Insensitivity bordering on racism at Marlowe (and the food wasn't very good either)

I've stumbled across an incident that, if described accurately, is a shocking display of insensitivity. If it is any consolation to the Sikh gentleman who was refused service at Marlowe in Richmond Hill because of his turban, the consensus seems to be that he missed out on what would likely have been a very disappointing meal.

Has Belinda Stronach become an unperson in the Liberal Party?

Belinda Stronach is out of the Shadow Cabinet. Perhaps not a surprise, but the press release is interesting for what it doesn't say.

Melamine use standard practise in China -- Time to end this

The use of melamine as a means of selling substandard grain glutens as high quality stuff has been standard practise in China for years. Then so has been making soya sauce out of human hair instead of soy beans. And so is bleaching noodles white by using lead.

The list goes on. Time to cut the list short, I think.

It's happened; the human food chain has been compromised by Chinese melamine

Humans have eaten food contaminated by melamine. Does everything change now?

Farhan Chak tries to defend himself

Farhan Chak is snapping back. He is arguing that his prior views have changed and that the firearms charges were dropped. But that doesn't matter. When he applied as a Liberal Party candidate, he was obligated to tell the Liberal Party all this information. And it is clear that the Liberal Party did not know.

Canada to block Chinese grain shipments at the border

If a grain or soy derivative says "Product of China", Canadian border officers will assume that it's contaminated until proven otherwise.

Breakthrough on the pet food melamine contamination?

Scientists think they might be able to explain why melamine, a substance that is not known to be toxic, but that has been found to be contaminating pet food linked to the widespread kidney failures in pets, might have been responsible.

Conservatives demand action on Farhan Chak

In the first official response concerning Liberal nominee Farhan Chak, Conservative MP and Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, Jason Kenney, has called on Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion to denounce Chak as an extremist with a history of violence who has no place in Canadian politics.

Stephane Dion standing in for Team Martin?

A web page at the Liberal Party (Alberta) website for Team Martin refers to Stephane Dion. At first, I assumed that this was just a bit of confusion over routine website maintenance on the part of the person looking at the site, but now that I've had a chance to look myself, it seems like the confusion is on the side of the people tasked to maintain the website in the first place.

Is anyone listening to Diane Marleau?

If the Liberals want to win the next election, they have to stop talking to the media. Or so says Diane Marleau. I guess some Liberals are more interested in other things than winning.

Did Farhan Chak, who is now out of town, discharge a shotgun into a crowded club?

Given the information dug up by Kevin Libin at the National Post, Liberal Party candidate Farhan Chak is a poster boy for gun control.

Is Liberal candidate Farhan Chak a nut with a gun?

Was Farhan Chak, Liberal Party candidate, charged with discharging a firearm in a nightclub? Some people would think his opinions would classify him as a nut. Would this make him a nut with a gun? And is he enjoying the protection of Stephane Dion's people?

The Cost to Flick Off

The Flick Off campaign has cost $500,000, and will cost more for T-shirts, rings, action kits, and so on. But in this Web 2,0 world, there are online costs to this global warming campaign that a lot of people think was not well thought out.

Liberals accuse Conservatives of sodomy?

There have to be limits to what is acceptable political criticism in this country. The Liberals seem to have crossed that line through sheer incompetence.

A politically motivated war crimes complaint?

Michael Byers, a professor from British Columbia, wants foreigners to pass judgement on Canadian officials and soldiers, hoping to find them guilty of war crimes.

Conservatives look confused and befuddled

They say that in an emergency, it is panic that kills. The Conservatives need to stop looking like they're on the verge of panic.

China denies poisoning pets, and promises not to do it again

China has blinked, and though unwilling to admit to being the source of the problem that has sickened and kill thousands of pets who ate contaminated pet food, government officials are promising to fix the problem.

Trusting Jean Chretien with an important mission

Stephen Harper has asked Jean Chretien to represent Canada at Boris Yeltsin's funeral. It's a good choice, because in many ways that are most important, Jean Chretien is a trustworthy man.

Moving to full content feeds

The prevailing wisdom has been that by offering a feed of teasers, more content is driven to a blog. But the evidence suggests that this is not the case, that more traffic will come if all the content is offered, and that there is more traffic to be had from even further search engine traffic.

