"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!"
-Homer J. Simpson

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Why would the City of Regina get in the way of wind power?

According to this article:


City officials say the wind generators are not authorized in residential areas because of issues related to noise, safety and visual impact on the neighbourhood.
Shouldn't we be doing everything we can to promote and encourage wind power?

Why yes, yes we should.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The CPC attack Ads and Dion's Response

Ah, You Tube is a wonderful thing.

Here is (one of) the CPC attack ads on Mr. Dion





Here is Mr. Dion's Response.














I don't know about you, but I think the conservative ad is far better - produced, spoken, message content, message delivery, in just about every conceivable way.

Friday, January 26, 2007

The NDP and ATM Fees - a Historical Perspective

So John Murney over at his blog is making the typical right-wing argument against any sort of government intervention into the "free" market. (Or in this case the "fee" market)


The fact that Canadian banks are very profitable is no excuse for banning ATM fees. Any piece of capital should be able to recoup its costs, and ATM machines are no exception.
He then goes on to say in the comments section (defending his post)

Jeesh! When did profit become a bad thing?!
The answer to Mr. Murney's question is 1545.

That was the first year that King Henry VIII pased an Act "In restraint of usury"

For the banks to charge me $1.50 to take out $20.00 of my own money is to charge a service fee at 7.5% - instantaneous. Even if you grant them the whole WEEK to see the profit (yeah right) then that is 390% a year.

Let's see what the paragon of free market philosophy had to say about this - shall we?

In countries where interest is permitted, the law, in order to prevent the extortion of usury, generally fixes the highest rate which can be taken without incurring a penalty. This rate ought always to be somewhat above the lowest market price, or the price which is commonly paid for the use of money by those who can give the most undoubted security.
That little gem is from Adam Smith from his Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

Are you telling me Adam Smith had it wrong when it came to regulating the free market?

Mr. Murney?

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Finally, Judicial PROOF that Bush stole the election

I can't believe this is not front page news everywhere:


Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election to avoid a more thorough review in Ohio's most populous county.
So what you say?

Ohio gave President Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the close election and hold on to the White House in 2004

That's 2, count them, 2 elections that Bush stole.

Um. Impeachment?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?


Tuesday, January 23, 2007

This is one of the Dumbest Arguments I have Seen from a Blogging Tory

And that is obviously saying something.

Dr. Roy (I cant, just can't, believe he is a real Doctor) has this to say about the possible Hillary Clinton candidacy:


I began to think about other things as well. [sic] One of them being Hillary Clinton and how to stop her from the Presidency[sic]. I had a malicious thought, that perhaps her candidacy violates the spirit of the 22nd amendment of the constitution[sic]. Sionce [sic] her husband cannot run, this is an attempt to bypass the constitution. In any case she acted like a co President for 8 years[sic]. So I think her candidacy is unconstitutional.
Hat Tip cc

Why do Conservatives always mess up financial paperwork?

So it seems that the Alberta Conservatives just sort of, you know, forgot to turn over the required paperwork for the last 20 years of election financing.

It just, you know, slipped their mind.

Every year.

For 20 years.

We can all remember what happened in Saskatchewan when the Conservatives made a bit of slip-up when it came to financial paperwork.

They all went to jail

So I guess this reminds me of a post I made a while back - why Conservatives and Handcuffs just seem to go together so well.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Saskatchewan Progressive Bloggers Site

In my ongoing quest to create a group of Saskatchewan Progressive Bloggers I have created the following web site:

http://www.saskatchewanprogressive.blogspot.com/

This is the start of creating an aggregator/gathering place for the bloggers who are both from Saskatchewan and are progressive.

Hope people find this to be of value.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Equalization Round Up

Some people have been wondering if the equalization issue has "legs", that is, do people care about it?

Well I know that the blogging community isn't exactly a representative sample of the "real world" but on the other hand, I would guess that we are what pollsters and opinion experts call "opiion shapers". In other words, if we all care about a topic, then we will lead other people to care about a topic.

So lets look in at the blogging world on the latest equalization promise, shall we?

Saskboy writes:


Harper’s gamble that he can pander to Quebec at the expense of Westerners who he’s just screwed over, is going to be called.
The Jurist weighs in:

After the firestorm this week surrounding the Cons' apparent plan to break their promises on equalization, PMS' provincial and federal allies alike are going out of their way to say that nothing's been set in stone - while of course refusing to suggest what else might be on the way instead.
and at Canada's Debate:

Well the shit seems to have hit the fan. Harper’s plan to “fix” the fiscal imbalance has been announced, and not surprisingly people from the provinces most effected (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland) are the ones who are the most upset.
Cowboys for Social Responsibility:

The province will get $600 million less than the Cartman Tories promised - a backhanded slap costing the province $50 million per Tory MP.
Ken Chapman asks "What is Stephen Harper Thinking?"

