Look who's back in the news

Another alumnus of Ontario's fuzzy-bunny "catch and release" program...

Francis was convicted in the shooting death of Georgina "Vivi" Leimonis, in what became known as the Just Desserts murder on April 5, 1994 in Toronto.

A jury found him guilty of manslaughter and robbery after a trial that heard Francis had beaten patrons during the robbery of the cafe.

Leimonis, 23, died after being shot by Lawrence Augustus "Brown Man" Brown during the robbery.

Say, whatever happened to this guy's banger buddies?

Brown is currently serving a life prison sentence after being found guilty of first-degree murder.

A third man charged in the cafe slaying, O'Neil Grant, was acquitted. He was deported to Jamaica, where he was shot to death in November 2007.

Just something to think about... the next time Jack and Steffi start squawking about the Conservatives "Get Tough on Crime" bill.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Latimer has to fight like a dog to get out because special interest groups are afraid it will send a shiver thru the disabled community."

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CTV...

Is gonna lose their "lefty decoder ring" over this one...

"At least we're learning which bunch of rubes is being fooled."

"Coming next -- an Obama adviser tells the Iraqi government not to pay attention to his troop-withdrawal talk?"

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You know what they say...

No good deed... goes unpunished.

-- TORONTO -- Members of the city's Hispanic community say they feel betrayed after rallying to raise $37,000 to buy prosthetic arms for a local talk radio host who has been charged with smuggling $300,000 in heroin through Pearson airport.

"We feel suffering and pain of being betrayed," Valladares said. "The community opened our hearts and pockets to help him."

You feel betrayed?

Canada gave this guy a home.

Maybe next time, instead of simply looking inward, "the community" could consider making a donation to, say... Sick Kids Hospital?

You know... a sort of contribution to multi-culturalism.

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RELATED: In other big city news

The lifeless body of 51-year-old Felicia Hosany, which was discovered around 9 p.m. by her husband, Rafick, in the bathroom of the couple's Wilson Heights Blvd. store, was bound in duct tape.

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Yeah, Ghazi... I know

What's a few thousand rockets between friends?

-- Jerusalem -- "So I think Israel tries to make Gaza sink in the ocean of blood and tears and suffering," said Hamas official Ghazi Hamad. "And maybe it tried to impose some collective punishment against the Palestinian people."

Of course, there's no "right response" here.

Hamas is obviously looking to provoke disproportionate Israeli retaliation... and it's starting to look like they'll get their wish.

And if that kills innocent civilians... so what... they're all goin' to paradise anyway.

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UPDATE: Hamas gets its wish

It's all good, right Ghazi?

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RELATED: Darcey's ongoing dance with Khalil Jeha

"if anyting happens to me this site here will b in charge of that cause i hav no enimeas ecept you guys and trust me i will b seeing you in court darcey you dont think i hav money for a lawyer i wipe my ass with 100$ bills"

I don't know, Bobo... from the pictures I've seen so far... I doubt your hand can get anywhere in the vicinity.

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Thar's gold...

On that thar hill.

-- OTTAWA -- Members of Parliament are set to edge further into the top one per cent of Canadian income-earners with a $4,600 pay hike April 1 that will take their minimum salaries to $155,400 annually.

That's a lotta scratch for a 27 week work year.

"Being elected to Parliament is better than winning the lottery," said John Williamson, national director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "The pay is already extravagant and it's been like that for a number of years now."

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George Smitherman backs down

Says he's very, very sorry... for talkin', well... all that shit...

Ontario's health minister has apologized for suggesting he might wear an adult diaper in an effort to understand the plight of incontinent nursing-home residents.

"If people were offended or think that I shouldn't have raised those comments, I do apologize."

Perhaps Georgie was feeling a little sheepish... at the outrageous suggestion that he actually look at solving this problem... as opposed to turning it into an episode of Jerry Springer...

Conservative Opposition leader John Tory Thursday demanded an apology from Smitherman, saying the minister should come forward with an action plan on long-term care within the next two weeks in order to make up for his alleged irreverence.

Even Georgie's fearless leader couldn't get behind this one.

Premier Dalton McGuinty was quiet on the issue Thursday after saying a day earlier that the issue was a matter of "human dignity" and not a subject of jest.

Remember... friends don't let friends vote Liberal.

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Panache

"When asked if he had 'referred to Jesse Jackson as an ignoramus,' Buckley said, 'If I didn't, I should have.'"

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Uh, Jason... you're doing it again

Another big expose of alleged, unseemly activity by Sherlock Cherniak... who, I would have thought, was still in terrible pain from stepping on his own dick just the other day...

"Harper knew over two-years ago", blares Cherniak's headline.

"I suspect Mr. Harper will learn very quickly that it is better to call in the RCMP when you learn of such allegations. Otherwise, the story is bound to get worse."

So Jason... let me see if I get your, uh... drift. You have, one - absolute knowledge, and presumably some evidence of a crime being committed... and two - absolute knowledge, and presumably additional evidence of a cover-up of same... by Stephen Harper.

Well, I think in fairness to the PM, we should maybe get his version of this sordid tale, huh?

“This story was raised with me two and a half years ago. I looked into it. There is absolutely no truth in it,” Mr. Harper told the House of Commons during a raucous session of Question Period.

“The officials who were at the meeting have been very clear about what transpired ... Chuck Cadman himself, on national television, the day of that historic vote, also indicated that the story is not true.”

By the way, Jason... how's that other thing coming, anyway?

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

This is so cute... Jason has a groupie...

"Losers! Losers! Losers! The truly sad part of it all is that Dion will be our next PM and it's YOUR (next literally you) fault."
- Stuart Vopni, Toronto, Ontario

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LAST WORD: Let's try using "Occam's Razor".

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Doing life...

On the "installment plan".

