h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't know how they got the votes counted so fast. Brown does seem to have gotten 52% of the votes. He campaigned extremely hard. He's the first Republican to win a Massachusetts Senate seat since 1966, when Edward Brooke won.

So what is it, about 10 pm there? What time did the polls close?

Up here we often know who's won a riding within a half hour of the polls closing. Of course, a governorship is a bit different (a really big riding). I guess it depends on the size of the precincts, the number of poll workers counting (and their level of numeracy, and the number of people who actually turned out to vote. And, of course, on the efficiency with which precinct results are reported to the central authority.

Changing the subject, I noticed another article on The Bothy in/on the Journal website(and in particular about my brother's territory, the kitchen.)

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/food/Beyond+haggis+great+Scots+fare/2460422/story.html

That's an article (and recipe) I'll be referring back to.



So, Jaz'd, just before Christmas I dropped off a loaf of my home baked bread (Christmas version: pumpkin seeds and red quinoa to give it the red and green effect) with my haggis purveyor. Last week I went back (haggis only until after the 25th) and he said he wanted to set up a barter arrangement: I bring in a loaf of bread and he flings me a haggis -- no charge. What a deal! A couple of pounds of organ meat stuffed into an animal's gut for the price of a couple of cups of flour! Who could resist?

I'm taking a loaf over tomorrow.

Why waste time...

That reminds me that I have a recipe for vegetarian haggis that I've been meaning to make for ages. How can I resist the thought of red kidney beans and oatmeal stuffed into big chucks of onion?

Here's something about the MA election that you might want to read, Paul:

'Representatives of nonpartisan election watchdog groups around the nation issued a last-minute 'orange alert,' warning that tomorrow's Massachusetts special election to elect a successor to the late Senator Ted Kennedy is ripe for manipulation. The groups call on Secretary of State Galvin to take immediate extra security precautions for the Senate race, which has become a high-stakes national contest. Critical national initiatives such as health care reform and financial reform will be influenced by the results of this election. . .'

http://www.truthout.org/election-experts-issue-orange-alert-massachusetts-special-election56184

Tied in to The Bothy-which has a few Bowmore single malts, one of those odd little twitter 'follower/ing moments'...I checked my email this morning to find "Bowmore Distillery (bowmore1779) is now following your tweets on Twitter"

Anhaga, there was a movie in which Robin Williams got elected President because of a glitch with the computer program that ran the voting machines. That could never happen in real life.

Well it appears that my sweet tooth(or actually I suspect 'sweet teeth')will be dragging me out to a few previously unsampled-since at least 2 are newer-establishments.

http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=14104

http://walshcooks.blogspot.com/2010/01/mexico-on-argyll.html (Pulparindo...hmm...)

http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=14103 (further east & south than I normally travel)

And on the tragic situation in Haiti...Gwynne Dyer makes some good & timely points -

http://www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=14099

"Now, it's true that 90 percent of Haitians would leap at the chance to leave their country, the poorest in all the Americas, but the destination they have in mind is Miami or Montréal. Senegal is one of the best-run and most democratic countries of Africa (though both qualities have been badly damaged during the 10-year rule of Abdoulaye Wade), but it does not feature prominently on Haitian wish-lists."



Okay, 3 million can go to Senegal, 3 million to Montreal, and the remainder to Miami.

Of all the places an earthquake could occur, Haiti seems the worst. But then, it's not a stranger to lists of the worst places in general.

I was trying to figure out the address of that store on 63 Ave, Jaz'd, and I just couldn't reconcile it with reality. From what I can figure, it's in the self-storage building on the corner of 63 and 99.

If I'm right anhaga(& I'm not the best with addresses), it's essentially-2 blocks-straight north of Transcend. In that little strip mall('strip-let mall'?)on the northeast corner of Argyll & 99th...either that or just across Argyll near(I believe)that bar, Billy Bob's. I will need to pin it down & stop by, I'm just finishing up a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce...also I'm very curious about that Pulparindo, "It starts off salty, you chew into sweet, and finish off with a kick of heat."

