I don't understand Hillary's image as a "strong woman."  She stuck by her husband after he got a blowjob from an ugly intern.  A "strong woman" would've likely kicked him to the curb.  And Neemo, I see your point about her.  Especially if they know anything about our experience with a female PM.  I mean, Kim Campbell spelled the end of the national Progressive Conservative party here.  Sure she was Mulroney's scapegoat, but she definitely goes down as one of the worst leaders in modern politics.

I think Obama makes a good politician, if there's ever such a thing.  He seems like he's in it for the good of everyone.  Populist politicians tend to get elected, especially in times when drastic change is imminent.  He's got a good shot of getting in the White House.

As an Arrested Development fan, I'm anticipating Jason Bateman's and Michael Cera's reunion in Juno.  I'll probably see that next weekend at some point.

The Winter Classic is cool, but there's one major flaw; the game isn't struggling in the Northeast.  It's non-traditional markets like Nashville, Atlanta, Tampa, and Phoenix that would benefit most from something like this.  Unfortunately, it could never happen as those climates could never hold a game outdoors.  As much as Gary Bettman wants it to, the NHL will never be as big in the US as MLB, NFL, or NBA.  If they are looking to expand, it may be time to look at growing the product in Europe, where hockey is already a very popular sport.  I know it creates a lot of travel issues, but it might be necessary to the longterm success of the league.  Meanwhile, if that Euro-Asian league opens its doors next year, it could create a major problem in attracting the best players to the NHL.  The league needs to do something to stave off the competition.

I see my paternal grandmother's maiden name in the list.  I knew the name was French and fairly common.  It's a little hard to trace, but it's possible her people were among the first European settlers in North America; around the 1500s.

Just now seeing this thread.

Santa brought me a water cooler, cookware, a few books (Rick Mercer's, Stephen Colbert's, and Slash's), a meat thermometer, an LCD monitor (22 inches of wide screen fun!), a wireless keyboard and mouse, and some DVDs.  Nice haul this year!