-- KINGSTON -- A 20-year-old Kingston man who left his probation papers at the scene of his latest crime will have six months to consider whether he's chosen the right career path.

Andrew D. Oatway pleaded guilty in Kingston's Ontario Court of Justice to a Jan. 25 break-in and theft from Dino's Barber Shop, two violations of the probation he received Nov. 16 for an earlier break-in and possession of marijuana.

Oatway's defence lawyer, Dan Scully, asked for some leniency for his client, noting his relative youth. He told Masse that Oatway became a father in January and expressed some hope his client will turn his life around.

"Obviously, he's not very good at this."

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Predatorus Interruptus

Well, boys... that's the way the jihad crumbles...

-- PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb. 28 -- A missile strike on a suspected Taliban safe house in a remote tribal area of northwest Pakistan killed at least 10 people early Thursday, according to residents and local officials.

Ain't technology a wonderful thing?

The attack targeted a home in Kaloosha village in volatile South Waziristan, near the Afghan border. Kaloosha has long been considered a stronghold of foreign and local fighters with ties to al-Qaeda.

The village was home to Nek Mohammed Wazir, a commander who was killed in an apparent missile strike in June 2004 after supplying shelter to hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters following the start of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

It appears as though U.S forces have managed to insert sufficient reconnaissance assets into the purportedly impenetrable "tribal lands"... to light up high-value targets for their Predator program. I'm guessin' that's gonna make for some sleepless nights in Osamaville.

The attack, less than 20 miles from the Afghan border, marked the second targeted missile strike in a month in the rugged mountainous region, a key battleground in Pakistan's fight with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Thirteen people, including top al-Qaeda lieutenant Abu Laith al-Libi, were killed Jan. 28 in an airstrike in the village of Khushali Torikhel in North Waziristan.

It's also gonna sow some dissension, as the Taliban try to figure out which of their compatriots might've narc'd them out to the Great Satan.

Yessiree... definitely a win-win development.

Hey, Timmy... where is your god now?

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They also serve...

Who only stand and yap...

I hear talk from the NDP and the Bloc saying that we need to get our troops out of there. Yet, these very parties are the ones who claim to represent women. They claim to represent children, the marginalized, the poor and the disabled. However, if we withdraw our troops from Afghanistan, what will Afghans be left with?

They will be living in fear of the Taliban.

Make no mistake about it. If the Taliban return to Afghanistan, it will be an international chaotic situation. Have we not learned our lessons from Rwanda? We need to provide the Afghans with the resources necessary to provide for their own security.

I am very encouraged by the position that our government has taken and the courage that our government and the Prime Minister have shown in stepping up to the plate and saying that we will not abandon Afghanistan.

Read the whole thing.

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Looks like every one...

Of Dalton McSlippery's cabinet ministers... is wearing those adult diapers.

-- TORONTO -- Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant is marking the second-year anniversary of the Six Nations occupation in Caledonia with a series of messages on YouTube.

In the amateur video messages, shot in various locations around the southwestern Ontario town, Mr. Bryant pleads for patience and understanding.

Hey, Mikey... how about a little less show-business... and a little more action?

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I have just one question...

Where's my "We're Adaptable" t-shirt?

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Walk softly and carry...

A BIG SHTICK...

“Every Liberal in the chamber will be voting against the budget,” Mr. Dion told his caucus Wednesday.

Of course... there's just one small caveat.

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They do say it's very important...

For seniors to stay active...

Wong was arrested last Wednesday at a condo building in Richmond Hill. His mother, Hong Wen Wang, 75, was arrested in December at a home on Thoroughbred Way, Markham.

All are charged with production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of stolen property and weapons charges.

It's like I always say... "Register Grannies... not guns."

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Oh, Jason...

Not again...

Well, I tried.

**********

POSTSCRIPT: And, of course, there's this...

"Too bad the apology doesn't take the time to mention who is still lurking in the halls of parliament, looking for an opportunity to send out personal information of any Conservative who looks vulnerable."

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Hey, Georgie... what's next...

An in-depth investigation of internet porn?

-- TORONTO -- Health Minister George Smitherman says he's “seriously considering” wearing an adult diaper to see if it's adequate for Ontario seniors.

He was responding to complaints that Ontario seniors are wearing soiled diapers for hours on end because nursing homes in the province aren't meeting proper standards of care.

Maybe he could look into safe-injection sites while he's at it.

Remember George... only take as much as you need... not as much as you want.

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RELATED: Forget about Taliban prisoners...

"Dalton McGuinty is complicit in torturing your granny..."

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LAST WORD: I just don't get it...

Is this one of those "priorities" the Fiberals just can't figure out?

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False alarm... everybody settle down

Turns out it wasn't Lloyd after all.

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In other CTV news...

"The Gospel... according to Fife."

I've gotta say, Steffi... that sounds a little extreme. Have you talked this one over with Iggy and Commie Bob?

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Yeah, Dalton... you're so right

We sure wouldn't want any government input, or oversight... of something like this...

Egyptian-born Mahmoud Jaballah came to Canada in 1996 on a false Saudi passport and claimed refugee status.

Along with his wife Husnah Al-Mashtoul they founded and ran the Um Al-Qura Islamic school located in Scarborough, Ontario which still remains open and is apparently approved by the Ontario Ministry of Education as a private school.

Oh yeah... one other small detail...

He was released seven months later but was arrested again under a new security certificate because it was found that his fingerprints matched those of Egyptian Islamic Jihad leader Mahmoud Said that were released by Interpol.

Read the whole thing at the Broom.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"If you want to volunteer to help at playschool you need a police check done. You don't need to if you're starting a private school?"

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UPDATE: Looks like Um Al-Qura's website is down

Commentary on the web suggests they may have decided to proof it a little more...

