A New Favourite: Mika

Cineplex theaters has not-so-recently been showing music videos in place of commercials before movies. However, they do not always show the song title, or artist name. So when I saw the video of a very handsome, very talented musician, I was intrigued.

When I got home, I frantically tried to remember some of the words for a Google search. All I could summon was, "Why don't you like me, why don't you like me without making me try?" But that was enough. I was soon on the trail of the newest pop iconoclast, Mika (pronounced Mee-ka).

With music heavily reminiscent of Queen and Prince, he's become an instant hit in the UK. His album debuted at #1 on the charts, and is rapidly spreading his infectious pop-tunes across the Atlantic. The album, Life in Cartoon Motion, is resplendent with bubbly, over-the-top, often funny lyrics, and is loaded with hooks that will stick you until you can't stand it anymore.

You can check out his album on the MuchMusic website.

Tory Concern

A news post on CBC.ca has revealed that Prime Minister Harper apparently wrote a letter back in 2002, that says he called the Kyoto Accord a "socialist scheme". At the time, he was leader of the Canadian Alliance party, now no longer in existence. He intended to fight then Prime Minister Chretien on the signing of the Kyoto Accord.

Now, with Canadians voicing concern over the environment, and Canada's role in the care of it, this comes as terrible news for the Conservatives. It casts a pall over the new Tory commitment to the Clean Air Act, and may sway the public more towards the Liberals. Not only does the Clean Air Act have undeniable similarities to the Liberals' own environmental plan, but the Conservatives have also been accused of ignoring Canada's signed commitment to the Kyoto Protocol.

While I don't particularly agree with the idea of the Kyoto Accord being a "social scheme", I also find it hard to hold Harper's history against him. As a former leader of the Canadian Alliance party, it's clear that there would be a stockpile of things the Liberals might use to denounce Harper's commitment to the environment. This is something that could be done against any number of former opposition leaders.

The Liberals were the ones who endorsed the Kyoto Accord, but why is it that we're not approaching our targets 5 years after the agreement was ratified? Why is it that after promising and throwing billions of dollars at environmental clean-up plans, we are up nearly 30% past our 2012 targets? I really don't think the Liberals should be the ones calling on the Conservatives to clean-up their act.

We'll see how this plays out in the media. But I am still concerned that Harper may not be as committed to the environment as he should be.