Words that need speaking:

While not completely factual there are many words here that have needed speaking by a leader of a national party for 3.5 years. I'm glad to see someone saying them!

http://www.liberal.ca/en/michael-ignatieff/speeches/16309_canadian-club-of-ottawa-canadas-place-in-a-changing-world

http://www.liberal.ca/en/michael-ignatieff/speeches/16363_speech-to-the-toronto-board-of-trade

My personal favourite line is this and I think summs it all up pretty well:

"President Obama is putting six times more per capita into clean energy and research than Stephen Harper. We’re investing less in renewables than the State of Alaska.

When it comes to clean energy, Stephen Harper isn’t just behind Barack Obama. He’s behind Sarah Palin."

Ouch... but true.

Last I leave you with one of the best speeches on climate change I've ever read and that includes the ones I've written in the past. Its Pres. Obama's address to the UN high level meeting on climate change this morning.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Stop+catastrophe+Obama+climate+change+speech/2019706/story.html

Cheers,

WHO'S COALITION?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/harpers-reluctant-coalition/article1290594/

So the PM has been raging about the liberals and their 'coalition' friends ruining democracy (even though coalition governments are perfect valid under the constitution).

Regardless, as the liberals pulled their support for the tories there were assumpitons:

1) That the the government would fall because now that the liberals have changed tRack (due to failed EI consultations and generally bad government) there were no opposition parties willing to support the government. Jack and the NDP as well as to a lesser degree the Bloc have trumpeted their lack of support for the government since day one.

- In reality the NDP and the Bloc have thrown their support towards Harper's tories making it clear that their 'principled' stand against the government over the past few years was only because they were sure the liberals wouldn't cause an election. This is about as principled as Italy's switch to the alllies after they had already lost WWII. Good on ya Jack way to lead.

2) That Harper would never get into bed with any proposals from the NDP or Bloc to keep his government afloat given his poll numbers, and would make lots of noise about the spectre of a liberal/ndp/bloc coalition simliar to last year.

- In reality Ignatieff has made clear that he will not be courting another coalition and never really liked the one Dion assembled. Further, the only thing preventing an election is the cooperation between the Tories, the ndp and teh bloc. So, wait, sorry, the tories are accusing the liberals of secretly negotiating a coalition while the Conservatives and Mr. Harper are flagrantly in cahoots with the ndp and the bloc? Who's secretly developing a coaltion with "socialists and seperatists"? Not the liberals... not the greens... but yes... THE TORIES!


Sad sad sad.

HERE WE GO AGAIN... MAYBE...

The liberals have said they will no longer prop up the conservatives. We could be in our fourth election in five years (granted no one much noticed the process or results of the last one).

I'm not sure I or any other Canadian really wants another election campaign at the moment. However, Ignatieff's comments give me some hope that an election this fall might be actually fought over what type of country we want:

“Our job as liberals is to give Canadians a choice,” he [Ignatieff] said. “We can choose a small Canada – a diminished, mean add petty country. That's Stephen Harper's Canada.”

Or, he said, Liberals can choose “a big Canada” that is intelligent, environmentally conscious and worldly.

“We can do better,” he said. “We can be the smartest, healthiest, greenest, hardest-working, most open-minded country there is – but only if we choose to be.”

Now i'm not sure the current Liberal crop are the people who can build a Canada like this, but I KNOW Harper and the conservatives are not.

This might be an interesting one to watch.

Cheers,

PORK... THE ONE YOU LOVE


This was just a fascinating article on the gowing repertoire of Bacon in culinary circles...

Sarah Boesveld

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Last updated on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009 09:22AM EDT


You'd thought you'd seen it all when the Bacon Explosion, that hunk of sausage wrapped in two pounds of bacon, hit the scene with all the sizzle of a crispy fried strip. And then the Turbaconducken, a whole chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey and enveloped in bacon, commanded every glutton's attention.

But these gratuitous ventures into bacon bliss have simply ushered in a new wave of cured-pork mania. Today, bacon's in everything from desserts to liquor - and it's not just adventurous foodies lapping up the grease.

As chocolate-soaked bacon is served up at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto this week and International Bacon Day approaches

on Sept. 5, it's time to say bye-bye bacon-wrapped scallops and hello bacon baklava.

Sweet, sweet meat

Bacon nestled next to a stack of maple-syrup-soaked pancakes is no culinary eureka, so it's natural to salivate over a maple-glazed doughnut adorned with two strips of bacon, no? The Bacon Maple Bar is a top seller at Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Ore., says its account manager, Kimberly Litkie. The shop serves up "at least a thousand" daily.

Their formula is simple, yet genius: "We took two pieces of thick-cut bacon, put them on a maple bar and magic happened," she says.

Earlier this month Bob Blumer, Food Network Canada's Surreal Gourmet, won top honours at an Austin, Tex., ice-cream-making competition. His winning flavour? Maple bacon crunch. Bacon has also slipped its way into cookies, brownies and cinnamon rolls. Artisan candy-makers have even whipped up maple bacon lollipops. And, fittingly, the creators of Bacon Today, a cured-pork news website, recently dressed a colleague's birthday cake with strips.