"Toronto school founded by terrorist Mahmoud Jaballah doesn't teach hate."

"No, it teaches the foreign language known as "Frinch." And "english grammer". And "histories"."

Hang on... there's apparently a mirror site on Angelfire where you can check out their "mission statment".

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RELATED: Funny how that works doesn't work

Considering the gravity of the July 21 bombings, you'd think a story of BBC complicity in protecting wanted terrorists would find a spot much higher on the international news food chain.

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Live and DON'T learn

Not to be overly nitpicky here, but... all the family pets fall victim to predation... it might be time to pack up and find a nicer place to live...

A Kuranda couple fears for their children's safety after a 5m python devoured their dog in front of them, just weeks after other snakes killed their cat and guinea pig.

Daniel Peric said he now would not leave his two children, aged five and seven, alone in any part of the house, after the "enormous" python ate his silky terrier-cross chihuahua about 9pm on Monday.

And it's not like they didn't have any sort of prior warning.

Mr Peric said in the weeks before, the family had found their cat's body, which looked like something had attempted to swallow it and on Sunday a smaller python had eaten their pet guinea pig.

"When it happens once, you think it's a one-off, but last night I thought "this is serious."

This puts me in mind of all the people who, despite simple common sense AND all previous experience, choose to live on a flood plain, fault line... or the infamous tornado belts we all see on the nightly news.

All that comes to mind is, "Darwin was right."

(via natnews)

I'm not much on religion...

But this one cries out for a biblical quote... you know... something about "reaping what you sow..."

A shopkeeper from Lancashire has been told he will not face a murder charge after a man who tried to rob him was stabbed to death with his own knife.

Liam Kilroe, 25, from Billinge, near St Helens, Merseyside, was wanted by police when he was killed in Skelmersdale on 17 February.

Yup... it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...

Kilroe, who had previous convictions for assault and robbery, died from a single stab wound to the chest after smashing the window of the car Mr Singh was sitting in and trying to mug him.

So it looks like there's hope for the British judicial system after all.

"While this case does not concern a householder defending themselves against an intruder, it has very similar considerations.

"The CPS understands that anxiety may sometimes be felt by innocent members of the public if they are obliged to defend themselves from attack.

"The Director of Public Prosecutions is determined to ensure that those who use reasonable force in defending themselves will enjoy the full protection of the law - they will not be prosecuted."

Only it doesn't go far enough.

Tony Singh deserves a medal.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"liam was not short of money so we as a family know he was not comitting(sic) a robery(sic)."

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Mount Cherniak erupts yet again

"I'm still working on the proof... but I'm gonna spew all this defamatory shit anyway..."

"I must also stress that I am not accusing the Conservative Party of some sort of anti-Estonian bias."

Well, Jason... that's a relief, but really... is that what they taught you about "evidentiary issues" at the Outer Mongolian Law School?

I guess "de troot is de troot", huh?

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UPDATE: Houston... we have a problem...

Cherniak asks: What are the Conservatives going to do about this?

Umm, let's see: hire Mr. Erikson a lawyer, and file a libel claim?

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MORE 'GREAT MOMENTS' IN CHERNIAK:

Surely you remember... "I'm not really saying... that Olivia Chow is a dirty cheater..."

"The rumour around TO (Let me be very clear; I am not suggesting that the rumour is true. I am only stating that it is out there.) is that Olivia Chow won because NDP supporters from across the city voted early and often at different polling stations in Trinity-Spadina."

Or how about this classic, incisive analysis...

"Did I call Stephen Harper an "asshole"? Yes I did. If you don't think it is proper to call the Prime Minister an "asshole" out of respect for the office, then surely you also agree that an asshole shouldn't be in the office in the first place."

Shameless, self-promoting Sherlock Cherniak... the Gomer Pyle of the virulent lefto-sphere.

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Our very limited attention span...

May very well be the death of us...

On Feb. 26, 1993, a bomb exploded in the garage of New York's World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others.

Unfortunately, shortly after that grim event... we forgot all about these "busy little beavers"... with the result that eight years later, some 3,000 innocent victims paid a devastating price.

And so, on this grim anniversary, it might be a useful exercise to turn off "Entertainment Tonight" and be a little more aware of current events...

Mr Ahmadinejad has said no amount of UN sanctions will deter Tehran from its nuclear path.

"If they want to continue with that path of sanctions, we will not be harmed. They can issue resolutions for 100 years," he said in a televised interview on Saturday.

Iranian nukes, huh? Nah, that ain't got nuthin' to do with us.

I bet that's what they were thinking 15 years ago today... and on September 11, 2001.

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Eight hours to see a doctor...

In the local hospital emergency room... but the good news in Ontario... for murderers anyway... is that Dalton's got your back...

Andre Marin also faults Legal Aid Ontario for a culture in which no one seems to care about taxpayer dollars.

More than $1 million in taxpayer dollars went to pay for seven different lawyers for Wills, who was able to get legal aid from the province by divesting himself of his assets.

Wills, 50, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2002 death of his long-time lover Linda Mariani, 40.

Friends don't let friends vote Liberal.

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Music to my ears

"You gotta know when to hold 'em... know when to fold 'em..."

Punch line...

Some Liberal senators vowed at the time to ignore the warning.

That sounds so familiar.

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Six Unimportant Things

I've been tagged by Blazing Cat Fur.

Okay... I'll play.

Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

1. I couldn't eat a raisin to save my life

2. When I'm alone, I talk to the rabbit

3. On warm sunny days, I miss having a motorcycle

4. If I could redo school, this time I'd pay attention

5. My wife got all the patience in this family

6. I wish I could do a backflip

**********

Now, let's see...

1. joanne
2. clive
3. kateland - oops, sda got to her first
4. mitch
5. victor - damn, somebody snagged him too
6. stephen - although i bet he's just too busy

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Geez, Darcey...

