IAM(also)CANADIAN

What is a Canadian Jedi?

2008-12-05T14:25:00.005-05:00

For the people just tuning in and asking what a Canadian Jedi is :

YOU might be a Canadian Jedi If...

Toronto Maple Leafs Win Stanley Cup!!!

2008-12-03T08:55:00.000-05:00

Canada was stunned Monday when it was announced that The Stanley Cup will be awarded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, possibly as early as December 6th.
The cup will be stripped from from 2008 playoff champions the Detroit Red Wings and be awarded to the Leafs, who didn't even make the playoffs.
How is this possible, Canadians ask?
Well, the Leafs have formed a coalition with eastern conference semifinalists the Montreal Canadians, and conference quarter finalists the Ottawa Senators, now outnumbering the Red Wings.
According to current Leaf coach Ron Wilson "the Red Wings have lost the confidence of the league and should hand the cup over immediately to our coalition".
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is cutting short a European trip to try to resolve the unprecedented hockey crisis that could force a second playoff series, or see an opposing team coalition take the cup.

How the Grinches Stole Canada...

2008-12-01T19:18:00.001-05:00

Three Tips to Save the Conservative Campaign

2008-10-06T15:27:00.002-04:00

The Conservatives need to bypass the media and explain the following three things to Canadians in simple and honest terms.

1) Explain how the opposition parties' plans would lose jobs and further devalue Canadian companies. Jack Layton wants to increase corporate tax by the tune of 50 Billion dollars. This would lead to companies relocating or finding those savings elsewhere, such as payroll. Dion's 'plan', if you could call it that, is to consult with 'experts', the same experts that Harper has been working with throughout the last year and during this crisis. My guess is they would explain to Dion that what Harper is doing is what needs to be done. Along with consultation, Dion would start taxing CO2, which we all know is something we need to power industry and these increases in costs would be passed to the consumer. If the consumer is outside of Canada, this will make it even harder to sell when people around the world are going to slow down their buying. In short, both of the other major parties plans are far worse that simply riding it out.

2) Explain in some details what the Conservative plan is and why it’s the best course of action. Explain to Canadians that The Prime Minister has already consulted with all of the 'experts' that Dion will consult with in his first month and inform people that they have already recommended the current course of action as the most prudent. On top of this, role out some details on what the continency plans are if things start to get a lot worse. People want to be reassured that the government is listening to their concerns and have backup plans to protect them if and when times get tougher.

3) Announce a buy in Canada plank to the platform. This may sound like a page from the NDP or the Green party, but if the government lays out a plan to source as many contracts within Canada and ask Canadians to do the same in their personal spending, it would go a long way in showing the Conservatives care about Canadian jobs and it would talk to the patriotic side in all of us. I would argue that they should even go as far as targeting investments in industries to make them capable of supplying the government where these industries are now deficient, such as the Montreal textile industry to create our military uniforms or Canada's ship building industry in manufacturing our military ships. This would have to be done with some prudence, but Australia did it with its submarine fleet and the government could leverage these investments to collect more tax revenue as these economic sectors succeed and start producing products for the larger world market. Like I said, this would have to be done with prudence to find which sectors could provide the largest return on investment as it shouldn't be corporate welfare.

What do you think? I'm no strategemist or political scientician, but it’s the best I could come up with on short notice.

Conservatives Could Be in Trouble

2008-10-05T23:05:00.002-04:00

The opposition, whether by design or by dumb luck, have landed a big shot on the Conservatives and Stephen Harper in the English debate last week. At the time I didn't even notice. Overall, people in the know believed that the Prime Minister held his own, but to the average Canadian, a huge weakness was perceived about Stephen Harper. I say perceived because this weakness is not based on reality, but on a false perception. This perception must be corrected this week or we could all be in for a surprise on the 14th.

I was talking with co-workers on Friday and almost without an exception, they all said that they are worried that Stephen Harper doesn't have a plan to deal with the current economic crisis in the US. They are worried about their jobs and mortgages. I repeatedly informed them that the job market in Canada was solid and that our banks and other financial institutions were in good shape, but they wouldn't believe me. The opposition and the media have totally whipped Canadians into a panic, a panic that could very well lead to the doom and gloom that they are worried about. The most threatening thing to the Canadian economy is loss of equity of Canadian firms through the stock market and a slowdown in Canadian buying. We all know that trade with the US will go down, but if we lose these other components of the Canadian economy, we will be in serious trouble.

I find it sad and terrifying that otherwise smart, university educated people would have no idea how our economy works, but there you have it. Dion, May, Layton, and Duceppe, along with their friends in the media, have found the sweet spot among the Canadian electorate and they will exploit it. What's really sad is that by doing this, they may cause the very crisis that they are telling us Stephen Harper isn't dealing with, and none of their plans would do anything but make the situation even worse.

If anyone from the Conservative campaign is reading this, you have a week to change this perception. You can't claim it’s not real and try and explain why. You have to convince Canadians that you have a solution even if the problem doesn't exist... you may want to contact Al Gore and David Suzuki for tips.

The Debate: Dion's Plan on the Economy

2008-10-03T10:32:00.003-04:00

Stephan Dion, with his last minute 'plan to save the economy' shows just how unprepared he is to deal with the economic slowdown. Removing all the rhetoric and politcal speak here are the positions of the two leaders:

Dion: If elected, I will spend the first 30 days to try and figure out this economy thing, what the hell is going wrong with it, and try and come up with a plan that will fix it.

Harper: I have been on top of managing this crisis a full year before it had even happened. I don't need to come up with a 30 day plan, I've been implementing my plan since last-frickin-year.

Who do you think Canadians are going to pick?

Its 2005 All over again!

2008-10-01T16:30:00.003-04:00

December 14 : Liberal officials released a 1997 speech by Harper that referred to Canada as "a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term." Conservative officials said that most of the comments were in jest.
December 15- The leaders of the four major political parties gathered inVancouver for the first of four televised debates. The leaders debated in French.
December 16 - The four party leaders participated in the English televised debate in Vancouver.

Bonus: Liberal Plagiarist not expelled: Pablo Rodriguez who interrogated former PM Brian Mulroney using a series of questions provided to him by CBC parliamentary journalist Krista Erickson (unattributed of course)!

Greg (Political) Staples is back

2008-09-13T21:32:00.002-04:00

Giving you your daily or maybe hourly poll updates and analysis.

Welcome back Greg!

Even Dion does not support RESP bill As Is

2008-03-10T19:43:00.003-04:00

Good thing Flaherty is killing the RESP private members bill through the budget bill ... even Liberal Leader Stephane Dion is not convinced that the bill is any good.

While Dion said it is "a good idea'' and indicated that something like McTeague's plan will be part of his party's next election platform. He said "Maybe not exactly as it is ..."

Well at least we know why he'll likely abstain from the next budget vote!

What's That Rumble...

2008-02-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

My stomach? Or is it the drums of war...

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-24T16:43:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us at IAM(also)CANADIAN.

So you want to negotiate with the Taliban?

2007-09-27T11:35:00.000-04:00

It looks like negotiating for hostages only begets more hostage taking. Who knew? Well actually a lot of people but no one would listen to them. Now lets hope that Taliban Jack and the rest of the appeasers will follow the Red Cross' lead and try and set up their own meeting to negotiate...

KABUL - Two foreigners from the International Red Cross who helped free South Korean captives last month have been kidnapped in Afghanistan after talking with militants about the release of a German hostage, officials said Thursday.
An official with reliable information said the two foreigners from the International Committee of the Red Cross had gone with their two Afghan drivers to Wardak province in central Afghanistan to discuss the release of a German man kidnapped in July.
All four ICRC staff were taken captive Wednesday afternoon, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The two foreigners had helped co-ordinate negotiations and the release of 19 South Korean captives late last month, the official said.
Ewaz Muslimyar, the police chief of Wardak province, confirmed the two foreigners were abducted in Salar district.
The number of kidnappings has spiked this year after the Taliban secured the release of five insurgent prisoners in exchange for a captive Italian journalist in March - a heavily criticized swap many feared would encourage abductions.
The South Korean hostage crisis was another windfall for the Taliban, winning them face-to-face talks with South Korean government delegates.
Militants kidnapped 23 South Koreans July 19 in Ghazni province as they travelled by bus on a dangerous road from Kabul to volatile Kandahar in the south. Two hostages were killed; the rest were released after weeks of negotiations between the Taliban and the Korean delegation.
The talks were held at the ICRC office in Ghazni and ICRC officials drove to pick up the South Koreans after they were released.
The German engineer, Rudolf Blechschmidt, was abducted one day before the Koreans. It is believed he was initially taken by criminals in Wardak, then later handed over to the Taliban.
Blechschmidt is one of two German engineers and five Afghans who were snatched together. The other German was found dead of gunshot wounds July 21, while one of the Afghans managed to escape.

Happy Canada Day II ...

2007-07-02T12:24:00.001-04:00

or...
Happy Day off in lieu of Canada Day because the REAL Canada Day fell on a Sunday and we all know that government employees are so overworked they need as much rest as they can possibly get.

Unlike retail employees who are specifically hired because they have no family and no friends and would never want to celebrate their country on any day let alone Canada Day, and can just darn well have any old day off that the government deems fit to assign to them.

Thank you for shopping here - have a nice day :)

(I'm not even going to comment on those consumers who felt it neccessary to consume on a National Holiday (for everyone except for retail employees - see above)).

Happy Canada Day 2007!!!

2007-07-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

Well, our third IAM(also)CANADIAN Canada day...who wooda thunk it!

Here's an old post to get you in the mood...

“I was a lumberjack, and am a fur trader.
I have slept in an igloo, eaten blubber, and although I don’t own a dog sled, I do have a ski-doo.
I do know Jimmy and Sally, Suzie is my ex, and they’re all assholes.
I have a crooked Prime Minister, not a President; I speak neither English or French properly; and
I don’t pronounce it “about” or “a boot”; I just say “bout”.
I can proudly sew my country’s flag on my backpack, because with the taxes I pay I live out of my backpack.
I believe in peace keeping, not policing, even though we got rid of our peacekeepers to buy more police,
Diversity, not assimilation (unless I go to Quebec); and that the beaver tastes like chicken and makes a nice fur coat.
A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch (where I sleep), and it is pronounced ”Z”, not “zed” or “zee”.
Canada is the second highest taxed landmass, the first nation of bleeding hearts, and coldest part of North America. My name is Joe, and I am also Canadian.”

