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	<channel>
		<title>Progressive Bloggers</title>
		<link>http://www.progressivebloggers.ca</link>
		<description>Progressive blogs from Canada</description>
		<copyright>Copyright 2010</copyright>
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					<title><![CDATA[Politician Privacy Tip: Anything in Writing Can Be Public [was: WTF Giambrone?] (Informed on Information)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://informedoninformation.blogspot.com/2010/02/politician-privacy-tip-anything-in.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:59 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Informed on Information</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Um, yeah.  Big privacy tip for everyone - including politicians - anything you say in text or email or writing can be reproduced.  On a more technical note - everyone should learn to use encryption for files they don't want randomly searched by anyone who has access to your computer(s).  Even if they don't have access to your computer it is pretty easy to crack windows (and other O/S) passwords (see links below).As for Mr. Giambrone, this twitter comment I picked up via metronews.ca says it as well as can be said (for the record, I have met Adam Giambrone and think he is a good guy, after this incident, well...  read the twitter comment):"Giambrone can sleep with whomever: but I can't support a pol so clueless he SEXTS someone. What's next, a video with Paris Hilton? #votetoby maxvaliquette"free file encryption (open source, of course):http://www.truecrypt.org/all ur fileZ R teh miNe:(open source searches are listed first - again, i prefer open source software)google: open&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[On Adam Giambrone, morality vs. privacy, and the media as gatekeeper (A BCer in Toronto)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://bcinto.blogspot.com/2010/02/on-adam-giambrone-morality-vs-privacy.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:37 EST</pubDate>
					<author>A BCer in Toronto</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Reading the Toronto Star’s stunning tabloidesque story this morning that may doom Adam Giambrone’s Toronto mayoral bid in its infancy, a number of thoughts come to mind around  just how much we have a right to know about the private lives of politicians, whether such considerations should be relevant to our voting decisions, and the powerful role the media plays in deciding what is “newsworthy” and what isn’t.Myself, I wasn’t going to vote for Giambrone anyways, so these revelations don’t change that. His political experience, and inexperience, were enough for me to make that decision. Frankly, I’ve been underwhelmed, if not very disappointed, by what I’ve seen from all the mayoral candidates so far.Still, academically-speaking, are the revelations in the Diebel story relevant, do we have a right to know? That’s a tough one. I think politicians are entitled to a private life. As long as it doesn’t impact or interfere with their jobs, as long as it’s&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Another Wildrose Pickup? (BigCityLib Strikes Back)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/2010/02/another-wildrose-pickup.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:24 EST</pubDate>
					<author>BigCityLib Strikes Back</author>
					<description><![CDATA[He's the guy got booted from the Alberta Tories after he criticized the provincial government after it cancelled plans for a long-term seniors' care facility in Fort McMurray.  There's been speculation he might cross for at least a week or so now. PS. PS. Lynda Steele is hot.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Hillbilly Palm Pilot (DAMMIT JANET!)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://scathinglywrongrightwingnutz.blogspot.com/2010/02/hillbilly-palm-pilot.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:21 EST</pubDate>
					<author>DAMMIT JANET!</author>
					<description><![CDATA[I know I'm late to this party, but this cracked me up.They’re calling it the “Hillbilly Palm Pilot”.Sarah Palin’s detractors have been handed a new stick to beat her with: during her lucrative appearance at the first convention of the Tea Party, the former Governor of Alaska was caught sneaking a peek at notes she had scrawled on the palm of her left hand.The former vice presidential candidate breezed through a speech to delegates from the radical grassroots movement, mocking President Obama's heavy use of the autocue. “This is about the people. And it's a lot bigger than any charismatic guy with a teleprompter."Go read some excellent snark at Unrepentant Old Hippie and Canadian Cynic.If you enjoyed this post, our blog archives have many more.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Who's &quot;Politicizing&quot;? (Far and Wide)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://farnwide.blogspot.com/2010/02/whos-politicizing.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:13 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Far and Wide</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Start with a self evident truth- Stephen Harper, as champion of maternal health and protecting young children in the developing world is a CRASS FRAUD. Don't believe this assertion? I challenge anyone to find any text, from anywhere in Harper's career, where he has mused about these issues, as he did in Davos. Good luck.I'm slightly baffled at the attacks directed towards Ignatieff for introducing the "wedge" issue of abortion, interjecting this discussion into the debate, "derailing" a solid initiative, "politicizing" and "playing games". Bullocks. I believe it was Stephen Harper who used the word "pregnancy" during this out of the blue speech in Davos. Does anyone truly see this initiative by Harper as sincere? Do any of the Ignatieff critics not have the slightest doubt or cynicism about Harper's motives. In other words, are the outraged devoid of all reason and fair minded observation. I would submit, only a fool or a useless hack doesn't at least question the SUDDEN&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Senate reform (Scott's DiaTribes)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://scottdiatribe.canflag.com/2010/02/09/senate-reform/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:04 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Scott's DiaTribes</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s a wonkish-type post from me today on Senate reform, since there&#8217;s another poll out today (h/t Harperbizarro)that shows many Canadians in favour of an elected Senate. 
