Magic Statistics

Generally full-flavoured with a lively aroma, Stinking Bishop is similar to the famous French Epoisses which has been banned from the public transport system in Paris.

via Diocese of Saskatchewan.

Many within the Liberal Party hope that Michael Ignatieff, one of Canada's foremost public intellectuals, will one day prove to be a strong candidate for party leader. Dr Ignatieff's rise to Prime Minister is off to a rocky start, however. His attempt to win the Liberal nomination in a Toronto riding is being greeted with accusations of dirty tricks.

The Liberal Party riding association in Etobicoke-Lakeshore is angry that author and scholar Michael Ignatieff is being parachuted into the Toronto-area constituency as a star candidate. It says he disparaged Ukrainian heritage in one of his books and that two other candidates with deep ties to the community were unable to file their nomination papers.

Etobicoke-Lakeshore has one of the largest Ukrainian populations in Canada. What is Dr Ignatieff's response to these allegations?

Author and scholar Michael Ignatieff pledged his affinity Monday to Canada's Ukrainian community and branded efforts to discredit him on the eve of the federal election campaign a "transparent attempt" to twist his writing and sow dissent within the Liberal Party.

Nothing further was reported regarding the premature unannounced closing of nominations, however.

Anyway, what is Michael Ignatieff's vision of a just society? David Koyzis, who teaches political science at Redeemer University College, has profound disagreements with what he reads in Dr Ignatieff's books. Here are some choice quotes: "deeply flawed . . . difficult to imagine a more stereotypical and less careful account of the liberal creed . . . difficult to imagine an approach less conducive to the doing of justice to the full complexity of human social life in God's world." Read the whole thing.

via Notes From A Byzantine-Rite Calvinist.

Last week Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post business writer, ran a tongue-in-cheek column suggesting that the United States sell Alaska back to Russia for $1 trillion to ease the budget deficit. It turns out that some Russian politicians don't think that's very funny.

It may have been a joke, but some media organizations and politicians in Moscow appear to have taken half-seriously a satirical suggestion that the United States should sell Alaska back to Russia for $1 trillion.

The tongue-in-cheek proposal published in a U.S. newspaper raised the vague notion still present here that Russia could one day retrieve the territory it sold to the U.S.

The return of Alaska would be marked by a great national holiday, said Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an outspoken nationalist politician.

Russia would then have a presence on three continents — Europe, Asia and America — noted Zhirinovsky, who is deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament.

That Vladimir–what a card!

via Fjordman.

Peter Jenkins, Minister of Health and Social Services in the Yukon Party government, has announced that he is resigning from his portfolio, his caucus, and his party. He is now sitting as an independent MLA in the Yukon Legislature. The question is: Did he jump or was he pushed? Mr Jenkins says he jumped, but Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie says he was pushed.

For years, Mr Jenkins has been dogged by unpaid business loans from the Government of Yukon totalling $300,000, which he has shown no indication of repaying. Now Mr Jenkins is finally about to be hauled into court over that. So, isn't it an amazing coincidence that he quit the cabinet and the party just now.

Dennis Fentie told reporters Monday he had accepted Jenkin's [sic] resignation after being given an ultimatum over the minister's outstanding government loans.
. . .
Jenkins has been mired in controversy over government loans his hotel received from the Yukon government. Jenkins has carried more than $300,000 in debt for years, with little indication of paying it back. Fentie wouldn't say what Jenkins had offered the government when he made the ultimatum.

Fentie added that since the government would likely soon be in court with Jenkins over the outstanding loans, he would have removed him from cabinet anyway.

Mr Jenkins, on the other hand, says his unpaid debt and impending legal problems had nothing to do with his resignation.

But Jenkins, the MLA for Dawson City, gave a very different story to the legislature, as he sat in the opposition benches for the first time Monday.

"The heart and soul of my community has been ripped out by the inefficiences [sic] of government at the municipal level, the territorial level, Mr. Speaker, he told the house. The whole issue as to why I'm leaving the government is predicated on what has happened or not happened in my community."

Denying that the loans issue had anything to do with his resignation, Jenkins says he steps away from the Yukon Party with deep regret.

What a crock! The City of Dawson has been financially mismanaged for years. It got so bad that the territorial government fired Dawson City's mayor and council and appointed a trustee to run the town's finances eighteen months ago. And only now Mr Jenkins realises that the Dawson municipal government has problems?

A bulletin board for discussion of Dawson City issues can be found here. A very lively discussion is going on right now about Mr Jenkins and his debt problems.

Karen B. at Lent & Beyond has this evening posted news and prayer requests from our brothers at Classical Anglican News Net. Here is her post in full:

All, I received an e-mailed prayer request from Mike Daley, the CaNN Tech Elf, tonight. Mike is the tech genius behind the scenes who does so much to make the whole Classical Anglican Net web empire possible. He and Binky (aka the Lord High Webelf) very much need our prayers right now. Binky has been very sick (and the CaNN main site has thus been offline since November 18th), and Mike is juggling an incredible number of important responsibilities.

In addition to praying for the Lord’s outpouring of grace and strength for our brothers, Mike is also specifically requesting prayer for an assistant. Please pray that the Lord would raise up additional technical support team members for the CaNN websites. If any of you might be tech-savvy and interested in volunteering, or know others who might qualify, please send an e-mail to: mdaley[at]anglicanunderground[dot]net

Also perhaps you might want to send a get-well card and some encouragement to Binky at: binks.webelf[at]gmail[dot]com

I found this prayer for strength and refreshment on a site with quotes from St. Augustine. May Jesus indeed be the strength of our dear brothers at CaNN, may they find Christ’s power to be revealed in their weakness and may our merciful Lord pour out daily refreshment and lavish grace in their lives:

O God, the deathless hope of all, we rejoice that You support us both when little and even to gray hairs. When our strength is of You, it is strength indeed; but when our own only, it is feebleness. With You are refreshment and true strength.

And from the BCP, a prayer for healing for Binky:

O God of heavenly powers, by the might of your command you drive away from our bodies all sickness and all infirmity: Be present in your goodness with your servant, that his weakness may be banished and his strength restored; and that, his health being renewed, he may bless your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

On a personal note, I have followed Binky's website for a long time; his was one of those that inspired me to start my own blog. (But don't hold that against Binky.) CaNN provides an invaluable service to Christians across Canada and around the world. Please pray for full and speedy recovery for Binky and for technical support for CaNN.