Wasn’t it just this kind of pandering to Quebec politics that started the Reform Party in the first place? Wasn’t Stephen Harper around then?
Eugene Plawiuk chimes in:

Call me sceptical, call me a lifelong Albertan, but the True Blue Tory types in Alberta will deny, deny, deny this is a new NEP. Well it is.
Laddie is fairly blunt in his comments:

Stephen "Two-Face" Harper doesn't want to lose the 10 seats that the Conservatives have picked up in Quebec, but the 12 seats in Saskatchewan are up for grabs!
Nicole Martel opines:

No matter how the Conservatives try to position themselves, this proposal will certainly cause backlash from their Western base. Mostly because it is another broken promise to a group that is still dealing with the reversal on income trusts and appointing unelected senators to cabinet posts
The Northern Liberal says:

I can see no other logical explanation for Harper not following through on his promise to exclude resource revenues from the calculation of equalization other than to divert more money into vote-rich Quebec. If you can--please--I'd like to hear it.
And to come full circle, Saskboy again

Harper has done it. He’s given the cheeky middle finger to Saskatchewan.
Wow! This is obviously a pretty important issue - at least in the blogosphere.

Let's get the right-wing reaction from Small Dead Animals on equalization:

sound of crickets chirping

Well, that's even more telling, isn't it?

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Saskatchewan Progressive Bloggers

So I am a member of both the Progressive Bloggers and the Saskatchewan Bloggers and the people that administer both of those sites are doing great things and are a real asset to the community.

However, I wanted a subset of both of those blog systems and I looked around and there were none.

So I decided to create it.

Announcing the Saskatchewan Progressive Bloggers

Update:
New Web Site for this blogroll here



Yep, got a logo and everything

All I have really done here is create a blogroll that people can put on their website if they want.

The code for doing so is here and you can see it in action over on my side menu under "Sask Progressives"

To put a copy of the Sask Progressives on your blog or Web Page copy the code below:



If this is a useful service to people then great. If this sucks and someone wants to make an actual useful service then great too. I am OK if someone better at coding and with more time than me takes over this project.

Response To Paul Well's Letter Writer

Paul Wells was kind enough to link to my blog yesterday and then (in the spirit of bipartisanship or something) posted an e-mail that he got from a reader criticizing me and/or my blog.


Maybe I’m a bit slow, or maybe it’s the over gleeful partisan nature of you and that mouse thingy you linked to, but I’m not seeing where the Tories are in trouble. We’ve got a Radio Canada leak of possible solutions, and then the Brad Trost quote looks only to guarantee the “best deal” ever, which doesn’t even seem to be violated by the RC leak.
The e-mail writer then went on to say:

Post some information rather than a smirk, or link to someone who can write for an audience that doesn’t already agree with him 1000%. Partisan blogs more than have their role, but to explain to the public outside of Sask. Such partisan abstruseness doesn’t help.
Mr. Wells then went on to eviscerate this person's attack on Wells' blog. Very, very effective.

This is my pale imitation of Mr. Well's - only I will be standing up for my own blog.

1) The Reader (a Graeme H) says "the over gleeful partisan nature of you and that mouse thingy you linked to"

First of all, Paul Wells is anything but partisan as he himself so eloquently points out. I on the other hand, have made no secret that I support the NDP. I am a member of the NDP as any sort of half-assed examination of my site would tell you.

I mean, my god, if the trolls over on Small Dead Animals can figure it out, we are not talking rocket science here, and they attack me for being an NDP shill and a lefty crazy all the time.

Secondly, "mouse thingy"? - I'm hurt. :-)


2) link to someone who can write for an audience that doesn’t already agree with him 1000%. Partisan blogs more than have their role, but to explain to the public outside of Sask. Such partisan abstruseness doesn’t help.

The link that Mr Wells was kind enough to provide simply listed the quotes, from Hansard, of the 12 conservative MP's. If these words now seemed bias and partisan - it is because the CONSERVATIVES LIED. Nothing I say or do can change that fact and if the reader doesn't like it, perhaps he should take it up with the CONSERVATIVES who LIED and not me and my blog for pointing it out.

