GIVE A GOAT FOR XMAS, GET A SONG

This is my new favourite xmas song. And as anyone who knows me knows, I love xmas songs. And this one is, as I mentioned, my favourite so that's saying something.



And the great thing about this song is, as you'll have discovered if you watched to the end of the clip, the band, Pomplamoose -- who might be my new favourite band -- are offering free mp3s to everyone who gives a goat for xmas through the World Vision charity.

Give a goat. Get music. Works for me.

Six in the Morning

1. HERE COME THE CUTS: Harper is warning the big spending party is over and we can expect five frugal years as the Conservatives pull us out of a deficit that Harper's scandal plagued Conservatives got us into. No tax cuts are planned for the next budget so I'm wondering how're the Cons going to get themselves elected because they sure can't run on their fiscal management. Or their environmental record. And they aren't looking great on how they're handling Afghanistan. Oh, but Stephen will play us all a song on the piano and all will be forgiven. He's so dreamy when he tickles the ivories. (Globe and Mail)

2. IRAN CRACKS DOWN ON PROTESTS AGAIN: The funeral for Iran's most important dissident cleric erupted in violence as pro-reform protesters were beaten and teargassed by police. (Globe and Mail)

3. PEOPLE ARE SHOPPING, ALL IS WELL: Car and housing sales are up, GDP is growing. Depression cancelled. Capitalism works. As you were. (Globe and Mail)

4. QC PREMIER SLAMS HARPER'S ENVIRONMENT STANCE, CANADA COULDN'T CARE LESS: The CBC reports Jean Charest is tearing a strip off Harper and his scandal plagued Conservatives over their miserable and suicidal stance on the environment (which is, in short: do as little as possible). Meanwhile, the Edmonton Journal reports that the scandal plagued Conservatives climate change position isn't hurting them in the polls one whit. Yeah, way to give a shit about the planet, Canada. You deserve that Fossil of the Year award.

5. CONSERVATIVES FIND WORK INCONVENIENT: Harper's scandal plagued Conservatives are avoiding one of the many scandals with which their party is plagued -- specifically, the Afghan detainee mess -- by just not attending the hearings. They're saying tis not the season for negativity. (Globe and Mail)

6. SO MUCH NOISE: Balloon boy balloon boy balloon boy fuck fuck fuck don't care shut up Tiger Woods go away fuck shhhhhhh-h-h-h enough it's enough already okay now stop.

12 Days of Christmas: The Thin Man

The Thin Man is a 1934 comedy murder mystery based on a novel Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon).

Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are a happily married and wealthy couple. Nick used to be a detective but he retired when he married Nora. They travel around drinking and enjoying the good life. And drinking. Made just before the Production Code kicked in, Nick and Nora enjoy themselves a lot.

Nora Charles: "How many drinks have you had?"
Nick Charles: "This will make six Martinis."
Nora Charles: [to the waiter] "All right. Will you bring me five more Martinis, Leo? Line them right up here."

Nora Charles: [suffering from a hang-over] "What hit me?"
Nick Charles: "The last martini."

The film was made for the B movie unit of MGM by thrifty director W.S. Van Dyke. The movie was so popular it that they made five sequels, although they toned down Nick's drinking a little and Nora's to complete sobriety. Spoilsports.

The plot is complex. It's Christmas and a man named Wynant (the thin man of the title) has gone missing. He is then accused of multiple murders. Wynant's daughter Maureen Sullivan wants Nick to prove her father's innocence. Before long there's more bodies and suspects than anyone can keep track of.

Nick Charles: "I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune."
Nora Charles: "I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids."
Nick Charles: "It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids."

It's an extremely fun and enjoyable film, the kind they don't make anymore and I don't think they could if they tried. At the start of the trailer William Powell is playing his other famous detective Philo Vance (who Powell played in four films) who then engages in a conversation with Nick Charles. Both characters are essentially Powell being Powell but he does the stylish detective well.

What reporters covered, and what reporters missed

Salon and Project Censored come up with their year-end lists the stories -- over-rated and underated.

Here's Salon's take on the tmost bogus media frenzy stories of 2009 (Salon.com)

Project Censored's take on the top 25 most ignored stories by the U.S. media is here (projectcensored.com)

There's an American slant to this, since both are based south of the border, but if someone's looking to create a Canadian version, this would be a good place to start.

Six In The Morning

1 THERE WILL BE BLOOD Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty wants to go after the deficit by cutting the crap out of government. (Toronto Star) The move should please non-thinking, small-government fetishists and right-wing loons but it's guaranteed bad news for regular Canadians. Here's a different idea: instead of always cutting taxes for the wealthy, raise 'em to a sustainable level.

2 MORE SNOW'S A-COMIN' The peacful scene out my window is apparently tying to trick me into lowering my guard--more snow is expected this morning. I'll be ready for you, snow. You just wait and see. (The Weather Network)

3 NOT OUR PROBLEM The prime minister says it's not Canada's fault the Afghanistan POWs we captured got allegedly tortured. (Globe And Mail). And I suppose it's not his government's fault that repeated warnings from diplomats and possibly the Red Cross (which met with Canadian offcials and hinted it expressed torture concerns) were ignored. And it's also not his government's fault that it's boycotting the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan. Yeah, whatever.

4 DON'T BLAME OBAMA A journalist who was present at negotiations says China, not the U.S., sabotaged Copenhagen. (Guardian)

5 CRACKBERRY WHACKBERRY Service disruptions explained as "an unintended database issue within the Blackberry infrastructure." (PC magazine) Ooh-kay. But somewhere, my blackberry addict friend Heather is rocking in a corner muttering "it's all right, it's all right."

6 GOOD Forget to post this yesterday: On Monday, Regina's hockey and football-jersey-clad City Council repealed the bylaw that was being used to harrass city panhandlers. Well done, councillors. (CBC)

Pick of the Day: World Junior Hockey Championship

The tournament itself doesn't get going until Boxing Day, but tonight at Brandt Centre Team Canada plays its final exhibition game against the Czech Republic before heading up to Saskatoon to join the rest of the teams in its pool. I know a few Reginans are a little perturbed that our city isn't actually hosting any tournament games involving the team. It's also true that all the playoff games will be held in Saskatoon. But, in fairness, they do have a bigger arena, and thus are better able to accommodate the demand for tickets.

Besides, when you look at the two pools, Regina's stacks up pretty good. True, Saskatoon has a marquee match-up in Team Canada and Team U.S.A., but the remaining teams in the pool (Switzerland, Latvia and Slovakia) aren't in the same class as the top three teams in Regina's pool -- Russia, Sweden and Finland (with the Czech Republic and Austria rounding out the pool). So there will definitely be some quality hockey played in the city over the next week or so.

If you happen to be downtown over that period, be sure to check out a special exhibition that the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame has put together on the history of the tournament. One moment that will surely be highlighted is Jordan Eberle’s last second goal to tie the semi-final against Russia last year and send it into overtime. Here's the video. (YouTube)