Friday, September 30, 2011

Another Misleading Headline

U.S. wanted Vancouver's supervised injection site closed

Right. If the ""U.S." wanted Vancouver's supervised injection site closed", you'd think the Vancouver Sun could show some evidence of an attempt by officials in Washington to bring pressure to bear on people in Ottawa and/or Vancouver or Victoria, wouldn't you. But no, this is about a private cable sent by an American envoy to his bosses describing the safe injection program in Vancouver and giving his opinion of it.
"The memo is generally favourable of the federal Conservative government's efforts to clamp down on the production and distribution of illicit drugs, including a national awareness campaign targeting youth and parents.

"However, local and provincial authorities have embarked on a number of so-called 'harm-reduction' programs," reads the cable, "including a drug injection site and distribution of drug paraphernalia to chronic users."

The document notes the federal government "continues to deliver a sharp message" to cities and provinces about the programs, but called for stronger action.

"Canada, or, as appropriate, municipalities such as Vancouver and Ottawa, should implement the (International Narcotics Control Board's) recommendations to eliminate drug injection sites and drug paraphernalia distribution programs," the cable reads, "because they violate international drug control treaties.""
And, you'll note the reference to international agreements and treaties regarding same, of which the City of Vancouver is obviously in violation. But oh no. This is a case of the U.S. interfering in our affairs according to a commentor. Again, so many people do not understand the role of the diplomatic corp.

Of course, the proximity of Vancouver to large cities in Washington State and the cross border illicit drug trade can't possibly have anything to do with it, either.

Take another toke, fella.

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More On The Ig Nobel Awards

"Prognosticators who predicted the end of the world and got it wrong, scientists who built a wasabi fire alarm, and researchers who studied how the urge to urinate affects decision-making were among the winners of spoof Ig Nobel prizes on Thursday."
[---]
"Ig Nobels also went to researchers who ...... showed why discus throwers become dizzy and hammer throwers do not."
[---]
"Prof. Snyder’s team set up an experiment in which volunteers did computer tests and then periodically drank 250 ml of water as the scientists measured the effects of the volunteers’ gradually swelling bladders on attention and working memory. The aim was to see who could last the longest before bolting for the toilet.

The study found that attention and working memory suffer when you are so focused on having to urinate."
Well, laugh if you must, but I think that's helpful for any student looking for excuses to get out of class.

RTWT.

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Twapp! Bang! Plop!....

...Zap!
"U.S. officials said Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born cleric linked to al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, was killed in a CIA drone strike on Friday.

U.S. and Yemeni officials said they also believed a second English-speaking Qaeda operative, Samir Khan, was killed at the same time, although this was not 100 percent confirmed. One U.S. official said Khan was editor of "Inspire," a magazine-style publication which had become al Qaeda's principal English-language propaganda vehicle."
[---]
""Awlaki's demise deals a decisive blow to al-Qaeda in Yemen. This was a terrorist who wasn't simply a propagandist, but over the years had become an operational figure who was increasingly focused on planning and carrying out attacks against the United States and our allies," a senior U.S. defense official said. "A very bad man just had a very bad day.""
They're starting to look like flies. The message must be pretty sobering.

Oh, yeah, and George Bush's policy is working. "If you're not with us, you are with the terrorists." Yemen understands what that means.

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Have You Noticed All The Scare Stories...

...about global warming are now focused on more subtle tactics while the necessity to spin headlines becomes all the more urgent:

Climate change will cost Canada $5B yearly by 2020, report shows
"Climate change will cost Canada and its people about $5 billion a year by 2020, a groundbreaking analysis for the federal government warns.

Costs will continue to climb steeply, to between $21 billion and $43 billion a year by the 2050s — depending on how much action is taken on reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions and how fast the economy and population grow, the analysis says.

“Climate change will be expensive for Canada and Canadians,” says the report from the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, issued Thursday.

“Increasing greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide will exert a growing economic impact on our own country, exacting a rising price from Canadians as climate change impacts occur here at home.”"

...versus:

Climate change could cost Canada 1% of GDP by 2050: panel
"Climate change will cause damage in Canada equivalent to around 1% of GDP in 2050 as rising temperatures kill off forests, flood low-lying areas and cause more illnesses, an official panel said on Thursday.

The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy said Canada’s Conservative government — criticized by green activists for not doing enough to fight global warming — should take measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, which most scientists blame on greenhouse gas emissions.

The north of Canada is warming up at a much faster pace than the rest of the Earth.

“Climate change presents a growing, long-term economic burden for Canada,” said the NRTEE, which the government set up in 1988 to provide advice on environmental issues.

According to the most likely scenario outlined by the panel, the damage done by global warming would be between 0.8% and 1% of GDP by 2050 and could hit almost 2.5% by 2075.

“The magnitude of costs depends upon a combination of two factors: global emissions growth and Canadian economic and population growth,” the panel said."
Of course, you don't suppose forests could expand to more northerly regions, do you? Such possibilities are never entertained by the doom and gloom crowd. Both Gaia and government can do a lot of adapting over the course of 14 to 64 years.
"The NRTEE largely dismissed the idea that global warming could help a northern country like Canada by reducing heating costs and making it easier to grow certain kinds of crops."
But, of course, nothing but doom and gloom is acceptable.

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Watch Out Aussies...

...You'll be forced to forgo your favourite beer because of some stupid male beetles that were trying to mate with beer bottles. Must have been a consequence of global warming:
"A University of Toronto professor's research about the copulation patterns of male Australian jewel beetles with "stubby" beer bottles won him an Ig Nobel Prize, a parody of the prestigious award given to researchers whose findings will first make people laugh and then think.
[---]
"Darryl Gwynne of the U of T's Mississauga campus' ecology and evolutionary biology department was heralded for his 1983 paper "Beetles on the Bottle: Male Buprestids Mistake Stubbies for Females."

"I'm honoured, I think," Gwynne said in a statement.
"The awards make people think, and they're a bit of a laugh. Really, we've been sitting here by the phone for the past 20-plus years waiting for the call. Why did it take them so long?" he asks.

Gwynne and Australian colleague David Rentz were conducting field work in Western Australia 23 years ago when they noticed something unusual along the side of the road.

"We were walking along a dirt road with the usual scattering of beer cans and bottles when we saw about six bottles with beetles on top or crawling up the side. It was clear the beetles were trying to mate with the bottles," he said.

The bottles — known as "stubbies" in Australia — resembled a "super female" jewel beetle that are big and orangey brown in colour, with a slightly dimpled surface near the bottom that reflects light in much the same way as female wings do.

Ignoring the actual female beetles, the males began mounting the beer bottles and attempted to mate with them to a perilous death — they fried under the hot sun and some were eaten by hungry ants.
Despite the humorous circumstances, Gwynne said the research had a serious message.

In this case, female beetles were ignored by the males which could impact the natural world.

"Improperly disposed of beer bottles not only present a physical and 'visual' hazard in the environment, but also could potentially cause great interference with the mating system of a beetle species," the paper said.

Gwynne also points out that the research supports the theory of sexual selection: that males, in their eagerness to mate, are the ones that make mating mistakes."
I'm sure the Darwin Principle will apply - eventually. If you can just wait it out...

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Yup. The Crime Rate Is Down...

...and that should mean we don't need new prisons or reforms of our justice system, right?

Parole granted for man who dragged gas jockey to death
"He used drugs and alcohol while in prison, is mentally unstable and has a violent temper, but Canada's Parole Board is giving the man who dragged a Maple Ridge, B.C., gas attendant to his death a second chance at parole.

Darnell Pratt was given statutory release in June, only to have his freedom revoked 48 hours later when he failed to show up for curfew.

A parole board has placed more than a dozen conditions on Pratt's second release, including that he get psychological counselling to address his mental health issues.

"Your institutional behaviour has been very poor," the Parole Board release documents say. "You have used drugs, incurred several institutional charges and are described as periodically unco-operative with your case management team."

Pratt, now 22, was convicted in 2005 and given a six-year sentence for manslaughter for dragging Grant De Patie several kilometres under a stolen car in a so-called gas-and-dash.

