Moonlight Graham

I hope he was killed by a bullet from a CIA guy or marine/navy seal etc. because that would make a cool movie lol.

Yeah, not going to change much. What power did he have anyways? Symbolically at least, it's a very big. However, a pretty damn sweet tip in Obama's cap come election time!...deserved or not. They'll spin this like a record...if they're smart. I honestly wonder what's going through Bush and Cheney's heads? Happy? Relieved? Jealous?

I was actually just taking about me personally, i'd take criticism to have great power. But i suppose that goes for Canada as well. Canada has a sweet deal as it is, where the U.S. takes most of the hits due to its power and how it acts on it, yet Canada reaps most of the benefits as well. But i would like Canada to be the global superpower. The power the U.S. has in countless areas is insane, so it would be nice to have a bit more of a personal say in that. Well obviously the rise of China, India etc. can reverse just like any other country. Can't predict the future, but things seem to being going in a certain direction. The US, not to mention virtually all other industrialized countries, have helped drive the rise of these China, India etc. because we export jobs/business to them and are significant in their growing economies. I don't think it's communism much at all. It's really only in name. It's largely capitalist with a totalitarian dictatorship. I am very concerned with China as a rising power, because of the nature of its government. To not be would be nuts. The US gets a bum rap for sure. It deserves a good deal of the criticism pointed at it, and this is a healthy thing to help keep it in check. But it is not appreciated how lucky the world is to have the US as the superpower hegemon. People, for whatever reason, don't think about the alternatives. What would the world be like is the USSR won the Cold War? One could name off 100 countries easily that would be a nightmare as the lone superpower compared to the US. We should all be VERY grateful that the US is in the position it is. At the same time, people will and should criticize the US because of the influence of its actions on the rest of the world, and the US is far from perfect. The biggest car in the parking lot gets the most bird shit, right? Yeah, who knows. I'm sure some other western countries would do worse, some maybe better. Impossible to know. Balls. The word you're looking for is "balls".

Agreed. They saw this would remain an issue in the 2012 campaign, so they nipped it in the bud. Issue over, except for the obsessed conspiracy types.

It's obviously about aliens. We've found aliens.

Where is the NATO/UN response in Syria or Yemen to protect the protesters being killed? Alas, nowhere! How not surprising. Maybe these countries must collapse into civil war like Libya to be "saved"? I do find it interesting that NATO intervened in Libya despite it turning into a civil war, which it was unlike Egypt and elsewhere, because when you march on the streets protesting your government you are a protester, but when you take up arms and begin fighting and killing you become a rebel within a civil war. Cheers to western support of human rights, democracy, and yada yada.

Also does look very exciting. Yeah, GSP is likely going to whoop Shields, but i think Shields poses the biggest threat to GSP in a while, moreso than Hardy or Koscheck for sure i think. It's a pretty good card tonight.

Is it wrong that i think i like Jack Layton MORE for going into an asian massage parlour and possibly getting jerked?

In the last week i've watched 3 fights by Jake Shields, including his last fight with Martin Kampmann and his last WEC fight vs Dan Henderson. Shields is just ridiculously sick on the ground. I've never seen anyone be able to pass from guard and half-guard into side control and mount. His jiu-jitsu is obviously 1st-class, and he can wrestle very well. His 5-round fight vs Henderson showed me he has very good conditioning at 185 lbs, but we'll see if Shields had to cut weight as hard as he did vs Kampmann. Obviously the huge weakness for Shields is his striking. He's weak with his punches both standing and ground-and-pound, and his leg kicks are also weak with crappy technique. There's no way he'll beat GSP standing up. But all Shields has to do is get a hold of GSP to be very dangerous. GSP has to do a lot more than sprawl and stuff takedowns by Shields, because Shields often shoots and just grabs a leg and either works to takes a guy down that way or uses the leg for get a submission hold. I like GSP but find myself rooting for Jake as the underdog. GSP has the edge because his speed is superior as is his striking, but if they get a hold of each other it will be fun to watch.

Crime and sentencing policies aren't just based on trying to "reduce crime". Sentencing is also about delivering justice. What is "justice" is obviously subjective. But in my opinion we have many cases where criminals are sentenced and the punishment and/or time served seems too light given the crime.

LOL exactly. I can't hold it against Jack if he obviously happens to like himself some Asian ladies.

I think my main point this thread is that Layton MUST be asked of his intentions about whether or not he will attempt to form a coalition government in such a situation. The media must pin this question on him before the election so us voters know what to expect (or hold him to account if he lies). This is a HUGE question that has, at least to my knowledge, not been directly addressed by Layton. It may make all the difference in how i vote on Monday.

With the recent flip in voter support for the Liberals/NDP and this recent NDP surge in the polls showing a strong possibility that the NDP may finish with the 2nd most seats and that the CPC could very well get another minority, this is an important question to ask: Would Layton attempt to form a coalition if NDP finishes 2nd place? Surprisingly, i have personally heard nothing about this issue being asked to Layton by the media in the last week or so since the NDP surge. It was important for voter and the media to ask about Ignatieff's intentions of a coalition, and it is equally important that voters know Layton's intentions. As of now, with Layton seemingly eager to be in any sort of power-sharing coalition deal in the past, I would suspect odds are high that he would try to form a coalition if the NDP finish with the 2nd-most seats and the CPC fails to win a majority. And even if Layton didn't do it at the outset, he could attempt a coalition within the next year or 2 (or 3?) before the next federal election.