I'm a little concerned... I mean... "Where are you gonna get a harpoon, on such short notice?"

-- "sereousle u hav noooo fuckn clue what you got your self into get anybody u want no one is gonna stop me from kickn the fuck out of you tell the whole world i dont give a fuck if i go to jail or not any more you pushed me around too far n im fed up with this bs and this talking u guys are doin about me like i said google up the last name jeha and tell me wat u get buddy wat ur in olds thats wat 45 min away from me i dont care ill drive down ther just to prove to u that i aint all talk" --

Wait a sec... is that the banjo music from "Deliverance"? And what the hell warm, bloody, pulsating thing... is that crazy Metis guy eating?
**********

UPDATE: Yikers, Moby... you're right

Look what happens when I google the name Jeha.

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Who are they giving this test to?

A bunch of 8 year-old kids?

SIZING UP CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE

Here are sample statements used to measure cultural intelligence.

Subjects are asked whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree.

A) I am good at understanding other people's feelings.

B) I accept delays without becoming upset.

C) Ordinarily, I am very calm and relaxed in conversations with a person from a different culture.

D) I become anxious when I cannot find out what is coming next.

E) Before criticizing somebody from another culture, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in their place.

F) I always notice when someone is in trouble.

With the exception of statement D, strong agreement indicates higher cultural intelligence.

Apparently... this amazing "cultural barometer" was put together by an international research team led by Simon Fraser University.

Okay... now I get it.

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RELATED: Here's a question that didn't get on the test...

Who, in their right mind, refers to a cold-blooded murderer... like he's a character from a children's book?

-- VANCOUVER -- A colourful admitted drug dealer who was a key Air India defence witness for Ripudaman Singh Malik will appear in a B.C. provincial court this morning to face a first-degree murder charge.

Raminder Singh (Mindy) Bhandher, whose father, Balwant, remains a suspect in the 1985 terrorist bombing, allegedly entered the condo of a female friend on Jan. 28 and gunned down Tejvir Singh (Sunny) Bains, her young lover.

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Sure, let's repatriate Omar Khadr

Right back to his chosen country of Holy Jihad...

Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc said the Khadr family may be thought of as "synonymous with terrorism," and that makes it a difficult case.

Difficult, Dominic?

Only for the party that sprung his terrorist Daddy out of a Pakistani jail.

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DADDY DEAREST: Who was Ahmad Saeed Khadr?

Born on March 1, 1948, in Cairo, Egypt,Khadr was a very well connected Islamist extremist prior to his death during a firefight with Pakistani security forces in October 2003. Both Khadr and his residence on Khartoum Avenue, Scarborough, have been linked to extremists in Canada.

Khadr first became involved in terrorism when he used his position at two different charities to funnel money to Al Qaeda allegedly to finance terrorist operations.

Initially, while working with Human Concern International (HCI), Khadr used the money collected, including some $325,000 provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), allegedly to fund Al Qaeda operations, including the bombing of the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1995, which was ordered by Ayman Al Zawahiri.

Khadr was arrested by Pakistan authorities for his role in the bombing, but was later released without charges on the request of then Prime-Minister Jean Chrétien.

Friends don't let friends vote Liberal.

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They are Stardust

I dreamed I saw the bombers...
Riding shotgun in the sky...
Turning into butterflies...
Above our nation

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BONUS RIFF: Secret Jihadi plan unveiled

"First... we kill all the really smart, good looking people."

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LAST WORD: Yup... just like the Mahatma

Jamal al-Khoudary the Palestinian independent lawmaker who organized the protest says it was meant to send a signal of non-violent resistance to Israel's actions.

Uh, Jamal... over here...

Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza severely injured a ten-year-old boy in Sderot on Monday.

Allah must be so proud.

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Save us...

Oh, wonderful Daddy...

"So we don’t have to work to improve our souls. Our broken souls can be fixed — by our voting for Barack Obama.

We don’t have to fight or sacrifice to help our country. Our uninvolved and uninformed lives can be changed — by our choosing Barack Obama."

"America can become a nation to be proud of — by letting ourselves be led by Barack Obama."

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"Oh, Lucy... joo got some 'splainin to do"

I just can't get the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for" outta my head.

"Warman might think that this is another episode of him shooting fish in a barrel. But that’s probably what poor Shirlene McGovern thought, too – I was just another politically incorrect chump to rough up."

"I don’t think I’m going to be like the easy pickings that Warman is used to fighting. While my top gun lawyers are taking care of business in the court of law, I’ll be working vigorously in the court of public opinion."

Oh, oh, slick... looks like you just woke the tiger. And I bet your former friends at the Human Rights Commission are gonna be thrilled with this thing too.

"I’ll ensure that every legal document, every piece of interesting testimony, every embarrassing admission I exact from Warman and the human rights commission will be shown to the whole world."

"Unlike human rights commissions, where only the victim of the complaint is grilled, defamation lawsuits are two-way streets."

"It’s Warman who’s going to be famous."

You go, Ezra.

**********

RELATED:

Who is the undisputed genius behind, "Operation Kick Myself in the Balls"?

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Lululululululululululu!!!

Anybody catch the world's first global internet fatwa?

-- PAKISTAN -- Pakistan's attempts to block access to YouTube has been blamed for an almost global blackout of the video website for more than an hour on Sunday.

Pakistan ordered internet service providers to block the site because of content deemed offensive to Islam.

The BBC News website's technology editor, Darren Waters, says that to block Pakistan's citizens from accessing YouTube it is believed Pakistan Telecom "hijacked" the web server address of the popular video site.

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"Federal carbon tax proposed"

I see the freakin' headline and my first thought is... Stephen Harper's had a stroke!!!

Turns out though, it's just the pinko media playing parlour games again...

