Another post on this manic-depressive blog

Life is pretty good now. Kate's party on Friday and home-made pizza and bread and me and Caitlin winning (because we were ahead and we were all too tired to keep playing) the British version of Cranium, having people over to watch the game and look at Caitlin's pictures from Nat Sems, World Qualifiers and Greece and eating Chinese food, getting a book from Oriana that's actually pretty good and four books from Kate...
I'm not looking forward to English tomorrow, I put the assignments in Mrs Longinotti's mailbox in the office and hung around in the library as hardly anybody was in class and we had a sub anyway, but at least the trial will be fun on Tuesday. But shit, I don't have any idea what to do for my "multiple intelligences project" in response to Pride and Prejudice due this coming Friday, and I kinda want to hand it in early to make up for the other projects...
And the report card won't be fun this week either...
But hey, I'm going out to coffee with my friend Ty in about an hour and I'm working on math right now and listening to Bruce Cockburn's song "All the Diamonds in the World" and I ate the leftover pizza from Kate's for breakfast with tea and two pieces of toast so I am good. And Mum and Dad'll be back from their romantic 19th anniversary getaway in Banff soon and that'll be cool.
Oh, and remember my grade 5 partner from École Banff Trail? I was thinking about him this week and he emailed me this morning and between the two of us we've sent four emails today. It made me smile to see his email.
Any how, Georgeanne should show Kelci how to use Photobucket and I should do math so off I go.

Until later all,
Me.

Kate's luggage came!

When will I stop lying to myself and own up for what I haven't done and give back the more-worthy-than-I-deserve lauding?

Another bitchy post.

Well, not totally. I went off to Starbucks with Kate in the spare before lunch and lunch wasn't bad. Neither was Spanish or English. I suppose. And then I went out for a walk with said friend after school and talked about Calgary durant France and France durant France and she brought me a massive chocolate chip muffin then we went to her house and she gave me a fun random book she read with her French class in France. There are so many words I didn't understand but that's okay, I'll look them up later.

However, I fail at English. Not actually but right now I wish I could drop it but at the same time I don't. Fuck procrastination and locked doors and printers that don't believe in coloured ink.

I just want to sleep and not have to wake up and face the day before my damn midterm.

But yay for Nat Sems people doing us splendiferously proud!

And yay for a trial next week in English based on this poem by Robert Browning

Porphyria's Lover

THE rain set early in to-night,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its worst to vex the lake:
I listen'd with heart fit to break.	5
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneel'd and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
Which done, she rose, and from her form	10
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
And laid her soil'd gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
And, last, she sat down by my side
And call'd me. When no voice replied,	15
She put my arm about her waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,	20
Murmuring how she loved me—she
Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,
To set its struggling passion free
From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
And give herself to me for ever.	25
But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could to-night's gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was come through wind and rain.	30
Be sure I look'd up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshipp'd me; surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.	35
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,	40
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds a bee,
I warily oped her lids: again
Laugh'd the blue eyes without a stain.	45
And I untighten'd next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blush'd bright beneath my burning kiss:
I propp'd her head up as before,
Only, this time my shoulder bore	50
Her head, which droops upon it still:
The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorn'd at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gain'd instead!	55
Porphyria's love: she guess'd not how
Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirr'd,
And yet God has not said a word!	60

I'm going to do more studying,

Adios,
Me

Sometimes I wish I was invisible but then you wouldn't see me.
You don't see me anyway but that's besides the point.

Post # 101

I am displeased with myself.
Supremely so.
I fail at math, as I did my last test, I actually did fail this one and not by a nose, by enough for a true failing mark. On the upside we're doing "raisonnement", reasoning, so there's less math and more reasoning and logic to it. Well, some of it. Fuck math.
Spanish isn't too bad, Mum'll be mad that I didn't hand in the ridiculous poem with the letters of your name project because she was going to freak out if I didn't hand in an assignment. So fuck me.
English, I have this exterior to some people that I have under control but that broke loose today. Mrs Longinotti asked me where my art cards were today in class and I told her she'd get them in tutorial on her desk. Back to reality, they don't all exist, certainly not on paper. And I'm un-creative and I know I've been bitching about it but get over it, and another lie I told parents was I handed them all in when they were due. Not the case at all. Nor did I finish my Macbeth essay and I have no idea what to do for my Pride and Prejudice response project so I'm essentially totally fucked there too.
Fuck fuck fuck.

