Did Obama and Cameron also 'commit sociology'?

Evan Solomon, host of CBC Radio's The House, reflects on why words matter in times of crisis in his weekly radio essay as heard on April 27, 2013.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper took another not–so–veiled swipe at Liberal leader Justin Trudeau when he said "this is not a time to commit sociology, if I can use an expression."

National Defence expected to lose some F-35s before all 65 delivered: Report

OTTAWA — National Defence scientists predicted in 2011 that the military would have almost certainly lost several of its brand-new F-35 stealth fighters before all 65 were even delivered, Postmedia News has learned.

In December 2011, the Defence Department’s research arm, Defence Research and Development Canada, published a report in which it said “that the probability of having 63 or more (F-35s) remaining at this time (when the last one is delivered) is approximately 54 per cent.”

Craziness in Alberta jails continues -- and may get worse today

With Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk at the helm, the stalemate in Alberta's provincial jails continued through the night with wildcatting Correctional Peace Officers still manning picket lines and the government making dubious claims guards were returning to work.

The dispute started months ago over occupational health and safety concerns about Edmonton's just completed $580-million Remand Centre, turned into a strike Friday when two CPOs were disciplined for complaining about them, and quickly spread to the province’s other seven provincial Correctional facilities.

New Poll Gives Dix 'Insurmountable' 22-Point Lead

A new poll gives the opposition New Democrats a massive lead of 22 percentage points, suggesting that the BC Liberals are too far behind for Premier Christy Clark to save her governing party in tonight's televised leaders' debate.

"It's an insurmountable gap," said Barb Justason, whose firm, Justason Market Intelligence, conducted the online/telephone survey of 600 British Columbians between April 15 and 23.

RCMP Accountability Act gets sober second thought from Senate National Security Committee

The government’s legislation to stamp out harassment in the RCMP got a strong defence from Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and top Mountie Bob Paulson at the Senate National Security Committee last week, despite concerns that the bill will be used to dismiss officers who complain about harassment within the RCMP.

Within hours of the announcement that the RCMP had arrested two individuals for allegedly plotting to bomb a Via Rail train between Toronto and New York City, Mr. Toews (Provencher, Man.) and Commissioner Paulson were before the Senate National Security and Defence Committee to defend Bill C-42, The Enhancing RCMP Accountability Act.

PM says Federal Court ruling on PBO was ‘against partisan action of former budget officer,’ but current PBO picks up Page’s battle

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says last week’s landmark Federal Court ruling that dismissed the former Parliamentary Budget Office’s application on a technicality, but reaffirmed its right to ask all deputy ministers to hand over details of the impact on their departments of the government’s $5.2-billion spending cuts in last year’s budget, was a ruling “against the partisan action of the former Parliamentary budget officer.”

Feds say they’re trying to make it easier to read $252.5-billion spending in 2013-2014

The government is moving forward on making the way it reports spending easier for Parliamentarians to understand, based on recommendations from MPs, but whether it will follow up on one of the “most exciting” reforms is still up in the air.

Members of Parliament on the House of Commons Government Operations and Estimates Committee want Parliament to vote to approve spending based on the actual programs the money will go to. Right now, votes are organized around vague categories like operating, capital, and grants and contributions.

Canada’s Keystone XL pitch goes into overdrive

Federal officials are stepping up efforts to make the case for the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington D.C., but some experts warn that the frequent public visits could be doing more harm than good.

Between federal Cabinet ministers and Western Canadian premiers, Canadian representatives have been averaging a trip to Washington every two weeks in 2013, with a focus on making the case for the Keystone XL pipeline and addressing concerns over Canada’s environmental record.

With Bags of Cash, C.I.A. Seeks Influence in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — For more than a decade, wads of American dollars packed into suitcases, backpacks and, on occasion, plastic shopping bags have been dropped off every month or so at the offices of Afghanistan’s president — courtesy of the Central Intelligence Agency.

All told, tens of millions of dollars have flowed from the C.I.A. to the office of President Hamid Karzai, according to current and former advisers to the Afghan leader.

Study: Intelligence, cognition unaffected by heavy marijuana use

The new study of cognitive changes caused by heavy marijuana use has found no lasting effects 28 days after quitting. Following a month of abstinence, men and women who smoked pot at least 5,000 times in their lives performed just as well on psychological tests as people who used pot sparingly or not at all, according to a report in the latest edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

That's the good news. The bad news, not included in the study, is that most heavy users admit that pot has had a negative effect on their physical and mental health as well their functioning on the job and socially.