OTTAWA - A carbon tax of $30 a tonne, three times higher than the tax announced last week by the B.C. government, would be part of Tuesday's federal budget if the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives had its way.

And who exactly is the CCPA?

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) is a union-funded "research institute" that has released a series of reports attacking the BC Liberal government.

NDP-Funded: The CCPA received over $400,000 in taxpayer money from the NDP between 1993 and 2001.

* The CCPA received a $200,000 grant from the NDP government just 18 days before the NDP called the 2001 election – for a 5-year study of "inequality" and "social justice."

* The CCPA received another $200,000 over 8 years (1993 through 2000) from the NDP government for subscriptions, etc. Even ICBC put up $24,000 for CCPA publications.

So, in actual fact... the headline should have read... "'NDP taxpayer-funded Shill' talkin' through their Ass, yet again."

Gotta love that MSM.

(h/t reader maureen)

Toronto's latest murder

A mother has been charged with murdering her infant daughter after the youngster was found dead in the family's downtown Toronto home Saturday night.

Xin Lei Huang, who was just 40 days old, was found dead in a Manning Ave. home, near Bathurst St. and Queen St. W., where paramedics were responding to a call for a baby not breathing just before 9 p.m., Toronto Police homicide Det.-Sgt. Gary Grinton said Sunday.

**********

UPDATE: Oops... spoke too soon

Three neighbours fighting about their dogs escalated into a man taking several knife wounds in the back early yesterday, police say.

This is just one tale from a weekend of violent mayhem around the GTA that left three people dead and several others seriously injured.

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LAST WORD: Speaking of murder

*

Out with the old...

In with Mr. Liverspots.

*

More rewards for the faithful

Once again... the capricious, unknowable "Will of Allah".

-- BAGHDAD -- A suicide bomber struck Shiite pilgrims as they were resting Sunday during a days-long walk to a Shiite shrine, killing at least 25 people and wounding 35.

Earlier, extremists attacked another group of pilgrims in the predominantly Sunni Baghdad neighbourhood of Dora, killing three and wounding 36, police said.

The attacks heightened tension around Arbaeen, when millions of pilgrims descend on Karbala, about 70 kilometres south of the capital.

Now, I thought I knew a thing or two about Islam.

Like, for instance, if you die fighting the dirty infidel... you go straight to the head of the Nirvana chorus line.

So can someone tell me, what's the deal on killing fellow Muslims... who, better yet... are making a religious pilgrimage?

What's up with that?

**********

RELATED: So much hatred... so little time

Finally, consider this: Muslims are angrily at war with Buddhists in East Asia. Muslims are enraged with Animists in Africa. Of course, none of this approaches the sheer hatred that Muslims bear towards Hindus in the South Asia peninsula.

And this foaming hatred blanches compared to the white-hot fury Muslims feel for the Christian American Crusaders. And this fury is but a candle to the incandescent, boiling, supernova of murder they feel toward the Jews."

Does anyone beside me detect a pattern here?

You know, my Dad told me once, "Bill, if more than three people in your life are utter, total assholes, then maybe it is you."

*

Well, because...

The little man who lives in his pocket... says we have to.

-- TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the United States and its allies Saturday to “apologize” for accusing Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a day after the UN nuclear watchdog released its latest report on Iran.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said the International Atomic Energy Agency report vindicated Iran, and he warned that Tehran would take unspecified “decisive reciprocal measures” against any country that imposed additional sanctions against Iran.

There's only one problem with the Madman's statement about the IAEA.

It's simply not true.

Now I know Islam says it's okay to lie to the infidels, but puh-leese... we're entering Magic Kingdom territory here.

The 11-page IAEA report obtained by The Associated Press said Iran “has not suspended its enrichment-related activities.”

Instead, said the report, Iran “started the development of new-generation centrifuges” – an expansion of enrichment – and continued working on heavy-water nuclear facilities. When finished, Iran could cull them for plutonium, a possible fissile payload in nuclear warheads.

Iran should just come out and say, "Screw you, we want the bomb... and if you mess with us, you'll have 6 dollar no-lead by next Tuesday."

Have a little backbone, Mahmoud you big brute... let's see what you've got.

**********

And yes... once again... I am linked by witty and wise Canadian Cynic.

The puerile, profane toddler who brought us such gems as...
It just saddens me that CC isn't getting the recognition he so richly deserves.

**********

LAST WORD:

Charles Johnson does not sit down and write five essays a day on why he thinks Radical Islam is a deranged and poisonous and growing Death Cult.

Charles simply links to newspaper articles, usually from Arab and Islamist sources like Arab News and Reuters, that show without question that Radical Islam is calling, daily and nightly, for the destruction of the West, the murder, enslavement or conversion of its citizens, and the establishment of a world-wide Caliphate where Shariah -– Islamic Law -– is the only law.

This is not his opinion. This is not the opinion of Western editorial writers.

This is a filter (and of course it’s a filter -– that’s why it is useful) that looks at Islamist thinking and behavior daily and shows what Islamists are saying and doing in their own words.

(via sda)

I'm sitting here watching...

All the crowing and moaning in the media and the blogosphere... about John Tory taking a mere two thirds of the leadership vote... and I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

Does anybody imagine, in their wildest dreams, that Stephane Dion would come anywhere close to that particular number if his alleged "leadership" were up for review?

The fact that Tory did this well, despite an organised campaign to unseat him, speaks, at minimum, to Tory's organisational skills.

I especially love the "fair and balanced opinion" the Globe got from Uber-Dipper Peter Kormos...

“Once again, they're left hanging. Mr. Tory has got to decide very, very quickly,” he added. “Otherwise, he risks squandering the support he does have.”

I mean, good grief... even Taliban Jack doesn't give a fig for whatever nonsense-of-the-day Kormos is invariably spouting.