Now that that's out, how were your days?

Til later,
Me.

100th Post!

Kate came home yesterday, after a 15 hr flight and fun at customs and such. Yay Kate!
Um, but she isn't findable right now in our mutual spare so we'll see if she's in French (when I ask Georgeanne at lunch...and if Kate comes to Poirier's room for lunch for that matter), so I am currently sitting down, after having wandered around for about twenty minutes, in the library at a computer. What are the odds that I'm on a computer?!
So I really love Wikipedia. It never ceases to amuse and amaze me. For example, did you know that an American dog, Stubby the bull terrier, achieved the rank of sergeant in the First World War?
Anyways, I'm gonig to wander some more and possibly do some math homework, we'll see.

'Til later,
Me.

Just a few musings from Friday's English class:

Why is it that in the comparatively more conservative society of the 1950's, people knew their neighbours and said hi and smiled and waved to people on the street, even if they didn't know each other, while in our "liberal" society, where you'd think people'd be more open and friendly, you're seen as strange if you pass someone on the street and acknowledge them?

Why do people care more about the new Gucci bag that's coming out or that Angelina Jolie is having a baby and Brad Pitt's such a bastard for running off on Jennifer Aniston while throughout the world women are being abused and having acid thrown on their faces for being raped in Bangladesh or being circumcised in Egypt?

What can be done to encourage a grass roots movement to move away from media worship and towards fixing the world's problems of inequality?

Liz suggested something to me wandering in the halls Friday afterschool, do we want to be feminists or egalitarians?

4 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan

Last Updated Sat, 22 Apr 2006 16:45:53 EDT

CBC News

A roadside bomb killed four soldiers in southern Afghanistan on Saturday in the deadliest attack on Canadian forces since they began their latest mission to secure and rebuild the country.

The four were travelling in an armoured vehicle called a G-wagon when it was blown onto its side by an improvised explosive device, 70 kilometres north of Kandahar city, around 7:30 a.m. local time Saturday.

• INDEPTH: Canadian casualties in Afghanistan

The four Canadians killed have been identified. From top: Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Lieut. William Turner, Bombardier Myles Mansell and Cpl. Randy Payne. (National Defence)

• INDEPTH: Canada's equipment in Afghanistan

Three of the men died at the scene, near Gumbad, a small outpost established by the Canadians two months ago. The fourth died shortly after being transported to the hospital at the coalition air base in Kandahar.

The defence department has identified the Canadians:

• Cpl. Matthew Dinning, born in Richmond Hill, Ont., and stationed at Petawawa, Ont.
• Bombardier Myles Mansell, born in Victoria, B.C., and stationed at Victoria.
• Cpl. Randy Payne, stationed in Wainwright, Alta.
• Lieut. William Turner, born in Toronto and stationed at Edmonton.

The four soldiers were all in the same jeep, which was part of a mixed convoy made up of more heavily armoured vehicles, such as LAVs and Bisons.

• RELATED: Harper pays tribute to slain soldiers

"It's a sad day for Task Force Aegis and the coalition," said Brig-Gen. David Fraser, commander of the forces in Kandahar. "Those soldiers were conducting operations to enhance the security of the Shah Wali Kot [district].

"They were doing outstanding work, having positive effects. I had actually been in the area yesterday myself, talking with the local leaders [who] indicated that security has improved since we've arrived in the area."

A G-wagon, similar to the one attacked on Saturday. (Canadian Press)

Canada has 2,300 soldiers in southern Afghanistan and took command in February of a multinational force fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda members.

Taliban militants have been stepping up attacks in recent weeks against coalition and Afghan forces across southern Afghanistan, a former Taliban stronghold.

Sixteen Canadians, including a senior diplomat, have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.

Copyright ©2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved

Today.

