The Paliament Hillbillies

Topics Covered: Reach out and touch faith: Alex's demarcation of the science of global warming. Relevant Links: Wikipedia: Global Warming CTV: Global Warming Wikipedia: IPCC Security Catalyst: In-Depth with Punchscan

Topics Covered: Seeing Red: Rally in support of Canadian military presence, Afghanistan president addresses parliament, Pakistan president weighs in. QP Antics: Heckling in the House of Commons? Unlikely! Clinton vs. Fox: Willy does his best Jeremy Paxman impression. Misc: New Brunswick swings Liberal unproportionately, Tories review the Liberal leadership candidates, RCMP commissioner grilled over Arar. Relevant Links: CBC: RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli The Star: Memo Shows Tories Fear Ignatieff Most Wikipedia: New Brunswick General Election

Topics Covered: Actual Canadian Politics: Access to information leak, Do not fly list, Liberal leadership update, NDP call Afghanistan withdrawal, School shooting spawns gun registry debate. Plus a Few Tangents: Google.org's capitalistic philanthropy, Closed parking lots. Relevant Links: Google.org National Post: A Chill in the Air CNEWS: U.S. no fly list snagging Canadians Wikipedia: Liberal Leadership Convention

Topics Covered: Target Market: Eco-capitalism at Ottawa Bluesfest, Predictive markets and collaborative wisdom, Click fraud and the Yahoo stock bomb, The long tail of markets. All About Voting: Preferential voting, Strategic voting, and Proportion representation. Israel & Lebanon: Understanding the end game, The (a)symmetry of the war measures, Western reaction and sentiment, Fighting autonomous groups instead of nation-states. Relevant Links: Slate: Middle East Buddy List Wired: The Next Green Revolution Wired: The Long Tail Wikipedia: Lebanon-Israel Conflict Guardian: How could both sides have blundered so badly? Cenimar Predictive Market

Topics Covered: QP Round-up: Hockey fever hits the house, Rowdy hockey chants emerge from the benches. Liberal Check-up: Volpe scores the contents of childrens' piggy banks, Ignatieff and Brison support Afghanastan extension. Global Warming: What better to discuss on a hot summer day? Police Action: OPP praised for terrorist sting, criticized for inaction in Caledonia. Relevant Links: Police getting smeared in Caledonia: union groups Police hurt, swarmed in Caledonia clash Canada no haven for terrorists, CSIS head tells U.S. Second Liberal leadership debate [Video]

Topics Covered: Census Day: The government successfully prevents people from finding out how the census is secured. Copyleft: Creative Commons primer, The alternative to copyright, Piracy questioned, The 4 ways of stealing, The friends and enemies of modern music. Afghanistan Vote: Jeremy weighs in via email. Dissin' the Judiciary: Vellacott's vexing vernacular. Relevant Links: Smashing Pumpkins, "Machina II - The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music" Can I Get an Ahmen? Creative Commons Canada Canadian Census controversy continues Debating Maurice Vellacott

Topics Covered: QP Round-up: Flippant MPs drop a crop of flip flops, Official orator of the opposition, Heckling unhinged. Online Census: Security questioned, Do you trust the government just because they are the government? Tory Times: Bland budget, Walking the line on Quebec, Wise words on the softwood settlement from the PM before he was the PM, McKay in Afghanistan. Relevant Links: UK Question Time McKay in Afghanistan Liberal Candidate Logos on Wikipedia Ambrose on Rick Mercer Report [Video] Made in Canada

Topics Covered: QP Round-up: The latest and greatest from Question Period. Parliament Preview: Jeremy's take on the tone in the House of Commons and what to watch for. Leadership Madness Continues: Ever more Liberal candidates with lots of baggage to go around, the Green Party gets in on the leadership fun. Note: Due to not having done a show on my computer before, I wasn't prepared for a few technical difficulties. As a result, the quality of the show is generally subpar and there is some clicking and skipping that gets progressively worst towards the end. Apologies.

Topics Covered: Parliament Opens: Milliken re-elected as Speaker of the House, Throne speech expected on Tuesday, Question Period begins on Wednesday, Accountability Act likely tabled early next week. More Mouth-Offs: Singer Morrissey compares seal hunt to holocaust and cuts Canadian concert dates, MP Mayes writes that bad journalists should be jailed in Op-Ed and then retracts. Middle-East Tension: Afghanistan's constitution mashes-up theocracy and democracy, Canada cuts support to Palestine's Hamas-led government, Israel elects new Prime Minister, Iran showcases weapons as its relationship with Russia worries the West. Liberal Leadership: Jeremy reports on Ignatieff's "vision speech", controversial views on torture. Relevant Links: Milliken re-elected Speaker as Parliament resumes Slate's Explainer on Hunting Seals Tory MP retracts suggesting jailing bad journalists The Torture Toolkit Harper must let his ministers take the heat "Not a red cent to Hamas" Ignatieff's Speech Transcript (note: does not contain ad lib regarding protesters)

