"Flee... flee... run away!"

Steffi and company are, with the passing of each and every day, starting to to look less like a legitimate political entity... than an old Monty Python skit. -- OTTAWA -- The decision of the Opposition Liberals to abstain from Wednesday's vote on the government's multi-billion dollar tax relief package drew taunts and rebuke from all sides of the House of Commons.Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said...

If they can steal a private business...

I guess no one's really gonna worry... about natives flogging contraband cigarettes. -- Deseronto -- Just outside a gravel quarry here that has become something of a symbol for native land claim unrest sits a spray-painted plywood sign offering bagged cigarettes for sale - cheap.For about the past month, buyers have been able to approach the entrance to the Thurlow Aggregates quarry on Deseronto...

Poisoners to the World

As it turns out... lead painted toys are probably the least harmful part of the problem. -- MILAN -- In January, Honor International Pharmtech was accused of shipping counterfeit drugs into the United States. Even so, the Chinese chemical company — whose motto is “Thinking Much of Honor” — was openly marketing its products in October to thousands of buyers here at the world’s biggest trade show...

It makes me think the Taliban...

Have been watching CTV news. -- KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) -- Afghan and NATO forces have killed 50 Taliban rebels in three days of clashes and surrounded 200 others who occupied civilian homes in southern Afghanistan, police said Wednesday.He said up to 200 militants have also been ringed by the...

The other four people...

Shouted obscenities... slammed the phone down... and went back to eating dinner. -- TORONTO -- More than six in 10 Canadians say they will try to stop unwanted calls from telemarketers by signing up for Canada's pending do-not-call registry, a new poll shows.The telephone survey was conducted in August by a group of independent research agencies, including Bristol Omnifacts, Corporate Research...

He'll sit and talk with the Taliban...

But even wild horses won't drag Jack Layton anywhere near Ellie May. -- OTTAWA -- If Elizabeth May gets her way, it could be a long night for Jack Layton.The Green party leader won a charity auction for a dinner with her NDP counterpart and his wife, NDP MP Olivia Chow, and she plans to invite Liberal...

Whoa... talk about 'blow me away'

"A study was done on Palestinian Terrorism and Murder and Foreign Aid."(via Jaeger at S...

The Man who would be...

A sort of clumsy, irrational Court Jester..."It's a mistake. It will not help the productivity of our country, it will not help our families as it should." "It's a big mistake," Mr. Dion said.Apparently not enough of a "big mistake" though... to take a principled stand against it."We will choose our time when we decide to put this government down," he said. "It will not be tomorrow."You think this...

China loudly threatens...

To keep billions of cheap plastic, lead contaminated toys and foodstuffs all to itself... paralyzes Canadian government... yeah, right. -- OTTAWA -- The Chinese government blasted formal meetings yesterday between the Dalai Lama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General Michaëlle Jean, warning they will "gravely undermine" the relationship between Canada and China.China's political...

Time in a bottle

Researchers have developed a low-cost, low-power computer memory that could put terabyte-sized thumb drives in consumers' pockets within a few years."A thumb drive using our memory could store a terabyte of information," says Michael Kozicki, director of ASU's Center for Applied Nanoionics, which developed the technology. "All the current limitations in portable electronic storage could go away. You...

Sitting, waiting... for the next big thing

Talk to the people at the CDC... it's not a matter of if... it's a question of when...The strain of HIV that touched off the U.S. AIDS epidemic and fuelled the global scourge of the disease came to the continent from Africa via Haiti, according to a study released yesterday.A team of researchers conducted genetic analyses of archived blood samples from early AIDS patients who migrated from Haiti to...

One Canadian wounded...

During running gun battle in Afghanistan, uh... Toronto's entertainment district...A gun battle between gangs on a downtown Toronto street had Entertainment District patrons fleeing for their lives early Tuesday.An innocent bystander “in the wrong place at the wrong time” was struck by a bullet, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, Det. Peter Karpow said.We're not just talking lone...

In Canada, you have to run and hide...

In the United States, you can "stand your ground."First enacted in Florida in 2005, "Stand Your Ground" bills are now being considered in 21 states including Georgia, according to the National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The South Dakota senate approved one just...