Today in English we split off into small groups and discussed the new movie version of Pride and Prejudice and Mrs Longinotti wanted us to move outside of our cliques, which we sit in, about five or six, two of which are composed of two people each, and I was invited to join the young ladies sitting behind my group, Candace, Tierney and Bonita and they got David Ting over as well. Tierney and I spent a lot of the time juxtaposing the book and the movie and parts we thought we significant that were cut out of the movie and characterisations we agreed with and the shift of the focus from a more general societal commentary and a series of romances towards a Elizabeth-Mr Darcy-centred love story. Over all the movie was good but not the same as the book, which Tierney and I both preferred.
Then I had Spanish and we didn't do too much: we did other people's word scrambles (generally a verb written backwards) and started working on Spanish crosswords with past tense verbs, perty good all together.
Double Math wasn't too too bad; we reviewed yesterdays lesson on "les asymptotes" and they're rather amusing when they're easy to find.
Lunch was good however I discovered a few bites into my sandwich (that I thought Mum had left behind for me) was not chicken but tuna and thus Mum's. I'll go tell her soon... Apparently it's 4/20 and thus supposedly "International Smoke Marijuana Day" and to that end Wyll appeared rather stoned and Kees eventually reported he felt about half of his math class was high.
Spare was rather uneventful.
I came home after working on some math then listening to Wyll and later Josh talk to Erica and Sean about topics they could face at Worlds Qualifier next week. It was about 6.30 when I got home and when Joseph and Mum went over to Moores to get my brother fitted for his tuxe for grad, they also went to Marks Work Wearhouse and bought me some new snazzy shirts.
Joseph had made waffles for supper and I proceeded to fabricate two for myself and greedily scarfed them down.
Now I'm upstairs looking over my math notes some more and writing the crossword hints and making it more legible for myself, originally when I was creating it I just added words where they'd fit, irregardless of whether they'd fit when I wrote them out on the graph paper we'll get tomorrow for our "good copies".
I reaffirm my absolute, passionate love for wordreference.com and yay Nat Sems people!

I must go and work on that Spanish some more so until later,
Moi.

I was just listening to Pandora....

and Set Yourself On Fire came on and near the end where Torq sings "20 years asleep before we sleep... forever..." I was transported back to the concert and I can remember him intensely making each syllable count while he perched on that speaker.

I'm not going to finish the saga below right now, just a few things to say.

To start off, when I'm having difficulty with the photocopier, I don't want teachers to treat me like a 5 year old who looks bewildered by the broken pencil sharpener when the teacher wants to sharpen his pencil. I CAN do it myself but if I'm confused don't look down on me and do it for me, tell me what's wrong with what I've done and show me how to do it myself.
Now hooray for English essays occasionally and this is an occasion for celebration. I have an essay due for English tomorrow with the question (loosely remembered) "What does Shakesepeare suggest to you about the internal conflict in personalities (ie good vs evil)?" but we are also supposed to make it interesting and go out on a limb and such when possible. I was working on brainstorming his elements of good and evil within Macbeth's personality and had no idea what to do with them, until I came to the idea of his initial loyalty (to his king) followed by disloyalty (his murdering that king and later his friend and another thane's family, to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read or seen Macbeth before). Then I thought about contrasting the two and looked up on Google something about honour or chivalry and related concepts and I found the Japanese samurai tenants of Bushido and started jotting down how Macbeth managed to both exceed and fail to meet the basic social expectations of a samurai. I asked Ms Longinotti this morning if I could do it and she said that she looked forward to reading it. :)
Now, I'm going to go sit on the pink couch in Poirier's room and be a blob of relaxation until the bell rings.

Bye for now, (6 days Kate!)
Me.

The past few days and English

So, let's review the last few days, starting with Thursday.
Thursday:
Tutorial: got in because Dad drove me as to avoid the awkwardness of me walking to school with the Mexican dip and bag of nachos, looked over my Math test that I didn't do as well as I had hoped to on.
English: I don't really recall what we did on Thursday in English.
Spanish food party: I must admit I was somewhat skeptical of what my classmates would produce foodwise but I was absolutely stunned and very pleasantly surprised. We had to talk about our food, its background and ingredients and when nearly everyone did so, we ate and listened to happy Spanish music. I ran across the hall and invited Gee and then managed to see Kees and Sean in the halls back to the Spanish room to have some of the mountain of food on the tables.
Math: is dumb. No, I get most of it in class but I end up not really getting it later on so I'm going to go in and ask about what I don't get in tutorial tomorrow so hopefully I'll stop bitching about it.
Lunch: Wyll and Josh got Poirier a katana in San Fransisco and he was blubbering going "What da...? *laughs*" over and over. And I had some of Caitlin's plunder from her Spanish party.
More math.
Spare!: I walked home and helped Mum and Dad with last minute arranging and cleaning.