And howzabout another top Canadian post...CANADIAN JEDI!!!

You Might Be A Jedi CANADIAN If...

-You are still in the queue for your cyborg hand.
-You keep voting for the evil emperor because "it's better the devil you know".
-Due to budget cuts, your army now consists of Jar Jar Binks and 3 thermal detonators.
-Chewbacca and Han Solo are legally married.
-You got arrested because you forgot to register your light saber.
-You don't have to worry about Jabba the Hut because he died of mad cow disease.
-You ever heard the phrase, "May the force be with you, eh."
-You have ever used the force to influence hockey games.
-The majority of your fellow Jedi vote "dark side" (especially the Ontario and Toronto ones).
-You think the ice world of Hoth "ain't so cold".
-You can't actually use you light saber because it has to have a saber lock on it at all times and be locked inside a saber safe with the light in a separate locked receptacle.
-All your spacecraft have all been grounded due to the KYOTO agreement.
-You were refused a position on the Jedi council because weren't fluently bilingual.
-Your Ewoks build dams.
-You believe the Death Star is only destroying planets because of its history of poverty, and if you are nice to it, it will go away.
-All pod racing advertising contracts went to friends of the Emperor.
-You have used your lightsaber as a source of heat.
-You have used your lightsaber to cut the blocks of ice for your igloo.
-You have sliced open a moose to escape the harsh cold of the averageCanadian winter.
-Your lightsaber has a bottle opener on it.
-The storm troopers raiding your home and place of business wear a red serge.
- Princess Leah crossed the floor and joined the dark side.
- You decide to never use the Force in public because some people don't believe in the Force and you don't want to risk offending their unbelief.
- You cheer for the dark side in order to 'bring balance' to the Force.
- You see your role primarily as a peacekeeper between warring, morally equivalent, factions.
- You've ever picked up an OEM equivalent light saber from Canadian Tire.
- You 'pimp' your light saber with Canadian Tire chrome replacement parts.
- You find yourself succumbing to Darth Martin's jedi mind tricks ("You don't want to look into the sponsorship scandal", "I don't want to look into the sponsorship scandal"; "You don't want an election right now", "I don't want an election right now"; "Harper is scary ...").
- Your Death Star garbage ends up in Michigan.
- The Wookiees insist they are a "distinct society" and insist on forcing their impossible language on everyone else.

Hope yer feelin more Canadian now! If not, go outside and blockade your laneway...that should do the trick!

Senators of Ottawa

2007-06-05T20:45:00.000-04:00

Hold your ground, hold your ground. Senators of Canada, of Sweden, my brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Sen Fan fails, when we forsake our team and break all bonds of fanship, but it is not this day. An hour of Ducks and shattered shields, when the age of Sens comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you "stand, Men of the Sens!"

By Request : Alfie Duck Hunting Pic!!

2007-05-26T13:26:00.000-04:00

I saw Alfie hanging out with AlsoCanadian

2007-05-22T19:53:00.001-04:00

- learning a new "shot"!

Remember, the curse is over!!

Garth's House

2007-05-11T18:51:00.000-04:00

From an unreliable source --- here is Garth's MLS listing for his house.

Disturbingly ordinary --- then again I was expecting wall to wall to ceiling to floor mirrors so that Garth could take in his Garthness from every angle!
Check out the desk Garth uses for his computer --- using such an antique is so bourgeois.

I would recommend each Blogging Tory support Garth by donating $1 to raise a couple hundred bucks for a computer desk.

Oh yeah and Garth : "Those who suffered paper losses from the Halloween decision to tax income trusts have almost fully recovered them in the past six weeks, says the Guardian Group of Funds."

Canadians Just Not Buying It

2007-04-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

There are two interesting stories at CTV.ca. The first story- Canadians ready for a carbon tax: David Suzuki - is one about the 'Environment crusader' telling us 'ordinary' Canadians that we are smarter than the politicians and even us 'ordinary' Canadians are ready for the progressive and ingenious idea of a Carbon tax. I find it a little patronizing, but I guess its a typical 'used car' sales pitch, tell the people they are smart and only a smart, incredibly attractive, and dynamic person such as ourselves would buy that Pinto... er, I mean protocol. Well good doctor, according to CTV's own poll, placed within site of the story to illicit the most honest of responses, you are completely wrong.

The second interesting story was Thousands march to pressure Tories on Kyoto. I'm sure if this was a year and a half ago the story would be Thousands march to pressure governments on Kyoto, but I digress. I don't usually agree with the Kyoto crowd, but this 'crusader' nailed it on the head:

Under a blazing sun, Shannahn McInnis pushed a stroller with her two-year old daughter who sported a green T-shirt that said, "I run on natural gas.''
McInnis saw the massive Montreal event as a chance to put some pressure on the Harper government. "I'm extremely pessimistic on it doing anything, but I thought I'd come anyway,'' McInnis said.
"I don't think it's at all a priority to any of the parties except the Green Party and the NDP, and they're so far away from being elected. If that's the case, it wouldn't seem to be a priority for the public, either because they're not electing the parties that consider this the priority.''
Sparse crowds in other parts of the country seemed to emphasize the point.

Now maybe you should tell the higher-ups that.

Neon Dion Still in the 90's

2007-04-17T11:35:00.000-04:00

In a change of tactics that marks an unthinking change of Liberal political strategy, Neon Dion set up shop on Bay Street.

Umm -- Somebody should tell that Big Corporations don't vote and can not be hit up for big donations like the Liberals did in the past.

Flaherty ---"It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the whole idea of all of us sharing the tax load equally in Canada ... If [Neon Dion] has his way, it means that all ordinary Canadians will have higher taxes."

Even funnier -- Neon Dion was flanked by high-ranking Liberals who are familiar to the financial crowd -- former investment banker Scott Brison and former Royal Bank chief economist John McCallum.

What - no Garth Turner --- snubbed in Toronto again? Oh, he's too busy whining about MPTV getting the boot from the foyer --- like the Conservative staffers and Stephen Taylor.

I guess as an MP - Garth is entitled to his entitlements.

Dion Selles Out to Greens!!1

2007-04-12T18:28:00.000-04:00

According to the Red Star "Stephane Dion has decided not to run a Liberal candidate against Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in the next federal election."

Ha --- even better -CBC says that - May has agreed to not run a Green candidate against Dion! I guess Dion is running scared of the mighty greens!

Newfie Joke...

2007-04-04T14:14:00.000-04:00

This Newfie goes to Parliament hill after the release of the federal budget.

In the budget, Newfoundland is offered a new formula used to calculate provincial equalization payments, or remain with the current system.

The formula gives it the choice between including 50% of their resource revenues or excluding them entirely, but also introduces a cap to the amount of money they can receive in equalization payments.

After reading the budget, the Newfie says "But bye, I wants ta keeps all my equalization payments...and all my offshore oil revenue too!"

Coincidence...Or Not!

2007-03-23T11:20:00.000-04:00

Wonder if this has anything to do with this?

Obligatory Budget Post

2007-03-20T19:23:00.000-04:00

Individuals are pissed today. People with grown children are mad. Apprently everyone in the media and quite a few Bloggers fit these two demographics. I am not 100% happy with the budget, but I just want to point out that people in this demographic have been targeted for the last 25 years and its time for families to get a piece of the pie. In an ideal world we should be taxed as a household, rather than as an idividual, but until then we need to tackle at least some of the unfairness in the current tax system. If I read one more story about how the average Canadian - "ordinary, hard-working folk" - got nothing in the budget I'm gonna punch something. I guess people with kids aren't average Canadians. We are the extremist fringe or something.

Complain all you want about the increase in spending, I know I have, but don't say that the budget sucks because you didn't personally get any tax breaks this time around. If we did have a fair tax system, then cuts would benefit everyone equally, but until then, just enjoy the fact that you don't have to pay for diapers or school supplies.

Hull-Aylmer AGM Tomorrow

2007-03-19T17:45:00.000-04:00

For those of you who live in the Riding of Hull-Aylmer (with special guest speaker Pierre Poilievre)...

Hull-Aylmer Conservative Party Riding Association
www.hull-aylmer.ca

March 20th, 2007

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Hull-Aylmer Conservative Party Association will be held on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 7:30 PM in the Champion Room of the Château Cartier, 1171 Chemin Aylmer. Guests are welcome.

The meeting will feature a presentation to the members and friends by Pierre Poilievre, MP for Nepean-Carleton, Ontario.

For more information, please contact Caroline Beattie at (819) 682-6801 or at bob.cab@sympatico.ca

Thank you!

CTV Officially Stupid

2007-03-17T01:34:00.000-04:00

I was just doing some reading and found this 'gem' of a story on the CTV website: Tory memo says election could start 'within a week'. This 'memo' is an 'internal letter' by 'party heavyweight' Irving Gerstein, chair of the Conservative Fund Canada, and "was obtained by The Canadian Press after it was erroneously sent to a former Conservative who left the party but still receives its correspondence."

Wow, this top secret letter by the highest echelons of power in the CPC sure do contradict the Prime Minister and make Stephen Harper look like an opportunistic power mad tyrant, telling everyone one thing but secretly planning another. Talk about Hidden agendas.

Of course that might be true IF THIS WASN'T A MONTHLY FUNDRAISING LETTER THAT'S BEEN SAYING PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING FOR ABOUT 6 FREAKIN' MONTHS!!!! I think this is a new low for CTV, not for bias, just for sloppy reporting of a total non-story. I wonder what the Liberal and NDP monthly fund-raising emails look like? I bet there is a lot of talk about 'urgently needing money for an election call at anytime!!!' How in any modern country could this be considered national news?

Liberals In Trouble In Latest Poll

2007-03-08T16:57:00.000-05:00

The latest Decima poll has the Liberals 6 points behind the Conservatives, 29% to 35%. The poll confirms that the trend is continuing with the Conservatives gaining support among women and city-dwellers.