While in prison, Pratt fought with prisoners and verbally abused staff, Parole Board documents say. Even before he was convicted he assaulted another inmate who needed stitches on his face and chin.

Because of his violent behaviour, Pratt was transferred to another medium-security prison.

Just before he was released in June, the board imposed an additional special condition that he not contact his victim's family.

The De Patie family was instrumental in convincing the government to pass a law forcing drivers to pay for their gas before it was pumped.

The Parole Board noted that Pratt, who was 16 at the time of De Patie's death, had a very unstable upbringing and was exposed to parental violence and drug abuse.

Pratt's violent record and his mental illness mean he has the potential to reoffend, board members said."
Maybe it's the parole board that needs reform.

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Hmmmm. Related?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

We Own The World!!

Canada geese befouling France run afoul of authorities
"Having already established itself as a poopy pest in the U.S., Britain and even far-off New Zealand, this country's best-known and frequently least-loved avian export — the Canada goose — has now entered the sights of France's main hunters' organization, which is urging an end to special protections for the bird to curb overpopulation and pollution problems.

Known in France as "la bernache du Canada," the goose's numbers have shot up from a few hundred a decade ago to about 5,000 today. Even French wildlife advocates are acknowledging the problems posed by the population explosion of the elegant but aggressive waterfowl, which have contaminated public swimming areas, overrun some parks and encroached on the wetland habitats of native species.

"Their droppings really make a mess on lawns and leisure areas, and in swimming pools," French ornithologist Philippe Dubois, who is heading a study of alien species for the Bird Protection League (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux), told Le Monde last week. "They have a strong sense of territory and will prevent other waterfowl from moving into quite a large area round their nest, so they may hinder reproduction by ducks, coots and other goose species."

Meanwhile, Canada geese are reproducing — and defecating — prolifically throughout much of Europe, where they are listed among the continent's most problematic invasive species."
Nice play on words, too.

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So, Saudi Women Can Vote...

...in the next election, but how are they going to get to the polling station?

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Oh My!!

Is it any wonder CBC talking heads were so terrified of the new Sun TV network getting up and running?

Commons to investigate CBC secrecy
"Conservative MPs will invite Sun News journalists to a Commons committee to explain their dogged pursuit of the way the state broadcaster spends more than $1 billion of taxpayer money.

The government used its majority on the access to information, privacy and ethics committee Tuesday to crush NDP attempts to shut an investigation into the CBC’s refusal to comply with access requests.

The committee hopes to begin hearings next month – around the same time the CBC is in Federal Court appealing a ruling that ordered it to allow Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault to decide what information the CBC should release. Legault has given the CBC a failing grade for thwarting the access process.

The CBC argues it’s special and shouldn’t have to follow federal laws that govern other agencies receiving government funding – an argument Sun News takes a dim view of considering the amount of public money shovelled into the CBC."
But there's so much more needs to be done.

More. And more. Finally, there's a crack. Let the Sun shine brightly.

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Okaaaaay!

Canada has best reputation in the world

Reputation in what, you might ask:
"The Reputation Institute study measures the trust, esteem, admiration and good feelings the public holds towards 50 countries, as well as perceptions of peoples' quality of life, safety and attention to the environment."
Tell that to our leftards and environuts.
"Results from 42,000 respondents worldwide ranked Sweden next, followed by Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand, the reputation management firm said.

The countries scored high for their steady democracies, high economic output per capita, focus on active lifestyles, well developed political systems and perceived neutrality to international political upheavals.

Being perceived as a safe country was the main driver of a country's reputation.

Pakistan, Iran and Iraq were ranked lowest in the 50-country study,..."
Sorry Yanks. You were just middling. Being Canucks, we notice things like that.

I wonder if it's because we have nine months of winter and have to stay inside?

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John Baird Puts Up His Dukes

Baird delivers fierce defence of Israel at UN
"In a strident speech heavy with references to the Second World War and the Cold War, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird launched a full-on defence of Israel at the UN in New York on Monday before criticizing a number of countries for their treatment of religious minorities, including China.

Baird said that while fascism and communism were the biggest threats facing previous generations, terrorism is the greatest threat today.

"And far too often, the Jewish state is on the front line in our struggle and its people are the victims of terror," he said in reference to Israel.

"Canada will not accept or stay silent while the Jewish state is attacked for defending its territory and its citizens. The Second World War taught us all the tragic price of going along just to get along."

During his address, the minister repeatedly warned against the dangers of appeasement and complacency in defending human rights, democracy and the rule of law, quoting such world leaders as former British prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, and U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt.

In particular, Baird noted Roosevelt's assertion that democracy and religious freedom are linked. The minister said that is why the government is intent on establishing an office of religious freedom and making it a key part of Canadian foreign affairs.

"The long history of humanity has proven that religious freedom and democratic freedom are inseparable," Baird said.

The minister said Canada has a duty to protect those who are persecuted, be they Christians in Iran, Iraq and Egypt, Muslims in Burma, or "Roman Catholic priests and other Christian clergy, and their laity, driven to worship underground in China.""
[---]
"Baird also singled out Uganda for its policies on gays and lesbians, Syria for its crackdown on pro-democracy activists, and Sri Lanka for trying to stop investigations into possible war crimes committed during the island nation's decades-long civil war.

The minister also blasted Palestine's request last week that the UN recognize it as a full member.

"We will not go along with the unilateral actions of the Palestinian Authority," Baird said. "Our government's position has been clear: That the only solution to this issue is one that is negotiated between the two parties themselves."

Baird also criticized the UN membership as a whole for allowing despotic regimes and flagrant human rights violators to chair important committees. He warned that such actions serve only to undermine the world body.

"The greatest enemies of the United Nations are those who quietly undermine its principles and, even worse, those who sit idly watching its slow decline," he said. "We cannot sit idly."

In a surprising turn, Baird warned that Canada will not be held back by endless hand-wringing and consensus-building at the world body when it comes to defending human rights and democracy abroad."
So says the Montreal Gazette.

And, surprise, surprise, the coverage by the CBC, and especially the comments CBC approved from publication aren't bad, either, like this one, posted by oldanddummer:
"The Goverment of Canada has spoken. So chill out you lefties. If Canada is such a bad place with the consevatives then claim refugee status in your beloved Palestine.To me you sound like Yosemity Sam. In an other few years there will be another election. Unless you believe in democracy only when the socialists rule."
Alas. So far, that comment has 7 thumbs up and 9 thumbs down.  Further into the comment chain, the usual crowd descends into an Anti-American hatefest. Yup.  That's our state funded broadcaster.

Same can be said of the Flop and Flail.

John Baird bares teeth in offering Canada's defence of Israel at UN

Fairly decent article, followed by loony-toon moonbats in the comments. I cry for my country.

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Monday, September 26, 2011

What To Make Of This?

Lawyer for Hikers Freed by Iran Denies Abuse Claims

My guess is he's trying to cover his own ass. These hikers are idiots. Naive, leftist idiots. The worst kind.

2 Hikers Held in Iran to Return to US on Sunday
""We're so happy we are free," Fattal told reporters in a brief statement before leaving the airport.

"Two years in prison is too long," Bauer said, adding he hoped their release from prison will also bring "freedom for political prisoners in America and Iran.""
Uh-huh.

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Say What You Like...

...as far as I'm concerned, Tony Blair is still a hero in my books:

The Enigmatic Mr. Blair
"Maybe he has acted for no more noble a motive than consideration for his American royalties and lecture fees, but anyway he has stood up and unequivocally opposed Mahmoud Abbas's bid for full recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN.

"You can pass whatever resolution you like at the United Nations or the Security Council, it doesn't actually deliver you a state on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza, and if you don't have a negotiation, whatever you do at the UN is going to be deeply confrontational," Blair, who is the international community's official Middle East representative, was quoted as saying."
[---]
"Blair has supported the US and Israeli position that a real peace settlement can only come about from face-to-face negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Given the whole history of the conflict, this seems the only feasible position. A UN resolution recognizing a Palestinian state, as matters are at present, would have only one point: it would contribute to the delegitimization of Israel."
And that IS the point. And for that matter, the delegitimization of the UN, as if there's anything left to delegitimize.