Everybody grab on and hold tight

Premier McSlippery is promising "relentless progress" on his "vague agenda" -- at some "unspecified time" in the future. -- TORONTO -- Premier Dalton McGuinty says he will summon the Ontario legislature before Christmas.He gave no details about when the house would meet or when a Speech from the Throne would be presented.“I reminded them that the message we got from voters was not that we were...

Apparently, Georgia Tech offers...

A major in "unparalleled stupidity." -- FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. -- A father wants investigators to pursue fraud and larceny charges against a Panhandle strip club after his son ran up a $53,000 bill in a single night while celebrating his college graduation.Joe Salter, 52, of Mary Esther, told investigators Club 10 employees took advantage of his 24-year-old son, Tommy. The younger Salter was...

Now, let's not rush to judgement...

Maybe those peace-loving Hamas farmers... have a couple of million tree stumps they need to deal with. -- JERUSALEM -- The militant Islamic Hamas has smuggled 70 tons of explosives into the Gaza Strip since it seized control of the coastal territory in June, a senior Israeli security official said Monday.Reacting, Abu Obeida of the Hamas military wing called the Israeli claims "lies." He said...

Raising taxes in the GTA...

To pay for the ever expanding welfare state...Almost 10 years after the fact, Okolo, now a single mother with three young girls aged 2, 5 and 6, is slowly losing hope. She's one of 13,500 families – more than 30,000 people – in Peel Region's affordable housing queue. The wait, probably one of the longest in the province, is 21 years for two- and three-bedroom units.And here's why David Miller... despite...

Garth gets his business snagged...

In his zipper... and Stephen Taylor catches the whole ugly extrication...So, Garth is encouraging people to write cheques to "Garth Turner campaign, in trust". What does this mean? As is the general understanding, and confirmed by Elections Canada, funds held in trust become the property of the trustee.Unfortunately for Garth, resending this money to his campaign is apparently... what's the word I'm...

Dear China... bite me

If you were hoping to paralyse the Canadian government with your latest round of threats... you're just a couple of years and "one stand-up guy" too late. -- BEIJING -- The Chinese government has warned that Canada could damage its relations with China if Prime Minister Stephen Harper goes ahead with his plan to meet the Dalai Lama Monday.Mr. Harper will join a growing group of Western leaders...

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

Which Liberal critic takes a fall? -- VANCOUVER -- Liberal MP Blair Wilson has resigned from the federal Liberal caucus over allegations that he didn't disclose all of his expenses during the last election campaign.Hey... this could happen to anybody, right?It's not like he's claiming any sort of financial experti... ooh, geez... wait a minute...Mr. Wilson, who represents the riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine...

Why isn't this guy on Oprah?

Instead of all her sanctimonious, scientology sucking, multi-millionaire movie star friends? -- SINGAPORE -- The charity runs a World Toilet College in Singapore. Students from different fields, such as architects or development workers, can chose among courses ranging from toilet design to ecological sanitation.He says 160 million people have intestinal worms because of poor hygiene, and one-point-six...

The Moose is Loose

If Liberal Attorney General Michael Bryant can't manage to keep violent gangbangers in jail... why shouldn't there be justice for Bob the Moose? -- TORONTO -- Come pay homage to this majestic king of the Canadian bush, now finally free from the clutches of the Ontario ministry of natural resources. Exclusive but limited engagement. One week only. Apparently though, this wasn't an easy decision...

Your money... their pâté de foie gras

"Please give generously to the Liberal Party or we might be forced to cut back on big blowouts at top-notch luxury resorts in the futur...

Compassionate yuppie metrosexuals...

Funding epidemic of child slavery... in the third world...Amitosh concentrates as he pulls the loops of thread through tiny plastic beads and sequins on the toddler's blouse he is making. Dripping with sweat, his hair is thinly coated in dust. In Hindi his name means 'happiness'. The hand-embroidered garment on which his tiny needle is working bears the distinctive logo of international fashion chain...

Your early morning traffic report

Things are starting to back up around the Gates of Nirvana. -- KABUL -- U.S.-led coalition forces killed about 80 Taliban fighters during a six-hour battle outside a Taliban-controlled town in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, the latest in a series of increasingly bloody engagements in the region, officials said.Of course, Musa Qala is Smack Central... so the religious warriors may be a little...

What's next on the agenda...