I'm going to see for myself.

What would motivate a person to cheat the RCMP more than once?

Testimony at the Purblic Accounts Committee alleged that Dominic Crupi continued arrange for sham contracts relating to the RCMP Pension Fund to be directed to a select group of contractors. This after Crupi had been caughting cooking the contracts already. You have to ask yourself why Crupi would take on such a risk. The most obvious answer is startlingly clear.

Amir Attaran and Michael Ignatieff -- Making sure Canada is blamed for what happens to the Taliban

Amir Attaran, a vocal critic of Canada's treatment of Taliban prisoners and of the Canadian government, has a deep and personal relationship with the Liberal Party. Are his attacks motivated by his academic background, or are they partisan political attacks scripted by the Liberal Party?

Stephane Dion buys kudos from environmentalists fearful of accountability

Follow the money, and suddenly it becomes perfectly clear why Canadian environmentalists are so happy to heap praise on Stephane Dion, who as environment minister was an unmitigated disaster. And why they are happy to blame Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the mess that Dion left behind.

Garth Turner rewrites the history of the 2006 Afghanistan vote

Garth Turner's strange self-contained world only gets stranger. The Liberal MP recalls how most Liberals supported the Afghanistan mission extension last year. Oddly, I always thought "most" implied at least more than half, and not less than a third. But in Garthiopia, math runs by a different set of rules.

Social bookmarking decision -- going with Facebook

One of the things I've been experimenting with is different forms of that Web 2.0 phenomenon, social bookmarking. I've decided that there is only one that seems to be working for me.

More pet food recalls coming, as well as lawsuits and legislative changes

News that another importer got melamine-contaminated rice protein from China means that there are almost certainly more pet food recalls coming. That means more lawsuits, and that means more impetus for legislative changes to the patchwork system of food inspections currently existing in the United States.

Is Stephane Dion getting campaign advice from France?

Just one of those bizarre sets of coincidences that almost certainly doesn't mean anything. But it's fun to follow the links.

Farhan Chak's views in focus at the National Post

Farhan Chak holds some strange views for a person running for political office in Canada. Running for the Liberal Party, he is an apologist for terrorists and a promoter of conspiracy theories that shift the responsibility for terrorism onto Western governments. Jonathan Kay has written an editorial in the National Post that holds that, in Canada, the concept of multiculturalism requires us to nod our heads when faced with such nonsense, lest we be labelled as cultural atavists who pine for the good old days of colonialism.

The Western Standard on the Stolen Files

When the Liberals found those Conservative personnel files, they must have been ecstatic. A juicy scandal hidden somewhere among them, and no one would spend much time worrying about how the files came into their hands. But instead, a year later, Liberals are falling onto each other, pointing fingers and casting blame.

Stephane Dion's brilliant Taliban concept

Stephane Dion wants to bring the Taliban to Canada. No. Really.

Stephane Dion is a very different leader in Garthiopia

Garth Turner, Liberal MP for Halton, thinks Stephane Dion is a leader who listens, who comes to decisions by consensus, who isn't dictatorial, who values the input from his MPs. Well, the rest of us don't live in Garthiopia.

RCMP Pension Scandal and Adscam

Enjoy these quotes leading from the RCMP Scandal to Adscam.

Just how much trouble is Elizabeth May in with the Green Party?

Has Elizabeth May ignored the wishes of her party membership when she entered into a deal with Stephane Dion? The Liberals won't run a candidate in Central Nova against May, and in return, the Greens won't run a candidate against Dion. Not only that, May will endorse Dion. But there is some debate about whether Elizabeth May was allowed to make such a deal, and even if she was, whether the Green Party membership voted with the intention to not allow such deals.

Jack Layton on the phone with foreign leaders, pushing for help to change Canada's foreign policy

In an act that brings into question the word "loyal" in the title "Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition", Jack Layton is bragging about opposing government policy outside of the confines of the House of Commons by calling up dozens of foreign leaders and arguing that Canada's presence in Afghanistan must end. He admits to seeking outside help to change Canada's foreign policy. The fact that the Canadian public rejected his appeal to vote for the NDP in sufficient numbers to make it possible for Jack Layton to make that change through the mechanism of Canada's parliamentary democracy is just a minor sticking point. If Canadians won't change Canadian government policy, then by golly Jack Layton will find someone else who will.