In my opinion, If you&#8217;re going to do reform, Harper&#8217;s piecemeal way isn&#8217;t the way to go (it may not even be constitutionally legal); you need to open [...]]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[This sort of crap.... (Dawg's Blawg)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://drdawgsblawg.blogspot.com/2010/02/this-sort-of-crap.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:08 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Dawg's Blawg</author>
					<description><![CDATA[...is one reason political culture in Canada remains stuck in adolescence. Shame on the Toronto Star.Adam Giambrone is the head of the Toronto Transit Commission, and he's just thrown his hat into the ring for the mayor's race. I am no Giambrone fan--I saw him in action years ago at a CLC convention, and found him too arrogant and ambitious, a young man for whom tactics seemed more important than principle. Nothing I've seen since has changed that impression. But all of these criticisms on my part are fair ball in a political context.It never even entered my head to fuss about whether or not he had a partner, or was getting some on the side.Irrelevant.But not to the prurient muckraker Linda Diebel at the Star, who broke the story. And judging from the comments she has attracted, the baying of prigs and Pecksniffian guardians of public morality has only just begun.Political stances? Leadership qualities? Track record? Vision for Toronto?Who cares?Why not publish a bunch of emails&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[When the going gets tough... (HarperBizarro)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://harperbizarro.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-going-gets-tough.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:04 EST</pubDate>
					<author>HarperBizarro</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Stephen Harper has decamped to Alberta. Sort of like that last week of the 2004 election campaign. At that time, in a pout because polls showed his victory slipping away, Harper spent inordinate amounts of time riding a bus around his home province.When the going gets tough...Harper gets out of the kitchen.Oh yes...and he does something to assuage his base of suppport...like helping his old friend Rob Anders.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Beyond reason and comprehension (Blast Furnace Canada Blog)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://blastfurnacecanada.blogspot.com/2010/02/beyond-reason-and-comprehension.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:50 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Blast Furnace Canada Blog</author>
					<description><![CDATA[This is simply beyond explanation. How the commander of an air force base, a Colonel on track to getting his first star as a general, well respected by the media and J-school students -- and trusted enough to fly the official plane of the Prime Minister, according to the Canadian Press -- not to mention a double major in political science and economics, how he of all people could be accused of double murder and double rape.What does it say about this world when "Maple Leaf&nbsp;One" (I presume that's the PM's callsign -- Executive One is that of POTUS when he flies commercial), who's made supporting our troops a rallying call -- one of the few things uniting Canadians even if the political undertones are misplaced -- can't even trust his or her own pilot?Presumed innocent until proven guilty, of course. But this is a huge black mark on those who serve the duty as "officers and gentlemen / gentlewomen".]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Reaching (Impolitical)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://impolitical.blogspot.com/2010/02/reaching.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:45 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Impolitical</author>
					<description><![CDATA[News of the Conservatives' latest brainstorm of Quebec strategery. Apparently, and you didn't hear it from me, Justin Trudeau supported Gerard Kennedy in the 2006 Liberal leadership race. In connection with that support, he may have made some unfavourable remarks about Kennedy's opponents, including one by the name of Michael Ignatieff. Shocking, I know. This, in the Conservative stretching, reaching mind, is worthy of an upcoming onslaught of ten percenter flyers in 20 ridings to play up these golden oldies. Courtesy of we the taxpayer, of course. The Conservatives' continued excessive abuse of these tools for their partisan self-interest rolls on.It's really quite something. Almost as if they're trying to hitch their star to Trudeau. Or something like that.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Sarah Palin the Palm-Reader (Le Daro)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://ledaro.blogspot.com/2010/02/sarah-palin-palm-reader.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:28 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Le Daro</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyMaybe she has a career as a palm-reader or future-teller. Keith Olbermann’s take on it. More on her palm-reading later.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Withholding FOI requests: In the Private Sector, that’s fraud (http://www.eaves.ca)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://eaves.ca/2010/02/09/withholding-foi-requests-in-the-private-sector-thats-fraud/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:25 EST</pubDate>
					<author>http://www.eaves.ca</author>
					<description><![CDATA[It was with enormous interest I read on the Globe's website about a conservative Ministerial Aide "unrealeasing" a document requested by The Canadian Press through an FOI request.
