for the msm and the Ottawa punditry. The insane over the top articles from the lefty media of late, is evidence of Harper derangement syndrome. Comparisons to stalin, kim il sung etc makes it increasingly difficult not to laugh. It is insulting to people who live under such regimes, that these comparisons are made. The Ottawa press gallery needs to grow up and realize this is the way things are for the next 5 years.
Resolution No. 2: We elected Stephen Harper’s government. Let’s resolve to get used to it. Stop acting shocked and appalled that Harper is running a tough-on-crime, Kyoto-defying, decidedly non-liberal government. That’s more or less what he promised, after all. If Canadians had been paying attention for the past 20 years, they wouldn’t be surprised that Harper and his second-in-command, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, would change the way we are governed.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Another "Scientific" fraudster"
The problem is two observations are try, but not related. Causality is hard to really prove. Listening ipcc?
Victor Ivrii, a University of Toronto math professor, described the problem similarly on his blog: “While Theoretical Statistics is (mainly) a decent albeit rather boring mathematical discipline (Probability Theory is much more exciting), so called Applied Statistics is in its big part a whore. Finding dependence (true or false) opens exciting financing opportunities and since the true dependence is a rare commodity many “scientists” investigate the false ones.”
“If jumping to wrong conclusions brings a scorn of colleagues and a shame, they will be cautious. But this does not happen these days,” Prof. Ivrii said in an email. “Finding that eating cereals does not affect your cardio [for example] brings neither fame nor money, but discovering that there is some connection allows you to apply for a grant to investigate this dependence.”
Science, at its most basic, is the effort to prove new ideas wrong. The more startling the idea, the stronger the urge to disprove it, as was illustrated when European physicists last month seemed to have seen particles travel faster than light, which has prompted a massive effort to replicate (or more likely debunk) such a shocking result.
Although science properly gets credit for discovery and progress, falsifiable hypotheses are its true currency, and when scientists fail to disprove a false hypothesis, they are left with a false positive.
Victor Ivrii, a University of Toronto math professor, described the problem similarly on his blog: “While Theoretical Statistics is (mainly) a decent albeit rather boring mathematical discipline (Probability Theory is much more exciting), so called Applied Statistics is in its big part a whore. Finding dependence (true or false) opens exciting financing opportunities and since the true dependence is a rare commodity many “scientists” investigate the false ones.”
“If jumping to wrong conclusions brings a scorn of colleagues and a shame, they will be cautious. But this does not happen these days,” Prof. Ivrii said in an email. “Finding that eating cereals does not affect your cardio [for example] brings neither fame nor money, but discovering that there is some connection allows you to apply for a grant to investigate this dependence.”
Science, at its most basic, is the effort to prove new ideas wrong. The more startling the idea, the stronger the urge to disprove it, as was illustrated when European physicists last month seemed to have seen particles travel faster than light, which has prompted a massive effort to replicate (or more likely debunk) such a shocking result.
Although science properly gets credit for discovery and progress, falsifiable hypotheses are its true currency, and when scientists fail to disprove a false hypothesis, they are left with a false positive.
Back to the Future
So surprise, surprise bob are is not ruling out a grit leadership run. I guess he at least paid off his 2006 leadership debt. So much for his word that he would follow party rules. Like all grits he will change the rules to suit himself. He will probably get help from Sheila Copps. This is the grit idea of leadership: pick a guy who twice couldn't win the grit leadership and a politician from the pseudo chretien era. indeed a party expert thinks the grits need to be more liberal.
This is all good news for the Tories. Rae is still despised in Ontario. Indeed Andrea Horvath spent much of the Ontario election campaign running from the are legacy of debt and misery.
A rae/copps combo should doom the grits to many more years in the wilderness. The grits keep talking about fundraising, but it was pseudo chretien who put in these rules. They haven't gotten it right after many years. I doubt they will have much luck now. The killing of electoral welfare should help the grits sink even faster to the bottom.
This is all good news for the Tories. Rae is still despised in Ontario. Indeed Andrea Horvath spent much of the Ontario election campaign running from the are legacy of debt and misery.
A rae/copps combo should doom the grits to many more years in the wilderness. The grits keep talking about fundraising, but it was pseudo chretien who put in these rules. They haven't gotten it right after many years. I doubt they will have much luck now. The killing of electoral welfare should help the grits sink even faster to the bottom.
Friday, December 30, 2011
An ADQ merger with caq requires 2/3 majority
Apparently while destroying the ADQ from within the caquistes and their allies on the executive forgot to read the ADQ constitiion.
Article 60
Un amendement est reçu s'il reçoit le vote
affirmatif des deux tiers (2/3) des membres
présent s à l'assemblée.
Or they hoped no one else would pay attention. It is clear that 66% is required for this ill advised merger with a poll result. I oppose this merger. The caq is an illusion and legault is the worst of opportunists. The caq is the pq lite and I will have nothing to do with it. The merger needs to be stopped in order to allow the adq to be rebuilt by people who are not only interested in advancing their own careers.
if you are able to vote in the upcoming referendum ,on this terrible idea of merger , I urge you vote no!!!
Article 60
Un amendement est reçu s'il reçoit le vote
affirmatif des deux tiers (2/3) des membres
présent s à l'assemblée.
Or they hoped no one else would pay attention. It is clear that 66% is required for this ill advised merger with a poll result. I oppose this merger. The caq is an illusion and legault is the worst of opportunists. The caq is the pq lite and I will have nothing to do with it. The merger needs to be stopped in order to allow the adq to be rebuilt by people who are not only interested in advancing their own careers.
if you are able to vote in the upcoming referendum ,on this terrible idea of merger , I urge you vote no!!!
More whining ( weeping?) from larry martin
larry whines overe and over again. He seems unable to graso that his beloved grits are no longer in power. He writes the same article over and over again. There is a Strong Stable Tory Majority Government larry, get over it. You are just boring now
Harper juggernaut poised to dominate
Posted on Thu, Dec 29, 2011, 8:43 pm by Lawrence Martin
Lawrence Martin is the author of 10 books, including six national bestsellers. His most recent, Harperland, was nominated for the Shaughnessy Cohen award. His other works include two volumes on Jean Chrétien, two on Canada-U.S. relations and three books on hockey.
With their crushing of the Liberals and the Bloc and their majority victory, 2011 was a spectacular year for the Conservatives. With the new year upon us, they are poised for domination and the year ahead will see the party consolidate its imposing strength.
The Liberals could well nudge up and finish the year alongside the NDP. But that is just as the Tories would want it; an evenly split opposition with each party ill-advisedly avoiding talk of the inevitable – a merger.
Harper juggernaut poised to dominate
Posted on Thu, Dec 29, 2011, 8:43 pm by Lawrence Martin
Lawrence Martin is the author of 10 books, including six national bestsellers. His most recent, Harperland, was nominated for the Shaughnessy Cohen award. His other works include two volumes on Jean Chrétien, two on Canada-U.S. relations and three books on hockey.
With their crushing of the Liberals and the Bloc and their majority victory, 2011 was a spectacular year for the Conservatives. With the new year upon us, they are poised for domination and the year ahead will see the party consolidate its imposing strength.
The Liberals could well nudge up and finish the year alongside the NDP. But that is just as the Tories would want it; an evenly split opposition with each party ill-advisedly avoiding talk of the inevitable – a merger.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
shameful
It is competely shameful to fight at the place of the Birth of Our Lord. That these men profess to be followers of jesus makes me want to cry.
BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories – An unholy row erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian clergy on Wednesday over the cleaning of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, an AFP correspondent said.
Following Christmas celebrations, dozens of black-clad clerics from both churches, armed with brooms and cleaning materials, began to work on different parts of the church, built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
But an Armenian priest supervising the work thought that a broom held by a Greek Orthodox priest encroached on their space, and angry words swiftly became a fight.
BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories – An unholy row erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian clergy on Wednesday over the cleaning of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, an AFP correspondent said.
Following Christmas celebrations, dozens of black-clad clerics from both churches, armed with brooms and cleaning materials, began to work on different parts of the church, built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
But an Armenian priest supervising the work thought that a broom held by a Greek Orthodox priest encroached on their space, and angry words swiftly became a fight.
Chris Alexander
I met Chris a few years ago at an event to discuss the future of Canada's Afghan mission. Chris is extremely gracious, very smart caring and is now a Tory MP. I am proud to say that he is also a friend. I expect great things from Chris!!!
Chris Alexander is parliamentary secretary to Defence Minister Peter MacKay, and was recently named as the top rookie in the House of Commons in a poll of MPs done for Macleans
OTTAWA — Chris Alexander knows what it's like to be in the heart of chaos.
He was Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan, and then a UN special representative to the war-torn country, at the peak of turmoil from 2003 to 2009.
Now he sits as a Conservative MP in the House of Commons, a place where the chaos is less dangerous, but the atmosphere is, to say the least, often unfriendly.
Still, he remains upbeat about what he has seen so far in his transition from the world of diplomacy to politics.
For starters, he doesn't buy the notion the Commons is a pit of gutter politics, or politicians lie when they claim to value teamwork.
"In fact, it is a team sport," Alexander told Postmedia News in a recent interview in his parliamentary office. "I've been part of a lot of good teams, but this exceeds by an order of magnitude the intensity of the team experience I had had elsewhere.
"Then you have people who say it's a blood sport, it's ruthless. It can be. Some people glory in making it so. I don't think at its core it is."
Alexander presses his point, insisting while partisanship can sometimes go too far, "it has its role."
"Politics is about choices. Elections are about choices, and we have to embody those choices. And sometimes that can look artificial."
Restoring Federalism
I do not like the 1982 constitution. The charter of rights and freedoms has made things worse not better.It has given enormous power to unelected judges and in many ways has allowed the nanny state ever more power. The rise of separatism is a direct result of trudeau's self serving folly.
Restoring the Fedralism imagined by our founding documents, is a good idea. This should keep trudeau spinning in his grave ever faster.
Even before 1982, Ottawa had been spending money in areas of provincial jurisdiction and justifying its activity on the basis of the spending power. This power is nowhere to be found in the Constitution. It rests on legal sophistry first advanced by Frank Scott of McGill University that the federal government is a legal person called "the Crown in right of Canada" who can make gifts to citizens or to the provinces, with or without attached strings.
The practical outcome of the embedded state and the use of the spending power was called executive federalism. It was institutionalized in first ministers' conferences that brought together elected political executives, but also on occasion lobby groups such as the Assembly of First Na tions. There was seldom any input from either citizens or regular legislators. The chief consequence was that the lines of federal and provincial jurisdiction and responsibility were blurred beyond discernment. Occasionally, as with such egregiously ill-considered proposals as the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords, there was sufficient opposition from legislators and citizens to check the executive.
Here is a statistic: both Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney on average held well over one such meeting a year. Stephen Harper has called one meeting in five years.
Harper has made it clear on several occasions that individuals, not governments, are chiefly responsible for how we lead our lives. From child-care policy, property rights for status Indians or ending taxpayer support for political parties, the Harper government has pursued a strategic objective to dis-embed the federal state from the lives of citizens. This is why the Canadian Wheat Board is going the way of the long-gun registry.
Less remarked upon is the effort of the government to dismantle executive federalism. In the closing weeks of 2011, two events helped push the country in the direction of what might be called classical federalism, the federalism described in sections 91 and 92 of the old British North America Act, now called the Constitution Act (1867).
First was the Dec. 19 announcement by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to the provincial and territorial ministers that health-care transfers would level off over the next few years. This was a unilateral and final decision. More important, Flaherty said there would be no restrictions on how the provinces spent the money. Health-care delivery was a provincial responsibility, period. So ended half a century of coercion by Ottawa in the name of spurious national standards.
Restoring the Fedralism imagined by our founding documents, is a good idea. This should keep trudeau spinning in his grave ever faster.
Even before 1982, Ottawa had been spending money in areas of provincial jurisdiction and justifying its activity on the basis of the spending power. This power is nowhere to be found in the Constitution. It rests on legal sophistry first advanced by Frank Scott of McGill University that the federal government is a legal person called "the Crown in right of Canada" who can make gifts to citizens or to the provinces, with or without attached strings.
The practical outcome of the embedded state and the use of the spending power was called executive federalism. It was institutionalized in first ministers' conferences that brought together elected political executives, but also on occasion lobby groups such as the Assembly of First Na tions. There was seldom any input from either citizens or regular legislators. The chief consequence was that the lines of federal and provincial jurisdiction and responsibility were blurred beyond discernment. Occasionally, as with such egregiously ill-considered proposals as the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords, there was sufficient opposition from legislators and citizens to check the executive.
Here is a statistic: both Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney on average held well over one such meeting a year. Stephen Harper has called one meeting in five years.
Harper has made it clear on several occasions that individuals, not governments, are chiefly responsible for how we lead our lives. From child-care policy, property rights for status Indians or ending taxpayer support for political parties, the Harper government has pursued a strategic objective to dis-embed the federal state from the lives of citizens. This is why the Canadian Wheat Board is going the way of the long-gun registry.
Less remarked upon is the effort of the government to dismantle executive federalism. In the closing weeks of 2011, two events helped push the country in the direction of what might be called classical federalism, the federalism described in sections 91 and 92 of the old British North America Act, now called the Constitution Act (1867).
First was the Dec. 19 announcement by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to the provincial and territorial ministers that health-care transfers would level off over the next few years. This was a unilateral and final decision. More important, Flaherty said there would be no restrictions on how the provinces spent the money. Health-care delivery was a provincial responsibility, period. So ended half a century of coercion by Ottawa in the name of spurious national standards.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
More whining from the peanut gallery
Liberal Larry seems to think Trudeau is spinning in his grave. That makes me want to dance. He seems to believe that Canada was built by the left. How odd. It is the liberals that changed. Laurier would not recognize the party he used to lead. The grits are the party of he nanny state and the dippers the party of those ultimate nanny state, socialism. I suspect Tommy Douglas would also be shocked by the atheist bent of his Succesors. If this is how the peanut gallery is reporting in the first 6 months of a Tory majority, I expect the next 6 months should see many of these liberal hacks retiring on large doses of Valium. They can't handle the truth or the fact that the Tories are implementing their genda. The grit way was to make promises to get into power and then ignore your platform or steal someone else's. The Tories will do exactly as was promised. The grit court jesters in the media will have to find something else to do.