The obvious argument here is over Tory's conservative credentials, but I sure don't see anybody with any sort of credibility stepping up and issuing a challenge.

Maybe everybody should step back and take a couple of deep breaths here... and perhaps we can try to have a reasonable discussion.

It doesn't seem like so much to ask.

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Note to Mayor David Miller...

Remember to alert the Toronto Fire Department AND the Emergency Task Force...

Serbian Canadians plan to take to the streets of several cities over the next couple of weekends to protest Kosovo's move to declare independence from Serbia.

Nick Giacobbe, a spokesman for the American consulate, says officials have been in touch with the Mounties and Toronto police about protecting the legation, which he says is the responsibility of the RCMP.

But he admits the consulate is concerned, noting that back in 1999 during a Serbian protest, demonstrators threw a Molotov cocktail into the consulate building in Toronto, and Giacobbe says that was a learning experience.

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Canadian military renews call...

For more "ass in the grass"...

"If countries like Germany and France were not so afraid of committing forces, this problem would be solved readily," Major Richard Moffet, deputy commander of Canada's battle group, said in an interview.

Maybe Turkey could spare a few bodies...

A senior Turkish military source told Reuters two brigades made up of around 8,000 troops are taking part, though Iraqi officials and a senior officer with coalition forces in Baghdad suggested the number was no more than a "few hundred".

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Remember when you were a kid...

And people were being shot to death all over the place?

Yeah... me neither.

The murder victim, in his mid-20s, was found on his back bleeding from the neck in the family room of the mid-50s bungalow on the corner of Golfhaven and Mossbank Drs.

"My wife said she saw up to seven guys run out and get into two cars and drive away towards Lawrence Ave."

Several shell casings were reported to have been found near the body, suggesting a semi-automatic firearm.

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UPDATE: Latest murder victim id'd

Police were called to a house on Golfhaven Dr., in the Markham Rd. and Lawrence Ave. E. area, around 9:40 p.m., where they found 21-year-old Jonathan Rodrigues shot dead.

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LAST WORD: Truly... that's shocking

While police wouldn't say how or why Rodrigues was known to them, a man by the same name who would be 21 years old now and is also from Scarborough was arrested three years ago by Toronto Police in a massive drug bust worth $1 million.

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Take a pill, huh?

Her decorators and caterers also transformed rooms in her San Francisco Bay-area home into a "Betty Ford Clinic," where guests snacked on cookies shaped like Valium pills and Prozac capsules, and "Dick Cheney's Hunting Lounge," adorned with fake taxidermic human heads and staffed with waiters serving quail.

In addition to her jabs at Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush, she ribbed Clinton supporters by bringing in a Bill Clinton impersonator who mingled with guests dressed in a pair of boxer shorts.

The event, which raised $600,000 (U.S.), was a massive hit with guests, Ms. Manus-Salzman said. And despite the high-society attendance, no one complained of being offended by the evening's risqué humour.

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RELATED: Speaking of political correctness...

Preserve all the esoteric culture you desire... just don't be sending me the bill...

"Since the aim of language is communication, efforts by government to artificially preserve languages which would otherwise disappear in the larger linguistic sea in which they exist are effectively efforts to thwart communication and preserve divisions which would otherwise be more likely to disappear."

"Unscrupulous politicians may exploit such divisions to gain political advantage, but this does not equal an overall gain for the population as a whole."

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Hang 'em high

I can't get over what passes for jurisprudence in Bin-Laden's old neighbourhood...

Prosecutors in Saudi Arabia have begun investigating 57 young men who were arrested on Thursday for flirting with girls at shopping centres in Mecca.

The men are accused of wearing indecent clothes, playing loud music and dancing in order to attract the attention of girls, the Saudi Gazette reported.

Perhaps I'd feel differently if I was the father of a teenage girl... but call me wacky... this just feels wrong.

Wasn't it the NDP who was supporting the implementation of Shariah in Ontario?

A report from former NDP attorney general Marion Boyd recommended the province allow and regulate Shariah arbitrations much the same way it does Christian and Jewish tribunals, setting off a firestorm of protests.

Where are they on this one?

(p.s. -- Don't worry, the Jews got told too.)

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RELATED: Hey, Jacko... about that Darfur thing...

How would digging a few wells make this right?

"Every week, we have to face these kinds of events where the trucks are stopped by roadblocks - people, bandits, armed people who ask for money - take the trucks, take sometimes also the drivers," she said.

"It has been going on for many months now. Often the drivers are sent back and sometimes the food is stolen. Sometimes they even attack trucks without any food because they take the trucks."

I'm sorry Yoko... this ain't about "Imagination."

The stark reality is... this is just another third world "peace through superior firepower" kind of deal.

Just like Afghanistan.

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Michelle Obama's Ivory Tower

Is this what all the secrecy was about?

To research her thesis, the future Mrs. Obama sent an 18-question survey to a sampling of 400 black Princeton graduates, requesting the respondents define the amount of time and "comfort" level spent interacting with blacks and whites before they attended the school, as well as during and after their University years.

Politico has the whole thesis.

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RELATED: Liar, liar

OBAMA: You know, I’ve heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon — supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq.

Yeah, sure... that could happen, huh?

Just to be sure though... let's ask an actual soldier...

He is either so full of it or he’s not smart enough to question a bogus story. I was a Captain in the USMC and a combat vet.

First off, Captains are not in charge of “platoons”, Lieutenants are. Captains are in command of a Company. Three platoons make up a company.

Secondly, I have no idea how a unit that size would be “chopped” and redirected to another country while sending another part to a different country. Personnel are not commodities in the way he refers to them.

(h/t ffof)

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Nope, I am afraid that unfortunately for Mr. Tapper and indirectly Mr. Obama this story is so much Bunkum."