Topics Covered: Throne Speech: Liberals ready to play chicken, NDP and Bloc likely not to get in on bluff. Afghanistan: Religion trumps human rights, Grappling with our military's dialectical composition of peacekeepers and warriors. Integrity Commissioner: Harper set to announce new office to handle whistleblowers, Alan Cutler forerunner for commissioner position, Ethics Commissioner's blunder raises questions of whether new office will be subject to the Privacy Act. Ongoing Grit Saga: Ignatieff set to throw his hat in the ring and square off against Ashley MacIsaac et al, Liberals reexamine party principals through renewal commission. Relevant Links: Convert in Afghanistan faces death penalty New Office of the Integrity Commissioner Shapiro's office exempt from Privacy Act Dr. Ignatieff set to run Watch-out for longshot candidate in leadership race Liberals launch renewal commission

Topics Covered: Emerson Exonerated: Ethics Commissioner finds Harper and Emerson acted within boundaries, Alex objects to Shapiro's soapboxing on floor-crossings, Jeremy buys Shapiro's counter-argument to the PMO's "double standard" accusation. Inter-Party Dissent: Liberals officially back the Conservatives on not opening debate on Afghanistan despite Ujjal's earlier comments to the contrary, Liberal senator shoots her mouth off in a "not reflective of party views" response to an American family upset over the seal hunt, Conservatives crack down on public comments and require PMO authorisation to ensure everyone sticks to the script. Harper and Quebec: Bloc fearmongering over seperatism continues as Harper develops close relationship with Cherest. Boarder Control: Americans propose stricter rules on identification at the boarder, Americans invoke 190 year old treaty to arm ships patrolling the Great Lakes. Et Cetera: Judge imposes bail conditions on teens accused in Calgary fatal beating, Australian protest over Queen's visit to the Commonwealth games. Relevant Links: The Harper-Emerson Report Liberal's back Tories on Afghan Mission Harper's plan helps separatists, Bloc says Senator fires back at U.S. Family Upset with Seal Hunt U.S. ID card scheme fatal for tourism: survey Machine Guns on Coast Guard Boats Bus slaying suspects free on bail Protests greet Queen at Commonwealth Games

Topics Covered: Surprise Visit: Prime Minister Harper braves the rocket attacks and spends the night in Afghanistan, debate over Canada's role simmers back home. Ethics Fever: NDP Pat Martin takes the shotgun approach: better late than never for Belinda, allegations of leaking insider information may cool Scott Brison's potential for Liberal leadership, how the space shuttle Challenger explosion might hold the key for exonerating Brison and Goodale. Smear Campaign: David Emerson gets a surprise visit from Mr. Hanky. Rights Revolution: Ontario MP discusses organ donation, BC and Alberta take on the US PATRIOT Act, we take on online census security. Nuclear Anxiety: international tension escalates over Iran's proposed nuclear program. Relevant Links: Harper visits Afghanistan Ethics probe should include Stronach Ethics probe should include Brison Manure dumped outside Emerson's office 'Presumed consent' option for organ donations Alberta Introduces Bill to Block Patriot Act Disclosures Harper's 11

Topics Covered: Seal Hunt: Premier Williams vs Paul McCarney: "I've got a word or two, to say about the things that you do." Emerson Lives On: Ethics commissioner launches investigation to PMO's public chagrin, Alex reveals what the P stands for in MP, 28 and a half Helens agree: Emerson should face byelection. Weapons of Past Restriction: The Supreme Court overturns ban on the Sikh Kirpan in public schools, Kirpans are daggers in name only. Patent Fever: Justice Rothstein gets the nod while we revisit his ruling on patenting living organisms, RIM pays up to NTP. Provincial Jurisdiction: Premier Klein keeps peddling his healthcare vision, Ontario fesses up to a coming energy crisis. Other Random Rants: Crash scoops Best Picture, Liberal leadership potentials mastermind their sinister plots to power. Relevant Links: Williams, McCartneys on Larry King Don't touch the seals, Paul Supreme Court ruling on Kirpans Ethics commisioner to look at floor crossing Emerson's mock byelection Geist on Rothstein Klein's third way health-care RIM and NTP settle Potential Liberal leadership candidates test waters Ontario's "Our Energy, Our Future" [pdf]

Topics Covered: Digital Rights: Learning from C-60, antiquated tariffs on recordable media afford users no rights. Technological Issues: A national do-not-call list: easier said than done, securing public trust in Canada's first online census. Supreme Court Committee: Good or bad.. or just useless? Relevant Links: Russell McOrmond's comments on PHBO Kill bill C-60 Statscan to fortify online census tool National do not call list framework How to finance a Hollywood blockbuster Supreme Court nominee faces MPs' questions Proposed levies on blank audio recording media, 2007 [pdf] Michael Geist on the levies

Topics Covered: Recent Picks: New ambassadors to the US and UN named. On the Defence: Cabinet criticism continues with ex-lobbyist Gordon O'Connor. Media and PR: Harper-Charest meeting closed to the media, the hostile media effect and media bias in Canada, the future of the CBC. Supreme Court Nomination: New process conjures up images of US Senate hearings but similarities are superficial. Controversial Cartoons Continued: Hasty generalisations and double standards. Relevant Links: Reality Check on O'Connor Globe and Mail Op-Ed defends O'Connor Michael Wilson named as Ambassador to US MPs to question new Supreme Court pick Bev Oda and the CBC Islam Today on CTS