The political tremors didn’t reverberate with the shock they may have. The Conservatives’ prudent policy-making in some big-ticket policy areas has served to alleviate fears of their being excessively redneck. Their work on the economy, as seen most recently in the fiscal update, was an example of pragmatic decision-making. The recent bilateral border accord won them applause, as perhaps it should – so long as it doesn’t contribute to our becoming an extension of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Harper’s playing up of traditional symbols like the monarchy allays concerns of the old Canada fading away.
But at the same, it was a big year for ideological advances. They came in such areas as crime and punishment, in foreign policy – where Canada has become one of the hawks of the Western world – on the gun registry, on citizenship and immigration, on the military, on the Wheat Board and on the environment. On the latter, we recall Mr. Mulroney, a progressive Tory, winning an award as Canada’s greenest prime minister. As a show of how the party has changed, the Harper government will likely be a candidate for the brownest.
This Prime Minister’s rightward trajectory no doubt has Pierre Trudeau rolling over in his grave, which is exactly what Mr. Harper wishes. Old Tories like Robert Stanfield are probably doing the same. And Jean Chrétien came forward this month to issue over-the-top warnings about the course we’re on.
The political tremors didn’t reverberate with the shock they may have. The Conservatives’ prudent policy-making in some big-ticket policy areas has served to alleviate fears of their being excessively redneck. Their work on the economy, as seen most recently in the fiscal update, was an example of pragmatic decision-making. The recent bilateral border accord won them applause, as perhaps it should – so long as it doesn’t contribute to our becoming an extension of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Harper’s playing up of traditional symbols like the monarchy allays concerns of the old Canada fading away.
But at the same, it was a big year for ideological advances. They came in such areas as crime and punishment, in foreign policy – where Canada has become one of the hawks of the Western world – on the gun registry, on citizenship and immigration, on the military, on the Wheat Board and on the environment. On the latter, we recall Mr. Mulroney, a progressive Tory, winning an award as Canada’s greenest prime minister. As a show of how the party has changed, the Harper government will likely be a candidate for the brownest.
This Prime Minister’s rightward trajectory no doubt has Pierre Trudeau rolling over in his grave, which is exactly what Mr. Harper wishes. Old Tories like Robert Stanfield are probably doing the same. And Jean Chrétien came forward this month to issue over-the-top warnings about the course we’re on.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Strategic voting?
Alice over at Pundits guide has an analysis of dipper leadership candidate cullen's suggestion for strategic voting. She concludes it just won't work. I completely agree. Indeed I think it would help bring more Tory votes. This from the comments:
Frank Johnston says:
December 25, 2011 at 7:50 pm
The idea of “strategic voting” is a pipedream. A great many NDP supporters said they would vote Liberal last time – as they always do – and lied. They didn’t. Furthermore, there is a great deal more that separates most Liberals and Dippers that people care to admit. I for one would never vote NDP, but would vote Conservative under certain circumstances. A great many Liberals are like me.
Frank Johnston says:
December 25, 2011 at 7:50 pm
The idea of “strategic voting” is a pipedream. A great many NDP supporters said they would vote Liberal last time – as they always do – and lied. They didn’t. Furthermore, there is a great deal more that separates most Liberals and Dippers that people care to admit. I for one would never vote NDP, but would vote Conservative under certain circumstances. A great many Liberals are like me.
I don't completely disagree...
with Brian Topp. Before anyone calls me a socialist, I am still a stalwart HM PM Stephen Harper, so that's not the issue. The issue is since trudeau the PMO has become far more powerful. The reserve powers of the Crown are essentially being used by the PMO. The Prime Minister has become too powerful. I am not completely sure how to fix this. I have heard suggestions, one of them being allowing caucus to pick the leader of the governing party and allow spills like in Oz(Baroness Thatcher was unseated by her own MPs). I am sure better constitutional minds have better suggestions.
So while I disagree with brian topp on virtually everything else, I do think he has a bit of a point here.
So while I disagree with brian topp on virtually everything else, I do think he has a bit of a point here.
More Free Trade
I am glad HM Canadian Government is dedicated to more free trade. IN light of that it is time to eliminate supply management for dairy, cheese and eggs! This will be politically costly but it is what should be done. We should run this as an anti poverty campaign. Why do milk , eggs and cheese, staples of the Canadian diet have to cost so much more in Canada? This must be done now! Billions of dollars in trade depend on eliminating this antiquated protectionist system.
By this time next year, either the Prime Minister will have one major agreement in his pocket and several more in the works, or this administration, by its own accounting, will have failed one of its most crucial tests.
The good news for the Tories is that they may soon clear the first and biggest hurdle. Government sources predict that a signed Canada-European Union Trade Agreement will be in place by February or March.
Some of the terms of that agreement will be contentious. EU businesses will have greater access to Canadian government-procurement contracts, for example. And dairy quotas for European imports will probably be raised, in exchange for increased quotas for Canadian pork exports.
But the deal is likely to be worth the concessions. Despite its problems – and they are legion – the EU remains the world’s largest common market, with 500- million people and a collective GDP of $16-trillion.
By this time next year, either the Prime Minister will have one major agreement in his pocket and several more in the works, or this administration, by its own accounting, will have failed one of its most crucial tests.
The good news for the Tories is that they may soon clear the first and biggest hurdle. Government sources predict that a signed Canada-European Union Trade Agreement will be in place by February or March.
Some of the terms of that agreement will be contentious. EU businesses will have greater access to Canadian government-procurement contracts, for example. And dairy quotas for European imports will probably be raised, in exchange for increased quotas for Canadian pork exports.
But the deal is likely to be worth the concessions. Despite its problems – and they are legion – the EU remains the world’s largest common market, with 500- million people and a collective GDP of $16-trillion.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
An outrage at Christmas
I pray for my Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are attacked for practicing their faith on this very holy day. The jihadis continue their murderous acts while the liberals in the west downplay the Islamist threat.
Canada Condemns Attacks in Nigeria
(No. 392 - December 25, 2011 - 12:15 p.m. ET) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued the following statement after a series of deadly attacks at churches in Nigeria:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.
“These people died practising their religion—a basic human right.
“Canada strongly denounces such cowardly attacks without reservation. It is unconscionable that they occurred on Christmas against individuals attending religious services.
“We stand with the people and the government of Nigeria at this difficult time and join those calling for all responsible to be brought to justice.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
LAGOS, Nigeria: Terror attacks across Nigeria by a radical Muslim sect killed at least 39 people Sunday, with the majority dying on the steps of a Catholic church after celebrating Christmas Mass as blood pooled in dust from a massive explosion.
Authorities acknowledged they could not bring enough emergency medical personnel to care for the wounded outside St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla near Nigeria's capital. Elsewhere, a bomb exploded amid gunfire in the central Nigeria city of Jos and a suicide car bomber attacked the military in the nation's northeast as part of an apparently coordinated assault by the sect known as Boko Haram.
The Christmas Day violence, denounced by world leaders and the Vatican, shows the threat of the widening insurrection posed by Boko Haram against Nigeria's weak central government. Despite a recent paramilitary crackdown against the sect in the oil-rich nation, it appears that Africa's most populous nation remains unable to stop the threat.
"These are cowardly attacks on families gathered in peace and prayer to celebrate a day which symbolises harmony and goodwill towards others,'' Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.
The first explosion on Sunday struck St. Theresa Catholic Church just after 8am. The attack killed 35 people and wounded another 52, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency.
Though billions of dollars of oil money flow into the nation's budget yearly, Luguard's agency could only send text messages to journalists asking for their help in getting more ambulances.
Those wounded filled the cement floors of a nearby government hospital, with television images showing them crying in pools of their own blood. Corpses lined an open-air morgue.
Canada Condemns Attacks in Nigeria
(No. 392 - December 25, 2011 - 12:15 p.m. ET) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued the following statement after a series of deadly attacks at churches in Nigeria:
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.
“These people died practising their religion—a basic human right.
“Canada strongly denounces such cowardly attacks without reservation. It is unconscionable that they occurred on Christmas against individuals attending religious services.
“We stand with the people and the government of Nigeria at this difficult time and join those calling for all responsible to be brought to justice.”
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
LAGOS, Nigeria: Terror attacks across Nigeria by a radical Muslim sect killed at least 39 people Sunday, with the majority dying on the steps of a Catholic church after celebrating Christmas Mass as blood pooled in dust from a massive explosion.
Authorities acknowledged they could not bring enough emergency medical personnel to care for the wounded outside St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla near Nigeria's capital. Elsewhere, a bomb exploded amid gunfire in the central Nigeria city of Jos and a suicide car bomber attacked the military in the nation's northeast as part of an apparently coordinated assault by the sect known as Boko Haram.
The Christmas Day violence, denounced by world leaders and the Vatican, shows the threat of the widening insurrection posed by Boko Haram against Nigeria's weak central government. Despite a recent paramilitary crackdown against the sect in the oil-rich nation, it appears that Africa's most populous nation remains unable to stop the threat.
"These are cowardly attacks on families gathered in peace and prayer to celebrate a day which symbolises harmony and goodwill towards others,'' Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.
The first explosion on Sunday struck St. Theresa Catholic Church just after 8am. The attack killed 35 people and wounded another 52, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency.
Though billions of dollars of oil money flow into the nation's budget yearly, Luguard's agency could only send text messages to journalists asking for their help in getting more ambulances.
Those wounded filled the cement floors of a nearby government hospital, with television images showing them crying in pools of their own blood. Corpses lined an open-air morgue.
HM the Queen's Christmas message 2010
A wonderful message to the Commonwealth.
"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. "
"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. "
Merry Christmas
To all my friends , family and readers. May the Blessings of the Christ Child be always upon you and your families.. A wonderful piece on Christmas from a Muslim friend.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
A Marthoma Christmas
Music and Christmas songs in my mother tongue, Malayalam. These clips are in Marthoma Churches in Kerala, India and throughout the diaspora.
More problems for the greenies
James Delingpole has a column on the collapse of more green schemes ( corporate welfare at its worst).
What do solar energy companies have in common with Second Lieutenants on the first day of the Somme? Yes, that's right. (H/T GWPF)
In Germany, especially, the attrition rate has been amazing. According to Reuters, no fewer than 5,000 German solar companies have gone bust in the last year, shedding around 20,000 jobs.
Workers in Germany's once booming solar energy industry face a shakeout of major proportions following declines in the price of solar panels over the past year.
Cuts in subsidies for solar energy, weaker demand for panels and fierce competition from cheaper Asian rivals are eating into what was once the world's biggest hub for the production of solar cells, taking the shine off an industry that was effectively born in Germany.
Well boo hoo. That's the price you pay for building an industry which should never have existed in the first place – and certainly wouldn't have done had it not been for the heavy subsidy programme launched a decade ago by the Schroeder-led Green/Social Democrat coalition.
What do solar energy companies have in common with Second Lieutenants on the first day of the Somme? Yes, that's right. (H/T GWPF)
In Germany, especially, the attrition rate has been amazing. According to Reuters, no fewer than 5,000 German solar companies have gone bust in the last year, shedding around 20,000 jobs.
Workers in Germany's once booming solar energy industry face a shakeout of major proportions following declines in the price of solar panels over the past year.
Cuts in subsidies for solar energy, weaker demand for panels and fierce competition from cheaper Asian rivals are eating into what was once the world's biggest hub for the production of solar cells, taking the shine off an industry that was effectively born in Germany.
Well boo hoo. That's the price you pay for building an industry which should never have existed in the first place – and certainly wouldn't have done had it not been for the heavy subsidy programme launched a decade ago by the Schroeder-led Green/Social Democrat coalition.
An Interview with HM Governor General David Johnston
An extensive interview with His Excellency in the globe. It's nice having aGovernor General who understands the Role of the Crown and how integral it is to our constitution.
A great segment on the relevance of the Crown.
A great segment on the relevance of the Crown.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Get Well Soon Your Royal Highness
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said he was undergoing “precautionary tests” at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.
The Duke was taken to hospital from Sandringham, in Norfolk, where the Royal Family traditionally spends its Christmas break.
It is the latest health problem to face the 90-year-old Duke, who in 2008 was treated for a serious chest infection.
On that occasion he stayed at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London.
It comes as the Royal Family prepares to mark its first Christmas with the Duchess of Cambridge since the royal wedding earlier this year.
The Queen travelled to Sandringham earlier this week by train for the traditional annual gathering of the royals.
Update:HRH had an angioplasty and stent and should be fine. Thank God!!!
Gerry Nichols on Kevin Gaudet
Gerry has a great column on our friend Kevin Gaudet. I am a bit conflicted on the race for Ontario PC Party president. I really like Kevin, but I actually also like Richard Ciano. Both want more open nominations, less central messaging and less liberal light. I think either would be a good choice but I must say I am slightly leaning towards Kevin. I am glad the Ontario PCs are able to attract such good candidates.
Whoever wins, we must all work together to rid Ontario of mcliar and his tax and spend minions.
Whoever wins, we must all work together to rid Ontario of mcliar and his tax and spend minions.