The CP story describes the one silver lining for the Liberals: the surge in support in Quebec. The poll puts the Bloc at 31%, the Liberals at 29%, and the Conservatives at 17%. If this is the Liberal's silver lining, then they are in trouble. The Quebec numbers are likely getting a boost from the current Quebec provincial election where the Provincial Liberals are in the lead and the PQ is doing poorly. Couple this with the fact that Quebec has no Provincial Conservative party, PC or CPC, and thus are not experiencing the same boost and you can see that if the Liberal support in Quebec more closely resembles the pre-election CROP polls, the national numbers are skewed by as much as a negative 1-2% for the Libs and a positive 1-2% for the Cons and you can see that this poll confirms the 36% to 27% result decima produced last week.

It will be interesting to see what the polling results will be a month or so after the Quebec election and the Provincial Liberal boost their federal cousins are enjoying wears off. Although that poll might come on election night.

Are the National Polls Wrong On Quebec?

2007-03-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

Decima has just released their latest poll and again I have found something quite interesting.

National Numbers:
Conservatives: 36%
Liberals: 27%
New Democrats: 13%
Greens: 12%

Ok, that's not what was interesting, I just wanted to gloat a little. The interesting bit is in the regional breakdown for Quebec:

Quebec Numbers:
Bloc: 35%
Liberals: 23%
Conservatives: 15%

Now compare that with the recent CROP polling numbers from Quebec (h/t Paul Wells)
Bloc: 36%
Liberals: 26%
Conservatives: 22%

And Leger's had the Conservatives at 24%

Now I know that Decima and CROP are within their margin of error, Decima's being quite high because of low number of participants for the regional numbers, but its a trend that I have seen quite a bit. The national polling numbers for the region of Quebec usually have the Conservatives with between 15-19% support and the provincial polling firms (CROP and Leger) put support for the Conservatives between 20-25% in Quebec. I'm not complaining, they might do this with the Liberal numbers as well if I had been as interested in them. It just seems that the national pollsters' numbers consistently don't jive with the Quebec pollsters'.

My theory is that Conservative support in Quebec is so concentrated that with a random sampling you can easily miss a lot of it when a small sample is taken. Hopefully this will equate to more seats but I guess time will tell.

Standing Ovation for Dion - Save one!

2007-02-27T19:12:00.000-05:00

Opposition leader Stephane Dion recieves a standing ovation from some caucus members after voting down a bill to extend the anti-terrorism act, as Deputy leader Michael Ignatieff remains sitting. . pic

More Proof of CBC Bias...

2007-02-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

A very interesting phenomenon on This Hour Has 22 Minutes this week - the whole show wasn't spent slamming Stephen Harper and the Conservatives!

Was there a format change you ask? No, it was a "Best Of" special:

On this week's This Hour Has 22 Minutes:
The votes are in. Tune in to witness democracy in action - see the clips you voted for in our Best Of special Tuesday, Feb. 20th

Very interesting...22minutes mainly consists of anti Conservative left-wing propaganda, however when the PEOPLE decide which clips to watch there was none of this! (There was only one clip "Leave it to Stever" that was mildly amusing, but only for the "Leave it to Beaver" parody.)

I guess this once again proves how out of step the CBCs left wing slant is for most Canadians...

I'm with Sheila Copps on this!

2007-02-07T19:34:00.000-05:00

"No one can argue that when it comes to murder rates, Mexico is more deadly than Canada. But the same can be said of many foreign destinations. You are more than three times as likely to be murdered in the United States yet no one in his or her right mind would call for an American travel boycott."

"Ignore the media pileup and you will enjoy a great trip. And if John Crosbie is reading this, don't forget to pass me the tequila, Sheila."

Conservative...

2007-02-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

winning conditions! (pic)

Global Warming Causes WW3!!!

2007-02-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

As foreshadowed by Joan's update referring to this MSM story, the belief that Global WarmingTM is caused by humans drives the planet to global war...

World War 3 began after President Jacques Chirac of the decaying French empire appealed for a new environmental body that could single out and police nations that "abuse" the Earth, on February 3rd, 2007 (see here). This event began the struggle between the US, China, India and Russia (referred to as the "Deniers"), versus France and most of Europe. (Labeling themselves as the "World Environmental Government").

On July 26, 2007, the Environmental Government officials issued an ultimatum (known as the second Kyoto Protocol) to the Denier governments containing five major concessions. Once the time limit on the ultimatum had expired, the Environmental Government declared war on Denier countries. Germany supported the Environmental Government in the war effort while Russia supported the Deniers. Germany therefore declared war on Russia on August 1, 2007 and on their allies, on August 3, 2007.

On August 4, 2007, German troops were sent into Canada, defying the neutrality that the Canadians were promised. Great Britain declared war against Germany that same day.

The Third World War was the time of first usage of many war technologies; the plasma gun, unmanned airplane and submarine, poison (non-greenhouse) gas, powerful implosives, flame throwers, super hand grenades, accurate long-range nukes and robot tanks all made their debut. Canada played a particularly significant role in space, having more than 25,000 Canadians serving with the British Space Force.

The Third World War was a "trench war". Trenches protected troops from nuclear and plasma gun fire. These trenches were between sixty and eighty feet deep and were separated from enemy trenches by no man's land. Off duty troops lived in dugouts in support trenches and supplies, food and fresh troops were moved to the front through a network of reserve and communication trenches. Firing trenches were backed by cover trenches which acted as the second line of defense in case the first were overrun by the enemy. This war was also the first to be fought by drafted left wingers.

The major battles of World War 3 included the battles of the Marne, Ypres, Verdun, the Somme, Cambrai, and Missasauga.

An Armistice was signed at 5:00 a.m. in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne, France on November 11, 2018 when scientists discovered conclusive proof Global Warmingtm was not caused by humans...an ice age happened.

Save The Planet...

2007-02-02T11:50:00.000-05:00

Stop shopping at Wal-Mart!

that's right. Stop shopping at Wal-Mart. Why, you ask? Well here goes :

As I'm sure you are all aware, China is one of the worst emitters of Greenhouse GasTM, second only to the dreaded US (who, by the way, owns Wal-Mart...hmmm, I'm beginning to see a connection here...).

Not only that, but China may soon become #1 (see: China, India, and other developing countries will soon be the top contributors to greenhouse gases. Also, without Kyoto restrictions on these countries, industries in developed countries will be driven towards these non-restricted countries, thus there is no net reduction in carbon. (Wikipedia) )

and so...

One of China's largest trading partners isn't a country, but a company - Wal-Mart - which accounted for 14 per cent of all exports in 2004. China now has a whopping 38 per cent of the world electronics production and chances are the refrigerator in your home has a MADE IN CHINA sticker on it. (more here)

So what does it all mean? Well, If you really believe humans are causing Global WarmingTM, then forget about the smart cars, energy efficient light bulbs, and weather striping. You must stop shopping at Wal-Mart! Everything you buy is produced by a non-restricted, carbon spewing Chinese factory!

So all you Kyotologist , If you truly believe in your cause, you will not emit any more Greenhouse GasesTM by buying Chinese products.

Oh, I almost forgot...It will be back to paying $100 for a digital watch, $600 for a DVD player, Plasma TV...fogetabadit!

Liberal Bloc Affair

2007-02-01T14:37:00.000-05:00

Notice how the story is all about the NDP working with the Conservatives and not the fact that the Liberals and Bloc are snuggling so romantically.

Give the Liberals credit for one thing - once Harper showed he was not going to touch health care, the Liberals quickly looked for something else to use as a wedge issue and, using their media connnections, put global warming at the top of canadian concerns.

The downside for the Liberals is that Harper is in power and can do something about it.

We will see what Canadians think about someone who was a sceptic in the past but actually got something done for the enviroment over the Kyotologist who bowed before their god but acheived nothing.

Kyotolgy

2007-01-30T20:04:00.000-05:00

The Church of Kyotology reminds me of Scientology (without the cool alien thing!)

Kyotology attacks free speech. Any questioning of the god Kyoto results in cries of "Global Warming" denier!

Kyotology says that public statements against Kyotology such as writing anti-Kyotology letters to the papers and in blogs is a "Suppressive Act" - a high crime, according to "Introduction to Kyotology Ethics."

In accordance with this policy (and others like it), Kyotology has tried to silence all criticism.

Kyotology betrays the trust of well-intentioned people by falsely claiming to have a scientifically-proven technology to save the world.

Clipping Dion Quotes ...

2007-01-29T12:38:00.000-05:00

for the next election.

Here is a good one in french where Dion says that the Liberals will not use such american style negative campaigning - must have been ... other liberals that used american style attack adds ... in an election ... in Canada ... we are not making this up!

Dion says that it is deporable to fall so low!

We will see how low you go next election!

Il a poursuivi en affirmant que les libéraux ne se livreraient pas à ce genre de publicité « à l'américaine ». « Pour notre part nous ne voulons pas faire ce genre de campagne négative. Je veux gagner cette élection et je ne veux pas tomber si bas, je trouverais cela très déplorable. Nous voulons dire des choses positives, notamment sur mon bilan dans le domaine de l'environnement. », a dit M. Dion.

CTV Panicking!!!

2007-01-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

About the "attack ads" - CTV.ca first poll on this stated: (see screen capture)

The Conservatives are planning to release adds attacking Stephen Dion. Is the campaign valid?
Yes, the media has given Dion an easy ride.
No, the ads are a desperate ploy to label Dion.

Now that poll question has been quickly removed from existence (note that it does not show up in the list of past questions --- click results and see for yourself) and replaced with:

The Conservatives are planning to release some new partisan TV ads. Do you think it’s too early for such a campaign?
Yes, ad campaigns should only be launched during an election campaign
No, it’s never too soon

I guess they got the original poll up before they received the Liberal Party Talking Points. Of course, they did not want to see what people really think about the easy ride Dion is getting!

Canada Responsible for 50% of Movie Piracy

2007-01-26T20:04:00.000-05:00

Hollywood execs said it - so it must be true!

Great. Now I'm going to have to watch a movie from behind some Canadian snow-back who slips over the border; his camcorder blocking half my view, and my only connection to the movie the flashes of the screen I get as his flopping head jib-jabbers "aboot" the militaristic nature of American culture.

Blame Canada!
Blame Canada!
It seems that everything's gone wrong,
since Canada came along!

From Doug Dante on Slashdot!

