Out of the Cabinet

Hello, all. Here we are with a delightfully chilly February day. I was (for once) not even a little bit late for my geography lecture, and after that I went for a run. The conditions on the canal were clear and it was absolutely beautiful out, so I went all the way down to Pretoria Bridge, in violation of my own wind-chill regulations. -17C isn't that cold, particularly not when it's only -9C without wind. Anyway, I enjoyed myself and kept a pretty good pace. I am also pleased to report that I did not fall over even once, which is better than I had been doing. My left ankle seems to have gotten really weak for some reason and is now prone to buckling and rolling on even the most slightly uneven bit of ground. It's not cool.

About an hour ago, the CBC posted their story about the Cabinet announcements. Nothing seems too shocking, except for the two appointments that are kind of shcoking. I'm pleased MacKay got Foreign Affairs instead of Stock, because Stock is, frankly, kind of an idiot and I don't want him representing me to the world, thank you very much. However, "Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Monte Solberg" is a phrase to strike fear into the heart. As long as he shows new Canadians the same consideration and courtesy he has the First Nations and Metis, I'm sure it'll be fine. But! David Emerson defected in order to become a minister, so if we do a little math this means that Jack-o-Layton could have the balance of power in this Parliament, to serve as a moderating influence on whatever craziness is apt to go down. Also, the Harper crew has got an unelected guy in Cabinet, and it doesn't look like he's going to have to run in a by-election, they'll just wait for the next federal election. How do you like them democratic reform apples?

Away I go to write my PAPM paper on market-based instruments of greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Woohoo.