Source please.

May I suggest not snacking on magic mushrooms on Monday, as the recreational narcotics you were clearly enjoying at the time of writing the above may cause you to *GASP* vote for the villainous Harper himself. This one vote could cost the NDP their certain majority!

Nobody can predict what the undecided will do. But the rise in undecided seems to have jumped with the rise in the NDP popularity, so yes it could the former Liberal supporters sitting on the fence. While i think Layton has some charisma and is energetic and has leadership ability, though personally i also think he's a bit of an insincere snake-oil salesman, one thing about the NDP is that it's kind of fun to root for them (especially with the "orange fever" going around and some likely just jumping on the bandwagon), but the question is do you really want them running the country? That's a question people might be reluctant to say "yes" to when they get behind their cardboard voting booth. On the other hand, there isn't much of a choice for left-wingers who don't want to vote CPC. The NDP seem to now be the choice for many who want to vote strategically to prevent the CPC majority. It will be so interesting to see if the NDP-mania translates to votes and/or seats election night.

Some are by choice, most are not. and link

i'll make a prediction, where NDP gets about 60 seats.

You forget, if NDP get the 2nd-most votes and its a CPC minority, Jack could try to form a coalition, as he seems to be very eager to have done in the past. Hard to see the Liberals going along with that, since it wouldn't guarantee them much power yet could put the lid on the coffin for the party for a long time for many voters. I highly doubt he'll be leader over the next decade if he doesn't get a majority the next couple of elections.

Layton responded to a reporter's question, and handled it quite well i think. He has no immediate plans to reopen the constitution from what i gather, but admits it's a problem.

Be careful what you wish for. I would take whatever criticism came at me to have great power. They are just words, tiring yes, but c'mon. I do believe the best days for the U.S., at least in terms of power within the world, are behind your country. China, India, Brazil etc. are swiftly rising countries relative to the U.S., no small part thanks to the U.S. of course (which boggles my mind), and the years of U.S. hegemony are likely numbered. China could be the next superpower, and i could definitely see another bipolar world somewhat similar to the Cold War, though China seems far less concerned with its ideology and spreading "communism" (if you can really call China "communist" anymore) than it is with economics and regional power. The economic dependency the US/China have on each other would make another Cold War situation less likely, but a bipolar world may not be a very good thing, especially since China is a totalitarian state. No. Has there ever been a more stable and secure world since the fall of the USSR? It hasn't been all daisies obviously (no thanks to some of the US's own policies), but i'd take U.S. hegemony over the instability that has come from a bipolar and multipolar world in the past. However, that is not to say many other Western countries couldn't do as good a job or better as a global hegemonic power than the US.

SB, you are indeed a very kind man, and so is your family for taking him in. I'm not a psychologist or social worker/youth worker, however a couple of years ago i volunteered and was employed at a community youth centre for about a year that deals with disadvantaged young parents (mostly mothers), many that boys' age, and their young children. Many of the young parents there have been abused, been through CAS, foster/group homes, homeless and on drugs etc. Unfortunately a pattern too often seen with abused children. So i have some experience with this population and working alongside social workers and child/youth workers, but please remember i'm far from an expert. First, it's very positive to see him spending his days at high school and working towards his diploma. My mother always said that everyone need a reason to get up in the morning, and it's very true. He has a goal and a place to occupy himself and keep him from being too bored and doing even more drugs. If i would give you one piece of advice it would be to try to keep some somewhat consistent contact with him. ie: If he decides to move out, i would suggest trying to see if he'd agree to have both of you meet up every 2 weeks or once a month and do something with him, whether a cup of coffee, play some ball hockey, go see an OHL hockey game or something. Just anything! He seems to like you and is very comfortable talking with you, which can be extremely hard for kids who have been abused by their parents, taken away from them by adults at CAS, passed around group home after group home and probably multiple foster homes. It can be very hard for these kids to trust adults and parental figures (and sometimes trusting ANYONE! is hard). They often have abandonment issues, because remember that virtually every adult figure throughout their lives (parents/group home workers/foster parents etc.) has likely at some point left their life and/or passed them along to be someone else's problem. So to show you care and making a habit out of catching up with the kid once in awhile would be a very good thing i think, like a bit of a mentor to him. Maybe the kid could be hard to find and doesn't want to meet up with you (fear of getting "too close" with people is also part of the abandonment issues), so if he moves out at the very least maybe tell him that you'll always be available he wants to chat or hang out. My personal thought is that you just sitting and listening to him, and not knowing what to say seems perfectly fine. I felt the same when some of the young parents told me some stories, i had no idea what to say, i just tried to listen. Just having an outlet to share thoughts/feelings is very healthy and therapeutic. Finally, I would recommend trying to get in contact with a social worker or youth worker/councilor to get some advice on your situation (try to find a community centre, hit the yellowpages, or maybe call a hospital or your family doctor to find one?). None of us here are professionals, so that would be my approach. If you can't find anyone, let me know and i'll try to forward your first post to a youth councilor i know and maybe they'll have some advice for you. Good luck!

Well, nobody was talking about health care early in the campaign either.

Thank you betsy.

Ya, Joe Rogan said during the Kampmann fight that Shields looked very drawn and unhealthy at the weigh-in the previous day, obviously trying to cut weight. He definitely ran out of gas in the fight. I hope he shows up in better shape this time.