Tory fundraising
Steve Maher talks to my friend Gerry Nichols about fundraising. The grits are only now taking fundraising seriously. The Tories need to stay on top. I like the idea of fundraising using unions. It is better than trying to raise money because of liberal opposition to the crime bill. Public sector unions are a large cause of federal and provincial deficits. They need to be reigned I and the Tory base would be happy if we were the ones to to just that. Tory headquarters is already dealing with the loss of electoral welfare. They are being fiscally prudent. Things may be a little more difficult for The Tory Fundraising Juggernaut because of the minority government. I personally believe that donation limits should be at least doubled.
That seems unlikely in the short term. Using unions for fundraising seems like a good idea. What about using the grit judiciary , the obstreperous grit civil service and of cours grit infested elections Canada. The letters virtually write themselves.
Gerry Nicholls, who spent years working side by side with Stephen Harper at the National Citizens Coalition, thinks the party now faces an uphill battle, since is has a majority government.
Nicholls, who is no longer on Harper's Christmas card list, raised money for the NCC for 22 years, writing bushels of letters to wring money out of small-c conservatives across Canada, but especially in the interior of British Columbia, southern Alberta and southwestern Ontario.
To get those donors to reach for their chequebooks, he says the Tories will need a new villain, and says public-sector unions "are from central casting."
"My prediction is, if they're serious about doing anything on the deficit, they'll fundraise against public-sector unions," he said. "It makes sense from a tactical point of view. 'We want to cut the deficit but the powerful public sector union bosses try to stop us.'
"The Conservative base hates unions. And the rule of thumb for me when I'm fundraising is, don't try to convince somebody of something. Don't try to explain why something's bad. Take advantage of the prejudice that's already there."
In the federal budget this spring, the Conservatives are seeking about $4 billion in cuts, which will likely mean at least 10,000 public servants will get Pink slips.
That seems unlikely in the short term. Using unions for fundraising seems like a good idea. What about using the grit judiciary , the obstreperous grit civil service and of cours grit infested elections Canada. The letters virtually write themselves.
Gerry Nicholls, who spent years working side by side with Stephen Harper at the National Citizens Coalition, thinks the party now faces an uphill battle, since is has a majority government.
Nicholls, who is no longer on Harper's Christmas card list, raised money for the NCC for 22 years, writing bushels of letters to wring money out of small-c conservatives across Canada, but especially in the interior of British Columbia, southern Alberta and southwestern Ontario.
To get those donors to reach for their chequebooks, he says the Tories will need a new villain, and says public-sector unions "are from central casting."
"My prediction is, if they're serious about doing anything on the deficit, they'll fundraise against public-sector unions," he said. "It makes sense from a tactical point of view. 'We want to cut the deficit but the powerful public sector union bosses try to stop us.'
"The Conservative base hates unions. And the rule of thumb for me when I'm fundraising is, don't try to convince somebody of something. Don't try to explain why something's bad. Take advantage of the prejudice that's already there."
In the federal budget this spring, the Conservatives are seeking about $4 billion in cuts, which will likely mean at least 10,000 public servants will get Pink slips.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Nice news for Christmas
Nice news and it is surprisingly in the red star.
One of the most endearing images from William and Kate's royal tour of Canada was of the Duchess giving a hug to a little girl stricken with cancer.
Six-year-old Diamond Marshall's wish to meet a real live princess came true.
Now, it appears another of Diamond's wishes is coming true. This week, she had surgery to remove tumours on her lungs as a result of a rare childhood cancer, undifferentiated sarcoma.
"We're calling this a miracle," said her dad, Lyall Marshall. "It's a Christmas miracle for our family. To say you're cancer free at this point and time is fabulous."
Diamond earned worldwide attention on July 7 as she greeted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Calgary airport. She had been selected to present a bouquet of flowers to Kate, the result of a letter she had written to her while in hospital undergoing treatment for the cancer that was diagnosed in February. The letter made its way to the Children's Wish Foundation, who made the girl's dream happen.
At the airport, Diamond forgot all about protocol and rushed to hug Kate -- who wrapped her arms around the little girl -- before retreating to her stepmother, flowers still in her hand. William and Kate went to the girl, bent down and spoke with her for a few minutes.
"They were just beyond lovely with her. What kind people,” Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi recalled at the time.
Librano hubris knows no limit
Wow librano pseudo chretien gets money from the federal government. Shameless libranos.
Chrétien wins $200,000 in sponsorship feud; PMO demands he give it back
DANIEL LEBLANC
OTTAWA— The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 1:39PM EST
Last updated Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 3:32PM EST
Print/LicenseDecrease text sizeIncrease text size
Ottawa has to pay $200,000 in legal costs incurred by Jean Chrétien in his fight to restore his name after being blamed for the sponsorship scandal by the Gomery inquiry in 2005.
However, the Prime Minister’s Office called the ruling “disappointing,” and said the money rightly belongs to taxpayers.
MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY
Abortion, gay marriage could be next on chopping block, Chrétien warns
Mounties slash spending on sponsorship probe
Key figure in sponsorship scandal set to become witness
A closer look at the sponsorship scandal
“It is our belief that the Liberal Party must pay back the millions of dollars stolen from taxpayers through the sponsorship scandal. We call on Jean Chrétien to give this $200,000 back to taxpayers on behalf of the Liberal Party,” PMO spokesman Carl Vallée told The Globe and Mail.
Chrétien wins $200,000 in sponsorship feud; PMO demands he give it back
DANIEL LEBLANC
OTTAWA— The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 1:39PM EST
Last updated Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 3:32PM EST
Print/LicenseDecrease text sizeIncrease text size
Ottawa has to pay $200,000 in legal costs incurred by Jean Chrétien in his fight to restore his name after being blamed for the sponsorship scandal by the Gomery inquiry in 2005.
However, the Prime Minister’s Office called the ruling “disappointing,” and said the money rightly belongs to taxpayers.
MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY
Abortion, gay marriage could be next on chopping block, Chrétien warns
Mounties slash spending on sponsorship probe
Key figure in sponsorship scandal set to become witness
A closer look at the sponsorship scandal
“It is our belief that the Liberal Party must pay back the millions of dollars stolen from taxpayers through the sponsorship scandal. We call on Jean Chrétien to give this $200,000 back to taxpayers on behalf of the Liberal Party,” PMO spokesman Carl Vallée told The Globe and Mail.
grits continue to shoot themselves in the foot
The grit establishment continues to try and stop bloggers from attending their convention as media. Even the msm is picking up on the story.
Meanwhile, the issue of bloggers at the convention has provoked a stir in the Twitter-verse.
Only bloggers who are officially associated with a news organization can be accredited. But others will have to pay an $1,100 observer fee.
Ms. Bain, the party spokeswoman, argues there will nevertheless be ample accommodation for bloggers. For example, a riser will be setup in the middle of the convention floor.
She explained that there are many ways to attend the convention: “As a delegate, an observer , or media (including freelance and social media representatives who are sponsored by a recognized news organization.)”
“There is no rule or ban against bloggers, there never has been,” she wrote in an email. “Quite the contrary, we consulted with a group of bloggers and other social media users to discuss the options available to them as delegates. To my knowledge, no delegate or observer who has submitted a registration to our Convention has been denied access because they are a blogger.”
This appears to be counter to what many bloggers want. Tory scribe Stephen Taylor has led the charge, kicking off the controversy when he tweeted this week: “Liberal convention will be the first modern political convention that doesn't accredit bloggers. #cdnpoli”
He’s pursued the issue on his blog. And he’s even garnered support from Liberal bloggers like Jeff Jedras, who argues his party is “foolishly retreating from social media and blogging.”
Ms. Copps’s team also appears unsatisfied. Henry Wright, her campaign chairman, sent an email to Liberal headquarters criticizing the move.
“It is my understanding that the Party has ruled against Bloggers at the Convention,” he wrote. “... We strongly object and would ask that the decision be revisited. We believe that for a Party that wants to rebuild and reach out ... this ruling appears to be counterproductive.”
But Ms. Copps herself told The Globe that “like other media members, bloggers need some sort of accreditation to ensure they are actually media.”
Meanwhile, the issue of bloggers at the convention has provoked a stir in the Twitter-verse.
Only bloggers who are officially associated with a news organization can be accredited. But others will have to pay an $1,100 observer fee.
Ms. Bain, the party spokeswoman, argues there will nevertheless be ample accommodation for bloggers. For example, a riser will be setup in the middle of the convention floor.
She explained that there are many ways to attend the convention: “As a delegate, an observer , or media (including freelance and social media representatives who are sponsored by a recognized news organization.)”
“There is no rule or ban against bloggers, there never has been,” she wrote in an email. “Quite the contrary, we consulted with a group of bloggers and other social media users to discuss the options available to them as delegates. To my knowledge, no delegate or observer who has submitted a registration to our Convention has been denied access because they are a blogger.”
This appears to be counter to what many bloggers want. Tory scribe Stephen Taylor has led the charge, kicking off the controversy when he tweeted this week: “Liberal convention will be the first modern political convention that doesn't accredit bloggers. #cdnpoli”
He’s pursued the issue on his blog. And he’s even garnered support from Liberal bloggers like Jeff Jedras, who argues his party is “foolishly retreating from social media and blogging.”
Ms. Copps’s team also appears unsatisfied. Henry Wright, her campaign chairman, sent an email to Liberal headquarters criticizing the move.
“It is my understanding that the Party has ruled against Bloggers at the Convention,” he wrote. “... We strongly object and would ask that the decision be revisited. We believe that for a Party that wants to rebuild and reach out ... this ruling appears to be counterproductive.”
But Ms. Copps herself told The Globe that “like other media members, bloggers need some sort of accreditation to ensure they are actually media.”
Canada's hysterical left
The left wing punditry, the grits, the dippers and Ellie may all seem to have lost bowel and bladder control. Their hysteria knows no limits. I suspect that the Tories will have to buy them all diapers.They claim the Tories have no vision of Canada, while screaming the Tories are systematically changing things. None of this should be a surprise. Many of us have watched while the left has tried to destroy Canada. The grits and their leftist media allies have set up an unsustainable welfare state and endorsed policies antithetical to our traditionns of freedom. Trudeau and Pearson have tried to eliminate our traditions and have disregarded our founding documents. We have allowed the grits to pick judges who have allowed this state of affairs to continue. All of that must and will change. The Tories will do this incrementally with the support of Canadians.
I must say I did enjoy the left's hysteria, but it is growing tiresome. It is only 7 months into a 5 year term. The hysteria can only grow, but Canadians are increasingly notpaying attention to these nattering nabobs of negativity.
I must say I did enjoy the left's hysteria, but it is growing tiresome. It is only 7 months into a 5 year term. The hysteria can only grow, but Canadians are increasingly notpaying attention to these nattering nabobs of negativity.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Restons ADQ
I absolutely oppose the merger of Quebec's only centre right party, the ADQ and the poll number that is the CAQ. My friend Paul Beaudry expressed it very well in the National Post.
The CAQ takeover of the ADQ constitutes a real threat to the ADQ's fusionist alliance and to Quebec conservatives in general. The CAQ may appeal to those in the ADQ who are considered moderates, nationalists and those who tend to align themselves with third-party options. However, the economic conservatives and libertarians amongst the party's base have not been enthusiastic about the prospects of a merger. One of the most outspoken opponents of a CAQ-ADQ merger is well-known Quebec businessman Adrien Pouliot, a libertarian-leaning member of the ADQ's political commission; he has not shied away from heavily criticizing many of the CAQ's interventionist policies.
The committee against this merger with , the empty suit ( and still basically separatist) legault, has a new website. This merger should be defeated. It is a betrayal of the grassroots of the ADQ. The merger was done by the executive and only now have they thought to ask the members about it. Well the members need to fight back. While they negotiated the adq executive has allowed the party to basically to almost disappear. The ads apparently is down to 2500 members. Many member have left in disgust. If you were a member , you can reactivate your membership and got in the upcoming referendum. Legault and the adq executive should hear from the real right in Quebec!
The CAQ takeover of the ADQ constitutes a real threat to the ADQ's fusionist alliance and to Quebec conservatives in general. The CAQ may appeal to those in the ADQ who are considered moderates, nationalists and those who tend to align themselves with third-party options. However, the economic conservatives and libertarians amongst the party's base have not been enthusiastic about the prospects of a merger. One of the most outspoken opponents of a CAQ-ADQ merger is well-known Quebec businessman Adrien Pouliot, a libertarian-leaning member of the ADQ's political commission; he has not shied away from heavily criticizing many of the CAQ's interventionist policies.
The committee against this merger with , the empty suit ( and still basically separatist) legault, has a new website. This merger should be defeated. It is a betrayal of the grassroots of the ADQ. The merger was done by the executive and only now have they thought to ask the members about it. Well the members need to fight back. While they negotiated the adq executive has allowed the party to basically to almost disappear. The ads apparently is down to 2500 members. Many member have left in disgust. If you were a member , you can reactivate your membership and got in the upcoming referendum. Legault and the adq executive should hear from the real right in Quebec!
Bloggers and the grits
So it seems theorist still will not allow bloggers( even grit bloggers) to attend their biennial convention. I gad been contact the grits for the last few months to attend as a blogger. Thanks to my friend Stephen Taylor for exposing this.
This is not popular even with the liblogs. There seems to be a fair bit of pressure to change this backwards policy from candidates for party president and even kinsella. I would still like to attend the biennial grit convention as a blogger so I urge the grits to reconsider this backwards policy.
This is not popular even with the liblogs. There seems to be a fair bit of pressure to change this backwards policy from candidates for party president and even kinsella. I would still like to attend the biennial grit convention as a blogger so I urge the grits to reconsider this backwards policy.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Great News
An amazing story. A potential HIV vaccine from Canada!!!
Researchers at the University of Western Ontario have been given a green light to test a vaccine for HIV AIDS on humans.
The approval from the Food and Drug Administration will lead to further tests, that if successful could see a vaccine on the market in about five years.
Dr. Chil-Yong Kang and a team at the university funded by Sumagen Canada said approval by the American agency was crucial and a clinical trial on 40 HIV-positive volunteers will begin next month.