Sheesh!


3) I’m not seeing where the Tories are in trouble. We’ve got a Radio Canada leak of possible solutions, and then the Brad Trost quote looks only to guarantee the “best deal” ever,

Right here, right now, I am going to predict the future. The Conservatives will take out resource revenues from the equalization formula and claim, as a result, that they lived up to their election promise. Then they will apply a cap (the O'brian formula) and say that this is nothing new and that they have still lived up to their promise.

Here is the problem. Applying the cap would mean that Saskatchewan would get a few million a year from the Federal Government. Brad Trost will claim that this is still the "best deal that Saskatchewan has ever had" because yes, 99 kicks to the head from the Torys is better than the 100 kicks to the head from the Liberals.

Heres the problem. The conservatives will still be breaking their promise.

Here is what the (now) Prime Minister Harper had to say when he was in opposition:

The Prime Minister is also failing Saskatchewan on equalization. The government promised to reform the equalization program in 2004 for Saskatchewan. The government now says it will not get to that until at least 2006, costing Saskatchewan over $750 million in lost revenue. When will the Prime Minister overrule his finance minister and make the changes necessary, so Saskatchewan does not lose this money?
Here is what Saskatchewan Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski said


"By my understanding, if Saskatchewan were allowed to keep 100% of its non-renewable natural resources, it would mean an estimated $800 million yearly and perhaps even higher than that".

"In fact, if Saskatchewan had a proper, fair and just equalization formula right now, at today's oil prices Saskatchewan would be receiving, by my calculations, anywhere between $800 million and $1.5 billion in additional revenue each and every year. Of course we do not have that agreement"

And here is what Saskatchewan Conservative MP Brad Trost had to say:

Brad Trost said while caucus discussions are confidential, MPs from Saskatchewan are intent on keeping their promise to get a new equalization deal for the province. "Let me give you a 100 per cent guarantee, Prime Minister Harper will give Saskatchewan the best deal it's ever had from any prime minister ever, " he said. Asked if that would be the same deal the Conservatives campaigned on, Trost said: "If it isn't, it better be better."
For the record they did not campaign on putting a "cap" on payments after taking resource revenues out of the system.

So the numbers that the Conservatives talked about (inlcuding Mr. Harper) were in the $750 million to $1.5 billion range.

If Saskatchewan gets $100 million a year is that living up to what they said?

I think not.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Harper to "Fix" fiscal imbalance - or you know, not

According to the CBC Prime Minister Harper is all set to keep one of his major election promises and be an all-around good guy:


Radio Canada reported Monday that Ottawa will increase transfer payments to the provinces in the area of education, post-secondary education and infrastructure.
Continue Article

As well, Quebec would get an extra $1.5 billion in equalization payments.
Oh wait.

I don't live in Quebec.

Make that, Harper is about to deliver a screw job to Saskatchewan


From the story:

It suggested that half of the revenues of the provinces drawn from natural resources be included in the calculation of equalization payments.
What was that promise again? The one the Conservatives made in their platform?

You know, in writing?

Oh yeah:

Work to achieve with the provinces permanent changes to the equalization formula which would ensure that non-renewable natural resource revenue is removed from the equalization formula to encourage economic growth. We will ensure that no province is adversely affected from changes to the equalization formula.




Lies.

All lies.

Vote for this Story

click on the button



Update:

As Greg over at political staples points out:


So Alberta and Saskatchewan (otherwise known as the core base) will be opposed. Danny Williams will be hoping mad and Dalton "election year" McGuinty will pile on. Out of the frying pan into....another frying pan Ms. Ambrose - this will be very interesting.
Well, at least one of the top Conservative Cabinet Ministers is on it. I mean, Ms. Ambrose did such a good job in Environment that she got this.... promotion.

right?

right?

Uperdate:

Buckdog has a nasty-looking picture of Harper up and also seems to have a copy of the conservative platform. I smell the NDP campaign in Saskatchewan being formed right here on the web!

And here is what one of the blogging tories has to say:


This will probably cause some trouble with Sasketchewan ,Alberta and Newfoundland. I think it is worth that risk.
Typical. If it helps Quebec, screw the west!


Upper-UpperDate:

Paul Wells is in on the act!


