Canada in lockstep with the US on new fuel-economy and emissions standards for cars. The plan also calls for some kind of ridiculous emissions trading scheme.

35.5 mpg fleet average by 2016. Good luck.

Thanks Vit. I have discovered something maybe most know but there are other Luddites out there. When watching these vids if you put &fmt=18 at the end of the vid description the sound usually improves. I use a laptop with no external speakers and it makes a difference to me. As I am not a good typist I just stick it somewhere and paste it when I need it.

Equality on a rep by pop basis is going to be improved - finally.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2754729

It can be argued that its overdue - many ridings have grown very quickly since the last expansion. If the goal is to have the HOC be a rep by pop house - and it should be - then expansion is the only way to go as bothe que and pei have guaranteed minimum numbers 75 and 4 respectively. (the senate should Be a rep by province house (aka EEE) to counterbalance the potential (and historically actual) tyranny of the majority, but that is a point of discussion for another day).

Not surprisingly these new seats will have realpolitik repercussions. Here are the two of the most important:

1. The seats will go live in any election after mid 2011 at the latest. On live they will undoubtedly favour the CPC as these new seats will mostly be in CPC friendly areas just as the slow expansion of seats has disadvantaged the CPC in elections up until now. So, if the oppo parties want to have a better chance of defeating the CPC they have to try and trigger an election within the next 12 months. Their collective nuts are in a time vice as it were.

2. The new seats will severely weaken que's clout at the federal level. It is almost possible now for the CPC (or some other party in the future) to win a majority without any seats from que. This is a bloc-busting (pardon the pun) development. Que has exercised extortion tactics by voting nearly monolithically in the past to be a party's keeper and put it in majority power. Lately the bloc has only been able to prevent a majority and thus still have some swing.

But after this allocation their ability to do so will be greatly minimized. One more addition of seats - likely in less than a decade from now and they will have lost it completely. Once lost que's monolithic tendencies will rapidly disappear and seats will be decided on political grounds rather than cultural. And the BLOC will well and truly have lost it's reason for its existence.

No wonder duceppe is so pissed. And it should please federalists everywhere.

After the next addition of seats que will become just another province - not a kingmaker. And the consequences of this are incalculable.

gord tulk - exactly. Before, BC and Alberta had a combined population of 7.6 million; Quebec had the same.

BUT, BC and Alberta together had only 64 seats (36 and 28) while Quebec had 75. Now, with the 12 new seats, they'll have 76.

And the result will be exactly as you say, the gradual withering of Quebec influence on politics in Canada. No more will a majority require millions being handed to Quebec, and assurances of various socialist agendas to please the socialist agenda of Quebec, bilingual judges and so on.

Only a 'kept' people, who use other people's money, such as the public civil service (including universities) and Quebec, can afford to be socialist. A realist knows that other people's money will run out.

Lonnie Mack is the other guitarist. All three guys are killer players. Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton actually used to be room mates once apon a time. That boggles my mind. Oh to be a fly on the wall for their late night jam sessions.

Only a 'kept' people, who use other people's money, such as the public civil service (including universities) and Quebec, can afford to be socialist. A realist knows that other people's money will run out.

Speaking of which, big protest in Montreal over Quebec's latest budget. Organized by the public sector employees, natch.

Interesting... the capo on the neck... must have the instrument tuned several tones lower then capo to adjust. Looser strings, smaller frets...

Thanks Vitruvius!

shaken: according to my notes his capo in the 3rd fret allows him to play in the key of E and get key of G sounds, Key of C gets Eb sounds, and so on...
You're talking theory out of my league?

It's official, drinking water on the moon.

"Evidence Mounts for Water on the Moon"

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

"You gotta reap just what you sow..."

Amen! Thanks, Vitruvius!

For those who think that we, in BC, are mostly flakes:

Re. the ridiculous 'Earth Hour'...

"In B.C., the event this year produced disappointing results. Although the province prides itself on its green consciousness, electricity consumption declined by just 1.04 per cent on Saturday night, according to BC Hydro. That is half the impact that was recorded two years ago. (BC Hydro, ironically, profiled another cat in its Earth Hour media kit: Bundy the cat in Vancouver has been trained to turn off light switches.)

