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As he kicks off the 2013 Parliamentary calendar – and as he nears the mid-point in his majority mandate – Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a serene look about him.
 
The clearest indication of this came on Twitter, naturally, which Harper has embraced with all the enthusiasm of a teenager who received a Blackberry Z10 prototype under the Christmas tree.
 
There he was this week, merrily tweeting photographs of him partaking breakfast with his cat Stanley.  (We are not making this up, as much as we wish that we were.) Later on in the day, Canadians were rewarded with tweeted photos of Harper eating a healthy-looking lunch, and even giving a Conservative MP a high-five.  For what, we don’t know. But the Prime Ministerial day presently looks like more fun than a barrel full of Ikea Monkeys.
 
He should enjoy it while he can. Ominous clouds are gathering on the Conservative horizon, and not even joyful Twitter tweets can obscure them.
 
For starters, there’s the war thing. Faithfully reprising Richard M. Nixon – who also launched a secret war, except in Cambodia – Harper appears to be leading an unaware nation into a combat role in Mali. And, while he wants us to pay attention to his cat Stanley, he’s evidently less interested in Canadians knowing what awaits in a faraway African quagmire.
 
Thus, we had to learn from French TV reports that we are sending untold numbers of special forces commandos to Mali.  Similarly, we discovered a Canadian cargo plane – and the personnel required to keep it aloft – are heading there, too. And it was Mali’s president who told us that – on Twitter. (Pix of the Mali presidential cat? Untweeted.  Canada’s Parliament? Unconsulted.)
 
Meanwhile, in this hemisphere, troubles aplenty await. Frustrated by Idle No More’s inconclusive conclusion, many First Nations leaders remain unhappy, and are promising a Spring that will be memorable for blockades and road closures.   Elections Canada’s investigations into the Conservative robocalls scandal continue.
 
Cravenly seeking a few extra votes in separatist-led Quebec, idiots within the NDP want to scrap the immensely-popular Clarity Act.  In so doing, the New Democrats are ensuring an unwelcome return of past constitutional and unity battles.  Which Harper, and Canadians, need like a hole in the head.
 
In mid-April, Liberals are expected to elevate Justin Trudeau to the Liberal Party leadership. However much Conservatives like to publicly claim that they will welcome the Montreal Grit MP’s arrival on the big stage, they privately acknowledge that Trudeau’s surging popularity remains a political problem.  
 
In the boxing ring, the much-disliked Conservative “Senator” Patrick Brazeau learned – the hard way – what can happen when Cons underestimate Trudeau.  And, in previously-hostile places like Kamloops, Trudeau recently attracted more than 600 enthusiastic supporters.  (The last time a federal Liberal brought out that many Westerners was to attend a hanging – of Liberals.)
 
Most worrisome, for Harper, remains the economy.  Concerns persist about Canadian household debt, a declining housing market, a flattened commodities market, and ongoing economic instability in Europe and the U.S.  Fully half of Canadians have told Harris-Decima that they are worried – or “very worried” – about what the future holds for them and their families.
 
The Bank of Canada has downgraded its projections for the year, foretelling that economic growth will decline.  The combined budgetary deficits for this year and last are expected to be at least $10 billion worse than forecast by the Conservative government.
 
When in tight spots in the past, Harper rolled out his piano to play Beatles tunes, or posed in a cuddly sweater.  This year, he’s tweeting photos of Stanley the Cat.  Will it work again?
 
We shall see. But even Stanley might acknowledge that, after six long years in power, Stephen Harper’s troubles are increasingly unlikely to be tweeted away.

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There’s a couple in the papers today – one in the Globe, one by Canadian Press, about Grits and Tories, respectively.

What do staffers think about such profiles? They hate ’em, mostly. They inevitably cause problems with or for the boss, and with political peers. Jealousy, anger, distrust, you name it.

There’s a reason, therefore, why staffers don’t usually consent to profile interview requests. No good ever comes of them.

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Just-released audit by a forensic accounting firm:

He broke the law again.

What will the law do about it? Do date, SFA. But, once again, Ford’s facing the (unlikely) prospect of being removed from office.

Still think this clown was worth voting for, those of you who did so?

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Davey Snot on skins, fresh from court (he’s wearing his barrister’s stuff, no less); the Dimmer Twins (in matching outfits!) on strings.  Playing, for the first time ever, ‘TV Show’ at the Rehearsal Factory.  Lyrics-for-the-ages-below!  Politics is never as fun-loving as this.

We’re super bored now
Nothin’ to do now
Our current reality blows
Let’s watch some reality shows

CHORUS
We got our TV, we got our TV:
TV, TV
We got no books now, don’t read ’em anyhow: TV, TV

We don’t like the daylight
It’s always way too bright
We don’t ever need to work
When we have our Captain Kirk

CHORUS

Spongebob, Gilligan, Flintstones too
Much to see, nothing much to do
Don’t need no PC, don’t need no repartee
Who needs T Rex when we got TV

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I’m sorry, but the otherwise-intelligent people losing their shit over Twitter having a service interruption is beyond comedic. What did they do before it was invented?

More salient: what will they do when the Zombie Apocalypse™ begins, and their spiffy new Blackberry Z10 social media platform won’t halt an onslaught of the undead?

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Pennywise provides an anthem for the generations.  Good God, I love this song.

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Ed Davis? Jose Calderon?

Calderon, in particular, had become the heart of the Raptors squad in his eight years with the team. To lose him and Davis – who was much loved by fans, too – is awful.

Question for head office: why didn’t you trade the $23 million dud instead?

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And she is so so so so so happy. Meanwhile, I feel so so so so old.

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My apologies to Kady et al., but if the new Berry ditches its USP – the keyboard – it’ll end up ditching lots more customers.  I mean, when choosing between an iPhone and a wannabe iPhone, why not choose the real thing? (It’s a proposition that applies in politics, and will again, soon enough.)

But what I love about this report is the undisguised carnal tone to the writing and the comments.  These guys lust after smart phones in the way my sons rhapsodize about Megan Fox.  It’s actually creepy, when you consider it’s a thing.

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