Enviroment Poll

2007-01-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

Online of course -
Who do you think would do a better job of protecting the environment?
Conservatives
3339 votes (41 %)
Liberals
2246 votes (27 %)
NDP
1517 votes (18 %)
Other
1137 votes (14 %)

Total Votes: 8239

Where in the World is Mark Persaud?

2007-01-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Is the media biased or do we want it both ways? I remembered something last week about two Liberal MPs defecting to the Conservatives and kept my eye out for the usual interviews with angry members of the riding where former Liberal MP Mark Persaud sits. I couldn't find anything in the media about it. The MSM was so quiet on the issue that I started to doubt whether it was true or was I just imagining it. Did someone in the Blogging Tories just pull a prank? Then I tried a google search and lo and behold, yes it was true, but only a few talk radio stations covered what I would think would be very important news outside of the blogshere. Actually CTV did mention something about it but it was on their political blog.

I'm not sure why there was a cover-up on this. I mean the way the MSM was playing up the Khan defection, I would think that defections were big news and that it showed the Conservatives as "same as the old guys" when it comes to political opportunism. That being said, if defections in Canadian politics gets such negative press, then shouldn't we be happy that the MSM isn't making a big deal out of this. I'm just perplexed as to why one defection is so much more important that two. Could it be that a second backbencher leaving the Liberals for the Conservatives and getting no reward would show that they are leaving out of principal? Would it signal the end of Liberal dominance when it comes to attracting the ethnic vote? Or, was the MSM just doing the CPC a favour and not pointing out the flaunting of demecrocy that is floor crossing? Maybe Canadians beleive that in a domocracy you vote for the candidate as well as the party and one doesn't trump the other.

You be the judge. You can probably guess the way I'm leaning on this one.

Update: The answer is that its because Mark Persaud isn't an MP. I guess that makes sense. Thanks for the commenters who pointed this out without making too much fun of me. Cheers.

Global Warming Is Not Caused By Humans...

2007-01-13T10:23:00.000-05:00

Been gettin alot of these lately (report from my site meter):

Search Engine- google.com

Search Words- global warming is not caused by humans

Visit Entry Page http://alsocanadian....aused-by-humans.html

Visit Exit Page http://alsocanadian....aused-by-humans.html

Visit Number 91,477

What's going on? Are people starting to question? Maybe they've taken the red pill...

The GST Cut Will Have No Effect on Spending!!!

2007-01-10T11:45:00.000-05:00

...unless you live in the real world. CTV is now reporting that consumer spending is up 7% in the third quarter, year over year. If you read this short little blurb of a story, that nowhere mentions the GST cut as a possible cause of this spending increase, you will notice that this increase has not been distorted by high energy costs, which actually went down from 26% from last year to 7.5% this year.

How can the media and the opposition, who were screaming at the top of their lungs that a cut in the GST would be meaningless to the individual as well as have no influence on helping the economy, be constantly so wrong and still keep their respective jobs. I figured they would be so tired of being wrong all the time that they would just throw in the towel. I guess you have to give them props for hanging in there.

"Kyoto" put down by Canadians?

2007-01-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

Well, at least according to this poll!

Where should the bulk of federal government moneys spent on climate variability be concentrated?

Implementation of tough greenhouse (Kyoto) gas regulations 11.2%

Adapting economy to the impact of anticipated climate change 18.2%

Incentives for alternate energy products 68.8%

Other (email mornings@cfra.com) 1.61%
Total Votes: 1489

More Liberal Incompetence

2007-01-03T12:16:00.000-05:00

Maybe someone else out there has a different point of view, but isn't Ujjal Dosanjh the worst MP on Parliment Hill? Maybe he does good constituency work (although I doubt it), but he has got to be the most incompetent Defence critic in the history of mankind. From this CTV story - DND looking at one bid for search planes: report, Dosanjh comes up with this incredible bit of thinking:

Ujjal Dosanjh, the Liberal defence critic, said the process requires greater "civilian oversight" and is currently driven by military requirements. As a result, the government may not be getting the best value for its money.

Now I can understand that some people would want more civilian, hopefully democratically elected, oversight into billion dollar purchases by the government, but who the hell would argue that purchases by the military should not be driven by military requirements? What other requirements would there be? Commercial needs? The needs of the Homeless? Should the procurement fulfill the requirements of the nice comfy fur industry?

Dosanjh, its time to retire already!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-26T14:10:00.000-05:00

I've asked for a Conservative majority for Christmas. We'll see if Santa will change his outfit for a blue one.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Harper Takes Lead From Alsocanadian...Again!

2006-12-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

Remember this post dated March 11, 2005?

“I’m not a lumberjacques or a courrier du bois.
And I don’t live in a log cabin or eat pea soup or own a Jetta.
And I don’t know Pierre, Francoise or Marie from Quebec, although I am certain they smoke and drink wine.
I have a Premier, not a Prime Minister; I speak English and French, but only French to the English; and I pronounce it “a peu pres presque sur le point de ca et la plus ou moins autour de vers” not “about” or “a boot”.
I can proudly wear my “fleur de lis” on my license plate when I drive to the depanneur, I believe in peace keeping-I will keep the peace if you give me what I want; diversity, not assimilation (except for those pesky Quebec Anglos!); and that poutine is a truly proud and noble food.
A toque is a toque, a chesterfield is a canape, and it is pronounced “Quebecois”, not “Quebecker” or “Qwibecker”.
Quebec is the largest francophone land mass, the first nation of real hockey, and the best part of North America! My name is Joseph, and I am Quebecois.”

There ya go. A people...within a united Canada!

Indoctrination continues...

2006-12-05T19:01:00.000-05:00

The Liberal propaganda machine is still entrenched in our educational system, and very hard at work! They like to begin their "education" campaign on our youth as early as possible to generate maximum voting years (or ensure at least a few votes before the smarter ones wise up).

Case in point - Ontario grade 10 public school science project assignment sheet (verbatim):

Ecosystems Summarative Assignment-Letter of concern to the Federal Minister of the Environment

Throughout our ecosystems unit, we have discussed and explored a number of environmental issues that are of national, if not international concern. As is often the case with complex problems, opinion is not unanimous amongst the citizenry of Canada and it is important that all voices are heard as policy is debated by our Federal Government.

The Assignment

You will prepare a one-page single spaced letter to the Minister of Environment, Rona Ambrose. In this letter, you will outline your suggestions as to the policy the government should follow regarding an environmental issue of your choice....

Possible environmental problems to focus on include:

1. Global Warming- the new government has canceled funding for a number of programs, including the One Tonne Challenge, and is threatening to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol.

2. Endangered Species- lack of funding to programs aimed at reducing the number of species at risk.

3. economic impact of exotic species- one example is the threat to the pine trees of the boreal forest due to a pine beetle infestation.

4 pesticide use- several cities and municipalities have banned certain pesticides from use. Should this be expanded to become a national program?

Other issues may be your focus. Be sure to seek permission if you wish to deal with an issue not from the above list. Your letter will be sent to the Minister of the Environment in Ottawa, Rona Ambrose.

Ya, kiddies, be sure to seek permission...

Quebecois Nation Definition

2006-11-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

Wow ... is Webster fast! They already have the definitions ready!

Main Entry: Que·be·cois
Variant(s): or Qué·bé·cois or Qué·be·cois /"kA-b&-'kwä, -"be-/
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural Quebecois or Québécois or Québecois /-'kwä(z)/
Etymology: French québecois, québécois, from Québec Quebec
: a native or inhabitant of Quebec; specifically : a French-speaking native or inhabitant of Quebec
- Quebecois or Québécois or Québecois adjectivemay have been created as a new word in English -

Main Entry: na·tion
Pronunciation: 'nA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English nacioun, from Anglo-French naciun, from Latin nation-, natio birth, race, nation, from nasci to be born; akin to Latin gignere to beget -- more at KIN
1 a (1) : NATIONALITY 5a (2) : a politically organized nationality (3) : a non-Jewish nationality b : a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government c : a territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status
2 archaic : GROUP, AGGREGATION
3 : a tribe or federation of tribes (as of American Indians)

Liberals Just Dont Get It!

2006-11-17T12:41:00.000-05:00

Michale Ignatieff says the PM is engaging in "megaphone diplomacy with one of the greatest civilizations on earth, a superpower & should diplomatically raise concerns in a room with the Chinese president."

PM Harper says Canadians don't want us "to sell out our values, our beliefs in democracy, freedom & human rights for the almighty dollar"

I agree with Ignatieff
10.2%
I agree with PM Harper
89.1%
Other (email mornings@cfra.com)
0.63%
Total Votes: 1102 at 12:36pm

CFRA.com

Garth Turner's Imagine

2006-11-14T19:31:00.000-05:00

Imagine there's no Party's
It's easy if you try
No Whip's to hound us
Above us only a bigger economic pie
Imagine all the politician's
Fighting to have their say...

Imagine there's no Party's
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to vote for anymore
And no Senate too
Imagine all the politicians
Living to disagree...

You may say I drive a Beamer
But I'm not the only one
I know everybody will join me
Because I'm the Chosen One

Imagine no Governor General
I wonder if you can
Nothing would ever be decreed
We would not agree to a man
Imagine all the people
Swearing at us as we twirled...

You may say I own a Beamer
But I'm not the only one
I know everybody will join me
Because I'm the Chosen One

Disclaimer: While it would appear the Blogging Tories received a message through the chip the Conservative Party embedded in our brain in order to ensure that the said Blogging Tories post the required messaging in a timely manner, this is merely a coincidence of like minded Blogger's poking fun at a common subject.

I repeat - there is no chip. This is all a coincidence. Please return to you regular blogging aggregator. Nothing to see here - move along please. These are not the droids you are looking for... blip beep buzzzz ....

Tories reach out to Greens

2006-11-10T12:37:00.000-05:00

CTV News is saying that it has learned that Environment Minister Rona Ambrose will announce David Chernushenko, the deputy leader of the Green Party, is to be named to the National Roundtable on Environment and the Economy, a blue-chip panel that advises the federal government on environmental policy.

By reaching across party lines, the Conservatives are showing that they are seeking out differrent viewpoints and advice on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Peter McKay in Touble Again!

2006-11-09T19:46:00.000-05:00

I can see why - the apple does not fall far from the tree!

Good news? Daddy dearest will pay back all the money!