That phase will last a year after which 600 -negative volunteers will see how the vaccine impacts their immune system.
A final phase, taking about three years will involve about 6,000 HIV-negative volunteers.
Researchers at the University of Western Ontario have been given a green light to test a vaccine for HIV AIDS on humans.
The approval from the Food and Drug Administration will lead to further tests, that if successful could see a vaccine on the market in about five years.
Dr. Chil-Yong Kang and a team at the university funded by Sumagen Canada said approval by the American agency was crucial and a clinical trial on 40 HIV-positive volunteers will begin next month.
That phase will last a year after which 600 -negative volunteers will see how the vaccine impacts their immune system.
A final phase, taking about three years will involve about 6,000 HIV-negative volunteers.
Happy Hanukkah
To my many Jewish friends Happy Hanukkah!!!
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA TO MARK CHANUKAH
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark Chanukah:
“More than two thousand years ago, a small group of Jewish believers overcame the odds and courageously defeated and repelled their oppressors, liberating Jerusalem and reclaiming the Holy Temple as their own. As they rededicated the Temple, a second miracle occurred: a small amount of oil that should have lasted one night instead burned for eight. Since that time, Jewish people around the world celebrate the holy tradition of Chanukah, the yearly eight-day Festival of Light, in commemoration of those miracles.
“Born out of the triumph of light over darkness, of freedom over oppression and of tolerance over persecution, this celebration reminds us that miracles can occur even in the darkest of moments, and that justice must always overcome tyranny. Chanukah also reminds us that, here in Canada, we are truly blessed to live in a free, just and tolerant society, one which has been enriched by the innumerable contributions and achievements of the Jewish-Canadian community.
“On this first night of Chanukah, Laureen and I extend our most heartfelt greetings and wishes of hope and peace to families and friends in communities across Canada and around the world who tonight light their Chanukah menorahs.”
- 30 -
PMO Press Office: 613-957-5555
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA TO MARK CHANUKAH
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark Chanukah:
“More than two thousand years ago, a small group of Jewish believers overcame the odds and courageously defeated and repelled their oppressors, liberating Jerusalem and reclaiming the Holy Temple as their own. As they rededicated the Temple, a second miracle occurred: a small amount of oil that should have lasted one night instead burned for eight. Since that time, Jewish people around the world celebrate the holy tradition of Chanukah, the yearly eight-day Festival of Light, in commemoration of those miracles.
“Born out of the triumph of light over darkness, of freedom over oppression and of tolerance over persecution, this celebration reminds us that miracles can occur even in the darkest of moments, and that justice must always overcome tyranny. Chanukah also reminds us that, here in Canada, we are truly blessed to live in a free, just and tolerant society, one which has been enriched by the innumerable contributions and achievements of the Jewish-Canadian community.
“On this first night of Chanukah, Laureen and I extend our most heartfelt greetings and wishes of hope and peace to families and friends in communities across Canada and around the world who tonight light their Chanukah menorahs.”
- 30 -
PMO Press Office: 613-957-5555
Visit Jewish.TV for more Jewish videos.
Visit Jewish.TV for more Jewish videos.
The Anglosphere continues to Reign
Another interesting piece on the Anglosphere and Commowealth. ( The Indosphere is part of the Anglosphere).
The anglosphere accounts for 26.1 per cent of global GDP ($19-trillion U.S.) – the same share the British Empire held at its height. The sinosphere accounts for 15.1 per cent ($11-trillion); the indosphere 5.4 per cent ($4-trillion). On a per-capita basis, the anglosphere leads by lopsided margins: the anglosphere, $45,000 per person; the sinosphere, $7,500 per person; the indosphere, $4,000 per person.
“Today, the anglosphere is predominantly a union of language, culture and shared values,” Mr. Kotkin says, with a population of 400 million. Beyond the anglosphere itself, two billion other people live in countries with a strong English-language bias: the countries of the Commonwealth, for example, and Singapore – which, its Chinese population notwithstanding, is a country where English is dominant.
“Since the Second World War, English has replaced French, Russian and German as the primary language of business and science,” Mr. Kotkin notes. English is now spoken by 40 per cent of Europeans, French by just 20 per cent.
The anglosphere accounts for 26.1 per cent of global GDP ($19-trillion U.S.) – the same share the British Empire held at its height. The sinosphere accounts for 15.1 per cent ($11-trillion); the indosphere 5.4 per cent ($4-trillion). On a per-capita basis, the anglosphere leads by lopsided margins: the anglosphere, $45,000 per person; the sinosphere, $7,500 per person; the indosphere, $4,000 per person.
“Today, the anglosphere is predominantly a union of language, culture and shared values,” Mr. Kotkin says, with a population of 400 million. Beyond the anglosphere itself, two billion other people live in countries with a strong English-language bias: the countries of the Commonwealth, for example, and Singapore – which, its Chinese population notwithstanding, is a country where English is dominant.
“Since the Second World War, English has replaced French, Russian and German as the primary language of business and science,” Mr. Kotkin notes. English is now spoken by 40 per cent of Europeans, French by just 20 per cent.
Biggest News Stories of the Year
I was once again on Cross Country Checkup The subject was what were the biggest news stories of the year. What do you think? You can hear me at around 48:44 minutes. I also appreciated that Rex wished everyone Merry Christmas!!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Good Riddance
Vaclav Havel is a great man. kim jong il wa a petty tyrant. Havel will be missed. kim will not be missed. It is sad that the poor people of North Korea will be subjected to another memebr of this family from hell. I pray for their liberation anmd the liberation of all people from communism.
SEOUL, Dec 19 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, revered at home by a propaganda machine that turned him into a demi-god and vilified in the West as a temperamental tyrant with a nuclear arsenal, has died, North Korean state television reported on Monday.
Kim, who was 69 years old, died on Saturday, it said.
With the death of his father, young and inexperienced Kim Jong-un is seen as poised to take over North Korea and extend the Kim dynasty’s rule over the reclusive state for a third generation.
Not much is known about the younger Kim, not even his age, though his father, Kim Jong-il, and his autocratic regime had begun making preparations for the son’s transition to power.
Experts say the young Kim is likely to follow the same militaristic path, maintaining a strong grip over one of the world’s largest armies and pressing on with a nuclear weapons programme in the face of international outrage
Kim Jong-il was the unchallenged head of the reclusive state whose economy fell deeper into poverty during his years in power as he vexed the world by developing a nuclear arms programme and an arsenal of missiles aimed to hit neighbours Japan and South Korea.
Kim had been portrayed as a criminal mastermind behind deadly bombings, a jovial dinner host, a comic buffoon in Hollywood movies and by the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush as the ruler of “an outpost of tyranny”.
SEOUL, Dec 19 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, revered at home by a propaganda machine that turned him into a demi-god and vilified in the West as a temperamental tyrant with a nuclear arsenal, has died, North Korean state television reported on Monday.
Kim, who was 69 years old, died on Saturday, it said.
With the death of his father, young and inexperienced Kim Jong-un is seen as poised to take over North Korea and extend the Kim dynasty’s rule over the reclusive state for a third generation.
Not much is known about the younger Kim, not even his age, though his father, Kim Jong-il, and his autocratic regime had begun making preparations for the son’s transition to power.
Experts say the young Kim is likely to follow the same militaristic path, maintaining a strong grip over one of the world’s largest armies and pressing on with a nuclear weapons programme in the face of international outrage
Kim Jong-il was the unchallenged head of the reclusive state whose economy fell deeper into poverty during his years in power as he vexed the world by developing a nuclear arms programme and an arsenal of missiles aimed to hit neighbours Japan and South Korea.
Kim had been portrayed as a criminal mastermind behind deadly bombings, a jovial dinner host, a comic buffoon in Hollywood movies and by the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush as the ruler of “an outpost of tyranny”.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
R.I.P. Vaclav Havel
I admired this great man. He took on the communist dictators of his land and helped bring down the evil empire. He is a hero of freedom! My deepest sympathies to his friends and family and the people of Czech Republic and Slovakia.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/czechrepublic/8964374/Vaclav-Havel-leader-of-Czechoslovakias-Velvet-Revolution-dies-age-75.html>“Today Vaclav Havel has left us,” said Sabina Tancevova, the former Czech president’s secretary, in a brief statement.
Mr Havel’s wife Dagmara was present when he died in his sleep at his weekend home in the north of the country.
Once a chain smoker, Mr Havel had suffered from respiratory and heart problems for years, but his health had declined recently to such an extent that public appearances became rare. He was last seen earlier this month, gaunt, frail and in a wheelchair meeting the Dalia Lama.
The Czech government will meet in an extraordinary session on Monday, and is expected to declare an official state of mourning. At Prague Castle, Mr Havel’s seat during his years as president, the Czech flag flew at half mast in respect for a man revered as the father of the modern state and an incorruptible force, always willing to defend human dignity.
At memorials to the 1989 revolution, well-wishers, some in tears, gathered to lay flowers and light candles.
The Czech Republic: Vaclav Havel's first movie. by tvnportal
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/czechrepublic/8964374/Vaclav-Havel-leader-of-Czechoslovakias-Velvet-Revolution-dies-age-75.html>“Today Vaclav Havel has left us,” said Sabina Tancevova, the former Czech president’s secretary, in a brief statement.
Mr Havel’s wife Dagmara was present when he died in his sleep at his weekend home in the north of the country.
Once a chain smoker, Mr Havel had suffered from respiratory and heart problems for years, but his health had declined recently to such an extent that public appearances became rare. He was last seen earlier this month, gaunt, frail and in a wheelchair meeting the Dalia Lama.
The Czech government will meet in an extraordinary session on Monday, and is expected to declare an official state of mourning. At Prague Castle, Mr Havel’s seat during his years as president, the Czech flag flew at half mast in respect for a man revered as the father of the modern state and an incorruptible force, always willing to defend human dignity.
At memorials to the 1989 revolution, well-wishers, some in tears, gathered to lay flowers and light candles.
The Czech Republic: Vaclav Havel's first movie. by tvnportal
Interview with President Václav Havel, playwright from Pew Center for Arts & Heritage on Vimeo.
The conservative Anglosphere fights back
An interesting article on the growing move to conservative government throughout the Anglosphere.
Oz needs to rid itself of gillard and labour and the Us need to lose bo.
Conservatives on the march: They're mad as hell and they're just not going to take it anymore
SIMON KENT, QMI AGENCY
FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2011 08:00 PM EST | UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 09:29 PM EST
Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his British counterpart David Cameron both stood up for their respective national interests last week and stared down a host of unelected (and unaccountable) bureaucratic rule makers.
In doing so, they confirmed their position in the vanguard of conservative political leadership slowly gathering momentum in the anglophone world. How did they do this? They just said “no.”
In Harper’s case, it was the rent seekers and incorrigible do-gooders behind the Kyoto protocols who were given their comeuppance.
Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent told Kyoto cheerleaders in Durban that Canada is counting itself out of any further engagement with the flawed treaty.
Oz needs to rid itself of gillard and labour and the Us need to lose bo.
Conservatives on the march: They're mad as hell and they're just not going to take it anymore
SIMON KENT, QMI AGENCY
FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2011 08:00 PM EST | UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 09:29 PM EST
Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his British counterpart David Cameron both stood up for their respective national interests last week and stared down a host of unelected (and unaccountable) bureaucratic rule makers.
In doing so, they confirmed their position in the vanguard of conservative political leadership slowly gathering momentum in the anglophone world. How did they do this? They just said “no.”
In Harper’s case, it was the rent seekers and incorrigible do-gooders behind the Kyoto protocols who were given their comeuppance.
Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent told Kyoto cheerleaders in Durban that Canada is counting itself out of any further engagement with the flawed treaty.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Chiquita Boycott
It is indeed irritating to hear that chiquitta has decided to try and boycott Canadian Ethical oil. The pot calling the kettle black. It is green washing at its most hypocritical.
Listen to our Chiquita Boycott Radio Ad
Ezra on chiquita.
Listen to our Chiquita Boycott Radio Ad
Ezra on chiquita.
The cwb loses in court
The cab legislation has had Royal Assent. I guess we will have to wait for the appeals to finish. Hopefully HM Government will also rein in the Milk and egg marketing boards as well.
WINNIPEG — Ottawa's newly minted law eliminating the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly powers to market Prairie wheat and barley has survived its first legal challenge.
Late Friday, a Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench judge denied a motion by eight former wheat board directors that would have temporarily prevented the Harper government from implementing the new law, which received royal assent on Thursday.
"I am not satisfied that there is sufficient urgency to justify the consideration of an interim injunction at this stage," Mr. Justice Shane Perlmutter ruled. He will hear more detailed arguments on an injunction against the controversial law in Winnipeg on Jan. 17-18.
For now, though, the Harper government's Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act (Bill C-18) remains in effect.
Earlier on Friday, at a rally with supporters on a farm near Regina, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz celebrated the passage of the new law.
"This feels . . . good. It's been a long time coming," he said of the government's long fight to end the wheat board's single desk.
"First they said it shouldn't be done. Then they said it couldn't be done, and then they said it wouldn't be done because they'll take us to court," he said of the naysayers.
WINNIPEG — Ottawa's newly minted law eliminating the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly powers to market Prairie wheat and barley has survived its first legal challenge.
Late Friday, a Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench judge denied a motion by eight former wheat board directors that would have temporarily prevented the Harper government from implementing the new law, which received royal assent on Thursday.
"I am not satisfied that there is sufficient urgency to justify the consideration of an interim injunction at this stage," Mr. Justice Shane Perlmutter ruled. He will hear more detailed arguments on an injunction against the controversial law in Winnipeg on Jan. 17-18.
For now, though, the Harper government's Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act (Bill C-18) remains in effect.
Earlier on Friday, at a rally with supporters on a farm near Regina, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz celebrated the passage of the new law.