A federal cabinet minister's aide killed the release of a sensitive report requested under freedom-of-information in a case eerily similar to a notorious incident in the sponsorship scandal.
What [...]]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Under investigation (Accidental Deliberations)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://accidentaldeliberations.blogspot.com/2010/02/under-investigation.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:03 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Accidental Deliberations</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Following up on my earlier suggestion, it's worth noting that the Access to Information Act does include at least some offence provisions for individuals who deliberately withhold information contrary to the law - and that Christian Paradis' office is now under investigation. Which would figure to have some significant potential to jar some Con ministers out of their partisan-first attitude toward information management - and maybe give the PMO a bit of heartburn over its central command over department disclosures.That said, I'd still think there's reason to establish some more broad responsibility on institutional heads to take reasonable steps to prevent abuses. But it's good to see that the law as it exists is being applied.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[The Governement Is Prorogued But The Tory War Room Is Back (Bionic Liberal)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://iamiggyhearmeroar.blogspot.com/2010/02/governement-is-prorogued-but-tory-war.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:59 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Bionic Liberal</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Harper's AV minions are making good use of all that free time I see.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[On weak defences (Accidental Deliberations)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://accidentaldeliberations.blogspot.com/2010/02/on-weak-defences.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:47 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Accidental Deliberations</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Shorter Norman Spector:Some may have slammed Jim Prentice for attacking Quebec's vehicle emissions policy. But now the truth comes out: not only did Prentice single out Quebec for bashing without any particular reason, but he was also factually wrong in doing so. Take that, critics!]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[More on Information Commissioner investigating Paradis' office (Impolitical)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://impolitical.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-on-information-commissioner.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:36 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Impolitical</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Le Devoir (translation) has more today on the Information Commissioner's investigation that has been opened "...on the interference of the Office of Federal Minister Christian Paradis in a matter of access to information." Some details (from the translation): According to information obtained from reliable sources, the investigation of the Information Commissioner touches including Articles 67 and 67.1 of the Act on Access to Information. Article 67 reads: "No person shall obstruct the Information Commissioner or any person acting on behalf or under his authority in exercising the powers and functions conferred on him under this Act."Section 67.1 concerns the illegal modification of a document, the concealment of a document or even encourage people to commit acts that go against the law. A sentence of imprisonment or fines can be imposed. This investigation arises out of the facts in the CP reporting this weekend documenting their access to information request to Public Works,&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[More Harper lies laid bare (HarperBizarro)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://harperbizarro.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-harper-lies-laid-bare.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:09 EST</pubDate>
					<author>HarperBizarro</author>
					<description><![CDATA[David Akin reproduces a letter from Liberal Senator Jim Cowan to Harper Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. In a step-by-step dissection, Cowan eviscerates the Harper contention (aka lie) that the Senate has been holding up the so-called law and order agenda of the government. Only Harper has been holding up his agenda. The bold is mine:February 4, 2010The Hon. Rob Nicholson, P.C., M.P.Minister of JusticeDear Minister Nicholson,I am writing concerning several statements made by you on Friday, January 29 when defending Prime Minister Harper’s appointment of an additional five Conservative Senators. In the past 12 months, Prime Minister Harper has made an unprecedented 32 appointments to the Senate – the most Senate appointments made by any Canadian Prime Minister in a 12-month period since Confederation.I was puzzled to read press reports in which you defended the latest Senate appointments as necessary to allow your Government “to move forward on [y]our tackling-crime&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[$10,000,000 For A Beer Tent? (BigCityLib Strikes Back)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/2010/02/10000000-for-beer-tent.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:45 EST</pubDate>