As another election promise breathes its last gasps

Hey, someone in Lorne Calvert's office: remind me the names of those Saskatchewan Conservative MPs who used to bug the Liberals about resource revenues and equalization? Let's make their lives hell, shan't we...
Mr. Wells, if the Premier's office doesn't get back to you you just have to look here

Monday, January 15, 2007

Even Republicans are turning on Bush

Not even the died-in-the-wool, whatever-you-say-is-right, brand of Republicans are starting to turn on Bush. From a Newsweek story:


Bush expected at least a handful of Republican senators—critics like Chuck Hagel and George Voinovich—to run from a troop increase. But the White House was surprised when even pro-war senators, including Sam Brownback and Lisa Murkowski, came out against the plan.


Perhaps it has something to do with the polling numbers


For the second straight day, 35% of Americans approve of the way that George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That’s the lowest level of Approval ever measured by Rasmussen Reports.
And that's from a pro-bush polling company

*sheesh*

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Thursday, January 11, 2007

The police get help from a Ninja!

What's that you say - this must be from my comic book collection?

Nope.

the BBC.


Police on Tyneside are seeking a man carrying a sword who came to the aid of plain clothes officers during a burglary attempt.

The officers were threatened by a man with a knife after they discovered armed men trying to break into a house in Laygate, South Shields.

Another man armed with a samurai sword appeared and attacked the man with the knife, before leaving the scene.

Pat Robertson talks to God

I didn't know this, but I guess every year, God takes some time to talk to Pat Robertson and give him some guidance about the year ahead. This has all the trappings of typical so-called prognosticators. For example:


In May, Robertson said God told him that storms and possibly a tsunami were to crash into America's coastline in 2006. Even though the U.S. was not hit with a tsunami, Robertson on Tuesday cited last spring's heavy rains and flooding in New England as partly fulfilling the prediction.
So basically, whatever happens, turns out to be what was predicted, even if it is the complete opposite.

Well this year I hope the same type of "I'm right because I was complete wrong" thing happens again because this time there is something scary happening:

Pat Robertson said Tuesday God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would result in "mass killing" late in 2007. "I'm not necessarily saying it's going to be nuclear," he said during his news-and-talk television show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network. "The Lord didn't say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that."
Hat Tip to Scott Feschuck who points out:

Don’t you just hate it when an omnipotent deity fails to be specific while foretelling the deaths of millions of your countrymen and women? Frustrating!)
Plus, you know, wouldn't it have been great if God had made that prediction back in, oh, I don't know, .....

2001.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Khan's Missing Report

So Paul Well's Muses about a missing report. His musing is covered by Cherniak and Calgary Grit.

Greg at political staples doesn't seem to know what all the fuss is about:


You know, the report that not a single soul gave a damn about a week ago. I must and I mean must see that report now!
Do you remember back when then Opposition member Deb Grey was looking for a report that the government wouldn't or couldn't produce?

This public works magician has put out the all points bulletin to help him find this famous half million dollar missing report. His Liberal logic would try to dictate to us that these so-called supporting documents he keeps talking about ought to be enough and why is anyone worried or embarrassed about it. The question is this: why and how does the government keep taxpayers' dollars just vanishing into thin air?
Didn't that lead to something?

Oh yeah.

The sponsorship scandal.

Strange where things get started - isn't it?

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

New iPod / iPhone

So to take a break from politics for a minute - the information is starting to trickle in that Apple is introducing a new combination iPod / iPhone today.

Some of the highlights:

It is a Widescreen iPod / Mobile Phone with a 3.5" screen with 160 pixels per inch

There are Touchscreen controls that change based on what you are doing (phone call has phone buttons, music has music buttons etc) and supoosedly it somehow ignores unintended touches

It will syncs with iTunes, just like the iPod using a cradle and will Sync music, movies, podcasts, TV, photos, contacts, e-mail, notes, bookmarks, calendars, etc. all through iTunes

Includes a 2 Megapixel camera, SIM card, 3.5mm headphone jack. It will support GSM + EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, quad-band phone, and SMS is one of the main features of the phone, it will also do e-mail (like a blackberry)

this sounds like something that I want!

Uperdate: Sure, now the real media wants to play

Update: Engadget has pictures!






Friday, January 05, 2007

Wajid Khan in his own words and pictures

So Wajid Khan has crossed from the Liberals to the Conservatives according to some bloggers

How inconvenient the Internet Archive Wayback Machine must be for MP's who cross the floor:

Mr. Khan with the Old Liberal Leader:


Mr. Khan with the New Liberal Leader:



Some words of Mr. Khan's:

Wajid Khan Press Release 2004-06-29
Canadians choose Liberals to deliver the country they want

I guess they now choose someone different?