"This feels . . . good. It's been a long time coming," he said of the government's long fight to end the wheat board's single desk.
"First they said it shouldn't be done. Then they said it couldn't be done, and then they said it wouldn't be done because they'll take us to court," he said of the naysayers.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Opt out of the un
So it seems the un is trying to bully HM Canadian Government. We need to get out this corrupt , useless organization. It is a club for the world's dictators and despots.
Welcome to Hotel Kyoto
Lorne Gunter, National Post · Dec. 16, 2011 | Last Updated: Dec. 16, 2011 5:10 AM ET
After federal Environment Minister Peter Kent announced Monday that Canada would be withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol on carbon emissions, the head of the UN agency that administers the protocol said she would not permit Ottawa to do so.
Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat and bureaucrat who is executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said Tuesday, "I regret that Canada has announced it will withdraw," but, she added, "whether or not Canada is a party to the Kyoto Protocol, it has a legal obligation under the Convention to reduce its emissions."
Welcome to the UN's Hotel Kyoto: "You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave."
What arrogance; what rot.
Welcome to Hotel Kyoto
Lorne Gunter, National Post · Dec. 16, 2011 | Last Updated: Dec. 16, 2011 5:10 AM ET
After federal Environment Minister Peter Kent announced Monday that Canada would be withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol on carbon emissions, the head of the UN agency that administers the protocol said she would not permit Ottawa to do so.
Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat and bureaucrat who is executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said Tuesday, "I regret that Canada has announced it will withdraw," but, she added, "whether or not Canada is a party to the Kyoto Protocol, it has a legal obligation under the Convention to reduce its emissions."
Welcome to the UN's Hotel Kyoto: "You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave."
What arrogance; what rot.
R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens
I often disagreed with Christopher Hitchens, much less so in the last few years. I am saddened by his death.
In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
by Juli Weiner 11:45 PM, DECEMBER 15 2011
Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after. His matchless prose has appeared in Vanity Fair since 1992, when he was named contributing editor.
“Cancer victimhood contains a permanent temptation to be self-centered and even solipsistic,” Hitchens wrote nearly a year ago in Vanity Fair, but his own final labors were anything but: in the last 12 months, he produced for this magazine a piece on U.S.-Pakistani relations in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, a portrait of Joan Didion, an essay on the Private Eye retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a prediction about the future of democracy in Egypt, a meditation on the legacy of progressivism in Wisconsin, and a series of frank, graceful, and exquisitely written essays in which he chronicled the physical and spiritual effects of his disease. At the end, Hitchens was more engaged, relentless, hilarious, observant, and intelligent than just about everyone else—just as he had been for the last four decades.
In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011
by Juli Weiner 11:45 PM, DECEMBER 15 2011
Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after. His matchless prose has appeared in Vanity Fair since 1992, when he was named contributing editor.
“Cancer victimhood contains a permanent temptation to be self-centered and even solipsistic,” Hitchens wrote nearly a year ago in Vanity Fair, but his own final labors were anything but: in the last 12 months, he produced for this magazine a piece on U.S.-Pakistani relations in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death, a portrait of Joan Didion, an essay on the Private Eye retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a prediction about the future of democracy in Egypt, a meditation on the legacy of progressivism in Wisconsin, and a series of frank, graceful, and exquisitely written essays in which he chronicled the physical and spiritual effects of his disease. At the end, Hitchens was more engaged, relentless, hilarious, observant, and intelligent than just about everyone else—just as he had been for the last four decades.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The bloc moribund
This makes me very happy. Another reason to celebrate the end of electoral welfare.
To understand just how moribund the Bloc Québécois has become, study the results of its leadership race, which concluded on the weekend with the selection of Daniel Paillé, a former BQ MP from the Montreal riding of Hochelaga.
In May, the Bloc had 50,000 members. By voting day on Sunday, it had 36,000. That means that in just seven months, it has lost more than a quarter of its rank-and-file, the people who are the backbone of any election campaign — canvassing support, making calls, putting up lawn signs, arranging voters’ rides to the polls and so on.
On top of that, just 39% of Bloc members bothered to vote in the contest. Mr. Paille earned 7,868 votes. His chief rival, Maria Mourani (one of just four Bloc MPs to retain her seat in May’s federal election), received only 4,972.
To understand just how moribund the Bloc Québécois has become, study the results of its leadership race, which concluded on the weekend with the selection of Daniel Paillé, a former BQ MP from the Montreal riding of Hochelaga.
In May, the Bloc had 50,000 members. By voting day on Sunday, it had 36,000. That means that in just seven months, it has lost more than a quarter of its rank-and-file, the people who are the backbone of any election campaign — canvassing support, making calls, putting up lawn signs, arranging voters’ rides to the polls and so on.
On top of that, just 39% of Bloc members bothered to vote in the contest. Mr. Paille earned 7,868 votes. His chief rival, Maria Mourani (one of just four Bloc MPs to retain her seat in May’s federal election), received only 4,972.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Daniel Hannan smacks down the eu
I am a big fan of Daniel Hannan. He is coming to the Manning Center Conference in arch. yet another reason to attend. Hannan smacks down the Anglophobes
Apple falls near the potty mouthed tree
I have little use for the petit dauphine. He apparently has his father's potty mouth and very little of his father's brain. This fool is a potential grit leader? The grits really are finished.
I have of late lost all my mirth when it comes to Canadian politics. Question Period, in particular, has been as much fun as watching a potato bake. But it’s the end of term and Justin Trudeau’s “shiddle-diddle” outburst reminded everyone why we still watch the daily tragi-comic farce on the Hill.
Like fighting in hockey, hearing politicians swear in public almost makes it worth sitting through all those boring questions about Kyoto and F35 fighter jets, with nary an answer at the end of them.
The last QP of the year was proceeding along in typically mundane fashion when Peter Kent, the Environment Minister, denigrated his NDP critic, Megan Leslie, for not attending the Durban conference on climate change. This inflamed the excitable Mr. Trudeau, since the government decided not to accredit any opposition members, making it hard for them to attend. He leapt to his feet, shouted out: “You piece of sh–” and stared down the Conservative benches.
Andrew Scheer, the new Speaker who is developing a reputation for cherubic grace under pressure, moved to the next question but it was clear that the Young Pretender wasn’t going to get off as easily as his father, who famously claimed he mouthed “fuddle duddle” back in 1971.
Prime minister Pierre Trudeau once famously caused outrage in 1971 after MPs accused him of mouthing “f— off” in the Commons. He denied swearing, claiming he uttered “fuddle duddle” instead.
That set the tone for the rest of the day. Some MPs were naughty and some were nice. Ryan Cleary, the NDP MP from St. John’s, nearly found himself being struck off the Speaker’s list when he called Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield a “bully.” Mr. Scheer deemed it unparliamentary language and quietly reminded Mr. Cleary that he might have trouble being recognized by the chair if he didn’t apologize.
A more seasoned MP would have asked: “What if I only think he’s a bully?” The Speaker would have been forced to concede he couldn’t do anything about that and Mr. Cleary would have been free to say he thinks Mr. Ashfield is a bully. Simple.
I have of late lost all my mirth when it comes to Canadian politics. Question Period, in particular, has been as much fun as watching a potato bake. But it’s the end of term and Justin Trudeau’s “shiddle-diddle” outburst reminded everyone why we still watch the daily tragi-comic farce on the Hill.
Like fighting in hockey, hearing politicians swear in public almost makes it worth sitting through all those boring questions about Kyoto and F35 fighter jets, with nary an answer at the end of them.
The last QP of the year was proceeding along in typically mundane fashion when Peter Kent, the Environment Minister, denigrated his NDP critic, Megan Leslie, for not attending the Durban conference on climate change. This inflamed the excitable Mr. Trudeau, since the government decided not to accredit any opposition members, making it hard for them to attend. He leapt to his feet, shouted out: “You piece of sh–” and stared down the Conservative benches.
Andrew Scheer, the new Speaker who is developing a reputation for cherubic grace under pressure, moved to the next question but it was clear that the Young Pretender wasn’t going to get off as easily as his father, who famously claimed he mouthed “fuddle duddle” back in 1971.
Prime minister Pierre Trudeau once famously caused outrage in 1971 after MPs accused him of mouthing “f— off” in the Commons. He denied swearing, claiming he uttered “fuddle duddle” instead.
That set the tone for the rest of the day. Some MPs were naughty and some were nice. Ryan Cleary, the NDP MP from St. John’s, nearly found himself being struck off the Speaker’s list when he called Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield a “bully.” Mr. Scheer deemed it unparliamentary language and quietly reminded Mr. Cleary that he might have trouble being recognized by the chair if he didn’t apologize.
A more seasoned MP would have asked: “What if I only think he’s a bully?” The Speaker would have been forced to concede he couldn’t do anything about that and Mr. Cleary would have been free to say he thinks Mr. Ashfield is a bully. Simple.
Absent leadership
Apparently the leadership candidates of the dippers and bloc didn't take Jack's words very seriously.
The federal politicians in the races to lead the NDP and the Bloc Québécois are also leading the pack of MPs who missed the most votes in this session of Parliament, according to the latest investigation of House of Commons attendance by The Globe and Mail.
Maria Mourani, who represents the Montreal riding of Ahuntsic and failed in her bid to become Bloc leader on Sunday, missed more votes than any MP – 73, or nearly three out of every four. Ms. Mourani said she had to be “pretty much everywhere in Quebec” for the leadership race and managed to make it to Ottawa two days a week.
Five NDP leadership hopefuls are among the top 10 MPs with the worst attendance record, and two others were in the top 30 – a far cry from the party’s strong performance of consistent attendance in the previous Parliament.
Romeo Saganash missed close to two-thirds of the votes and Thomas Mulcair more than half, placing second and fourth respectively.
The federal politicians in the races to lead the NDP and the Bloc Québécois are also leading the pack of MPs who missed the most votes in this session of Parliament, according to the latest investigation of House of Commons attendance by The Globe and Mail.
Maria Mourani, who represents the Montreal riding of Ahuntsic and failed in her bid to become Bloc leader on Sunday, missed more votes than any MP – 73, or nearly three out of every four. Ms. Mourani said she had to be “pretty much everywhere in Quebec” for the leadership race and managed to make it to Ottawa two days a week.
Five NDP leadership hopefuls are among the top 10 MPs with the worst attendance record, and two others were in the top 30 – a far cry from the party’s strong performance of consistent attendance in the previous Parliament.
Romeo Saganash missed close to two-thirds of the votes and Thomas Mulcair more than half, placing second and fourth respectively.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
pseudo chrétien increasingly delusional
pseudo chrétien is a sad shell of a leader., This is how the grits are raising money now? It's laughable.
Until Stephen Harper wins his next majority, Jean Chrétien will be remembered as the most successful Canadian politician of our time. He unified the Liberal Party of Canada, stared down separatism, balanced the books and stood up for free trade. And he made it look easy. Putting aside the sponsorship scandal and Shawinigate, he has a solid legacy. And he shouldn’t squander his reputation by writing cynical, and even ridiculous, fundraising propaganda for the political party that started disintegrating the second he stopped being its leader.
“Unless we are bold. Unless we seize the moment. Everything we built will start being chipped away,” Mr. Chrétien wrote in a fundraising email circulated on Tuesday. “The Conservatives already ended gun control and Kyoto. Next may be a woman’s right to choose, or gay marriage. Then might come capital punishment. And one by one, the values we cherish as Canadians will be gone.”
The email ends, somewhat anti-climactically, with a solicitation for a $5 donation. Yes, it has come down to this for the cash-starved, third-place party that just a decade ago seemed destined to govern Canada in perpetuity.
Until Stephen Harper wins his next majority, Jean Chrétien will be remembered as the most successful Canadian politician of our time. He unified the Liberal Party of Canada, stared down separatism, balanced the books and stood up for free trade. And he made it look easy. Putting aside the sponsorship scandal and Shawinigate, he has a solid legacy. And he shouldn’t squander his reputation by writing cynical, and even ridiculous, fundraising propaganda for the political party that started disintegrating the second he stopped being its leader.
“Unless we are bold. Unless we seize the moment. Everything we built will start being chipped away,” Mr. Chrétien wrote in a fundraising email circulated on Tuesday. “The Conservatives already ended gun control and Kyoto. Next may be a woman’s right to choose, or gay marriage. Then might come capital punishment. And one by one, the values we cherish as Canadians will be gone.”
The email ends, somewhat anti-climactically, with a solicitation for a $5 donation. Yes, it has come down to this for the cash-starved, third-place party that just a decade ago seemed destined to govern Canada in perpetuity.
C2C on Quebec
My friends at C2C Journal have a great edition on Quebec. Paul Beaudry writes about the horrible CAQ will eliminate the ADQ ( the only centre right party in Quebec provincially). Unfortuantely that seems to be happening.
Joseph Quesnel interview my friend and co founder of the RLQ, Joanne Marcotte.
Many more interesting articles on Quebec and its future in this edition. Read the C2C Journal, Canada;s journal of ideas.
Joseph Quesnel interview my friend and co founder of the RLQ, Joanne Marcotte.
Many more interesting articles on Quebec and its future in this edition. Read the C2C Journal, Canada;s journal of ideas.
Monday, December 12, 2011
A lesson for Rae
My friend James Bowden replies to bob Rae's call for the GG to withhold Royal Assent ( a comment that made me giggle). Perhaps mr Rae needs to study our constitution or perhaps hire James as a consultant. Sad that this is bob's levee of understanding after decades in parliament.