					<author>BigCityLib Strikes Back</author>
					<description><![CDATA[The feds have been taking some flack for the Canadian Olympic pavilion in Vancouver and, yeah, it looks like a beer tent. But this site shows a number of the big pavilions for comparison purposes, and for the most part they incline towards the ugly. Alberta House resembles a bus shelter. Saxony House looks like a ginger-bread chalet. And what the hell is that?Its Irish House, and its definitely (and proudly) a gigantic beer tent.  Being right located right next to a pub (Doolin's Irish), it even allows you to simulate an old fashioned Belfast pub crawl, as made famous in Jame Joyce's Ulysses.  Just don't get nicked by the Bulls!]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Facebook Rage Onion Ring Version (Five of Five)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://rwmcbean.blogspot.com/2010/02/facebook-rage-onion-ring-version.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:02 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Five of Five</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Peer pressure and social media can be a force of intense trivialisation.So now I'm supposed to join 2-3 facebook groups per day to satisfy the demands of being a&nbsp;good network member. &nbsp;After I join and click the button, then what? &nbsp;Sit around and wait for&nbsp;messages, updates, witty banter. Do I have to do anything? Show up anywhere? Help organize something? Of course not it's&nbsp;just Facebook.Here's an idea I came up with. Put down the mouse and go do something&nbsp;useful in the real world. &nbsp;The one where you actually have to show up instead&nbsp;of clicking on an event you don't really plan to attend.Making an onion ring more "popular" than Stephen Harper implies that a) you have too much time&nbsp;on your hands, and or b) you can make people do almost anything on Facebook regardless of how trite, meaningless and time-wasting it is. Onion ring popularity is the activist's version of Farmville. &nbsp;Pardon me for believing that everything on Facebook is&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Quote of the Day (Rusty Idols)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://rustyidols.blogspot.com/2010/02/quote-of-day_09.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:08 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Rusty Idols</author>
					<description><![CDATA[“We all look up to the soldiers. This really is scary. It would be like finding out the mayor was killing girls,” said Chantal Jouan, 17.Having lived next to a CFB, I can't imagine what it's like in Trenton right now.  This is a family that has had a bomb go off at its center.The thought that a serial killer could have made it up and through the omni-present screening of the officer ranks to the rarefied atmosphere of CFB Commander is going to be devastating for morale both among the troops and among the civilian communities that live alongside the troops. They're going to need our support.sdnxry5z7g]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Translating Kinsella #5 (spurs)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://actsofcitizenship.blogspot.com/2009/12/translating-kinsella-5.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:21 EST</pubDate>
					<author>spurs</author>
					<description><![CDATA[During my usual morning strolling about the web, I am astonished to find out that our parliamentary democracy is in trouble. After all if Coyne and Kinsella are in agreement, it must be true.  The obvious response is, where the f*ck have the two of you been? Our democracy has been thinning and receding longer and faster than has Kinsella's hairline?  On the subject of thinning democracies, I wonder how many people read last week about Dr. Milner's (a political scientist: you know someone who knows something about political science) report charging Canada's political institutions with being among the most dysfunctional of any in Western democracies. From Fair Vote Canada:Canada has replaced Italy as the prime example of unstable and ineffective political institutions, according to Dr. Henry Milner, writing in the just published winter/spring 2010 issue of Inroads: The Canadian Journal of Opinion. As he puts it:"Political science undergraduates used to learn about Italy as the&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[“Sarah Palin is a F*!king Retard” – Colbert (Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://saskboy.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/sarah-palin-is-a-fking-retard-colbert/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:13 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Sarah Palin has a child with Downs Syndrome. She&#8217;s criticized people in politics and the media for using the &#8220;R-word&#8221; &#8211; retarded. She defended Rush Limbaugh&#8217;s use of the word though, when describing &#8220;liberals&#8221;.
