Benazir Bhutto dead, Pakistan's future in critical condition

BBC report here

The shocking yet not surprising news of Bhutto's demise has evaporated much of the hope that I had for the people of Pakistan. It comes at a time when Musharraf's commitment to peace and democracy is becoming increasingly questionable. Bhutto represented a realistic opportunity to return Pakistan to being a stabilizing force in the region. Though I am sure Musharraf will condemn the attack and offer his condolences to her family and supporters, you have to believe that at some level he is relieved that this threat to his leadership is gone.

If you don't think this has anything to do with you, remember that Canadians are fighting right next door to Pakistan, and many of the people their fighting are crossing over from Pakistan.

Woooooooooo.

Was at the gym the other day and caught a bit of WWE rasslin' on the tube in the dressing room. I have only one thing to say: How old and filled with chemicals does Ric Flair have to get before they stop calling him "Nature Boy"?

Frequency of Posting

It's a busy time of year for everybody. For me, this December has been ultra-busy because of a number of personal issues that have been occupying my evenings and weekends. However, I do look forward to getting back to some hard-hitting political punditry and insightful commentary and non-sensical ranting in the new year.

Just so you know. I'm not in a coma.

IKEA In Winnipeg?

This has absolutely nothing to do with current events, but I came across this Facebook group today: Bring IKEA To Winnipeg!

Let's hope IKEA doesn't see that. With a whopping 121 members and a most recent wall post of Sept. 24, I think that would put the nail in the coffin. Granted, there haven't been any rumors going around since January, but with it being shopping season and all, I figured it might be a little more active than that!

Siloam Misson's Acoustic Christmas

I don't do a lot to help the less fortunate. I am not one of those people who think that poor people do not exist in Canada (Kathy ..) or that they all deserve to be where they are. Some do for sure, but not all. And so I don't mind giving a little money to local food banks or doing other little things here and there to help them out. Well, today I did one of those little things, and in the process I got to see an intimate performance from some fabulous local musicians.

The event was a sort of Christmas kick-off for the spiffy new Siloam Mission on Princess Ave.. (yes, that's right -- I called a homeless shelter spiffy. Watcha gonna do 'bout it?) Performing were Keith and Renée (formerly Easily Amused) and Jodi King. Keith and Renée always put on a great show. I highly recommend going to see them if you have not yet. Jodi is not quite the entertainer that Canadian Idol finalist Keith and his partner are, but she has an outstanding voice and is an easy listen. The audio mixing seemed a little off unfortunately, but hey ... I'll make the sacrifice to help the poor!

With all of the big label crap on the radio these days, an evening like this is a reminder that you are missing out on 99.9% of the talent in the universe if the only artists you listen to can be heard on Bob FM.

Keith and Renée:


websites:
http://myspace.com/jodiking
http://www.easilyamused.ca/

The Newfies are catching us!

Oh great ...

Newfoundland has a record surplus, most of which is going towards paying down the debt. I am happy for them, don't get me wrong, but Newfoundland being hopelessly in debt was one thing that Manitobans could always count on to make themselves feel better about themselves. Maybe not for much longer. Give us about 5 more years of NDP management, and them about 5 more years of Conservative government and high oil prices, and the tables will be turned.

CBC: Your Unreliable Source

I just about pissed myself when I read this:

most CBC climate science coverage remains error-riddled and among the most biased in the English-speaking world.

I don't know why I think that is so funny. It's actually kind of sad. I have always been a little critical of news coverage from some of our mainstream media outlets, but I didn't think the problem was this bad! The English-speaking world? Heh.

For the record, I consider myself an environmentalist. But if we are going to make wise decisions and have an intelligent debate about the issue of climate change, we need to start with good information.


h/t: OMMAG

Mulroney, Schreiber, and the Bag Full of Cash

I'm already getting tired of the Mulroney-Schreiber circus. But .. I feel compelled to finally comment. First I'll get up to speed on the latest developments by seeing what the great CBC has to say about it: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/12/04/schreiber-arrival.html

Lessee ...

Karlheinz Schreiber told a federal committee Tuesday he didn't discuss money with former prime minister Brian Mulroney during a private 1993 meeting when he was still in office, but that the two made an oral agreement to work together when Mulroney returned to private life.
...
When asked by Conservative MP David Tilson if any of the monies he was planning to give Mulroney were compensation for anything Mulroney did for Schreiber while he was prime minister, Schreiber said "No."

Well that's interesting. It seems there were no business transactions while Mulroney was in office, nor is this related to Airbus. What else is there? Surely there must be some indication of impropriety somewhere? Ah ... here we go:

One of the key questions of the whole affair that has never been answered is what services Mulroney provided in exchange for the money.

I have an answer for that "key" question: IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER! If Mulroney didn't live up to his obligations under a contract as a private citizen, that is a civil matter between him and Schreiber. It is of no concern of the public.

This whole thing is rat trap designed by Karlheinz to keep his ass out of jail in Germany. Even Pat Martin and the Liberals acknowledge that, but they play along because "we need him". Need him for what? The guy has no credibility, and he has been delaying deportation to Germany for eight years, tying up our court system and costing tax payers millions of dollars. However, we can't let him go because there is a chance that he might say something that could sway a few gullible Ontario voters to switch over to the Liberals and NDP, if they spin it the right way. In other words, political points are more important than justice or tax dollars.

Let's just deport the fucker already, and get back to the business of running the country.