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FReep this poll. http://www.680news.com/

And the pendulum swings back again (again), with the new poll by Ipsos Reid for CTV News/CP24. The poll itself shows a few interesting trends, not all mutually supporting. The margin enjoyed by the Tories over the Liberals has expanded among eligible voters, but decreased among likely voters. The PCs have been making steady gains since November 2013, while the Liberals have also been steadily progressing among likely voters - while dropping among eligible voters. Let's try to make some sense of this.

Ontario is heading to an election after Andrea Horwath announced Friday she will team up with the Progressive Conservatives to vote down Premier Kathleen Wynne’s budget. “I have lost confidence in Kathleen Wynne and her ability to deliver,” the NDP Leader told a packed press conference at Queen’s Park. “I can’t in good conscience support a government that people don’t trust anymore.”

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter Pope Francis joins the thanksgiving of her members for the work accomplished in this quarter-century spent at the service of ecclesial communion cum Petro et sub Petro. It was in a moment of great trial for the Church that the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter was created. In a great spirit of obedience and hope, her founders turned with confidence to the Successor of Peter in order to offer the faithful attached to the Missal of 1962 the possibility of living their faith...

Wednesday, November 13, 2013 The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Obama's job performance. Fifty-five percent (55%) disapprove (see trends). The latest figures include 20% who Strongly Approve of the way Obama is performing as president and 45% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -25. This is the president’s lowest daily job approval rating in over two years. The last time his daily rating was this low was on August 31, 2011. Results are updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up...

The top forecaster in American politics has announced he is leaving the nation's most prestigious newspaper for a new home with the world's premier sportscaster. Nate Silver is joining ESPN from the New York Times after a stunning three-year run in which he coolly nailed the biggest election calls, attracted an enormous readership and silenced pundits whose mouths were previously thought to be un-stanchable. At ESPN, Silver will serve as editor-in-chief of a new site, built by him, to apply statistical analysis to sports and a broad range of other fields. The new site will retain the name FiveThirtyEight, in...

Yesterday I facetiously posted about Friday penance during the Octave of Christmas. Days (other than Sunday) within the Octave of Christmas are not “heavy enough” (as a “solemnity” would be) to “outweigh” the Friday obligation to do some sort of penance as determined by the conferences of bishops. In the 1962 Missale Romanum they are “II class”, which corresponds to the newer, non-traditional calendar’s “feast”. In the 2001 Missale Romanum they are categorized as second class, as “feasts”. If, howeverm you are at a parish named “Holy Innocents”, such as that great place in Manhattan, and the Feast of the...

Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced he is resigning. McGuinty, who has led the Liberals since 1996 and been premier since 2003, stunned his caucus Monday night announcing it’s time for “renewal” at the helm of the party. “I’ve concluded that this is the right time for Ontario’s next Liberal Premier and our next set of ideas to guide our province forward,” McGuinty told his caucus. “Earlier today, I asked Yasir Naqvi, our party president, to convene a leadership convention at the earliest possible time.

Vatican City, (VIS) - The Holy Father: .... - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Rochester, U.S.A., presented by Bishop Matthew H. Clark, upon having reached the age limit.

Full post to come, but for now, at Roman Noon today, B16 named Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, 63, head of Ohio's Steubenville church since 2002, as bishop of Joliet. In the suburban Chicagoland post -- whose 660,000-some Catholics comprise roughly 17 times the size of Conlon's current fold -- the incoming point-man for the USCCB's child and youth protection efforts succeeds Peter Sartain, who was launched to the archbishopric of Seattle last September. A native of Cincinnati and alum in the canons from St Paul's in Ottawa, the appointee served in parish work and as Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk's chancellor prior...

This morning at 4:45, the Lord welcomed into His Kingdom Rev Thomas Dubay, SM, after suffering kidney failure and massive bleeding in the brain. Father’s frail health had been declining ever since his admission to the Little Sisters of the Poor home in Washington more than a year ago, but his suffering was even more noticeable in recent months. Despite this fact, Fr Dubay was just as witty as ever. ......................... We can render prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful support Father gave to religious communities spending a good part of his life giving conferences and retreats. Although his preaching...