Since she said satire is okay, Stephen Colbert nailed her for what she is, a person lacking enough intelligence and experience to [...]]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Sex, whatever.  Bad manners offend me. (Bowie's Blog)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://jamesbowie.blogspot.com/2010/02/sex-whatever-bad-manners-offend-me.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:09 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Bowie's Blog</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Who gives a crap about Adam Giambrone's filthy text messages? Really. Who? I want to know, because I want to talk to them, and ask them about their text messages. Seriously.If this "issue" has any effect at all, I'll have to understand that Toronto is a much more puritanical city than I ever imagined.I even heard that a female councillor was seen in public wearing short sleeves. Perhaps the Toronto Star will cover that next?Jeff has a pretty good sniff test for when evidence of sexual conduct should be reported in the press in his post, linked above. For the life of me, besides selling newspapers (which I'm not even certain this junk piece will accomplish), I can't see how this qualifies as "news."If there is a story here, for my part, it's that Giambrone apologized at all. I don't live in Toronto, so I never even contemplated voting for him before, but anyone I would support would have the good sense to tell the media to mind their business. These are questions that neirther&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[The Big BOO (Excited Delirium)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://www.exciteddelirium.ca/2010/02/09/the-big-boo/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:05 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Excited Delirium</author>
					<description><![CDATA[A massive Big Boo at the opening of the Winter Olympics will remind Stephen Harper that Canada is not his.  It will also prove to the world that we are unhappy with our dictator.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Senate Reform: Elect of Abolish? (Borges' Blog)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://allpeopleunite.blogspot.com/2010/02/senate-reform-elect-of-abolish.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:59 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Borges' Blog</author>
					<description><![CDATA[A recent opinion poll reveals a sharp divide between the ROC and Québec over their views for the future of the Senate. Most of the Rest of Canada wants to see the Senate elected, with figures at around 60 percent, and higher in the Western Provinces, while the people of Québec seem to mostly want to see it done away with completely, with 46 percent favouring this option.Besides the gap of opinion between what is the best option, there is also a difference of views over how any of these options would be implemented. Most Québécois are arguing that any change to the Senate would need some sort of Constitutional amendment, requiring the support of at least 7 of the provinces, while many others outside Québec see it as a matter of legislation.One thing is clear, both the ROC and Québec want a radical reform to the way the country is governed, they want a clear-cut break with the appointed Senate and the lack of control they have over the Upper House. The Senate as it stands is&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Interesting, Thought-Provoking Art from Nikol Drouin, the Voyeuse (Recreating Eden: Mary Soderstrom's Blog)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://marysoderstrom.blogspot.com/2010/02/interesting-thought-provoking-art-from.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:47 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Recreating Eden: Mary Soderstrom's Blog</author>
					<description><![CDATA[My friend Nikol Drouin will open an exhibit of her work next week at a galley on St. Lawrence.  I had the opportunity to see a sample of it a few months ago and was bowled over.As she explains on her website:"This series of images began in December of 2007 when a friend lent me his brand new, professional-quality digital camera . My first experience with the camera produced a series of images representing full-figured women inspired by the works of Renoir and Degas at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris as well as a fascinating visit to Pigalle's Musée de l'érotisme. Hence, the "Elle" series began, addressing modern-day expectations with regards to female body image, eroticism and identity. "That the nudes she presents are not perfect is all the more provocative, since bodies age and suffer but remain passionate.  Like the  photo of Chico Buarque I posted recently, beauty should be courageous enough to contemplate the passage of time and fortune.A must see:  Nikol DrouinVoyeuse17-24&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Council of President -- 2010 LPC(O) AGM Report (Mortons Musings)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://jmortonmusings.blogspot.com/2010/02/council-of-president-2010-lpco-agm.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:37 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Mortons Musings</author>
					<description><![CDATA[http://tinyurl.com/y9tzsoc]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Australian Ross Watson celebrates gay heroes and icons (Gay Persons Of Color: An Eye On The Gay Worlds Of Color)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://gay-persons-of-color.blogspot.com/2010/02/australian-ross-watson-celebrates-gay.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:34 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Gay Persons Of Color: An Eye On The Gay Worlds Of Color</author>