And, rather coincidentally( since I'm engaging in a bit of nostalgia & playing The Specials album Elvis produced years ago), I didn't realize he was coming. Ah A Message To You Rudy

http://www.seemagazine.com/article/music/music-feature/elvis-0121

Oh & on that proroguing/Facebook page issue -

http://www.seemagazine.com/article/news/news-main/protest-0121

You're right about that location, Jaz'd, but the address in the article is wrong, a block west of where it actually is. I went by today. Those bars are right by the till. I should have got one, but I didn't. I'm looking forward to when his variety increases. Right now it seems to be mainly Mexican soft drinks and canned goods. And a few dried peppers.

On the prorogueing article:

the Facebook group is now well over 200,000 (two of which are me). Linda Duncan sent me an email about the rally on Saturday. I'll have to see what I can do. Maybe I could bring my 'Coalition: Oui' sign.

Ah ok, thanks for the tip anhaga, 98th street & not 99th. I've corrected my little 'post-it note' type reminder...will likely try to swing by on the weekend.

First visit to The Bothy was great! My other brother-WCB's head of legal services-& I were there early(family dinner). So we each had a glass of & munched our way though a sharing plate-smoked cheddar, olives, etc. Then meat pie(chicken & leek)for me, when the rest of the group arrived.Of course the full table justified an actual bottle of , so I've now sampled 2 from my list. I had a glass of the Spanish Fuego Garnacha earlier & then a couple glasses of the Mr. Riggs The Gaffer-from eastern Australia-with the meal. And actually, I kind of preferred the Aussie. I had also been introduced to Doug, the owner just shortly after arriving.

Now come the long afternoons of Talisker, Bowmore, etc accompanied by Colston Basset Stilton, Aged Sylvan Star Gouda, Lightly Smoked Four Pepper Beef & what have you...*sigh, a guy can always dream. Speaking of the Bowmore, the cozy little place Really started to fill up by about 6:45 as there was a Bowmore tasting.I really would've liked to stay for a glass or two! But of course we were on our way out & even if I had a quick one it would inDeed have been*swoosh*a quick one!

So, yes, it is in the strip mall you mentioned, the one with the Brick mattress store (let the foreigners stew over that one: 'They have brick mattresses in Canada?!)

Concerning the Bothy, I'm curious (sorry to harp on my favourite pudding): do they make the haggis themselves, or do they contract it out? Do they use sheep lungs or is it a beef one, like my guy trades for bread? If you know.

Oh, and, I picked up the invitations for the show at the VAAA gallery and posted it on Facebook. Do you do Facebook? If so, you could probably find me through Taff's page, if you know Taff's page. Or Az's page. Or Zoomer's. My profile picture right now is identical to the lovely Hubble image at the top of this page: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2010/01/stephen-hawking-the-omnipotent-fishgod-is-the-universe-finetuned-for-life-a-galaxy-classic.html


I don't know that I'll be maintaining my anonymity much longer.

for the prorogation file:


I just received a reply from Iggy. Still nothing from the PMO.

Here's what the Leader of the Opposition had to say (I suspect it's a form email as it is in both official languages. Or maybe he knows I can deal with both):


Le français suit l’anglais

Dear Sir/Madam,

On behalf of Michael Ignatieff, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your recent email regarding Stephen Harper’s decision to shut down Parliament.

The Conservatives have forced the shutdown of Parliament to avoid accountability for their handling and cover-up of the Afghan detainee torture controversy. This is just the latest example in a consistent pattern of cynical behaviour by Mr. Harper - whenever he gets into political trouble, his first impulse is to steamroll over democratic institutions that get in the way.

Now, the Conservatives are trying to hide behind the Vancouver Olympics as an excuse for stifling dissent, even though other democratic host nations continued to have functioning Parliaments right up to or during their Games – including Canada in 1988.

The fact is Canadians care about the health of their democracy, their Parliament and how they are governed.

The sooner the House comes back, the better. In the meantime, while the Conservatives are taking an extended vacation, Liberals are working.