Maybe these Greens have a point with the 100 Mile Diet

With the pet food recall situation getting worse, not better, maybe we need to reconsider the risks inherent in the large scale importation of food. With that in mind, consider the value of a Green idea, the 100 Mile Diet.

The Must-Hear CBC Radio One report on Abotech and RCMP Pension Scandal

In December of 2005, CBC Radio One aired a two-part report on Abotech and Liberal MP David Smith. All the pieces linking Abotech to the RCMP Pension Scandal were mentioned, but at the time, the scope of the scandal had yet to be fully recognized. Now that it has, it's time to listen to that report again.

RCMP Pension Scandal widens; Abotech on the radar

David Smith's firm Abotech will be the subject of questioning aimed at former Liberal Party cabinet ministers as the investigation into the RCMP Pension Scandal moves forward at the Public Accounts Committee.

Chinese learning about the food contamination via the web

Chinese authorities are maintaining the position that their country's food exports are safe, and not responsible for the pet food melamine contamination that has been detected on three continents. Meanwhile, the web is acting as a conduit for information, getting around Chinese censors.

A third contaminated food from China, human foods compromised

More Chinese food is contaminated. More animals are getting sick. Evidence people might have been exposed. And high-level rumblings of a wide-ranging ban on Chinese agrcultural imports.

Deliberate use of dangerous fertilizer directly on food products?

The FDA is considering the possibility that foreign substances are being added to Chinese foodstuffs in order to falsify protein content readings and other factors that would then increase the value of the product.

Mark Holland has a problem with the truth

Mark Holland has two statements on his website -- each depicts a different set of events. One must be a lie.

Killer Michel (Mikhail) Drachev picked up in Toronto

A vicious killer, Michel (Mikhail) Drachev, featured on America's Most Wanted, has been picked up in Toronto.

Latest poll shows Conservatives ahead of Liberals by 10 points; no election coming

Mike Duffy on CTV's Mike Duffy Live discusses the as yet unreleased poll numbers from Ipsos Reid, and reveals the inside scoop on the chances for an election this summer.

Garth Turner hopes we'll forget about his stand on Kyoto

Garth Turner's confusing stand on the environment. Captured in print, no less.

Gerrymandering fop who can't order a pizza

Two laugh out loud videos for you to check out. Starring Stephane Dion!

Note: Stephane Dion does not appear in these videos.

Green on Green fight to define internet liability

A fight between elements of the Green Party being played in in British Columbia might define the level of responsibility shared by bloggers, commenters, and service providers for things written online.

Liberals are waiting for Canadians to fund the next leadership race

You can hear a lot of rumbling about a move to replace Stephane Dion gaining in popularity. The only thing keep the knives sheathed is the election many think will come soon, with no one in the Liberal Party wanting to go into an election immediately after another leadership race. That's not quite right. The Liberals need the election loss to happen first in order to fund a leadership race.

Stephane Dion and Farhan Chak -- the question that will never be asked

A scrum question I'd pay to see:

Intrepid reporter: Monsieur Dion! A question please. As a citizen of the French Republic, are you personally offended by the position taken by your candidate for Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont, Farhan Chak, who seems to deny that Algerian Islamic fundamentalists exist or were responsible for massacres in Algeria and attacks on French citizens in North Africa and in France itself, but maintains that shadowy groups within the French government itself perpetrated these atrocities? As a Frenchman, do you have a response to Mister Chak's allegations painting France as a sponsor of terrorism?

Monsieur Dion? Monsieur Dion?

Not likely.

Garth Turner's cable channel confusion

Garth Turner is a Canadian politician. Quick, someone remind him!

Liberal Party candidate Farhan Chak and his views on terrorism and a few other things

Sometimes you come across someone who wants to seem so reasonable, that you just have to check on what he's really all about. Farhan Chak is one of those people. He is one of the newest members of Stephane Dion's new Liberal Party and a supporter of Dion's during the Liberal Party leadership race. His views on Stephen Harper and on the Western media and on Islamic fundamentalism make for interesting reading.

