Monday, November 17, 2008

Bits 'n' bites of real life

















Back to the world outside the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

  • A burning cross--why, just the thing for Christmas! And you get to put it on your own lawn for a change. (Other commentators are being much too kind, I think, in attributing this to ignorance.) Meanwhile, in another part of the forest...
  • The city of Vancouver is once again in good hands: the developer-friendly "Non Partisan Association" has been reduced to a single seat. Makes the prospect of attending the Liberal leadership convention (should I get accredited) just a little sweeter.
  • Nice to see the RCMP is setting some standards for new recruits. Polygraph tests are now being administered, and such character flaws as having sex with animals, committing outrageous acts while drunk, and thinking too seriously of suicide will keep you out of the red uniform. (Tasering old guys in hospital beds, killing with impunity, and pepper-spraying Native babies are apparently perks you have to earn on the job.)

    As reported in the Globe and Mail, an RCMP spokesman says it's too early to tell whether these tests "are effectively reducing the number of Mounties suspended from duty due to criminal activity." But at least the horses may be breathing a little easier.
[H/t Balloon Juice, via CC; Red Tory; Meaghan Champion]

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