It goes on to say that a spokesman for the UN's environment program stated that "David Sproule, the head of Canada's delegation, told participants that «Canada is not in a position to agree to the listing of chrysotile asbestos … at this conference of the parties»".

If accurate, then Sproule's remark is obviously a lie. By having the capacity to vote, Canada is in a position to agree. It has simply chosen not to.

The decision is repugnant, and typically illustrative of the Steven Harper government's lack of moral compass.

I was riding my bike north on Kingsway, in the right-most lane.  Just north of 12th, while I was riding on the dashed the margin between parked cars and the right-most lane, the car behind behind me slowed to give me an opportunity to change lanes.  I signalled left, and safely made it into the left lane.  I continued north, across Broadway, then stopped in with the queue of traffic waiting to turn left onto 7th.

At this point two Vancouver Police officers, riding motorcycles two abreast, pulled up to the right of me (in the through lane).  I heard someone shouting "Hello! Hello!", and realized they were trying to get my attention.  Looking over, one officer then shouted:  "You're not a car.  You have to stay as far right as possible.  If you're making a turn, you have to do it within the block."

I only had time to respond with "Oh, yeah…?" and a baffled half-grin before the light changed and they peeled off ahead down Main.  I continued on my way.

This exchange bothered me for several reasons.

1. I don't believe I was doing anything illegal or unsafe.  In fact, I was doing my best to integrate with traffic, as I always do; my movements were well-signed, obvious, and in keeping with regular traffic flow.
2. I believe that these officers were themselves breaking the law by riding two abreast in one lane of traffic.
3. If I were committing an infraction, I would have expected (and appreciated) lights or sirens and a proper traffic stop.  Instead, the odd casual nature of this exchange seemed bizarre.

I shall do some research into the road regulations to see if I can validate the officer's advice. However I am skeptical that his admonishment, at least in this situation, amounted to little more than personal opinion – which seems rather unprofessional for the police.

• A federal appalling appeals court blocks the people's right to equitability and indefinitely extends, yet again, the country's ban on gays in the military.
• The federal transportation "safety" administration has implemented a new rule requiring the molestation (genital fondling) of any air traveler not wishing to have nude photographs taken of themselves.

Unreal. It's interesting to observe that many of the country's irrational hang-ups involve sexual themes.

Apparently, they have been actively campaigning against Creative Commons and other similar movements.

Mike Rugnetta, a New York musician, disagrees with their politics — but ASCAP refuses to let him quit his membership!

Since the posting of that a couple days ago several other analyses (CNET, Engadget) have been presented, including reaction from Lukas Mathis who concludes that H.264 is not viable for long-term use.

This is sort of a rough situation.