Issuing pistol permits to convicted felons? -- WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration and New York agreed Saturday on a compromise creating a more secure driver's license for U.S. citizens and allowing illegal immigrants to get a version.Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he was not happy that New York intended to issue IDs to illegal immigrants. But he said there was nothing he...

Scum-sucking bottom feeders...

Let RCMP officer bleed to death... -- EDMONTON -- At least five people heard gunshots the morning a Northwest Territories RCMP officer was shot to death, but it was more than two hours before anyone found Constable Christopher Worden curled up on the ground with multiple wounds.The warrant application indicated that various people admitted they saw and heard the events that led to Constable Worden's...

Old Liberals never die...

They just set their phasers... "on stunned..."Victor Viggiani has one of the toughest jobs in the universe. The retired elementary school principal spends his time lobbying reporters to blow a massive government cover-up wide open and reveal that extra-terrestrials have been visiting our planet for years.Viggiani found his champion in Paul Hellyer, who was federal defence minister in Lester B. Pearson's...

Dance of the Seven Veils

These hypocritical cowards actually agree that this had to be addressed... but, once again, it doesn't stop them from taking shots at the Conservative's scary, hidden agenda...But yesterday's response to the government's amendment was greeted with suggestions that the debate was being revived for political gain."I'm not going to make policy on the fly," said deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff,...

Sorbara Surprise

Liberal Finance Minister bails on McSlippery cabinet... Governments don't like surprises, nor do they generally like to foist surprises on voters. When there is a surprise announcement, there is usually a good political story behind it.And there must be an intriguing story to be told around this afternoon's news that Ontario Finance Minister, Greg Sorbara, has decided to take a pass not only on remaining...

Ship of "faith based" schooling...

Hits rocks of hard reality... in the Emerald Isle. -- LUCAN, Ireland -- While Ireland has maintained an "open door" policy to immigrants, poor planning in the dense suburbs outside Dublin and the nation's longstanding commitment to a faith-based education model have left many new residents on the margins of the education system. It remains unclear that the Irish government has the vision to accommodate...

The Gathering Storm... UPDATE

You might just wanna start rounding up home medical supplies...He warmed considerably when he realized that I was a Marine's wife who would have preferred to stitch her own arm could she have but reached her elbow. I assured him that I would not have the same trouble undoing his handiwork.After an anecdote about dating a veterinary student who neutered a stray on my kitchen table during a few rounds...

Ramping up at CFB Trenton

It's way past time someone made a serious effort to turn around all those years of Liberal neglect.Quinte West Mayor John Williams will meet with a senior defence department policy advisor Nov. 2 in Ottawa to discuss the purchase of 900 acres of land north of CFB Trenton by Public Works Canada.And this is a pretty good start.It has been reported the purchase of private property outside currently-owned...

Open the pod bay doors, HAL

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. ""I know you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happe...

Iranian nukes?

Sorry, Mahmoud.... it just ain't gonna happen. -- JERUSALEM -- The United States has brought forward the planned sale of advanced warplanes to Israel as part of efforts by the two allies to maintain a military advantage over Iran, an Israeli newspaper reported yesterday.Quoting unnamed defence officials, The Jerusalem Post said the Pentagon has agreed to supply the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to...

Syria gets caught once again...

With its nuclear pants down around its ankles. -- WASHINGTON -- New commercial satellite images show a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor site has been wiped clean since it was bombed Sept. 6 by Israeli aircraft.Analysts say Thursday that the cleanup will hinder a proposed investigation by international nuclear inspectors and suggests Syria is trying to conceal evidence.Apparently the Syrians were...

A Gathering Storm

Two words you don't wanna see in the same sentence... deadly and synergy...The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that details the link between TB and HIV in the United States. Worldwide, TB is the leading cause of death among people infected with HIV.Nine percent of all people with active TB in the United States tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus infection...

Six Hard Questions

Oh, oh, I've got one... "How many starving Haitians could you rescue... if Al Gore cut his electricity consumption in half... and gave you all that moola?"Only after you've addressed each question in turn can you say something sensible about climate policy. To carry out that program in detail would indeed be a Nobel-worthy achievement. I don't propose to earn my Nobel Prize in this column space, but...

Unless you're a fanatical vegan...

