Today was rather cloudy, but DRY! Last night there was snow on the North Shore mountains where many of the ski hills are located. It has been cool but pleasant. And best of all, no fireworks! There are some stores already in full Christmas mode, and even some houses with Christmas lights. Just a tad early, don't you think? TC has had his surgery and is safely back.
Puzzle — Today’s took me 3:08 (average 5:11). To do it, click here. How did you do? For those that don't know, we always do the 48 piece classic.
Fantasy Football — I almost forgot to post this! Look at those Lefty Hillbillies rocket through the standings!
* Rank change shown is from week 7 – 8
Short Takes
CBC — Inside the unofficial think-tank of the U.S. Democratic party, the Liberals' winning election playbook is being analyzed and its lessons shared with left-leaning parties around the world.
One observer says prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau's decision to embrace deficits on the campaign trail could play well for some European parties. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
Matt Browne has prepared a briefing paper on the Liberal win for allies in different countries where he's heard curiosity or seen applicable lessons — including the U.K., Denmark, Holland, France, Italy and Germany.
"It's been a pretty amazing week or so," Browne said in an interview. "Amongst the progressive community in particular, people have been trying to figure out what the lessons of this are."
He works on international partnerships at the Center for American Progress, founded and run by high-ranking figures in Democratic politics. Some of its senior members had met Trudeau and his team in opposition and they offered congratulations on the Liberal election victory.
Click through for the rest of this interesting article. Sometimes it only takes one to dip his toe, and others will start to notice and maybe follow. We know that austerity has not worked, nor has US trickle-down economics worked. But responsible investment in infrustructure, in the country and the people will work.
The New Yorker — According to a format negotiated between the Republican National Committee and the television networks, future Presidential debates during the 2016 campaign will strictly forbid questions about things the candidates “said” or “did,” the R.N.C. confirmed on Monday.
Reince Priebus, the chairman of the R.N.C., said that the deal addressed the candidates’ concerns about the previously broadcast debates, which he called “abusively fact-based.”
“In some cases, moderators were asking candidates questions about statements they made two or three weeks earlier,” Priebus said. “This new format will eliminate that kind of ancient history.”
Priebus said that the new format would satisfy not only the candidates but also Republican voters, many of whom have complained about moderators’ ”out-of-control obsession with verifiable information.”
“This is a Presidential debate,” Priebus said. “If people want facts, they can watch ‘Jeopardy.’ ”
Click through for the rest of the article. Damn, Andy is straight reporting again!
Alternet — What the candidates are really protesting here isn’t the length or format of the debate. What they want is for the debate to resemble the echo chamber of Fox News and talk radio. They complain about the pressure to engage and confront one another, but isn’t that what debates are for? Ted Cruz wants sycophants to ask loaded questions that allow candidates to deliver rehearsed soliloquies, but that’s what stump speeches are for – debates are about forced collisions.
It’s revealing that amidst all the calls for protest and cancellations, the candidates agreed not to implement debate changes until after the upcoming Fox Business Network debate. According to the Washington Post, everyone in that room is “afraid to make Roger [Ailes] mad.” And they should be. Fox News is the fount of propaganda for the conservative movement. Fox is where candidates go to be fellated by know-nothing anchors who ask inane but friendly questions of GOP candidates.
Talk about the tail wagging the dog! Click through for the remainder of the dog wagging. The Republican Party is so fractured and so lame as evidenced by the conduct of the presidential candidates, I question whether the party can survive.
CBC — The decision by TransCanada was likely made for strategic reasons, said Michal Moore, an expert on the oil and gas industry with the University of Calgary School of Public Policy.
Since no progress was being made, the company likely wanted to wait until Obama leaves office, in January 2017.
"With this pause in place, they literally can re-create the project or reimagine it and certainly revisit it in the presence of a new president," Moore said. "They've at least got some negotiating room later on, no matter who's elected president."
Keystone XL is an $8-billion project that would carry U.S. and Canadian oil to American refineries.
A new federal government was recently elected in Canada, oil is below $45 a barrel, and a U.S. presidential election is a year away. All of that seems to lead to the logical conclusion that the company wants to wait for more favourable climate, both economically and politically, said David Gantz, who teaches international trade law at the University of Arizona.
Click through for the remainder of the article. As I started reading, I felt this request was likely a strategic move on the part of Trans Canada. Mr Trudeau has stated that he is not in favour of the Embridge pipelines, nor tanker traffic on the coasts. But he has not come out definitively against the Keystone XL. With Hillary Clinton coming out against the Keystone XL, it could be that Trans Canada is waiting in hopes of a Republican in the White House. (God forbid!)
My Universe —
This is how the world should be . . . how I want it to be!
Why The FBI Is Suspending Its Anti-Extremism Program
