…after all the good things that have happened so far in April, it’s inevitable. It’s the Irish Catholic Theory of Balance. I’ll explain it sometime.

Anyhow, that lyric is taken from the Menzingers’ newest, ‘On The Impossible Past,’ and it is an extraordinary record. Easily best LP of the year, so far (after SFH, natch). Stand-out tune of the moment, The Obituaries:

We stumble and stare at the carnival lights that lit up New York City,
From the rooftop in Brooklyn that was covered in bad graffiti:
And there, I let a thousand splinters pierce right through my spoiled liver.
Whatever that was left of it.

‘Cuz I cursed my lonely memory with picture-perfect imagery.
Maybe I’m not dying, I’m just living in decaying cities,
But I’m still healthy, I’m still fine,
I’ll be spending all my time readin’ the obituaries.

But I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.
I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.
I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.
I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.

‘Cause I was the shadow of the wax wing, slain.
I felt the false azure from windowpanes.
I am just freaking out. Yeah, I’ll be fine.

But I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.
I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.
I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.
I will fuck this up,
I fucking know it.

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We’ve got:

1. One daughter, ranked competitive swimmer
2. One son, GTHL “A” forward
3. One son, GTHL “A” goalie
4. One son, snowboarder, swimmer and lacrosse nut

I’ve decided to quit my job(s) and start driving kids to and from rinks/pools/hills full-time.
Good bye, nice knowing you, etc.

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Not sure why it’s out early, but it is. Linkage here:

Question: What does Kim Campbell have in common with Michael Ignatieff?

It’s a riddle, of sorts. The answer comes at the end. (And don’t cheat by looking!)

For starters, there are the obvious things. Both were leaders of political parties with a proud history — Campbell, the Progressive Conservatives, and Ignatieff the Liberals. Both were regarded as outsiders by the political establishment; thinkers, not hacks. Both weren’t professional politicians — and therefore initially considered their respective parties’ best candidate to recapture, or hold onto, power.

Oh, and both were academics. They were, you know, “intellectuals.”

Now, political parties get desperate, sometimes. When facing annihilation (as the Conservatives were in 1993 under Brian Mulroney), or when experiencing the indignity of being beaten by someone they saw as a lesser being (as the Liberals were in 2006 and 2008, by Stephen Harper), politicos will go looking for something BOLD! Something NEW! Something FRESH!

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I always liked her, have I mentioned that lately?

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I have a conflict, so I haven’t said much on this file, other than to occasionally point out the rank, stinking hypocrisy of the Cons and the Dippers.  Or to sue Opposition politicians who smear innocent folks, which I intend to do with increasing frequency.

But this video – of one of the star witnesses the Ontario PCs brought to the circus that is the Ornge hearings – is a must-see.  It is an instant classic. This guy is one of the much-trumpeted PC whistleblowers.  Watch it, and it’ll tell you all you need to know about why the Ontario PCs will never, ever form government.  And, possibly, why the public have lost interest in this mess, which is admittedly a mess.

Oh, and watch at the very end, for what Liberal MPP Zimmer does as he walks away from the hearing table.  It’s perfect.

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There is no news-related reason to post this photo.  I found it today on the Globe’s web site, and it renews my hope that Jim Flaherty succeeds in driving out Tim Hudak, and becomes Ontario PC leader.  We can then use this photograph to scare millions of voters into voting for us, yet again.

Regrettably, it will also terrify small children, but that’s what happens when you let a Satanic Gnome run things, fellas.

 

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My God, that would be so awesome.  

Will it happen? Of course not.  Why would the incompetents at Maple Leaf Sports actually stop offering up stinkers, year after year, when saps like me continue to dutifully pony up for season’s tickets, year after year?

Anyway.  We Toronto sports fans can dream, can’t we?

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What’s it mean?

Well, after the polling industry’s Alberta debacle, I don’t put much stock in polling, these days.  You shouldn’t either.

But if it’s true, it means that Bob “Not Interim” Rae – after running for the full-time post for a year, having solemnly promised he wouldn’t do so – will finally actually not run for the full-time post.  (Confusing, I know, but so’s the LPC these days.) He will then sail off in search of some comfy diplomatic sinecure, and assorted Raelians will wonder what they will now be doing with all their spare time.

The Liberal Party, meanwhile, will be hooped, because Rae devoted all of the party’s limited resources/time to promoting him, and not so much lifting the party out of its Official Rump Status in the House of Commons.

Anyway.  I know that’s all pretty convoluted, but trust me: Bob Rae is a tourist in the Liberal Party.  Don’t be surprised if he goes looking for sunnier destinations.

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Next time the National Post lectures the rest of us about openness and transparency, blah blah blah, be sure to have this one handy:

“In the meantime, there was as far as I could see no communication from the National Post or its owner Postmedia explaining what had happened with the first column. The closest that Coyne came was a tweet Monday night saying, “Um, I think this counts as ‘something astonishing.’ ”

Online readers also were not directed to the new column once it was online. People clicking on links to Coyne’s first column, and those who found it via search, ended up on an error page. (If you’re interested in more about the ethics and practices of unpublishing content, Poynter has information here and here.)

On Twitter I suggested to Coyne that the newspaper publish an editor’s note or apology. Coyne and a top editor at one of his employer’s Web properties disagreed, as did a former colleague of Coyne’s.”

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