Despite the liability that is Stephane Dion

Now if only the Liberals had elected Michael Ignatief, they’d be ahead.

Harper failing to win country over
BRIAN LAGHI
From Thursday’s Globe and Mail
July 19, 2007 at 1:05 AM EDT

OTTAWA — Discomfort with Stephen Harper’s Conservatives is deepening among women, francophones and wealthier Canadians, according to a new poll that puts the government in a dead heat with the Liberals in popular support.

Ben in the Bath

One White Whale

This is my favourite story of the week. It’s absolutely beautiful…the thought that this leviathan of the deep was large enough in 1890 to survive a bomb lance is a humble reminder of man’s place in nature.

Bowhead Whale Reveals Century-Old Weapon
By Christina Erb

A 50-ton bowhead whale killed off the coast of Alaska this past May was found with a bomb lance fragment dating from 1890 embedded in its scapula.

Elizabeth Rogers, June 9, 2007

Oak & 37th

I pulled up to the corner of Oak and 37th, heading West…away from Toronto and towards home, in a manner of speaking. 37th is a major East/West bike route in Vancouver, although it’s a weird one for me to take—I’m not sure why I chose that route home tonight, but I did.

I slid in behind someone and, as I so often do, started examining his bike. It was red…a Vitali frame. Probably a few years old, judging the its construction: there was no carbon fibre at all, and the paint had chipped a bit.

Mostly what I looked at was the components. There were Campagnolo Veloce parts. Campagnolo components are rarer than my Shimano and have the beauty inherent in their Italian pedigree. Say what you want, but the Italians know something about machines that move…they are things of beauty that come from the heart first, and machines of efficiency and reliability second.

They guy on the bike in front of me turned around. He was older than I thought, or expected…probably about 60 or so, although it’s hard to judge. He smiled and said:

“You better go ahead. I’m recovering from chemotheraphy.”

It was such a pure moment of open disclosure I didn’t quite know what to say, but I told him I was admiring his bike and as I rode off I told him to have a nice ride.

It’s moments like that that I love about commuting on my bike.

Will The Real Skooter Please Stand Up?

The president’s power of clemency and pardon was granted by the constitution, and the constitution does not grant power lightly. Despite this, President George W. Bush the lightest president in American history—has adopted that power.

I spent the morning in a dental chair watching Tony Snow obfuscate and confuse reality in an attempt to justify an obvious act of political favouritism. It didn’t work very well. It was, in fact, a rather sad moment in the history of western civilization.

All I can say is no one…not once…has granted this Skooter clemency and I’m never going to ask.

This is a Very Good Thing

Every once in a while somebody has the political will to do something that might be unpopular with business. This is one of them.

Ontario moves to curb speeding truckers
Canadian Press
July 2, 2007 at 11:00 AM EDT

TORONTO — Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield says big rigs will soon be travelling slower along Ontario highways.

Ms. Cansfield said the Ontario government is making it mandatory for large commercial vehicles to use speed limiters.

She said speed limiters would cap the speed of transport trucks and other large vehicles at 105 kilometres an hour.

Alexander Island, British Columbia

Three days of sailing the gulf islands have left me a bit sunburned, tired and knowing a great deal more about sailing than I used too.

I spent last night moored at Alexander Island, one of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club’s outposts in the Gulf Islands, pictured in the magnified view below.

The winds were light but the sails went up for a few hours through our weekend and we got to enjoy the absolutely beautiful feeling of carving through water at speeds in excess of 6 knots in virtual silence. It really is a magic feeling.

Tomorrow I’m back to life on two wheels rather than none, and I’m looking forward to it, but sunsets like this will be missed.

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