Off to do my part for NPR by helping NCPR think about what it might do with the internet. I am really looking forward to this but I am a bit worried about my Cantonese.  •  On the up side, I have established where the ales are, have scoped out First Prize Hots for the way home and also plan to buy …

From Dirk von Zitzewitz's Blog and Dakar 2005.  •  It is that week again and the channel formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network is playing the Lisbon to Dakar rally as a four night summary. Apparently on Saturday there is a four hour repeat broadcast starting 2 pm, a festival of broken drive …

More folk falling from the sky...again. It's the oddest thing.

I think I would have presumed this is the case just as I presume from the referral logs awash with hits from certain Asian cities that the Chinese government sweeps blogs for references to itself:  •  “Bloggers beware.  •  As the world turns networked, the Pentagon is calculating the military …

Given the demand for glee clubs these days, it would be folly to not take up the opportunity.  •  Auditions are by audio file of the applicant's rendition of either The Yellow Rose of Texas or Oh, Susanna forwarded by email. Openings exist in the bass, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano sections …

Yesterday was a big day. Sunny. Plus five or so by the eastern edge of the big lake. I found myself at an auspicious point hydrographically speaking. All around there were shards of ice packing together for chill as if to to keep themselves. Ususally ice like this would be far across the lake …

That great voice of contemplative thought, the NYT op-ed, published a really interesting essay yesterday by Joseph J. Ellis, a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College. Entitled "Finding a Place for 9/11 in American History", it posed that interesting question from a historical perpective …

It appears that our new rural overlords need a hand from mainstream Canada and that the NDP may be willing to help out. This was in the Globe:  •  “Even though the NDP's 29 members are not quite enough to give the Tories the votes for a majority in the Commons, they still could be crucial in …

I was that close....that close...to mortgaging my life for a Sony robotic dog. But now it is over. The dream is over as the BBC discusses:  •  “Sony's decision to ditch its Aibo robotic dog, along with its entire robot development team, is a reminder that we are still a long way from the age of …

Two years ago I remembered where I was the year before as well as where I was now 20 years ago.

What a week. A Federal election and Rabbie Burns Day.  •  I am glad the Federal election is over. It took time away from fretting over popular televised sports. I am comfortable with how things turned out but I am still a bit unclear how arguing over the Arctic became such a hot button issue all …

It's in this week's NCPR newsletter by email so I am spilling the beans. I got asked to participate in this and am reeally excited:  •  “Next week NCPR staff will be attending a retreat guided by Rob Paterson, a Canadian media and community provacateur. Among our goals is to find ways to deepen …

Home sick from work today, I was interested to find this note in the email for the beer blog this afternoon. Last November, I wrote about the efforts to create a unified advertising campaign in the US about the goodness of beer. Well, today's correspondent appears to be involved in that effort. He …

Who knew a great faceless national bureaucracy could know so well what's really going on?  •  “ Dana Doiron, who speaks for Elections Canada, said the rule, designed to protect privacy, has been in existence for a long time. However, it was only enforced in the Maritimes for the first time on …

I forgot how fun it is to make fun of a new government. The trouble with the last crew is that they stuck around so long making the jokes stale. Real stale. So it is great, in this first change of Canadian government of the history of the blogosphere, it is nice to see folks working out the new …

If Vic Toews actually speaks for the incoming government and not just shuffling for a good place in cabinet, the plan to arm Canadian border guards is a good one:  •  “Conservative justice critic Vic Toews announced Wednesday that Canadian border guards will be armed as soon as possible. The move …

When all causes of lack of productity in the economy are considered, I wonder what part is played by the little viruses that pass among elementary school kids and on to their parents. I would expect it would exceed all strikes, personal weaknesses and sheer laziness.

