The Libranos

Pretty awesome cover on the new Western Standard.

Happy Day

The battle to bring down the government is finally on. Paul Martin's butt saving coalition with the NDP is really just an added bonus. This government is going to fall, it's really only a matter of time - and with the NDP saving it from the gallows, for who knows how long - they should also be painted with the same glorious brush. It's totally awesome.

How quickly Stephen Harper can "put this government out of its misery" is anyone's guess, but it should be fun to watch. How long Paul Martin can even stand the deal he's made with Jack Layton should be fun to watch too. He's probably asking himself tonight, "wasn't I the guy who balanced the Canadian budget in the 1990's? Where did I go wrong?"

Election Talking Point we haven't heard the end of this one. "The prime minister has just cut a $4.5 billion deal to buy votes to deal with allegations of vote buying," he said. "So to deal with Liberal corruption we get an NDP budget. The way that this parliament is supposed to work, I guess, is what the Liberals don't steal the NDP gets to spend."

Classic English Obit: Earl of Shaftesbury

I've said it before, but if you could only read one thing on this earth, a decent choice might just be to read obituaries from England's great newspapers. They are classic, punchy, and often hilarious. The one for The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury is just one of those classics. (Via Andrew Stuttaford at NRO)

60th Anniversary to the end of WWII

Having just come from Europe and visiting a bunch of WWII sites in France and some in Holland, it is really good to see that the 60th Anniversary of the end of the war is starting to receive a fair amount of press and interest - today in the New York Times travel section for instance. The DDay National Museum has some cool sounding events set for both the VE and VJ anniversaries.

There are events around America scheduled and found at the WWII 60th Anniversary Committee site. Canada has events scheduled for the capital for May 8th's VE anniversary including the opening of the New Canadian War Museum.

North Van Construction Blogging

The Sausalito is one of the endless new buildings going up in North Vancouver. I walked past it earlier today.The thing is, these places are pretty much like everything else out there. Overpriced, although I actually couldn't find a website and price, and pretty generic. It's not like say something Ian Schrager built it, is it?

Obscure reference of the day

References to Tron are pretty cool too. Ah...1982, you're so hot right now.

Best. Contract. Ever.

Tim Wakefield has, literally, the best baseball contract I can think of. As long as he continues to pitch effectively he can pitch pretty much forever in Boston. And he did it without being a greedy bastard either. $4 million for 2006, and an option for 2007, oh and one for every year after that, so long as the Sox want him to play.

That's just pretty cool.

Bacon Saving State of the Maple Leaf?

You know, say what you will about the whole sponsorship debacle that the Liberals are neck deep in right now. But I have to say Paul Martin taking the fight right to the people and addressing the nation, while side stepping the House of Commons, is a great tactic. The fact that the opposition are slamming it, well, that pretty much describes how effective it just might be.

I'm not sure what's more interesting. That a PM hasn't done this since 1995 - before the referendum - or that it won't be a resignation, a dissolution of government, or election call? Gee, I hope it's something fun... It would also be cool if there was white smoke and a conclave at some point.

Random Tuesday Musings

• Well, the white smoked sealed it. A new Pope today. Some looked pretty psyched, some aren't. Cough. Andrew Sullivan.
• Worst. Direct Mail. Ever. You stay classy Conservative Party. Biggest chance in over a decade to reclaim power, and they send out a shoddy black and white direct mail piece. Could we borrow Karl Rove for, like, 10 minutes at some point?
• Wes Anderson animation film in pre-production? 2006...booo!
• Commercial war of insanity continues. Okay you've seen the Anderson Dasani stuff right? And the creepy Burger King spots? A must. But the new Skittles commercial featuring man-sheep? Awkward...(see it here)
• This one's for my Dad. Did I happen to mention how much he love the Peugeot 307 we drove while in Europe. You can see the latest tv spot with this magical car at Boards. Let's be honest, this ain't no Bentley.
• Election fever hits B.C. And the candidates in my area are off... Incumbent Katherine Whittred is all over the issues in a poorly chosen yellow shirt. But the NDP's Craig Keating's is off and running too. These canned party websites are terrible. What's the point of even having them? I'm sure there are some more deadbeats running too. Can't you feel the NDP fever? Leader Carole James in the new ad.

China: Home of the rip off cars

China takes piracy to a whole new level, blatantly ripping off car design. And I know that this will sound sort of smug, but I'm reading Friedman's The World is Flat and would be curious to hear what he might say on this sort of thing. He's been pretty hot on us competing with China and India, but I doubt very much that we should be doing this sort of thing. (Via Damian Penny)

Oxyrhynchus Papyri

Pretty damn cool to find some new Greek classic work that was previously unreadable. Via OxBlog.

Play Lists

I got another great selection for the IPod. That's right, the much anticipated IPod's finally came in for the whole company after about a month of ridiculous "debacles". Anyways it's pretty much the coolest thing. Ever. (And yet, the stock is still dropping. Why are you so cruel world. PS: Apple (Microsoft), enjoy your IPods, as Adobe begins it's long climb to take over the world, in Flash apparently.)

Anyway, my music Guru, GMac, you might remember him from my post about Bloc Party, turned me onto another hot album, this time in the form of Martha Wainwright. She's kind of a potty mouth, but resonates with a stunning selection of angry folk music.

Back

Wow. Where exactly does two weeks go? At any rate, I'm back. And not just back in Vancouver, because that happened two weeks ago too, but back here. If I don't post everyday call our 1-800 number and I'll gladly give your money back. Oh, wait this is, like, totally free. Never mind.

Full English Breakfasts

I've got some more pictures to post, but one of the highlights of the trip had to have been the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. It was excellent and a good starting point for a great trip with my father to many of the WWII sites in Normandy and even some WWI ones all the way into Belguim. Really I'd never really thought of going to Bergan Op Zoom in Holland before now - and it was worth the trip.

Cabinet War Rooms 

Good Enough for Hemmingway...

Spent a good part of Sunday at the famous “Les Deux Magots.” Well that's not quite true, since that was last Sunday. Didn't have much luck posting while in France and Belgium - but back to Heathrow and the wifi is coming in crystal clear.

Yes, it’s very smug, and thus so very French. If it was good enough for Sartre and Hemmingway – then, well, I guess its good enough for me. Listen, this is the kind of place that you picture when you come here – almost as if Plato had a perfect representation of Paris in some bizarre universe – this is certainly what you imagine.

Look left and there is the chain smoking French intellectual – is there something in the French that makes some of them look like they are always plotting to overthrow the government? Or is it the sound of the language? Look right – that is if you can stop for 30 seconds and put down that baguette stuffed with about 5 pounds of cheese – and you see all manner of people. Americans, Frenchman, and even more Frenchman.

Les Deux Magots