation that found mercury levels were above the allowed limit. Health Canada issued new consumption guidelines on Monday for canned albacore tuna for women and children.

Having seen the story, something seems, pardon the pun, fishy. Why did Health Canada rush out the advisory? Is this another case of Tory meddling at the expense of the health and safety of Canadians?

The Mess in NS

It used to be said that Liberals go to political conventions to get laid, Toried to get drunk and the NDP to collect pamphlets.

Well, it seems that Nova Scotia's Tories are going to have some splainin' to do about former Cabmin Ernie Fage's alleged drinking and driving situation. How does a law 'n order party square their support for MADD with Fage's hit and run charges?

Halifax police say investigators arrived at the charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident after a thorough investigation. "With that charge, it is alleged that the individual fled the scene with the intent to escape civil or criminal liability," said Const. Jeff Carr. It's up to the Crown to decide whether to proceed with the case as a summary offence, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail or a $2,000 fine, or as an indictable offence, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Fage was overheard trying to explain the hit and run using the Peter MacKay, "I forgot where I was defense." Maybe Ernie should start collecting pamphlets at the Pogey office.

This just in from the grassy Knoll...

New film footage shows JFK moments before assassination

An 82-year-old man who filmed President John F. Kennedy moments before his assassination released the decades-old film this week after finding them in storage.

Let the muzzling begin

Stephen Harper took the unusual step of removing Conservative MP for Delta-Richmond East, John Cummins from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. Do you think it has anything to do with Cummins position on Aboriginal fisheries?

Cummins, a former Alliance MP from B.C., took part in a 2002 protest against a natives-only salmon fishery on the Fraser River. Last year, Steve recanted after initially promising to end the Aboriginal fishery.

Perhaps this is one of those issues that he only wants to "deal with" if he gets a majority. In any event, Cummins is an embarrassment and hopefully won't cause too much trouble with his backbench buddy on the Veterans Affairs Committee.

MacKay and Jack Layton: Separated at birth

A little screw up at the East Coast Music Awards tonight.

Not to be outdone by Jack Layton, Peter MacKay forgets where he is at the East Coast Music Awards tonight.

It was on CBC around 9:25, from Halifax.

Peter MacKay says, "I'm really glad to be here in Toronto, uhh Ottawa, I mean uhh... Halifax"
>>-crowd reacts->>

Then Opera singer Measha Brueggergosman came out and said "someone should tell THAT MAN to read a teleprompter."

If that weren't succinct enough, Mary Walsh came out and called the government "Conservative arse-lickers in Ottawa".

The camera pans to MacKay and stays there for an uncomfortable amount of time.

H/T gmac.

UPDATE: CP is reporting that Comedian Mary Walsh wasn't bleeped, however, when she called the federal Conservatives "the arse-lickers of Satan," as an uncomfortable-looking Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay smiled in the front row.

Poor Betty

Conservative MP Betty Hinton (Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo) finds her competence questioned. Speaking recently to a newspaper in Kamloops, Hinton was criticizing NDP leader Jack Layton when she added her own particular insight into how government works. "I am a member of the governing party," she said. "I'm part of the Cabinet."

Unfortunately for Betty, this is not true. While she is a member of the governing party, she is not a member of PM Steve's Cabinet. Her official-sounding title is Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

NDP MP Jean Crowder tried to get to the bottom of this during QP, asking: "Mr. Speaker, for the second time in four weeks, the MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo told her local papers that she is a member of Cabinet. This is somewhat confusing as Parliamentary Secretaries do not sit in cabinet. Ask any child studying Grade 8 social sciences. Could the Prime Minister explain when his cabinet grew to include the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs?"

Conservative House Leader Peter Van Loan shrugged off the question. The Kamloops Daily News asked Hinton for clarification. "I don't believe I ever said I was part of Cabinet," Hinton told the Daily News. "I do go into meetings on a daily basis with members of cabinet."

Ahh, the meetings with Members of Cabinet defense. I wonder what that logic would make Peter MacKay vis a vis Karlheinz Schreiber? Dumb and convenient as it would be to seize upon this statement, meeting with Ministers does not make someone a Cabinet Minister. But Hinton insisted she was more than just an MP - that, in her words, "I'm not a backbencher."

Neither the Conservative party's website nor the official site of the House of Commons list Hinton among the government's current ministry. Being a Member of Parliament is a noble vocation and Ms. Hinton should be honoured to represent the citizens of her riding, even if it is as an ordinary, if ill-informed, backbencher.

Al Franken for US Senate

Well Minnesotans have elected Jesse "the body" Ventura, Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone...could it be Al Franken's turn? Check out the video here.

Trouble with poll

I recently removed a poll that I had posted this morning asking who made the dumbest statement yesterday because it wasn't working properly. Was it:

a) Stephen Harper - "Stephane Dion is soft on terrorists"?
b) Tim Hardaway - "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States." or
c) Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) - "Islamic jihadists want the crescent and star to wave over the Capitol of the United States and over the White House of this country. I fear that radical Muslims who want to control the Middle East and ultimately the world would love to see ‘In God We Trust’ stricken from our money and replaced with ‘In Muhammad We Trust."

Too bad I can't get the polling thing to work.