					<description><![CDATA[If you're lucky enough to be in Sydney for Mardi Gras 2010, which runs from 19 February to 7 March, you can also check out the Depot Gallery, Waterloo, for Australian contemporary realist Ross Watson's latest exhibition, Classic De Novo II, a diverse collection of portraits of gay icons and role models from all walks of life. Showing from 23 February to 6 March, the exhibition juxtaposes recognizable contemporary figures, like Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters (below) and Olympic gold medalist diver Matthew Mitcham, with recreations of classic works by masters, including Ricci, Caravaggio, van Ruisdael, and Vermeer.Born in 1962, Mr. Watson has been exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions since 1984. His work has been critically acclaimed, both in Australia and internationally, and is held in numerous collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, and the Sir Elton John Collection, United Kingdom.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[People that I know: the voice actor edition (Nunc Scio)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://www.nuncscio.com/2010/02/09/people-that-i-know-the-voice-actor-edition/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:30 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Nunc Scio</author>
					<description><![CDATA[A Voice Pro student goes for it in the recording booth
As someone with very few interesting traits &#8211; and a variety of profoundly boring ones* &#8211; I am fortunate to have made the acquaintance of a variety of very engaging folks. It occurs to me I should write about them more, so I&#8217;m going to [...]]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Distributed Solar Power Lights the Future (ThingsAreGood.com)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://www.thingsaregood.com/2010/02/09/distributed-solar-power-lights-the-future/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:26 EST</pubDate>
					<author>ThingsAreGood.com</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Large solar power installations require a lot of space and a lot of approvals. As a reaction to this, smaller solar power installations have been approved and placed close to transmission centres. This is a more reliable and sustainable energy network than what existed before.
Over the past few weeks, some 1,300 megawatts’ worth of distributed [...]]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Canada 2.0 – The Satirical Masses (Pop The Stack)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://popthestack.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/canada-2-0-the-satirical-masses/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:12 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Pop The Stack</author>
					<description><![CDATA[You gotta love Canada.  We are a humble people but we are also a deeply funny and self-effacing people. The latest political trend involves a deep fried ring of onion, a Prime Minister and the spicy dipping sauce of Facebook protest.
The aforementioned onion ring, a very tasty looking one I must say, recently became a [...]]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition (liberal catnip)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://liberalcatnip.blogspot.com/2010/02/extreme-makeover-blog-edition.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:50 EST</pubDate>
					<author>liberal catnip</author>
					<description><![CDATA[

I'll be formatting a new template for my blog today and will be reverting to Blogger comments since Haloscan is now switching over to Echo and I really can't be bothered to join them at this point. Unfortunately, all previous comments made via Haloscan here will be lost. 

Apologies in advance if you experience any glitches while I'm working on this. Please wait until the new template is up to comment. Thanks.
&nbsp;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Search engine referral win. (Enormous Thriving Plants)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://enormousthrivingplants.blogspot.com/2010/01/search-engine-referral-win.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:45 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Enormous Thriving Plants</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Ask.com : What+is+a+puddle+awardCheers also to Kathy Shaidle: May she bask in the warmth of her well-earned glory.]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Back to the Future (Red Tory)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://redtory.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/back-to-the-future/]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:44 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Red Tory</author>
					<description><![CDATA[One thing that’s striking about the “Tea Party” movement is it’s almost exclusively white racial composition. This inconvenient truth was very much in evidence at last week’s TPN convention in Nashville, Tennessee. It shouldn’t be terribly surprising therefore that when former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo suggested a return to the odious practice of excluding people [...]]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[1706...Vancouver Home Of The Olympics (The World Famous Dan Shields)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://thewfds.blogspot.com/2010/02/1706vancouver-home-of-olympics.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:41 EST</pubDate>
					<author>The World Famous Dan Shields</author>