Wajid Khan Press Release 2004-06-03
Liberals boost robust economy with $2 billion investment

That was then and this is now


Integrity and Accountability: Faith in our government is fundamental. Through real reform , open dialogue and greater transparency, Paul Martin and the new Liberal Party will restore faith in our government.
Or, you know, not.

And from hansard

Mr. Wajid Khan (Mississauga—Streetsville, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to today's debate. In considering the question of a supposed fiscal imbalance, let me begin by suggesting that we should all take a break from rhetoric and reflect on economic reality and national responsibility.

As was highlighted in the recent Speech from the Throne and the Prime Minister [Paul Martin] reply, Canada has acquired an outstanding record of economic achievement. In fact, our federation and its federal [Liberal] government are doing many things right.


And some more from hansard:

Mr. Wajid Khan (Mississauga—Streetsville, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, after years of making anti-immigrant statements, the Conservatives are now trying to cast themselves as pro-immigrant. How ironic.
Ironic, eh? Pot calling for a Mr. Kettle. Something about being black?

And so on and so on from hansard:

Mr. Wajid Khan (Mississauga—Streetsville, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party has just demonstrated why it has been in opposition for 12 years and I anticipate it will remain there for another 12.

Let me set the record straight. Before I do that, the rambling speeches that I have heard in the last couple of days are full of inaccuracies to the extent that they could probably make the Guinness Book of World Records.

The fact is the deficit, unemployment, interest rates and the bankruptcies were soaring when that party was in power. Surplus after surplus after surplus has brought nothing but good to the Canadian people. The rates are low, affordability is high, tax cuts of $100 billion have been given to the people over the last five years and the country is prosperous. [under a Liberal Government]







Alright. all you Global Warming Denyers out there

Argue with this:


Thursday, January 04, 2007

The New Federal Cabinet - Winners and Losers

Rona Ambrose Moves from Environment to Intergovernmental Affairs - Loser

This is a bit of a downgrade for Ambrose but with here skills in this area it is actually a better fit for her. The real winner here: The environment


John Baird Moves from Treasury Board to Environment - Winner

This is an upgrade for Baird but the problem is that the CPC is in negotiations with the other parties (particularly the NDP) when it comes to environment issues. Baird is going to have to drop his "whatever the question in QP kick the shit out of the Liberals" level of partizanship and learn to work and play well with others. The real winner here: The liberal critic for the treasury board.

Rob Nicholson Moves from House Leader to Justice - Winner

This was a big surprise and a major upgrade for Rob Nicholson. Given his stance on things like capital punishment and abortion back in the Mulroney days, look for the same brand of social conservatism as Toews brought to the portfolio. The real winner here: Rob Nicholson


Monte Solberg Mooves from Immigration to Human Resources - Winner

This is a lateral transfer or perhaps an upgrade to Solberg. 'nuff said.

Vic Toews Moves from Justice to Treasury Board - Loser

Serious downgrade for Toews. And as I said earliers, probably not due to his conservative views given who the replacement was. Perhaps he just wan't a good cabinet minister? The real winner: Provincial Justice departments who repotedly hated dealing with Toews' office.

Peter van Loan Moves from Intergovernmental Affairs to House Leader - Loser

He loses a portfolio and a ministery and gains having to shepard things through a minority parliament. The real winner: Rob Nicholson

Jason Kenney as secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity

The real loser: Multiculturalism

Here's an overview of other blogger reactions:

Calgary Grit:

If you take those four spots as young MPs being groomed for future Cabinet positions then, boy, does it ever suck to be James Moore this morning. Diane Ablonczy has also got to be feeling a bit jilted that another Calgary MP got a Cabinet spot before she did.

So that brings us to the shuffle part of this Cabinet shuffle. And it's really a mulligan for Harper. Rona Ambrose's expertise made her a logical choice for Intergovernmental Affairs back in February so that's what she gets now. Not that it really matters since it appears that Harper's Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs has fewer responsibilities than his chauffeur. Vic Toews was also a brutal choice for Justice but now that the messy Same Sex vote is beyond him, Harper has moved in a much more competent and moderate man to the portfolio. As for Baird...well, good luck - he'll need it. I'm really not sure what to make of the Solberg/Finley moves and I suspect they'll get overshadowed quite a bit; I'd be curious to hear any theories on those ones.
Buckdog

Jason Kenney, former Reform Party MP and extreme right wing ideologue is the new Secretary of State for multiculturalism. His former job as CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has prepared him to be a 'fox in the hen house' and Harper is going to use those skills on multiculturalism.