Then people from the University came and then Meghan and eventually Georgeanne (who I might talk about later). Loads of good food, fun people, interesting, deep conversations, chocolate mousse, the people our age (David and Audrey) stayed for about 5 hours and t'was so much fun.

Friday:
I went out for coffee with Audrey and met Georgeanne and Lisa down in Kensington around 4. We went to the Oolong (sp?) Tea House and Audrey ordered waaay too much tea accidentally and we all generally enjoyed our tea. Then Audrey and I walked Gee and Lisa back to the Sunnyside community centre and while there we met one of Audrey's soccer friends and we proceeded to accidentally stalk them by walking through a residential road two down from where they were.
Audrey and I went to the Wee Book Inn and then to the train station to call David and both of our parents to say we were going over to my house and he was welcome to come along.

That's all I'll post for now but I'll be back soon.

'Til later,
Me.

ACCORDING TO YOUR ANSWERS,

The political description that
fits you best is...

.

LIBERAL

LIBERALS usually embrace freedom of choice in personal

matters, but tend to support significant government control of the

economy. They generally support a government-funded "safety net"
to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation

of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations,

defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action

to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles.

The RED DOT on the Chart shows where you fit on the political map.

Your PERSONAL issues Score is 70%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 20%.
(Please note: Scores falling on the Centrist border are counted as Centrist.)
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html

I love Kate's random letters.

I got Kate's letter from the twentieth today! Yay communities bonding together to take care of the disfortunate after the Second World War!
I just took a picture that I hope will come up to say hi to Kate.
Today was pretty good. That is all *laughs*.

Michael -- [noun]: A real life muppet 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Life? Why must you hate me so?

To start off today I have a interesting travelling dream that takes me on an amazing bus trip from Rocky Mountains highway in Alberta to small town Texas really quickly then has me and various people from school and M. Poirier coming over the border at a toll booth sorta thing and we end up waiting for another bus or something to pick us up after getting off on the Canadian side of the border in the middle of the woods. It was pretty cool.
HOWEVER!!!!!!! While I wake up a few times in between episodes of my dreams, my official time that I get up is 10.06 am. FUCK! School starts in 14 minutes and I'm lying in bed.
I rush to have my shower and get dressed and find out I only have two socks in my drawer, one white the other grey(!) and I can't find my watch. I get all my stuff in my binder, cursing all the while and I get down to the main floor, grab two apples and guess what? It's 10.20. Shit shit shit. I rummage quickly to get a bus ticket just in case I'm lucky enough to catch it on my way to school so I won't be hideously late for Math but guess what? I am. I see the bus as it comes down Morley Trail on the other side of the street. Bloody hell.
I don't go to the last few minutes of math because it wouldn't be worth the humiliation and curse a lot and talk to Andrea in the library for that last few minutes then we go to Spanish. Life wasn't too bad thereafter but until then I wanted to curl up and die.
For anyone caring I did get the notes for the class I missed and started the homework in the second period of double Spanish because Trevor and I had already finished writing the presentation we presented later on.
And I guess English wasn't too bad, we did nothing, we had a sub and we just talked about the possibility of alternate realities and what animals we see each other being and how we would kill Rosella and I told the rat story again when we were talking about the whole death thing and I was told by Candice to get my hair trimmed and good things like that.
Hoorah for run-on sentences!
Um, yeah, so now I get to go tell Mum that while I had promised not to be late this semester and not be late for Math especially and that I'd work on my Spanish poem and English in my spare today and get lectured about why I need to get up early and go in for tutorial and all that jazz. I'm so disappointed in myself for frittering away two periods I could have worked in today. *beats head against the wall*
Bye for now, I'm going to go get a recipe for the Spanish party on Thursday. Who's volunteering a kitchen for me before then?
Me.