H. Evers
LTC Armor (ret)
1975 to 2005

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LAST WORD: The Wonderful World of Obama

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C'mon Jason...

Anybody can "freak out their ex"... it takes a real artiste to freak out every single member of their entire extended family.

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The Harper government...

Is shining a pretty bright light on homegrown terror...

The case against a group of Canadian prisoners sometimes referred to as “the secret trial five” isn't as secret as it used to be.

Ottawa yesterday unveiled a string of more specific allegations against five terror suspects, detailing, for example, how one suspect called the satellite phone of al-Qaeda's second-in-command and how another was in charge of a group of training camp recruits in Afghanistan.

And the facts coming to light are unsettling indeed.

Syrian Hassan Almrei, an alleged document forger, was involved in a bizarre incident at Toronto's Pearson Airport in September, 1999. It's alleged that Mr. Almrei gained access to a restricted area.

“Almrei and the five individuals appeared to have access cards and codes for a restricted access building on the [Pearson] grounds,” the documents state.

Egyptian Mahmoud Jaballah, long alleged to be a communications conduit for terrorist cells involved in the 1998 African embassy bombings, is now said to have “communicated closely” with Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda No. 2.

Read the whole thing.

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UPDATE: More on this at DMB

As you read keep in mind the political connections as well. Jack Layton and members of the NDP Party have consistently provided material support for the Secret Five. They've signed petitions and lobbied on their behalf.

They helped to crush provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act and pushed to eliminate security certificates.

Some of their members even went so far as to introduce a resolution at their 2006 convention that Canadian troops were terrorists.

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ONE LAST NOTE:

Guess who else is all broken up about these poor lost souls being victimised "by the man"?

And it's CTV for the defense...

"They're simply allegations," Matthew Behrens, an activist with Campaign to Stop Secret Trials, told CTV News. "They might as well be saying these guys are from Mars, because there's no evidence to back it up."

Big surprise, huh?

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You really wanna know...

Why aboriginal negotiations are... 'always in the shitter'... so to speak?

On Jan. 30, two plainclothes officers with the OPP's Major Event Liaison Team arrived at the Thurlow Aggregates quarry on Deseronto Road and asked to speak with protest organizers.

They were told to return to the site after dark - around 8 p.m. - for a meeting with "elders", according to police.

Speaking to The Intelligencer shortly after the incident, Sgt. Kristine Rae, spokeswoman for Eastern Region OPP headquarters, said when the officers approached they were "confronted by some of the people in attendance and assaulted."

Must be some kind of "root causes" thing, huh?

There was the same sort of anarchy down in Caledonia. Try as he might, even native apologist cum negotiator David Peterson couldn't really paint the process in a flattering light.

“There's a constant dynamic inside the place; it's like a swirling cauldron,” said David Peterson, the former Ontario premier who negotiated the removal of the blockade of two main roads in Caledonia.

“Nobody answers to anybody. They all answer to each other."

Yeah... that's gonna work.

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LAST WORD: A bottomless pit of malfeasance

"Why does the phrase, 'Fuck up a two car funeral'... keep coming to mind?"

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That might work...

Out here in the sticks, but tell me... "Do the teachers in Toronto get a 'kevlar allowance'?"

"Students actually enjoy being here. It's a positive experience for them."

This is the new look for school suspensions that went into effect Feb. 1 across Ontario, as a kinder, gentler code of discipline that emphasizes prevention.

Good grief.

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Remember the recent stories...

About the McSlippery government's billion dollars in cost overruns... to build Ontario hospitals?

Quinte Health Care may have paid at least $2 million more than necessary for its new MRI machine and installation costs, says a Belleville businessman who deals in the imaging machines.

Maybe having an open, competitive bidding process would save the taxpayers a little pocket change.

Syed Haider, who has set up and is a partner in eight MRI clinics in Canada and the United States, said if the bidding for an MRI was open to any firm, rather than just one company, there would have been substantial savings.

"I didn't think they got a very good deal at all," Haider said, adding the corporation should have opened the bidding to "public tender."

"There should have been some kind of open process."

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Oh there is an open process alright, it's called 'our wallets'."

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Brave new programming... at the CBC

Screw constitutional democracy... apparently, the next step is to hire some mercenaries...

General Koreshi: "I would like to ask you, if media starts a campaign, in your country, against your President or Prime Minister, will he just get up and leave?"

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LAST WORD: That's the way... uh-huh, uh-huh...

"We interrupt this report on the last remaining meter of Arctic sea ice to bring you live footage of Britney Spears' entourage leaving the hospital ... John, you're in the helicopter, what can you tell us?"

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Let's just hope...

Curly, Larry and Steffi have their thinking caps on...

-- OTTAWA -- Parliament should give "overwhelming" support to an extension of Canada's mission in Afghanistan or risk the wrath of an enemy that strikes at weakness, the country's top soldier said Friday.

He warned that the Taliban are watching the political debate in Canada for signs of weakness.

And enough of that peacekeeping argle-bargle... let's take it to these jihadi donkeyheads.

Gen. Hillier said his troops need a robust mandate that goes beyond self-defence and allows them to go out and find insurgents.

In the 1990s in Bosnia, he said, UN troops were limited to self-defence and often couldn't intervene against ethnic cleansing.

If self-defence is the first priority, then why not just stay home?

There's a good question.

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Welcome... yet again... readers of proud patriot Canadian Cynic.

CC thinks I'm being a little too hard on the Taliban.

Of course, that's really no surprise... remember Canadian Cynic's message to Wanda Watkins, whose son Lane was killed in Afghanistan?

"With all due respect, Wanda, fuck you and your grief. It's not the job of the rest of Canada to continue to let its soldiers die just so you can sleep better at night."