'Black Wednesday'

2006-11-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, is it just me or has the MSM just jumped the shark? I mean comparing the loses on the TSX yesterday, which by the end of the day were less than 3% of total value, to something like 'Black Monday' is just absurd. I mean what day was it when the TSX lost this amount in a single day two and half years ago? There was some market fallout, but as you can see by the graph below, there was only a small percentage difference by the end of the day from the Income Trust announcement and a whole lot of general market decline for the Stock Exchanges in the Americas.

As you can clearly see, after the large move at the opening, the trends follow very closely with the NASDAQ. The Dow and S&P were also following similar trends although not at the same level of % decline. I find it funny how socialist rags like the Toronto 'Red' Star and Grope and Flail are now defenders of Corporate Canada and the Rich Capitalist Investor. Not that I think you need to be rich to invest, but that how the MSM has portrayed things in the past when governments have made announcements favoring investors.

Is it any wonder that the Toronto Star and other MSM conglomerate are losing money and readership at a steady decline?

Greens Slide in Polls

2006-10-23T14:43:00.000-04:00

Well at least thats what the headline is going to read after the new opposition to the Green Party gets in a few posts on his blog. The new Green Party critic will have a tougher time convincing Elizabeth May and his new party of his 'radical' ideas of not wanting to shut down the economy in order to hold Canada's end of the Kyoto deal. From the Green Party Website:

Taxes are one tool governments have to shape society. For instance, both the Conservatives and Liberals have used our tax system to benefit corporations. Just in the last 5 years, federal corporate taxes have been reduced by almost 8 per cent as corporate profits hit record highs.

I thought you were for the Corporate tax cuts in order to boost economic growth. Garth, please do not give up your pricinciples now that you are no longer a Conservative and please continue to speak out, publicly and often, whenever you disagree with Green Party policy and the leader of the Party.

I can't wait for the press conference where you will resign and run again in your riding to get your constituents approval to join this new party of whom they did not vote for. The Greens only got 5.8%, about twice what they got the election previous of the popular vote in Halton last election so it seems that your constituents might not want a Green MP.

How much is that doggie in the window ...(arf! arf!)

2006-10-20T19:22:00.000-04:00

The one with the waggley tail
How much is that doggie in the window? (arf! arf!)
I do hope that doggie's for sale ...

Well, a couple of definitions apply!

From Dictionary.com dog [dawg, dog] .

8 Slang.

a.	something worthless or of extremely poor quality: That used MP you bought is a dog.

b.	an utter failure; flop: Critics say her new party is a dog.

P.S For all who are calling this sexist - also from Dictionary.com

5.a despicable man or youth.

Rules of Caucus

2006-10-19T19:38:00.000-04:00

Since Garth can't figure what went wrong at caucus, I've done a bit of deep research, using a team of MIT rocket surgeons, to come up with the complete list of Caucus rules.

Here they are:

The first rule of caucus is that you do not talk about caucus.

The second rule of caucus is that you do not talk about caucus.

3rd RULE: If someone says "stop" or goes limp, taps out - you do not talk about it if it happened in caucus.

4th RULE: If two guys fight - you do not talk about it if it happened in caucus.

5th RULE: One fight at a time in caucus - and no talking about it.

6th RULE: No shirts, no shoes? - you do not talk about it if it happened in caucus.

7th RULE: Caucus will go on as long as they have to.

8th RULE: If this is your first night at caucus, you HAVE to fight. And no-one will talk about it!

Sha Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye ---- Garth

2006-10-18T19:51:00.000-04:00

Couldn't say I did not see this coming - but with comments like this "the Harper Administration unveils its long-awaited green plan" .... Come-on ... Harper Administration ... and this was yesterday!

Also from yesterday ---leak???--- "Rona Ambrose’s office told mine earlier today there will be a lock-up in advance of the release."

Anyway, it looks like the Conservative are seeing a spring election in the future and figure now is the time to dump him.

I'm sure they do not want to go into an election campaign with a "media-friendly maverick" who will likely criticize and contradict the national campaign. Better to pull the plug now.

The Canada Kyoto Petition

2006-10-05T19:49:00.000-04:00

To: Canadian Poltical Parties

A bill that would oblige the Canadian government to respect its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol passed second reading as the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois outvoted the Conservative government.

The Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act demands that within 60 days of the bill passing that the Minister shall prepare a Climate Change Plan that includes a) a description of the measures to be taken to ensure that Canada meets its obligations under Article 3, paragraph 1, of the Kyoto Protocol including measures respecting, i) regulated emission limits and performance standards, (ii) market-based mechanisms such as emissions trading or offsets iii) spending or fiscal measures or incentives, and(iv) cooperative measures or agreements with provinces, territories or other government��

We demand that all political parties including the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois should also bring forward their plans for meeting Canada's Kyoto targets.

---- Click to sign the petition here ---

Floating Debris Identified, Canadian Astronaut Blamed!

2006-09-20T12:57:00.000-04:00

The unidentified debris that scuttled yesterday's space shuttle landing has been identified (see pic below), and Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean has been blamed for accidentally releasing the objects from the cargo buy during a recent space walk.

"I think it's unfair that I get the blame for this" stated MacLean "after all, it coulda been anybody...".

Proof Bush And Harper Are Aliens!!!

2006-09-08T10:03:00.000-04:00

Recent scientific research indicate that Mars is 'more active than suspected' with respect to climate, as reported by the BBC:

Photographs from Nasa's orbiting spacecraft Mars Global Surveyor show recently formed craters and gullies.

The agency's scientists also say that deposits of frozen carbon dioxide near the planet's south pole have shrunk for three summers in a row.

They say this is evidence to suggest climate change is in progress.

So there is Climate Change^TM on Mars, and we all know that Bush and Harper and their neo-con hordes are the sole contributors to Global Warming^TM and Climate Change^TM. I think this proves beyond unresonable doubt that W and Steve-O are in fact Martians. Well that and the antenae.

h/t: Fred at Gay and Right

Who Needs Hanoi Jane...

2006-09-06T11:42:00.000-04:00

When ya got TALIBAN JACK!

(PIC)

Dalton's Dilema

2006-08-23T18:21:00.000-04:00

So Dalton McGuinty is so in favour of Kyoto, wanting to shutdown the coal fired plants in Ontario no matter the energy situation and all, why is he ponying up $200 million so that GM can produce gas guzzling muscle cars?

Wouldn't he be better of putting our tax dollars into incentives for more fuel efficient cars?

News on Lawsuits

2006-08-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

MP Rob Anders and his former office manager have apparently resolved their legal battle.

An order dismissing the lawsuit filed by James Istvanffy and a countersuit by Anders has been granted by a Calgary judge. The order states neither side will bear a financial burden.

Hospital Freed!!!

2006-07-29T08:44:00.000-04:00

Promise made - promise delivered.

Two Conservative MP's have carved out a new lease for the Queensway-Carleton Hospital.

Treasury Board President John Baird and Tory MP Pierre Poilievre will announce Wednesday that the Federal Government will charge the west-end hospital one dollar a year for rent. The hospital is located on 50 acres of National Capital Commission land and currently pays 23-thousand dollars a year for rent. There was fears that the rent could go up to the millions as the NCC had a policy of "market value" rents - even to Hospitals.

The Liberals and NDP voted against a Conservative motion on this in October after Poilievre and Baird started a Free Our Hospital campaign.

Aid for Lebanon - Update

2006-07-24T18:46:00.000-04:00

"We are concerned about the Lebanese people who require immediate humanitarian aid as a result of the current conflict. We will continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to respond should further assistance be needed." said Minister Josée Verner

CIDA will immediately allocate $500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in response to its preliminary appeal. This funding will help to ease the plight of families in Lebanon who have been displaced by the fighting or trapped in villages isolated by destroyed road networks. The remaining $500,000 will be allocated in the coming days.

The Ontario government has put up $100,000. Let see the other provinces kick in as well.

Red Cross is looking for 9 million in donations - go here to donate.

UPDATE:

Two convoys carrying generators for hospitals, food, tarpaulins and hygiene kits were heading from Beirut to Tyre and the southern city of Marjayoun, said Hisham Hassan, ICRC spokesman in Lebanon.

Aid was starting to move into Beirut's port after Israel opened it for humanitarian ships. An Italian warship brought food, medicine, tents, blankets, water, electrical generators and ambulances. A ferry carrying supplies from France also arrived.

Solidarity for Peace

2006-07-17T11:46:00.000-04:00

Without comment on Harper's initial comments regarding the latest fighting in Lebanon (althought you can probably guess what it would be from my previous post) I would like to point out that its not just an exlusively Conservative view. There are many conservatives who disagree as well as many Liberals who do agree:

OTTAWA – Nova Scotia MP Scott Brison expressed his solidarity with the State of Israel following the unprovoked attacks and kidnappings of Israeli citizens outside of Gaza and at the Lebanese border.

“Israel not only has the right but the absolute duty to protect itself and its citizens from terror attacks. In a region that is already a powder keg, the coordinated actions of Hamas and Hezbollah - both of which are on Canada’s terrorist list – can only raise the tensions and elevate the risks for all parties,” affirmed Mr. Brison.

I would like to think of this as not a partisan issue and that all parties in Canada would put full efforts into finding a peacefull solution, no matter how impossible that dream my be.

Yeooowwwch! Elephant in the room ...

2006-07-15T09:02:00.000-04:00

"Until Joe Volpe puts his lifelong commitment to this party ahead of his candidacy, we risk failing to achieve the renewal our party and our country so urgently needs."

No Carolyn Bennett - no! We need Volpe!

Lebanon: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Updated

2006-07-14T13:21:00.000-04:00

I was just over at Arabian dissent and read his post retelling of a conversation with a friend he has in Beirut. I think everyone should read this glimpse into the heart of most people in Lebanon. All they want to do is be left alone but seem to find themselves constantly embroiled in war between the hard-line muslim extremists with Syrian and Iranian backing and the State of Israel. By no means is the average Lebanese citizen a friend of Israel, but for the most part they are a secular people who are hard working and who are now willing to let go of the past if they can live in peace. They are a budding democracy that is pro-business and trying to rebuild a country that its people, who earlier fled from violence, can return home to.