No Discretion: On Royal Assent and the Governor General
Posted on 2011/12/12
Introduction
Under our system of responsible government, the Sovereign or Governor General exercises his prerogative powers on the advice of the Crown-in-Council, and his constitutional powers relating to Parliament on the advice of the Prime Minister alone. Responsible government means that “Ministers of the Crown are responsible for acts of the Crown” and responsible to the House of Commons.[1] The Sovereign or Governor General acts as a neutral figure and remains above partisan politics. The Prime Minister is the Governor General’s principle constitutional advisor, and while his government commands the confidence of the House, the Governor General must carry out the Prime Minister’s advice. Under no circumstances can the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the third opposition party, or any other government or opposition backbencher offer legitimate, binding constitutional advice to the Governor General.
No Discretion: On Royal Assent and the Governor General
Posted on 2011/12/12
Introduction
Under our system of responsible government, the Sovereign or Governor General exercises his prerogative powers on the advice of the Crown-in-Council, and his constitutional powers relating to Parliament on the advice of the Prime Minister alone. Responsible government means that “Ministers of the Crown are responsible for acts of the Crown” and responsible to the House of Commons.[1] The Sovereign or Governor General acts as a neutral figure and remains above partisan politics. The Prime Minister is the Governor General’s principle constitutional advisor, and while his government commands the confidence of the House, the Governor General must carry out the Prime Minister’s advice. Under no circumstances can the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the third opposition party, or any other government or opposition backbencher offer legitimate, binding constitutional advice to the Governor General.
Robson on the hoax
Another great analyses of the Kyoto had
Not only is the Kyoto Protocol technically flawed, the so-called science behind it is utter twaddle. Never mind complicated things like non-linear mathematics or, indeed, mathematics of any sort. The alarmists can’t possibly know how to predict the future of Earth’s climate because they can’t explain its past.
At one point the UN’s famous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tried to tell us the climate story was pretty simple. Their infamous “hockey stick” graph showed temperature constant for 1,000 years, then shooting up sharply in the 20th century as Industrial Man started pumping CO2 and other GHGs into the atmosphere. On top of the technical jiggery-pokery, this account brazenly misrepresented the past.
As the IPCC itself admitted in 1990, we’ve long known about a “Medieval Warm Period” starting around 1000 AD followed by a “Little Ice Age” from about 1600 until the mid-19th century. The former explains why the Viking settlement flourished then perished in Greenland. And slower tree growth producing denser wood during the latter may account for the superb resonance of Stradivarius violins. But whatever made the Medieval Warm Period warm, it certainly wasn’t manmade GHGs. Nor did we cause the Little Ice Age.
Not only is the Kyoto Protocol technically flawed, the so-called science behind it is utter twaddle. Never mind complicated things like non-linear mathematics or, indeed, mathematics of any sort. The alarmists can’t possibly know how to predict the future of Earth’s climate because they can’t explain its past.
At one point the UN’s famous Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tried to tell us the climate story was pretty simple. Their infamous “hockey stick” graph showed temperature constant for 1,000 years, then shooting up sharply in the 20th century as Industrial Man started pumping CO2 and other GHGs into the atmosphere. On top of the technical jiggery-pokery, this account brazenly misrepresented the past.
As the IPCC itself admitted in 1990, we’ve long known about a “Medieval Warm Period” starting around 1000 AD followed by a “Little Ice Age” from about 1600 until the mid-19th century. The former explains why the Viking settlement flourished then perished in Greenland. And slower tree growth producing denser wood during the latter may account for the superb resonance of Stradivarius violins. But whatever made the Medieval Warm Period warm, it certainly wasn’t manmade GHGs. Nor did we cause the Little Ice Age.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Anyone care?
I certainly don't. This hasn't had much play even in Quebec.
Bloc Québécois: le nouveau leader du parti sera choisi dimanche
La Presse Canadienne
Montréal
Les militants du Bloc Québécois choisiront leur nouveau chef dimanche, alors que le parti tente de recoller les morceaux après la cuisante défaite essuyée aux élections fédérales de mai.
Deux députés, Maria Mourani et Jean-François Fortin, de même que Daniel Paillé, qui a été emporté par la vague orange lors du dernier scrutin, se disputent le poste. Ils reconnaissent tous que le Bloc aura du pain sur la planche.
Mme Mourani a par ailleurs souligné que la reconstruction d'un parti politique ne pouvait se faire en un ou deux mois, ajoutant que le prochain chef aurait une «tâche colossale à abattre».
Les courses à la direction constituent habituellement une occasion pour les partis d'attirer l'attention médiatique, mais la chefferie au Bloc n'aura défrayé les manchettes qu'à quelques reprises.
Bloc Québécois: le nouveau leader du parti sera choisi dimanche
La Presse Canadienne
Montréal
Les militants du Bloc Québécois choisiront leur nouveau chef dimanche, alors que le parti tente de recoller les morceaux après la cuisante défaite essuyée aux élections fédérales de mai.
Deux députés, Maria Mourani et Jean-François Fortin, de même que Daniel Paillé, qui a été emporté par la vague orange lors du dernier scrutin, se disputent le poste. Ils reconnaissent tous que le Bloc aura du pain sur la planche.
Mme Mourani a par ailleurs souligné que la reconstruction d'un parti politique ne pouvait se faire en un ou deux mois, ajoutant que le prochain chef aurait une «tâche colossale à abattre».
Les courses à la direction constituent habituellement une occasion pour les partis d'attirer l'attention médiatique, mais la chefferie au Bloc n'aura défrayé les manchettes qu'à quelques reprises.
The Statute of Westminster
It is the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster. Today Canada and the other Dominions achieved independence with no violence and in a spirit of unity and friendship.
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster
December 11, 2011
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement to mark the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster:
“Today we mark the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, one of the most important documents in our country’s history.
"The Statute removed the United Kingdom's ability to make laws for Canada, effectively enshrining Canada's equal status as a nation.
“This important milestone reminds us foremost of how Canadians who came before us earned our country’s independence through bravery and merit, particularly in World War I.
“On this day I encourage all Canadians to explore this remarkable document which remains a pillar of our peaceful and prosperous democracy.”
80th Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, 1931
Today is the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, 1931, the Act of the United Kingdom Parliament that established legislative equality between the UK and all of the self-governing dominions within the British Empire. Although Canadians (1867), Australians (1788) and New Zealanders (1840) claim different years of foundation and choose to celebrate their national "Dominion/Canada Day", "Australia Day" and "Waitangi Day" birthdays on the anniversary of this foundation date (Canada - 1 July, enactment of the British North America Act, a.k.a. the Constitution Act, 1867; New Zealand - 6 February, signing of the Treaty of Waitangi; and Australia - 26 January, the proclamation of British sovereignty upon the landing of the British First Fleet in Sydney Cove) the more accurate "Independence Day" for these nations is today, 11th December (although it should be noted that, whilst the Statute automatically applied to Canada, South Africa and the Irish Free State, it had to be ratified separately by the parliaments of Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland).
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster
December 11, 2011
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement to mark the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster:
“Today we mark the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, one of the most important documents in our country’s history.
"The Statute removed the United Kingdom's ability to make laws for Canada, effectively enshrining Canada's equal status as a nation.
“This important milestone reminds us foremost of how Canadians who came before us earned our country’s independence through bravery and merit, particularly in World War I.
“On this day I encourage all Canadians to explore this remarkable document which remains a pillar of our peaceful and prosperous democracy.”
80th Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, 1931
Today is the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, 1931, the Act of the United Kingdom Parliament that established legislative equality between the UK and all of the self-governing dominions within the British Empire. Although Canadians (1867), Australians (1788) and New Zealanders (1840) claim different years of foundation and choose to celebrate their national "Dominion/Canada Day", "Australia Day" and "Waitangi Day" birthdays on the anniversary of this foundation date (Canada - 1 July, enactment of the British North America Act, a.k.a. the Constitution Act, 1867; New Zealand - 6 February, signing of the Treaty of Waitangi; and Australia - 26 January, the proclamation of British sovereignty upon the landing of the British First Fleet in Sydney Cove) the more accurate "Independence Day" for these nations is today, 11th December (although it should be noted that, whilst the Statute automatically applied to Canada, South Africa and the Irish Free State, it had to be ratified separately by the parliaments of Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland).
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Petty pq
Another reason I am glad the pq is imploding. This is getting pretty silly. How disrespectful to the hundred of thousands of Anglophones that live in Quebec.
PQ language critic to boycott English at news conferences
Blanchet says he will speak only French in official capacity after receiving complaints
BY KEVIN DOUGHERTY, GAZETTE QUEBEC BUREAU DECEMBER 8, 2011
Yves-François Blanchet, the Parti Québécois language critic, met with representatives of Quebec's English-language media Wednesday to tell them he will continue to grant interviews in English but will no longer answer questions in English at "official" news conferences.
"When I give a press conference, I speak officially in the name of my party in the National Assembly," Blanchet explained.
"When I do some official intervention, I want to do it in French because it is the only official language in Quebec," he said.
"I don't want to give the message that there are two official languages in Quebec. There is only one."
Blanchet said he's received many complaints via social media over his use of English.
"They thought that I have given as much importance to English," he said.
"They were right."
Blanchet is the only member of the PQ caucus to take this position so far, although some PQ MNAs do not speak English as a rule and several ministers in the Charest government also do not speak any English.
"I did not ask anybody to do as I do," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if eventually the issue is raised but it is not something I have asked. It's a personal decision."
PQ language critic to boycott English at news conferences
Blanchet says he will speak only French in official capacity after receiving complaints
BY KEVIN DOUGHERTY, GAZETTE QUEBEC BUREAU DECEMBER 8, 2011
Yves-François Blanchet, the Parti Québécois language critic, met with representatives of Quebec's English-language media Wednesday to tell them he will continue to grant interviews in English but will no longer answer questions in English at "official" news conferences.
"When I give a press conference, I speak officially in the name of my party in the National Assembly," Blanchet explained.
"When I do some official intervention, I want to do it in French because it is the only official language in Quebec," he said.
"I don't want to give the message that there are two official languages in Quebec. There is only one."
Blanchet said he's received many complaints via social media over his use of English.
"They thought that I have given as much importance to English," he said.
"They were right."
Blanchet is the only member of the PQ caucus to take this position so far, although some PQ MNAs do not speak English as a rule and several ministers in the Charest government also do not speak any English.
"I did not ask anybody to do as I do," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if eventually the issue is raised but it is not something I have asked. It's a personal decision."
Memphis
I recently saw the Dancap production of Memphis. It is the story of Huey Calhoun a DJ in Memphis, who introduced "Black" music to a white audience. I very much enjoyed the story. The songs were energetic and fun. All in all a great evening. It's interesting to note that the way black music made on to white radio was that the station owner thought he would make money. Capitalism is the ultimate equalizer.
cbc decimated?
I can only hope. An interesting perspective on the sale of MLSE.
Will Leafs sale cause CBC to cease?
By CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI AGENCY
As partners in the Leafs, did it not just become a lot easier for Bell (TSN) and Rogers (Sportsnet) to team up and wrestle the Saturday night package from CBC? (REUTERS/Mark Blinch)
MONTREAL - The Bell-Rogers marriage to take over Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is being consummated and now I'm left wondering where this leaves CBC in the Centre of the Universe.
The Corp's biggest cash cow is Hockey Night in Canada -- and HNIC's world revolves around the Toronto Maple Leafs. What happens if Rogers and Bell, which own the country's two biggest sports networks and now Canada's most important hockey franchise, decide they want the Leafs on Saturday night for themselves?
As partners in the Leafs, did it not just become a lot easier for Bell (TSN) and Rogers (Sportsnet) to team up and wrestle the Saturday night package from CBC?
CBC's biggest competitors just bought themselves a spot at the NHL table and, you would think, some influence over what will happen with the national television rights (think Comcast in the U.S. owning NBC, Versus, etc., and the Philadelphia Flyers and locking up the national rights for 10 years).
It only makes sense that Bell and Rogers would want the Leafs and Saturday night for TSN and Sportsnet when Canada's national broadcast rights come up for renewal. It's the biggest night of the week for hockey on TV.
Money always will be the ultimate decider so, unless CBC overpays, you have to think Bell and Rogers will make a big play for Saturday night.
Without the revenue from Hockey Night in Canada, does CBC continue to exist as we know it?
Will Leafs sale cause CBC to cease?
By CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI AGENCY
As partners in the Leafs, did it not just become a lot easier for Bell (TSN) and Rogers (Sportsnet) to team up and wrestle the Saturday night package from CBC? (REUTERS/Mark Blinch)
MONTREAL - The Bell-Rogers marriage to take over Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is being consummated and now I'm left wondering where this leaves CBC in the Centre of the Universe.
The Corp's biggest cash cow is Hockey Night in Canada -- and HNIC's world revolves around the Toronto Maple Leafs. What happens if Rogers and Bell, which own the country's two biggest sports networks and now Canada's most important hockey franchise, decide they want the Leafs on Saturday night for themselves?
As partners in the Leafs, did it not just become a lot easier for Bell (TSN) and Rogers (Sportsnet) to team up and wrestle the Saturday night package from CBC?
CBC's biggest competitors just bought themselves a spot at the NHL table and, you would think, some influence over what will happen with the national television rights (think Comcast in the U.S. owning NBC, Versus, etc., and the Philadelphia Flyers and locking up the national rights for 10 years).
It only makes sense that Bell and Rogers would want the Leafs and Saturday night for TSN and Sportsnet when Canada's national broadcast rights come up for renewal. It's the biggest night of the week for hockey on TV.
Money always will be the ultimate decider so, unless CBC overpays, you have to think Bell and Rogers will make a big play for Saturday night.
Without the revenue from Hockey Night in Canada, does CBC continue to exist as we know it?
The opposite of diversity...
is University. That's what Kate Macmillan says and she's right. More evidence:
A “disconcerting” number of Canadian universities have failed in their mission to protect free speech and in the process are helping to erode open debate in the larger society, a new report contends.
