I'm not sure I like this. I hope Disney doesn't disnefy the Marvel Characters. I hope Stan Lee makes a lot of money out of this, but I'm sure he won't.
The deal means Disney will take over ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man and the X-Men.
Marvel shareholders will get $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share owned.
The boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the deal, which now needs the backing of Marvel shareholders and competition authorities.
Marvel shares were ahead $9.76, or 25%, to $48.41 in midday trading while Disney shares fell 94 cents, or 3.5%, to $25.90.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Growth in June
The Canadian economy is showing signs of recovery even in GDP numbers.
June showed modest growth. The grits gathered in Sudbury will be very sad. This may make an election more likely as the next quarter numbers are likely to be evn better. The grits may see this as their only pportunity, even though all the signs are aginst them.
Canada's real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.1% as expected in June, the first monthly increase since July 2008, according to official data released by Stats Canada on Monday. For the second quarter as a whole real GDP decreased 0.9%, a less pronounced rate of decline than the 1.6% drop in the previous quarter.
June showed modest growth. The grits gathered in Sudbury will be very sad. This may make an election more likely as the next quarter numbers are likely to be evn better. The grits may see this as their only pportunity, even though all the signs are aginst them.
Canada's real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.1% as expected in June, the first monthly increase since July 2008, according to official data released by Stats Canada on Monday. For the second quarter as a whole real GDP decreased 0.9%, a less pronounced rate of decline than the 1.6% drop in the previous quarter.
grits and their pollster
I am a political junkie, but even I am tiring of these annual elections. It is pretty unlikely that much will change with another one. Indeed voters may be finally annoyed enugh , that they hand the Tories a majority. Perhaps the grits should listen to their own pollster.
If the Sudbury polling presentation is in any way similar to the one the Liberals' provincial cousins in Ontario received last week – and chances are it is, given that it's coming from the same polling firm – there may be some sobering, second thoughts about the wisdom of provoking an election this fall.
Last week, in a closed-door presentation in Toronto, dozens of Ontario Liberal MPPs were treated to a presentation by Pollara president Don Guy, in which they reportedly learned it's been a good summer for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative "brand."
From this, some provincial Liberals inferred it hasn't been that great a summer for federal leader Michael Ignatieff – and that this fall may not be the best time to have an election...
It's up to Pollara's chairman and founder, Michael Marzolini, to lay out the numbers in Sudbury this week and say what they mean in the federal context. But Marzolini says election speculation is not a big part of his presentation.
"Of my 40 minutes, I'm only dedicating 10 seconds to the issue of when to call the election," Marzolini said yesterday. "After almost six years of continuous election speculation, the public really doesn't share our fixation."
If the Sudbury polling presentation is in any way similar to the one the Liberals' provincial cousins in Ontario received last week – and chances are it is, given that it's coming from the same polling firm – there may be some sobering, second thoughts about the wisdom of provoking an election this fall.
Last week, in a closed-door presentation in Toronto, dozens of Ontario Liberal MPPs were treated to a presentation by Pollara president Don Guy, in which they reportedly learned it's been a good summer for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative "brand."
From this, some provincial Liberals inferred it hasn't been that great a summer for federal leader Michael Ignatieff – and that this fall may not be the best time to have an election...
It's up to Pollara's chairman and founder, Michael Marzolini, to lay out the numbers in Sudbury this week and say what they mean in the federal context. But Marzolini says election speculation is not a big part of his presentation.
"Of my 40 minutes, I'm only dedicating 10 seconds to the issue of when to call the election," Marzolini said yesterday. "After almost six years of continuous election speculation, the public really doesn't share our fixation."
Cheney on FNS
Here is the interview with Dick Cheney on FNS. He and President Bush kept America and the rest of us safe. Dodo also has the whole thing.
David Warren and trees
David Warren discusses tress and the environment. He loves trees but doesn't wish to hug them or environmentalists.
No, I am not a tree-hugger, and I will not become one; it's a dignity thing on both sides. I am nevertheless well disposed to trees, and have been for as long as I can remember.
This is among my motives for opposing environmentalists, currently demanding the reduction of carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Trees live on carbon dioxide, and it is the hypocritical friend who flatters while he plots to choke you.
Worse, some of the environmentalists are getting wise to the fact that increased forest cover would reduce the earth's albedo, or solar reflection. Since carbon-dioxide accumulations do not actually contribute to global warming (except in some fevered imaginations), but solar absorption does, the relationship between environmentalists and trees could easily sour.
No, I am not a tree-hugger, and I will not become one; it's a dignity thing on both sides. I am nevertheless well disposed to trees, and have been for as long as I can remember.
This is among my motives for opposing environmentalists, currently demanding the reduction of carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Trees live on carbon dioxide, and it is the hypocritical friend who flatters while he plots to choke you.
Worse, some of the environmentalists are getting wise to the fact that increased forest cover would reduce the earth's albedo, or solar reflection. Since carbon-dioxide accumulations do not actually contribute to global warming (except in some fevered imaginations), but solar absorption does, the relationship between environmentalists and trees could easily sour.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Hate crime
I was in Ottawa today for the baptism of my very cute nephew Ethan. Yesterday, some idiots decided to vandalize a shed belonging to the church where the baptism took place . They burned the shed to the ground and caused many thousands of dollars in damage. I am certain if this had occured at a Mosque or another religion's place of worship. We would see more action taken and hate crimes statutes being invoked. For the record I oppose those statutes. I just find it sad that this violence against a church seems to receive less attention. I guess we should be thankful, that more damage wasn't done. We prayed for the victims of this crime and we prayed for the perpetrators of this crime.
Three wanted in arson on church property
THE OTTAWA CITIZENAUGUST 30, 2009
OTTAWA — Police and fire investigators are looking for three white males who were seen in the general vicinity of a shed fire at Rothwell United Church early Saturday morning.
Ottawa firefighters were called to the 42 Sumac Street at 5:22 a.m. A shed behind the church was completely destroyed and a gas can was found nearby.
Witnesses saw people fleeing the scene.
The total damage to the shed was $10,000, and two nearby townhouses suffered heat-related damages of $5,000 each. The cause is believed to be arson.
Anyone with information is asked to call Ottawa police at 613-236-1222 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
dithers dion iggy
Quite a pattern of bad leadership. This write suggest we have come full circle. Dion also dithered. We now have iggy who dithers and dions. Quite a cycle!
The only true reasons the Liberals have to force an election are selfish . . . Only the leaders of the small opposition parties -- and the power-hungry elements among the Liberals -- are hot for a national vote. But a vote now would cost taxpayers about $300-million and is unlikely to produce a Parliament much different from the current one."
Three hundred million is a considerable amount to add to the economic stimulus. Sign makers and advertising media would surely love the influx of cash. At a time of deficit are we sure that we want to spend this kind of money? We can probably find a more deserving cause.
What is becoming obvious, however, is that the Liberals need to do something quickly. Their last election was a flop because people didn't fall in behind their leader. People just didn't like him enough, I guess.
If the economy starts to improve or we win a bunch of gold medals in Vancouver then the patriotic sympathies of Canadians will no doubt rally around our fearless leader, Stephen Harper. One paper puts it like this:
"The Grits must decide their greatest handicap: A rebounding economy, Olympic glory and their growing reputation for caving in to Tory demands, or running with an invisible man at the helm into a vote that no one wants." (Star Phoenix)
Maybe being the new leader of the Opposition is still better than being the leader of an opposition party that lost an election.
I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but now I know its true, Ignatieff is definitely in the lead for grabbing our favourite Liberal title of all -- Mr. Dithers.
The only true reasons the Liberals have to force an election are selfish . . . Only the leaders of the small opposition parties -- and the power-hungry elements among the Liberals -- are hot for a national vote. But a vote now would cost taxpayers about $300-million and is unlikely to produce a Parliament much different from the current one."
Three hundred million is a considerable amount to add to the economic stimulus. Sign makers and advertising media would surely love the influx of cash. At a time of deficit are we sure that we want to spend this kind of money? We can probably find a more deserving cause.
What is becoming obvious, however, is that the Liberals need to do something quickly. Their last election was a flop because people didn't fall in behind their leader. People just didn't like him enough, I guess.
If the economy starts to improve or we win a bunch of gold medals in Vancouver then the patriotic sympathies of Canadians will no doubt rally around our fearless leader, Stephen Harper. One paper puts it like this:
"The Grits must decide their greatest handicap: A rebounding economy, Olympic glory and their growing reputation for caving in to Tory demands, or running with an invisible man at the helm into a vote that no one wants." (Star Phoenix)
Maybe being the new leader of the Opposition is still better than being the leader of an opposition party that lost an election.
I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but now I know its true, Ignatieff is definitely in the lead for grabbing our favourite Liberal title of all -- Mr. Dithers.
More on colonialism in Africa
Prof Mansur wants people to analyze what the results of colonialism actuualy were.
This is of course impolite. I am told the conflicts in Africa are the open wounds of Europe's dividing, or partitioning, the continent.
How is it that Europe, I ask, is responsible for the division of Africa when the continent prior to colonialism was divided among several thousand tribal entities? On the contrary, Europe's partitioning of the continent was paradoxically the forceful unification of Africa into some four dozen or more states.
I point to the situation on the Indian sub-continent, in size a tenth of Africa.
If it were not for colonial rule modern India, with a population larger than all of Africa, likely could have been a patchwork of states possibly locked in interminable conflicts, instead of being the world's largest functioning democracy.
This is of course impolite. I am told the conflicts in Africa are the open wounds of Europe's dividing, or partitioning, the continent.
How is it that Europe, I ask, is responsible for the division of Africa when the continent prior to colonialism was divided among several thousand tribal entities? On the contrary, Europe's partitioning of the continent was paradoxically the forceful unification of Africa into some four dozen or more states.
I point to the situation on the Indian sub-continent, in size a tenth of Africa.
If it were not for colonial rule modern India, with a population larger than all of Africa, likely could have been a patchwork of states possibly locked in interminable conflicts, instead of being the world's largest functioning democracy.
Michael Medved interview Prof Ian Pilmer
Michael Medved interviews Australian scientist and climate realist Dr Ian Plimer on his best selling book Heaven and Earth.
Listen here.
Maxime Bernier
Maxime bernier has another great commentary up on his blog. This guy should be in Cabinet in an economic portfolio!
No reason to go to the polls
More how to advice for the grits. Also grit insiders are once again bashing the accidental tourist. This really is dion all over again
But there is a third element that now is dangerously resurfacing in the Liberal party: the problem of unity. The defenestration of Paul Zed from the position of Ignatieff's chief of staff is only the tip of the iceberg.
Unlike the inner teams of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, the one supporting Ignatieff is not homogenous. Its members are together more because of personal friendship with the leader and common personal ambitions than common political agenda.
The phrase that was whispered most often to me this past week in Liberal quarters was, "the Martinites are back." This sounded more like a political anathema than a political statement.
So, unity is a problem as well as the organization. "We don't have 130 ridings where we have a reasonable chance to win and there is no political narrative around our leader who, as someone said, seems to have been in a witness protection program for the whole summer," another Liberal insider told me last week.
And it's not just the economy on which Liberals don't have a plan that differs from the one presented by the Conservatives. There is no distinct plan on energy, Afghanistan or parliamentary reform. Nonetheless, "they have decided to go to the polls in the fall," says the same source.
I hope that Liberals will address all of these issues during their caucus meetings in Sudbury starting tomorrow. Otherwise, barring an electoral gift from the Conservatives, they are setting themselves up for another disappointing surprise.