I think its a mistake to lump whats happening in the south with the people of Lebanon. The Lebanese government does not have the strength to handle Hesballah or the Syrian government. They are at the mercy of exterior forces from all points of the world and I think its a shame. If Syria and Iran want a war with Israel, then don't use Lebanon as the battleground. If its a war you want, do it in your own backyard. I can understand that Israel wants to defend its people, but I agree with Bush on this one, Israel has to remember who the real enemy is, and its not the people of Lebanon.

Update: check out this email from Michael Russo sent to Glen Reynolds (instapundit) . This paragraph I think is the best way to say what I've been trying to explain in the post and comments...

The Lebanese people seem to be more than turned off by Hizbollah. Their fears are greater, however, that the Lebanese government would turn entirely against Hizbollah. This lies in the fact that they trust the Israelis to hit fewer civilian targets more than they trust a desparate renegade Hizbollah on their soil. There is a lot of fear over another civil war.

h/t Small Dead Animals

Canada's (dis)Honor Guard

2006-07-04T12:22:00.000-04:00

Most nations today have a symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that represents the war grave of unidentified soldiers. They usually contain the remains of an unidentified dead soldier.

These memorials are usually guarded by an "Honor Guard", to show respect not only for the deceased, but for all that countries combatants killed in the line of duty.

Here are some examples of other nations honor guards:

the U.S. :

Russia :

Smaller nations will post an honor guard, like Greece :

and even Venezuela :

Of course, Canada also has individuals "hanging out" at our Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as can be seen in the pic below...

Canada; Strong and Free? - An essay on Canada from the U.K.

2006-07-03T12:44:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it takes an outside view to see things...

Canada; Strong and Free?

"With glowing hearts, we see thee rise/ The true North strong and free" - Canadian national anthem

There was a time that Canada was a model Western state, indeed, Comedian and actor Peter Ustinov once described Toronto as "New York, run by the Swiss". It was a beautiful, rugged country of jagged mountains, sweeping rivers, towering snow dusted pines and majestic golden prairies rolling towards the horizon. Its people were (and for the most part still are) charming, well mannered, hard working, family orientated and God fearing. They also didn't hesitate to defend liberty and freedom wherever and whenever it was threatened, and Canadian soldiers fought across the globe to advance and defend liberty.

However, the leftist social assault that has been waging since the 1960's in all Western states has taken a particularly heavy toll on Canada. One could argue the toll taken is on a par with the leftist moral ruins that we see in Scandinavia or the Netherlands, and many commentators would agree that Canada is the most left wing politically correct nation outside of Europe...

Read the whole thing here.

Happy Canada Day!!!

2006-07-01T20:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Canada day to one and all from all of us at AlsoCanadian. Here's hoping the next year will be even better.

Warren Kinsella is a Smart Fella

2006-06-07T12:18:00.000-04:00

Love him or hate him or love him and hate him, this guy does have some good ideas. If you can get past the pimpin' for Dalton shtick he's usually up to, you should go over to his site and look at his post for yesterday. It contains a brilliant idea that I only wish I lived closer to Toronto to help out with (well closer for a day, I don't think I'd really want to live there). Now hes ramping it up into an even bigger idea... iamnotafraid.ca. We at IAM(also)CANADIAN are even letting Warren rip-off our trademake IAM moniker that we stole from Molsen.

Thank you!

WEARE(also)NOTAFRIAD!!!

Disclaimer: This blog does not endorse, explicitly or implicitly, any of the other ideas contained in Warren Kinsella's blog or within his head. We reserve the right to distance ourselves from said person if/when he says something we disagree with, which will probably be really soon.

Finally! One for the rest of us:

2006-06-06T15:15:00.000-04:00

Bob Rae, The Liberal Party, The RCMP, and Air India

2006-05-31T13:17:00.000-04:00

I was reading this story, Liberals tried to 'shut me up', but didn't have much to add that hadn't already been said. Us in the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy™ always knew that the Liberal's had a very cozy relationship with the top brass at the RCMP, and this just gave us one more indication that our speculation was correct (clarifying: we have no concrete evidence other than circumstantial and anecdotal, please do not sue or arrest me). I was outraged by these allegations that top Liberal's, while in government, while holding the offices that could directly influence the RCMP, where apparently interfering in auditing of the RCMP by a government watchdog.

"The political climate, and the high-level executives in the public service, really made my life extremely difficult," she (Shirley Heafey, the lawyer who chaired the RCMP Public Complaints Commission for eight years until last October) says in an exclusive interview with The Lawyers Weekly.
"The deputy prime minister's office and the people in the Privy Council Office were quite concerned about the fact that I had to say what I had to say."

So, nothing really that surprising, we in the VRWC™ thought that the Liberals and the top brass at the RCMP enjoyed a reciprocal relationship of "you watch our back and we'll watch yours." But then I saw a preview for the upcoming movie "The World Trade Center" and thought "what a defining moment that was for the US" and what is our equivalent. Then my mind wandered to Air India, and how that should have been a wake-up call to us all but wasn't, maybe due to racism, or maybe we just thought it was a long standing feud that just happened to involve Canada in an almost remote way. The term 'Terrorist" did not have the same connotations back then. Anyways, my mind then flashed back to this article and then to how those involved in the bombing got away with it. Then I thought of Bob Rae and the Liberal party of Canada.

Was Bob Rae doing a favor for McLellan and Martin by deciding that an inquiry into the Air India bombing was not required? Was this to get support for his upcoming leadership bid from some high ranking Liberals? Did they ask him to do this or did he volunteer? Was he already in the fold and just trying to do them a 'solid'? With the rumors and allegations of how the RCMP and CSIS botched the investigation by fighting over who had jurisdiction, talk of evidence being destroyed and leads not being followed up, is it that far of a jump to think that the Liberal government wanted to again protect their friends at the highest levels of the RCMP as well as the institution itself? In light of these new allegations of "direct interference" by the Martin government in investigations into RCMP activity by a supposed independent watchdog, it doesn't seem to be much of a stretch.

How could they cover up any wrongdoing by the RCMP during the investigation(if there was any, I'm not saying I have any proof that there was so please don't take me in the night, this is a piece of pure speculation)? Well one way would be to decide not to hold a public inquiry or a Royal Commission on the matter. And who was responsible under the Martin government to make that decision? None other than current Liberal leadership hopeful Bob Rae (who at the time was considered Liberal friendly but largely independent of the Party itself). What a sorry state that the Liberals have left this country in. We are at the point where one can make plausible arguments of the kind I just made because the previous governments of this country have so eroded the trust of the public in government as well as corrupting our national institutions that we can no longer be sure of the integrity and fairness of these once noble entities. Maybe Bob Rae was just an asshat and thought, against public opinion and the victim's families insistence, that an inquiry wasn't needed when to everyone else it was obvious that there were huge mistakes during the investigation into the Air India bombing. Maybe not, we will never know for sure, but its sad that we should even have to contemplate it.

A Canadian Soldier at University

2006-05-26T18:06:00.000-04:00

A Canadian soldier was attending some university courses between deployments. He had completed tours in Bosnia, and just returned from Afghanistan . One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes." The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting."

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Soldier got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and punched him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Soldier went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Soldier and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The Soldier calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting Canada's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid shit and act like an A-hole, so He sent me."

Michaelle Jean, Harper's New Best Friend?

2006-05-26T09:12:00.000-04:00

After announcing yesterday that she will not attend the Press Gallery dinner, joining a growing list of mostly Conservative MP's and the Prime Minister declining the annual event, Governor General Michaelle Jean went one step further today and possibly gave hints as to why she would not attend. Michaelle Jean blasted the media for being too sensational and gossipy and not reporting on real news.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean cautioned Thursday against sensationalism and gossip replacing critical news reporting, urging an audience of journalists to remember their civic responsibility.

Without narrowing in on specifics, Jean painted a bleak picture of the dangers of transforming journalism into a commodity, where sales figures and deadline pressures erode the quality of reporting.

Is the GG on the Prime Minister's side during this war with the Parlimentary Press Gallery? Well I don't think I would go that far and I'm sure even if she was she would not openly admit it. That being said, despite her sugar coating there is no doubt she is telling the media in Canada to stop the childish junior high mentality and to start doing their jobs. I can agree with her on that.

Latest CanWest Attack Ad:

2006-05-22T13:20:00.000-04:00

We have just uncovered CanWest's latest Stephen Harper attack ad! They are releasing it all across Canada on their national propaganda network. (see here)

It goes something like this:

Stephen Harper's motorcade has a a big black SUV.

President George W. Bush's motorcade ALSO has a big black SUV.

Is Stephen Harper ACTUALLY George Bush?

We just don't know. He just won't say.

Big black SUVs. In our cities. Canadian cities. In Canada.

We did not make this up!

C'mon, media! Didn't ya learn anything from your political arm, the Liberals? Those attack ads just don't work...

Which Serenity Character Are You?

2006-05-20T16:59:00.000-04:00

Your results:
You are A Beaver (Cannibal)

Beavers are savages that have been
driven to madness by the government.
They blog without any discussion.

A Beaver (Cannibal)		80%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		60%
Alliance		50%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		40%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		40%
River (Stowaway)		40%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)		30%
Wash (Ship Pilot)		20%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		20%
Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		0%
Inara Serra (Companion)		0%

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character am I?" quiz...

CTV 's David Aikin Better be Careful

2006-05-18T19:02:00.000-04:00

With journalism like this - he may not last!

Coles Notes Version for the Terminally Bewildered - this is probably the fairest and balanced take I've seen on great media wars!

Probably a coincidence that he has blog as well!

The Canadian Version...

2006-05-18T14:03:00.000-04:00

Dissonance and disrespect gave me this idea:

(pic)

Mounties to Marry

2006-05-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

I came across this story from the Herald: Mounties get their men -- each other.

On a Friday night in Yarmouth this June, Const. Jason Tree and Const. David Connors will don their scarlet dress uniforms, stand before family, friends and co-workers and wed in the first same-sex marriage in the RCMP’s storied history.

I guess its true what they say, the Mounties always get their man in the end. I just didn't know it was the rear-end.

h/t nealenews

Canadian Press Wants Us Out of Afghanistan

2006-05-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

I came across this story on CNEWS, unatributed of course, just written by the invisible hand of the vast left wing conspiracy: $4.1 billion spent on Afghanistan

The federal government has spent more than $4.1 billion on its Afghan operations since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed 25 Canadians in New York's twin towers, a think-tank said Wednesday...