Jack Layton is not a hypocrite

Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, is upset because NDP leader Jack Layton makes time to talk to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but hasn't returned her calls. Obviously there might be many reasons, but one of them is not hypocrisy. Stephen Harper is an elected MP and the head of a group of MPs with party status in the House of Commons. Elizabeth May is neither. Of course that means they'll be treated differently when it comes to discussions on politics.

Svend Robinson off to France; Canadian jewellers breathe a sigh of relief

Svend Robinson has announced he is off to France to work for Public Service International. Though jewellers across Canada hailed the move, I am disappointed by what this says about Svend Robinson's dedication to democracy.

ebay phishing hack collecting user names and password

An ebay phishing hack is collecting login information. Interestingly, the phishing page is reached from a hacked ebay page, which is something I've never heard of before.

Update: Apparently you can add Java to your auction page, and ebay will happily serve that page up. Sheesh!

The new Liberal Party website gets a thumbs up

The Liberal Party has rolled out a new home page. It's a nice piece of work.

Stephane Dion is embroiled in Wienergate

Stephane Dion tries to show just how down to earth he is by eating a Kelekis hot dog. It takes a special kind of elitist to flub something as simple as that.

Stephane Dion is just that sort of special.

Update: A written account of the photo-op. Not very successful, as it turns out.

The subtle plan to unite the left based on turning the NDP into a newspaper

Jim Laxer, a political scientist and a major figure in the NDP, thinks the way to unite the left is to have more left-of-centre parties. Or something like that. OK, I admit it. I didn't get it at first. But the more I read about Comrade Laxer's plans, the clearer they became. He wants Canada's left-of-centre parties to align behind the Liberals. Jack Layton needs to stop asking for people to vote for him and have the NDP act more like a newspaper instead. Trying to win seats by giving voters a choice is threatening democracy.

Darn it. I'm confused again.

Pet food situation takes a turn for the bizarre

Another brand of pet food is being recalled, and again it is for melamine. But before you think that this confirms the melamine theory, there are so many differences between this situation and Menu Foods that one would think that this eliminates melamine as the culprit.

The Dion-May dynamic

Maybe Elizabeth May was hoping for the credibility that comes with being elected to parliament, but even with Stephane Dion withdrawing the Liberals from the riding of Central Nova, not too many people are holding out much hope for Elizabeth May against Conservative Peter MacKay, including most Liberals.

And in return for this near-guaranteed election loss for the Green Party, Elizabeth May is compelled to deliver a potentially credibility-busting endorsement of Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion as the best choice for prime minister at every opportunity.

Doesn't seem like a fair deal to me.

More pet food recalls as more animals show symptoms of kidney distress

The problem with pet food continues, weeks after the main culprit, Chinese wheat gluten contaminated with melamine, was taken out of the picture. Bizarre coincidence, a sign that the wheat gluten was more widely distribured than thought, or more disturbingly, that it wasn't the feed at all, and that the problem is still out there.

Green Party strategist Dan Baril resigns over deal with Liberals

Dan Baril, strategist for the Green Party, has resigned from his position (or was fired) because of his sharp disagreement with Elizabeth May's decision to strike a deal with Liberal leader Stephane Dion.

Franklin-Covey products on offer at Angry in the Great White North

As you've no doubt noticed, I've rolled some more advertising on the site. Nothing too intrusive, but I think it is every blogger's right to try and make a quick buck from all the toil that goes into blogging. Now banners are joining Google Adsense and Google Referrals. One particular set of banners, for products and services from Franklin-Covey, will be shown most often. There's a reason for that.

Gerard Kennedy was collecting $100 donations from Nova Scotia Liberals in Central Nova on March 22

Liberal party members don't have much hope for Elizabeth May to win in Central Nova. Her chances would diminish to zero, though, if it becomes clear that even as the Liberal Party was sending one of the most important members of the party, Gerard Kennedy, to Nova Scotia to collect large donations from Nova Scotian Liberals, the party had also decided that the money would not be used in Nova Scotia at all. And yet, that might be exactly what happened.