But there is a third element that now is dangerously resurfacing in the Liberal party: the problem of unity. The defenestration of Paul Zed from the position of Ignatieff's chief of staff is only the tip of the iceberg.
Unlike the inner teams of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, the one supporting Ignatieff is not homogenous. Its members are together more because of personal friendship with the leader and common personal ambitions than common political agenda.
The phrase that was whispered most often to me this past week in Liberal quarters was, "the Martinites are back." This sounded more like a political anathema than a political statement.
So, unity is a problem as well as the organization. "We don't have 130 ridings where we have a reasonable chance to win and there is no political narrative around our leader who, as someone said, seems to have been in a witness protection program for the whole summer," another Liberal insider told me last week.
And it's not just the economy on which Liberals don't have a plan that differs from the one presented by the Conservatives. There is no distinct plan on energy, Afghanistan or parliamentary reform. Nonetheless, "they have decided to go to the polls in the fall," says the same source.
I hope that Liberals will address all of these issues during their caucus meetings in Sudbury starting tomorrow. Otherwise, barring an electoral gift from the Conservatives, they are setting themselves up for another disappointing surprise.
CO2 is good
I thought environmentalists liked plants
CO2 is Green... and Green is Good!
More CO2 in the air means more plant growth.
Earth's current atmospheric CO2 concentration is almost 390 parts per million (ppm). Adding another 300 ppm of CO2 to the air has been shown by literally thousands of experiments to greatly increase the growth or biomass production of nearly all plants. This growth stimulation occurs because CO2 is one of the two raw materials (the other being water) that are required for photosynthesis. Hence, CO2 is actually the "food" that sustains essentially all plants on the face of the earth, as well as those in the sea. And the more CO2 they "eat" (absorb from the air or water), the bigger and better they grow (see table below).
CO2 is Green... and Green is Good!
More CO2 in the air means more plant growth.
Earth's current atmospheric CO2 concentration is almost 390 parts per million (ppm). Adding another 300 ppm of CO2 to the air has been shown by literally thousands of experiments to greatly increase the growth or biomass production of nearly all plants. This growth stimulation occurs because CO2 is one of the two raw materials (the other being water) that are required for photosynthesis. Hence, CO2 is actually the "food" that sustains essentially all plants on the face of the earth, as well as those in the sea. And the more CO2 they "eat" (absorb from the air or water), the bigger and better they grow (see table below).
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Krauthammer on obamacare 2?
DR Krauthammer has some simple fixes for obamacare, which I myself have proposed in the past, but I doubt the dems will listen.
5) Promise nothing but pleasure -- for now. Make health insurance universal and permanently protected. Tear up the existing bills and write a clean one -- Obamacare 2.0 -- promulgating draconian health-insurance regulation that prohibits (a) denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, (b) dropping coverage if the client gets sick, and (c) capping insurance company reimbursement.
5) Promise nothing but pleasure -- for now. Make health insurance universal and permanently protected. Tear up the existing bills and write a clean one -- Obamacare 2.0 -- promulgating draconian health-insurance regulation that prohibits (a) denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, (b) dropping coverage if the client gets sick, and (c) capping insurance company reimbursement.
Ann Coulter on Obamacare 2
Ann continues her smackdown of obamacare.
Liberal Lies About National Health Care: Second in a Series (Collect All 10!)
by Ann Coulter
08/26/2009
With the Democrats getting slaughtered -- or should I say, "receiving mandatory end-of-life counseling" -- in the debate over national health care, the Obama administration has decided to change the subject by indicting CIA interrogators for talking tough to three of the world's leading Muslim terrorists.
Had I been asked, I would have advised them against reinforcing the idea that Democrats are hysterical bed-wetters who can't be trusted with national defense while also reminding people of the one thing everyone still admires about President George W. Bush.
But I guess the Democrats really want to change the subject. Thus, here is Part 2 in our series of liberal lies about national health care.
Liberal Lies About National Health Care: Second in a Series (Collect All 10!)
by Ann Coulter
08/26/2009
With the Democrats getting slaughtered -- or should I say, "receiving mandatory end-of-life counseling" -- in the debate over national health care, the Obama administration has decided to change the subject by indicting CIA interrogators for talking tough to three of the world's leading Muslim terrorists.
Had I been asked, I would have advised them against reinforcing the idea that Democrats are hysterical bed-wetters who can't be trusted with national defense while also reminding people of the one thing everyone still admires about President George W. Bush.
But I guess the Democrats really want to change the subject. Thus, here is Part 2 in our series of liberal lies about national health care.
Cheney on FNS tomorrow
Fox news Sunday will be very interesting tomorrow. Vice President Cheney talks about defending the USA.
Thank you Michael Wilson
I wish Michael Wilson well after his years as Canadian Ambassador to the United States. A gracious, thoughtful man, I think he did a great job in Washington.
Sheldon Alberts: Wilson cites protectionism as Doer's premier challenge
Posted: August 28, 2009, 4:28 PM by NP Editor
Full Comment, U.S. Politics, Sheldon Alberts, Canadian politics
As Canada's ambassador to the United States for the past three years, Michael Wilson mostly went about his business quietly.
He was not Frank McKenna, who loved to press the flesh during his time in D.C., enjoyed stirring things up with the Bush administration when he felt Canada was being done wrong, and rarely met a microphone he didn't like. And he certainly wasn't Allan Gotlieb, the party-throwing diplomat who raised Canada's profile in the U.S. capital by wooing lawmakers and lobbyists alike with grand soirees that made him and his wife, Sondra, regulars in the society pages of the Washington Post.
Instead Wilson has been a workmanlike envoy, never flashy and certainly not seeking to make headlines. For Canadian reporters based in Washington, it was sometimes hard to tell whether Wilson actually liked the job -- he just never seemed to relish the glad-handing and schmoozing inherent to the position. And there was a sense that the Canadian media, especially, was to be tolerated but not courted -- though suspicions were the approach came on orders from Ottawa.
But as Wilson prepares to take his leave from the U.S. capital, Canada's outgoing ambassador says he has "mixed feelings" about his departure and leaves at least a bit reluctantly.
Still, he stressed that the decision to step down as Canada's envoy was initiated by himself and not the Prime Minister's Office.
In an interview Friday, Wilson said he believed Ottawa needed an ambassador who would remain in Washington for the duration of the first Obama administration -- a renewed commitment he wasn't prepared to make after spending three and a half years in the job.
Sheldon Alberts: Wilson cites protectionism as Doer's premier challenge
Posted: August 28, 2009, 4:28 PM by NP Editor
Full Comment, U.S. Politics, Sheldon Alberts, Canadian politics
As Canada's ambassador to the United States for the past three years, Michael Wilson mostly went about his business quietly.
He was not Frank McKenna, who loved to press the flesh during his time in D.C., enjoyed stirring things up with the Bush administration when he felt Canada was being done wrong, and rarely met a microphone he didn't like. And he certainly wasn't Allan Gotlieb, the party-throwing diplomat who raised Canada's profile in the U.S. capital by wooing lawmakers and lobbyists alike with grand soirees that made him and his wife, Sondra, regulars in the society pages of the Washington Post.
Instead Wilson has been a workmanlike envoy, never flashy and certainly not seeking to make headlines. For Canadian reporters based in Washington, it was sometimes hard to tell whether Wilson actually liked the job -- he just never seemed to relish the glad-handing and schmoozing inherent to the position. And there was a sense that the Canadian media, especially, was to be tolerated but not courted -- though suspicions were the approach came on orders from Ottawa.
But as Wilson prepares to take his leave from the U.S. capital, Canada's outgoing ambassador says he has "mixed feelings" about his departure and leaves at least a bit reluctantly.
Still, he stressed that the decision to step down as Canada's envoy was initiated by himself and not the Prime Minister's Office.
In an interview Friday, Wilson said he believed Ottawa needed an ambassador who would remain in Washington for the duration of the first Obama administration -- a renewed commitment he wasn't prepared to make after spending three and a half years in the job.
A Climate Realist
Peter Foster writes about the incredible faux pas of being a climate realist.
If one were to think of current candidates for the most disastrous of faux pas, surely none could be greater than “The Man Who Expressed Skepticism About Catastrophic Man-made Global Warming.” Not merely do mouths gape, but eyes roll at any dimwit’s failure to grasp that there is “consensus” on the issue. Indeed, to dissent is seen not merely as evidence of mental deficiency but moral turpitude.
If one were to think of current candidates for the most disastrous of faux pas, surely none could be greater than “The Man Who Expressed Skepticism About Catastrophic Man-made Global Warming.” Not merely do mouths gape, but eyes roll at any dimwit’s failure to grasp that there is “consensus” on the issue. Indeed, to dissent is seen not merely as evidence of mental deficiency but moral turpitude.
No fall election
The red star also seems to be dampening the momentum for the grits to bring about an election this fall.
This editorial repeats what many have been saying for months. The grits have become the Seinfeld party. The party about nothing. They have no policies.
The poll are not good for the grits and they and their msm allies know this. There will not be an election until 2010 or 2011.
"It's a dumb idea to have an election; I don't see any issue that anybody would want to fight an election on," says Ralph Lean, a Toronto lawyer and top Conservative fundraiser. "We're all tired of elections."
Senior Liberals hastened this week to dampen election fever in Liberal ranks before next week's annual caucus meeting in Sudbury.
"The government hasn't even been in a year. At some point, yes, but you can't be pushing to get them out every blinking week," says Senator David Smith, Liberal campaign co-chair. "There could come a breaking point and the (deciding vote in the House) could come to us but we don't need a shoot-out at the O.K. Corral right now."
Further, Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale also suggests there won't be an election on EI, noting there's reason for cautious optimism at the committee struck last June. He said Conservatives are listening to Liberal concepts "instead of dismissing them out of hand."
Goodale says his party will judge the government's "demeanour ... and personality" when the House resumes, as well as measure other issues, including deficit-reduction proposals and plans for infrastructure spending.
This editorial repeats what many have been saying for months. The grits have become the Seinfeld party. The party about nothing. They have no policies.
The poll are not good for the grits and they and their msm allies know this. There will not be an election until 2010 or 2011.
"It's a dumb idea to have an election; I don't see any issue that anybody would want to fight an election on," says Ralph Lean, a Toronto lawyer and top Conservative fundraiser. "We're all tired of elections."
Senior Liberals hastened this week to dampen election fever in Liberal ranks before next week's annual caucus meeting in Sudbury.
"The government hasn't even been in a year. At some point, yes, but you can't be pushing to get them out every blinking week," says Senator David Smith, Liberal campaign co-chair. "There could come a breaking point and the (deciding vote in the House) could come to us but we don't need a shoot-out at the O.K. Corral right now."
Further, Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale also suggests there won't be an election on EI, noting there's reason for cautious optimism at the committee struck last June. He said Conservatives are listening to Liberal concepts "instead of dismissing them out of hand."
Goodale says his party will judge the government's "demeanour ... and personality" when the House resumes, as well as measure other issues, including deficit-reduction proposals and plans for infrastructure spending.
Coal
Coal is a big part of the energy many of us use. Indeed its use is increasing. This is yet another reason the chicken littles will fail. People want to keep their lights on.
