Keith's World

Secrets of Body Language

2012-03-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously.

John Borg attests that human communication consists of 93 percent body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves; however, Albert Mehrabian, the researcher whose 1960s work is the source of these statistics, has stated that this is a misunderstanding of the findings.

Others assert that research has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning is derived from nonverbal behavior.

Delve into the science of non-verbal signals as this very visual and highly entertaining expose reveals the hidden language in which 93% of human communication takes place.

From President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and 2008 presidential hopefuls Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, see how both politicians and celebrities use the subtle movements of body language to persuade masses, establish power, and advance careers.

Identifying Pierre Poutine.

2012-03-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Elections Canada sifts through Tory database to identify Pierre Poutine

Elections Canada is combing through internal Conservative Party e-mails and database records as it tries to close in on Guelph robo-call scammer “Pierre Poutine,” sources said.

The election watchdog has gained access to the electronic logs that track who drew down information from the party’s database of voters in the riding of Guelph during the 2011 campaign.

Elections Canada is looking for evidence that the tightly held list was used by one or more political operatives as fodder for robo-calls that directed non-Tory supporters in the Ontario riding to the wrong polling station in the 2011 ballot.

Agency investigators are operating on the assumption that the hunt for the fake-call culprit who hid behind the alias “Pierre Poutine” will lead to the local Tory campaign in Guelph.

The Conservatives keep track of supporters and other voters through a massive database called the constituency information management system (CIMS), which was created and expanded under Stephen Harper’s leadership of the party.

Access to CIMS is controlled through personal accounts with passwords. One person familiar with the local Guelph campaign estimated that perhaps 10 to 15 people working there had personal CIMS accounts.

“Everything is logged,” a Conservative source said.

Someone familiar with the investigation said that CIMS records indicate Michael Sona, then-communications director to candidate Marty Burke, never used his CIMS account to draw down lists of voters during the campaign.

Mr. Sona resigned from his job with Tory MP Eve Adams’s office near the outset of the robo-call controversy. Anonymous Conservative sources have repeatedly alleged – without proof – that he played a role in the fake calls that were routed through RackNine, an Alberta firm that is not suspected of wrongdoing.

Mr. Sona has publicly protested his innocence, saying he left Ms. Adams’s office only because the allegations swirling in the media prevented him from doing his job.

Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey said the party has willingly turned over confidential records to Elections Canada to help its probe in Guelph. The party has not been served with a court order requiring it to do so.

“We have proactively reached out to Elections Canada and offered to assist them in any way we can,” Mr. DeLorey said. “That includes handing over any documents or records that may assist them.”

He would not divulge what the party handed over “as we do not want to compromise any part of the investigation.”

Separately on Tuesday, friends of Mr. Sona’s said the former Conservative staffer is eager to prove he isn’t Pierre Poutine by submitting to a test. RackNine CEO Matt Meier spoke to the unknown man who set up the Pierre Poutine account at his calling firm and Mr. Sona has told friends he would like to participate in a “voice lineup” that challenges Mr. Meier to identify the caller.

Mr. Sona has told former co-workers he learned from the Sun News Network that he was being fingered by Conservative sources in connection with the phony calls. Friends say the ex-aide was sitting in his office in late February when Sun News broke a story that Tories had tied him to “a robo-calling scandal.”

The Sun News Network was the first media outlet to link Mr. Sona to the controversy.

The former aide has told friends he was stunned that nobody from the Conservative Party had ever mentioned a word of this to him before.

He told them he offered his resignation to Ms. Adams and she initially refused it – but later accepted it after receiving a call from Jenni Byrne, now director of political operations at the Conservative Party. She served as national campaign manager for the Tories in 2011.

Elections Canada has alleged a political operative using the name Pierre Poutine engineered an off-the-books scheme via robo-calls and a disposable cellphone to discourage opposition voters from casting ballots in Guelph.

Mr. Sona has repeatedly told co-workers that there’s no way he had the technical skills to engineer the robo-calls, telling them he fared poorly in math at school and that his computer knowledge is limited to one computer science course.

Other sources familiar with the Conservative Guelph campaign said key officials knew in the days before the 2011 election that the Tories would lose the riding since the results from advance polls put them too far behind to catch up with the Liberals.

Also on Tuesday, the Liberal Party boasted that it had sent data on its robo-calls in the 2011 election to Elections Canada. It said this included the scripts and recordings of automated phone messages.

Elections Canada is fielding complaints from dozens of other ridings in which voters complain that live or automated calls sent them to the wrong polling station.

The NDP and the Liberals have compiled examples of about 30 ridings where the script of the calls was basically the same: A call purporting to be from Elections Canada falsely informed the listener that their polling station was changed due to high voter turnout.

This pattern hints at a bigger scheme, opposition parties charge.

“Liberals are committed to co-operating with this investigation,” Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae said. “We are setting the standard for openness and transparency, and we expect that all other political parties will follow suit.”

Speaking to reporters later, Mr. Rae acknowledged the bounty of materials provided to Elections Canada did not include information on a Liberal robo-call in Guelph that attacked Conservative candidate Marty Burke for his stand on abortion.

“That was a local call that doesn’t have much to do with the national campaign,” Mr. Rae said.

The Liberals late last week admitted they had funded an anti-Burke robo-call during the Guelph race – a message that didn’t include the acknowledgment it was authorized by them.

Liberal spokesman Dan Lauzon said that Guelph Liberal MP Frank Valeriote and his staff have already proven “forthcoming and co-operative” with Elections Canada over their robo-call.

source-

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/elections-canada-sifts-through-tory-database-to-identify-pierre-poutine/article2368557/

Canadians protest election 'robocall' scandal

2012-03-11T17:52:00.001-07:00

Canadians protest election 'robocall' scandal

Protesters gathered in cities across Canada Sunday to demand a full public inquiry into the federal election "robocall" scandal.

The largest turnout seemed to be in Toronto, with hundreds of people marching along downtown streets, waving placards and chanting: "Election crime, election time."

There were modest turnouts of several dozen protesters in Halifax and Montreal. A small crowd had gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa as well.

Rallies were planned in as many as 27 Canadian cities from coast to coast.

Elections Canada has launched an investigation into suspicious calls voters received during the last federal election after receiving a high volume of complaints.

Canadians in dozens of ridings have reported either receiving automated calls telling them to go to incorrect polling stations on election day, or being telephoned late at night and harassed by people who claimed to represent political parties.

Opposition parties are blaming the Conservatives, alleging the party resorted to "dirty tricks" and voter suppression tactics. The Tories responded with counter-accusations and Prime Minister Stephen Harper has denied any knowledge of the calls.

On Saturday, Liberal MP Frank Valeriote admitted his party did not identify that it was behind an anti-Conservative robocall used during the election in Guelph, Ont.

The riding is already the focus of the Elections Canada "robocall" probe.

The Liberals' automated call was critical of Conservative candidate Marty Burke and his anti-abortion views. The message goes on to say that the race in Guelph is close and asks people to vote "strategically."

Audio of the recording surfaced Friday night.

