Queen Elizabeth II––who you will recall is our Head of State and yet still won't pony up to fix the TTC ––- has had her annual Christmas address posted on YouTube this year. The 81-year-old monarch gives a dignified formal message about her thoughts on the past year and hopes for the future before stripping to bra and panties and lip-syncing to Nellie Furtado's "Promiscuous."

Stephen Harper made a perplexing statement on immigration, suggesting that Canada was both integrating immigrants into our society while at the same time accomodating their existing cultures, and hurray for us for doing such a fine job. He then wandered off mumbling, "They better give me a majority now."

Bob Rae says he's ready for a the by-election in Toronto Centre, where he'll run as candidate for the Liberal party. When asked what he'll do if he's unsuccessful, the former NDP Premier of Ontario pointed out that he hasn't run for the Tories yet.

And finally, something a little more seasonal. A couple from the East Coast had flown into Toronto and were headed to Cobourg yesterday for a surprise visit to the woman's parents. When the borrowed truck in which they were driving caught fire, they managed to escape, but all their presents were destroyed. A stranger who had pulled over to help tapped on the window of the police cruiser where the couple were sitting, handed them $400 and drove off without identifying himself. No sarcastic twist, just a nice story. Merry Christmas folks.

Photo by Jim.Christian on Flickr.