How will this all end? We can be confident that coal use will keep on growing for decades to come, in line with official projections that show worldwide demand soon doubling —without coal for electricity production, most jurisdictions will be unable to keep the lights on. We can also be confident that communities will successfully fend off many if not most of the carbon storage schemes that threaten them and their environments. Finally, we can be confident that governments, after spending tens of billions on carbon storage schemes of dubious benefit, will conclude that the safest place to store today’s relatively high levels of carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere, where it now resides.
How will this all end? We can be confident that coal use will keep on growing for decades to come, in line with official projections that show worldwide demand soon doubling —without coal for electricity production, most jurisdictions will be unable to keep the lights on. We can also be confident that communities will successfully fend off many if not most of the carbon storage schemes that threaten them and their environments. Finally, we can be confident that governments, after spending tens of billions on carbon storage schemes of dubious benefit, will conclude that the safest place to store today’s relatively high levels of carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere, where it now resides.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Sue-Ann Levy on CBC or where in the world is Eric hoskins
Here is an segment Sue Ann Levy did with the candidates for the St Paul's byelection. grit Eric Hoskins is conspicuos by his absence. What are you afraid of Hoskins? Afraid to defend dalton's record of tax and spend liberalism?Afraid of Sue-Ann Levy? The other grits were so afraid of Sue Ann they tried to delay the byelection.
While Sue-Ann Levy is front and center, Hoskins is M.I.A.. Come out, come out wherever you are grit Hoskins.
Listen here to Sue-Ann Levy and the Green candidate, Chris Chopik here.
While Sue-Ann Levy is front and center, Hoskins is M.I.A.. Come out, come out wherever you are grit Hoskins.
Listen here to Sue-Ann Levy and the Green candidate, Chris Chopik here.
Keep St Anne's Federal
The Vets hospital at St Anne's is a wonderful place for Veterans. My only criticism is that it doesn't allow spouse to stay with the vets. The idea to turn this facility over to Quebec is an exceptionally bad one for many reasons. It is also opposed by the Vets, so the issue should be settled. Leave the Ste Anne Vets Hospital as it is.
They fought for their country in the Second World War and survived.
Claude Renaud, 86, was an air force navigator. Marvin Silver, 86, was a Spitfire pilot.
Both are ill, and their families are happy with the way they're treated at Ste. Anne's Hospital, the veterans' facility in Ste. Anne de Bellevue that houses 415 elderly soldiers.
But now that Ottawa has opened exploratory talks with Quebec on transferring what is the last of Canada's veterans hospitals to provincial control, the families are worried.
They're angry they weren't consulted, even though the Ottawa-Quebec talks are said to be "in the very, very early stages."
Told about the reaction, Richard Roik, a spokesperson for Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, was categorical.
"Whatever we do, our first priority will be the best interest of our veterans," he said.
They fought for their country in the Second World War and survived.
Claude Renaud, 86, was an air force navigator. Marvin Silver, 86, was a Spitfire pilot.
Both are ill, and their families are happy with the way they're treated at Ste. Anne's Hospital, the veterans' facility in Ste. Anne de Bellevue that houses 415 elderly soldiers.
But now that Ottawa has opened exploratory talks with Quebec on transferring what is the last of Canada's veterans hospitals to provincial control, the families are worried.
They're angry they weren't consulted, even though the Ottawa-Quebec talks are said to be "in the very, very early stages."
Told about the reaction, Richard Roik, a spokesperson for Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, was categorical.
"Whatever we do, our first priority will be the best interest of our veterans," he said.
More msm desperation
Susan Riley is so afraid that iggy can't defeat HM PM Harper, that she is just sounding totally desperate. The first paragraph of her piece describes her and her sms buddies pretty well. She acknowledges that those truth ads are working. Those ads that she and her msm friends said couldn't possibly work. read the rest. It is quite amusing. You can almost hear her screaming at iggy
One thing Michael Ignatieff needs, if he is ever to succeed, is a quick and savage response team -- twitchy, obsessive partisans with no personal lives, no particular need for sleep and a pathological loathing of Conservatives. (Sort of like, well, you know ...)
Liberals have to be faster and more emphatic in answering Tory jibes about Ignatieff's patriotism, his commitment to his job, his alleged eagerness to raise taxes --quicker at countering those nasty Tory mailouts displaying a question mark where Ignatieff's face should be. In fact, they should be doing the attacking, not the defending: heaven knows, the target is large and tempting.
Instead, the Liberal leader spent much of the fast-disappearing summer making dilatory and mostly ignored visits to anointed communities around the country, "thinking thoughts" at Stornoway, working behind the scenes on fundraising, helping triple party membership and searching out potential candidates.
While this might constitute the only serious infrastructure work going on in Ottawa -- and while the listless Liberal party desperately needs rebuilding -- it shouldn't be the only preoccupation of the leader.
Especially not when Prime Minister Stephen Harper is swanning around, unusually visible, looking self-assured, reasonable and dangerous.
More from Joanne
One thing Michael Ignatieff needs, if he is ever to succeed, is a quick and savage response team -- twitchy, obsessive partisans with no personal lives, no particular need for sleep and a pathological loathing of Conservatives. (Sort of like, well, you know ...)
Liberals have to be faster and more emphatic in answering Tory jibes about Ignatieff's patriotism, his commitment to his job, his alleged eagerness to raise taxes --quicker at countering those nasty Tory mailouts displaying a question mark where Ignatieff's face should be. In fact, they should be doing the attacking, not the defending: heaven knows, the target is large and tempting.
Instead, the Liberal leader spent much of the fast-disappearing summer making dilatory and mostly ignored visits to anointed communities around the country, "thinking thoughts" at Stornoway, working behind the scenes on fundraising, helping triple party membership and searching out potential candidates.
While this might constitute the only serious infrastructure work going on in Ottawa -- and while the listless Liberal party desperately needs rebuilding -- it shouldn't be the only preoccupation of the leader.
Especially not when Prime Minister Stephen Harper is swanning around, unusually visible, looking self-assured, reasonable and dangerous.
More from Joanne
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Election much less likely this fall
The grits are backing off EI. This is getting very dion like. It really sounds like there won't be an election. Why was EI such an issue in June?
But Mr. Ignatieff's campaign co-chairman and a Liberal member of that panel are now saying that even if it fails to produce a deal, Liberals will not force an election on EI alone.
Liberal Senator David Smith, co-chairman of the national Liberal campaign, said EI is not a “defining issue” that merits bringing down the government.
That still leaves open the possibility of a no-confidence vote on other issues, such as the state of the economy, but the senior Liberal is clearly throwing cold water on election speculation as MPs prepare for next week's caucus retreat in Sudbury.
Great pics at Kitchener Conservative.
But Mr. Ignatieff's campaign co-chairman and a Liberal member of that panel are now saying that even if it fails to produce a deal, Liberals will not force an election on EI alone.
Liberal Senator David Smith, co-chairman of the national Liberal campaign, said EI is not a “defining issue” that merits bringing down the government.
That still leaves open the possibility of a no-confidence vote on other issues, such as the state of the economy, but the senior Liberal is clearly throwing cold water on election speculation as MPs prepare for next week's caucus retreat in Sudbury.
Great pics at Kitchener Conservative.
dem hypocrisy in Masachusetts
What's sauce for the goose is apparently not for the dem gander. The family fight is on.
In 2004 Ted Kennedy asked Massachusetts to change the law so Republican Governor Mitt Romney could not appoint a replacement for John Kerry should Kerry win the presidency. Look who's now calling for the law to be reversed:
In 2004 Ted Kennedy asked Massachusetts to change the law so Republican Governor Mitt Romney could not appoint a replacement for John Kerry should Kerry win the presidency. Look who's now calling for the law to be reversed:
CFRB changes
Astral media continues its firings , now at CFRB in Toronto. They have let a whole bunch of people go including John and Carol Mott and Michael Coren yet again. I will miss John and Carol and Michael Coren can be quite amusing. I hope they know what they are doing. I have called into CFRB talk shows for many years. I wish the station well. I would have made other changes.
But change rarely happens without challenges or some difficulties. This change is particularly difficult for many of you and for all of us here at CFRB, because we part company with and say good bye to some long-time and trusted friends and colleagues.
Carol Mott, Paul Mott, Michael Coren, and Jacqui Delaney are among them. We are grateful for the contributions they've made to CFRB. We know this is a tough time for them and are doing our best to help them deal with this transition.
But change rarely happens without challenges or some difficulties. This change is particularly difficult for many of you and for all of us here at CFRB, because we part company with and say good bye to some long-time and trusted friends and colleagues.
Carol Mott, Paul Mott, Michael Coren, and Jacqui Delaney are among them. We are grateful for the contributions they've made to CFRB. We know this is a tough time for them and are doing our best to help them deal with this transition.
What of the Butcher mugabe?
I haven't written much about the butcher of late. He is still busy raping and pillaging his country. He is apparently ill. Apparently the new South African President is none to pleased with him. Zuma, who is a pretty questionable choice to lead South Africa, find some of the butcher's behaviour , deviant. Hopefully this monster will soon leave the scene. If Zuma can help bring this abut, he will earn more respect for himself and his nation.
Unlike the spineless Thabo Mbeki, who was blinded by Mugabe’s reputation as a freedom fighter and refused to censure him, his successor Jacob Zuma is reportedly made of sterner stuff. Visiting in Harare on his first trip as president, the head of the region's dominant power came prepared to talk tough.
At least that’s what the secretary general of the African National Congress claimed. “President Zuma will be more vocal in terms of what we see as deviant behaviour,” Gwede Mantashe told reporters. “If there is deviant behaviour, we will be more vocal... but we will still engage.”
It's also what Zuma himself indicated to Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, during her recent visit to Africa.
Unlike the spineless Thabo Mbeki, who was blinded by Mugabe’s reputation as a freedom fighter and refused to censure him, his successor Jacob Zuma is reportedly made of sterner stuff. Visiting in Harare on his first trip as president, the head of the region's dominant power came prepared to talk tough.
At least that’s what the secretary general of the African National Congress claimed. “President Zuma will be more vocal in terms of what we see as deviant behaviour,” Gwede Mantashe told reporters. “If there is deviant behaviour, we will be more vocal... but we will still engage.”
It's also what Zuma himself indicated to Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, during her recent visit to Africa.
Michelle Malkin on the Tommy Schnurmacher Show
Tommy had best selling authour Michelle Malkin on CJAD yesterday. She was discussing her new book. Culture of Corruption. I am of course a big fan. She was great. She did her homework to reveal the cesspool of corruption that obamessiah and his cronies are from.
I even called in around the middle of the show to ask about the senates biggest crook harry reid.
Listen here
R.I.P. Edward kennedy
We are all flawed human beings. Senator Kennedy supported civil rights and universal suffrage. He tried to serve his country. I profoundly disagreed with his positions, but I am still saddened by his death.
He was gracious to Bob Novak and seemed to get along with President Reagan and Bush. Partisan differences should not extend to a personal level if we can help it. I am guilty of this sometimes as well.
I extend my condolences to the family and friends of Edward Kennedy..
He was gracious to Bob Novak and seemed to get along with President Reagan and Bush. Partisan differences should not extend to a personal level if we can help it. I am guilty of this sometimes as well.
I extend my condolences to the family and friends of Edward Kennedy..