The recording does not state that it came from the Liberal Party or from Valeriote's campaign. The Elections Act requires parties or candidates to identify themselves in campaign ads.

Valeriote, who won the riding, told CTV News Saturday that it was an "oversight" that the party and candidate were not identified on the call.

Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro called the message "dishonest," and "sleazy."

source-

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20120311/canadians-plan-robocall-rallies-120311/

How Hemp Got High: Cannabis Genome Mapped

2012-03-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

How Hemp Got High: Cannabis Genome Mapped

A team of Canadian researchers has sequenced the genome of Cannabis sativa, the plant that produces both industrial hemp and marijuana, and in the process revealed the genetic changes that led to the plant's drug-producing properties.

Jon Page is a plant biochemist and adjunct professor of biology at the University of Saskatchewan. He explains that a simple genetic switch is likely responsible for the production of THCA, or tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, the precursor of the active ingredient in marijuana.

"The transcriptome analysis showed that the THCA synthase gene, an essential enzyme in THCA production, is turned on in marijuana, but switched off in hemp," Page says.

Tim Hughes, co-leader of the project, is a professor at the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. He explains the team compared the potent Purple Kush marijuana variety with 'Finola' hemp, which is grown for seed production. Hemp lacks THCA, but does contain another, non-psychoactive substance called CBDA, or cannabidiolic acid.

"Detailed analysis of the two genomes suggests that domestication, cultivation, and breeding of marijuana strains has caused the loss of the enzyme (CBDA synthase), which would otherwise compete for the metabolites used as starting material in THCA production," Hughes says.

Essentially, this means that over thousands of years of cultivation, hemp farmers selectively bred Cannabis sativa into two distinct strains -- one for fibre and seed, and one for medicine. Marijuana has been used medicinally for more than 2,700 years, and continues to be explored for its pharmaceutical potential.

"Plants continue to be a major source of medicines, both as herbal drugs and as pharmaceutical compounds," Page says. "Although more than 20 plant genomes have been published, ranging from major food crops such as rice and corn, to laboratory models like Arabidopsis, this is the first genome of a medicinal plant."

The researchers expect that sequencing the Cannabis sativagenome will help answer basic questions about the biology of the plant as well as furthering development of its myriad applications. These include strains for pharmaceutical production, high-producing industrial hemp plants, and hemp seed varieties to produce high-quality edible oil. Hemp seed oil is rich in omega 6, an essential fatty acid, and its fibre is used in the production of textiles.

According to the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, about 25,000 acres of the crop were sown in Canada in 2010, much of this in Manitoba. Due to hemp's association with marijuana, farmers need to be licensed through Health Canada to grow the crop. Canadian medicinal marijuana is currently produced under Health Canada contract with Prairie Plant Systems, a

Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided byUniversity of Saskatchewan.

Hindu holy men mark religious gathering

2012-03-04T12:05:00.002-08:00

A Hindu holy man, or sadhu, applies ashes on his face at the Pashupatinath Temple during the Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu Monday. Hindu holy men from Nepal and India come to this temple to take part in the Shivaratri festival, which is one of the biggest Hindu festivals dedicated to Lord Shiva and celebrated by devotees all over the world.

Photograph by: Navesh Chitrakar, Reuters , Reuters

Hindu holy man Tarkeshwor Giri sat naked at Nepal's biggest annual religious gathering on Monday as throngs of pilgrims sought his blessings at a centuries-old temple in Kathmandu.
Devotees bow before Giri, who has travelled from Rudra Prayag in the northern Indian state of Uttaranchal, and offer him coins, rice and sweets. He places his palm on their heads and paints a streak of ash on their foreheads.
"I do this for the prosperity and welfare of the world," 50-year-old Giri, with ash-smeared body and dreadlocked hair that has not been combed or cut for 20 years, said as he smoked marijuana sitting cross-legged by the side of burning logs.
"We are the Naga army and work for the protection of our Vedic religion," Giri said of the Naga Sadhu sect, who are said to have overcome earthly life and declare themselves "dead."
Hundreds of naked Sadhus like Giri have travelled from neighbouring India, alongside others dressed in saffron clothes and those holding tridents, to add religious fervour to the Maha Shivaratri or the great night of Lord Shiva, one of the trinity of Hindu gods.
Some also celebrate the festival as Shiva's wedding night, marking the deity's union with consort Parvati.
"Lord Shiva is truth and that is beautiful," said devotee Ganga Bista waiting in line to get into the shrine.
One folklore has it that the lord, who fled his Himalayan abodes of Mount Kailash in Tibet, was later found in the form of a golden-horned deer grazing in the Mrigasthali forests close to the sprawling Pashupatinath temple on the outskirts of Kathmandu where the festival is held.
The shrine, a UNESCO heritage site, is located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River next to the forests where some of the rare deer roam.
Lord Shiva is depicted in sketches as a young man sitting on a tiger skin with a snake garland around his neck.
The festival is marked by the simple rituals of devotees, who ignore pollution in the river to bathe or sprinkle its water over their heads and bodies to wash away their "sins."
Many devotees began queuing outside the temple before dawn, holding marigold garlands, incense sticks, butter lamps and coconut fruits in leafy trays.
Organizers said more than 4,200 police stood guard over crowds expected to top 800,000 people.
Some poured milk from tiny pitchers over the Shiva Lingam, or stone phallus, symbol of the virile energy of Lord Shiva, and carried sandal wood paste to take back for relatives.
Hindu holy men, considered the god's attendants, sat around the fire with a smell of burning butter lamps and cannabis heavy in the air.
The drug is banned in Nepal but the holy men are spared during the festival.
Around 80 per cent of Nepal's 26.6 million people are Hindus, many deeply religious. Devotees say the marijuana smoking naked men add to the colour of the festival.
"It is a matter of understanding. It is the beauty of our culture. It is okay," said Jagannath Mahato, from Nepal's southern plains standing by Giri's side.
Norwegian tourist Marit Thomasse - who stood on the pebbles outside the Hindus-only temple watching long lines of devotees - accepted that entrance was something that should be reserved for believers alone.
"I can understand that. I have to respect the tradition."

Why Weed Makes You…huh??

2012-03-02T08:08:00.001-08:00

Why Weed Makes You…huh??

Scientists have long suspected that THC somehow affects the hippocampus region of the brain, the bit responsible for controlling short-term memory, but have never been able to prove it. Turns out that's because they were looking at the wrong grey matter.

A duo of researchers, Giovanni Marsicano of the University of Bordeaux, France, and Xia Zhang of the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, have been credited with the discovery published today in the journal Cell. Previously, scientists believed that THC "loosened" synapses in the hippocampus, resulting in memory loss. But contrary to convention, the effect isn't rooted in the drug's effect on the neurons alone but also on an undiscovered reaction between THC and non-neuronal cells known as astrocytes.

Astrocytes used to be thought of simply "support" cells that helped neurons function. However, the team's research showed that these cells also produce a chemical called AMPA when they interact with THC and it's the AMPA compound that can mitigate or enhance the looseness of the neuron's synapse.

