Sarah Palin Scares Me

For obvious reasons, I only just got around today to watching Katie Couric's infamous first interview with Sarah Palin. To say I was flabbergasted would be an understatement. God almighty...how in the hell has this woman ended up where she is?!

The bit where she talked "foreign policy" was the most insane. I actually sat there with my mouth hanging open in shock, as she wittered on about Israel, Iran, Good Guys/Bad Guys, and how she can see Russia from her house (or something). One might possibly excuse her lack of eloquence; not everyone has the gift of the gab (though it's certainly a skill that can be learned). But how is it possible that someone so utterly uninformed and ill-prepared is poised to potentially become the Vice-President of the United States? It makes me sad and embarassed for women in politics, to see this nim-nut elevated to such a lofty height. There's also no doubt that her presence on the Republican ticket makes America look reeeeally bad (not that your average Republican voter gives a rat's arse about what the rest of the world thinks, though).

Katie Couric herself looked stunned at Palin's inane answers to her questions. Hell, based on this interview, Palin would have a hard time managing a question-and-answer segment in a beauty pageant. I think I'll be tuning in to the Vice-Presidential debate on Thursday, just to watch the spectacle; Joe Biden will doubtless wipe the floor with her.

Culture in Danger

I'm not exactly a big fan of the Quebec cultural scene, but I do think this video (made by a group of francophone artists who wanted to make a point in anticipation of next month's federal election) is excellent.


http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhgv85m852Q

Vive les phoques! Hahaha...God, Stephen Harper is such a complete and utter berk.

Clear-Cut

Most of yesterday afternoon, I was serenaded by the sound of chainsaws just outside the house. A city work crew has been busily cutting down trees on the property next door to us (a small apartment block).

The work is being done in preparation for a widening of the main road onto which our little cul-de-sac opens. The part that runs past the apartment building is set to have new sidewalks and a new retaining wall built. These are both good things, but we hadn't appreciated just how many trees would need to come down before the work could get started. Fortunately, nothing on our own property was touched, but it was still a little close for comfort - especially as one of the best things about our property is the number of mature trees which surround it (and shield us from the traffic in the roundabout, just a few hundred metres away).

I tell you, if I were a resident in the apartments next door, I'd be pretty pissed off right now to find that my once-leafy view had disappeared!