Also, from the same source, The UN House of Lies
"In tones that ranged from combative to conciliatory to exasperated, the Israeli leader challenged the members of the UN to, for once, impose the same standards by which they judge Israel on the Palestinians. Why not, he argued, hold the Palestinians and Israelis to the same standards of conduct, and morality?

Netanyahu recited a brief version of the United Nations' abuses of Israel. The 1975 "Zionism is racism" resolution. The 1980 peace agreement with Egypt that was denounced in the UN. He said, "And it's here year after year that Israel is unjustly singled out for condemnation. It's singled out for condemnation more often than all the nations of the world combined. Twenty-one out of the 27 General Assembly resolutions condemn Israel -- the one true democracy in the Middle East."

Not only is Israel condemned routinely, Netanyahu said, some of the worst despots, dictators and terrorists are elevated to prominence in the UN: Saddam Hussein's Iraq as leader of the UN disarmament conference, Gaddafi's Libya chairing the Commission on Human Rights, and now Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon presiding over the Security Council.

It is a blindness to morality, an abandonment of epistemological standards that distinguish between freedom and slavery, between terrorism and democracy, that Netanyahu argued against. It is the same moral blindness that Jeane Kirkpatrick condemned as "the sin of moral equivalence.""

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Drat! Why Couldn't That...

UPDATE:  Hehehehehehehe. Pipeline protest a big bust

=====Original Post Starts Here=====
...rogue satellite have landed on this?

Several hundred people gather on parliament hill to protest pipeline

And, oh, the drama!! 300 people came out!! 300 "risking arrest", I tell you!!!!

For such a righteous cause:
"Participants will also use this action to tell Harper we need to turn away from the tarsands and start building a green-energy economy that respects indigenous rights and prioritizes the health of the environment and communities."
And such a slate of big important people:
"The event features more than 20 environmental and indigenous organizations and boasts the support of a dozen Canadian celebrities.

Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians, has said the government needs a conversion plan to move to alternate energy sources."
Hmmm. Maude Barlow again, but I digress. After all, there's an important message to get across, brought to us by the National Union of Public and General Employees. Nah, I'd never heard of them before, either, but isn't this cute:
"In addition, the Assembly of First Nations, the Dene Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan First National (sic), Yinka Dene Alliance, We'suwet'en Nation, Unis'tot'en Nations, Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the Yankton Sioux Tribe all endorsed the Ottawa action. Many Canadian celebrities and activists are also lending their support to the action."
Nine of 'em. Nine Canadian "celebrities", who no one has ever heard of or who need a job. Well, not quite a dozen, but let's not get bogged down in trivialities. Victory is at hand!! By golly, plans for that damn pipeline will come to a screeching halt right now. Graham Greene wants it to. Either that or he needs a job. I guess Indians are no longer a big fad with Hollywood movie makers.

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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Seems Like A Good Weekend...

...to pick on old folks, so I'll pass this, which my sister just sent to us old birds, along:

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Check It Out!!

While the sham that is the Durban Conference was underway, there was an alternate conference focusing on the sham. Check it out:

Durban Watch

There's a great lineup of speakers, whose words I have been listening to over the past couple of days, including: Jason Kenney, Khaled Toameh, Abu Simon Deng, Zuhdi Jasser, Douglas Murray, Wafa Sultan, Elie Weisel and many others.

Right now I'm listening to Khaled Toameh, a Palestinian journalist, who has some harsh, well deserved criticism for members of his profession and their so-called "coverage" of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. There is also some pretty strong criticism and condemnation of the United Nations, and, especially, the farce that the Durban anti-racism conferences quickly became.

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One, Two, Three...Go?

First there was this:

The ad Saudi Arabia doesn't want you to see.



Then there was this:

‘Ethical oil’ ad sparks war of words between Ottawa, Saudis

And now, this.  Wow! Do you believe it? Did Canada kick Saudi ass? Did the Saudis flinch?

And here's an interesting article speculating about Saudi money and the Keystone XL pipeline protests.

I'd like to think Canada has found its long-lost roar!

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Friday, September 23, 2011

I Like Celcius

I was just sitting out on my front steps sweltering. According the Environment Canada's website the temp right now is 26 degrees Celcius. That's 80F. 26C sounds so much better, but believe me, it is HOT!! There's some black clouds to the east, but that's immaterial, since the storms always arrive from the west. (heavy sigh).
  
I remember a few occasions when I was a kid, the temp was up around 101F. Luckily we lived in a big old brick house that was always cool. In the winter, upstairs in the bedrooms, it was frigid. Maybe that's why I like sleeping in a cold room with blankets piled high. Does anyone remember flannelette sheets?  The frost on the window was always swirled in pretty patterns, too.

We lived right beside a highway, with a big bluff of tall maple trees at the back of the house. Another cool thing from way back then was watching the shadows of the trees move around the walls as a car approached and eventually passed the house.  

Awe. Memories. Old fartdom is lots of fun.

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Bringing Back The Death Penalty

Way back in the comment thread to this entry I said: "Alas, no one seems to be talking about bringing back the death penalty."

SUN TV must have read that thread
.

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Bugs

I have hedges. Lots of hedges. This summer they've been crawling with Lady Bugs. I like Lady Bugs. They're cute. So I let them be. Normally, when a see a bug crawling about, I stomp on it and take some evil satisfaction from the sound of the crunch. Lady Bugs get a pass.

When I was a kid, growing up on the farm, there was a river flowing past the farmyard, and every once in a while a Water Beetle would find its way up to the yard by the house. Some of those bugs are massive. They'd get a pass, too. Just the thought of hearing the crunch made by one of those monsters was enough to give me the heebeejeebees. Yuk. The sound would probably reverberate off the valley banks. It would probably cripple me for life, too, both mentally and physically.


"Ladybug ladybug fly away home,
Your house in on fire and your children are gone,
All except one and that's little Ann,
For she crept under the frying pan."

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Get The Hint?

2009:



2010:



2011

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What To Do On A Lazy Afternoon

...to bore yourself to death.

Why you can watch the live coverage of David Cameron's visit to Ottawa. The most interesting part of it is watching all those guards in their red uniforms and big furry bearskin hats, wondering if any of them will pass out from the heat. So far, so good. Good thing it's September. But they do have to engage in some silly feet stomping leg-work as part of the pageantry. Cameron must feel right at home.

Now he's gonna make a speech in the House of Commons. From the Mother of Parliament to her Daughter. Hip! Hip! Rah! Rah! God save the Queen and all that!

(Who needs TV? Coverage of this event is available at CBC and at C-PAC, both accessible via the net). Of course, other people have more interesting things to do, I'm sure. Still, I like that we're still attached to Mother England.

PS: Interesting factoid - the first time a British PM spoke before the Canadian House of Commons was in 1941, December 30. Winston Churchill gave his "Some chicken. Some pot." speech.

Interesting. Speech is over now. What I kept hearing, even though Cameron didn't mention it, was the death of the NDP, or at least their ideology. I wonder if Cameron's salute to Jack Layton at the beginning of the speech was a calculated, if subliminal, message.

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"Furious", eh?

You're just one "man", with a lot to hide and a mighty big hypocrisy gene, you're not an entire country. So go f*ck yourself. Chances are, you'll find yourself a better sex partner than those women did:
"Assange toys with the idea that he could have been a victim of an American-sponsored honeytrap, but he seems to veer towards the conclusion that it was simply a case of revenge for his own boorish behaviour. Not only did he fail to keep up with woman "A", but he was even more offhand with woman "W", who had asked him to telephone her from a train he boarded after they had kissed goodbye. "I didn't do that, and it has already turned out to be the most expensive call I didn't make," he says."

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"Possible 'Yellowcake' Uranium...

...in Libya"

h/t Pat Dollard who speculates on the possible Iraqi origin of this stuff.