To prove the hypothesis, the team employed three types of rats with various alterations to their neurons' CB1 receptors (these receptors bind with THC and activate the cells when THC is present). The first set lacked receptors on cells that produce the neurotransmitter glutamate, the second set lacked receptors on cells that create the neurotransmitter GABA, and the third set lacked them on the AMPA-producing astrocytes. Basically, if the cells lacked this receptor, THC wouldn't affect them and they wouldn't produce the associated chemical.

The team inserted electrodes into the anesthetized rats' brains, got them blunted, and then recorded the results. The glutamate and GABA sets of rats responded in the same way that normal rats would—high as shit and terrible short-term memory. The AMPA-less rats however were unaffected.

So hey, great, they've figured out how to get rats high but not forget what they were just doing. How does that affect the average toker in the street? It's actually kind of a big deal, since science had no clue that astrocytes did much more than sit there. It opens up an entire new avenue of neuroresearch and Marsicano envisions this discovery leading to THC-derived pain-killers that don't affect working memory—think Ambien without all the pesky sleep-driving.

And for tokers looking to take advantage of this discovery—right now, before you forget—should check with their local dispensary for strains containing high concentrations of cannabidiol. A2010 study noted that strains high in it didn't produce the impairing side effect. [Nature]

source-

http://gizmodo.com/5889856/why-weed-makes-youyouhuh

Florida woman admits she burned down a tree ‘older than Jesus’

2012-03-01T09:48:00.002-08:00

Florida woman admits she burned down a tree ‘older than Jesus’

26-year-old Floridian woman admitted to burning down one of the oldest trees in the world Tuesday afternoon.

According to WFTV, Sara Barnes was arrested after admitting she set The Senator, a 3,500 year old bald cypress tree, on fire on a mid-January night in Longwood, Florida.

Barnes, a regular drug user who was smoking meth with a friend at the time, lit the tree on fire so that she could see in the dark but could not stop it from spreading.

“I can’t believe I burned down a tree older then Jesus,” Barnes told authorities before taken into custody by police.

The Senator, which became a landmark in Longwood, was the fifth oldest tree in the world.

WATCH: Video from WFTV, which was broadcast on February 28, 2012.

Richard Branson calls on Canada to legalize pot

2012-03-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

Branson calls on Canada to legalize pot rather than toughen its laws

An international group of thinkers, business people and former politicians is urging the federal government to change its omnibus crime bill, arguing stiffer sentences for "minor"marijuana crimes won't make Canada safer.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy, which includes former head of the United Nations Kofi Annan and billionaire Sir Richard Branson, signed an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and senators urging them to amend the crime bill and instead of penalties, make pot legal.

In its letter, released Wednesday, the group asked the government to consider taxing and regulating marijuana "as an alternative strategy to undermine organized crime and improve community health and safety."

"Adopting the mandatory sentencing for minor cannabis offences would send Canada down a tragic path, likely costing your taxpayers billions and doing nothing to tackle drug violence or drug dependency," Branson said in a news release.

"Canada should explore policies that treat drugs as a health issue, not a criminal issue."

The government indicated Wednesday it had no plans to amend the bill, or talk with Branson and the commission about Canada's drug laws.

"The Safe Streets and Communities Act goes after the source of the illicit drug trade - the drug traffickers. The kinds of offenders we are targeting are those who are involved in exploiting the addictions of others for personal profit,"said Julie Di Mambro, a spokesperson for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. The letter comes as the Senate is set to approve Bill C-10 by the end of the week. The Conservatives used their majority in the Senate on Wednesday to limit the amount of debate on C-10 to six hours.

source
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Branson+calls+Canada+legalize+rather+than+toughen+laws/6231753/story.html

TTC collector shot in robbery

2012-02-27T00:54:00.004-08:00

TTC collector shot in robbery at Toronto’s Dupont subway station

Toronto police investigators head underground as they investigate the shooting of a TTC employee at the Dupont subway station Sunday night. Police closed off the subway during the investigation. The employee underwent surgery at St. Michael's Hospital.

A TTC ticket collector underwent emergency surgery Sunday night after being shot in the neck during an attempted robbery at Dupont subway station. The long-time employee, believed to be in his 50s, is expected to survive.

Meanwhile, Toronto police are going through surveillance tapes to try to identify the suspect, who took off immediately after the shooting.

“I will not have people attacking my staff,” said an emotional Andy Byford, acting general manager of the TTC, speaking to the media outside the station Sunday night.

Police said the call first came in as a “hold-up alarm.” Dozens of police officers, the canine unit and paramedics swarmed the area within minutes of the shooting, which happened at 7:20 p.m.

A man in a balaclava demanded cash from the collector, then fired a shotgun twice, hitting the collector in the upper chest and neck, according to a police source. The gunman took off running and escaped down the street, the source said. It wasn’t clear if any money was taken.

Byford said there have been reports that a bystander chased after the gunman. Police closed the subway station, sending trains right through, as they investigate. Police said late Sunday they weren’t sure if the station would be open for the Monday morning commute.

Paramedics transported the employee with life-threatening injuries to St. Michael’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery Sunday night. The TTC didn’t release the collector’s name, but said the employee will live.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross recalled one armed robbery at Dupont station a few months ago and two more in one evening four weeks ago, one at Leslie station and the other at Glencairn. No one was hurt during those robberies and arrests were made.

“We’ve done a number of things to hearten the booths and make them less vulnerable to robbery,” said Ross.

There’s a film put on the glass of the collector booths that makes the glass more difficult to shatter, as well as alarms installed inside the booths, The alarm was activated by the collector, who would have a limited amount of cash on hand.

Ross said there are numerous closed-circuit cameras at every station, including at the collecting booths. That footage has been handed over to the police.

“But clearly we need to revisit those arrangements, which we will do first thing (Monday) morning,” Byford said.

During a robbery attempt, TTC staff members are not supposed to resist in any manner, except for sounding the alarm.

“I’d rather lose the money than one of our collectors,” Byford said.

TTC union president Bob Kinnear said he’s concerned about the safety of employees and passengers.

“There’s only so much the employer can do when you’ve got people walking around with guns,” said Kinnear. “No one’s safe from people with guns.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Rob Ford said in a statement late Sunday that he was “deeply saddened” to hear of the shooting.

source-

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/1137045--ttc-employee-shot-at-dupont-station?bn=1

2012-02-26T17:34:00.001-08:00

Anonymous claims hack on Ontario police chiefs site

'Snoop on to them as they snoop on to you,' group writes in apparent cyber attack

Top cops hacked2:13

The group representing Ontario's top police brass appears to be the latest victim of "hacktivist" organization Anonymous, after the website for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) was downed in an apparent cyber attack.

Hackers with the group Anonymous have claimed responsibility for leaking purported email logins and passwords allegedly taken from the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police website.

In another sign of backlash against the federal government's proposed internet surveillance bill, C-30, hackers on Saturday posted what they claimed to be an online "database leak," which purportedly revealed login usernames and passwords for several administrators' accounts for theOACP website.

The database leak, which has been widely shared via micro-blogging website Twitter, lists the web address for the association as a "target."

A memo about the purported leak begins with a quote alluding to privacy concerns surrounding the reach of the online surveillance bill: "Snoop on to them as they snoop on to you."

