Doesn't February cling on this year, demanding one 24 more hours before we get to the month of hope? Well, February is half over as of noon today. I hate February. I really don't know why particularly as there never were exams or a rush to get a paper out. Never a particular drain on the budget or time. What else could it be?

• Election Readiness Update: even if I love all elections, I wonder if this one's timing is wise?

  The Conservative government expects that it will be defeated over the budget in early March, which means Canadians could go to the polls by early April. The government has apparently intensified its election readiness, believing it may fall during a non-confidence vote on March 4, the day of the Liberal amendment to the Tory budget. That could set an election date for as early as April 7. Sources told CTV News that Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has told party members he is ready to pull the election trigger over the budget bill, even though some Liberals are against the idea.

  I bet the Liberals lose a few seats...or many...but maybe the Tories do, too. I see no reason for change at this point given we have a centrist government just like the last centrist government. Needless to say, however, we are ordering the lawn signs promoting the GX40 way forward: "Change, Order, Hope and A Record To be Proud Of!!!"
• Forget February. Pitchers and catchers are reporting...even for Kansas City.
• I have started the call for a global rage for beer and pie festivals. Isn't it time to debate the fine points of lard and flour, whether leek or onion better does with that filling? I am guided in part by my recollection of the show Pie in the Sky but am ignoring all that gross obestity.
• The post-Christmas collapse of the Morton continues with them falling from mid-table to relegation. The manager has quit, too. You clearly are not doing enough, not taking on enough misplaced angst.
• Extremists. Aren't they getting to be a bore? I am not talking about the terrorist or flag burner but the unreasonable expectations of those who would control political authority. Consider, by way of comparison this op-ed nugget from The New York Times this morning:

  If I were advising the Republican nominee, this is one of the places I’d ask him to plant his flag. I’d ask him to call for a new human capital revolution, so that the U.S. could recapture the spirit of reforms like the Morrill Act of the 19th century, the high school movement of the early 20th century and the G.I. Bill after World War II. Doing that would mean taking on the populists of the left and right, the ones who imagine the problem is globalization and unfair trade when in fact the real problem is that the talents of American workers are not keeping up with technological change.

  What? A call to moderation and prudent focused hard work? When did we last hear that sort of stuff? Maybe something is changing. It was nice to see Larry King call Limbaugh an example of "the far right" last night during the McCain interview. The effect of the extreme exceeds any logical sense of their reach other than in their self-promoting vicitimized imagination. Without the looney left and the wacko right (and perhaps the Web 2.0ers, too) what could be done with the world?
• Hans has a blog and, unlike 99.99999999% of blogging, it appears to be clever. Brainy. I can't tell you any more about it as my experience is like 99.99999999% of blogging.