Is Blogger broken?

Egad, is Blogger broken? My whole template seems out of whack, banner is missing and page will barely load. Same appears to hold true for other blogs I have tried to load. They are loading slowly, weirdly, oddly... and some are missing their banners as well. Is it just me? Am I the only one?

PBO Kevin Page - a noble knight?

So Harpo & Co.'s prorogue is on, eh?

From the Tory vantage point this must all seem like a win-win. Partisan, myopic, self-serving, committee avoiding; it's just what a Con doctor would order... oopsie, maybe not? Seems there may be some unintended side-effects to this strategy. From today's Globe and Mail we read that, indeed, not all parliamentary offices will be lying dormant until early March. Though the House of Commons may be silent, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer has rightly determined that he should carry on with his duties:

"Prorogation will not silence Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, who plans to release three substantive reports in the run-up to the March budget.

Through a quirk – or, more accurately – complete silence in the rules when it comes to the conduct of his fledgling office during a prorogation, Mr. Page says nothing stops him from continuing with his work. As a result, his reports will provide a rare flurry of activity in a quiet, snow-covered parliamentary precinct scheduled to remain idle for 11 straight weeks. ....

His next report, which could come out as early as next week, will explore an issue Finance Minister Jim Flaherty doesn't want to talk about.

It will provide an in-depth analysis in support of the view that Canada faces a “structural” deficit – meaning the country will be stuck in the red even when the economy bounces back."

Nice to see that, at least in some quarters on the Hill, the work ethic and quest for tranparency is alive and well! (Hmm, wonder how long it will take for Harpo & Co. to try and shut him down? My guess... they are trying to do so as I type!)

Breaking News: Sarah Palin Kills Santa!

December 25, 2009 - 4:30am PST - Wasilla, Alaska

Alaskan State Troopers in Wasilla confirm they have attended to an incident at 1140 W Parks Hwy along the shore of Lake Lucille. The address in question is purported to be the family home of the well known self-promoter, author, and media personality Sarah Palin. According to Sargent Hubie H. Huckleberry of the local State Troopers office, police were responding to calls of "shots fired" at the Palin residence as reported by guests at the adjacent Best Western Hotel.

Upon arriving at the Palin residence, troopers found a very distraught elderly man, all dressed in red, holding the bloodied remains of the head of his prized rangifer tarandus, Rudolf. Surrounded by a sad inconsolable group of eight other bleeding and wounded reindeer (and the wreckage of a sleigh full of toys riddled with bullets), the poor soul, clearly shaken, cried, "... for the love of God, has anybody seen the nose".

"Oh Why? Why? Why?", he then sobbed repeatedly.

But the tears streaming from the old man's now twinkle-less eyes and down his rosy cheeks did not phase the crazy-eyed lady in a kerchief and high heels holding a smoking Mossberg Maverick. Initially saying nothing - she finally, simply, and coldly, said: "Because you peace loving- Obama loving-bearded old hippie-socialist-commie-bastard, NOBODY is ever allowed to tell me that I've been naughty!"

And with that, she turned to her hapless (useless) man-servant in his dressing gown and cap and shouted: "Come on Todd, get the lead out! Go get the knives. Let's cut, gut, and dress this bitch!"

Update: Early eyewitness accounts also state that Mrs. Palin then proclaimed in front of her crying children and grandchild: "Oh, go cry me a liberal river you bleeding heart wussies; this is not the way I and dude raised you. It was on our property, I shot it, so we're gonna eat it!" Much sobbing is said to have ensued. At last report, the distraught elderly bearded man in red was last seen walking into the middle of Lake Lucille mumbling "the horror, the horror" before then jumping through the ice ... he has not been seen since.