THE BACON CUPCAKE MARRIAGE

Cupcakes are a huge trend, bacon is a huge trend - it's only natural to put the two together, says Scott Kveton, CEO of Bac'n, a shop for bacon lovers in Portland, Ore. And - alas - a quaint little bakery on Toronto's Queen Street West has put the bake in bacon. Yummy Stuff owner Morag Cleeveley introduced Chocolate Oatmeal Cupcakes with Maple Bacon frosting in March, luring snackers into her shop to devour the tiny delights made with bacon-lard icing and crowned with crumpled bacon.

While pork-loving Canadians have been slower on the bacon-cupcake uptake than their American counterparts, Ms. Cleeveley says she's won over some very skeptical customers. "I would say 50 per cent of people try it just out of curiosity and 50 per cent of people are returning, loving it, wanting more."

BACON CARNIVALE

Janet Vu was wary as she dipped her plastic fork into three strips of bacon in a pool of chocolate sauce. "It's ... interesting" she said after a taste and a long pause Sunday at the Canadian National Exhibition. But the 18-year-old offered tentative praise after finishing the last strip of hickory-smoked bacon from the Sweet Treats concession stand. "I like it well enough."

Chocolate-covered bacon has become a favourite at U.S. state fairs, which spurred the CNE's food manager to introduce it at the Ex, says vendor Scott Skinkle. On Saturday, the stand sold more than 25 bacon dishes at $5 a piece. A rush of early birds bought it for breakfast Sunday, adds co-vendor Vicky Skinkle. "Most people that come up here are going, 'Ew! Bacon dipped in chocolate? What does that taste like?' " It's a simple combo of the two, she explains - nothing to be afraid of. "Then they taste it and say, 'Yes, it's really good.' "

CARNIVOROUS COCKTAILS

"I'll have a shot of Bakon please!" Canadians will be hollering this at bars by next summer if all goes well for Sven Liden and company. "We started testing with bacon-infusions a few years ago and decided that it was so good in a Bloody Mary that we wanted to make it a commercial product," says the business manager for Black Rock Spirits in Seattle. The first bottles of Bakon Vodka hit American store shelves this May. Pretty soon Mr. Liden and his colleagues were comparing it with high-end vodkas in taste tests - of course, the bacon-flavoured liquor came out on top.

Can't wait for it to hit the Canadian market? Making bacon-infused vodka at home is possible, but an ordeal (one must skim off the pork fat and strain it until the booze adopts a slight bacon taste). Better to copy bars that have employed bacon-flavoured salt to craft BLT cocktails and meatier Bloody Marys.

If hard liquor isn't your thing, earlier this month Brooklyn Brewery in New York added a bacon-flavoured brew on tap. "It's almost terrifying how much the malt smells like bacon," brewmaster Garrett Oliver told The New York Times.

We'll have another round, please.

******

Streaky spinoffs

The bacon innovation never stops: A sample of favourite products created in ode to bacon mania.

Bacon-shaped adhesive

bandages

Bacon-flavoured lip gloss

Bacon-scented air freshener

Bacon-striped bifold wallet

Bacon-flavoured floss

Bacon-print neck ties

Bacon flavoured gumballs

Bacon-print slip-on shoes

Bacon-scented soap

Bacon-flavoured bubbles

Pig "Smells Like Bacon" pajama pants for men

Sources: Bacontoday.com,

Meat-o-matic.com

NEW DRIVEWAY!

So its done. My ratty, cracked, old and ugly driveway with teh weeks and gravel on the side is no more. The even uglier gravel/clay/weeds mix at the entrance to my backyard is also gone. In their place is a single, new, and glorious strip of asfalt which goes right up to my house on the side and grades water away (good for my leaky basement!) and goes right up to the grass in my backyard!

HURRAY! Not only will this create a space to put in a baseketball net, but will also signficantly (I hope) increase the value of my home!

I never thought shiney new rennovations to the house would make me as happy as travelling but they do! Speaking of which, I really do want to hit up Greece again, and Japan!

Cheers,

P

THEY PRINTED MY ARTICLE PART II

So the latest issue of Vanguard www.vangaurdcanada.com is out and true to the word of the editor they've printed the article they asked me to write back in May.


http://www.vanguardcanada.com/ClimateSecurityPeaceQuealey

I'm fairly thrilled about this!

Cheers,

P

THANK YOU

Thanks to everyone who made it out on the weekend to Liz's baby shower and the man pow-wow in the back. There was great food, good drinks and lots of good catching up.

Thanks also to everyone who either gave us, or sent us, a gift for our upcoming little one. Liz, I and the little guy loved and appreciated everything!

The only downside was that we didn't get enough time to actually sit and catch up with people. Oh well hopefully we'll see most if not all of you soon!

A special thanks to those folks who came a long way to see us. Especially you Isaac since you live in far-away scarborough and don't have a car!

Cheers,

P