And I thought my hockey card collection was cool.  •  This photo is from the BBC, is from the British Toy Fair. In a past week moment, I sold off the Dinky collection for a very good cause. But I have always liked them and have wandered into the nether reaches of eBay where the Dinky traders meet …

Not being Catholic but being a fellow traveller, the workings of the Vatican fascinate. To that end - and for your improvement as always - I give your Benny's first encyclical which appears to be on the interrelated obligations of the faithful and the state.  •  Compare and contrast by 5 pm.

I said it before, but Mario was my personal favorite player of this modern era. I saw him play live twice. Once in Ottawa against the Sens before his first retirement when him and Jagr decided to turn on the jets for about 8 minutes to cream the then pre-playoff era Sens. Before the game Lemieux …

What a business. It has been something of a good but mad past few weeks of work, the election came to a grand conclusion at the same time and I had all that extra CBC blogging to do. Forty-four posts in the end. I don't think it was really award winning stuff - though I think my least loved leader …

Could it be more perfect? I don't think so.  •  The Tories get the keys to the kingdom but with so few seats they are on the short leash. The wing nuts will be more difficult to keep in place so they will have to be dealt with. Are we witnessing the second coming of Joe Clark?The Liberals save …

Odd numbers so far. The Grits are leading in the popular early vote and did well in Atlantic Canada. NDP vote solid.  •  Update: Who thought the Liberals would get over 100 seat and over 30% of the vote?  •  Further Thoughts: What will it be?  •  “Tories + NDP + a slightly wacko shock radio host …

I think there was a mistake made by someone when the election date was picked. We were given too much time to think and too much time to talk. And what did we talk about over Christmas and New Years? The season of giving to the good and to the needy passed in semi-silence politically speaking but …

It is all going to be OK after all. Maybe:  •  “According to baseball sources, the Red Sox and Cleveland Indians have agreed in principle on a deal that will bring outfielder Crisp to the Sox in a multi-player trade. The deal was agreed upon several days ago under the condition that Cleveland be …

This is just a marker for this bluegrass event in the lower end of New York in mid-July. I had no idea that bluegrass was named after the first band, the Bluegrass Boys. I am liking the sound of jam camp.

Interesting to note discussion of the wording of section 329 of the Canada Elections Act:  •  “ Prohibition -- premature transmission of results  •  329. No person shall transmit the result or purported result of the vote in an electoral district to the public in another electoral district before …

In a move that makes much sense and smacks of fearlessness on the field, the US government has reversed its decision to ban Cuba from playing in the upcoming world championship of baseball as the NYT reports:  •  “Administration officials said the reversal of the position came after the president …

I think that this is a very good point. Martin stands a very good chance of having the lowest number of votes for the Liberal Party ever. Worse than the crushing folk gave the Trudeau era in 1984 with 28.02% of the popular vote, worse than either the 1878 depression inspired crush of Alexander …

I haven't linked to much to the forty-one posts I have written for the CBC Election Roundtable but I wrote two short pieces today that I think were better than average. One is on the last days of this election and the other is on the possibility of Canada electing its least loved Prime Minister of …

John of Argghhh! has discovered a motherload of jetsicle pictures which he has posted in a handy dandy centralized location. What a collection! Great to see and a balm to we who wish to save the jetscile. Remember what I once said about what we are working for:  •  “...the real lesson here is that …

Some very clever person over at wikipedia has posted this nice chart of all public polls of the Canadian Fedeeral Election with a fancy swath of colour indicating the trends. It only goes to 18 January in this version. The data for the chart is here. Click for a little larger scale if you feel the …

I think branding and logos and such should at least connect. While I cannot expect you will not Google this, I am very surprised to realize that I have never appreciated a certain product proclaims itself as "Canada's Ambassador to the World". Has anyone noticed this before?