Soon to be MPP Sue-Ann Levy
Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak and Sue-Ann Levy
M.P.P Ted Arnott and Sue -Ann LevyI have been following Sue-Ann Levy on Facebook and Twitter. She has been tirelessly campaigning and connecting with the people of St Paul's. She is getting support from many, many City Councillors, MPPs and the citizens of St Pauls. She even got an endorsement from Save the Bluffs Torono. It seems her grit opponent is even refusing to debate her. She will be an excellent MP. She has drive, energy and smarts. She will help the Tories hold McGuinty's feet to the fire. I encourage all of my friends in Toronto to support Sue Ann Levy. This battle is incredibly important to all of us conservatives. It is time to take back the cities from the grits at all levels. Sue Ann Levy can be just the beginning. Send money, volunteer your time and tell your friends and family. Let's get Sue-Levy elected in St Pauls.
Today I spent the morning mainstreeting in Forest Hill Village. One of the main topics of discussion was taxes specifically, the looming HST.
While I was visiting the shops I had the opportunity to talk to a woman who lives in the riding. She is a retired teacher who said she wasn’t really sure how the HST would work.
I explained to her that the residents of St. Paul’s will be taxed an extra 8% on a long list of goods and services not currently subject to the PST. She thanked me for describing the impact of the HST to her so concisely, noting she now understands better that it is not simply a harmonized tax.
This is a perfect example of how Dalton McGuinty is trying to slip this tax grab under the radar by not taking the time to explain to Ontarians what this tax means for them. So many people in this city have no idea what cost increases they will see with the new HST. Dalton owes the people of this province a detailed explanation on the increases they will see with this new tax grab.
I promise the residents of St. Paul’s, that I will be more responsive and transparent than the McGuinty Liberals. During this campaign I intend to take the time to explain to them what the HST means for them.
Panetta defends the CIA
Apparently Leon Panetta is defending the CIA. At least someone in obamessiah's administration want the CIA to keep doing its job.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Potential dishonour killing?
A girl thinks her parents will kill her for converting to Christianity. Very sad and frightening. Her parents deny these claims. I am a bit dubious of this whole story. The girl's plea sounds genuine, but her parents don't sound like they would kill her. She was a cheerleader, hardly the strict Muslim s that would do such a terrible thing. I don't believe all Muslims are jihadis. She is 17, I think she should be made an emancipated minor. I do think she needs to talk to her parents.
More problems for cap and tax ( waxman markey)
This bill seems to have less and less chance of passing the senate. obamessiah will not have anything to show in Copenhagen except for the increasing scepticism in the US.
I am hearing from sme people that even the goreacle is beginning to fear he has overplayed his hand.
Big blows to energy bill
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Alex Mills - Oil & Gas
Last week may have been a pivotal week for climate change legislation. Even though the national news media focused on the health care debate, several things happened that will either change the debate on climate change or kill it outright.
More than 3,500 people attended the Energy Citizens rally in Houston Aug. 18 to stop the climate change bill when the Senate returns to work in September. Speakers at the “sold-out” rally pointed out that raising taxes and the price of energy in today’s economy is a bad idea.
Next, The Wall Street Journal ran a story on Aug. 13 about the creator of the cap-and-trade theory and how he has become a critic of the program. Reporter Jon Hilsenrath caught up with economist Thomas Crocker, who came up with the idea when he was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin in the 1960s.
Crocker, now 73 and a retired economist living in Centennial, Wyo., said he is skeptical that cap-and-trade is the most effective way to go about regulating carbon. The former professor at the University of Wyoming said that a carbon tax would be more efficient and flexible without the massive bureaucracy needed to regulate cap-and-trade.
Another blow came from the National Association of Manufacturers as it released a study that analyzed the impact of the climate change bill, H.R. 2454, and found:
• The price of carbon permits could reach $48 to $61 by 2020.
• U.S. jobs decline by 1.8 million to 2.4 million.
• The financial cost on households would be $118 to $225 by 2020.
I am hearing from sme people that even the goreacle is beginning to fear he has overplayed his hand.
Big blows to energy bill
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Alex Mills - Oil & Gas
Last week may have been a pivotal week for climate change legislation. Even though the national news media focused on the health care debate, several things happened that will either change the debate on climate change or kill it outright.
More than 3,500 people attended the Energy Citizens rally in Houston Aug. 18 to stop the climate change bill when the Senate returns to work in September. Speakers at the “sold-out” rally pointed out that raising taxes and the price of energy in today’s economy is a bad idea.
Next, The Wall Street Journal ran a story on Aug. 13 about the creator of the cap-and-trade theory and how he has become a critic of the program. Reporter Jon Hilsenrath caught up with economist Thomas Crocker, who came up with the idea when he was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin in the 1960s.
Crocker, now 73 and a retired economist living in Centennial, Wyo., said he is skeptical that cap-and-trade is the most effective way to go about regulating carbon. The former professor at the University of Wyoming said that a carbon tax would be more efficient and flexible without the massive bureaucracy needed to regulate cap-and-trade.
Another blow came from the National Association of Manufacturers as it released a study that analyzed the impact of the climate change bill, H.R. 2454, and found:
• The price of carbon permits could reach $48 to $61 by 2020.
• U.S. jobs decline by 1.8 million to 2.4 million.
• The financial cost on households would be $118 to $225 by 2020.
President Bush comes to Montreal
This should be interesting. President Bush will be here in leftist Montreal. Wonder if the loonies will manage bugger protests than the anemic ones in Toronto.
MONTREAL- Former U.S. president George W. Bush is coming to Montreal on October 22, The Gazette has learned.
He will be speaking at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
Although the event is a private by-invitation-only luncheon, tickets will be made available through various sponsors.
A high-profile moderator is expected to be appointed in the coming days.
A question period is to be held at the end of the luncheon engagement.
tinePUBLIC Inc, the Canadian firm that booked Bush for his first speaking event since leaving office last January, is the same firm that is bringing the controversial former president to Montreal.
Eric Caire
I am a member of the ADQ in Quebec. I joined to support my friend Mathew Conway in the last provincial election. I am not a very active member of the ADQ.I was greatly disappointed by Mario and the ADQ. I was hoping to see a lucide center right party come to the forefront in Quebec politics.
I have decided to endorse Eric Caire. He is conservative and a federalist. To me Eric Caire represents a chance to restore that ceneter right vision to the ADQ.
I think without Eric Caire, the ADQ will fade away. With Eric Caire, the ADQ will at least have a chance to bounce back and be a new better alternative to the tired old liberals and pq. Bonne Chance Eric!
L Ian Macdonald on recent polls
Macdonald says the grits should have serious second thoughts about a fall election. Indeed the Tories are downplaying the Ipsos Reid poll, it is the grits who are paying attention. This lefty agrees that iggy is a disaster.
These numbers would put the Conservatives right on the doorstep of certain majority territory at 40 per cent, and should give the Liberals serious pause about the possibility of forcing an election which, in these circumstances, they would certainly lose.
The party that should be holding a double-digit lead, with a brand-new leader and a very bad economy, is instead down by double digits.
The Liberals got some cover, and some comfort, from a Decima poll released the next day showing the Liberals and Conservatives in a statistical dead heat at 32 and 31 per cent respectively. But all that tells them is that, at best, they might form a weak minority government.
But it is the Ipsos poll that has got politicos, especially Liberals, talking as they prepare to go to a summer caucus next week in Sudbury. "Maybe this will bring people to their senses," says one senior member of Michael Ignatieff's shadow cabinet.
These numbers would put the Conservatives right on the doorstep of certain majority territory at 40 per cent, and should give the Liberals serious pause about the possibility of forcing an election which, in these circumstances, they would certainly lose.
The party that should be holding a double-digit lead, with a brand-new leader and a very bad economy, is instead down by double digits.
The Liberals got some cover, and some comfort, from a Decima poll released the next day showing the Liberals and Conservatives in a statistical dead heat at 32 and 31 per cent respectively. But all that tells them is that, at best, they might form a weak minority government.
But it is the Ipsos poll that has got politicos, especially Liberals, talking as they prepare to go to a summer caucus next week in Sudbury. "Maybe this will bring people to their senses," says one senior member of Michael Ignatieff's shadow cabinet.
Advice for obamessiah
Escape the left wing of the dems and move to the center. That's how billary survived and prospered. An interesting piece in the WSJ. One term obamessiah?
In his book "The Pact," historian Steven M. Gillon puts it this way: "Ironically, Gingrich's revolution may have saved the Clinton presidency by freeing him from the control of his party's more liberal base in Congress, giving him the opportunity to return to the moderate message that helped him win election in the first place.
"It was Gingrich who changed the language of American politics and forced Clinton to play the game on his turf," he writes. "But it was Clinton who ultimately got the credit and emerged as the decade's most popular leader."
Even in the midst of a Republican resurgence, Mr. Clinton would go on from the defeat to become the first Democrat since FDR to be elected to two terms. By contrast, Mr. Obama's handling of the health-care debate—making villains out of cable television and insurance companies, questioning the motives of those who disagree, imposing artificial deadlines—suggests a rigidity typically associated with a lack of executive experience and responsibility.
At the moment, Mr. Obama plainly remains wedded to the view that the 1994 failure to get a health-care bill through Congress marked a catastrophe for the Clinton presidency rather than its liberation. On Friday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said his boss was "quite comfortable" with the idea that sticking to his agenda may well mean "he only lives in this house" for one term. Sounds like a man who appreciates the limits of a president's personal popularity.
In his book "The Pact," historian Steven M. Gillon puts it this way: "Ironically, Gingrich's revolution may have saved the Clinton presidency by freeing him from the control of his party's more liberal base in Congress, giving him the opportunity to return to the moderate message that helped him win election in the first place.
"It was Gingrich who changed the language of American politics and forced Clinton to play the game on his turf," he writes. "But it was Clinton who ultimately got the credit and emerged as the decade's most popular leader."
Even in the midst of a Republican resurgence, Mr. Clinton would go on from the defeat to become the first Democrat since FDR to be elected to two terms. By contrast, Mr. Obama's handling of the health-care debate—making villains out of cable television and insurance companies, questioning the motives of those who disagree, imposing artificial deadlines—suggests a rigidity typically associated with a lack of executive experience and responsibility.
At the moment, Mr. Obama plainly remains wedded to the view that the 1994 failure to get a health-care bill through Congress marked a catastrophe for the Clinton presidency rather than its liberation. On Friday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said his boss was "quite comfortable" with the idea that sticking to his agenda may well mean "he only lives in this house" for one term. Sounds like a man who appreciates the limits of a president's personal popularity.
A good idea?
I like the numbers from this experiment in Portugal. Reducing deaths and HIV infections is a good thing and the numbers here look very good. I also prefer decriminalization to legalization. ( h/t and Happy Birthday! Maybe this is something we should do here in Canada. My more social conservative and libertarian aspects of my personality are somewhat at war on this issue. I hate street drugs, but I don't like state control of people.
This could be the solution.
Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006, according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank.
"Now instead of being put into prison, addicts are going to treatment centers and they're learning how to control their drug usage or getting off drugs entirely," report author Glenn Greenwald, a former New York State constitutional litigator, said during a press briefing at Cato last week.
Under the Portuguese plan, penalties for people caught dealing and trafficking drugs are unchanged; dealers are still jailed and subjected to fines depending on the crime. But people caught using or possessing small amounts—defined as the amount needed for 10 days of personal use—are brought before what's known as a "Dissuasion Commission," an administrative body created by the 2001 law.
This could be the solution.
Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006, according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank.
"Now instead of being put into prison, addicts are going to treatment centers and they're learning how to control their drug usage or getting off drugs entirely," report author Glenn Greenwald, a former New York State constitutional litigator, said during a press briefing at Cato last week.