You should keep your hypocritical opinions to yourself...It's that time of year.I'm not a hunter myself, but I've always been a little irked at people who, every fall... run around screaming about animal genocide. They're usually the same people who insist that anyone, absolutely anyone who dares to own a firearm... is a threat to society.They're also usually the same people who wear expensive leather...

Kate and I don't always agree...

But I love the pithy commentary..."Warmer winters, wetter summers, and now - deader rodents.""I'm failing to see the downside in this."Not to mention her uncanny ability... to always drill down to the shiniest nugget."The only folly more profound than the notion that mankind can 'change the weather', is the folly that argues that we can change it back."**********RELATED: "Scrap Y2Kyoto", says science...

Talking with Ezra

The Calgary Sun apparently pulled this story from their website after deciding it was too hot to handle.I emailed author Ezra Levant to see if he had any reaction.He... unlike some of his media colleagues... replied promptly and courteously.**********Ezra Levant to me 4:32 pm (8 minutes ago) Hi there. The Sun obviously approved the story -- they accepted it from me, edited it, laid it out on the...

Out here in the country...

The farmers refer to it as the three S's... that's short for shoot, shovel and shutup.The shooting deaths of an Uxbridge family's two dogs by a farmer exemplify the harsh facts of rural life, an animal welfare official says.Under provincial law, a farmer has the right to kill a dog that's attacking his livestock or even just straying on property where his animals are kept, the chief inspector with...

Steffi just doesn't have the stones

Exquisitely tutored... but obviously neutered...Prime Minister Stephen Harper challenged Liberal leader Stéphane Dion to demonstrate the "courage of his convictions" yesterday and repeat, outside the protection of parliamentary immunity, allegations of election campaign illegality by Conservative staffers."If he believes what he said, he should make those accusations outside the chamber where those...

Anybody who's been through...

Those wild and wooly toddler-raising years... can appreciate to Solomonic wisdom of this solution. -- JERUSALEM -- Israel has come up with a new plan to deter Palestinians from firing rockets from the Gaza Strip, defense officials said Wednesday — it will cut off electricity to the territory every time one of the projectiles hits Israeli territory.As with just about any behavioural issue... it's...

Simple Pleasures

When it comes to beer... sometimes less IS more...I was sitting at a noisy bar on a beautiful fall afternoon, watching the bartender work, and she was indeed working. She pulled down on the tap, then pushed back, pulled down and pushed up, in rhythmic repetition like a farmhand at a well.This was beer the really old-fashioned way... unpasteurized and unfiltered. And it was served by muscle power...

The thing is, Dalton knows you don't...

Really give a crap...Local health officials have been left wondering if the average area resident cares that Quinte Health Care could be ordered to cut back on its medical services to balance an estimated $10-million deficit.That assumption comes after QHC officials called a public meeting to air the scenario and they were greeted by an empty hall.Just like the dismal voter turnout for the provincial...

CBC steps on its own dick

Yet again... Peter Worthington on the prevailing leftwing media bias in Canada...If the CBC had known that a public opinion poll it co-sponsored in Afghanistan would turn out the way it did, you can be assured the CBC wouldn't have had anything to do with it.Only 15% of Afghans wanted Canadian troops to leave immediately; the greater proportion of 80% wanted them to remain until the Taliban was crushed.It...

Once upon a time

As Conservative poll numbers edge further into majority territory, Steffi and the Fiberals start to dust off all the old fairy tales...You know just how desperate the PM's enemies have become when they fall back on the threadbare charge that Mr. Harper is harbouring a "hidden agenda" to be unleashed when he gets his majority. Please: Get a new threat. This one worked well in the Chretien/ Day era....

I think I can, I think I can...

Thirty years ago, Manitoba saw an influx of what was then known as "boat people." Vietnamese refugees. You want to talk poverty? You want to talk culture? Here were thousands of peasants brought from a tropical rain forest to the coldest city of its size on the planet. Ripped from their cultural roots, living in poverty worse than any Indian reserve.What happened to th...

Now, if the deluded cheap-ass pinkos...

In the Liberal Party hadn't cancelled those helicopters... maybe there'd be a few less dead soldiers...A loud bang, the acrid smell of explosives and a blinding cloud of dust indicated the Taliban had struck again – successfully.Having the right equipment is half the battle... and fortunately, we're...