NS Election Notes

Though I am many years past when I lievd in Nova Scotia, I call myself a Bluenoser and love elections there. Yesterday’s was a classic and a good-ish outcome, though the numbers might be reversed:

Last night, the Conservatives were elected or leading in 23 seats, four short of the 27 needed to form a majority. The New Democrats won 20 and the Liberals trailed with nine seats. Liberal Leader Francis MacKenzie announced he was quitting politics after failing to win his own riding. With little debate to spice the campaign, it came down to whom voters trusted to lead the province. NDP Leader Darrell Dexter, a former journalist and lawyer, was the most experienced of the three political leaders and he gave Mr. MacDonald a tough fight. Polls showed the two running neck and neck until the last two weeks of the campaign, when the Conservatives pulled ahead. Despite their loss, the New Democrats improved their standing in the legislature. Their 20 seats represent a record high. Mr. Dexter told supporters he took some consolation in depriving the Conservatives of a majority. “But they did get re-elected,” he said, promising to continue the party’s tradition of co-operating with the governing Conservatives.

Darrell ran the bar at Kings when I was in undergrad and is supported by Graham Steele, one of my fellow Largs diasporans. Both are inordinately clever guys. These robust minorities and the co-operation they cause are a great model for all Parliaments and Parliamentarians. I said it before but given my druthers I’d outlaw majorities.

I Went And I Didn’t Blog It…


Team GX40

…but now I am so I am a big loser. We zipped across and I didn’t even take a picture for you:

  • TnT ties! Reminds me of how I felt on 16 June 1990.
  • Got made fun of by a US border guard again and got the chilly and very professional treatment from the Canadians on the way back. The difference in style still is weird.
  • Note to file: Fairgrounds Inn in Watertown is good. I am coming to the understanding that there is a thing called New York Italian that is different from Canadian Italian and Italian. It is also different (thankfully) from East Side Marios phoney baloney roadhouses. It is just a family restaurant that offers food of their fathers with a comfort diner angle. Not unlike the best small Chinese-Canadian places in a way – the Shanghai in Ottawa or the Lucky Inn in Pembroke come to mind. Anyway, encountering an excellent cream, red pepper, parsley, garlic and mushroom sauce on a $5.99 dish is dandy. Plus eight pies, most of which have confounding undescriptive names like “Kentucky Derby Pie”. Here is a link to lists and lists of “You haven’t lived in Watertown if you haven’t…” stuff.
  • The Antique Boat Museum at Clayton, NY was amazing as well but on a dreary 10C day likely not the best for photos. It reminded me of another principle of difference in small museums on this side or the other. Yesterday was family free day. Otherwise we would have had to pay at least $30 USD for us as a family. That ticket price shows up in the quality of the facility and exhibits – you are paying to support not just enter the place. And I now have a keen desire to have a woodstrip sailing canoe from 1910. 250 boats in all including mid 1800’s first nations canoes and dugouts.
  • We then proceeded to hang around the Salmon Run Mall at Watertown, mainly because of the George Rhoads of Ithaca sculpture. Here is a site about his ball-drop clangy pieces. There is a short short movie of the one at the Ithaca Sciencentre here.
  • Got canned Indian pudding, Beal St. BBQ sauces and even oyster chowder at the Hannafords. Nice having a New England grocery store so close by.

You are permitted to use this space for World Cup chat today. Gotta conserve post templates, you know. Only got so many. Big hopes for Serbia v. the Netherlands for a good game.

Thanks For Coming Out

This will help things along now nicely:

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and kidnappings, has been killed in an air strike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday, adding that his identity was confirmed by fingerprints and a look at his face. It was a major victory in the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the broader war on terror. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Mr. al-Zarqawi was killed along with seven aides Wednesday evening in a remote area 50 kilometres northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba.

More here at Auntie Beeb.

Upstate Blogging And Me

I am happy to see that NYCO has reorganized the Upstate Bloggers map. I am pleased to note that I am an honourary upstater – upon which badge [Ed.: …and you do get natty badges] I earned one tiny gold star recently as I helped organize an NCPR outreach session here in Kingston. Who knew there was a blogger in Watertown? If they wave will I see them?

Next trip south to the north comes Saturday to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton which has a natty new website. Then, on Friday the 16th, Watertown plays Genesee Valley. Good field. I just figured out that Wakefield started his career in Watertown. Who knew?