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I think it's an indicator of maturity and wisdom when you are able to revise or reject a position you might have held for a long time. Take Freeman Dyson, for example. He's certainly mature and I find him wise. Over at The Edge, the “annual question”, is:

When thinking changes your mind, that's philosophy.

When God changes your mind, that's faith.

When facts change your mind, that's science.

WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT? WHY?

and here's the beginning of Dyson's response:

When facts change your mind, that's not always science. It may be history. I changed my mind about an important historical question: did the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bring World War Two to an end? Until this year I used to say, perhaps. Now, because of new facts, I say no. This question is important, because the myth of the nuclear bombs bringing the war to an end is widely believed. To demolish this myth may be a useful first step toward ridding the world of nuclear weapons . . .

Now this sounds promising …

A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests. The discovery's first application will probably be in treatment of the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.

The treatment is “a totally new route for increasing arousal, and the new study shows it to be relatively benign,” said Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a co-author of the paper. “It reduces sleepiness without causing edginess.”

Orexin A is a promising candidate to become a “sleep replacement” drug. For decades, stimulants have been used to combat sleepiness, but they can be addictive and often have side effects, including raising blood pressure or causing mood swings.

The military, for example, administers amphetamines to pilots flying long distances, and has funded research into new drugs like the stimulant modafinil and orexin A in an effort to help troops stay awake with the fewest side effects . . .

 The official notice from the PMO that Prime Minister Harper would be available to speak to the media about Benazir Bhutto’s assassination went out at 1346 Ottawa time this afternoon, giving reporters 29 minutes to get to the Calgary airport. The PMO was curious why not many reporters were able to show up.  

Luckily, as we’d been calling the PMO all day, we had an early heads-up and our camera crew was already on the way to the airport. Here’s some of his comments, made just before he got on the government jet to return to Ottawa:

On behalf of the people of Canada, I want to express my sincere condolences to the family of Mrs. Bhutto as well as to those of the other innocent victims today and to the people of Pakistan.

We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. This was an abhorrent act of terror. We hope that the government of Pakistan will act to bring the perpetrators to justice. This cannot be allowed to permit any delay in the return of Pakistan to full democracy, something the people of Pakistan have been waiting for for far too long.

… it is our role to continue to press the government of Pakistan to continue on the path to restoring full democracy, something that we think is long overdue.  

… we’ve been concerned for several months now about this whole series of events in Pakistan that undermines the stability there [in Afghanistan, where our troops are] and we are concerned about regional stability and obviously about the valiant efforts that our people in Afghanistan are making.

 

 

While leaders of other governments get in front of a camera so we can hear the outrage in their voice, Canada simply issues a press release:

December 27, 2007 (1:00 p.m. EST)
No. 186
CANADA CONDEMNS ASSASSINATION OF PAKISTANI OPPOSITION LEADER BENAZIR BHUTTO
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement condemning the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto:

“Canada condemns in the strongest terms this attack on the restoration of Pakistan’s efforts to return to full democracy. Today’s violence is especially heinous in view of the upcoming elections on January 8, 2008. The anti-democratic intent of the perpetrators could not be more obvious.

“I urge the Government and people of Pakistan to continue to reject all forms of violence and to resist those who seek to destabilize their country. Stability in Pakistan is vital for regional stability and security.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Benazir Bhutto, to the families of the other victims of today’s attack, and to the Pakistani people. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”

 

– 30 –

UPDATE: At 1:15 ET, we have just been alerted that Prime Minister Harper will make himself available at the Calgary airport at 2:15 ET. Our cameras are racing there right now!  

More proof that Canadian consumers tend to talk a lot about being environmentally conscious but often fail to change their own behaviour: Sales for gas-guzzlers in Canada jumped in November compared to year-ago levels while sales of tiny efficient vehicles dropped. This change came despite the presence of some generous federal government rebates on fuel-efficient vehicles and gas prices that remained relatively high.

Automotive consultant Dennis Desrosiers, in his most recent newsletter, notes:

… luxury SUV [sales] up 14.3 per cent, large pick-up increased 8.7 per cent, small Luxury vehicles up 0.9 per cent despite a fair number of US purchases that don't count in the Canadian numbers. The whole category of large/luxury/sport was up 0.2 per cent in a market that was down 5 per cent. So much for high fuel prices, so much for feebates …. discount a vehicle and consumers will buy more.

Indeed small entry level vehicle sales were down 9.3 per cent, the largest drop this year . . .

The unintended consequences? Not necessarily good for the environment and little to nothing our governments can do about it. If vehicles are priced too high, consumers will just go to the States or buy used…. lower the prices to move the product and consumers in Canada buy them.  Governments should be careful with their approach to regulating our industry. Consumers will always find a way around these regulations.