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I Love It When Canada Gets Bad

Saudi Arabia moves to censor CanadianTV ad

And not just because the certain OPEC members get outed, either. Reading between the lines sheds light on a few other factoids, such as --

Saudi Arabia’s ‘ethical’ oil issue leaves the left in the lurch

Bid to kill Canadian ads a sign oil sands are getting under Saudi regime’s skin

and it emboldens some of the better Canucks among us:
"In response to the Saudi dictatorship’s move, EthicalOil.org is taking the following actions:

1. The ad has been put back on the air. Starting today the Sun News Network is airing the spot.

2. Velshi has written to His Excellency Osamah A. Al Sanosi Ahmad, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador in Canada, informing him the ad has been put back on the air and challenging him to a televised debate about the ad and its contents.

3. Velshi has alerted Foreign Minister John Baird and Dean Allison, Chairman of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade about the incident in writing, calling on the government and the parliamentary committee to investigate a foreign dictatorship trying to censor what Canadians can and cannot see on their televisions."
including our MPs.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Feeling Somewhat Helpless,...

Boob Rae responds:

Next government will clean up Tory criminal-justice ‘mess,’ Rae says

And you think the next government will be the Liberals, do you Boob? We'll see. But I don't think the Liberal Party has a hope in hell of getting their act together to recover in time for the next election and we all remember what you did while Premier of Ontario. Still, it's good to see you giving the crime bill a pass and it's good to see you got the message sent from the electorate. Or did you? Libs have been delegated to third place, in case you didn't notice.  You seem to be saying it's only natural the Liberals will be back in power after the next election. Got some lessons to learn, I see.  But, who am I to complain. Liberal arrogance works in our favour.

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BWHAHAHAHAHA!

ROTFLMAO!!

Tables turned on Wikileaks founder
"Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who rose to prominence by publishing others’ information without their consent, will wake up on Thursday with his own autobiography on sale against his wishes."
[---]
"The irony that the operator of the world’s largest whistleblowing site, responsible for releasing hundreds of thousands of secret documents, will himself find his private comments aired in public is likely to raise a smile among diplomats and politicians around the world. The US government and others have repeatedly condemned Mr Assange’s activities, in particular the leak of thousands of US diplomatic cables."
[---]
"Mr Assange signed a contract with Canongate in December last year, proclaiming that his autobiography would become “one of the unifying documents of our generation”.

But after reading the first draft in March, Mr Assange became “increasingly troubled” by the idea of an autobiography and declared: “All memoir is prostitution.”"
[---]
"The book details Mr Assange’s bohemian upbringing in Australia, the 1980s computer hacker scene and his sudden rise to international notoriety last year. One chapter is dedicated to the Swedish allegations and his fears of a conspiracy against him, although he admits that he “wasn’t a reliable boyfriend, or even a very courteous sleeping partner”."
[---]
"In spite of the large advance, Mr Assange and WikiLeaks have taken to desperate measures to raise new funds, including selling branded mugs and T-Shirts. A fundraising auction on Ebay is currently accepting bids of hundreds of pounds each for a sachet of coffee “smuggled out of prison by Mr Assange, a signed photograph of the WikiLeaks founder and a laptop used to prepare the releases of thousands of diplomatic cables.”"
Mr. Assange, you're a narcissist, pure and simple.

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Well, I'm Happy For These Hikers...

...but what does this say about Iran? A million bucks is a hefty bail, but should be peanuts for a country awash in oil. What gives? Is this all?
"Shourd was freed almost exactly a year ago on medical grounds. Her release came a week before Ahmadinejad addressed the U.N. last year.

One analyst said the timing last year was no coincidence.

"I think President Ahmadinejad really wanted to use this as a way of building up a store of goodwill just before he comes to New York," Columbia University Prof. Gary Sick said last year after Shourd came home."
Seems to me that after holding these two men for so long, there's not much "goodwill" leverage left to build with.

And what's in it for Oman?

There has to be something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. Obama? Shillary? What deals did you make with the devil?

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Oh, Yeah, You Got That Right

Hollywood actors protesting oilsands trying to rebuild careers: Chamber official
"A U.S. Chamber of Commerce official says Hollywood actors taking part in protests against Alberta's oilsands and a controversial pipeline are trying to rebuild their careers.

Karen Harbert says the actors and celebrities are trying to get their names back into newspapers.

Canadians Dave Thomas and Graham Greene say they support a protest planned for Monday in Ottawa against the oilsands and the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Last month, Darryl Hannah and Margot Kidder were arrested in Washington, D.C., in a similar protest against the pipeline, which still must receive final government approval in the U.S.

Harbert, who was speaking to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, says the rallies go largely unnoticed by the majority of Americans.

She points out that killing the pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf Coast wouldn't shut down the oilsands."

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Well, At Last!!

Some brute actually will serve a "life" sentence.

But only because he's dying of cancer and is expected to live only a few days longer.
"In August 1997, after serving 15 years of his sentence, Olson requested early parole under the "faint hope clause."

Prison psychiatrists, at the time, stated Olson showed no remorse for the murders, has since claimed to have committed anywhere from 80 to 200 murders, and is likely to kill again.

In July 2006, Olson applied again for early parole and was denied.

During his time in prison, Olson has written book manuscripts and was permitted to make a video series, which he titled Motivational Sexual Homicide Patterns of Serial Child Killer Clifford Robert Olson.

In the videotapes, of which there are about a dozen, Olson describes the perverse criminal acts he performed on his victims.

"The thing is, he won't be able to hurt us again, and that pretty much sums it up," an emotional Rosenfeldt said Wednesday. "Maybe we can put our little boy to rest now.

"We've all been conditioned to not feel great joy at someone's death, so I'm very confused there. It's just hard to believe it could be the beginning of an end, maybe."

Rosenfeldt's husband died of brain cancer two years ago and she said he would be more emphatic in his response to news of Olson's illness.

"In his last waking hours he went back through our life. He kept screaming about Olson and parole — those were really his last words," Rosenfeldt said.

"He would have no problem with the death of Clifford Olson whatsoever and neither do I — it's just adjusting to these feelings we've had to live with for 30 years."
I, for one, do feel great joy in this news and will be even more elated if, a few days from now, we hear that he has died. I just wish we could get our money back. How much was spent keeping him in prison all these years and how much did all his parole applications and the video cost us. How ironic that we hear of his pending death almost the same day that a omnibus crime bill was tabled in the House of Commons.

You see leftards, THIS is what we on the right side of the aisle go on about. Why in hell's bells wasn't he put to death shortly after he was convicted? Woulda saved us a lot of money and, I dare say, a lot of grief and heartache experienced by the parents of all those children. You leftards can go to hell with him.

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MP James Moore: Master of Baffle-Gab And Evasion?

Have you ever written a letter to an MP? Well, I have. Several times, as a matter of fact, to several different MPs, usually to the Minister responsible for the issue that I write about with a CC to the Prime Minister and to my own MP, if s/he is not the addressee. Occasionally it will go to a whole slew of MPs, including opposition members.

Well, about a month ago I sent an email message to the PM and James Moore, Minister responsible for the CBC among other things. In the email message I copied and pasted this CBC URL:


and followed it with this:
"I believe the comments in this thread, which are overwhelmingly anti-CBC are a fair and accurate reflection of Canadian opinion of our national broadcaster. I also believe they reflect the opinion of the Conservative Party base.

I sincerely hope your government will do something about this drain on the taxpayer during your majority term in power. I also think that if you were to either privatize or dismantle altogether the CBC prior to the next election, it would be a dead certainty your party would be returned to power.
This morning (exactly one month later, which is speedier than a lot of them) I got an email message back with a letter attached. Hence the title of this entry. To wit:
"Thank you for your letter of August 21, 2011 regarding the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). I appreciate you taking your time to share your views with me.

Our government has launched a comprehensive deficit reduction action plan that will focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations to ensure value for taxpayers' money.

All federal departments, agencies and crown corporations, including the CBC, have been asked to identify and to propose efficiencies. The results of this process will be part of the Budget 2012.

Our government provides annual funding to the CBC and expects the Corporation to use these public funds in the most efficient and accountable manner possible. We will continue to work closely with the CBC to ensure that public funds are wisely managed.

Please accept my best wishes.

Sincerely,

The Honorable James Moore, P.C., M.P."
Huh!! That's nice. But what about answering my question? Do you really think the CBC is going to recommend its own demise? Jesus, man. Grow some balls. Shall I write another letter?

