Vol. II No 5

Yesterdays’s gentle dusting of snow is gone this morning. The birds seem confused by the warm weather, and even a squirrel wanders around aimlessly, causing much angst for resident Niki-the-wonder dog. Where there was clean snow, now lies a reasonable amount of muck, which is yet-another reminder a blonde dog is not always the best idea in the pet-department. Sister-dog, a smaller, also white, k-9, digs endlessly at who-knows-what, and drags much of the backyard into the basement. I take a moment to note that I could live in Denver or Winnipeg, which are currently getting dumped with a ton of snow.

Stimulate Your Mind Department:
Robert Fulford’s recent column in the National Post series on Christianity is a worthwhile read. http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=312dc8c7-8311-48a4-9419-7d3bbe69f303

Of Salary Increase and Vacation Department:
Ontario’s provincial politicians have a nice gig: Vote themselves a hefty raise and then split from the office until mid-March. Inquiring Minds wonder if we’ll remember that when the election happens in October.

Where’s Mrs. Chretien When You Need Her? Department:
A lady crashed her car into the gate at the PM’s Harrington Lake residence the other night. RCMP responded quickly and busted the errant driver. There is no truth to the rumour that Mrs. Chretien has been called back to guard the place with the Inuit sculpture that was her weapon-of-choice the last time such a breach occurred.

New Name-for-Fame Department:
Todd Leopold, a rather clever writer on CNN’s website, has coined a term to describe a media phenomenon. Dubbed Hiltonworld, it’s the place otherwise unremarkable celebs show up for no apparent reason. Does anyone really care what Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan do with their spare time? Seems to this observer those three are famous for being famous, and make virtually no meaningful contribution to SpaceShip Earth. Surely such notoriety could be put to some positive use to make the planet a better place to live.

Hmmmm! Department:
A friend asked a question yesterday that caused a moment’s pause on a New Year’s eve morning: “This time next year, who will be talking about that made a positive difference in the life of another human being?” Your Intrepid reporter adds this observation: Could it be you? And what will you do today to make that happen? If not you, who? And if not now, when?