“If censorship is OK on a university campus, I think there is a spin-off effect that harms the health of free speech outside the university as well,” Calgary lawyer John Carpay, one of the authors of The 2011 Campus Free Speech Index, said Thursday. “Taxpayers are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to these institutions that promise to be a forum for frank debate. It’s disconcerting to see this.”
Mr. Carpay has been defending anti-abortion students at the University of Calgary, a school cited in the report. It grades 18 secular universities in terms of their policies on free speech, their actions and practices, as well as student union policies and practices. None of the schools came out unblemished but the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of New Brunswick fared the best as protectors of free speech.
A “disconcerting” number of Canadian universities have failed in their mission to protect free speech and in the process are helping to erode open debate in the larger society, a new report contends.
“If censorship is OK on a university campus, I think there is a spin-off effect that harms the health of free speech outside the university as well,” Calgary lawyer John Carpay, one of the authors of The 2011 Campus Free Speech Index, said Thursday. “Taxpayers are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to these institutions that promise to be a forum for frank debate. It’s disconcerting to see this.”
Mr. Carpay has been defending anti-abortion students at the University of Calgary, a school cited in the report. It grades 18 secular universities in terms of their policies on free speech, their actions and practices, as well as student union policies and practices. None of the schools came out unblemished but the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of New Brunswick fared the best as protectors of free speech.
Trust
Atheists wonder why theists don't trust them? My latest letter to the editor in the National Post.
Some atheists seem upset that theists see them as untrustworthy. Perhaps the words of some of their militant atheist friends can explain that. A lot of atheists incessantly mock theists. Indeed militant atheists like Richard Dawkins persecute theists. It should hardly be a surprise that theists are suspicious of these militant atheists, who really are another form of religion.
I am a Christian and I have trusted agnostic and atheist friends. Trust is a two-way street.
Roy Eappen, Montreal.
Some atheists seem upset that theists see them as untrustworthy. Perhaps the words of some of their militant atheist friends can explain that. A lot of atheists incessantly mock theists. Indeed militant atheists like Richard Dawkins persecute theists. It should hardly be a surprise that theists are suspicious of these militant atheists, who really are another form of religion.
I am a Christian and I have trusted agnostic and atheist friends. Trust is a two-way street.
Roy Eappen, Montreal.
Friday, December 09, 2011
UK avoids the eu super nanny state
I knew HM UK PM Cameron was on the right track when I heard a a labour MP on CBC.ca | As it Happens ranting about Cameron( of course with no balance, cbc bias as usual. Labour is completely wrong on almost everything. Cameron has made the right decision
Cameron leads Britain to a new dawn as the EU sets sail on the Titanic to a doomed future
By NICK WOOD
Last updated at 12:00 AM on 10th December 2011
Jubilant: David Cameron is leading Britain to a new dawn with his momentous victory in Europe
With one bound he was free. Well, almost. At a stroke, David Cameron has mended a thousand fences with his increasingly mutinous MPs and with a British public increasingly disenchanted at being ruled by a foreign power.
Black Wednesday, later rechristened White Wednesday, was September 16, 1992. That’s when Britain abandoned the ERM, the forerunner of the euro, and reclaimed control of its currency. December 9, 2011 will go down in history as marking an even bigger break with the damaging and undemocratic European project.
The truth is Cameron had no choice but to veto the Merkozy power grab. Their plans for a financial transactions tax is a missile aimed at the heart of the City of London, which accounts for 10 per cent of our national output and contributes £54 billion a year in tax revenues – roughly half the cost of running the health service.
Just as bad, the EU is gearing up to bury the City beneath a blizzard of job and wealth-destroying regulations. At present, 49 new pieces of European red tape are in the pipeline.
Cameron leads Britain to a new dawn as the EU sets sail on the Titanic to a doomed future
By NICK WOOD
Last updated at 12:00 AM on 10th December 2011
Jubilant: David Cameron is leading Britain to a new dawn with his momentous victory in Europe
With one bound he was free. Well, almost. At a stroke, David Cameron has mended a thousand fences with his increasingly mutinous MPs and with a British public increasingly disenchanted at being ruled by a foreign power.
Black Wednesday, later rechristened White Wednesday, was September 16, 1992. That’s when Britain abandoned the ERM, the forerunner of the euro, and reclaimed control of its currency. December 9, 2011 will go down in history as marking an even bigger break with the damaging and undemocratic European project.
The truth is Cameron had no choice but to veto the Merkozy power grab. Their plans for a financial transactions tax is a missile aimed at the heart of the City of London, which accounts for 10 per cent of our national output and contributes £54 billion a year in tax revenues – roughly half the cost of running the health service.
Just as bad, the EU is gearing up to bury the City beneath a blizzard of job and wealth-destroying regulations. At present, 49 new pieces of European red tape are in the pipeline.
Even the Ottawa Citizen...
understands its a stupid judge.
Parliament can change law
OTTAWA CITIZEN DECEMBER 9, 2011
The Federal Court has decided the government's legislation making changes to the Canadian Wheat Board is an "affront to the rule of law." This is a serious finding, but it was not an inevitable conclusion. It required the court to give weight to a particular interpretation of another law, and to decide that what Parliament meant to say isn't precisely what it did say.
What Parliament did say, in Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act, added in 1998, is that no government can add or subtract any particular kind of grain to the wheat board's mandate without consulting the board, and getting a favourable vote from farmers in a "voting process ... determined by the Minister."
This government doesn't want to add or subtract a type of grain. It wants to remove the board's marketing monopoly - the "single desk" - so farmers can decide how and to whom they sell their products.
Parliament can change law
OTTAWA CITIZEN DECEMBER 9, 2011
The Federal Court has decided the government's legislation making changes to the Canadian Wheat Board is an "affront to the rule of law." This is a serious finding, but it was not an inevitable conclusion. It required the court to give weight to a particular interpretation of another law, and to decide that what Parliament meant to say isn't precisely what it did say.
What Parliament did say, in Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act, added in 1998, is that no government can add or subtract any particular kind of grain to the wheat board's mandate without consulting the board, and getting a favourable vote from farmers in a "voting process ... determined by the Minister."
This government doesn't want to add or subtract a type of grain. It wants to remove the board's marketing monopoly - the "single desk" - so farmers can decide how and to whom they sell their products.
Good for HM UK PM Cameron
HM UK PM Cameron has said the UK would never join the euro. That may be moot as the euro is collapsing and I am not at all sure it will survive. Any new eu treaty must be put to a vote in the UK. It is time for the UK to leave this nanny state socialist mess. THe future of the UK is with the Anglosphere and Commonwealth. A free trade area for Europe, but the eu must go.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing criticisms of leaving the UK isolated after he said he would not agree to a new European Union treaty.
The British Prime Minister also took the unusual step of telling assembled journalists in Brussels on Friday Britain “would never join the euro”. He addded that proposals put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were not something he could agree to and then take back to the UK to put to a vote in parliament in “good conscience.”
Cameron said he had exercised Britain’s veto in order to prevent a treaty of all 27 member states being drawn up after failing to win concessions over European regulation of financial services.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing criticisms of leaving the UK isolated after he said he would not agree to a new European Union treaty.
The British Prime Minister also took the unusual step of telling assembled journalists in Brussels on Friday Britain “would never join the euro”. He addded that proposals put forward by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were not something he could agree to and then take back to the UK to put to a vote in parliament in “good conscience.”
Cameron said he had exercised Britain’s veto in order to prevent a treaty of all 27 member states being drawn up after failing to win concessions over European regulation of financial services.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
More judicial activism
The cwb ruling seems pretty ridiculous. It should be overturned. Hopefully the Tories will appoint more judges who don't make up the laws to suit themselves.
Federal Court Judge Douglas Campbell’s decision to declare Bill C-18 unlawful is a perfect example of a judge overstepping his judicial bounds and entering into the world of politics. That’s why his decision will be overturned on appeal.
Campbell said the bill — which will eliminate the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly — is unlawful because government failed to consult the CWB or hold a vote among grain farmers.
Trouble is, nowhere in the act does it say those are legal requirements government must follow before eliminating the single-desk system.
To be honest, Campbell’s written decision reads more like political commentary than a judicial ruling. It has more to do with the judge’s personal beliefs than the rule of law.
He has essentially read a rule into the Canadian Wheat Board Act — under Sec. 47.1 — that simply doesn’t exist.
He may want it to exist. He may think the government has a moral obligation to hold a vote among farmers before eliminating the board’s monopoly. But that’s not what the law says.
Federal Court Judge Douglas Campbell’s decision to declare Bill C-18 unlawful is a perfect example of a judge overstepping his judicial bounds and entering into the world of politics. That’s why his decision will be overturned on appeal.
Campbell said the bill — which will eliminate the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly — is unlawful because government failed to consult the CWB or hold a vote among grain farmers.
Trouble is, nowhere in the act does it say those are legal requirements government must follow before eliminating the single-desk system.
To be honest, Campbell’s written decision reads more like political commentary than a judicial ruling. It has more to do with the judge’s personal beliefs than the rule of law.
He has essentially read a rule into the Canadian Wheat Board Act — under Sec. 47.1 — that simply doesn’t exist.
He may want it to exist. He may think the government has a moral obligation to hold a vote among farmers before eliminating the board’s monopoly. But that’s not what the law says.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Fortress North America
As I have written before I think that fortress North America is a good idea. It looks like that is what we will have. Good for HM Canadian Government.
If Stephen Harper and Barack Obama (or his successor) fulfill the promises unveiled Wednesday with the Beyond the Border Accord, then that border will be more secure and easier to cross, both economies will benefit, and we will be able to decide once and for all what to call a steak.
The action plan announced Wednesday afternoon by the Prime Minister and President is in essence three deals. The first agrees to create a continental security perimeter to deter criminals and terrorists.
If Stephen Harper and Barack Obama (or his successor) fulfill the promises unveiled Wednesday with the Beyond the Border Accord, then that border will be more secure and easier to cross, both economies will benefit, and we will be able to decide once and for all what to call a steak.
The action plan announced Wednesday afternoon by the Prime Minister and President is in essence three deals. The first agrees to create a continental security perimeter to deter criminals and terrorists.
euro and Kyoto both need to die
An excellent piece by Peter Foster. Three eu and Kyoto are both examples of big government gone crazy. They are both imploding. Good. A European free trade zone should replace the eu. Nothing should replace Kyoto.
The foundering this week of not one but two experiments in megalomanic government pretension - the Kyoto Protocol and the European superstate - should provide cause for reflection about the limits of government. Instead, what we are seeing is desperate attempts to paper over the yawning policy cracks.
Both the Durban Kyoto meeting and the eurozone summit are meant to unveil new master plans on Friday. Neither is likely to have much credibility, since most of the details will be "to follow." The difference is that Durban is about proposing unworkable solutions to what may well be a phantom problem, whereas the euro crisis is both genuine and immediate.
Standard & Poor's threat to downgrade both eurozone countries and the European Financial Stability Fund provided an unwelcome advanced verdict on sketchy schemes outlined this week by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The "Merkozy" plans involve tough talk but problematic implementation. There would be tighter fiscal discipline for all 27 EU members, or maybe just the 17 in the eurozone. This discipline would have the teeth of sanctions, but those sanctions would require weighted voting of members. Bizarrely, Merkozy agreed that those forced "haircuts" for Greek bondholders were a terrible idea. Inevitably, they weren't very forthcoming about the real reason: How can you suck bond investors into basket cases unless they know they're going to be bailed out? (Shh. Don't tell taxpayers.)
The foundering this week of not one but two experiments in megalomanic government pretension - the Kyoto Protocol and the European superstate - should provide cause for reflection about the limits of government. Instead, what we are seeing is desperate attempts to paper over the yawning policy cracks.
Both the Durban Kyoto meeting and the eurozone summit are meant to unveil new master plans on Friday. Neither is likely to have much credibility, since most of the details will be "to follow." The difference is that Durban is about proposing unworkable solutions to what may well be a phantom problem, whereas the euro crisis is both genuine and immediate.
Standard & Poor's threat to downgrade both eurozone countries and the European Financial Stability Fund provided an unwelcome advanced verdict on sketchy schemes outlined this week by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The "Merkozy" plans involve tough talk but problematic implementation. There would be tighter fiscal discipline for all 27 EU members, or maybe just the 17 in the eurozone. This discipline would have the teeth of sanctions, but those sanctions would require weighted voting of members. Bizarrely, Merkozy agreed that those forced "haircuts" for Greek bondholders were a terrible idea. Inevitably, they weren't very forthcoming about the real reason: How can you suck bond investors into basket cases unless they know they're going to be bailed out? (Shh. Don't tell taxpayers.)
Coyne on the CBC
An interesting article. The first part of the article seems to be an attempt at getting street cred among Andrew's many grit friends and family. The second part agrees wiith all of us who want to stop funding this boondoggle.
I want to sell of the CBC or turn it into the PBS model.
There is an undeniably sinister quality to the apparently coordinated campaign of harassment currently under way against the CBC. Were it just occasional sniping from the Tory backbench, were it simply the Quebecor/Sun Media empire beating its favourite hobby horse, were the National Citizens Coalition merely on one of its crusades—were it even all three together—you might call it business as usual.
But when you consider the links between these different organizations—the Prime Minister’s former communications director Kory Teneycke is vice-president of Sun News Network, while the director of the NCC is the former Conservative candidate and online maven Stephen Taylor—the whole thing takes on a different cast. At what point do we conclude that this relentless public mauling at the hands of government MPs and their private sector proxies is intended not merely to expose the CBC to proper scrutiny as a public agency, but to intimidate it in its function as a news organization?
The problem the CBC faces is that whatever their motives might be, its antagonists are, on the whole, right (you should pardon the expression). They are right in terms of the immediate controversy, i.e., whether the corporation is obliged to comply with access to information requests, even from its competitors: clearly, under the law, it must. While the law makes exception for certain types of documents, it cannot be up to the CBC alone to decide which documents qualify for this exception, as a court has lately ruled.
