Bevilacqua Out; World Goes on Unabated

Despite what the Post proclaims in a caption in today's paper, Bevilacqua's announcement that he's out and is supporting Bob Rae neither gives Rae a credibility boost nor does it drastically alter the dynamics of the leadership race. Maurizio may have some name recognition--if only because he's the guy that sends mailers across the country--but he was still a minor player in this contest, and his support of Rae doesn't propel 'Call Me Bob' (btw, worst nickname since Rod Smart of XFL 'fame' proclaiming himself 'He Hate Me') into Ignatieff territory. The only real surprise in this is that Maurizio was gone before Fry, who has contributed 6 times more to her own campaign than the total of everybody else in the universe. I'm sure that she'll be next, and will throw her support behind someone like Dion, who is a fellow Chretien-era Cabinet face.

The other piece of news that catches my eye today is the 11 universities that are refusing to participate in the Maclean's university rankings this year. It wouldn't be something that caught my eye unless BOTH of my schools, past and present, were among the 11. Dalhousie and UBC have both opted out, which will dramatically alter the rankings because the information that Maclean's will receive is not received directly from the universities that, of course, know themselves best. It's unfortunate but such is the life. I can recommend both of them as being good destinations. Take that for what it's worth.