Mr. Penner suggested British Columbians have become complacent about their energy supply."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/earth-hour-cat-astrophe-for-bc-minister/article1516389/

"Aerogel is 99.8% air and 1,000 times less dense than glass yet it can withstand high temperature, is robust enough to survive a space launch and delivers 39 times more insulation than the best fibreglass."

Like ... really, who wouldn't want a toilet made with this stuff?

http://tinyurl.com/yac6rmp

TALKING HEADS once in a lifetime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-io-kZKl_BI&feature=related

"Interesting... the capo on the neck"

Texas thing. He would have got that from Gatemouth Brown. Another great Texas player. Check him out here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IajpfOPAjjg

Northern sea ice growth a fluke, not end of climate change: researcher.

He says skeptics should be careful to distinguish between weather — which is local and short-term — and climate, which covers broad stretches of time and space.

Just look out yer window, eh?

I love your choice of music.
I have thousands of CD's and many of them reflect the choices you make - in fact, many of them are tracks I already have.
Just great stuff.
Doug Finley

Somehow I knew Roy Buchanan would make an appearance on SDA LNR, I believe tonights selection is from the "Live Stock" album, my favorite.
Thanks Vit..

Scott Reid, of beer and popcorn fame, claims on the CBC that the conservatives pay bloggers.

Scott Reid of "Kill. Him. Dead." infamy? That Scott Reid?

"Supreme Court to hear case of potentially libellous links

Can posting a link to someone else's website constitute defamation?

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear the case of a former Green Party campaign manager who says it does.

An Internet law specialist says it's an important case that everyone involved in the web will be watching closely.

The top court on Thursday granted Wayne Crookes leave to appeal a British Columbia ruling which went against him in 2008."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100401/libel_online_100401/20100401?hub=SciTech

'Ol beer and popcorn himself.

Lest we think all the insanity is in BC- Congressman Hank Johnson with the query of the day:

http://americaswatchtower.com/2010/04/01/congressman-hank-johnson-worries-that-guam-will-tip-over/

“Benoît Corbeil asked me to contribute to the party, and he said that if I contributed to the party, the favour could likely be returned.’”
... I said: “That’s fine. How much did you give?”
He answered: “A lot of money.”
I asked: “Did you give a cheque and get a receipt”
He replied: “No, no, not at all.”
- “What do you mean, no, no?
He said: “No, no, I gave a suitcase full of bills in Benoit Corbeil’s office in Montreal.”I said: “That can’t be true.” “Yes, it’s true,” he said.

http://tinyurl.com/ycaorq3

It's cool to see Albert ('Snowcone' his most popular release) Collins along with Roy B, but the man who I like best is the man singing and playing the Gibson Flying V ... Lonnie Mack.

His unique sound comes from a rotating Leslie speaker unit which was designed for the Hammond Organ in particular and all church organs generally. There was a reason for the Leslie speaker and it has to do with the expansion and contraction of metal pipes and the Lord.

Is the poster @ 12:34 a.m. SENATOR Doug Finley or just someone with the same name?

'Speaking of Doug Finley, for whom kudos for opening the freedom of speech debate in the Senate, he has written a letter in response to Scott Reid's accusation that the CPC pays bloggers, categorically denying that the CPC pays bloggers but adding that "Conservative Bloggers have played a major role in winning two elections and consistently furthering the cause of the Conservative Party in the intervening months."

http://thealbertaardvark.blogspot.com/

Sheriff Joe introduces a new exercise program as only he can. Wanna watch TV?

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/04/01/20100401Joe-Arpaio-Pedal-Bikes-TV-abrk.html

Daily Split.

""Be a Right Reporter." Let us know about your city, town, municipality, county, province or school board and we may do a feature story on it!"

...-

"Do you support the dismantling of the gun registry? - Results

Yes - 96.69%
No - 3.31%

Total number of votes: 121"

http://www.dailysplit.com/

On behalf of Liberal Iffy/Rae: Ad$Cam Pyramid Scheme.