This, unfortunately, is typical of the responses I get, no matter which MP I'm writing to. But I'm not without hope. Every letter received on the subject will create one more little scratch in the massive edifice that is the CBC. We've put up with it for 75 years. It's gonna take a while to get rid of it.

Wanna give Moore a piece of your mind (hopefully about the CBC)? Go here.

BTW, I think Moore did a yeoman's job in staring down the Iranian embassy several months back over the screening of Iranium at the National Archives. So, no, I don't think he's all bad. It's just gonna take some time to make our politicians understand what we want.

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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Eyes Rolling

UPDATED AND BUMPED:  Financial Post responds:
"Claims that the deep oceans absorb the missing heat are an admission that temperatures have stalled.

A study from the Boulder, Colo.-based National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) claims to have found all that missing heat from global warming’s “lost decade:” It’s lurking in Davy Jones’s locker.

According to official science, global temperatures were meant to rise this century in line with increasing levels of man-made carbon dioxide, but didn’t. Now the puzzle has allegedly been solved: the heat is more than 300 metres below the world’s oceans, where it appears conveniently safe from physical verification."

======Original Post Starts Here======

Exaggerations about climate change
"Scientists claim that the new Times Atlas has got it wrong on the melting of the Greenland icesheet. What other exaggerations have been made about climate change?"
A great article detailing several doom and gloom predictions that have failed to materialize.

But they won't let that stop them. Here's another piece of idiocy:

Oceans may pause warming of Earth's surface
"Deep areas of Earth's oceans may absorb enough heat that warming of the surface pauses for as long as a decade, a new study has found."
That'll do it. Had to find some way of explaining the lack of catastrophic warming in the last decade or more. But I wonder why they left out the heat pumped into the oceans by all those underwater volcanoes where the Earth's tectonic plates meet/pull apart?

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Time For A Good Laugh

Arctic ice lowest level 30 years
"The ice pack in the Arctic this summer has been at its second lowest level since satellites began measuring it. It could be ice free in the summer in 20 years if the current rate of melt continues according to scientists."
But, but, but...you mean it was this "bad" 30 years ago, too? But, but, but....it got "better", right?

Seriously, they are getting positively loony-toon. Doesn't stop them from spinning as hard as they can though.

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And They're Off!!

Tories roll out huge crime bill
"The legislation tabled in the Commons includes nine bills incorporating changes to drug laws, youth sentencing, the pardons system, detention of refugees, parole and house arrest and anti-terrorism measures.

``Canadians want and deserve to feel safe in their homes and in their communities,'' Nicholson, flanked by Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, said at one of several news conferences constituting a full-press, public-relations effort to tout the politically popular reforms."
[---]
"Catherine Latimer, executive director of the John Howard Society, said parts of the provincial and federal correctional systems are so stuffed they may already violate charter protections against cruel and unusual punishment.

The omnibus bill will only exacerbate the problems and could send correctional costs through the roof, she said.

Corrections Canada estimates the cost of the system will rise to $3 billion this fiscal year from $1.6 billion in 2006 when the Harper Conservatives took power."
[---]
"Nicholson sidestepped the question of cost, focusing instead on an estimate that crime costs the Canadian economy $99 billion annually.

``Most that is borne by victims,'' said the justice minister."
Love it. Love it. Love it.

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Ya, But Did You Have To Make It So Embarrassing?



Learn how to spell, eh?

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Start The Morning Off With A Laugh

Long time ago, I signed up for email notices from PJTV. These notices contain brief descriptions of videos available at the PJTV site. This morning, there is this description:
"On this weeks Hair of the Dog, Bill Clinton dominated the talk shows, and looked like he enjoyed a couple cocktails before breakfast. Clinton even talked about arts and crafts as the key to job creation...in Haiti. Did Clinton finally inhale?"
(Emphasis mine) ROTFLMAO!!

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Monday, September 19, 2011

Well Tough!

Pakistan flood aid relief hurt by CIA's Osama bin Laden vaccination programme
"It is taking longer for aid workers to get visas for Pakistan – and some are being refused completely, according to agency staff. When they get there they then face new restrictions on their movement.

The deterioration in relations between Pakistani officials and aid agencies is said to have followed the CIA’s fake vaccination campaign earlier this year aimed at obtaining DNA samples from relations of Osama bin Laden."
Solve your own damn problems, then.

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Russians And Their Vodka

Navigator in Russian plane crash 'was drunk'

I wonder if their airplane maintenance guys were also drowning in Vodka?

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I Wonder Where They'll Move To?

Obama Yokes Benefit Cuts to New Taxes
"President Barack Obama threatened Monday to veto any bill that cuts Medicare benefits without increasing taxes on corporations or the wealthy, setting his sharpest boundaries yet in negotiations over reducing the federal deficit."
Leftards are so slow to catch on to how (and by whom) jobs and wealth are created. Why do they always have to find out the hard way? Canada's tax structure seems more business friendly. I wonder if some of that capital will migrate north? Still, I'll bet there's even friendlier places. Bye. Bye.

All the more reason to support the Keystone XL Pipeline. He'll need to do something to put Americans back to work, if he wants the Democrats to win any seats in 2012. Just my prediction.

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A Bit More...

...on what to expect in the session of parliament that just opened today:

Opening of Canada parliament marks new Tory era

First of all, I like the title, but the bits I really like are:
"With a majority of seats in the House and all three parties across the aisle tangled up in leadership races, Harper's Conservatives are expected to face few real challenges in the fall session of this 41st parliament.

The legislative calendar includes several bills which had been rejected by opposition parties when they controlled the House, as well as measures pandering to the Tories' base and which bolster the party's grip on power."
Yup. That's why we gave you a majority. We were sick and tired of opposition parties preventing any real decisions and programs from being implemented. I also like this:
"A bill adding 30 new seats in the 308-member House of Commons should become law by Christmas, reflecting growing populations in parts of the country that are key areas of Tory support."
And especially this:
"The government will also start eliminating subsidies for political parties, impacting the coffers of opposition parties with the weakest grassroots fundraising machinery."
You don't suppose that's why ya lost, do ya? If you haven't got the grassroots support, screw ya. Why should we prop you up?

Still waiting for news about the CBC, though. Please don't disappoint, Harper.

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

An Omen?

UPDATE: Further to this entry, here's an interesting discussion cautioning about belief in the "crime rate is dropping" meme (beginning about 3:13 minutes in). This is going to be an interesting session of Parliament.

=====Original Post Starts Here=====

Small earthquake hits near Ottawa

Parliament resumes tomorrow

There's a Conservative majority in both houses. The opposition parties are in disarray. This is gonna be fun.

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Ahhhh, The Good Old Hippy-Dippy Days

No wonder they laugh at us now:

"Come on people,

smile on your brother,

everybody get together,

try to love one another right now."



Look you young-uns. Ya had to be there to understand. It was very nearly a revolution. Going into the 60s Jews and Blacks were the object of vile bigotry. Women were chattel, in law, etc., etc., etc.,. Yeah, there was lots of bad stuff, too, but it was one of those movements in history when a lot of bad stuff really was left behind and what emerged at the other end was a whole lot better.

Peace, brother (and sister).

h/t my old friend, Asher Abrams, via Facebook.

Oh yeah. It ended with the great global cooling scare.

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Is There A Worn Out....

More Good News

FSIN gravy train may be coming to an end:

Premier Brad Wall calls out problems in the FSIN and SIGA
""There's always accountability issues in every organization, but there seems to be a lot when it comes to the FSIN.""
[--]
"Wall went on to make the groundbreaking proclamation that his government is considering dealing directly with the First Nations themselves, rather than continue to go through the FSIN.

He said he wants proof that SIGA's proceeds are actually getting to the communities they are meant to help."
Good luck with that, Mr. Premier.

The Indian Industry was born in this province. Maybe it should die here, too. The sooner the better.

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Some Of This Better Be True

 UPDATED AND BUMPED:  Well, it looks like # 3 is on the list for this fall's sitting of parliament:

Conservatives to table controversial crime laws early in agenda

Leftards are already howling:
"Opposition parties are expected to strongly argue against the legislation — noting that Statistics Canada has found that there is a consistent downward trend in violent crime.

