The State of the Union.

So I don't know who saw it last night, but GWB let us know all about how things are going down in his neck of the woods. I have to give him points for a speech well-delivered. Obviously I didn't agree with everything he said, but he did say some things of note. In particular, I liked the mention of an attempt to eliminate earmarks. This is a clearly needed and from a cynical point of view, why fix the problems on your end, when you can chastise the Senate for problems on their end! Still, it was good to highlight a problem that has grown exponentially during the Republican 'revolution' of the mid-nineties and up to this year. It seemed that just a little bit of civility returned to the house chambers. Although the applause was often still partisan, GWB's speech wasn't so divisive as to sharply highlight the differences that exist between the parties. Speaker Pelosi had a meeting earlier on in the day to insist that all democrats in attendance, be good. On the flip side, President Bush was gracious in his pre-speech comments to Speaker Pelosi and although it took a midterm election drubbing and his lowest approval ratings to date, his speech was somewhat conciliatory as he seems to be aware that more than ever, he is on weak footing.

In more important news, not only is 24 is back (BAUER POWER!), but Prison Break and Heroes have returned from their holiday break as well. Not to harp on and on about my newest friend, but life truly is better in high definition...

I don't know how long this link is going to stay free, but check out the Globe and Mail's article on movie piracy in Canada.