Liquid, where in heck have you been? JMac, Reed and I have been wondering where you disapeared to for some time now...
 
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SC/WO1 Chipmunk Man/Aegis 1/Phoenix/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)[LoC][MC:1]x3[LSM][VC:B]

"I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking, 'Did he fire six shots, or only five?' Well to tell you the truth, I've forgotten myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and will blow your head clean off, you need to ask youself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya? Punk!"
-"Dirty" Harry Callahan

Oh, it does indeed piss him off.


 
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OO/SM Sierra "Talon" Taurus/HC-3/VEHC/VE[BC][IOC][LoC][SoS][BM][CDS][MSM][MoH]
GM-SL/DJM "Nightblades"/DC-1/Elite Griffen Sect/VSD-II Griffen/VEDJ/VE[IOC][OQD][WoS 2nd Class][EoP][SoY][SCx2]
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SCAP/COM Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ISD Nemesis/Offensive Fleet/VEN/VE[=*A*=][=*SA*=][LoM][IOC][IC2]
CEO Vincent "Claw" Taurus/ECHC-1/Endoven/Dome 8473/VEEC/VE
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Verastinian Republic - Minster of Antiquities (Fossil Technology)

Ya ya ya.  I know.  We lost

However, time for a lesson in Canadian politics.  The final outcome was 124-103 for the Conservatives.  Considering the fact that our party was dealing with a scandal left by the former leader, had a leader that was a major disappointment, ran a terrible campaign with one very ridiculous ad that never ran but still got attention, and had an RCMP investigation begin into insider trading possibly caused by a leak from the finance minister, I think we did very well.  One would think this would have decimated our party, it did not.  In reality, this is a disappointment for the Conservatives and a major relief for the Liberals.

Now for the stats:

64% of Canadians voted for left-wing parties.  The House of Commons is comprised of 124 Conservative seats and 183 left-wing seats (Liberals, New Democrats, and Bloc Quebecois).  A shock jock from Quebec who I swear is insane usurped a Quebec City seat from the Bloc.  He's shall we say slightly colourful in an off-colour sort of way.


So in the end, I am not all that upset.  This gives our party a chance to end its 16 year internal civil war, have a policy convention, and unite behind a new leader.  Interestingly enough, that new leader could very well be our current ambassador to the US.  Right now he's seen as the main challenger although there are at least twelve federal candidates mentionned at the moment.  There could also be a few provincial ones from Ontario so it should be interesting.  Safe to say I'll be busy.

Oh and by the way, don't think that this means our government will be more pro-US.  With the Conservatives facing a stacked House of left-wing parties they will be tied down badly.  The Conservatives who are dominated by the old Reform/Canadian Alliance Party has roots as a western populist party.  This means that they have persistently lobbied for making motions in parliament mean something for the government.  Now the opposition will be able to put motion after motion against Conservative foreign policy items.  In reality, the Conservatives won but they are held hostage by the left   Only on the issues of decentralization and electoral reform will they find common support with some parties.  The Bloc Quebecois supports decentralization while the New Democratic Party supports electoral reform.


It should be interesting.  Within 2 years we'll be having another election and the Liberals will be back in office.  We are the natural governing party after all

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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

/me nods. Right now the conservatives are in trouble, because they did not get the majority they were seeking. If they try to do anything the left-wing parties do not agree with, they could be outvoted and we could be back at the polls. Heh, as a note of intrest, Peter Mackay only beat Alexis Macdonald by about 3000 votes, in my riding. I guess that'll teach him to be careful of what he says next time.
 
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ASL/CPL Darr-Rann/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath [LoR][CoR]
|FL/PO2_Demonic/Kaph 5/PheonixWing/mSSD Atrus/DEF/VEN/VE| (=*A*=)
CORPORAL
SENIOR CREWMAN
one of few - A vast Empire medic
Read Losses of Vandetta by me and Hellra
Flashmaker

*shakes his fist*
Why would anyone mention politics around Art? It's suicide...good god man, did you see his explanation?
 
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Iron Horse Squad
Army of the Vast Empire
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TRP/LCPL Jakireth/1SQD/1PLT/1CMP/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA[LoR]
Rep/Reporter Jakireth/NewsRep: 2/News Division/VET/VE

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060124_political_decisions.html.
 
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{Comnet Hermit}
TRP/GSG Sniping101/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [LoR][IH][BoA][CDS]

"The art of life lies in taking pleasures as they pass, and the keenest pleasures are not intellectual, nor are they always moral."
-Aristippus

"Why would anyone mention politics around Art? It's suicide...good god man, did you see his explanation?"

What did you expect? :P  I'm a partisan hack and will be pursuing a Ph.D in Canadian Political Studies.
 
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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

heh. Liberal Arts.
 
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Iron Horse Squad
[LoR] [RoM] [BC] [CDS] [WM] [GRoM] [IH] {BoA}
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Sith Guardian
CM/SG Jikkyo "Angel" Nimiichi/Eagle 1-1/Sith/Dark Jedi Order/Vast Empire [VP:1]
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A couple jokes the students around the Chemical Engineering Department like to say:

Q: What's the more worthless than a liberal arts degree?

A: A liberal arts PhD

Q: What's the most common question a liberal arts major asks?

A: You want fries with that?
 
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Iron Horse Squad
[LoR] [RoM] [BC] [CDS] [WM] [GRoM] [IH] {BoA}
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Sith Guardian
CM/SG Jikkyo "Angel" Nimiichi/Eagle 1-1/Sith/Dark Jedi Order/Vast Empire [VP:1]
------------------------

Hell, I've got a LAS degree in teaching.

Which might explain why I always have to train our new idiot techs at work.

/me sighs.
 
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PRF/SM Fury/VEA/TADATH/VE [MoH][SCPx2][PoC][SotE:HC][SotE:VEA][MSM][IOC]
Prefect - Stormtrooper Corps
Administrator - Imperial Center

Msci Theoretical Astrophysics owns you all
 
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+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +
PL:A/CPT/Raziel/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE/{EW1} (WoS1) 2x(VP:1) {IG} {CDS} {BoA} {PoC} {BC} {GRoM} {SoS} {IH}
Assistant Squad Leader - Raiders
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989.

"God does not play dice with the universe" - Albert Einstein
"Who are you to tell God what to do with his dice?" - Bohr
"God does not play dice with the universe. He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time." - Terry Pratchett
CM/DJK Raziel/lion 1-5/Krath/VEDJ/VE (WoS1) (VP1) (VP2)