Moreover, they will argue that the Tories are leading the country toward a massive societal shift in which prisons are overcrowded and costly — an experiment they say has proven disastrous in the United States."
These would be the same people that howled about the Tories intention to spend more money of expansion of our prisons. Deeeeeeelicious!
"Overall, the new measures coming forward this fall will include ending house arrest of criminals, ending automatic pardons for serious crimes, cracking down on organized drug crime, protecting children from sexual predators and strengthening citizens powers to defend themselves and their property."
Hallelujah!!
"In the memo distributed to caucus, the Tories were provided a list of figures about what police reported in 2010:

• Over two million crimes in Canada, including 440,000 violent crimes.

• 225,000 assaults, 22,000 sexual assaults, and 17,000 assaults against police officers.

• Over 1.3 million property crimes, including approximately 200,000 break and enters, 92,000 motor vehicle thefts, 90,000 frauds, and 12,000 arsons.

• Approximately 85,000 cases of impaired driving.

“These are just the crimes that are reported,” said the memo.

“In 2009, Statistics Canada reported that 1 in 4 Canadians reported being a victim of crime. However, only 31 per cent reported their crimes to police. “

“Quite simply, people are not reporting to the police that they are a victim of crime. More needs to be done.”"
Tories to toughen penalties on serious crimes
"While it’s not known for sure what measures will be in the legislation, it could include adult sentences for youths convicted of serious crimes, expanded surveillance powers for police, curbing house arrest for property, and ending pardons for serious crimes."
[---]
"“By moving quickly to reintroduce comprehensive law-and-order legislation, our Conservative government is fulfilling its promise to better protect families and stand-up for victims.”"
You see, dingbat leftards. It's not the crime rate that is the issue with those of us on the conservative side of the great divide. It's the justice system. You know, what happens to the criminal element after they are arrested for a crime. Sheesh, you people are dumb. But that's good. Watching you squirm and howl will be great entertainment.

=======Original Post Starts Here=========
The majority is in the House: Top 10 things to watch as Parliament resumes

With the opposition in disarray, I see no reason why Harper couldn't implement several small "c' conservative initiatives, but somehow,....I'm not holding my breath

Of the ten, I'm hoping:

1) The economy will continue to improve.

2) The NDP will flounder under Turmel and not find a leader worthy of the name come March 24th.

3) The overhaul of the criminal justice system will be swift and thorough. Lord knows, it's long overdue:
"Correctional Services Canada's budget has shot up to $3 billion from $1.6 billion in 2007. More than 4,000 staff will be hired and 2,700 spaces added in prisons. Police ranks increased to 69,299 in 2010 from 62,461 in 2006. The number of crimes reported to police in 2010 was the fewest since 1973."
Gosh, that couldn't possibly be related, could it?

4) The real story here, IMHO, is Canada is in the process of restoring her military capability. The Libyan dictatorship is only one of several locations where conflict between the West and Islam's Hydra (combatants motivated by both religious and secular ideologies) can be expected. It is the "cold war" of my children's generation, which, like the one that spanned my life, will blow both hot and cold, and we need to be there and we need to be prepared. I'm hoping we'll see more from the Harper government that will prepare us for that role.

5) I really don't care about the gun registry issue. Perhaps some creative solution will be found to address the rural/urban divide, though, but with a substantial majority in both chambers, it's unlikely the Cons will even be looking for one. Or maybe the omnibus crime bill is the place to look. Anyway, meh. Who cares?

6) Copyright reform? Another "Meh. Who cares?"

7) Democratic reform? Long overdue, and who cares what Quebec says. They're response will be the predictable whine and threaten with hand outstretched. This time, hopefully, no one will be dropping the spare change into that hand. If they do, look for a resurgence of Western separatism. Politics in Canada will get interesting again.

8) The cross-border security thing is interesting only in that it shows how the real pull and influence on Canada's economy and identity is no longer Britain, but rather the USA. That so many north of the 49th continue to whine and howl about our "sovereignty" is a joke. They frame their arguments as though any trade with the largest single economy in the world is a loss of sovereignty. What a farce!

And the privacy thing? Who cares? This obsession with privacy is waaaay overblown.

9) Supreme Court appointments? Again, opposition members are whining because they won't be able to put activist judges on the bench. Apparently, that's a privilege only for Liberal governments. But look what Harper is promising:
"Harper says he will chose "very carefully," and look for people with "strong, independent legal minds.

What to expect: Once the appointments are made, they might appear before a parliamentary committee."
Appearing before a parliamentary committee? Sounds too American for most of the whiners. You can be sure they see the writing on the wall.

10) A "Strategic Operating Review"?
"On the chopping block are countless government programs, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in spending.

What are the facts: This fall, out of sight of parliamentarians, cabinet ministers and their senior bureaucrats will work in the background on a major deficit-cutting plan to be unveiled in the 2012 budget. Treasury Board President Tony Clement leads the internal search to find $4 billion in annual cuts from government programs. No one knows yet where the cuts will come, but all departments and agencies have been told to submit two scenarios: How they would achieve a five-per-cent and a 10-per-cent budget cut."
Bring it on!! Look for cushy Liberal Party favourites to be slashed, or perhaps, disappear altogether. CBC first, of course. And 2012 is not that far away. Start your letter writing campaign. Harper and crew need to have their feet held to the fire.

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Good Grief!!

The Canadian MSM is all over this one like flies on sh!t, even the conservative leaning National Post!

To their credit, the Montreal Gazette actually delves into an angle other than the "compromise our privacy" bit. From the Gazette: New Rules Planned for Border Cops
...although our resident leftards won't like this:
"The U.S. and Canada have been co-ordinating investigations and sharing intelligence about potential criminal and terror threats at the border for several years through two dozen Integrated Border Enforcement Teams."
No. The MSM would much rather promote the notion that any cooperation with the U.S.A. is tantamount to a compromise of our sovereignty.

(This has been a flaw in leftwing thinking here in Canuckistan for decades. They seem to believe that sovereignty can only be asserted if we disagree with the U.S.A., which to me, seems to suggest a surrender of our ability to form our own policies, which from time to time may actually be in accord with those of the Americans. According to our leftards, we MUST, and I mean MUST, be at odds with the U.S., otherwise we are no longer sovereign. What balderdash!! That doesn't sound like independence/sovereignty to me. If we must be on opposite sides in every issue, then we ARE completely dependent on the U.S position. No brainer, but then these are leftards. We have to be understanding.)

Anyway, it looks like we've been cooperating with the U.S.. Oh, the horrors!!!!!

A report issued by some "think" (used lightly) tank called the Rideau Institute, which I had never heard about before, was the impetus for this massive display of MSM group think about the privacy issue. The Canadian blog, Unambiguously Ambidextrous (UA) delves into it a bit and has something to say about the Rideau Institute in a few posts.

Note that Mark at UA refers to the Rideau Institute as "actually a pacifist advocacy group, home of a horde of usual suspects" and in another post as "militantly anti-military." Stands to reason they would also be "militantly" anti-American. Those types always are.

Anywho, I did a little searching myself and found the following, from that bastion of truth, Wikipedia:
"The Rideau Institute was founded in January 2007. It is a left leaning, registered non-profit organization based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Institute's primary activities are independent research, advocacy and consulting. It aids decision makers, opinion leaders and the public through research, analysis and commentary on public policy."
Note, from the Wikipedia article, the names of the people on the Rideau Institute's Board of Directors and senior advisors. It reads like a Who's Who of the Canadian hard left: Mel Watkins, Maude Barlow, Murray Dobbin, Mel Hurtig, etc., etc.. The only saving grace is that most of these people are aging old hippies with one foot already in the grave. It doesn't take much digging to form a picture of this "Institute". They're basically a bunch of old commies who, for expediency, subscribe to the "peace at any cost" school of international affairs, so are entitled to exaggerate and lie in order achieve their aims. That so much of the MSM swallowed this report, says all you need to know about the Rideau Institute and our MSM.