What a week. If I could tell you of my troubles, well, let me just say that I am sure there would be more than one Trabant in the postal system for to ease my soul. So what to talk about?  •  How about some election questions. Don't point the finger at others in answering these. Point it solely at …

It is the season to explore the other channels.  •  I watched Doc Martin on Vision TV. I really did. And the network formerly known as Outdoor Life Network, now just OLN, has started a good series called Bushcraft with Ray Mears. Unlike a show like Austrailia's Bush Tucker Man (a favorite of mine …

There is nothing more embarassing about human existence that the principle "if you say enough, it it will be true". No greater example of this exists than the phrase "activist judges" which has been successfully shoved into the parlance by axe-grinders. Sadly, though not unexpectedly, the current …

Then again there are moments and images and stuff that just makes you feel happy that you have gotten a chance to take a little ride on this thing called life.  •  Can anyone suggest, looking at this picture from the BBC's "In Pictures" section, what's the thing that is not like the others?

Would it surprise you to find out that if I really thought about it, all this daily election blogging I am doing is getting to be dull. I have done a daily post over at the CBC roundtable and maybe half as many again here. That is something like 75 posts on one topic. It is getting dull out there …

The news is good if you like a vibrant democracy based on good voter turn-out. Apparently advance polls voting is up 25% including this remarkable stat:  •  “Prince Edward Island saw the biggest percentage jump in early birds. More than 11,000 people voted early compared to 6,839 in 2004 …

...and someone has mistaken me for the publisher of a men's magazine. This email came to the beer blog's email:  •  “Hello,  •  I have written an amusing story (approx 3400 words) that I believe is well suited for your magazine. The topic is an annual all-night poker game played by married men …

You could feel it in the polls over at NoDice. The CPC hit 40 and met a glass ceiling. Now they fall back. Interesting to note, then, this reference to a poll in the Star today:  •  “A new poll for the Star and La Presse by EKOS Research Associates shows that voters could be listening. According …

Time to start the "Don't Trash the 'Stash" movement. Here is your own Jack Layton moustache kit.* All you need to do is print out the ohot above, cut on the dotted line, poke out the two holes and add a string. Show your love of Jack! and your support of the NDP with your own mini-Larry Robinson …

Hey! Imagine a TV ad at the end of a close election campaign that is not an evil mean piece of attack ad, has a decent sense of humour and yet could be co-opted by the very object of the attack.  •  Have a look at the ad on the CPC site called "Jack Talk". People saying they don't like the NDP …

All of a sudden, Kicking Horse Coffee from British Columbia is on sale here in Kingston. Organic, fair trade, shade grown and even Calgary kosher - there are more logos on this package than...on something with lots of logos.  •  It is very good. Glistening beans. Other places we had tried recently …

Interesting to note that 16 days into the new Bush administration's prescription drug program the wheels are already so wobbly:  •  “With tens of thousands of people unable to get medicines promised by Medicare, the Bush administration has told insurers that they must provide a 30-day supply of …

David Janes began releasing his platform this morning:  •  Health care.Constitutional Reform.The Debt and Deficit.Childcare.Unemployment Insurance...I say first we stop calling it EI.  •  Are the forces gathering to launch the shadow cabinet after January 23rd?

Just a reminder that the voting for the sister station to this here blog continues for a few more days over at the Accidential Hedonist. I understand that a vote for A Good Beer Blog results in an immediate sense of well being. See for yourself.

My life is all about planning random little treats and trips. No kidding, you say. But it was even odd from me to watch my brain go into higher gear this morning when, over at Junkstore Cowgirl, Manhattan Dan offered me a beer if I make it to Oswego in June. I could do that, I thought. And I …

I have been invited to do an interesting thing. I am not sure if I am allowed to describe that thing yet but it is a thing that combines my interest in blogs and my interest in radio. It is very interesting and will let me go to a place I really like which makes it even more interesting. Details …

When the world that is Canada comes out of its fixation with the election and has yet to slump back towards the TV screen for the Winter Olympics, there may be a moment to consider something new including new things to eat. In winter there are chinese greens to consider.  •  Bok Choi is that thing …

There it is. On page 39.  •  “Give Canadians increased access to international and foreign-language television and radio programming.”  •  Are the Tories going to do away with the CRTC's control over programming? Could it be?  •  Frequent readers will know I have no time for the boo-hooery of …