Under the Portuguese plan, penalties for people caught dealing and trafficking drugs are unchanged; dealers are still jailed and subjected to fines depending on the crime. But people caught using or possessing small amounts—defined as the amount needed for 10 days of personal use—are brought before what's known as a "Dissuasion Commission," an administrative body created by the 2001 law.
Wow
Do these people listen to themselves? This "expert" says he wants to eleiminate CO2 in Germany. So much for humans and plants. The rest of the interview is equally hilarious.
SPIEGEL: What are your ultimate goals with climate protection?
Flasbarth: A CO2-free Germany by 2050 is a project that I am hoping to push forward with the help of the scientific experts at the Federal Environmental Agency. We hope to show German politicians how they can make this part of their plan for the future.
SPIEGEL: What are your ultimate goals with climate protection?
Flasbarth: A CO2-free Germany by 2050 is a project that I am hoping to push forward with the help of the scientific experts at the Federal Environmental Agency. We hope to show German politicians how they can make this part of their plan for the future.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The msm desperately tries to help iggy
Uber grit lawrence martin wants to save his party from yet another electoral humiliation. Even he notes the downward trend of all the recent polls. remeber that iggy was crowned in May. It hasn't even been 6 months. The honeymoon was almost immediately over and there was a miniscule bounce. all this during the middle of a bad recession. Canadians won't want iggy any more than they wanted dion. I really don't think the grits wil want to force an unneccasry election with these facts.
What else can be expected when you put out no new policies, no new vision, a leader who appears indecisive, and no sustained attack strategy on Stephen Harper?
The operation needs an overhaul and it needs it now. Iggy has been too beholden to a handful of advisers who brought him into politics. That’s what happened to Paul Martin. The former prime minister placed too much power in the hands of a few close political friends.
It’s official. The Liberal party strategy is a dud. A new Ipsos Reid poll — Conservatives 39, Liberals 28 — is the latest signal. While no one should read too much into one opinion sampling, the downward trend has been apparent for months.
Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals are backpedalling toward the lows of Stéphane Dion — and they shouldn’t be surprised.What else can be expected when you put out no new policies, no new vision, a leader who appears indecisive, and no sustained attack strategy on Stephen Harper?
The operation needs an overhaul and it needs it now. Iggy has been too beholden to a handful of advisers who brought him into politics. That’s what happened to Paul Martin. The former prime minister placed too much power in the hands of a few close political friends.
I.D.U.
Don Plett, President of the Tory Party
Parm Gill, Tory Candidate Brampton Springdale 
Congressman Jim Sennsebreener
HM Minister of Finance Jim FlahertyI went to an I.D.U. event yesterday. The I.D.U. is an answer to organizations like the socialist international. It is an association of center right parties throughout the world. It helps encourage democracy and cross pollination of ideas among its center right members.
The reception was held at the beautiful Boulevard Club on the shore of lake Ontario. It was an absolutely beautiful day. The main speaker was HM Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. (Interestingly I am Facebook friends with the Congressman's son.) I had a fairly long chat with the congressman about climate change ( I last saw him at the climate realists conference in Washington) and healthcare reform. I asked him why the dems don't fix little things that could make a big difference. I said what about allowing cross state competition between insurance companies, make plans portable and make it illegal to drop peole from plans. That would solve much of the current health problems. He told me that about half those without health insurance are illegal aliens. he also told me the dems want to destroy the present system, not reform it. That's why they won't make basi reforms. We also had a long chat about cap and tax. He told me many dem congressmen were getting lambasteded on their return home for voting for the waxman markey bill.
I also had a chance to speak to Don Plett, Parm Gill and of course HM Minister of Finance.I did of course repeatedly mention a flat tax to HM Minister. He smiled.
HM Minsiter gave a short speech saying that the government had been forced by circumstance to run these huge deficits. He said he had never run such deficits in the past. He said pragmatism was also a conservative value. He also said he had to fix this soon or he would have a tarnished legacy. I nodded vigorously. He noticed that and said I shouldn't agree with that point so vigorously! He said our deficits were much smaleer than many of our trading partners like the United Kingdom. he said this all came about while at a meeting with Washington there was a possible shutdown of the stockmarket and that's why the G7 reacted.
During the question period I asked about American protectionism. The congressman answered that HM PM Harper had an excellent plan that he was going to propose soon on a Washington trip to deal with this issue. The congressman though that obamessiah is kind of a free trader, but his party is wrapped up in unions. It was clear that he had very esteem for HM Pm and HM Minister of finance.
I must say HM Minister of finance has a great sense of humour . He peppered his remarks with many jokes. He seems quite aware that the deficit is a very big problem. Hopefully we will see that problem solved soon.
It was a great evening.
hypocrisy of the dems
Its funny how there repeated protest, often invoking hitler by lefties during the Bush years. Now the shoe is on the other foot and the lefties dont like it.
So we are to have a French health-care system without a French tradition of political protest. It is odd that American liberalism, in a veritable state of insurrection during the Bush presidency, now seeks political quiescence. These “townhallers” who have come forth to challenge ObamaCare have been labeled “evil-mongers” (Harry Reid), “un-American” (Nancy Pelosi), agitators and rowdies and worse.
A political class, and a media elite, that glamorized the protest against the Iraq war, that branded the Bush presidency as a reign of usurpation, now wishes to be done with the tumult of political debate. President Barack Obama himself, the community organizer par excellence, is full of lament that the "loudest voices" are running away with the national debate. Liberalism in righteous opposition, liberalism in power: The rules have changed.
So we are to have a French health-care system without a French tradition of political protest. It is odd that American liberalism, in a veritable state of insurrection during the Bush presidency, now seeks political quiescence. These “townhallers” who have come forth to challenge ObamaCare have been labeled “evil-mongers” (Harry Reid), “un-American” (Nancy Pelosi), agitators and rowdies and worse.
A political class, and a media elite, that glamorized the protest against the Iraq war, that branded the Bush presidency as a reign of usurpation, now wishes to be done with the tumult of political debate. President Barack Obama himself, the community organizer par excellence, is full of lament that the "loudest voices" are running away with the national debate. Liberalism in righteous opposition, liberalism in power: The rules have changed.
Social Breakdown
Social breakdown in the United Kingdom is costing tens billions of dollars annually. It is a culture of welfare dependancy, single parent households, teen pregnancy, drug abuse and violence. It has worsened considerably under new labour. What are the British Tories proposing to fight this horror.
So what would the Conservatives do differently?
He said that the benefits culture which has "engendered a culture of irresponsibility" is the "biggest problem at the core of our broken society", but admitted that "twelve months of Conservative government isn’t suddenly going to reverse cultural changes going back a generation or more".
However, he flagged the following points:
* We should provide much better back to work support to those who are stranded on benefits, but we should insist on community work for the long term unemployed and we should remove benefits from those who will not participate in the journey back to work.
* My colleague Michael Gove has already set out plans to strengthen early intervention in our schools, and in particular to adopt a much more rigorous approach to helping children who come from deprived backgrounds catch up quickly in key areas like basic reading skills.
* I also want to see early intervention in our criminal justice system. That’s why I want to strengthen the hand of the police to deal with antisocial behaviour among young teenagers. It is the minor acts of vandalism and other troublemaking that sow the seeds of the more serious crimes of tomorrow.
* There should be consequences for any unlawful act in our country. That’s how the authorities in US cities like New York have started to restore calm and lawfulness to some of their most deprived areas – by acting early to tackle the minor offences. We need to learn lessons from them.
* And we have to ensure that the sanction fits the crime... I think that the presumption should be that if someone carries a knife, they will face a custodial sentence. And why are cautions or light sentences used in cases of violent attacks against strangers? That is wholly wrong and must change.
Finally, he also highlighted the crucial role of society and the voluntary sector, as promoted by Iain Duncan Smith and the Centre for Social Justice:
"Society does have a big job to do to engage those young people – to give them positive experiences in their lives for potentially the first time. That’s why it’s not always wrong to take young troublemakers to outward bound centres, or to provide them with improved sporting facilities. It’s also why the voluntary sector is so important... Turning young people away from a life that leads to antisocial behaviour and then crime, often fuelled by hopelessness and addiction, is best done within those communities by those who know the problems and how they can be tackled."
As Iain Duncan Smith says social justice is a Tory issue. We Tories are as caring as those on the left. Their policies have not worked. It is up to us to propose alternatives.
So what would the Conservatives do differently?
He said that the benefits culture which has "engendered a culture of irresponsibility" is the "biggest problem at the core of our broken society", but admitted that "twelve months of Conservative government isn’t suddenly going to reverse cultural changes going back a generation or more".
However, he flagged the following points:
* We should provide much better back to work support to those who are stranded on benefits, but we should insist on community work for the long term unemployed and we should remove benefits from those who will not participate in the journey back to work.
* My colleague Michael Gove has already set out plans to strengthen early intervention in our schools, and in particular to adopt a much more rigorous approach to helping children who come from deprived backgrounds catch up quickly in key areas like basic reading skills.
* I also want to see early intervention in our criminal justice system. That’s why I want to strengthen the hand of the police to deal with antisocial behaviour among young teenagers. It is the minor acts of vandalism and other troublemaking that sow the seeds of the more serious crimes of tomorrow.
* There should be consequences for any unlawful act in our country. That’s how the authorities in US cities like New York have started to restore calm and lawfulness to some of their most deprived areas – by acting early to tackle the minor offences. We need to learn lessons from them.
* And we have to ensure that the sanction fits the crime... I think that the presumption should be that if someone carries a knife, they will face a custodial sentence. And why are cautions or light sentences used in cases of violent attacks against strangers? That is wholly wrong and must change.
Finally, he also highlighted the crucial role of society and the voluntary sector, as promoted by Iain Duncan Smith and the Centre for Social Justice:
"Society does have a big job to do to engage those young people – to give them positive experiences in their lives for potentially the first time. That’s why it’s not always wrong to take young troublemakers to outward bound centres, or to provide them with improved sporting facilities. It’s also why the voluntary sector is so important... Turning young people away from a life that leads to antisocial behaviour and then crime, often fuelled by hopelessness and addiction, is best done within those communities by those who know the problems and how they can be tackled."
As Iain Duncan Smith says social justice is a Tory issue. We Tories are as caring as those on the left. Their policies have not worked. It is up to us to propose alternatives.
election a bad idea
The grits should read this editorial.
But given this public-relations reality for those out of power, it is unlikely the Liberals will be focusing as much on Ipsos Reid, Harris-Decima or any other vote predictor when they discuss the wisdom of pulling the pin on the Harper government. What will catch their eye, however, will be that the economy seems to be pulling out of the recession -- something that could take the wind out of their election sails....
The Grits must decide their greatest handicap: A rebounding economy, Olympic glory and their growing reputation for caving in to Tory demands, or running with an invisible man at the helm into a vote that no one wants.
But given this public-relations reality for those out of power, it is unlikely the Liberals will be focusing as much on Ipsos Reid, Harris-Decima or any other vote predictor when they discuss the wisdom of pulling the pin on the Harper government. What will catch their eye, however, will be that the economy seems to be pulling out of the recession -- something that could take the wind out of their election sails....
The Grits must decide their greatest handicap: A rebounding economy, Olympic glory and their growing reputation for caving in to Tory demands, or running with an invisible man at the helm into a vote that no one wants.
John Hawkins on obamacare
I love John's lists.
Barrack Obama and his pals in the mainstream media are doing everything in their power to keep people from finding out the truth about the health care bills that are winding their way through Congress.