And BTW, Wikipedia also states:
"Their work has been used by a diverse range of organizations such as the Canadian Auto Workers (a militant union), USC Canada, The Council of Canadians (Maude Barlow's connections), CUPE (another militant union, this one screwing the taxpayer), CEP, and public interest, citizen and labour organizations."
Bloggers rule!!!

Oh. I forgot. For what it's worth, the Rideau Institute gets it's funding from the Tides Foundation. Opposing the Keystone Pipeline and oil sands in general is one of their current projects.

Lord help me. Sometimes it's so hard, sooooooo hard to believe in democracy and basic freedoms for some people. I know. I know. I'm bad.

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Saturday, September 17, 2011

There's Something To Be Said About Latin Lovers

Berlusconi boasts of sleeping with eight women in one night

Ya gotta wonder whether Italy is better governed because of it. Think about it. If this guy is in to screwing 24/7, just think what he might do to the country, if he was paying any attention to it.

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CBC Management Team Meeting

With a few modifications, it suits to a T:

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Hallelujah!!

UPDATED AND BUMPED: Holland, too!
=========Original Starts Here===========
Europe finds itself!! Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!

France bans street prayers

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Friday, September 16, 2011

Oh, Snoopy!!!

I feel like my name is up in lights!!

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The Flop and Fail...

...teams up with Gerry Kaplan to illustrate why the left is losing so badly. "The left", of course, includes our MSM.
"But what happens when pundits can’t even pretend to have a clue about what’s going on? It’s been a hallmark of Stephen Harper’s reign that we keep meeting this kind of embarrassing problem, threatening the very existence of the commentariat as a class."
[---]
"Take another example. Stephen Harper has just declared that the greatest security threat to Canada is something he called “Islamicism.” I’ve seen no sensible dissection of this remarkable comment because no one can make sense of it. It goes without saying that vigilance against any potential terrorist attack is vital. Has some new peril now been discovered that no one else knows about? Are Canadians in imminent danger? Might we not be fretful about a nice homegrown Christian version of Norway’s notorious Anders Breivik as well as extremist Muslims? Why does our leader choose to feed into the bigotry of those who are determined to smear all Muslims as terrorists?
[---]
"As for more of the impenetrable Mr. Harper, take his bold march into Canada’s colonial past by putting the “royal” back in the name of two of our armed forces and the Queen’s picture on the walls of our embassies. Talk about an inscrutable manufactured crisis and fixing something when it ain’t broke.

Don’t tell me this was playing to the Conservative base, the handy-dandy answer when we pundits have nothing sensible to say. I gather all of 6,000 people roused themselves to sign an online petition to insert “royal” into the forces’ names; even the Blue Jays attract larger numbers. Not a single person currently serving in our forces – all of whom we praise to the skies – has ever served with “royal” in their names, which seems not to have undermined morale very much. So what brilliant strategic purpose can this conceivably be about?

As for hanging the dear old Queen’s picture in our embassies abroad – will she be astride a moose?– the best line came from NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar: “We don’t have a minister of foreign affairs, we have a minister of interior decorating.” Or, you could say, a royal pain in the butt."
Okay. Some of that is just plain funny, but there's plenty of baldfaced bigotry (against Christianity, for example. Quelle surprise!!) and a goodly share of loony-toon nutbarrism there, too.  This entire paragraph, for example:
"In terms of what really menaces Canadians, is “Islamicism” really scarier than global warming? What is it about these conservatives that make them care so little about their kids’ future? What about water scarcity, a looming crisis? Or the fragility of the global economic system? Youth unemployment? What about the bottomless need everywhere in Canada for new or repaired or upgraded infrastructure? Who’s going to protect us from exploding road rage on our gridlocked roads? What about glaring, growing inequality and our declining quality of life?"
Poor Dippers. Just when they make some substantial gains, along comes this old ideologue to throw up such a shining example of why they're still the same old, same old. About the only thing good about his rant I can say is at least he didn't take a swipe at Americans or Dubya. I suppose that's because The One is trying so hard to implement Dipper ideology south of the border so they are currently in his good books.

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Oh, My!

I hope our PM has competent body guards:

Canada says no to Palestinian UN membership

On the other hand, I can think of 57 other countries that should not be allowed in the U.N., either, but they're there already.

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Life Immitates Art

Thursday, September 15, 2011

I Know The Tenth Anniversary...

...of 9/11 has come and gone, but I have two more things to say.  First listen to this excellent radio broadcast from Tarek Fatah, who has a regularly scheduled program on Toronto's Talk Radio 1010.

And after you listen to that, here's a little something to jog your memory of events that took place on or shortly after 9/11:



If you're historically challenged or brainwashed with cultural relativism, the Changing of the Guard takes place daily at Buckingham Palace, the London home of Britain's monarch.

Normally, God Save the Queen (or King, as the case may be), would be played during the Changing of the Guard, but this time they played The Star Spangled Banner. The Queen herself must have approved this breach of protocol, which in and of itself speaks volumes.

What it says is 9/11 was perceived throughout the civilized world not as an attack on America alone. It was an attack on Western Civilization, of which, Great Britain is a keystone, no less than the Great Satan, the U.S.A.

If you know anything about the Middle East, or Muslim areas of the world in general, you will know that the U.S.A has some mighty stiff competition when it comes to maintaining a high placement on the dictators club's "Most Reviled Nations" list.

The Once Great Britain is just as reviled and therefore very competitive, 'cause some (many) people in said Muslim lands just can't move on from the "blame colonialism for everything" mode even though British colonialism was dismantled - in the 1950s and '60s - a half century ago.

And it was dismantled largely via violent coups, counter-coups, and coups to counter the counter-coups, each bringing in a worse dictatorship than the one ousted, in said Muslim and other lands, commonly known as the Third World, during the Cold War. Think of it. That's two generations and a bit of people raised on thuggish dictatorship-controlled media and indoctrination.

Meanwhile, Western Civilization has reached what could well be its highest point (I hope not). Jealousy will get you reviled by the losers. Losers don't tend to be introspective. That's why they are losers. They blame others, instead of examining their own weaknesses and flaws. Kinda like the left in our own societies who are working so hard to destroy us.

And this results in guilt-trips being foisted upon the wrong people instead of the losers working to improve themselves, and that works with nations as well. Look at India, the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire, which for a very long time after independence in 1948 or whenever it was, which chose the path of socialism for about 40 or 50 years, until they figured out that capitalism works better.

If we can survive the guilt trip being foisted upon us, we'll be okay. If not, shame on us.

For a ray of hope, be sure to read Celestial Junk's September 10th entry, which was noted by Ricochet.

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There Are Certain Questions....

...that Al Gore doesn't like being asked:



After all, he has a whole bunch of people in his camp:



Meanwhile, here is this very cold country, new cold records were set yesterday in several communities in Saskatchewan, and this is a region that is highly dependent on agriculture. Oops.

Notice the chart showing how long such records have been kept. We kinda fixate on that here in knuckledraggerland.

Having done a lot of historical research about Saskatchewan during the days of the early settlers and attempts to farm, I can tell you that extremely cold weather in the early fall was a serious problem from time to time during that era, and that's the main reason the University of Saskatchewan (in Saskatoon) and the old Agricultural Research Station right here in my home town , put a lot of effort into developing and testing strains of wheat that had a shorter growing season. Look up Marquis wheat, for example.

I kinda like the idea of living in a warmer climate. It's better for agriculture.  My farming cousins, one set of which have been farming the original homestead since 1882, will appreciate it, too, and are, today, highly dependent on fossil fuels.  The ancestors in 1882 had to break sod with animal drawn plows on a fraction of the acreage the cousins have today. We don't want to go back, thank you very much.

In the meantime, build the damn pipeline!!  After all, a heck of a lot more people profit in an agriculture conducive climate, than one's like Al Gore profit from promoting a scam. It really is a matter of life versus death, but not the way Gore and his groupies want us to believe.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Times, They Have-a-Changed!

Remember when Canucks went to the US to find opportunity?

The tide has turned. There's gold in that thar oil patch:
"Mel Zimmerman, vice-president of search at executive recruiter Toombs Inc. in Calgary, said oil sands companies are paying attention to negative market sentiment, but still moving “full steam ahead” with their projects and hefty hiring plans, particularly for 2012 and 2013.