Finally they are all out, I think in order of release:  •  The Green Party;The NDP;The Liberals; andThe Conservatives.  •  My first impression of the Tory platform, released today, is that it is actually a forward thinking platform with a decent level of specifics as well as a broad range of …

Here we are. I don't think Friday the 13th ever really bothered me. I missed the movies. But it is close to a full moon and I remember on of those combos in Halifax days when Spring Garden Road seemed entirely packed with loonies. Then I realized it was Friday night on Spring Garden road and knew …

What a bother this election is. Usually they are something like 38 days long and here we are a week past that and still a week and a half to go. Under such strain, we forget what is important to us. We forget that in the southern hemisphere it is summer. We forget that somewhere there cricket is …

A couple of conservative bloggers got me thinking. This in tiself has me a bit worried but we are all working towards that grand CPC/NDP coalition...right? Right?  •  The Liberal Party has voiced opposition to the entrenchment of property rights in The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada's …

No one really wishes ill on anyone specifically - do they? But you can bet there have been a few prayers of a general nature rising from the Liberal war-room with this bit of divine intervention news this morning:  •  “The federal Tories are standing behind a B.C. candidate who has been charged …

Who knew? Well, some guy on Metafilter did because that is where I picked up this odd stat. The number one, two, six and ten favorite alcohol in Maine is Allen's Coffee Brandy according to the The Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operations (BABLO) of the goold old state o'Maine. Over ten …

What could be worse? What could be worse than people making fun of your attack ads? What could be worse than people collecting up mock ads and posting them all together?  •  Making fun of attack ads in haiku?  •  “Soldiers in the streets!  •  I am not making this up -  •  Trudeau was a Grit …

Is this is where the rest of the world will be in five or ten years?  •  “A trilby-wearing great-grandfather was ordered to remove his hat when he tried to buy a drink in a city centre pub. Colin Osborne, 64, was told by staff at the Monument pub in Hereford he would have to take his hat off as it …

Nothing like when things get ugly. For my non-Canadian readers I offer the following snapshot of where our national election has found itself with under two weeks to go and the Liberal government and Prime Minister Martin dropping in the polls:  •  “Starting with grainy, unfocused close-ups of …

A Time Team Dig in Coventry  •  I mentioned this show two years ago - Lord, I have blogged too long.  •  Time Team from Channel 4 is a really good archeology show set in the UK where a site gets a preliminary viewing each week - lots of fodder like the above for anyone who thought of a career in …

This snippet (and I think this is the first time I have used the word snippet) is sort of interesting but I am not sure why:  •  “Following stories Sunday in the Star and the Toronto Sun about Harper hinting at a majority, right-wing blogs were abuzz with dark and unsubstantiated suggestions of a …

Is there anything better than a January thaw? OK, a February one. This is an inordinately warm winter here and there is a good chance if this keeps up that the lake won't freeze at all.

Best debate in a long time and largely due to the intelligent control imposed by Steve Paikin. If Paikin were to debate any of the four he would wins hands down. I think all four had a good showing in the context of the debate. They had their moments and made their points. That means nothing …

Here is what I saw and heard:  •  Paikin is one of the best moderators of a debate ever on Canadian TV. Clear and punchy.  •  Nice tie choices. Harper has funky blue squares. Gilles Duceppe's matches his hair. Harper also has been trained to raise his eyebrows. He wants my vote and his eyebrows …

I have been tagged by the weirdos: people want to know five things about me that are weird. This is not so easy as it sounds as I am inordinately not weird:  •  One. I wear shorts all year round. I drove yesterday down the 401 in MEC walking shorts. No one else at the truck stops was wearing …

This is the real end to the holidays. Kids back to school. Tired cranky small people running around the house at 7:15 am.  •  The debate goes tonight. There are likely tired cranky larger people running somewhere this morning as well. People are talking about the Tories now as out manouvering the …