Liberal insider reveals Dion-May deal will allow Liberal Party to crush Greens across the country

According to Liberal blogger Jason Cherniak in a message to despondent Nova Scotia Liberals, the deal between Stephan Dion of the Liberal Party and Elizabeth May of the Green Party is a good thing. Why? Because it will enable the Liberals to bleed the Green Party dry of votes across the country. I wonder if Elizabeth May knows that this was Liberal plan. Worse yet, what if she does, but doesn't care, as long as it means she can her own seat in parliament.

The Earnscliffe Investigation: Flawed competitions, excessive payments, unnecessary work, and political connections

In a very long post, I review the Earnscliffe story going back ten years. I refamiliarize myself with the major players, the timeline, the allegations, and the unanswered questions. With the Conservatives initiating an investigation into the polling contracts, this might be of use in the weeks to come.

The title of the piece comes from Warren Kinsella's testimony to the Public Accounts committee. It describes what he thought of the polling contracts handed out by Paul Martin's Ministry of Finance.

Watching Canada's left attack itself

With Canada's left fractured, and with the Green Party becoming a new viable force, the viciousness of the attacks between competing left-wing parties is going to go up. It has already begun.

Angry makes a mistake, and Garth Turner calls him an idiot...twice!

I made a mistake, based on an assumption, and for that I'm labeled an idiot. A bit harsh, but then perhaps not. I've been called worse. The whole thing was rather silly, but out of it came an interesting comment from Garth Turner, Liberal Party member of parliament for Halton in Ontario. He doesn't seem all that interested in the overall opinion held by his constituents on the deal between Stephane Dion and Elizabeth May. That's an odd attitude for a member of parliament, don't you think?

Garth Turner supports Dion-May deal, which gives me an idea

Let's find a riding which would benefit both the Liberal Party and the Green Party to withdraw the Liberal Party candidate and endorse the Green Party candidate, as Stephane Dion has done for Elizabeth May in the riding of Central Nova.

Oh, I found one. Halton. And the great thing is that the current Liberal MP for the riding, Garth Turner, is open to the idea.

Update: I made a big mistake. Dresden is not in Garth Turner's riding. Thanks to Garth for pointing that out and calling me an idiot.

Shiela Copps' former campaign co-chair comes out against Dion-May deal [and is shut down]

Liberal Bryan Leblanc has started a movement to elect a Liberal in Central Nova.

But now the group, not even a day old, has disappeared. Silenced by Stephane Dion's people? Shut down by the owner, as it turns out.

Jack Layton and the NDP are the true target of Stephane Dion and Elizabeth May

Is Peter MacKay in trouble now that Stephane Dion has promised not run a Liberal candidate in Central Nova, and is boosting Green Party leader Elizabeth May instead? I don't think so, and not just because of his strength as a candidate. I don't think Peter MacKay is the target. The real target is Jack Layton and the NDP, and I think Jack Layton knows that.

A not-so-hypothetical question about Liberals supporting Elizabeth May

Some Liberals are looking forward to helping Elizabeth May. Is that even legal?

If I was a Liberal in Central Nova, I'd sue

The Liberal Party has been collecting money from Nova Scotians to help fund the election campaign of a Liberal candidate in Central Nova in the next election. Stephane Dion has decided that the voters in Central Nova don't deserve the opportunity to vote for a Liberal. Fair enough. But don't you think, then, that the Liberal Party doesn't deserve to hold on to that money?

Stephane Dion to be endorsed by al Qaeda fan

Stephane Dion is maneuvering to gain an endorsement from Elizabeth May of the Green Party. But the Green Party is the home to a candidate who cheered when thousands were killed in the 9/11 attacks. I wonder just what what lengths Stephane Dion is willing to go to for an endorsement.

Stephane Dion sells out Liberal voters in return for an endorsement

Stephane Dion has done something entirely unheard of in Canadian politics. He has bought an endorsement from a rival political leader, Elizabeth May of the Green Party, by selling out Liberal voters in the riding of Central Nova and agreeing not to give them a Liberal candidate to vote for. Apparently they will be good little Liberals and vote Green for Stephane Dion's benefit.

Or not. It doesn't really matter. Nor do the Liberal Party supporters of Central Nova. Stephane Dion has gotten someone to say he would be good prime minister.