“As I talk to some of those big integrated upstream companies, they are not hiring four and six, the plans are to hire four hundreds and six hundreds.” The most competitive areas, he said, are in the trades and technical disciplines."
I'm with these guys.

PS. BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! Nobel Peace Laureates! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Right up there with Yassir Arafat.

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You Know, I Can't Imagine...

...what we would do if the media didn't tell us things like this:

Statistics show immigrants use housing, transit more than other Canadians

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Amazing!

Almost 50 years after the modern feminist movement began, it's hard to believe that when I was fifteen, this is what women were supposed to do and be!



Oh, my. What would I have done? Gulp.

But then again, I had my own mother to emulate. She knew how to wear a pair of pants.

And, you know, I don't think you would find many historians who would agree, but I think the development and wide spread dissemination of "The Pill" just a few years later, was a pivotal point in history. I know my mother was one of the first to line up at the doctor's office.

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Blah! Blah! Blah!

I Figger It's About Time...

...I kept up with the times:
"OLD AGE TEXTING CODES: ATD - at the doctor. BFF - best friend fell. BTW -bring the wheelchair . BYOT - bring your own teeth. FWIW - forgot where I was. GGPBL - gotta go, pacemaker battery low. GHA - got heartburn again. IMHO - is my hearing aid on? LMDO -laughing my dentures out. IPM- I pooped myself. OMMR - on my massage recliner. ROFLACGU - rolling on the floor and can't get up."

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

What'd I Tell Ya?

It's Been A Slow Day

Not much happening of the absurd variety. However, this little bit of news in interesting:

Women could take big step forward in Newfoundland election

The headline is kinda misleading, as the article is actually about the five provincial elections taking place this fall in Canuckistan, in more than just Newfoundland, although this is pretty interesting:
"The news is not who will win: There is virtually no doubt that Progressive Conservative Leader Kathy Dunderdale, who replaced Danny Williams as premier last year, will prevail on Oct. 11. The news is that for the first time in the province’s history, the Official Opposition could be the NDP under Leader Lorraine Michael, which means a woman opposition leader would face a woman premier: Was that a glass ceiling I just heard shattering?"
[---]
"The poll was conducted before the death of Jack Layton. Since then, support for the NDP has, at least temporarily, increased in other parts of the country. If trends hold, the legislature in St. John’s as well as Ottawa could see the NDP as Official Opposition for the first time."
Ding, dong. The Liberals are dead!! Except in Prince Edward Island.
"In Prince Edward Island, the question isn’t who the opposition will be, but whether there will be any: A new poll has Robert Ghiz so far ahead that his Liberal Party could take every seat."
And here in Knuckledraggerland:
"Speaking of sweeps, a poll from Praxis Analytics has Brad Wall’s conservative Saskatchewan Party at 63 per cent, nearly 40 points ahead of Dwain Lingenfelter’s New Democrats, who are at 26 per cent. Over at threehundredeight.com, Eric Grenier’s seat projections now include the possibility – but only the possibility – that the Saskatchewan Party could hold as many as 51 seats in the 58-seat legislature after the Nov. 7 election."
Yeah, Baby. This province being the birthplace of the NDP, this should send shockwaves around the leftosphere everywhere in the world. The NDP is deader than a doornail here in Tommy Douglas Land. Whoopie!! I hear tell the NDP are thinking they chose the wrong leader. Well, no, sweethearts. It ain't the leader. It's every thing you stand for and everything you've ever done. You're finished!

And in Manitoba. Well, maybe Manitoba can save socialism. But I hope not:
"Things got testy during a radio debate Monday, as the normally reserved NDP Leader Greg Selinger called Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen’s proposals “crazy” and repeatedly cut him off, causing a frustrated Mr. McFadyen to ask: “Are you okay?”

“Are you okay? Are you okay?” Mr. Selinger shot back, further demonstrating that the art of rhetoric is not presently at its peak."
I think Canada's lefties can see the writing on the wall, and they're behaving accordingly - like cornered rats.

And down in the Centre of the Universe, where Liberalism reigns supreme, trouble is a-brewing:
"In Ontario, the big fight is over the word “foreigners.” That’s how Conservative Leader Tim Hudak described those who could benefit from a Liberal proposal to give $10,000 to employers who hire immigrant workers.

Except the Liberal proposal, once properly explained – or at least once the Liberals had figured out how much trouble they might be in and modified it – would apply only to Canadians who had been citizens for fewer than five years and who were having trouble obtaining accreditation in certain professions.

But who cares about the details? The Liberal plank has the Tories flinging out accusations of Liberal affirmative-action programs that punish the native-born, with the Liberals firing back that the Conservatives are intolerant of immigrants.

When it comes to nasty, these days, no one can beat Ontario."
They're raaaaaacist, of course. Hurling that accusation is the only thing Liberals/Dipper types have left, and guess what, folks. It no longer works. Go Hudak!!

Well, the enumerator came to my house today. I'm registered to vote. I can hardly wait for November 7th. We live in raaaaaaacist interesting times.

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Hmmm. Explains How I'm Feeling Today

West, Muslim societies locked in 'irreconcilable' battle, Canadians say
"The survey of 1,500 Canadians, conducted over three days last week for the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies, showed 56 per cent of respondents see Western and Muslim societies locked in an unending ideological struggle, while about 33 per cent - just one-third of the population - held out hope that the conflict will eventually be overcome."
Except I'm more concerned with that part of the spectrum on the left which wants us all to practice dhiminitude. That'd be the same bunch that conducts and interprets these sorts of studies for us, cause we're too stupid or politically incorrect to see the error of our ways.
"Many Canadians have come to believe "nothing will work" to end that conflict, said Jedwab, adding that this grim state of mind will require more scrutiny to fully understand and more carefully crafted public policies to rebuild a sense of optimism about the future of global relations."
[---]
"The survey did offer one notable "ray of hope," Jedwab suggested, pointing to a result showing that a slight majority of Canadians (52 per cent) believe it would be wrong for airport security officials to do "extra checks" of "passengers who appear to be of Muslim background."

While 39 per cent of respondents were open to that kind of profiling, Jedwab interpreted the majority's rejection of the practice as a sign that most Canadians realize such infringements "would make the purportedly irreconcilable conflict even deeper if the enshrined principles of our rights charters are to be disregarded."
See what I mean?

Here's something we should try. Get rid of our kangaroo courts (the Human Rights Commissions) and ask us again just before the twentieth or twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11. We might be less kow-towed by that time.

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Sunday, September 11, 2011

Might As Well Break My Vow

This one is too good not to share and comment upon. It's the US ambassador speaking at a commemoration ceremony in Gander, Newfoundland. You can hear and see the emotion in his voice.  Sorry. There doesn't seem to be an embed option.

But there is for this one:

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My Plan Today...

...was to take a day off. Somehow scanning the headlines for absurdities seemed kind of banal when held up against the solemn ceremonies being held in several places across North America, but this one is a heart-breaker, and you know how I am when it comes to heart-breakers:

'I love knowing you're a hero': Memorial service hears moving tribute by young boy, 9, to the 9/11 fireman dad he never met

It hasn't been a great last few days for little boys, but doesn't this little kid just show the resiliency of children? He must be made of the same stuff his father was.

God bless 'em. If my little Kaden and Logan were here, I'd be hugging them right now.

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Thank God!!

These stories don't usually end this way.

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Saturday, September 10, 2011

Why Is It....

...that old commies have such difficulty with growing old and facing the certainty that their life may soon be over?

New Fidel Castro photos aim to dispel health rumors

What does he think? We're stupid? Maybe. After all, he seems to think the Cuban people are stupid. As if they haven't figured out his "revolution" is a sham.

I remember when Mao and several of the old head haunchos of the soviet politburo croaked. It was days before the state run media would admit he was dead. You'd think they'd have the succession issue settled before the old man croaks, but I guess no one wanted to admit that old men, even commies, eventually die. Perhaps planning for such an eventuality could land one in prison, or the gulag.

And, ya, I know Fidel hand picked his brother to take over, but I'm sure Fidel himself is still involved. That sorta comes with the perq of being able to handpick your successor.

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