My Bhlag points out the problems for those who praised Harper's small cabinet earlier

The size of cabinet has increased from 27 to 32 positions, with a smaller percentage of women on the team. So I guess, according to the right whingers, PMS' new cabinet is less effective, less efficient, doesn’t pay attention to the concerns of taxpayers and is now primed for nonsense.
Jason Cherniak

2) Jason Kenney is now in cabinet. To earn this spot he misled Parliament, fibbed in his apology and supported a terrorist organization. He might be a good Parliamentary performer, but I cannot wait for his next big mistake.

3) Dianne Abolonzy has been overlooked again. Harper should be ashamed.

4) A number of Secretaries of State have been added. Harper obviously recognizes now that it was a mistake to start with such a small cabinet. Those Conservatives who lauded him for the move at first will surely condemn him now for backtracking. Or admit that they were wrong...

5) John Baird is good at pushing just about any subject in the most partisan way possible. His selection suggests that Harper was looking for a better salesperson on the environment and not a better policy. I predict that this will not work and Baird will end up looking like a bully.
Accidental Deliberations


While John Baird will presumably hold up to questioning better than Rona Ambrose did in the Environment role, it's worth noting his own dubious record to date.

Baird's previous assignment likewise involved the Cons' signature piece of legislation for the year. But by the time the Accountability Act became law, it had been drained of many of the Cons' promises and had undergone major revisions to clean up serious drafting oversights...resulting in an awful lot of work for a very small increase in actual accountability. And while that kind of outcome may have been acceptable on a file where the Cons' main competitors genuinely preferred to see nothing done, it won't be good enough in an area where every other federal party has taken up the cause.

Moreover, it was Baird's stubborn refusal to acknowledge the realities of existing election law that exposed the Cons' convention fee scandal. And PMS surely can't relish the prospect of the Cons' similarly-flawed assumptions on the environment coming to light.
Galloping Beaver

Ambrose was made the minister of intergovernmental affairs at the morning swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. She will also be minister of western economic diversification

I'm sure she will ponder the state of Prince Rupert, unless she continues to take all her direction from the hacks in the Prime Minister's Office which would result in her doing absolutely nothing of value and blaming the previous government for any and all conditions she feels compelled not to address.

And the final word, fittingly, goes to Paul Wells:


Have you noticed that cabinet shuffles routinely get more attention than, say, cabinets do? Does it particularly matter which minister holds which portfolio if, after nearly a year, packs of trained pundits can't identify photos of some of them?

FUSION power breakthrough!

Every environmentalist in the world should be salivating over the possibility that this is true.

The International Academy of Science has announced thier Outstanding Technology of the Year Award.

For 2006 the award goes to Dr. Robert Bussard:


Dr. Robert W. Bussard is an American physicist working primarily in nuclear fusion energy research. Bussard received his PhD from Princeton. He is currently functioning as co-founder and director of Energy/Matter Conversion Corporation. He is the former Assistant Director to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and has held prominent positions at Los Alamos National Laboratories, Oakridge Labs, and TRW Systems.
For what technological breakthrough did Dr. Bussard win?


Dr. Bussard and his team at Energy/Matter Conversion Corporation, after close to 20 years of hard work, have developed a revolutionary radiation-free fusion process that could change the world as we know it today.

Fusion is the energy that powers everything in the universe. The sun's energy comes from fusion. Alternatively, fission is the process whereby heavy atoms, which are nearly unstable, are split into two radioactive atoms. Fusion, on the other hand, is when two light atoms merge.


If this is true, and works, then this in the energy breakthrough that we have been waiting for.

read more here

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Hey - Remember those "Hinterland Who's Who" Comercials?

I seemed to have missed this one (Watch the whole thing - it's worth it)




Awesome

Monday, January 01, 2007

Paul Wells' "Right Side Up"

This is one of the best political books I have read in years. I am looking at my bookshelf and there is about 150+ books on politics and elections and campaigns.

There are only a handfull that are better than Paul Wells' new book.

It actually made me laugh out loud a number of times.

It is also full of some very good insights into the election campaigns of 2004 and 2006 (of particualr note is his anaysis of "groupthink" and the Martin insider team)

If you read this blog then I know where your interests lie.

Read this book