More contaminants in the pet food detected even as China stonewalls

Cornell scientists have found a second contaminant in pet food sample. But they don't know what it is, or how it got there. Meanwhile the Chinese refuse to help, even as we learn about the high rate of rejection of Chinese food at US ports.

Stephane Dion explains why a culturally superior Quebec still needs the rest of Canada

Every time Stephane Dion opens his mouth, it seems to be his mission to explain just how much better Quebecers are than Canadians from the rest of Canada. I'm starting to think this is not a case of a clumsy politician. I think he is grossly ignorant of Canada beyond Quebec's borders, and that this ignorance shows through whenever he compares Quebec to the rest of Canada.

Quebec's flag as the Liberal Party's symbol of a strong Canada

The Liberal Party shows again how its priorities are all about Quebec through a remarkable image that talks about a strong Canada...with only the Quebec flag as the backdrop.

L’etat, c’est moi

Just a little curiousity about the way Canada's federal parties have set up their websites.

Angus Reid poll shows Tories trusted on environment over Liberals

An Angus Reid poll shows that Stephen Harper's Conservatives are trusted over the Liberals when it comes to the environment. And when you artificially change the rules of the game to favour Stephane Dion, he only barely squeaks out a win.

Meet me on May 9 at the Charlotte Room in Toronto

mesh 07 is going to include a panel on political blogging, but ahead of the May 30 conference, political bloggers are invited to The Charlotte Room to get the discussion started early.

Magna beats the Liberal Party with the Belinda Stronach news

Clearly Belinda Stronach has been in discussions with Magna International ahead of her decision to leave politics. It is also just as clear that Belinda Stronach gave the Liberal Party and leader Stephane Dion no heads up whatsoever.

Belinda Stronach quits, effective immediately, and Stephane Dion's leadership suffers another blow [update]

Belinda Stronach has announced her intention to quit politics, effective immediately. The means of her departure, and the presumed motives, can only hurt Stephane Dion just as he is struggling against the perception by Canadians of being an ineffectual leader.

Update: Is she staying on until the election, whenever that is? It's not clear.

Stephane Dion says non-Quebecers are simpletons

The first time Stephane Dion talked about how sophisticated Quebecers were politically, I was annoyed, since the implication was clearly that the rest of Canada is made up of political rubes. Then again, maybe that's not what he meant. But now that he has said it a second time, there is no mistaking it.

Stephane Dion thinks people outside of Quebec are simpletons.

Is Jean Chretien laughing right now?

Overheard at the Jean Béliveau reception:

Hat tip to Warren Kinsella for the photo.

Background: The Conservatives are announcing an investigation into the Liberal Party contracts with the Earnscliffe research firm.

Paul Martin's Earnscliffe contracts to be investigated

The Conservatives are launching an investigation into how the Liberal Party spent taxpayer's money on polling contracts. It was an area that was deliberately made forbidden territory by former prime minister Paul Martin when the Liberals set up the Gomery Commission to look into the Sponsorship scandal. Now we're going to get a light cast on this dark corner of Liberal government mismanagement.

Paul Wells' criticism of Rogers gets yanked...almost

Paul Wells at Maclean's criticizes the boss in front of the new employees, but the posting is quickly erased, never to be seen again.

Well, not quite.

Are militant Latino groups possible suspects in the pet food poisoning crisis?

Could illegal immigrants, or their advocates, be the ones behind the pet food poison crisis? Assuming this turns out to be a deliberate act, it is interesting to note that these groups have a particular rage aimed at America's population of companion animals.

It's very important to have pithy comebacks ready when you're in a fight

Dirty Harry Callahan has some of the best lines ever uttered by a hero in cinema history:

I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

If you are in a fight yourself, and you're looking the bad guy square in the eye, most of us would have nothing clever to say. But then sometimes the words just come.

Stephane Dion's election ravings rots a blogger's brain

Stephane Dion is constantly burbling on about how Stephen Harper is trying to trigger an election. Dion's ranting is clearly affecting the ability of people around him to think straight.

Is the FDA thinking that the pet food intentionally poisoned?

An ABC affiliate is reporting that the Food and Drug Administration is considering the possibility that the contamination of the pet food was a deliberate act.