For November, the number one selling passenger car in the country was the Honda Civic. Honda put 4,690 new Civics in Canadian driveways but that was a steep drop from November, 2006, when Honda sold 5,585 Civics. The other top-selling passenger cars in Canada in November were, in order (with percentage change in sales from last November in brackets): 2. Pontiac Grand Prix (+589.9%), 3. Mazda3 (-24.6%), 4. Honda Accord (+69.9%), 5. Ford Focus (+5.6%)

The top-selling light trucks, according to Desrosier’s research, were: 1. Ford F-Series (+4.3%), 2. Dodge Caravan (-17.7%), 3. Dodge Ram (+5.6%), 4. GMC Sierra (+2.4%), 5. Chevrolet Silverado (+3.6%).

Year-to-date, combined sales of passenger vehicles in Canada are up 0.4% at 807,988 units while combined sales of light trucks is up 6.1 per cent at 725,506.

Season's greetings from the Prime Miniser and the leaders of Canada's federal political parties:

(Click on the image to go to the video)

From Prime Minister Stephen Harper:

From the Leader of the Official Opposition, Stéphane Dion:

From the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Gilles Duceppe:

From NDP Leader Jack Layton:

To celebrate the season, I'm happy to pass on this helpful video, produced in 1958 by the public relations department at the Ontario Agricultural College, the college that would be nucleus for my alma mater, the University of Guelph. Here it is: How to Carve a Turkey.

(With a tip of the toque to Sue Richards for this one)

The writs have been dropped for four more by-elections.

In Toronto Centre, former Ontario Premier Bob Rae is the odds-on favourite to replace retired MP Bill Graham when voters there go to the polls on March 17. Several weeks ago, the Conservatives fired their candidate, Mark Warner, because he … well, they never really said why. It doesn't much matter: This district, which Bob Rae calls “the heart of Canada”, includes the tony Toronto neighbourhood of Rosedale and is about as safe as it gets for Liberals.

Voters will also select a new MP in the Saskatchewan riding of Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River where rookie Liberal MP Gary Merasty decided within a year to pack it in. Political renegade/oddball David Orchard wants to contest this seat for the Liberals but leader Stephane Dion apparently has other ideas. Merasty won it in 2006 in a close vote that incumbent Conservative Jeremy Harrison (now a member of the provincial legislature) contested to no avail.

In Vancouver Quadra, former Liberal minister Stephen Owen is also retiring. Had floor-crosser David Emerson run in this riding as a Conservative, he might have won here! It's a lot more upscale than Emerson's current riding of Vancouver Kingsway. For that reason, I'd say this is the seat that has the greatest chance of change. It's the Liberal's to lose but this is B.C., after all, and weird stuff happens.

Finally, former Liberal cabinet minister Jim Peterson quit the House the day after his contemporary and friend Bill Graham did. And, just as with Graham's old seat in Toronto, look for this one to stay Liberal with a victory by another former contestant for the leadership that Dion won: Martha Hall Findlay — see you in the House this spring along with Bob Rae. The Conservative candidate Maureen Harquail will give it her best, no doubt, but Willowdale is only slightly less safe than Toronto Centre for Liberals.

CTV News announced the top ten stories of 2007 this morning but pure political stories didn’t do very well this year, as our president Robert Hurst — who once covered Parliament Hill — writes in a piece on our Web site:

Normally a prime minister and his government's achievements or failures are sure bets for inclusion in the top-ten list. But it didn't happen this year even though the Conservatives are governing with a minority Parliament.

The high-flying loonie was the obvious choice as the top Canadian story of 2007. The dramatic rise of Canada's currency affects every single Canadian, which is a key factor in evaluating its inclusion and ranking on the list. Indeed during the autumn, the loonie's climb against the U.S. greenback was the lead story night after night, week after week.

Now, of course, federal politics influenced or was influenced by some of the year’s big stories. 

The story of the loonie’s rise continues to be a political flashpoint here in Ottawa, with opposition MPs and business lobby groups pushing the government to do something to help out ailing manufacturers. And Canada’s war in Afghanistan – the number two story of the year — continues to be a significant point of cleavage between the four major political parties.

The use of tasers (number 5) and the deaths of RCMP officers (number 6) had politicians scrambling in reaction.

The only pure political story of the year was our number ten selection – the Mulroney-Schreiber saga.

Check out the complete list at the bottom of this page.

Washington Post media columnist Howard Kurtz has a good idea: Political reporters should stop letting sources who refuse to go on the record throw mud at political opponents.

Is it really necessary to allow operatives from one campaign to attack another candidate without their names attached? These strategists are paid to slam the other contenders. Why should they be able to hide behind a curtain of anonymity? Do you really want to be aiding and abetting that sort of cheap-shot politics? …

Political reporters, as a rule, are an industrious band of road warriors who work hard to get people to speak on the record. But under deadline pressure, they sometimes succumb to the lure of the juicy quote dished out by operatives trying to damage rival candidates. Perhaps it's time to rethink the practice.