kyoto in penalty box

the scheduled feature documentary on tonight's cbc national news on the kyoto protocol was bumped. the allotted 35 minutes were filled instead with special coverage about an event more earth shattering than climate change - the cancellation of the nhl hockey season. never mind that the first 18 minutes of the broadcast had already been spent on hockey. even mansbridge himself referred to tonight's offensive as a "crush" of news about hockey. in an exhibition of shocking aggression, the story zambonied over the rest of the line-up. spectators expecting a balanced survey of international and domestic news were outraged. said one news fan: "it was unbelievable. i had just settled in with popcorn and a slushie to get my fix of nightly news, i mean, it's a national pastime, afterall. and then there it was, this disturbing assault by the hockey story. i'm still shaking."

benched for the entire news broadcast, poor kyoto protocol went into effect today. a consistent newsmaker, it rose from humble beginnings in the junior leagues of the un convention on climate change. and it's come a long way. over the years, it's earned an especially high scoring record among legislative teams around the european union, but has long eluded being drafted to a us franchise.