I think I forgot to write here. I have been writing a bit on the beer blog but the morning discipline of coffee and writing has dissipated in a sea of egg nog and fruit cake. There really is nothing happening. In Canadian politics, the opposition has decided to do what the nation tells it and is … read more »

Further reading does not alleviate my creeping concern that last week the Supreme Court extended a stricter standard upon publicly shared personal speech than it may have intended or than a citizen might like. While most read the rulings as some sort of victory for bloggers now being recognized as …

No question on this at all:  •  Why? The song has no introduction. The green. The only good thing that happened for Poloroid in the whole ten year span. The dream girl TV audience. The riding outfits on the backup Andre 3000s dubbed "The Love Haters." Like all good pop, it is meaningless so that … read more »

An interesting decision out of the Supreme Court of Canada recognizing "the defence of responsible communication" in cases of tortious defamation. I am going to have to read the ruling in more detail but the Court has extended the idea beyond journalism to include blogging including this passage … read more »

Things are winding down. A beer seminar given last night. A lazy day off today and take the banjo to work tomorrow. It'll be two weeks before I gear up for anything, though if the phones are quiet next week I may actually be productive. Lights are up, tree is up and presents may actually start to …

One of the greatest things about becoming an old fart is learning how much fun it is to be an old fart - especially at Christmas. You don't have to worry about trends, you really don't have to worry about even your appearance and you have a ready made target in all your half-baked humour simply by …

Maybe it's just like the memories of Christmastime from when I was a kid. The snows were deeper, the tree more packed with presents. But I also recall a time when Ministers of government actually stood down for events they were involved with - sometimes quite tangentially. Yet thoughts of …

Things get nutty. I finished the 2009 beer blog photo contest last night only to get an email this morning about forgetting to award three prizes. Santa never forgets. We also had the 2009 Kingston St. Lawrence Vintage Base Ball winter meetings last night and basically confirmed there will be a …

It is good to see Mr. Colvin - the diplomat who did his job, was ignored, spoke the truth as he knew it to a Committee of Parliment and was slagged by politicians for doing so - speaking up. Diplomats do not speak up. That is the point of being diplomatic:  •  The Canadian government lost track of …

Holidays are a time for eating crap and we all know it. Breakfast yesterday was over half a litre of coffee at home followed by the treats left around at work. Fruit cake is, after all, not that far off the start of a healthy diet, right? The lowly nut is still a nut when surrounded by chocolate …

...not all "Olympics yes!" The torch came through town last evening and the road show was both impressive and cheesy. All Coke and bank and Hudson Bay clothes branding, all 27 minutes of razzle (and even a bit of dazzle) before the show left town. Is it supposed to wind me all up for February when …

Interesting bit at the BBC's news site about the nature of a Dubai:  •  Although frequently described as a city state or even as a country in its own right, Dubai is a constituent member of the federation of United Arab Emirates along with six other emirates. Only one of these, Abu Dhabi … read more »

It is Yule. It is. It is. I am all a giggle. Most of the pressies are stashed already and the tree goes up this weekend. We're not one of those November tree families, you know. That is freakish. You have to wait for the cold to come and it came yesterday.  •  Amazing show of RCMP red serge and …

The Nobels are in a way a lot like the Olympics. A committee gets to define itself as important and place blue ribbons on others while Executive Directors sit in offices and adjust name plates. So it is with some relief that I read that Mr Obama has decided not to play out the entire role in the …

So I am driving to pick someone up at Pearson during a winter storm warning. Excellent. I wonder what the highway-side motels are like in Markham. Follow the flight cancellations along with me. Thrill to the ever changing road conditions.  •  Driving Tip For The Day Update: don't pass a plow like …

For a relatively unpopular guy at least socially speaking, Mr. Harper it has to be recalled rose to power on a wave of populism. The Reform Party was bring the polis back into politics, govern by referendum and make sure there was a red phone in every house with a direct line into the halls of …

People should be more about the Yule and less about the angstity Christmas focus and just admit it. By 9:07 am on the 25th of December there is that feeling you didn't get X and "why the hell did me get you Y!" It more fun to think about the shopping and the snack. We were across the border at an …

So late. So very late. If I were to get in the car right now it would be too late.  •  You know the curse is upon Tiger when Swedes mock - ""We probably thought he was a better guy than he is. I would probably need to apologize to her."I had to de-Facebook someone who went on and on about how the …

Would the Globe and Mail ever run a column with that title. Would it run the by line "Let's give Manitobans the future they desire and deserve"? Not likely. But we are subject to another slightly needy, ittybit insular column by the province of 10% that would rule us all about a conference to deal …

Thank God for the two year old. She wants farm toys... even if that does not include barnyard animals, a barn or a tractor when asked to explain. Maybe a good drainage system. But other than that, everything this year is digital. A better Mp3, DVDs, that sort of thing. Makes you long for the day … read more »

I really should go into newspapers. I am sure there is a future for someone who can whip off a catchy headline like that. What is it all about? People going around saying others are "Republicans in Name Only" which is a really sweet way to say "get out of my party potential voters and organizers" …