Life is better now...

so. I am happier than I was on Wednesday afternoon now.
I feel like I aced my math test on Friday, I had a good chat with Meghan walking her home Friday then I went back to the school because I didn't want to go home for no reason and hung out with the Mock Trial people (who won, by the way) then I went to the used bookstore across the street with Kelci and walked to the station just chattering away about feminism and the like.
I had a great conversation with Kate for just under thirty minutes yesterday afternoon about France and funny French people's lack of a grasp of the words in English songs. I also had a magnificant steak for supper last night and then watched a hilarious and touchingly personal performance from comedienne Margaret Cho on Bravo! and then comparatively mindless entertainment from Wanda Sykes on Comedy.
MSN hates me passionately. Fate is conspiring to make me do my English homework that I'm unsure about and completely uncreative in doing.
Anyways, the aroma of cooking pork chop is wafting upstairs and I can't wait until supper, but until then I'll return to my English...or Spanish homework.
Congrats to all the Mock Trial people and the people who went up to Edmonton for a tournament that could have effectively been held down here (minus the fun monetary prizes).
Bye for now,
Me.

I hate...

my pride and bitterness and determination to find things out myself rather than taking the easy way that would save me time, though almost compromise my morals. But I'm mostly fucking ridiculous and such. I'm going to go home and sleep, I am frustrated by life right now.
Me.

Welsh sheep on Al Jazzeera

Al-Jazeera buys Welsh sheep show A Welsh-language children's show featuring musical sheep is to be shown on Arabic TV channel al-Jazeera.
The Middle East broadcaster has brought the rights to screen 52 episodes of S4C's The Baaas, as well as the Welsh children's show Sali Mali.
The series will be shown in Arabic in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iraq and in the Palestinian territories.
Anna-Lisa Jenaer, head of children's programmes at S4C International, said they were "delighted" with the deal.
"The Baaas are colourful, entertaining and ultimately fun and we're delighted they'll be reaching new audiences in the Middle East thanks to this deal with al-Jazeera," said Ms Jenaer.
Delightful
The pre-school series, which will be shown on the al-Jazeera's children's channel, is described by S4C as "a live action series following the exploits of an extended family of musical, multi-racial sheep".
It follows Greek father Costas, his Welsh wife Baalween, their daughter and grandchildren - and the highs and lows of the family recycling business.
"The series gives viewers a taste of a wide range of musical styles, from opera to rap, while also placing a strong emphasis on the importance of recycling and family interaction," said an S4C spokesman.
The animated series Sali Mali is based on the 1970s children's books by Mary Vaughan Jones.
"The adventures of Sali Mali have delighted generations of Welsh youngsters, whether in book, cartoon or live action format," said Ms Jenaer.
"This sale to al-Jazeera is further proof of this delightful and engaging character's enduring appeal."
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/4872660.stmPublished: 2006/04/03 13:51:27 GMT© BBC MMVI

Random news of the day...

Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea's wife is going to have a baby!!

Is Preston after the throne?

C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y : Manning eyes premiership after Klein hints he may leave early Last Updated Sat, 01 Apr 2006 23:27:16 EST CBC News Leadership hopefuls, including surprise candidate Preston Manning, set their sights on the Alberta premier's office on Saturday, just a day after Ralph Klein hinted he may retire earlier than expected. Klein told delegates to the Conservative party's annual convention in Calgary that he was mulling his political future after delegates gave him just 55 per cent support in a leadership review. Former Reform leader Preston Manning says he would run for the premiership, if invited. Klein originally said he would remain at his job for another two years. Now, the premier says he will take a few days to consider what's best "for the party, the province and for me." That was enough of a hint to open the gates to a host of leadership hopefuls, including the biggest surprise, Manning, former leader of the defunct Reform party. Manning shocked many delegates Saturday by expressing interest in Klein's job. Manning, the son of Social Credit Premier Ernest Manning, said he would need to be persuaded that entering a Tory leadership race would be best for the party, the province and his family, as broad a hint that he would enter the race, if invited, of course. Manning move surprises other premier candidates Manning's intentions startled declared leadership hopefuls, including former Alberta treasurer Jim Dinning and Ted Morton, B.C. member of the legislature for Foothills-Rocky View, who have spent years with the Reform and Alliance movements. Morton said he suspects Manning's interest is not that serious, noting he would have to give up the lifestyle of an academic for the "griminess of trench warfare" in politics. Another hopeful in the leadership race, former cabinet minister Lyle Oberg, has openly questioned Klein's plans to stay in the job. But Oberg told CBC News that the vote results have nothing to do with a political showdown. "This is purely about the length of the leadership race and I think people saw that in the question, that it was the length of the leadership race, and they've decided that two years would not be good for the party and would not be good for the province, and I agree with that." The results of the delegate vote took the party, and Klein, by surprise. "I didn't get the result that I had anticipated, but I am going to meet with my staff and my caucus, of course, and members of the party, and determine what I am going to do," Klein told reporters on Saturday. "I will have something concrete for you next week, mid-week." Klein was "shocked ... and a little hurt" at hearing the results, said his spokeswoman, Marisa Etmanski. However, the premier said he still considers it a vote of confidence. Ralph Klein addresses the Alberta Progressive Conservative convention in Calgary on Friday. (Canadian Press) "I'm grateful for that," he added. Klein has led Alberta's Tories to four majority governments in the past 13 years and has received approval ratings as high as 97 per cent. Klein seeks support for keeping his post During his speech Friday night to delegates at the party's annual convention in Calgary, Klein seemed to plead for his political future, asking the party faithful to let him retain his job for another two years. "I ask you to give me, one final time, your endorsement to achieve what I have laid out for the duration of this mandate," Klein said. "If you see fit to give me that support, I pledge to you that I will work as hard as I possibly can to bring continued honour to this party and continued prosperity to this province we love." Ty Lund, the government services minister, said Klein deserves to be supported because he has eliminated Alberta's debt and has built the province into an economic powerhouse. Copyright ©2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved

Oh King Ralph, your subjects are displeased...

C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y : Klein 'shocked' at weak party support Last Updated Sat, 01 Apr 2006 08:34:27 EST CBC News Alberta Premier Ralph Klein is mulling over his political future after Conservative party delegates gave him just 55 per cent support in a leadership review late Friday night. The premier was "shocked ... and a little hurt" at hearing the results, said his spokeswoman Marisa Etmanski, adding that he will take a few days to consider his future. Ralph Klein addresses the Alberta Progressive Conservative convention in Calgary on Friday. (CP photo) Klein has led the Tories to four majority governments in the past 13 years and has received approval ratings as high as 97 per cent. The premier has said he wants to remain as leader for the next two years. But now some pundits say he may leave sooner. "Given the results of this vote, I intend to meet with party officials and my staff to discuss my next step," Klein said. "I will do this as quickly as possible and announce a decision about my future shortly." During his speech Friday night to delegates at the party's annual convention in Calgary, Klein seemed to plead for his political future, asking the party faithful to let him retain his job for another two years. "I ask you to give me, one final time, your endorsement to achieve what I have laid out for the duration of this mandate," Klein said. "If you see fit to give me that support, I pledge to you that I will work as hard as I possibly can to bring continued honour to this party and continued prosperity to this province we love." Ty Lund, the government services minister, said Klein deserves to be supported because he has eliminated Alberta's debt and has built the province into an economic powerhouse. One of the hopefuls in the leadership race, former cabinet minister Lyle Oberg, has openly questioned Klein's plans to stay in the job. But Oberg told CBC News that the vote results have nothing to do with a political showdown. "This is purely about the length of the leadership race and I think people saw that in the question, that it was the length of the leadership race, and they've decided that two years would not be good for the party and would not be good for the province, and I agree with that." Copyright ©2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved

Dr Condoleezza Rice isn't that bad a speaker after all...

There's a video of Dr Rice speaking in Blackburn, UK, on the BBC's website that's actually not that bad. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4865344.stm)
She could work on her looking up from her text and knowing her words better occasionally but really, Dr Rice wouldn't be a bad VP or President if she wanted it, even though she doesn't want it. I can handle listening to her which is more than I can say about her President.
It's a little long but then again it is a lecture made by a major American government official, the face of American foreign policy for now.
I really like her closing. She ties it back to the similarity of both Birmingham, Alabama, (her hometown) and Blackburn, England, (Foreign Minister Jack Straw's constituency) revitalization projects and how someday the people of Beyrouth (I can't spell it in English any more) and Baghdad and Cairo and even Tehran will look at their cities and wonder how there was ever any doubt that they'd be liberal democracies (as is the topic of the lecture).

I'm off to bed all,
G'night and sleep tight,
Me.