Rather than engaging in an honest debate about the pluses and minuses of socialized medicine, they've abandoned all significant attempts to work with the GOP, they've demonized American citizens who've dared to voice their concern at townhalls, and they have lied more than Bill Clinton probably did the first time Hillary mentioned the name "Gennifer Flowers" to him.
Barrack Obama and his pals in the mainstream media are doing everything in their power to keep people from finding out the truth about the health care bills that are winding their way through Congress.
Rather than engaging in an honest debate about the pluses and minuses of socialized medicine, they've abandoned all significant attempts to work with the GOP, they've demonized American citizens who've dared to voice their concern at townhalls, and they have lied more than Bill Clinton probably did the first time Hillary mentioned the name "Gennifer Flowers" to him.
Ice Age?
A new article in Science
Lawrence Solomon: New Ice Age could be coming
Posted: August 24, 2009, 7:01 PM by Lawrence Solomon
global warming, carbon dioxide, global cooling, science, climate change, ice age
Earth could soon be entering a new Ice Age, according to scientists at Oregon State University and other institutions, in a study to be released this week by Science magazine.
"Sometime around now, scientists say, the Earth should be changing from a long interglacial period that has lasted the past 10,000 years and shifting back towards conditions that will ultimately lead to another ice age - unless some other forces stop or slow it," states a release from Oregon State University.
Lawrence Solomon: New Ice Age could be coming
Posted: August 24, 2009, 7:01 PM by Lawrence Solomon
global warming, carbon dioxide, global cooling, science, climate change, ice age
Earth could soon be entering a new Ice Age, according to scientists at Oregon State University and other institutions, in a study to be released this week by Science magazine.
"Sometime around now, scientists say, the Earth should be changing from a long interglacial period that has lasted the past 10,000 years and shifting back towards conditions that will ultimately lead to another ice age - unless some other forces stop or slow it," states a release from Oregon State University.
Good idea
A trial for the chicken littles. Big and small business understand cap and tax is a job and business killer.
Reporting from Washington - The nation's largest business lobby wants to put the science of global warming on trial.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trying to ward off potentially sweeping federal emissions regulations, is pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a rare public hearing on the scientific evidence for man-made climate change.
Chamber officials say it would be "the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century" -- complete with witnesses, cross-examinations and a judge who would rule, essentially, on whether humans are warming the planet to dangerous effect.
"It would be evolution versus creationism," said William Kovacs, the chamber's senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs. "It would be the science of climate change on trial."
The goal of the chamber, which represents 3 million large and small businesses, is to fend off potential emissions regulations by undercutting the scientific consensus over climate change. If the EPA denies the request, as expected, the chamber plans to take the fight to federal court.
Reporting from Washington - The nation's largest business lobby wants to put the science of global warming on trial.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trying to ward off potentially sweeping federal emissions regulations, is pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a rare public hearing on the scientific evidence for man-made climate change.
Chamber officials say it would be "the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century" -- complete with witnesses, cross-examinations and a judge who would rule, essentially, on whether humans are warming the planet to dangerous effect.
"It would be evolution versus creationism," said William Kovacs, the chamber's senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs. "It would be the science of climate change on trial."
The goal of the chamber, which represents 3 million large and small businesses, is to fend off potential emissions regulations by undercutting the scientific consensus over climate change. If the EPA denies the request, as expected, the chamber plans to take the fight to federal court.
Monday, August 24, 2009
This will not help the dems
Apparently holder is going to appoint a special prosecutor for certain CIA actions. This will not be a good idea for the dems. It will use up a lot of political capital and make the GOP much less likely to co operate on any matter. It is unlikely to be all that popular with the American people. Most people aren't very sympathetic to terrorists.
Holder to Appoint Prosecutor to Investigate CIA Terror Interrogations
By Carrie Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 24, 2009; 2:23 PM
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has decided to appoint a prosecutor to examine nearly a dozen cases in which CIA interrogators and contractors may have violated anti-torture laws and other statutes when they allegedly threatened terrorism suspects, according to two sources familiar with the move.
Holder to Appoint Prosecutor to Investigate CIA Terror Interrogations
By Carrie Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 24, 2009; 2:23 PM
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has decided to appoint a prosecutor to examine nearly a dozen cases in which CIA interrogators and contractors may have violated anti-torture laws and other statutes when they allegedly threatened terrorism suspects, according to two sources familiar with the move.
More signs the recession in Canada is over
Retail sales have increased more than expected. Consumer spending will rescue the economy. This is yet another sign the recession is coming to an end. Is this why The Tory poll numbers are up/
Canadian retail sales rise above expectations
Updated Mon. Aug. 24 2009 10:39 AM ET
Retail sales rose greater than expected in June, by one per cent, Statistics Canada reported Monday, a sign that the worst of the recession may be over as Canadians appear willing to start spending again.
According to the report, retail sales in dollars rose to $34.4 billion, largely on increases in the purchase of gasoline and car parts.
The report said sales were up in nearly all retail sectors, including:
the automotive sector, by 2.1 per cent
food and beverage stores, by 1.3 per cent
pharmacies and personal care stores, by 0.8 per cent
home furnishings and electronic stores, by 0.6 per cent
clothing and accessories stores, by 0.1 per cent
Sales at gas stations were up a whopping 4.7 per cent, an increase largely attributed to higher gasoline prices.
Canadian retail sales rise above expectations
Updated Mon. Aug. 24 2009 10:39 AM ET
Retail sales rose greater than expected in June, by one per cent, Statistics Canada reported Monday, a sign that the worst of the recession may be over as Canadians appear willing to start spending again.
According to the report, retail sales in dollars rose to $34.4 billion, largely on increases in the purchase of gasoline and car parts.
The report said sales were up in nearly all retail sectors, including:
the automotive sector, by 2.1 per cent
food and beverage stores, by 1.3 per cent
pharmacies and personal care stores, by 0.8 per cent
home furnishings and electronic stores, by 0.6 per cent
clothing and accessories stores, by 0.1 per cent
Sales at gas stations were up a whopping 4.7 per cent, an increase largely attributed to higher gasoline prices.
Freedom versus safety
It is quite intimidating that London and many Uk cities have so many cctvs. It is an invasion of privacy and it seems to have little benefit. I would prefer not to be filmed many times a day by cameras for the state. I hope Canada doesn't take this approach.
A senior Scotland Yard officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville, warned police must do more to head off a crisis in public confidence over the use of surveillance cameras.
DCI Neville said officers need to improve their results to make captured images count against criminals.
He said there are more than a million CCTV cameras in London and the Government has spent £500 million on the crime-fighting equipment.
But he admitted just 1,000 crimes were solved in 2008 using CCTV images as officers fail to make the most of potentially vital evidence.
Writing in an internal report, Mr Neville said people are filmed many times every day and have high expectations when they become victims of crime.
A senior Scotland Yard officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville, warned police must do more to head off a crisis in public confidence over the use of surveillance cameras.
DCI Neville said officers need to improve their results to make captured images count against criminals.
He said there are more than a million CCTV cameras in London and the Government has spent £500 million on the crime-fighting equipment.
But he admitted just 1,000 crimes were solved in 2008 using CCTV images as officers fail to make the most of potentially vital evidence.
Writing in an internal report, Mr Neville said people are filmed many times every day and have high expectations when they become victims of crime.
The Chicken Little cult
I have long referred to the church of kyoto and its chief priest, the goreacle. The American Thinker has a great piece explaining the cult.
The Global Warming Movement (AGW) has taken on the worrisome attributes of a pseudo-religious cult, which operates far more on the basis of an apocalyptic "belief" system than on objective climate science.
Since this worldwide Movement and its strident policies of Less Energy at Higher Prices (in order to achieve reductions in everyone's "carbon footprint") are at the heart of America's enormous energy shortfall, it poses a national security threat of major proportions.
And in this context, the AGW Crusade should be understood in a "Know Thy Enemy" frame of reference -- perhaps not in terms of a fully conscious or intentional enemy of the American people at a time of war and economic crisis but as a deadly threat to our economic stability and national security, nonetheless.
The Global Warming Movement (AGW) has taken on the worrisome attributes of a pseudo-religious cult, which operates far more on the basis of an apocalyptic "belief" system than on objective climate science.
Since this worldwide Movement and its strident policies of Less Energy at Higher Prices (in order to achieve reductions in everyone's "carbon footprint") are at the heart of America's enormous energy shortfall, it poses a national security threat of major proportions.
And in this context, the AGW Crusade should be understood in a "Know Thy Enemy" frame of reference -- perhaps not in terms of a fully conscious or intentional enemy of the American people at a time of war and economic crisis but as a deadly threat to our economic stability and national security, nonetheless.
Ipsos Reid Poll
Time will tell if this poll is an outlier. I am sure the grit private polls are showing that they are not really in any shape to go to the polls. I predict no election in 2009.
It is interesting that even during a sever recession HM Government has stayed ahead of the opposition. iggy is following the dion pattern. Not much bounce from his coronation and slip sliding away since. Unlike dion, he has few policies. Perhaps the grits will soon have rae regrets. Will there be a fourth grit leader in 4 years?
It is interesting that even during a sever recession HM Government has stayed ahead of the opposition. iggy is following the dion pattern. Not much bounce from his coronation and slip sliding away since. Unlike dion, he has few policies. Perhaps the grits will soon have rae regrets. Will there be a fourth grit leader in 4 years?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The China Bubble
An interesting article that warns that China's economy may be the next bubble to burst
Everyone knows that China is the economy of the future. But beware of a potential blow-up of the Chinese economy.
Anyone who thinks China can save the world from recession needs to read former Morgan Stanley analyst Andy Xie’s opinion on the matter. Andy reckons “China is the next giant Ponzi scheme set to collapse.” Andy predicted the bubbles in Japan, Southeast Asia, and Silicon Valley but also the most recently one in the US housing market. So when Andy speaks, people should listen.
Everyone knows that China is the economy of the future. But beware of a potential blow-up of the Chinese economy.
Anyone who thinks China can save the world from recession needs to read former Morgan Stanley analyst Andy Xie’s opinion on the matter. Andy reckons “China is the next giant Ponzi scheme set to collapse.” Andy predicted the bubbles in Japan, Southeast Asia, and Silicon Valley but also the most recently one in the US housing market. So when Andy speaks, people should listen.
Billy Bishop
I recently saw Billy Bishop Goes to War The play is a Canadian classic. It was written and performed by its two creators Eric Peterson and John Gray. The run at the SoulPepper Theater is completely sold out. The play is part musical and part history lesson. Both Peterson and Gray do a wonderful job bringing Billy Bishop to life. The piece has been updated a little from the last time I saw it years ago. It reflects the advancing years of its principals. It was an amazing afternoon of theater , that fully deserved the standing ovation the audience gave it.
More Climate realism
Even this man who believes in global warming thinks the trillions being spent is silliness.
Prof. Tol suggests that we will one day wonder what exactly the climate change "fuss" was all about. His analysis of climate change policy indicates the debate is no longer as much about science - notwithstanding the vast unknowns that remain - as about politics.
The European Union, he notes, has committed to an extreme carbon emissions program, seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. (The U.S. is preparing for a 17-per-cent reduction; Canada will be obliged to match it, whether fussed or not.) Prof. Tol says "stringent" climate control targets of this kind are "rather silly," scientifically as well as financially. They will prove very costly, he says, and possibly unfeasible, too.