The Conservative government's contentious crime-busting legislation, the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, would force internet service providers to hand over customer information to police — without a warrant — for the purposes of monitoring clients in order to catch online child predators.

'We pulled our site down so it's not accessible. It appears this was really meant to embarrass, to send a message to Ontario's police leaders.'—Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police spokesman Joe Couto

Many police chiefs across Canada supported the bill, reasoning that it was necessary to help fight child pornography.

But a large public outcry ensued, with concerned citizens saying there would be nothing to stop law-abiding web surfers from also being tracked without their knowledge or consent.

CBC's John Northcott said Saturday's information dump includes "a series of email addresses, passwords, full names, user names, information from allegedly the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police website."

'Meant to embarrass' police chiefs

A visit to the website's address on Saturday showed a mostly blank page with an "under maintenance" message at the top.

Joe Couto, a spokesperson with the OACP, said the association wouldn't be intimidated by this sort of activity.

"I can ensure citizens of this province that police will continue to provide opinions to lawmakers on this and any other piece of legislation that comes forward that affects policing in this province," Couto said.

"We pulled our site down so it's not accessible. It appears this was really meant to embarrass, to send a message to Ontario's police leaders."

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews introduced the bill earlier this month.

12 Conservative candidates on the 2011 RackNine client list

2012-02-26T17:03:00.001-08:00

Election Robocall Data Dump - 12 Conservative candidates on the 2011 RackNine client list

Many voters received automated calls during the last Federal election that directed them to an incorrect polling station.

UPDATE - RackNine CEO Matt Meier has issued a statement on the investigation:

As CEO of Racknine, I was shocked and distressed to learn that some party had used our services to try and disrupt voting during the 2011 federal election. We take these allegations very seriously.Our dialling services have been used successfully by hundreds of campaigns to inform voters of where and when to vote in many elections. We believe that our technology has helped engage more voters in the electoral process. We are committed to ensuring that those who misused our services will face the full penalty of law, and will continue to work proactively with Elections Canada and all law enforcement agencies to help identify the culprits.

RackNine was a supplier of automated calling services for several Conservative candidates during the 2011 election. No allegations of wrongdoing have been made against the candidates.

From candidate electoral reports available through the Elections Canada website:

(Note: The second line refers to the expense category under which the amount was listed.)

Rona Ambrose (Edmonton Spruce Grove)
Miscellaneous expenses
Apr. 11, 2011    Racknine Inc    1,175.43
May 9, 2011    Racknine Inc    367.54
May 1, 2011    Racknine Inc    5,575.36

Ryan Hastman (Edmonton Strathcona)
Advertising - other
Apr. 27, 2011    RackNine Inc.    4,252.50
May 6, 2011    RackNine Inc.    1,683.16
Surveys - other research
May 5, 2011    RackNine Inc.    816.19

Laurie Hawn (Edmonton Centre)
Advertising - other
May 9, 2011    RACKNINE INC    1,550.43

Cathy McLeod (Kamloops - Thompson - Cariboo)
Advertising - radio/TV
May 24, 2011    RackNine Inc.     328.52

Lee Richardson (Calgary Centre)
Election surveys - other research
May 9, 2011    Racknine Inc.    501.87

Devinder Shory (Caglary Northeast)
Office expenses - other
May 13, 2011    RACK NINE INC    580.30

Tim Uppal (Edmonton - Sherwood Park)
Office expenses - other
May 3, 2011    Rack Nine Inc.    1,199.45

According to invoices submitted to Elections Canada posted by the NDP research office, there were also several payments to RackNine that do not show up in the list of direct campaign expenses:

Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest)
May 4, 2011 - $117.75 (GOTV campaign)

Lavar Payne (Medicine Hat)
May 4, 2011 - $26.01 .

According to the correspondence that the Harper campaign included with this invoice, this was related to a final GOTV phone blitz in "swing" ridings the weekend before the election. It appears that RackNine initially billed the full cost, which remains unknown, to the Conservative Party of Canada, which passed the cost onto participating campaigns -- including, in this case, that of the party leader.

It's worth noting that, in the attached emails, the Harper team member charged with handling the invoice initially seems unsure why the campaign is being asked to pay for the calls. Eventually, he decides to pay it, as they were apparently planning to charge the national campaign for a portion of "phone bank" costs, and didn't want to get into a "dispute" over $118.

Meanwhile, Payne, whose agent filed the same invoice in support of its expense claim, albeit with a different amount listed at the bottom, apparently paid just $26.01 for a personalized phone blast in his riding of Medicine Hat, which, as with Harper's claim, was charged to his campaign on behalf of the Conservative Fund.
Leon Benoit (Vegreville-Wainwright)
Apr. 31, 2011 - $4,830.00 (teletown hall)
Jason Kenney (Calgary Southeast)
April 19, 2011 - $4,231.50 (teletown hall)

RackNine billed both the Benoit and Kenney campaigns in US funds, and according to the credit card records included with the Kenney filing, the money was actually paid to Tele-Town Hall LLC 2022378051 DC, an Arlington, VA-based firm that specializes in tele-town halls, which suggests that RackNine may have been simply asking as a middleman or reseller.

Laurie Hawn (Edmonton Centre)
Apr. 23, 2011 - 165.13 (advance poll message)

This is actually one of two RackNine-related expenses listed in the Hawn's filing -- the other appeared as a direct payment in the expense report, as noted above. This smaller amount was actually paid by a Hawn staffer, Peter Watson, who subsequently invoiced the campaign as part of a separate expense claim.

Michelle Rempel (Calgary Centre - North)
March 16/29, 2011(?) - $2,500 (unknown)

According to the invoice, the money was paid -- in two installments, a $500 retainer before the writs dropped, and the remaining amount after the campaign had begun -- by a "Jason Rempel", who was the recipient of multiple unrelated payments throughout the election.

Lee Richardson (Calgary Centre)April 25, 2011 - $5,735.00 (teletown hall)

This invoice -- which is over and above the amounts listed earlier -- was paid to RackNine "c/o Glenn Solomon", with an entry for the same amount appearing under Solomon's name for "elections and

other surveys". It is unclear what relationship, if any, Solomon, a longtime local Tory supporter,

had/has with either the Richardson campaign or RackNine.

source-

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2012/02/election-robocall-data-dump---12-

conservative-candidates-on-the-2011-racknine-client-list.html

CIA Drug Ops Conspiracy-Unaired Documentary

2012-02-26T12:12:00.001-08:00

This is a documentary series that was never aired where an investigative journalist uncovers truth to the rumors about Iran-Contra during the Reagan years, CIA drug trafficking, CIA drug operations in Mena, Arkansas during the Clinton governorship and presidency. It also implies that former president George H.W. Bush, who was vice president during the Reagan years, and was also former head of the CIA was also involved. This documentary to my knowledge was recorded from a hacked satellite tuned to an "edit" channel which was feeding coast to coast "preview programming" to network executives in NYC. Apparently the decision was made against running this program due to its content and the "heat" that it would generate. The CIA poses as FBI more often than not, so perhaps the "FBI" stated this would interfere with their investigation....