Above all on this busy morning, there's a new sheriff in town -- the world's 5,000-plus high-hats have a new overseer. In a move without precedent, a Canadian prelate has been named to lead one of the nine Congregations of the Roman Curia. Yet on an even more seismic plane, for the first time in history the Vatican's "Big Three" dicastery chiefs -- State, CDF and Bishops -- are dominated not just by two North Americans, but two non-Europeans. A 2pm press conference will take place in Quebec as Cardinal Marc Ouellet reacts to his appointment as prefect of the...

They are called the PIGS -- Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain. What they have in common is that all are facing deficits and debts that could bring on national defaults and break up the European Union. What brought the PIGS to the edge of the abyss? All are neo-socialist states that provide welfare for poor people, generous unemployment, universal health care, early retirement and comfortable pensions. Most consume 40 percent to 50 percent of their gross domestic product annually, a crushing burden on the private sector. Dying populations is a second cause. -------------------------------------------- In Western Europe, the passing of the native-born...

Conditions which result from the meeting of June 4, 2008, between Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos and Bishop Bernard Fellay 1. The commitment to a response proportionate to the generosity of the Pope. 2. The commitment to avoid every public intervention which does not respect the person of the Holy Father and which may be negative to ecclesial charity. 3. The commitment to avoid the claim to a Magisterium superior to the Holy Father and to not propose the Fraternity in contraposition to the Church. 4. The commitment to display the will to act honestly in full ecclesial charity and in...

The Pope utters the magic words... "Terrò un concistoro..." -- "There will be a consistory...." The list as formally announced... in real-time... filling in names.... Sandri FOLEY Lajolo Cordes Comastri Rylko Farina Garcia, Valenzia Brady, Armagh Sistach, Barcelona Vingt-Trois, Paris Bagnasco, Genoa Sahre, Dakar Gracias, Bombay Lopez, Monterey Mexico DINARDO, Galveston-Houston Scherer, Sao Paulo Njue, Nairobi five honoraries/over-80s...

Former Gov. James E. McGreevey has started the process to become a priest in his newly adopted Episcopal faith and hopes to begin a three-year seminary program in the fall. McGreevey, who often described himself as a devout Catholic while in public office, was officially received into the Episcopal religion on Sunday, at St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan, and is now part of the church's "discernment" phase that usually precedes any seminary work, said the Rev. Kevin Bean, vicar at St. Bartholomew.

Toronto's cardinal retires Cleric, 59, will be installed in January Dec. 16, 2006. 03:51 PM DALE BRAZAO STAFF REPORTER The Archdiocese of Toronto’s 1.6 million Catholics have a new spiritual leader following the appointment of Monsignor Thomas Collins as the new archbishop of Toronto.

"Lefebvrists: the agreement is closer - The pact is ready, but Fellay has not yet decided" from Rome [Il Giornale - report by Andrea Tornielli] All is ready for the agreement between the Holy See and the Fraternity Saint Pius X, founded by the "rebel" Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The Vatican forwarded several weeks ago precise propositions to reach peace [a peaceful solution] and the reentrance of the Lefbvrists into full communion with Rome. The negotiations, begun in 2000, have, as is well known, accelerated after the election of Benedict XVI, who, last August received the superior of the Traditionalists, Bishop...

Fellay reelected Bishop Bernard Fellay has been reelected as Superior-General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X - FSSPX/SSPX (Communiqué in French here). Also elected, as First Assistant: Father Pflüger (District Superior in Germany, 2004-2006); as Second Assistant: Father Nély (District Superior in Italy, 2004-2006).

American elected leader of the FSSP Official Communiqué On Friday 7 July 2006, on the feast of the saints Cyril and Method, the General Chapter of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (a clerical society of apostolic life of pontifical right), gathered in its mother house in Wigratzbad (Germany), has elected today Fr. John Berg as Superior General for a six-year term according to law. An American citizen, Fr. Berg has studied philosophy in the USA and theology in Germany (Wigratzbad) and in Rome. He has worked in pastoral ministry and as a seminary professor. Very Rev. Fr. Berg is...