A very proud moment in CC's puerile, profanity laced existence.

Of course, his disdain isn't limited to grieving mothers... there's also this little gem...

Hey, CC... got any good abortion jokes?

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"Give me the heat, bro."

More mindless, fuzzy-bunny pap from the Big Smoke...

Zekarias, who has no previous criminal convictions, was supported in court yesterday by 15 family members and friends, many with professional careers. They said they are willing to act as sureties for him, stressing he's "not a danger to society."

I'm guessing the family and friends of the man he shot in the head... might disagree.

Awet Zekarias ordered his friend Edward Paredes to exact his revenge against the bouncers who had hurled him out the doors of the Brass Rail Tavern two minutes before innocent bystander John O'Keefe walked into the path of the merciless bullet, court heard yesterday.

Thank goodness though, for the wisdom of defense lawyers...

"This is tragedy of monumental proportions, but my client comes from an excellent family and an excellent background," his lawyer, Howard Goldkind, said. "He has a full-time job (at a roti shop), always lived with his parents and this is an isolated incident."

Well, Howard... that's not exactly how this works.

Even in Dalton McSlippery's Ontario... your first murder 'isn't usually' deductible.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Yeah, 'the BULLET' was merciless."

"Put the bullet in jail."

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Looks like Mooky...

Is not completely kooky...

Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has ordered the renewal of the ceasefire his powerful militia has been observing for the past six months.

He announced in August that his Mehdi Army would not attack rival armed groups or American forces in Iraq.

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RELATED: More good news... from Pakistan

In the last provincial elections in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, a coalition of Islamist parties - many sympathetic to the Taliban - swept into power, causing many observers to worry about a growing Islamist political force.

This week, however, the Islamist coalition called the MMA lost its majority, winning just 10 of the 96 contested seats in the provincial assembly.

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Hey, Poverty Boy...

I've got a room for you... at the Crowbar Motel.

-- VANCOUVER -- Anti-poverty activists have vandalized the inside of the Vancouver constituency office of B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell.

David Cunningham of the Anti-Poverty Committee says paint in the Olympic colours was splashed inside the office to protest against the 2010 Games and the lack of social housing.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:

All these years of trudging off to work and forking over thousands of tax dollars we've been working the system wrong, dead wrong...who knew?...a tin of paint, a bit of protesting and viola!...problem(s) solved.

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How about we delegate the NDP...

To make sure these unfortunate fellows... get all their "charter rights"...

-- KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A “terrorist cell” responsible for three deadly bombings in Kandahar province that killed more than 100 people and wounded scores more has been brought down in Kandahar, the province's governor said Thursday.

Ten people have been arrested and more arrests are likely, Gov. Asadullah Khalid said.

And there's more good news...

Meanwhile, Afghan and NATO-led troops killed a regional Taliban commander and his associate in southern Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.

Joint NATO-Afghan forces killed commander Mullah Abdul Matin and Mullah Karim Agha in the southern province Helmand on Monday, the alliance said in a statement.

NATO said Mr. Matin and Mr. Agha were responsible for a number of suicide-bombing missions in Helmand, the world's largest opium-poppy producing region.

The Taliban did not immediately confirm the deaths.

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A SICKO roadmap

A detailed map highlighting the world's hotspots for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has been released.

Researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and the US-based University of Georgia and Columbia University's Earth Institute analysed 335 emerging diseases from 1940 to 2004.

They then used computer models to see if the outbreaks correlated with human population density or changes, latitude, rainfall or wildlife biodiversity.

Finally, the data was plotted on to maps to reveal the "hotspots" around the globe.

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RELATED: A shot in the dark?

-- WASHINGTON -- Next year's flu vaccine is getting a complete overhaul to provide protection against three new and different influenza strains -- hopefully better protection than this year's version.

It's a highly unusual move: Seldom are more than one or two strains swapped out from one year to the next.

Now the question is whether vaccine manufacturers can make such a big change in time to produce more than 100 million doses by the fall.

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You might as well try...

To reason with a cat.

-- BELGRADE -- Serb rioters set fire to an office inside the U.S. Embassy Thursday and police clashed with protesters outside other embassy buildings after a large demonstration against Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Who are these people?

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UPDATE: CBC reporting 1 dead... inside U.S. embassy

"The body was found at the part of the building set on fire by the protesters," embassy spokeswoman Rian Harris told the Associated Press.

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QOTD

"Do they even make kneepads that size?"

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Thank goodness for wood heat

Of course... not everybody has that option...

Since 2003, the average gas bill for British Gas customers has risen by 76.7% to £653, according to consumer group Energywatch.

Electricity bills have risen by 74.3%, to £413.

Here at the Halls... we heat almost exclusively with wood. There's a 20 acre patch of mixed bush out back, that hopefully, will take care of our needs... well into the future.

I suppose people in most places don't have that option.

I find not being locked into Consumers Gas, or even the municipal water system for that matter, well... comforting. On the rare occasions we venture into the city, it's difficult to say whether we're more appalled by the brown haze over the city... or the chlorine in the drinking water.

I suppose the point I'm making is that "every refuge has it's price."

And even though living out here in the sticks can be a bit of a grind... gathering the years firewood, for example... it's a price worth paying.

Nothing too terribly profound... I'm just sayin'.

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The future's so bright...

He's gotta wear shades, er... aboriginal coloured glasses...

-- CALEDONIA -- If Sam Gualtieri had died when he was attacked by a pack of goons last year, would Premier Dalton McGuinty have come down for his funeral?

That was the main question people here asked yesterday.

Another: If Gualtieri had become Caledonia's Dudley George, would McGuinty have called a multimillion-dollar inquiry to get to the bottom of it?

We may never know the answers since the people of Caledonia have never been able to pose any questions to our fearful leader.

Funny how that works, huh?

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