American drug war: The last white hope

2012-02-26T11:58:00.001-08:00

American Drug War: The Last White Hope a documentary by Kevin Booth

In 1971 Richard Nixon declared a drug war. 35 Years later, over 35 million non violent drug offenders live behind bars.

Emperor Of Hemp: Every Revolution needs a Hero

2012-02-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

This is the film that the government does not want you to see. This is the film that contains the facts about one movement... one man... and one miraculous plant that could revolutionize the world. The best-selling book The Emperor Wears No Clothes blew the lid off the anti-hemp conspiracy and explained all there is to know about an easy-to-grow plant with infinite, non-intoxicating uses.

Why is hemp illegal? The information is in this film, and you won't believe it!

Bob Rae challenges The Conservatives

2012-02-26T11:07:00.002-08:00

Bob Rae Slams Harper Conservatives.

Interim Liberal Party of Canada Leader Bob Rae holds a news conference in Toronto, February 25, 2012, to challenge the Harper Conservatives over their use of 'dirty tricks' robocalls and other voter suppression techniques in dozens of ridings across Canada in the last election campaign (and since).

Robocall Scandal To Have Benefited Only One Party

2012-02-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

Under the Canada Elections Act, voter suppression - "delaying or obstructing the electoral process" or "the willful endeavour to prevent an elector from voting" - is punishable with up to a $5,000 fine, five years in prison or both.

Robocalls to trick voters

2012-02-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

Rae claims 'robocalls' contributed to Liberal candidates' defeat

Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae claims reports of "robocalls" and voter suppression tactics contributed to the defeat of Liberal candidates in at least 27 ridings during the last federal election.

These tactics were the equivalent of "stuffing a ballot box," Rae said at a news conference in the riding of Toronto-Danforth on Saturday.

Rae called on "the prime minister, any Conservative MP, candidate or party official" who has any knowledge of these reports to come forward and turn the information over to the RCMP or Elections Canada for investigation.

According to Rae, these reports are part of a wider misinformation campaign by the Conservatives and he is calling on Parliament to hold an emergency debate on Monday.

Both Rae and NDP Leader Nycole Turmel raised the controversy while campaigning in the byelection in Toronto-Danforth and vowed to keep the heat on the governing Conservatives.

Turmel said the scandal has eroded Canadians' faith in the electoral process and a thorough RCMP probe is necessary to restore credibility in the system.

CBC News has learned that Jim Maloway, former NDP MP and the current member for Elmwood in the Manitoba legislature, has sent a letter to the chief electoral officer asking him to investigate "possible organized illegal activity" in the federal riding of Elmwood-Transcona.

Ridings the Liberals and NDP say received reports of false or misleading calls during the last election:

LIBERALS:

1. Sydney-Victoria (NS)

2. Egmont (PE)

3. Eglinton-Lawrence (ON)

4. Etobicoke Centre (ON)

5. Guelph (ON)

6. Cambridge (ON)

7. Hamilton East-Stoney Creek (ON)

8. Haldimand-Norfolk (ON)

9. Kitchener-Conestoga (ON)

10. Kitchener-Waterloo (ON)

11. London North Centre (ON)

12. London West (ON)

13. Mississauga East-Cooksville (ON)

14. Niagara Falls (ON)

15. Oakville (ON)

16. Ottawa-Orleans (ON)

17. Ottawa West-Nepean (ON)

18. Parkdale - High Park (ON)

19. Perth - Wellington (ON)

20. Simcoe-Grey (ON)

21. St. Catharines (ON)

22. St. Paul's (ON)

23. Sudbury (ON)

24. Wellington - Halton Hills (ON)

25. Willowdale (ON)

26. Saint Boniface (MB)

27. Winnipeg South Centre (MB)

NDP:

28. Davenport (ON)

29. Edmonton East (AB)

30. Elmwood-Transcona (MB)

31. Ottawa Centre (ON)

Parkdale-High Park (also on Liberal list)

32. South Shore-St. Margaret's (NS)

Sudbury (also on Liberal list)

33. Thunder Bay-Superior North (ON)

34. Windsor-Tecumseh (ON)

Maloway ran for the federal NDP in the last election but lost to Conservative Lawrence Toet by less than 300 votes.

In an interview with CBC News, Maloway said six or seven calls were reported to his campaign from voters who said they received calls claiming to be from Elections Canada that redirected them to different polling stations.

While it's not unusual for political campaigns to use automated calls for legitimate campaigning, robocalls can also be used to frustrate voters into giving up on casting a ballot, a tactic referred to as voter suppression, which is illegal under the Canada Elections Act.

The Liberals and NDP are accusing the Conservatives of using "dirty tricks" in a scheme to suppress the vote in at least 34 tightly contested races in the last federal election campaign.

Their allegations follow an investigation by the Ottawa Citizen revealing that Elections Canada traced fraudulent calls to a call centre company in Edmonton called Racknine.

Nine Conservative campaigns used the services of Racknine during the last federal election campaign.

'Dirty tricks' spread beyond 'robocalls'

In addition to the fraudulent robocalls, an investigative story by PostMedia News-Ottawa Citizen published Saturday found that voters in 14 ridings also received fake live calls from people claiming to be representatives of the local Liberal candidate in the riding.

Liberals claim reports of "dirty tricks" included "aggressive people acting on behalf of the Conservative Party outside of polling stations misleading voters" to reports of "instant voters" who cast ballots in ridings where they did not actually reside.

In an interview with CBC Radio's The House, Rae told host Evan Solomon that former Liberal MP Joe Volpe, who ran and lost to Conservative Joe Oliver in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence, "has affidavits from many people who received phone calls that pretended to be from the Liberal Party but clearly were not."

Rae also pointed to Liberal candidate Borys Wrzesnewskyj, who lost to Conservative Ted Opitz by less than 30 votes in the riding of Etobicoke Centre, saying "he has evidence of vote tampering and people being excluded from voting."

In an email to CBC News on Saturday, Conservative Party spokesperson Fred DeLorey called the allegations by the Liberal Party "unsubstantiated."

"We have always been available to co-operate with Elections Canada and will do so fully if asked."

"The Conservative Party of Canada ran a clean and ethical campaign and would never tolerate such activity. We call on Elections Canada to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible," wrote DeLorey.

The RCMP has confirmed the force is supporting Elections Canada in its investigation into the fraudulent robocalls.

Stephen Maher, one of the reporters who broke the original story for PostMedia News, told CBC News on Saturday that "something happened to the benefit of Conservative campaigns. In order for it to happen, they had to have money, they had to have organization and they had to have voter lists."

Michael Sona, a 23-year-old Conservative staffer who worked for candidate Marty Burke in the riding of Guelph, Ont., during the last election, resigned Friday amid the investigation by Elections Canada into the fraudulent robocalls.

Voters in the riding of Guelph complained they were directed to the wrong polling station by automated calls claiming to be on behalf of Elections Canada.

CBC News reported last May 2, 2011 — the day of the federal election — that voters in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia were reporting fraudulent calls to Elections Canada. The fake calls directed voters in ridings across the country to the wrong or non-existent polling stations.