Cindy Sheehan's Crawford Peace House riven by internal dissent

News from Texas about Crawford Peace House, Cindy Sheehan's base of operations. Apparently, there are questions being raised about where all the money went.

A link from Daily Kos is not much to brag about

Q: What could be more exciting than a link from Daily Kos?
A: Anything.

But then maybe I'm just jealous.

Nah.

Jason Cherniak makes the news again...and hurts the Liberal cause

Jason Cherniak's attempt to portray Prime Minister Stephen Harper as someone who enjoys the news about Canadian soldiers dying in Afghanistan continues to pay dividends. Now a column in the Ottawa Sun makes prominent mention of the ad, and the Liberals are hurt as a result.

Mining Google for low-brow humour (and nose picking videos)

Looking for a laugh? Don't forget to watch your visitor logs for Google searches hitting your site. It's fun to see what people are looking for online.

Does Joost mean watching TV alone?

I'm a Joost beta tester. Though the people behind Joost are interested in my technical evaluation of this convergence of television and the internet, I'd like to share some early thoughts about the Joost experience.

Dealing with the proliferation of social bookmarking with the Socializer

I've made a minor change to the social bookmarking scheme for the posts. Both bloggers and readers might find it useful.

Test driving MyBlogLog

You might have noticed a couple of new widgets on the right-most rail of Angry in the Great White North. They are toys provided by MyBlogLog, which is a serious attempt to build a community of people interested in blogging -- both bloggers and readers.

The Chinese government rejects any responsibility for the pet food poisoning

The Chinese government is weighing in on the pet food contamination that has been linked to imported wheat gluten. Not surprisingly, the Chinese are insisting they were not responsible.

Bob Rae and Bill Clinton fail to draw a crowd

Bob Rae is ill today. I don't know if it's the stomach flu or the disappointment blues from a failed public appearance last night with Bill Clinton, but Rae skipped out on an appearance with Stephane Dion as a result.

The real story behind the Vimy Ridge ceremony invitations

Let's look at the media coverage of the controversy over the Vimy Ridge ceremony invitations and the opposition spin, and then compare that against what really happened.

The weasel Jason Cherniak deletes his latest outrage...but doesn't get away with it

Jason Cherniak tries to portray Prime Minister Stephen Harper as some sort of callous villain who is enjoying the casualties being visited up Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Based on the violent reaction to his post, he failed.

Then he tries to delete the post and pretend it never happened.

He fails...yet again.

The poisoned pet food and a pesticide cocktail including melamine

The media seems satisifed to blame melamine for the deaths of cats and dogs who were fed contaminated food from Menu Foods. I think we're moving too quickly.

The Liberal Party Blog Conference Call -- two very different reviews

The Liberal Party hosted a conference call for bloggers. Of all the attendees, only two saw fit to blog about it. I find that very curious, especially since part of the message, apparently, was that their blogging should be supportive of the party...always.

One possible response to the Ontario lottery scandal

Lottery vendors stealing winning tickets from customers -- the enormity of the scandal in Ontario requires enormous action. I've got one idea.

Stephen Harper got off easy -- Imagine if Harper had said something about Jason Cherniak's weight!

Jason Cherniak is in a bit of hot water for slinging insults at the Prime Minister. Well, let me tell you that Prime Minister is a lucky man. Jason might well have accused him of bestiality, pedophilia, or of engaging in sodomy with a foreign object -- or all three at once! Jason's done it before.

In defence of our media

A lot of comments over the weekend made mention about our lazy main stream media. I'm taking issue with that point of view.

Did the RCMP raid the home of one of the people caught up in the pension scandal?

While I was working on the Abotech story, I got word of an RCMP raid on the home of Frank Brazeau. At the time, there was no obvious connection to the pension scandal that is now top news in Canada. Now looking back on it, the raid takes on a different complexion.

Is CTV the perpetrator or the victim of the Ben Mulroney April Fool's joke?

CTV is running a story about the son of Brian Mulroney taking on the son of Pierre Trudeau. Classic April Fool's hilarity. But I'm wondering just who is pulling the joke here.

And so it turns out I was the one completely fooled. D'oh!

Angry in the Great White North by Steve Janke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License. Based on a work at stevejanke.com.