					<description><![CDATA[And the ten dollar hot dog.Ten dollar street dog.Joenne Lee-Young reports in this morning's Vancouver Sun that Noriki Tamura's Japadog stand on Burrard Street in the West End of Van is, in honour of the Olympics, is now selling a ten dollar street dog called the Mao Dog.  It is a Kobe beef dog with tongkatsu sauce.  Mmmmm.The bun is not named after that Mao but this one:  Mao Asada the triple axel hitting woman figure skater, 2008 World Champion, who is ranked third in the world going into the Olympics.WFDS]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[1705...I Thought Sens Fans Were Fickle (The World Famous Dan Shields)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://thewfds.blogspot.com/2010/02/1705i-thought-sens-fans-were-fickle.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:29 EST</pubDate>
					<author>The World Famous Dan Shields</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Kevin O'Neal of the Indianapolis Star relays this information:  the end of the AFC champion Colts, the favourites in the Super Bowl, undefeated until week fifteen, were greeted at the Indianapolis International Airport [International?] Monday afternoon by e l e v e n fans.11.  Ounze.Wow.WFDS  ]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[1704...Good News, Bad News (The World Famous Dan Shields)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://thewfds.blogspot.com/2010/02/1704good-news-bad-news.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:14 EST</pubDate>
					<author>The World Famous Dan Shields</author>
					<description><![CDATA[The good news at the Adidas Group plant in the Indianapolis suburb of Eastside is that there will be lots of overtime this week.The bad news is it is becaux they are cranking out New Orleans Saints swag.The pre order on the Saints merch was four times that of the Colts; as a personal aside when I went to the sports store in Arnprior, Ontario ten days before the Super Bowl they had no Saints gear and a ton of Colts stuff.The Indianapolis Star's Dana Hunsinger also reports that the jerseys that were printed just-in-case, jerseys that proclaimed the Indianapolis Colt's Super Bowl champions, are on their way to Haiti. WFDS]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[Hassan Diab: the Crown drags its feet (Dawg's Blawg)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://drdawgsblawg.blogspot.com/2010/02/hassan-diab-crown-drags-its-feet.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:12 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Dawg's Blawg</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Readers may remember this case. It broke into public view last year when Hassan Diab, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University was abruptly fired by the President, Roseanne Runte, after a complaint by B'nai Brith.Diab is accused by the French government of having bombed a synagogue in Paris 30 years ago. He has effectively been found guilty by B'nai Brith's Frank Dimant, and Runte, not to mention the odd neo-McCarthyite media columnist, but his extradition hearing before a real court of law is another matter.Briefly, the case against Diab is crumbling quickly, and the Crown has been seeking delay after delay in the actual hearing so it can  get its act together.In France, the defence is not permitted to call expert witnesses: only the prosecution may do so. In Canada, with a somewhat more balanced system of justice, the defence may indeed counter with its own witnesses. The judge presiding over the case in Ottawa has allowed expert&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[A revolution lives underground - reflection from Ukraine (Mortons Musings)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://jmortonmusings.blogspot.com/2010/02/revolution-lives-underground-reflection.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:09 EST</pubDate>
					<author>Mortons Musings</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Gerard Kennedy, MP  A revolution lives underground  Imagine an election process run by the political parties themselves with no independent referee.Add in a razor&#39;s edge margin between shifting coalitions within a few points of one another over the last several elections, which makes every single vote consequential.That was Sunday&#39;s presidential election run-off in Ukraine.That was also the challenge for an estimated 3,700 international observers, including at least 280 Canadians, trying to cover 35,000 polls in 26 oblasts (provinces) in this country of 46 million.It was an election where the leading candidate didn&#39;t show up for the only debate and parliament was convened a few days ago by one side to make a new set of laws on voting in time for election day.The years-long see-saw of one group tilting east to Russia and the other west to Europe was overshadowed by a heavily hit economy and a comprehensive distrust of the integrity of institutions. (Ninety per cent in&#8230;]]></description>
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					<title><![CDATA[1703...Paxil, Anxiety And Breast Cancer (The World Famous Dan Shields)]]></title>
					<link><![CDATA[http://thewfds.blogspot.com/2010/02/1703paxil-anxiety-and-breast-cancer.html]]></link>
					<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:03 EST</pubDate>
					<author>The World Famous Dan Shields</author>
					<description><![CDATA[Canwest News' Sharon Kirkey drops this story this morning that Paxil, the anti depressant drug that is commonly prescribed to women with breast cancer may in fact  cancel the positive effect of the breast cancer drug Tamoxifen.Dr. David Juurlink of Toronto is one of the author's of the study that was released this week in the British Medical Journal.   Dr. Juurlink, who works at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, suggests that if you have breast cancer and depression you switch from Paxil to something else.Not suprisingly getting breast cancer can and does contribute to depression in about a quarter of women diagnosed.  Switching off Tamoxifen is a non starter; Dr. Juurlink says it is a Hall of Fame drug.WFDS]]></description>
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