The NDP and Liberals say the list of provinces with ridings that received reports of misleading election-related calls now includes Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Both Turmel and Rae said the scheme was too broad and complex to stem from one lone agent.

"We don't believe one person did it alone. Too many ridings are affected by this," Turmel said.

source-

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/25/pol-rae-robocalls-saturday.html

punishment for voter suppression

The Ottawa Citizen reported Thursday that illegal automated phone calls directing voters to non-existent or incorrect polling stations during the last federal election have been traced to an Edmonton call centre.
Should the sentences for trying to rig a vote be harsher?(Courtesy Elections Canada)The company, Racknine, has been used in the past by Conservative candidates, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to conduct legitimate phone campaigns. There is no evidence any Conservative candidates were involved in the fraudulent calls.

The message that the robocalls carried to voters in Guelph, Ont., was:

"This is an automated message from Elections Canada. Due to a projected increase in voter turnout your poll location has been changed. Your new voting location is at the old Quebec Street mall at 55 Wyndham Street North."

Other fraudulent calls were reported in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., London, Ont., Toronto, Winnipeg and Sydney, N.S.

Under the Canada Elections Act, voter suppression - "delaying or obstructing the electoral process" or "the willful endeavour to prevent an elector from voting" - is punishable with up to a $5,000 fine, five years in prison or both.
However, since 1992, no one has been imprisoned for breaking the Canada Elections Act. The largest fine laid under the Act - two fines of $25,000 - was against the Conservative Party for the in-and-out payments.

source-

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/02/should-punishment-for-voter-suppression-be-more-severe.html

Know The Law.

2012-02-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

THE POT LAW HAS FALLEN

A common question that gets asked to DUI Attorney Orange County, Ryan Varice is can someone who has been using marijuana be charged with impairment because a DUI would mean the person is driving impaired, and the studies have shown that marijuana doesn’t cause impairment and lack of focus, in fact studies have shown that marijuana use enhances focus. While there are studies which show that alcohol causes impairment when driving, but there hasn’t been any evidence to support that marijuana (cannabis) has an effect on impairment. The studies from the Department of Justice tested marijuana on inexperienced drivers who consumed large amounts of marijuana, and not the common amount used recreational. There are studies which show the main chemical in marijuana THC does not have an impairing effect on individuals. The studies points out some decision making skills are impaired but only to a small degree, and not enough to cause impairment while operating a motor vehicle. Further complicating the issue of testing marijuana for impairment is that marijuana can stay in the system for days so what might be showing on the blood tests may not be a recent interaction with marijuana. It is legal in Canada to use cannabis or marijuana. But only for medicinal purposes. These medicinal purposes in which cannabis or marijuana is used is for conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, hepatitis, and even arthritis. Cannabis or marijuana is a plant that is used to treat conditions that include anxiety, depression, and pain. In Canada . however, it is not legal to use Cannabis for recreational purposes, or even for any other purposes other than for medicinal use. The possession, cultivation, sale, and use of marijuana or pot in Canada , is not legal in any way. The only exception to this is the legal protection that the law has provided for registered users that use marijuana for medicinal purposes. There are very few national laws in Canada that can cover the whole impaired driving aspects. That’s why local authorities make their own laws and regulations, but still act within the existing national laws. It’s like the way the United States have an existing DUI law, but the local authorities of each state, can modify it to have punishments or sanctions that can best suit their own areas of responsibility. In the Criminal Code of Canadian Protocol that also covers the Impaired Driving by Drug Laws, it says that yes, a person can be caught with a DUI violation for smoking too much pot. The DUI laws cover marijuana also, because of its meaning, “Driving Under the Influence,” the “influence” part is not limited to alcohol influence, but also drug and thus, marijuana, influence also. And according to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Section 4, if one is found guilty of possession of marijuana of up to 30 grams, the accused may be sentenced to a maximum penalty of six months in prison, or pay a one thousand dollars fine. Proving that an accused is driving under the influence of alcohol, is relatively easy because of the breathalyzer. However, proving that someone is driving under the influence of marijuana is much more difficult. The prosecution has to prove that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or “THC” or better known as marijuana (or pot, weed, grass, dope, Mary Jane, or ganja) lingers in your body. Once taken, THC is hard to flush out; the chemical lingers in the body even long after the effects of ingesting the substance has worn off. The lifespan of THC in the system varies, depending on a variety of factors, which include the amount of marijuana one has consumed, the concentration of the THC consumed, and one’s basic, personal tolerance to marijuana.

DUI LAWS FOR MARIJUANA

Basically, to prove that someone is under the influence of marijuana, the prosecution looks into one’s driving pattern, one’s personal appearance, one’s performance in the Field Sobriety Test of FSTs, and one’s results from a chemical test that would reveal of marijuana is indeed in one’s bloodstream. The first three sings can be introduced through a testimony given by the arresting officer

The arresting officer will testify in court and state their reasons on why they believe that you are driving under the influence of marijuana.

The testimony for pulling over a driver for suspected marijuana ingestion and then driving can be backed up by the following signs that are usual indicators of driving under the influence: driving into opposing or crossing traffic, straddling center of lane marker, turning with a wide radius, weaving, almost colliding with an object or vehicle, drifting, breaking erratically, slow response to traffic signals, turning with a wide radius, driving with headlights off, turning abruptly or illegally, appearing to be drunk, following too closely, swerving, stopping inappropriately, speed more than 10 mph below the limit, driving on other than designated highway, stopping without cause in traffic lane, tires on center or lane marker, and accelerating or decelerating rapidly.

The physical aspect or one’s personal appearance can be judged through the following indicators: dilated pupils, elevated pulse rate, elevated blood pressure, giving off the odour of marijuana, eyelid and body tremors, relaxed or uninhibited demeanour, dry mouth, and short-term memory impairment.

One’s performance in the different field sobriety tests are also indicators. These tests are not tests, per se, but are physical agility exercises that determine your control over critical skills that may be involved while manoeuvring a vehicle. There are five tests: 1. Nystagmus: The officer will hold an object 12 inches from the driver’s face, then move it side to side. The driver must follow the action with his eyes, while the officer looks out for involuntary trembling or jerking of the eyeball; 2. Walk and Turn. This is used to test whether the driver can keep his balance, follow instructions, and remain dexterous. The driver is instructed to take nine heel-to-toe steps along a line, then to turn, and then to take nine hell-to-toe steps back.; 3. Standing in One Leg. This is used to test balance and attention. The driver is made to stand with the heels together, arms on the side, and then while counting out loud, he has to raise one leg at least 6 inches from the ground; 4. Finger to Nose. The driver is required to place both feet together and stand straight, and with their eyes closed, bring the index finger to their nose, when ordered by the officer; 5. The Rhomberg Balance Test. The driver is made to stand in attention, with eyes closed, and their heads tilted back for 30 seconds. The officer is gauging their ability to stand erect steadily without muscle tension.

If the accused is not able to perform the FSTs to satisfaction, he is then asked to do a breath test, via a breathalyzer. If he passes the breath test with a relatively low BAC, then the officer may ask for the DRE to come to the scene and aid in the investigation.

