Not so Slacker Friday and Thursday Leftovers

Super Bowl Sunday and I`m just catching up to the end of last week. `Before that though want to begin with a story about Canada in Afghanistan and how Canadian contributions will be missed: Fighting its bloodiest conflict since the Korean War, Canada has paid a heavy price — 139 Canadian troops have died. With about 2,800 soldiers in the country, the third-largest contingent in the U.S.-led coalition, the Canadians have taken more casualties, proportionately, than any other.

But by the end of next year, they will be gone.

After four years of often-intense combat since moving down to Kandahar, the spiritual center of the Taliban, Canadian military planners are now fine-tuning their exit strategy, bringing the Afghans in as closely as possible to ensure that their hard-fought progress doesn't evaporate after they leave. http://bit.ly/9h1Llq

On the Agfghanistan detainee issue is Stephen Harper violating the Constitution? Maybe... http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/02/03/afghanistan-committee.html?ref=rss

America's secret Afghan prisons and possibly torture sites? http://www.democracynow.org/2010/2/2/americas_secret_afghan_prisons_investigation_unearths

Speaking of war, can you smell the freedom? http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iQ9GmtUS2p4Vrka8rJGZIKsbnOtA

Rattling sabres and other news not breaking through the msm news all week http://news.antiwar.com/2010/02/03/western-officials-slam-iran-for-accepting-western-demands-on-nuclear-swap/  - But when they do talk about it, it's demagogued: Neither Russia nor China sees a nuclear armed Iran as a threat. All other things being equal, they might prefer Tehran’s ayatollahs not to control nuclear weapons, but all other things are not equal. Beijing wants access to oil and gas. Moscow wants to rebuild a geostrategic position in the Middle East, sell conventional arms and nuclear reactors to Iran, and foster a regional power capable of standing up to the United States.  http://bit.ly/drjEMx The nerve of the Chinese and Russians having their own set of interests!

Oddly, General Petreus thinks the war mongers are fulll of crap too: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6123TN20100203

Prince Charles declaring war on the Enlightenment. Inbred much?http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7013764.ece

Climate Science - Profit over common sense policy? http://climateprogress.org/2010/02/03/earl-pomeroy-d-global-warming-denial/ 

Climate Science is complicated making it easier to obscure the issues: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/03/earth-can-be-so-touc.html  - So the corporations and the anti-cience crowd can fiddle while the planet burns http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2010/jan/31/big-issue-climate-change

Why would they want to change the greatest health care system in the world? http://bit.ly/9NpLkY

On Groundhog day we learned that Vancouver Island marmots are endanggered add California sea Otters to the list http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=stay-otter-there-california-sea-ott-2010-02-03

Obama is managing to get some good legislation through under the radar http://bit.ly/b2wb7V

Limbaugh lies about Obama, water is wet dept.  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/2/4/833693/-Harvard-Law:-Limbaughs-Lying-about-Obama  - Republican hyperbole, "We're just like Khazikstan!" Seriously, why do people even listen to them?  http://bit.ly/bBmbBm 

Liberal media not liberal: http://mediamatters.org/blog/201002040038 I'm shocked I tells ya'!

Idahoans get charged with kidnapping http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100204/ts_nm/us_quake_haiti_23 Good!

Okay that's it for now, tune in and get it all live! Cheers!