And they’re right in their more general proposition: that it is long past time for fundamental reform of the corporation’s mandate and structure. Put simply, the case for a publicly funded television network has collapsed. It has done so under the weight of three inescapable realities.
I want to sell of the CBC or turn it into the PBS model.
There is an undeniably sinister quality to the apparently coordinated campaign of harassment currently under way against the CBC. Were it just occasional sniping from the Tory backbench, were it simply the Quebecor/Sun Media empire beating its favourite hobby horse, were the National Citizens Coalition merely on one of its crusades—were it even all three together—you might call it business as usual.
But when you consider the links between these different organizations—the Prime Minister’s former communications director Kory Teneycke is vice-president of Sun News Network, while the director of the NCC is the former Conservative candidate and online maven Stephen Taylor—the whole thing takes on a different cast. At what point do we conclude that this relentless public mauling at the hands of government MPs and their private sector proxies is intended not merely to expose the CBC to proper scrutiny as a public agency, but to intimidate it in its function as a news organization?
The problem the CBC faces is that whatever their motives might be, its antagonists are, on the whole, right (you should pardon the expression). They are right in terms of the immediate controversy, i.e., whether the corporation is obliged to comply with access to information requests, even from its competitors: clearly, under the law, it must. While the law makes exception for certain types of documents, it cannot be up to the CBC alone to decide which documents qualify for this exception, as a court has lately ruled.
And they’re right in their more general proposition: that it is long past time for fundamental reform of the corporation’s mandate and structure. Put simply, the case for a publicly funded television network has collapsed. It has done so under the weight of three inescapable realities.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Amazing Albrecht Family
It is hard for me to express how proud I am of Harold Albrecht and his family? what an amazing member of our Tory family. As a physician I have watched many families desperately wait for organs. The Albrecht family has truly given the gift of life to 5 families. I hope the Albrechts will serve as an example. Sign your organ donor cards and tell your families that you have. Thousands wait for organs as I write this. Please try and help!,
The Tory MP, his dying wife and the five lives saved with her organs
JANE TABER
OTTAWA— Globe and Mail Update
Posted on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 5:38PM EST
It was election night and it was shaping up to be a very good night for Harold Albrecht. He was headed toward his third victory as the Conservative MP for Kitchener–Conestoga in Southwestern Ontario.
But as he and his wife, Betty, watched the returns on television, she suddenly collapsed. Later, she died in hospital of a spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.
Mr. Albrecht told his story Monday night in the House of Commons. It was close to 11 p.m. when he took to the floor of the Commons, however, and so it’s doubtful many people were listening.
Too bad. What Canadians usually hear from the House are the heckles and insults traded back and forth during Question Period. But at this late hour, Mr. Albrecht was participating in the “take note” debate on organ donation. He was one of the last MPs to speak.
A religious man, Mr. Albrecht talked passionately and personally about the decision he made on election night in May to donate his wife’s organs. There was not a hint of politics or partisanship in his remarks.
The debate was inspired by the situation facing Garry Keller. The 35-year-old chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird recently went public with his plea for a living kidney donor.
Seven years ago, Mr. Keller suffered kidney failure and has been on dialysis ever since. Recently, his doctors informed him that dialysis could soon harm his other organs and that he really needed to start actively looking for a donor.
The Tory MP, his dying wife and the five lives saved with her organs
JANE TABER
OTTAWA— Globe and Mail Update
Posted on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 5:38PM EST
It was election night and it was shaping up to be a very good night for Harold Albrecht. He was headed toward his third victory as the Conservative MP for Kitchener–Conestoga in Southwestern Ontario.
But as he and his wife, Betty, watched the returns on television, she suddenly collapsed. Later, she died in hospital of a spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.
Mr. Albrecht told his story Monday night in the House of Commons. It was close to 11 p.m. when he took to the floor of the Commons, however, and so it’s doubtful many people were listening.
Too bad. What Canadians usually hear from the House are the heckles and insults traded back and forth during Question Period. But at this late hour, Mr. Albrecht was participating in the “take note” debate on organ donation. He was one of the last MPs to speak.
A religious man, Mr. Albrecht talked passionately and personally about the decision he made on election night in May to donate his wife’s organs. There was not a hint of politics or partisanship in his remarks.
The debate was inspired by the situation facing Garry Keller. The 35-year-old chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird recently went public with his plea for a living kidney donor.
Seven years ago, Mr. Keller suffered kidney failure and has been on dialysis ever since. Recently, his doctors informed him that dialysis could soon harm his other organs and that he really needed to start actively looking for a donor.
Dalton's a disaster?..
...for Ontario taxpayers. Terence Corocran on Dalton's green energy boondoggles.
The Auditor-General leaves little to the imagination in his incisive dissection of the government’s top-down, to-hell-with-economics power trip. Even the Cabinet appears to be an after-thought.
The idea was simple within the tight control centre run by the Premier and former Energy Minister George Smitherman. Renewable energy would create jobs in Ontario and reduce carbon emissions and, possibly, offset closing coal plants. None of these alleged objectives were ever examined. The government appears to have depended almost totally on the input of industry “stakeholders.”
The coal plants will close, but the lost power will be replaced by gas and nuclear, not renewables. Billions of dollars were committed to renewable energy, writes the Auditor-General, “without fully evaluating the impact, the trade-offs and the alternatives through comprehensive business-case analysis.” Regulators were ignored, no objective studies were considered or investigations conducted.
In a pointed note at the beginning of comments on renewables, the AG highlights the wilful neglect that continues to dominate electricity policy. “We did not rely on the Ministry [of Energy]’s internal audit service team to reduce the extent of our audit work because it had not recently conducted any audit on renewable energy initiatives.”
On job creation, the AG concludes that claims of 50,000 green jobs are inaccurate, because most will be short-term. It notes studies in other countries showing more jobs lost from expensive green-energy initiatives, the jobs killed by higher electricity prices paid by residential, commercial and industrial users.
The province’s deal with Samsung and a consortium of Korean companies, a political controversy since it was announced, resurfaces. The report merely deepens the controversy. As told by the auditor, Korean companies approached the government in June 2008, the same month Mr. Smitherman was appointed Minister of Energy. By December of that year, a memorandum was signed. Mr. Smitherman travelled to Korea in June 2009. Six months later, a $7-billion investment deal was signed to build renewable power plants, equipment-supply plants and extend transmission grid capacity. “Neither the OEB [Ontario Energy Board] nor the OPA [Ontario Power Authority] was consulted about the agreement.”
The Auditor-General leaves little to the imagination in his incisive dissection of the government’s top-down, to-hell-with-economics power trip. Even the Cabinet appears to be an after-thought.
The idea was simple within the tight control centre run by the Premier and former Energy Minister George Smitherman. Renewable energy would create jobs in Ontario and reduce carbon emissions and, possibly, offset closing coal plants. None of these alleged objectives were ever examined. The government appears to have depended almost totally on the input of industry “stakeholders.”
The coal plants will close, but the lost power will be replaced by gas and nuclear, not renewables. Billions of dollars were committed to renewable energy, writes the Auditor-General, “without fully evaluating the impact, the trade-offs and the alternatives through comprehensive business-case analysis.” Regulators were ignored, no objective studies were considered or investigations conducted.
In a pointed note at the beginning of comments on renewables, the AG highlights the wilful neglect that continues to dominate electricity policy. “We did not rely on the Ministry [of Energy]’s internal audit service team to reduce the extent of our audit work because it had not recently conducted any audit on renewable energy initiatives.”
On job creation, the AG concludes that claims of 50,000 green jobs are inaccurate, because most will be short-term. It notes studies in other countries showing more jobs lost from expensive green-energy initiatives, the jobs killed by higher electricity prices paid by residential, commercial and industrial users.
The province’s deal with Samsung and a consortium of Korean companies, a political controversy since it was announced, resurfaces. The report merely deepens the controversy. As told by the auditor, Korean companies approached the government in June 2008, the same month Mr. Smitherman was appointed Minister of Energy. By December of that year, a memorandum was signed. Mr. Smitherman travelled to Korea in June 2009. Six months later, a $7-billion investment deal was signed to build renewable power plants, equipment-supply plants and extend transmission grid capacity. “Neither the OEB [Ontario Energy Board] nor the OPA [Ontario Power Authority] was consulted about the agreement.”
Monday, December 05, 2011
Moving to the right?
Canadians like HM Canadian government. This is making lefties like delacourt, russell, gardner et al crazy. That makes me smile
63.5% agree with Canada's direction, poll finds
Joseph Brean, National Post · Dec. 5, 2011 | Last Updated: Dec. 5, 2011 3:06 AM ET
The percentage of people who think Canada is generally moving in the right direction has increased sharply in the last year, from 52% to 63.5%, according to a new poll.
The rise is the steepest in the five-year history of the Mood of Canada survey, conducted by Nanos Research for Policy Options magazine.
The findings, based on questions in which people were also asked to rate the performance of the Conservative government, federalprovincial relations, and Canada's reputation in the world, reveal a generally positive view of the country.
63.5% agree with Canada's direction, poll finds
Joseph Brean, National Post · Dec. 5, 2011 | Last Updated: Dec. 5, 2011 3:06 AM ET
The percentage of people who think Canada is generally moving in the right direction has increased sharply in the last year, from 52% to 63.5%, according to a new poll.
The rise is the steepest in the five-year history of the Mood of Canada survey, conducted by Nanos Research for Policy Options magazine.
The findings, based on questions in which people were also asked to rate the performance of the Conservative government, federalprovincial relations, and Canada's reputation in the world, reveal a generally positive view of the country.
Out of Kyoto!!!
So it is confirmed we are leaving the church of Kyoto. I am very pleased.
Environment Minister Peter Kent. (MELANIE COLLEU/QMI Agency)
OTTAWA - Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent has confirmed Canada will not be part of a second Kyoto Protocol to fight climate change.
“We believe that ultimately a new agreement that includes all of the world’s major emitters (of greenhouse gases) in both the developing and the developed world is the only way to materially reduce annual mega-tonnage to the point we can work to prevent global warming hitting or exceeding two degrees,” Kent said from the climate conference in Durban, South Africa.
So, when the Kyoto Protocol, which Canada signed in 1997, expires in 2012 Canada’s participation in the agreement will also expire.
The Conservatives have long criticized the Kyoto Protocol for not requiring countries with far higher carbon dioxide emissions, such as China, India, and Brazil, to join the fight against global warming.
Japan and Russia have also announced they will not be taking part in negotiations to develop a new Kyoto extension from 2013 to 2017.
Kent added that Canada would continue to pursue a modest target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020.
Environment Minister Peter Kent. (MELANIE COLLEU/QMI Agency)
OTTAWA - Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent has confirmed Canada will not be part of a second Kyoto Protocol to fight climate change.
“We believe that ultimately a new agreement that includes all of the world’s major emitters (of greenhouse gases) in both the developing and the developed world is the only way to materially reduce annual mega-tonnage to the point we can work to prevent global warming hitting or exceeding two degrees,” Kent said from the climate conference in Durban, South Africa.
So, when the Kyoto Protocol, which Canada signed in 1997, expires in 2012 Canada’s participation in the agreement will also expire.
The Conservatives have long criticized the Kyoto Protocol for not requiring countries with far higher carbon dioxide emissions, such as China, India, and Brazil, to join the fight against global warming.
Japan and Russia have also announced they will not be taking part in negotiations to develop a new Kyoto extension from 2013 to 2017.
Kent added that Canada would continue to pursue a modest target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Saving $6.7 billion sounds good to me
Exiting the kyoto hoax will save Canada a lot of money. Sending billions to Russia was always a scam and I am very pleased HM Canadian Government is leaving this useless treaty.
Canada May Save $6.7B by Exiting Kyoto Pact
By Jeremy van Loon - Dec 2, 2011 12:00 AM ET
Suncor, Canada’s largest oil-sands producer, runs this facility north of Fort McMurray. Kevin Cooley/Bloomberg Markets via Bloomberg
Canada, the country furthest from meeting its commitment to cut carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, may save as much as $6.7 billion by exiting the global climate change agreement and not paying for offset credits.
The country’s greenhouse-gas emissions are almost a third higher than 1990 levels, and it has a 6 percent CO2 reduction target for the end of 2012. If it couldn’t meet its goal, Canada would have to buy carbon credits, under the rules of the legally binding treaty.
Canada, which has the world’s third-largest proven oil reserves, would be the first of 191 signatories to the Kyoto Protocol to annul its emission-reduction obligations. While Environment Minister Peter Kent declined to confirm Nov. 28 that Canada is preparing to pull out of Kyoto, which may ease the burden for oil-sands producers and coal-burning utilities, he said the government wouldn’t make further commitments to it.
Canada May Save $6.7B by Exiting Kyoto Pact
By Jeremy van Loon - Dec 2, 2011 12:00 AM ET
Suncor, Canada’s largest oil-sands producer, runs this facility north of Fort McMurray. Kevin Cooley/Bloomberg Markets via Bloomberg
Canada, the country furthest from meeting its commitment to cut carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, may save as much as $6.7 billion by exiting the global climate change agreement and not paying for offset credits.
The country’s greenhouse-gas emissions are almost a third higher than 1990 levels, and it has a 6 percent CO2 reduction target for the end of 2012. If it couldn’t meet its goal, Canada would have to buy carbon credits, under the rules of the legally binding treaty.
Canada, which has the world’s third-largest proven oil reserves, would be the first of 191 signatories to the Kyoto Protocol to annul its emission-reduction obligations. While Environment Minister Peter Kent declined to confirm Nov. 28 that Canada is preparing to pull out of Kyoto, which may ease the burden for oil-sands producers and coal-burning utilities, he said the government wouldn’t make further commitments to it.
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