PENALTIES FOR MARIJUANA

If one is get caught for possession of marijuana of up to 30 grams, then the maximum indictable penalty is six months imprisonment, with $1000 fine. Possession of marijuana or hashish of more than 30 grams, has a maximum summary penalty of six months with $1000 fine for the first offense, the subsequent offenses mean $2000 fine and one year imprisonment; the maximum indictable penalty is 5 years less a day imprisonment.
Trafficking in marijuana or possession for the purpose of trafficking (aka an intent to sell) where 3 kilograms or less is found in your possession, has a maximum indictable punishment of five years, less than a day, in prison. Trafficking in marijuana or possession for the purpose of trafficking (aka an intent to sell) where 3 kilograms or more is found in your possession, has a maximum indictable punishment of life imprisonment.
Importing or exporting of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, or hashish would land the defendant a lifetime imprisonment. If one is found guilty for the cultivation of marijuana, then one faces a punishment of seven years in prison.

source-

http://www.thepotlawhasfallen.ca/

MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Session

2012-02-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

MDMA, though illegal, can be extremely helpful in psychotherapy sessions, especially in people suffering from PTSD. Not only is marijuana a medicine, but MDMA is as well!

Suicide rates fall when states legalize medical marijuana, says new study

2012-02-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

A University of Colorado economics professor has co-authored a study, just released by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany that concludes that suicide rates among young males declines markedly after states legalize medical marijuana. Professors at Montana State University and San Diego State University were also involved in the study. The study is titled “High on Life: Medical Marijuana Laws and Suicide.”

CU economics professor Daniel Rees is co-author of a study which concludes that passage of medical marijuana laws leads to a decrease in suicides among young men. (Image: CU Denver)

CU Denver professor Daniel Rees and his coauthors don’t say conclusively why suicide rates fall. They offer evidence that marijuana acts as an antidepressant when used moderately, but also note that using marijuana in larger amounts can actually lead to depression.

They also note that the sale of alcohol to young males declines in states that legalize medical marijuana and note that alcohol is a known depressant the use of which can lead to suicidal thoughts. Rees did not return a phone call seeking comment.

from the study:

Using state-level data for the period 1990 through 2007, we estimate the effect of legalizing medical marijuana on suicide rates. Our results suggest that the passage of a medical marijuana law is associated with an almost 5 percent reduction in the total suicide rate, an 11 percent reduction in the suicide rate of 20- through 29-year-old males, and a 9 percent reduction in the suicide rate of 30- through 39-year-old males.

…

We conclude that the legalization of medical marijuana leads to an improvement in the psychological wellbeing of young adult males, an improvement that is reflected in fewer suicides.

…

In an often-cited article, Hamermesh and Soss (1974) argued that negative shocks to happiness may reduce expected lifetime utility to the point where an individual will decide to take his or her own life. The negative relationship between legalization and suicides among young adult males is consistent with the argument that marijuana can be used to cope with such shocks. However, estimates provided by Anderson et al. (2011) provide an alternative explanation. These authors found that the passage of MMLs (medical marijuana laws) led to sharp decreases in alcohol-related traffic fatalities, self-reported alcohol use, and per capita beer sales. The strong association between alcohol consumption and suicide related outcomes found by previous researchers (Markowitz et al. 2003; Carpenter 2004; Sullivan et al. 2004; Rodriguez Andres 2005; Carpenter and Dobkin 2009) raises the possibility that medical marijuana laws reduce the risk of suicide by decreasing alcohol consumption.

Speaking recently at the University of Denver, Amanda Reiman, Ph.D, the director of research at the Berkeley Patients Group and a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, said that marijuana has medical value even for people not suffering from one of the ailments that medical marijuana laws typically allow people to use marijuana for.

“We deontologically believe that drug use is inherently wrong, which is why it is hard for us to believe there are responsible users. Do you really have to be sick to get benefit from cannabis?” she asked rhetorically.

She said that when you ask people why they smoke marijuana, the most common answer is that it helps them relax. “The word medical is redundant when talking about cannabis. Relaxation itself is medicinal.”

Reiman’s words were echoed on the DU panel by University of California law professor Marsha Cohen, who said that when asked why they smoke marijuana, people answer “‘It makes me feel better.’ That makes it medicinal use,” she said.

Mason Tvert, executive director of SAFER (Safer Alternative for Recreational Enjoyment) and one of the organizers of a ballot initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol, which will probably be on the Colorado ballot in November, said he was not surprised by the study’s conclusions.

“We know marijuana has medicinal value, and we know that people living with pain sometimes kill themselves,” Tvert said. He added that the connection with alcohol use was intriguing. “Every credible study ever done proves that marijuana is safer than alcohol,” he said.

The Colorado Independent contacted numerous mental health/suicide prevention organizations but could not find anyone willing to comment for this article. Needless to say, other studies have reached other conclusions regarding the effect of marijuana on mental health. For one such perspective, click here.

source-

http://coloradoindependent.com/113824/suicide-rates-fall-when-states-legalize-medical-marijuana-says-new-study

OPP seize 4,000 marijuana plants in Lakeshore

2012-02-24T22:33:00.001-08:00

On February 21, at 10 p.m. members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB) and the OPP Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) conducted two drug-related searches at homes in Tecumseh and Lakeshore.

The first warrant was conducted in the 1400 block of County Rd 22, Lakeshore. Three Toronto-area men have been charged with numerous Criminal Code charges, and Controlled Drug and Substance Act charges. The three men – ages 46, 47 and 51 – are currently in custody and are awaiting a bail hearing before the judicial system. The names are not being released at this time. The OPP seized approximately 4,000 marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia.

The OPP OCEB and DEU also conducted a search warrant in the 12000 block of Vickery Lane, Tecumseh. As a result of this warrant, no marijuana was located, however, evidence revealed the residence was just recently used as an Indoor Marijuana Grow Operation. The investigation will continue and charges may be laid.

Police seize marijuana worth $1.5 million from industrial units

2012-02-24T22:27:00.002-08:00

Police have arrested a woman and are looking for two men in connection with a marijuana grow operation.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, police executed a search warrant at two industrial units near Neilson Road and Finch Avenue and allegedly found a sophisticated hydroponic marijuana grow operation.

Seized were 1,500 marijuana plants, dried marijuana and growing equipment. The seized items have a street value of more than $1.5 million?

Two additional search warrants were executed at homes where further evidence was obtained, police said.

Yong Fen Guan, 27, has been charged with produce marijuana, possession for the purpose marijuana, possession of marijuana and possession of proceeds of crime.

Chun Wah Chan, 33, and Pak Kin Chu, 37, are wanted for produce marijuana, possession for the purpose marijuana, possession of marijuana and possession of proceeds of crime.

source-

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/1304913--police-seize-marijuana-worth-1-5-million-from-industrial-units

Man arrested after daughter draws pictures of toy gun

2012-02-24T22:23:00.002-08:00

Daddy, are you mad at me?