In all the excitement of current events, it is wise to remind ourselved of the rules:  •  No personal references in the form of an attack - ie "you and all you X people all believe Y." Bad manners and bad debating skills.  •  Stay on track. I have been deleting comments that are off topic when …

There are few things that really make my day. I am a pretty contented person and not much of one for the yearnings for what is not at hand. But. A bap and a slice of square sausage. Or is it a square of sliced sausage? Whatever it is, it is a meat loaf of unlean beef, bread crumb and some mild …

This is how Stephen Harper becomes the next Premier of Alberta:  •  “Last November, before calling the election, the Liberals cut personal income taxes – a one per cent reduction to the lowest tax bracket, from 16 to 15 per cent, and an increase of $500 to the basic personal exemption. The cuts …

I trust you are not angst driven with my tardiness. I am not late for work today as I am not at work but at the Stratford Public Library. It is odd to wake in a house without internet. You have nothing to do before the caffeine sinks through the skull.  •  Anyway, the 401 was fine - thanks for …

Hey! A Good Beer Blog has been nominated by some sort of global organization, no doubt UN funded, for Best Blog Covering Wine, Beer or Spirits and Best Group Food Blog. Vote here and give those wine folk and their gin soaked pals a right good thrashing.  •  This counts towards your membership …

It has happened. The Liberal Party of Canada's plan to roll out Ray Steven's hit "Everything is Beautiful in its Own Way" is now officially on hold because the headline in the Toronto Star this morning reads "Tories Jump Into Clear Lead":  •  “The survey, conducted by EKOS Research Associates for …

Well, the phones are really ringing now and the line up to voice the GX40 nation runs right around HQ, situtated in a lovely industrial park at the edge of town.  •  I was thinking about creating a Gen X at 40 Rewardstm program. Somewhere around here I could have coupons that you could print off …

Could this be it? The first major gaffe in the masterful Tory campaign that has brought them to the place in the polls that they were on 12 December 2005?  •  “"I do think it's important to point out that Mr. Mulroney received a lot of criticism and a lot of focus for the fact that a large number …

I was gonna go. Daniel and I discussed this over eggs last week. I really was going to make the run around the top of Maine on the Trans-Canada in February to hang out on the sandbar in the Northumberland Straight and talk with Dan, the Rukster and Steve and others. I would have had to navigate …

I have no idea if this was from a TV show or movie but this one that came through the door with a five year old is simply the best joke of 2006 so far:  •  “What did one snowman say to the other?”  •  You have to click below for the answer. That is called dramatic effect.

There are moments in life when you hit a wall, when you realize in all honesty "hey, I can't do this." It must be odd, however, to be a good kid, a great athlete and on TV before a massive continental audience and then get hammered. [Ed.: I think "continental" will be the word of Genx X at 40 for …

OK, so we cannot talk about issue "X" as part of the membership drive. I really don't like not talking about issue "X" or much of anything else for that matter. Yet I have obfuscated the discussion. Hmmm. An unsatisfactory thing yet maybe the source of some pause for thought.  •  So you will have …

Far be it from me to question to joy an athlete experiences in the moment of victory but can the moment be so complete, the primal scream of GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLL be so utterly primal when the game is won over Wigan?

It all sounds like the Churchill Falls dispute between Newfoundland and Quebec, as reported in The Globe:  •  “Russia's state-controlled natural gas monopoly on Monday accused Ukraine of diverting about $25-million (U.S.) worth of Russian gas intended for other European countries, a day after …

I was looking at the stats yesterday as well as the results from the Google ad click request I made and it got me thinking about the responsive side to this website. Bloggers often say in the middle of a spat on their sites that this is their place and you have to obey the rules. But equally true …

So sensible I was. The briefest contact with a reasonably appealing manzanilla followed by half a pastry stuffed with chanterelles and a smidge of a minor Japanese seaweed for that bit of salty tang. Today, it is all beans and wieners as the holidays end.  •  And should they not end now? What a …