He speaks with a certain authority. He is a research professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin. He is a professor of the economics of climate change at Vrije University in Amsterdam. He is adjunct professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He is an associate professor at the Centre of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Hamburg. He is an author of the most recent report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And he asserts that effective carbon reduction programs need impose only remarkably small costs.
Prof. Tol suggests that we will one day wonder what exactly the climate change "fuss" was all about. His analysis of climate change policy indicates the debate is no longer as much about science - notwithstanding the vast unknowns that remain - as about politics.
The European Union, he notes, has committed to an extreme carbon emissions program, seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. (The U.S. is preparing for a 17-per-cent reduction; Canada will be obliged to match it, whether fussed or not.) Prof. Tol says "stringent" climate control targets of this kind are "rather silly," scientifically as well as financially. They will prove very costly, he says, and possibly unfeasible, too.
He speaks with a certain authority. He is a research professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin. He is a professor of the economics of climate change at Vrije University in Amsterdam. He is adjunct professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He is an associate professor at the Centre of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Hamburg. He is an author of the most recent report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And he asserts that effective carbon reduction programs need impose only remarkably small costs.
Copenhagen
I have visited Copenhagen several years ago. It is a beautiful city. It is clean. It has lovely Royal palaces and good food. It was very very expensive. Lorrie Goldstein points out the hypocrisy of having these orgies of consumption in the name of saving the planet. We're supposed to live in the stone age , but these are supposed betters are to live as they always have. If these people really believe their own hoax, they should cancel this conference and have an electonic conference over the internet ( that their chief priest the goreacle invented).
One of the most reliable ways to determine whether people are behaving hypocritically is to examine what they do as opposed to what they say.
Using that standard, the thousands upon thousands of jet setters who, year in and year out, attend never-ending United Nations climate change conferences in some of the world's most popular and exotic locales, define the word "hypocrite."
This includes everyone from UN officials, to politicians, bureaucrats, celebrities, high-flying global "green" entrepreneurs and environmentalists.
If everyone in the world would or could generate the massive carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions this crowd does as they jet in and out of Bali, Copenhagen, Bonn, Barcelona, Bangkok, Paris, Vienna, Valencia, Sydney, Rio De Janeiro, Washington, New York, Montreal, Anchorage and on and on, the Hollywood disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow would have been a documentary.
That is, if you believe the hysteria these same people incessantly spout about how the world will rapidly come to an end in an Armageddon of weather extremes, unless everyone massively reduces their carbon footprint and leads simpler lives ... except them.
One of the most reliable ways to determine whether people are behaving hypocritically is to examine what they do as opposed to what they say.
Using that standard, the thousands upon thousands of jet setters who, year in and year out, attend never-ending United Nations climate change conferences in some of the world's most popular and exotic locales, define the word "hypocrite."
This includes everyone from UN officials, to politicians, bureaucrats, celebrities, high-flying global "green" entrepreneurs and environmentalists.
If everyone in the world would or could generate the massive carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions this crowd does as they jet in and out of Bali, Copenhagen, Bonn, Barcelona, Bangkok, Paris, Vienna, Valencia, Sydney, Rio De Janeiro, Washington, New York, Montreal, Anchorage and on and on, the Hollywood disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow would have been a documentary.
That is, if you believe the hysteria these same people incessantly spout about how the world will rapidly come to an end in an Armageddon of weather extremes, unless everyone massively reduces their carbon footprint and leads simpler lives ... except them.
Still the accidental tourist
L Ian Macdonald explains to the delusional grits why they don't want an election. The accidental tourist's summer adventure tops the list.
Worst of all, Ignatieff's summer tour, such as it is, has been a shambles. That should tell the Liberal high command all they need to know. If you can't do summer stock, you can't do Broadway.
There is a rule in politics: If a leader doesn't define himself, his opponents will do it for him. In Ignatieff's case, in the absence of a personal story line, the Conservatives thoughtfully provided one in their attack ads, that he was a stranger in his own country: "Michael Ignatieff - just visiting."
So how did the Liberals respond to that, at the end of the spring session? They allowed Iggy to go to London to give the Isaiah Berlin lecture, and have his picture taken in a tuxedo. A leader should never be photographed at a black-tie event until after he has won an election. Furthermore, there are no votes in London, England, though there are quite a few in London, Ont. (Next month Ignatieff is going to China. No votes there, either.)
More from Chuckercanuck.
Worst of all, Ignatieff's summer tour, such as it is, has been a shambles. That should tell the Liberal high command all they need to know. If you can't do summer stock, you can't do Broadway.
There is a rule in politics: If a leader doesn't define himself, his opponents will do it for him. In Ignatieff's case, in the absence of a personal story line, the Conservatives thoughtfully provided one in their attack ads, that he was a stranger in his own country: "Michael Ignatieff - just visiting."
So how did the Liberals respond to that, at the end of the spring session? They allowed Iggy to go to London to give the Isaiah Berlin lecture, and have his picture taken in a tuxedo. A leader should never be photographed at a black-tie event until after he has won an election. Furthermore, there are no votes in London, England, though there are quite a few in London, Ont. (Next month Ignatieff is going to China. No votes there, either.)
More from Chuckercanuck.
Lockerbie killer released
It is pretty horrible to watch the Lockerbie bomber being embraced by gaddafi. This killer served 8 years for hundreds of murders. This is truly a blot on justice in the United Kingdom.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
liberal msm continues...
to criticize iggy. Jeffrey Simpson, a grit cheer leader , writes about about iggy's wasted summer. jane taber writes that iggy is too Toronto. The msm is not cheerleading for the grits, guess they will actually have to campaign for themselves. With no policies, no reason to call an election and the msm offside ,what will iggy do?
Liberals will put a good face on things, of course, at their end-of-summer caucus the week after next in Sudbury, but it will be just that, a face. They thought in the spring that the political tides were slowly running in their favour; now they are not so sure.
The Liberals' biggest challenge (they have many) lies in having failed this summer or before to develop a “line,” or an easily digestible overall critique of the government. It's a crude game, politics, and an opposition party to win needs one word or one phrase that sticks in the public's mind about the government – time for a change, corrupt, incompetent, uncaring, the tool of big business. Whatever. It's not at all clear what that word or phrase is that the Liberals have hung around the Conservatives' neck.
Suggested changes to employment insurance, making it easier to secure EI with fewer weeks worked, certainly isn't an overall “critique.” Most people in Canada are working, and don't worry much about EI. But even if the Liberals were substantively correct about the issue, and they are not, one policy dispute does not make a coherent line of attack.
Liberals will put a good face on things, of course, at their end-of-summer caucus the week after next in Sudbury, but it will be just that, a face. They thought in the spring that the political tides were slowly running in their favour; now they are not so sure.
The Liberals' biggest challenge (they have many) lies in having failed this summer or before to develop a “line,” or an easily digestible overall critique of the government. It's a crude game, politics, and an opposition party to win needs one word or one phrase that sticks in the public's mind about the government – time for a change, corrupt, incompetent, uncaring, the tool of big business. Whatever. It's not at all clear what that word or phrase is that the Liberals have hung around the Conservatives' neck.
Suggested changes to employment insurance, making it easier to secure EI with fewer weeks worked, certainly isn't an overall “critique.” Most people in Canada are working, and don't worry much about EI. But even if the Liberals were substantively correct about the issue, and they are not, one policy dispute does not make a coherent line of attack.
Good work obamessiah
obamessiah finally admits deficit is ever bigger.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will raise its 10-year budget deficit projection to approximately $9 trillion from $7.108 trillion in a report next week, a senior administration official told Reuters on Friday.
The higher deficit figure, based on updated economic data, brings the White House budget office into line with outside estimates and gives further fuel to President Barack Obama's opponents, who say his spending plans are too expensive in light of budget shortfalls.
The White House took heat for sticking with its $7.108 trillion forecast earlier this year after the Congressional Budget Office forecast that deficits between 2010 and 2019 would total $9.1 trillion.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will raise its 10-year budget deficit projection to approximately $9 trillion from $7.108 trillion in a report next week, a senior administration official told Reuters on Friday.
The higher deficit figure, based on updated economic data, brings the White House budget office into line with outside estimates and gives further fuel to President Barack Obama's opponents, who say his spending plans are too expensive in light of budget shortfalls.
The White House took heat for sticking with its $7.108 trillion forecast earlier this year after the Congressional Budget Office forecast that deficits between 2010 and 2019 would total $9.1 trillion.
Salim Mansur on Colonialism
Prof Mansur continues his North African journey.
The discussion around the table is as usual politics. I am repeatedly reminded of how much Algerians suffered from the effects of French colonialism.
I listen with empathy. The complaints against Europe, America and Israel conspiring against the Arab world and Muslims pour forth.
When I leave I walk through one part of the Casbah, the doors of many homes padlocked and an eerie silence in what was once a bustling warren of activities.
It then strikes me, gazing over the sea below that the Casbah, so powerfully portrayed in Pontecorvo's movie, is an apt metaphor for today's Algeria.
The people of the Casbah drove the French out, reclaimed their country, spilled forth jubilantly from their close quarters, and then exhausted by the effort have let things around them drift untended and ill-repaired.
This is also the story of the Third World, of the developing countries that were once ruled by Europeans.
The discussion around the table is as usual politics. I am repeatedly reminded of how much Algerians suffered from the effects of French colonialism.
I listen with empathy. The complaints against Europe, America and Israel conspiring against the Arab world and Muslims pour forth.
When I leave I walk through one part of the Casbah, the doors of many homes padlocked and an eerie silence in what was once a bustling warren of activities.
It then strikes me, gazing over the sea below that the Casbah, so powerfully portrayed in Pontecorvo's movie, is an apt metaphor for today's Algeria.
The people of the Casbah drove the French out, reclaimed their country, spilled forth jubilantly from their close quarters, and then exhausted by the effort have let things around them drift untended and ill-repaired.
This is also the story of the Third World, of the developing countries that were once ruled by Europeans.
More Climate Realism in Oz
The National Party has rejected cap and tax. There will be election in Oz next year. . Cap and tax is an election loser, right dion?
Prior to the council vote, outspoken Senator Barnaby Joyce said it was a most "dangerous scheme for regional Australia."
"The emissions trading scheme will do nothing to affect the climate of the globe," he told delegates at the council.
Senator Joyce said it would be an "insidious tax" which would "completely undermine the structure for which this country is built on".
Liberal MP Darren Chester, who seconded the motion, said if the unions were too gutless to stand up for regional Australia and country jobs, then it was up to the Nationals to do so.
The motion was passed unanimously by the more than 50 members present at the council.
Prior to the council vote, outspoken Senator Barnaby Joyce said it was a most "dangerous scheme for regional Australia."
"The emissions trading scheme will do nothing to affect the climate of the globe," he told delegates at the council.
Senator Joyce said it would be an "insidious tax" which would "completely undermine the structure for which this country is built on".
Liberal MP Darren Chester, who seconded the motion, said if the unions were too gutless to stand up for regional Australia and country jobs, then it was up to the Nationals to do so.
The motion was passed unanimously by the more than 50 members present at the council.
Brigitte Gabriel
An interview with Brigitte Gabriel. Listen here. She understands the dangers of radical Islam after having living through it in Lebanon. Buy her new book.
Here's an earlier interview.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Death panels?