From the headline it sounds like this is a fact, the numbers are part of public record because a think-tank had done the research. Only after going in depth into the article did I realize that the 'think-tank' in question was the Polaris Institute. This little snippet is from their section named "The Corporate Security State Project":

The relationship between economic globalization, militarism, and security has become critically important in the post 9/11 context. The ongoing war on terror is being used not to just seek out those responsible for the 9/11 attacks, but to provide greater protection for corporations through a war economy and muted social justice movements.

Does this sound like a fair and impartial group without an agenda? Whenever they quote the Fraser Institute or the NCC they always call them "a right wing think tank" or a "Socially Conservative organization." The headline should have read:

Neo-Progressive Left-Wing Anti-War Socialist Historical-Revisionist Think-Tank Wants Us to Beleive Them About Cost of War in Afghanistan.

It kinda has a ring to it.

The Real Reason for Senators Playoff Failures

2006-05-16T12:58:00.000-04:00

After reading this entry on the Curse of King Clancy in wikipedia it all makes sense.

In the early years of the NHL the Ottawa Senators (Silver Seven) were the most dominate team in hockey. Winning more Stanley cups than any other team. The team was a powerhouse that couldn't be beaten. No one was better than their star player, King Clancy.

Ottawa, even then was a small market team. They became desperate to find the money to operate and remain competitive. Desperate for a solution they traded their star for cash.

Ottawa received $35,000 and 2 players in 1930 to trade Clancy away to rival Toronto.

Clancy whose feisty play was legendary had made roots in Ottawa and was infuriated by being traded for more money then they were going to pay him.

As he was boarding the train to Ottawa he was overheard shouting at Ottawa's coach by his former team mate Frank Finnigan.

"Mark my words! I will be dead for at least 20 years before they lift that cup again!"

Within a few short years the Senators folded having never won a cup again.

The good news for Senator fans is the curse is lifted this November 8th, the 20th aniversary of King Clancy's death.

Senators Next Year

2006-05-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Why Wallow!
Next Year:

Alfie - gone
Chara or Reddedn - Keep Redden if keeping one
Smolinski - gone
Havlat - gone or last year.

Bigger roles -
Emery, Fisher, Phillips

Pickups?
2 line center
Top line winger
2 line winger
mobile defenceman with grit.

Time to rebuild around Spezza, Heatly and Fisher up front - Emery in nets! Defence Phillips, Mezaroff and Pothier!

Draft Belinda Campaign.

2006-05-11T14:44:00.000-04:00

After reading this all I have to say is, where do I sign up?

Freedom of the Press at the CBC

2006-05-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

So it looks like Michael Coren, as well as many other conservatives, are now being blacklisted by the CBC higher ups. In his column in the National Post (quickly becoming my newspaper of choice) Coren describes how he was invited onto CBC News Sunday - hosted by Evan Solomon and Carole MacNeil, made arrangements to attend the taping, and even helped the co-host find a suitable 3rd panelist for the segment. Then at the last minute, he was told not to bother to show up. This decision wasn't made by the hosts, but by unnamed higher ups at the CBC. he goes on to describe how he's heard many stories of conservatives being asked on CBC panels by the shows host, a supposed journalist, only to be told not to bother based on a decision made in a shadowy conference room with their unnamed socialist masters. Kate at SDA has posted that she has had similar experience with the CBC.

These are the very same journalists who complain about 'Freedom of the Press' when it comes to anything the PMO or the Prime Minister does. If they are really worried about freedom of the press then they might want to stand up to their own bosses and demand that they be allowed to choose who they get to have on their segments or shows. We don't even know the names of the people who make these decisions. Our democracy needs a free, independant, and unbiased press. I will settle for two outa three, but no less.

As they say, "Doctor, heal thyself" or maybe, "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Take your pick.

h/t nealenews

Who's Really Soft on the Wood File

2006-04-28T20:05:00.000-04:00

Apparently, the Liberal's were!

From Nov 18, 2005 CTV report.

Liberals "were s insisting that the United States return at least $3.5 billion Cdn of some $5 billion in duties collected from Canadian lumber companies."

From April 28, 2006 CTV report.

"Harper said the U.S. has also agreed to return at least $4 billion in duties it has collected since 2002 to Canadian producers."

"Graham lamented the fact the agreement will leave $1 billion collected unfairly from Canada's softwood producers in U.S. hands."

Ah Bill- math not strong suit, eh?

That would be 500 million more than your guy could have got.

The Media Ban on Repatriation of Soldiers Killed in Action

2006-04-25T17:27:00.000-04:00

I think these two stories from the CNews website show the crux of the problem. I'm not at all pleased that the opposition and the MSM (Mean-Spirited Media) have made such a tragic incident a 'wedge' issue.

Personally, I support the 80 year old tradition of lowering the flag only on Remembrance Day, but we do live in a democracy and we should revisit such traditions now and again. On the issue of the media being present at repatriation, I absolutely agree with not allowing them access. They can broadcast the coffins being loaded to come home, they can broadcast the funerals, they can even broadcast the actual event of the death of the soldier if they have footage, but this is an intensely personal event where the family will come face to face for the first time with their loved ones that are no longer able to hug and kiss them back when they come home. The media has a morbid obsession with death and despair, but please, show some decency and allow the families this little bit of privacy in a private experience that has already been made very public.

I think on this we should respect the soldiers wishes, after all, they are the ones who are making this ultimate of sacrifices.

MSM Declares All Out War on Prime Minister

2006-04-20T18:39:00.000-04:00

Wow. Wowwy-wow wow wow (imagine a Christopher Walken accent). Going over through different media outlets today, it appears the MSM (Mean Spirited Media) in Canada has finally gone passed snide comments and whiny stories about how PM Harper has spurned them and now they have to work for a living. Now it is all out war. That's the only way to describe it. These 'journalists' have finally taken the gloves off and have left behind and pretense of journalistic integrity in a national campaign to bring the Prime Minister back under their leash.

Case 1: Ottawa seeks closer watch on top general from the Globe & Mail

You can't prove that this large glaring factual error was accidental or not, but that point is immaterial to the story. Whether General Hillier was asked to send a copy of his speech to the PMO so the government could prepare answers if questions arose(the truth) or whether the PMO was going to censor the General's speeches(not true) is really not important the story, its basically just a ruse to open the door to allow Stephen Harper's critics to attack him as you can see in these quotes:

Chief of the Defense Staff Rick Hillier has been asked to submit advance copies of his public speeches for vetting by the Harper government, a move critics say shows mistrust of the country's blunt-spoken senior general.
"That is highly inappropriate," Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh said yesterday.
...
Opposition reaction was ferocious, signalling that the Harper regime's at times autocratic style is wearing thin in the House of Commons.
Mr. Dosanjh, and the defence critics of the Bloc Québécois and New Democratic Party — Claude Bachand and Dawn Black — said the policy makes a mockery of Mr. Harper's promises of greater openness in government.
...
"I think it's kind of a dictatorship going on," Mr. Bachand said. "I think that is not what Quebeckers expected from Prime Minister Harper. And I think it's bad for democracy. You have to keep a certain distance, especially in national defence ... this guy is nominated by cabinet. If he becomes a puppet for the Prime Minister ... this is not looking good."

So basically the reporter wildly distorts the facts, (see CTV for Hillier's rebuttal) some might say even go so far as to misrepresent the facts, in order to allow himself and others to rip into the Prime Minister. Now look at all those quotes and remember that ALL of them are based on misinformation.

Case 2: Emerson frustrated, ex-aide says from the Toronto Star

Here we have a story based solely on heresay from a biased source. Liberal aide and strategists Jay Epworth can be heard frequently on CFRA defending the Liberal party and is anything but non-partisan. The story paints him as some sort of bureaucratic staffer. But it doesn't really matter if this source is being honest or not, it comes down to a he-said-he-said situation with no supporting evidence to back Epworth's claims. To make my point I don't even have to state or imply that Epworth is lying, I really don't know, but what I can state is that any journalist should not reprint this sort of claim without some corroboration. All in All, it doesn't even matter if he was telling the truth or not, the whole story is just an exercise to once again target Stephen Harper:

Revelations about Emerson's discontent come at a time when Harper's management style is attracting increasing attention.
The Prime Minister's efforts to discredit Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro — who investigated Harper in connect with Emerson's defection but found no wrongdoing — have raised eyebrows.
Also, the Prime Minister has been accused of muzzling his ministers and engaging in heavy handed information control.
Harper is also under fire for deciding, contrary to his previous arguments, to handpick the MPs who will chair the influential House of Commons committees.

All of these claims have absolutely nothing to do with the original story.

Case 3: Editorial: Harper distorting child-care debate from the Toronto Star

So now its all Harper's fault. The opposition threatening to bring down the Tory Government just last week, the numerous unions and lobbyists lying to us about fake reports and devaluing stay at home parenting, and even Liberal Ministers (at the time) inferring that parents were abusing their kids if they were raised outside of an 'early learning' centre, and its Stephen Harper who is distorting the child-care debate?

That's fair politics, as are his efforts to enlist socially conservative groups to help sell his plan. What is not fair, though, is Harper's portrayal of those who believe the money would be better spent creating badly needed child-care spaces across the country as pie-in-the-sky academics and researchers and special interest groups.

I have followed the debate and have heard Harper say no such thing. The only thing he did say is that he is willing to risk an election in order to fulfill his campaign promise of $1200 a year for children under 6. The story goes on to state the biases that it just criticized the Prime Minister over:

With the budget just weeks away, supporters of child-care centres must throw themselves and their dedication to their children into the battle to persuade Canadians that access to quality child care is not a frill, but a right of working women and, more significantly, their children.

The issue is not about day care, a term based on the clock. It's about the proper care of infants and toddlers by trained, supervised professionals.
...
It is time for a vigorous debate about the needs of children — the one group overlooked in Harper's plan. Advocates of a national child-care program need to go on the offensive and tell Canadians why so many children will end up worse off with Harper's $1,200 "gift."

The editorial then goes on to express exactly one position and one position only at the expense of the other side of the story, the very thing that it criticizes Stephen Harper over. It says $1200 a year is not enough, but at the same time says that National Institutional child-care would be? What about the majority of Canadians who don't want to enlist their kids in such a project?