Last week, Michael Ignatieff conducted a tour to college and university campuses in order to engage our next generation of leaders in an exchange of ideas for building a more prosperous and fair Canada.

On January 25, when Parliament should have resumed, Liberal MPs will be back at work in Ottawa – hosting working sessions on the issues Canadians care about.

Please find a link to a copy of an op-ed that Michael has written regarding the shut down of Parliament: http://www.liberal.ca/en/blog/17190_leaders-op-ed-shutting-down-parliament-the-arrogance-of-power

Thank you for taking the time to write to the Leader of the Opposition.

Sincerely,

The Office of Michael Ignatieff, MP
Leader of the Official Opposition

Websites of Interest:

www.liberal.ca
www.liberalsenateforum.ca

Madame, Monsieur,

Au nom de Michael Ignatieff, j’accuse réception de votre récent courriel concernant la décision de Stephen Harper de suspendre les travaux du Parlement.

Les conservateurs ont imposé la fermeture du Parlement pour éviter d’avoir à rendre des comptes sur la gestion et les cachotteries de leur gouvernement dans la controverse de la torture de détenus afghans. Ce n'est là que le dernier exemple du cynisme qui caractérise M. Harper : à chaque fois qu'il se met dans un pétrin politique, son premier réflexe est d’écraser les institutions démocratiques qui lui barrent la route.

Maintenant, les conservateurs essaient d’utiliser le prétexte des Jeux Olympiques de Vancouver pour étouffer la dissidence, alors que les Parlements d'autres pays démocratiques qui ont accueilli les Jeux Olympiques ont continué à fonctionner jusqu’au Jeux ou pendant ceux-ci – notamment le Canada en 1988.

Mais en vérité, les Canadiens s’intéressent à l’équilibre de leur démocratie, à leur Parlement et à la façon dont on les gouverne.

Plus tôt la Chambre se remettra au travail, mieux ce sera. En attendant, pendant que les députés conservateurs prennent des vacances prolongées, les libéraux s’attèlent à la tâche.

La semaine dernière, Michael Ignatieff a fait une tournée des campus collégiaux et universitaires du pays afin d’entamer un échange d’idées avec la prochaine génération de leaders, pour construire un Canada plus prospère et plus juste.

Et le 25 janvier, date à laquelle les travaux du Parlement auraient dû reprendre, les députés libéraux seront de retour au travail à Ottawa, pour organiser des séances de travail sur les questions qui préoccupent les Canadiens.

Voici un lien qui vous mènera à un article d’opinion que M. Ignatieff a écrit au sujet de la suspension des travaux du Parlement : http://www.liberal.ca/fr/blog/17190_leaders-op-ed-shutting-down-parliament-the-arrogance-of-power

Merci d’avoir pris la peine d’écrire au Chef de l’opposition.

Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de nos sentiments distingués.

Le cabinet du député Michael Ignatieff
Chef de l'Opposition officielle

Sites web:

www.liberal.ca
www.liberalsenateforum.ca

So, I've had a number of responses from my MLA (NDP), a response from Jack, a response from Iggy, but nothing from Harper or from the MP to whom I actually addressed, whose name escapes me at the moment.

Yes indeed, the brick mattress - your partner can roll over, jump up & down but we guarantee you Won't feel a thing! How's that for a solid(pun intended)nights sleep?

In regard to The Bothy's haggis, they make their own, I believe with essentially a sausage casing. The place was filling up & getting a bit noisy when the owner Doug was explaining about it. But unless I missed it, I don't think he actually specified it was sausage casing(so I'll have to corner my brother Kevin for clarification-or verification, on that).

But no I don't do Facebook. I had actually signed up in Oct. or early Nov. when Nate at http://www.coffeenate.com (an American living in Sault St.Marie...see episode #22 on the Char er Starbucks VIA, I liked his evocative description afterwards!)tweeted that he only needed 12(?)or however many more friends. Despite my keeping sign in details, the site was repeatedly stonewalling me when I tried getting on a week later. I(perhaps rashly-'knee-jerk reaction')thought 'no I probably don't need another excuse to spend time on the computer'.