Those were the first words out of the mouth of a scared little girl to her father when he was released this week after being charged with possession of a firearm because of a picture she drew at school of a man holding a gun — which turned out to be a toy.

On Wednesday police in Waterloo, Ont., arrested Jessie Sansone, 26, a resident of nearby Kitchener, when a teacher at his daughter's school voiced concern over the drawing, Insp. Kevin Thaler of Waterloo Regional Police told Postmedia News.

The school contacted Family and Children's Services, which then called police, said Thaler.

During questioning, Thaler said the child, along with her siblings, provided police with a "detailed description" of a gun that was stored in the home and was accessed by the children.

"The kids were scared," said Thaler. "It is a four-year-old that we're taking the information from, but the fact is that this disclosure was very descriptive and very alarming to the officers investigating this."

It was a typical day for Sansone, who had no idea when he arrived at Forest Hills school to pick up his children, including four-year-old daughter Neaveh, that three police officers were waiting to arrest him.

Informed he was under arrest for possession of a firearm, Sansone said he never was told the details of why he was being arrested.

Thaler said the arrest was made "because it was the end of a school day."

"The officers' concern was . . . the need to secure and locate the firearm," he explained.

While he sat in a police cell, Sansone said officers took his wife, Stephanie, who is pregnant, and his four children to the station for more questioning.

At some point during the investigation, police became aware that the gun was a toy pistol, information that was confirmed when they found it in the family's home later that day, said Thaler.

"The child had every belief it was real," said Thaler. "The indication from the kids was that it was dad's (gun)."

Sansone denied that his children thought the gun was real or belonged to him.

"It's a toy pistol," he said. "It's completely transparent. It doesn't even resemble a real gun, at all."

Police released Sansone about four hours later, said Thaler.

"The first thing my daughter said when I saw her was, 'Daddy are you mad at me?' " recalled Sansone. "That sums it up to me."

On Friday, Sansone said his name has been slandered by the incident. He said he was upset with how all the authorities involved handled it.

He said his daughter told her teacher the man in her picture was her father, and that he used the gun to "shoot bad guys and monsters."

He said he doesn't think the picture was inappropriate or should have raised concern for the school.

"I think every little girl, their dad should be their hero," he said. "Their daddy is their hero, is their protector, and that's what daddies should do in a little girl's eyes. (They) protect the house and make sure the bad guys or the monsters don't hurt them."

The school should have told him about the picture before calling Family and Children's Services, said Sansone.

"Nobody should take what a four-year-old says to that extreme anyways, especially if you are in the profession of dealing with children," said Sansone.

While he admitted he has had trouble with the law in the past, including an assault charge five years ago, Sansone said he has turned his life around.

He moved his family from Toronto to Kitchener to get away from old acquaintances, became educated, and started working as a personal support worker for a sobriety centre.

"I go into schools and counsel students on drug and alcohol abuse," he explained.

The principal of his daughter's elementary school even offered him a job once as a counsellor at the school, said Sansone.

"I feel like the principal should have called me," he said. "I'm a volunteer at the school. I'm an active parent."

While Family and Children's Services couldn't comment specifically on the incident for privacy reasons, Karen Spencer, director of client services, told Postmedia News that the agency was legally obligated to inform police of the incident.

"The school reported a concern to us about a firearm in the home and the safety of the children in the home was also a concern," said Spencer.

"The police responded immediately and so did our agency, and I think it's fair to say that we err on the side of safety. . . . In our work, the safety of the child is always paramount."

On Friday, Waterloo Regional Police said they were confident they made the right decision in arresting Sansone.

"Part of the message here, I think, is replica or not . . . if the item looks real and it raises people's concern, it's going to draw police involvement," said Thaler. "It's unfortunate that it has gotten this big. But at the end of the day, this comes down to a child's safety and the officers had a legitimate concern. We can't walk away from that."

source-

http://www.canada.com/life/arrested+after+daughter+draws+pictures/6206842/story.html

Democratic Candidate Charged With Drug Trafficking

2012-02-24T22:15:00.002-08:00

An El Paso County commissioner who's also a Democratic candidate for the Texas Legislature has been indicted on charges of trafficking 50 kilograms of marijuana and money laundering, authorities said Friday.

El Paso County Commissioner Guillermo "Willie" Gandara Jr., 37, of El Paso, and an associate, Juan Canales, 50, of San Elizario, were indicted on a count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute the 50 kilograms or more of marijuana and another count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Gandara comes from a well-known political family in El Paso County, where he, his brother and their father have served on the school board or city council or both in Socorro, according to Gandara's attorney.

Gandara, whom the indictment says went by the alias "Godfather," is also charged with three counts of maintaining property in El Paso County for the distribution of marijuana since November 2010. Authorities are seeking criminal forfeiture of any property derived from the alleged crimes.

Gandara's attorney, Joe A. Spencer, said his client was "shocked" at the allegations.

"He has no knowledge of what the government is accusing him of," Spencer said. "I have not seen any of the evidence. We're not privy to the discovery yet."

Gandara was arrested Thursday afternoon while he, his wife and their children were driving from San Antonio. They were stopped at a routine U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at Sierra Blanca, where Gandara was identified and apprehended, Spencer said. The children were on a semester break from school, Spencer said.

Gandara had his initial appearance in federal court in El Paso on Thursday. Federal prosecutors are seeking to detain Gandara without bond, which he will oppose, Spencer said. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Tuesday, the defense attorney said.

"It's our contention that he's not a flight risk and he's not a danger to the community," Spencer said.

Gandara will remain on the county commission, Spencer said. Gandara is running for Texas state representative of District 75, according to the Texas Democratic Party website. The incumbent, state Rep. Chente Quintanilla, is not seeking re-election and, in fact, is seeking the county commission seat now occupied by Gandara, Spencer said.

"We have not had any discussions about his political future" running for the statehouse, Spencer said about his client. "We have been focusing on these allegations."'

Gandara's brother, Gary, and their father, Willie Sr., served as mayor and school board members in Socorro, a suburb of El Paso, Spencer said. Gandara also served on the Socorro school board, the attorney said.

"They're all politically involved," Spencer said, adding the family is Democrat.

If convicted, Gandara and the other defendant face up to 20 years in federal prison on each count, authorities said.

"Elected officials who engage in drug trafficking violate the public trust," Joseph M. Arabit, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Division, said in a statement. "As this lengthy investigation attests, DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to holding drug traffickers accountable for their illegal activity, regardless of their position, and we will not allow the actions of a few to tarnish the honorable work that other government officials perform each day. The residents of El Paso County deserve no less."

source- Texas official charged with drug trafficking

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/politics/30537112/detail.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Rules or regulations

2012-02-24T09:51:00.001-08:00

If you have a bank account... Please give this a listen - it may offer some insight on why 'mainstream' banks, and those who make the acts, bylaws, statutes, and other rules or 'regulations' (e.g. mostly fascist types), can take control of us (e.g. detain or arrest us simply on 'suspicion', aka 'whim'), legally steal what is ours (e.g. our Inherent/Natural and National Patrimony), and freely use any and all of our property at will (e.g. even our Given and Family Names!)...

VERY INTERESTING INFO!