“The force saw the situation like a pyramid.”

Pyramid schemes: Swine Flu, AGW, socialism, Iffy’s Ad$Cam Liberal Party.

Ad$Cam's suitcases of cash.

Whose cash? Our cash.

"I gave a suitcase full of cash in Benoît Corbeil’s office, in Montreal.'“"

...-

"Inside the sponsorship scandal: How the Mounties
got their man

Part 1: Betrayal and Blind Luck — How Benoît Corbeil became the only Liberal brought to justice in one of the biggest scandals in Canadian history

Pulling up in front of his friend’s condo in east-end Montreal, Alain Renaud hopped out of his 2003 Ford Windstar with dinner in hand: a grocery bag containing linguini, scallops, butter and parmesan. It was a festive occasion, after all. Benoît Corbeil, his “petit frère,” was turning 44 the next day.

The two men dedicated their evening to cooking and banter. They talked about their daily lives – kids, buying furniture at The Brick, how bad the traffic jams were. And thanks to Mr. Renaud, they reminisced about the old days in Liberal Party politics.

But after a while, the birthday boy began to complain: “Geez, Alain, you’re getting annoying.”"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/inside-the-sponsorship-scandal-how-the-mounties-got-their-man/article1521009/

http://www.bluelikeyou.com/2010/04/02/harper-govt-must-be-doing-something-right/#comments

Minor Canadian nightmares, like hijaab covered faces roaming everywhere but not in Quebec and CRTC control of the internet..

http://www.andrewcoyne.com/

An interesting reminder....

[Quote]
The CRTC is thinking of regulating the internet. Seriously. It's even going to hold hearings -- sorry, a "consultation" -- on the matter. And while CRTC commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein claims "our intention is not to regulate the internet," it wouldn't be the CRTC if it didn't have regulation very much in mind.

So when von F. says “new digital technologies and platforms are creating opportunities for the broadcast of professionally-produced Canadian content that simply didn't exist a few years ago," and when he adds that the purpose of the exercise is "to gain a better understanding of this environment and, if necessary, to propose measures that would support the continued achievement of the Broadcasting Act's objectives," you just know where this is headed.
[/Quote]

[ Note: item is almost two years old. ~Vitruvius ]

I've got blisters on my fingers!

Great blues standard with great musicians.

You too ..eh?

Vit's made a good choice here...

I play Blues and R&B. New versions are always refreshing... can't help grabbing the gretsch, Squire Strat or Yamaha.

Ever hear Deep River Blues by Fretkillr [no e] on YouTube?... Compare to Doc Watson.. also on Y.T.

WOW.

Norm and music lovers...guitar nuts especially;

There are some delicious top notch pieces you may never see otherwise..

http://my.opera.com/T-G/blog/guitar-wizards-music-magic

or just Google TGsPlace

PS: Don't let Barbie distract you. She's really nice though.

It's Good Friday today. I've just come back from the Good Friday liturgy at my church, which was very moving and was a packed house from kids from 2 (months) to 92. 'You want to see a genuinely multicultural society? Attend a Roman Catholic liturgy.

Reflections on Good Friday and on being a Catholic Christian (from the Anchoress):

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125493179

James Joyce said about the Roman Catholic Church:
"Here comes everybody."

Jesus said about the Christian Church: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

"UAW membership fell to lowest figure since WWII"

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/02/report-2009-uaw-membership-fell-to-lowest-figure-since-wwii/

Al Gore's Weather (AGW): s-n-o-w?

But, but, Jones/CRU said ......

...-

"Rain And Snow Today May Change Flood Status

Environment Canada is now predicting Southern Manitoba will get hit with rain and snow today.
10 to 15 millimeters of rain for Winnipeg today and 5 to 10 centimeters of snow tonight.

Steve Topping is Executive Director for Manitoba Water Stewartship.
He tells CJOB they are watching the weather very carefully.

A snowfall warning has been issued for Winkler, Morden, and Pilot Mound. Those areas could get anywhere from 5 to 15 centimeters of snow today."

http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1214004