I think American healthcare needs reform. I think that their private system can be reformed without a massive government bureaucracy. I am a bit perturbed by these comments about death panels. I have had many end of life discussions with aptients over the years. I also urge my students to explain these issues when they go into practice. I do believe that extraordinary measures which do not extend life and cause suffering are not indicated. Most people want to die with dignity and not hooked up to machines in a living death. the obama care proposal on these matters was badly worded, but I think the idea is not completely wrong. Living wills are a good idea when you cannot speak for yourself. You also need to tell your family what you want in these matters. If you face such a situation, the doctors will speak to you about what it is you want. Treatment without consent is of course assault
Dr Krauthammer has another opinion. there is a lot about obamacare to object to, but hysteria is probably not a good idea in these matters of life and death.
No, say the defenders. It's just that we want the doctors to talk to you about putting in place a living will and other such instruments. Really? Then consider the actual efficacy of a living will. When you are old, infirm and lying in the ICU with pseudomonas pneumonia and deciding whether to (a) go through the long antibiotic treatment or (b) allow what used to be called "the old man's friend" to take you away, the doctor will ask you at that time what you want for yourself -- no matter what piece of paper you signed five years ago.
You are told constantly how very important it is to write your living will years in advance. But the relevant question is what you desire at the end -- when facing death -- not what you felt sometime in the past when you were hale and hearty and sitting in your lawyer's office barely able to contemplate a life of pain and diminishment.
Dr Krauthammer has another opinion. there is a lot about obamacare to object to, but hysteria is probably not a good idea in these matters of life and death.
No, say the defenders. It's just that we want the doctors to talk to you about putting in place a living will and other such instruments. Really? Then consider the actual efficacy of a living will. When you are old, infirm and lying in the ICU with pseudomonas pneumonia and deciding whether to (a) go through the long antibiotic treatment or (b) allow what used to be called "the old man's friend" to take you away, the doctor will ask you at that time what you want for yourself -- no matter what piece of paper you signed five years ago.
You are told constantly how very important it is to write your living will years in advance. But the relevant question is what you desire at the end -- when facing death -- not what you felt sometime in the past when you were hale and hearty and sitting in your lawyer's office barely able to contemplate a life of pain and diminishment.
Another Canadian climate realist
An interview with a former Environment Canada scientist and IPCC expert reviewer.
Dr. Madhav L. Khandekar is a former Research Scientist from Environment Canada where he worked for about 25 years. Khandekar holds M.Sc degree in Statistics from India and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Meteorology from USA. Khandekar has been in the fields of atmosphere/ ocean/climate for over 50 years and has published over 125 papers, reports, book reviews, scientific commentaries etc. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in various international Journals and authored a book on ocean surface wave analysis and modeling, published by Springer-Verlag in 1989. Khandekar is presently on the editorial board of the Journal Natural Hazards (Netherlands) and is a former editor of the journal Climate Research (Germany). He was an expert reviewer for the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Climate Change Documents (AR4) published in 2007. Dr. Khandekar was interviewed in Winnipeg on June 30th, 2009.
Dr. Madhav L. Khandekar is a former Research Scientist from Environment Canada where he worked for about 25 years. Khandekar holds M.Sc degree in Statistics from India and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Meteorology from USA. Khandekar has been in the fields of atmosphere/ ocean/climate for over 50 years and has published over 125 papers, reports, book reviews, scientific commentaries etc. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in various international Journals and authored a book on ocean surface wave analysis and modeling, published by Springer-Verlag in 1989. Khandekar is presently on the editorial board of the Journal Natural Hazards (Netherlands) and is a former editor of the journal Climate Research (Germany). He was an expert reviewer for the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Climate Change Documents (AR4) published in 2007. Dr. Khandekar was interviewed in Winnipeg on June 30th, 2009.
Jon Voigt on obamessiah
Jon Voigt doesn't mince words. Good for him. He will be high up on the obamessiah enemies list.
There's a real question at stake now. Is President Obama creating a civil war in our own country?" Mr. Voight tells Inside the Beltway.
"We are witnessing a slow, steady takeover of our true freedoms. We are becoming a socialist nation, and whoever can't see this is probably hoping it isn't true. If we permit Mr. Obama to take over all our industries, if we permit him to raise our taxes to support unconstitutional causes, then we will be in default. This great America will become a paralyzed nation."
There's a real question at stake now. Is President Obama creating a civil war in our own country?" Mr. Voight tells Inside the Beltway.
"We are witnessing a slow, steady takeover of our true freedoms. We are becoming a socialist nation, and whoever can't see this is probably hoping it isn't true. If we permit Mr. Obama to take over all our industries, if we permit him to raise our taxes to support unconstitutional causes, then we will be in default. This great America will become a paralyzed nation."
More idiocy from elmo
elmo elmasry has written another winner. After praising the butcher mugabe he now defends the Islamic slave trade, which continues today. His followers must be really proud of his bigotry. No wonder we all have such respect for caf and cair and the assorted pro jihadi organizations. What amazing leadership.
The basic theme is that Islamic slavery — to the extent it was bad at all (and it's not really clear that Elmasry thinks it was) — was an enlightened, almost consensual, win-win exercise in regional multiculturalism. In his characteristically absurd elevation of Islam over Christianity, he makes no mention of the fact that religious Christians led the abolition movement in the West — while slavery persisted wholesale in the Arab world until late in the 20th century, and still survives in parts of Islamic Africa, including Sudan. Indeed, one wonders what the Christian tribespeople from southern Sudan who have been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and enslaved by Arab Muslims in recent years would make of Elmasry's historical fantasies...
The basic theme is that Islamic slavery — to the extent it was bad at all (and it's not really clear that Elmasry thinks it was) — was an enlightened, almost consensual, win-win exercise in regional multiculturalism. In his characteristically absurd elevation of Islam over Christianity, he makes no mention of the fact that religious Christians led the abolition movement in the West — while slavery persisted wholesale in the Arab world until late in the 20th century, and still survives in parts of Islamic Africa, including Sudan. Indeed, one wonders what the Christian tribespeople from southern Sudan who have been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and enslaved by Arab Muslims in recent years would make of Elmasry's historical fantasies...
Ann Coulter on Obamacare
Interesting points by n about how current government regulations make insurance companies a lot of money. Competitions is the solution, not more regulation.
Ann Coulter :: Townhall.com Columnist
Liberal Lies About National Health Care: First in a Series
by Ann Coulter
(1) National health care will punish the insurance companies.
You want to punish insurance companies? Make them compete.
As Adam Smith observed, whenever two businessmen meet, "the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices." That's why we need a third, fourth and 45th competing insurance company that will undercut them by offering better service at a lower price.
Tiny little France and Germany have more competition among health insurers than the U.S. does right now. Amazingly, both of these socialist countries have less state regulation of health insurance than we do, and you can buy health insurance across regional lines -- unlike in the U.S., where a federal law allows states to ban interstate commerce in health insurance.
U.S. health insurance companies are often imperious, unresponsive consumer hellholes because they're a partial monopoly, protected from competition by government regulation. In some states, one big insurer will control 80 percent of the market. (Guess which party these big insurance companies favor? Big companies love big government.)
Ann Coulter :: Townhall.com Columnist
Liberal Lies About National Health Care: First in a Series
by Ann Coulter
(1) National health care will punish the insurance companies.
You want to punish insurance companies? Make them compete.
As Adam Smith observed, whenever two businessmen meet, "the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices." That's why we need a third, fourth and 45th competing insurance company that will undercut them by offering better service at a lower price.
Tiny little France and Germany have more competition among health insurers than the U.S. does right now. Amazingly, both of these socialist countries have less state regulation of health insurance than we do, and you can buy health insurance across regional lines -- unlike in the U.S., where a federal law allows states to ban interstate commerce in health insurance.
U.S. health insurance companies are often imperious, unresponsive consumer hellholes because they're a partial monopoly, protected from competition by government regulation. In some states, one big insurer will control 80 percent of the market. (Guess which party these big insurance companies favor? Big companies love big government.)
refuting the chicken littles
Listen to an interview with Mario Lewis of CEI on Policy peril. Listen here.
Watch the movie that utterly refutes the goreacle's fiction.
Watch the movie that utterly refutes the goreacle's fiction.
obamessiah's competence?
It seems cracks are growing in the obamessiah facade. Dems are beginning to understand that they may have elected a dud who is unable to push throught their leftist agenda. Hope and change are increasingly becoming a distant memory.
President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats are again in an uproar over health care.
Liberals say they'll blockade any bill that doesn't include a government-run insurance program. And labor says it will sit out the 2010 elections if the president doesn't come across with a stout public plan.
Meanwhile, the moderate Democrats who were wooed for weeks by the administration are sidling toward the door, saying that the best thing would be just to start over.
Many at the White House no doubt wish they could take that advice.
It's been 177 days since Obama made his initial pitch for a health care overhaul to a joint session of Congress. That the president's team is still spending so much time stroking the Democratic base is evidence of how dire the situation is for this young administration.
President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats are again in an uproar over health care.
Liberals say they'll blockade any bill that doesn't include a government-run insurance program. And labor says it will sit out the 2010 elections if the president doesn't come across with a stout public plan.
Meanwhile, the moderate Democrats who were wooed for weeks by the administration are sidling toward the door, saying that the best thing would be just to start over.
Many at the White House no doubt wish they could take that advice.
It's been 177 days since Obama made his initial pitch for a health care overhaul to a joint session of Congress. That the president's team is still spending so much time stroking the Democratic base is evidence of how dire the situation is for this young administration.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Compassionate Conservatism
Conservatives believe that it is their personal responsibility to help the less fortunate. Liberals seem to think it is the duty of the state. Conservatives give more to the poor, liberals try and tax everyone more to assuage their own guilt.
Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives.
If many conservatives are liberals who have been mugged by reality, Brooks, a registered independent, is, as a reviewer of his book said, a social scientist who has been mugged by data. They include these findings:
-- Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).
-- Conservatives also donate more time and give more blood.
-- Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did residents of states that voted for George Bush.
-- Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable giving was above average.
Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives.
If many conservatives are liberals who have been mugged by reality, Brooks, a registered independent, is, as a reviewer of his book said, a social scientist who has been mugged by data. They include these findings:
-- Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).
-- Conservatives also donate more time and give more blood.
-- Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did residents of states that voted for George Bush.
-- Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable giving was above average.
The BJP destroys itself
As I have said before India's main opposition group though center right is not very palatable to India's Christians and minorities. They have Hindu nationalist tendencies, which were being quelled, but seem to be making a comeback. They no seem to be destroying themselves. They are reliving the fights of the past. The BJP are in need of big reform. Dump the Hindu nationalism and welcome everyone into the big tenet. Congress will be in power a very long time, if these idiots keep this up.
If it was not happening for real and if it had not concerned India's principal opposition party and one of its most senior leaders, the rather unsavoury dismissal of Jaswant Singh would have been seen as a kind of a political farce.
Mr Singh's book (Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence), released earlier this week, was in the news because of praise it lavished on the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
In his book, Mr Singh described Jinnah as a great man who has been "demonised" in India.
This praise for Jinnah was unacceptable to some senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who disagreed with his assessment.
If it was not happening for real and if it had not concerned India's principal opposition party and one of its most senior leaders, the rather unsavoury dismissal of Jaswant Singh would have been seen as a kind of a political farce.
Mr Singh's book (Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence), released earlier this week, was in the news because of praise it lavished on the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
In his book, Mr Singh described Jinnah as a great man who has been "demonised" in India.
This praise for Jinnah was unacceptable to some senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who disagreed with his assessment.
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