*WEDDING.BLOG.LINK*

So, PM Stephen Harper is acting on one of the Conservative Party platform promises, by announcing this week that he will introduce a bill for fixed election dates. He would really like to include legislation to have senators elected (instead of the current 'appointment' system), and he'd like to have them serve fixed terms as well.

I can think of a few (notably, they are important ones) where having fixed poll dates makes a lot of sense. Female politicians, for example, often lose some pretty important battles because of the physical and social demands of having children; this can be seen as an unfair advantage that men have in terms of being 'ready to go' at the drop of a hat, and women in politics would undoubtedly benefit from the increased foresight, and the life planning that would be possible, afforded by fixed poll dates. (I personally feel that taking this stand is a little too 'humans are animals'-ish for me. The issue here is how men are expected to participate in their family life - it's true that women are physically incapable of running for office while in their last trimester, but why are men considered so 'ready to go' when they have pregnant wives to care for, and jobs to work, and houses to run, financial strains, emotional strains.... I certainly wouldn't consider myself capable of running for office while expecting a baby.... anyway)

I can think of lots of reasons why fixed poll dates seem like the worst idea ever, too.

We all knew this was coming though. A few provinces do this already (BC, Newfoundland, maybe another) and I know at least the NDP support this initiative too. Maybe the other parties do as well.

Personally I think it's kind of stupid. Obviously the best example we have to look to for comparison is the 'States, where they have fixed federal poll dates. The CBC tells me that voter turnout there is at an all time low, and they're ranked one of the worst nations in the world in terms of democratic involvement of its citizenship - so let's not lie to ourselves about creating a more vibrant democracy by affording the populous foresight. In fact, I personally believe it will breed apathy. Perhaps this is Harper's objective. (this wouldn't surprise me after denying us the privelege of filming our soldiers coming home, and the way he's been treating the national press gallery which can only be described as assinine.)

I think it's the wild scrambling mind of an economist who thinks he sees years and years of minority governments ahead of him. He believes that in terms of government, stability is currency, and like a true economist he's changing variables around in order to maximize curency. This has nothing to do with the benefit of the state, or its people.

Fixed poll dates may truly be the way to go, but policy so powerful should be put in place because it is good policy, not because this jerk put together a slim minority parliment and wants to effectively hang on to the reins as long as possible.

I can see some good things coming from fixed poll dates, but I would have some serious provisions:

1. Motions of no confidence still bring the government down and send us to the polls. I think it would be hard to change this fact without altering the constitution. (I hope to God he's not planning on altering the constitution!)
2. Emergencies (war, famine, plague/disease, civil upheaval (like the native-Caledonia thing but bigger) mean there is no election. Perhaps a postponement clause like "government may choose to postpone until spring" or something...
3. Minority governments simply don't have to follow the fixed date. It's foolish to expect fixed dates to apply to a minority parliment, or you're effectively turning the minority into a majority. In fact, I don't think you've truly got a majority government unless you are up in the 60% range anyway, so maybe the fixed poll dates wouldn't apply unless the vote showed this clear majority.
   
4. In line with #3, Harper should have to give up his current government before any of this comes into effect. So far he's been talking like he's going to put this in and then hang on for 3 more years! F@CK YOU! This merely exposes the true objective of this plan (to gain/maintain power) and illustrates more clearly than ever before what a complete asshole he is.

I feel like I have lots more to say about this, but mostly I just want people to think about what fixed poll dates would really mean, and also what this move would symbolize, before we just go ahead and let Harper move this through the house.

I have lots to say on the topic of elected senators as well. We'll have to save that for another day I guess.

I will be on vacation from the interweb for a while. Until Monday, actually. And even then I'll be in training and will probably be posting very infrequently.

I will be consumed with the finer things of vacation:

• Car Audio System Competitions
• Princess Teas
• Strongman Competitions
• An Idol Competition
• Dessert Contests
• Fireworks (!!)
• Fair Rides
• Parades
  
• Beer
• Friends
• Possibly come sweet Cape Split action
  

I expect to come back tired but refreshed.

Check out this guy's bad luck!  He's got a bug stuck behind the glass of his Cinema Display. Not only is this a weird thing to have happen, but he put together a humourous video to chronicle the event.  Enjoy!

For any of my readers (Morgan....) seeking info on this new Nike/iPod shoe sensor running thing, here's the promo video that gives a demo of all the features.

I think this is a killer idea. There's chatter around the interweb that more partnership deals with Nike are coming, and I'm excited to hear what's next!

What with all the media buzz about The Davinci Code (movie) recently, what is a lowly webcomic to do, but create an homage to what was possibly the greatest code of all time: the Konami Code!

(bonus points to anyone who can correctly name the game they're playing - mind you they're small bonus points as it should be obvious, but bonus points nonetheless)

It seems that what we've been told about lactic acid in our muscles has been false all these years (over 100!).

The common misconception about lactic acid is that we produce lactic acid in our muscles as a by-product (waste) when undergoing strenuous excersize, and that the lactic acid 'burns' and will eventually force us to stop working.

Apparently this George Brooks guy has been trying to tell the world that they/we had it all wrong for the past 30+ years.

What's really strange about all this, though, is that eventhough we had it all wrong, the solution we came up with for dealing with lactic acid production (namely, endurance training as a mechanism for improving almost all performance metrics) also turned out to be the best way to work our muscles out. The linked article claims that this was mainly discovered through trail and error, and thus the disconnect with the scientific theory about lactic acid. Great stuff!

That's right folks - with nary a keynote or media event, Apple sneakily introduced the iBook's successor this morning, the all new MacBook.