So here we have three examples, two of lying, and one of, well logical pretzels, all trying to do their best to attack Stephen Harper. The language is quit derogatory and very inflammatory. The 'journalists' involved throw their own integrity out of the window in order to 'fight back' at Harper for his tough and controversial stance on how the Government and the national MSM work together. Not only are they discrediting themselves and tarnishing the entire profession of journalism, but they are falling right into the Prime Minister's plans of making reporters who employ sensationalism, personality politics, and 'gotcha' journalism unimportant and irrelevent. Who will win this war? Time will tell, but it has started and it seems that 'Harper as an egomanical dictator' will be the mantra they will use.

Global Warming Primer

2006-04-20T11:41:00.000-04:00

There are three separate questions:

Is the planet becoming warmer? A tough question, knowing that calorimetry is the most delicate kind of physical measurement. What do you measure, when, for how long? Methods and opinions differ. Magic satellites giving you a single figure for easy comparison are wishful thinking. You need a data interpretation method, and that's where opinions and tempers flare.
Is it a long-term trend? Also a tough question. Historical data is sparse and sometimes dubious. Not to mention that the methods and instruments have changed. For instance, the Albany, NY weather bureau reports average temperatures decreasing since the start of the century. Does that prove anything? Is this a fluke?
Is the observed change man-made?Again, a difficult question. It's not like you can run a parallel experiment on a second Earth devoid of mankind, although some people are planning it. Earth went through extreme temperature swings before the first ape showed up. The Deep Core ice-sampling project showed variations of about 7C (14F) in less than a century, several times over the last 200,000 years or so. That's huge. More over, the sun activity is not a constant. Sun activity variations wiped out the Maya (see "Solar Forcing of Drought Frequency in the Maya Lowlands" and google for more.). Astronomers think that the Mars icecap hasn't grown up as large in the last Martian winter as compared to pictures sent by the Viking probes: If that's true, it's not because of human activity. Then of course there is the well-known CO2 effect. How do we separate the natural and man-made causes? What's predominent?

I don't have answers, and serious scientists are very cautious too. Good data is too scarse, and too much money is involved for rational debate.

A government submitting to the rule of experts, can lead to an unelected elite of priviledged technocrats acting as unchallenged mouthpieces that are part of the regime. You need to be careful to renew this elite and bring competition among them to avoid this phenomenon.

Most debates on the subject don't even acknowledge the existence of these separate questions.

How to bleed an astronaut...

2006-04-18T10:45:00.000-04:00

In a science article (see "How to bleed an astronaut"), scientists are spending millions of dollars trying to figure out a way to Take blood from arteries while in space. Apparently, doing so in the microgravity of space is tricky and potentially dangerous.

Blood is easiest to collect from veins, but this blood is on its way back to the heart and has been de-oxygenated and altered in the body's tissues. This means it is not as useful for monitoring serious health problems as blood coming fresh from the heart in arteries.

After millions of dollars, they have come up with a a thumb-sized device that collects a sample from the earlobe.

I coulda saved them all that time and money. We at alsocanadian find this the most efficient device for bleeding astronauts:

MSM Can't Get Story Straight

2006-04-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, has anyone else noticed that the ctv.ca website has totally gone downhill lately? Or was it always this bad? The headlines and content are usually full of factual inaccuracies, whether deliberate or accidental, but this one I think is by far the worst I have seen to date.

They contradict the headline within the... headline? Which is it? Did WTO support Canada's position or didn't they? Seems like the folks who do CTV's website just can't handle the fact that the Yanks might have a leg to stand on after all in the softwood lumber dispute. We need a resolution to this dispute, but we also have to recognize that we are partly to blame and come up with a compromise both countries can live with. I'm guessing this doesn't fit the 'anti-American' slant that the media seems to be in love with these days.

Godfrey Knows Whats Good For His Health

2006-04-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

John Godfrey bowed out of the Liberal leadership yesterday. He has sited health concerns as the overriding factor for his decision to not run. The Toronto Star reports in this article:

MP cites health concerns for bowing out of Liberal contest

But they then go on to state:

It was an unsettling development for the 63-year-old politician, who swims most Saturday mornings and in the winter occasionally skates to Parliament Hill along the Rideau Canal.

We finally get some hint at what is wrong with his health a little later on in this quote:

Godfrey, who served as cities minister, said he hasn't been feeling "100 per cent" since returning from a family vacation in Mexico after the Jan. 23 election.

So what is this mysterious illness? My guess is that he started feeling a little concerned about his health after talking with Joe Volpe's cheif organizer:

We are creating a strong national team. Godfrey knows that a Liberal party leadership bid led by Joe Volpe is a threat to him in the next leadership election. You talkin' to me?

Cry Baby McGuinty

2006-04-12T20:16:00.000-04:00

McGuinty has ruffled some feathers among his colleagues.... left in huff.

McGuinty did not attend the second day of a meeting in Montreal, but he came under fire for his comments asserting Ontario can't afford to give more money to poor provinces.

Manitoba's Gary Doer says McGuinty should live with the conclusions of the provincially commissioned report on the so-called fiscal imbalance crafted by an blue-ribbon panel noting that "Ontario agreed to the expert panel and they chose the co-chair."

Some premiers didn't disguise their annoyance over McGuinty's decision to issue his own statement.

"We just haven't seen this before," Binns said. "It's disappointing."

Manitoba's Gary Doer echoed that sentiment.

"I'd prefer one communique," Doer said.

Dalton Macguinty - Getting Along with Others - Grade F

Belinda Leaks Liberal 'Hidden Agenda'

2006-04-12T12:07:00.000-04:00

I was reading several news articles last week regarding Belinda's decision not to run for the Liberal leadership. Something about what she was saying just didn't sit right with me. She was talking about one member one vote. I original thought that maybe that was bugging me, since she had pushed for a less populist leadership election for the Conservative party just a short two years ago, you remember, a riding with 100 members in Quebec would be equal in voice to a party in Alberta with 10 000 members. I am so used to Liberal hypocrisy and duplicity by now that it couldn't possibly be that which was bothering me so much. Then I went back to the source and reread the story, from CTV and when I looked over this quote from Belinda it hit me.

And I would rather see a Liberal Party with millions of members where each and every individual has a direct vote.

Now we all know that Belinda was the head of a major corporation so she couldn't be dumb enough to mistake the number of Liberal members to be in the millions instead of the hundred thousands of members currently (stop snickering, work with me here people!). So why would she make such a huge blunder? What if it wasn't a blunder? I started digging into this to try and get to the bottom of it and was shocked at what I found.

It turns out the Liberals have been formulating a secret plan to issue Liberal membership to every Canadian, whether they want it or not. Every man, woman, and child would be required to pay their membership dues annually and volunteer for the Liberal party. They couldn't announce these plans yet as the population is still unwilling to be enslaved, but they did plan on slowly introducing more nanny state initiatives, such as national childcare and public monopolies on health care, until the population was so dependent on a Liberal government that they had no choice.

We can see early experiments on how this evil plan could be carried out as the Liberal party was already secretly collecting membership fees, or Liberal 'sponsorship' in Quebec for the last decade.

Look out for Volpe!

2006-04-06T19:46:00.000-04:00

Quote from Volpe's chief organize r:

"We are creating a strong national team. Harper knows that a Liberal party led by Joe Volpe is a threat to him in the next election."

Its Official: This Blogger Supports Bob

2006-04-06T11:37:00.000-04:00

After yesterdays shenanigans with Bourques's headline "Raw Personal Ambition Goads Rae to Run" I mused whether I should officially endorse Bob Rae for Liberal leader. I wondered if he became leader, would the Bourques of the world torpedo him like they did with Martin during the last election. Well today is a brand new day, and yes, it seems there are others who would divide the Liberal Party once again if Rae were to become leader.

This Star article, Peterson to arch-rival Rae: Buzz off, opens up by stating:

Former Ontario premier David Peterson warned Wednesday that erstwhile NDP rival Bob Rae won't be welcome in the federal Liberal leadership race.

Obviously this should be taken with a grain of salt as Peterson is not only still mad that he lost to the worst Premier in Ontario history, but that he is also supporting Michael Ignatieff's candidacy.

Would the Liberals rally around Rae if he manages to win? Or would they leave him blowing in the wind as they did Paul Martin. Time will tell, but I think any Conservative should put Rae at the top of their lists for Liberal leader.

Bourque Likes Bob As Much As Paul

2006-04-05T14:55:00.000-04:00

We all know that Pierre Bourque, from Bourque's Newswatch, is pretty friendly with the Liberal Party and he only slanted his headlines during the election because he hated Paul Martin. Well maybe part of it was he was following the media's central plot of the Liberals as the gang who couldn't shoot straight but I digress.

Well today he had an interesting headline that did in no way portray the actual story it was linked to. Does this means that if Bob Rae wins the leadership, Bourque will once again slant his stories against the Liberals during the next campaign? Is there anyway we can get Warren Kinsella to commit to this 'arrangement' as well? With his abysmal record as Ontario premier, I might have to consider switching my support from Stronach to Rae, although Brison and his Income Trust shenanigans keep him in the running. It's been real nice to be a conservative the last few days.

Garth Turner - New Age Outlaw?

2006-03-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

There is an old saying that if your only tool is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail.

Looks like Garth is learning the limits of the digital medium - he clearly lost the "people" element.

People will write things they will never say face-to-face in a blog/comment etc. The attacks and retorts go either way - check out most of Garth's comment threads. (No links - "Expert" Tom used up our quota last post).

What's missing from the digital experience is the 2 way interaction based upon more that words - tone of voice and body language being the big 2!

For example - one of his critics changed their opinion of an issue just from a phone call with Garth. He had 7 posts and numerous comments on his blog about what he was doing with budget document and he did not really not get his point across until they talked on the phone.

Another example, is Garth change of heart after meeting face to face with caucus - as "they" say 90% of communication is non-verbal - he saw and heard enough to rethink
his entire strategy. This points out another issues with exclusively relying on the digital media - the tendency for develop an us against them bunker mentality that distorts the true picture. Also, instantly dispelled once face to face.

So any lessons learned - who knows? But you need more that a computer and an internet connection to communicate effectively.