I love Australian media

Afghanistan

From Paul Wells today:

"the government was told, by its own officials, to expect all this; that it lied when first asked, insisting in writing that "no such report on human-rights performance in other countries exists;" and that it then released a heavily redacted version of the report, whose deletions cannot be explained under federal Access to Information law...

The rest of us need to understand: This government lies to us without compunction or apology about the most important files a government can be asked to handle."

Misleading Parliament and indeed, the Canadian people, is a big deal.

Smelly

Rapping Rove... don't quit your day job

I know he's Karl Rove, but I got that "I'm embarassed for you" feeling while watching this.

March 29 - White House advisor Karl Rove grabbed the spotlight Wednesday night at the Annual Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner.

Word.

*I do note M. Rove may have perfected the penguin dance, if you watch carefully.

Enforcing the rules, bitch

Somewhere here there's an obvious funny analogy relating to national security (or something of the sort), I'm just too tired. Anyways, pun away, cabbages.

The investigator flew to Guatemala in April 2002 with a delicate mission: trail a Wal-Mart manager around the country to prove he was sleeping with a lower-level employee, a violation of company policy.

The apparent smoking gun? “Moans and sighs” heard as the investigator, a Wal-Mart employee, pressed his ear against a hotel room door inside a Holiday Inn, according to legal documents. Soon after, the company fired the manager for what it said was improper fraternization with a subordinate.

Bare-Knuckle Enforcement for Wal-Mart’s Rules [NYT]

Matt Dancing: Outtakes

Completely randomly, I came across the outtakes on youtube from 'Where the Hell is Matt' dancing. I know it's not Monday, but I can't keep track of the days anyways.



And a random one mildly mocking it.... funny.

ICC: World Cup!!!!!

The other 'ICC' that I follow. Joe maintains that Canada will not win a game, but we shall see.

Group C
Canada kicks off cricket World Cup against Kenya
Canadian Cricket Association
Cricket 101

Now, in the realistic world outside of sentimental value of cheering for Canada, of course I'm going for Australia.

Meat: Quite an Inconvenient Truth, Indeed

A recent UN study has found raising animals for food production is most terrible for the environment, producing significant amounts of greenhouse gases.

"The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity."

[Report]

SO of course, PETA must get involved. Yesterday they sent a letter to Al Gore "explaining to him that the best way to fight global warming is to go vegetarian and offering to cook him faux “fried chicken” as an introduction to meat-free meals. In its letter, PETA points out that Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth—which starkly outlines the potentially catastrophic effects of global warming and just won the Academy Award for “Best Documentary”—has failed to address the fact that the meat industry is the largest contributor to greenhouse-gas emissions."

· The effect that our meat addiction is having on the climate is truly staggering. In fact, in its recent report “Livestock’s Long Shadow—Environmental Issues and Options,” the United Nations determined that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.
· Researchers at the University of Chicago have determined that switching to a vegan diet is more effective in countering global warming than switching from a standard American car to a Toyota Prius. PETA also reminds Gore that his critics love to question whether he practices what he preaches and suggests that by going vegetarian, he could cut down on his contribution to global warming and silence his critics at the same time. “The single best thing that any of us can do to for our health, for animals, and for the environment is to go vegetarian,” says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk.

“The best and easiest way for Mr. Gore to show his critics that he’s truly committed to fighting global warming is to kick his meat habit immediately.”

Last November, I celebrated my tenth year of being a vegetarian. Not to gloat about being ahead of my time or anything....

Video Monday

Once again, I would like to thank Mark for his invaluable contribution to video Monday. When we spoke on Friday, we laughed for about five minutes about his discovery of a clip of the Honourable Alexander Downer, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs making a little personal gaff in the House...

For those not familiar with Movember, it's basically growing moustache in support of prostate cancer research.

Party on, Alex.

Love is the villian...

jfc, I only have 710 mb of space left on my kabillion gb hard drive. I wonder why.... well, ahem, perhaps taking my camera out on a Byron Bay night would be an example of the problem.
[5 mp camera + kabillion photos of parties, etc = trubs!]

Cheapest airfare, ever.

Oscar

Man, CTV's pre-Oscar show is the worst. Badly produced and several technical problems. Tanya Kim and that other chick are not good improvisers. Ben Mulroney just congratulated Beyonce, in a way to give an impression she was nominated. She wasn't. whoopsies.

Due to my Australian friends, and their Oscar watching festivities which, *cry*, I am missing (nothing like last year - caviar and champagne soaked fun) I won't post anything until after they've aired in sunny warm Australia. Actually, I probably won't post anything at all. But I'm excited.

Cocktail hour!!!

Vancouver Sun: Research Bureau of the PMO

Oh, to be a Vancouver Sun reporter!!!

If I had known that PMSH's new conservative government sole source of information used in the House of Commons was the Vancouver Sun, perhaps I would have reconsidered my career path. Oh, the power, Kim Bolan!

For those who have been skipping their dose of CPAC lately, the Government has a habit of replying to questions in Question Period with answers completely unrelated answers attacking the Liberal opposition. While PMSH may be the captain of this team, Minister of the Environment John Baird is certainly the top scorer.

Anyways, yesterday was the supreme case in point, and a day of ruckus in the House political commentators have never seen. The Opposition was attacking the government for changing the process in which judges are chosen, and in reply, PMSH referred to an unrelated matter regarding the Air India investigation, Canada's worst case of terrorism, killing 329 people:

Responding to unrelated criticism about the way his government chooses judges, Mr. Harper attempted to read from a newspaper report saying the father-in-law of Ontario MP Navdeep Bains would not have to testify at the criminal investigation into the Air-India bombing if the measures are allowed to die.

"Obviously, the Liberal Party opposes the change we have made . . ." he said of the judicial-selection process. "I am not surprised, given what I am reading in The Vancouver Sun today, when I realize this is how the Liberal Party makes decisions."

PM's attack on Liberal fuels bedlam in Ottawa

This was totally me in high school math.... or what I felt like doing anyway.