Behold its Core Duo goodness, its patented MagSafe power connector, the triumphant return of the latchless closing mechanism, a lovely bright(er) 13-inch display, built-in iSight camera, built-in wireless, built-in front-row, and the optional BLACK exterior. Goodness me.

The prices are a little steeper than I would have wanted, but I'm stoked about them anyway.

I think these are sweet machines.

Our brother Danni H. has recently been accepted to study to become a medical professional at a school in Kingston, and I think we should all take a minute and congratulate him.

Way to go, homeboy!

In the US, the giant telcos are trying to make the internet into their own private networks. Which is both sucky and stupid.

PLEASE check out SaveTheInternet.com - read their literature (esp. this FAQ) and watch some videos (The Ask-A-Ninja one is especially humourous).

Make no mistake - Net Neutrality WILL be an issue in Canada. To be honest I imagine the telcos/cabcos are doing the kind of 'packet/traffic shaping' that makes this an issue already.

I'll be adding a button to the sidebar for these guys soon.

The man who was the principal of my elementary school when I was there, Mr. Brian James Eyre, passed away yesterday. It seems he had cancer.

He was a character, full of energy and by most accounts a bit of a wiz when it came to leading and organizing educators.

AND he had a real impact on the students he was charged with. So much so that folks like me feel compelled to grieve now, better than 15 years after having been in his care. So much so that my mother felt it was necessary to call and tell me before I heard through some other channel.

This is a real impact, and something I don't think I can understate. All of us Aldershot kids will certianly remember him fondly. Perhaps this is the way it is at every school, but that doesn't make it any less special.

Another great article over at Daring Fireball led me to this gem of an article on Freedom To Tinker (run by another JD, incidentally), which breifly describes the rights, as in 'copyright's, music media owners have in the states. He, in turn, quotes an article by Jessica Litman, author of “Digital Copyright,” from her law review article “War Stories,” 20 Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal 337 (2002):

Under the old way of thinking about things, copying your CD and carrying the copy around with you to play in your car, in your Walkman, or in your cassette deck at work is legal. Borrowing a music CD and making a copy on some other medium for your personal use is legal. Recording music from the radio; maxing different recorded tracks for a ‘party tape,’ and making a copy of one of your CDs for your next-door neighbor are, similarly, all lawful acts. The copyright law says so: section 1008 of the copyright statute provides that consumers may make non-commercial copies of recorded music without liability. Many people seem not to know this any more.

I'm not exactly sure how this rolls out in Canada. I do however know about this decision, and I suspect that if one were to dig around on Michael Geist's site they would find the relevant posts that describe the analagous laws to be nearly identical in Canada.

Another relevant decision was rendered recently regarding sharing music using peer-to-peer networks, etc. Guess what - that's legal too! (It's legal, as I understand it, mainly due to the 'copy media levy' we all pay when we buy blank media (tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc) (and I think burners too....) - don't oppose the levy, 'cause that's good shit)

This is important stuff to remember. We often allow companies/corporations/industry associations to walk all over us with their plans to make their business more profitable.

I admit that I buy songs from the iTMS, just like the next guy. When I need to, I rip the DRM off (using some tool or another) that allows me to exercise my rights over that material.

Try not to let the man get you down, that's all I'm saying.

There's all kinds of great stuff going on in the news today!

1. Light Travelling Backwards, At Faster Than Speed Of Light
   
2. A New GENUS Of Monkey!!
   
3. Darwin's Angiosperm Problem Solved (Finally!)
4. The Homebrew Tinkerers Are At It Again
5. Woz's Book Goes On Pre-order
6. A New Mario Game For GameCube!!

And here's (apparently) a great documentary on media piracy in Canada.

Enjoy!

God bless YouTube...

Here's a video of the Nintendo Wii/Zelda demo that was done this week at E3.

I had a hard time finding this last night for Morgan's mother, so I wanted a quick reference to it in the future.

I've mentioned this series of interviews/videos to some of you out there before. PLEASE go check out these hilarious interviews between Nardwuar and Snoopy.

What I love most about these interviews is that Snoop takes Nardwuar so seriously and handles everything in stride, despite the obvious strangeness.

Also, I love that the two of them sort of develop a bit of a 'relationship' over the years and they get to know each other a bit. Hilarious stuff.

I remember reading about this engine some time ago - before it was actually introduced - and thinking it was a great idea.

A supercharger to provide boost pressure at low engine speeds, and a more efficient and effective turbocharger for high engine speeds. Bravo VW!

It is common knowledge that Hanni and I believe the world's album namers have been without inspiration as of late, and we're (him more than I, admittedly) constantly seeking out good album names - more often than not, as they show up around us in our daily lives.

It seems that the electronic combo Underworld share a similar philosophy on album names, as their discography illustrates.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Posting has been lean lately, I know....

Some of you will already be aware of my SomaFM fanaticism, and it's getting worse.

The great folks over at SomaFM have put together two new stations to go with their already stellar internet radio lineup (which includes my favourites GrooveSalad and SecretAgent)

Space Station is bound to be popular among the existing GrooveSalad crowd, when you're in need of a change up.

Illinois Street (and I'm really excited about this one) offers some sweet sweet exotica, I think mainly from the time period when this type of music was popular ( late 50's thru 60's), and has really lifted my spirits the past couple of days. Definitely check this out if you can.

I'm behind a firewall here at work and can't seem to get the mp3 or aacplus streams to work, but the WMA stream sounds fine. I recommend the aacplus or 128kbps mp3 streams if your computer/connection can handle it.

I've been in training this week and busy as hell, so there hasn't been a lot of posting. Sorry. I have a few things I've been meaning to write about for a while now, but they'll have to wait some more.

In the meantime, here's some great news via the CTV website that should keep you going for a while: "Stephen Harper Eats Babies"