The Galloping Beaver

Quarrelling Queens . . . .

2009-11-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Today's Toronto Star has the in-depth account of beauty queens in England duking it out:

Beauty queen busted for bar brawl with rival
November 07, 2009 | Toronto Star

You might expect pageant queens to demonstrate their talent, beauty and poise, but Miss England has added fisticuffs to her resumé. Rachel Christie, 21, has relinquished her crown after being arrested on suspicion of punching Miss Manchester, 24-year-old Sara Beverly Jones, at a nightclub.

_______________

The dispute arose when the two beauty queens encountered each other at a bar on Monday.

The BBC reported Jones was allegedly punched in the face after an argument said to be about a TV personality from the Gladiators program, which airs in the U.K.

It is believed that Jones is an ex-girlfriend of TV gladiator Tornado, whose real name is David McIntosh.

Christie, McIntosh's current girlfriend, has been released on bail until January 2010.

Someone might want to throw that gladiator into the lion's den . . . .

(Cross-posted from Moved to Vancouver)

Staring at Goats Dep't.

2009-11-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

WIRED'S DANGER ROOM covers all sorts of stuff that is of interest to those of us concerned about security. David Hambling has a very interesting report titled "Inside the Army’s Far-Out Acid Tests" that almost defies belief, if you aren't already acquainted with programs like MK Ultra.

The CIA sure jumped in with both feet: apparently, they acquired some forty pounds of LSD — a couple of hundred million doses.

Who knows where the massive supply went? Certainly the CIA had something of an obsession with LSD, at one point believing it was an effective truth drug. In the infamous Operation Midnight Climax, unwitting clients at CIA brothels in New York and San Francisco were slipped LSD and then monitored through one-way mirrors to see how they reacted. They even killed an elephant with LSD. Colleagues were also considered fair game for secret testing, to the point where a memo was issued instructing that the punch bowls at office Christmas parties were not to be spiked.

Anyway, worth the read, with all sorts of entertaining links. Wiki's LSD entry has interesting background, too.

LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide), commonly called "acid," is the most powerful known hallucinogen - a drug that radically changes a person's mental state by distorting the perception of reality to the point where, at high doses, hallucinations occur. Even in very minute doses 0.05g LSD can significantly alter one's perceptions to the point of hallucination. Although it is derived from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains, LSD is semi-synthetic and has to be chemically manufactured in illicit laboratories.

Pure LSD is a white, odorless crystalline powder that dissolves in water. Because an effective dose of the pure drug is almost invisible, it is mixed with other substances, such as sugar, and packaged in capsules, tablets, or solutions, or spotted on to gelatin sheets or most commonly on pieces of blotting paper.

LSD is ingested orally. A microdot tablet or square of the perforated LSD paper is placed in the user's mouth, chewed or swallowed. Paper squares are most common because their small size makes them easy to conceal and ingest. Also, because LSD is not injected or smoked, paraphernalia are not required.

Formal Chemical Name (IUPAC)
(6aR,9R)-N,N-diethyl-7-methyl-4,6,6a,7,8,9-hexahydroindolo[4,3-fg]quinoline-9-carboxamide

The Fat Lady practices the Mikado

2009-11-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

THE TELEGRAPH IN THE UK has an article by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, titled "It is Japan we should be worrying about, not America", that is worthy of your consideration.

Japan is drifting helplessly towards a dramatic fiscal crisis. For 20 years the world's second-largest economy has been able to borrow cheaply from a captive bond market, feeding its addiction to Keynesian deficit spending – and allowing it to push public debt beyond the point of no return.
• • • • •
Simon Johnson, former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), told the US Congress last week that the debt path was out of control and raised "a real risk that Japan could end up in a major default".
• • • • •
The savings rate has crashed from 15pc in 1990 to near 2pc today, half America's rate. Japan's $1.5 trillion state pension fund (the world's biggest) has become a net seller of government bonds this year, as it must to meet pay-out obligations. The demographic crunch has hit. The workforce been contracting since 2005.

Like Count Floyd used to say, "Scary stuff, kids"

The SPCA needs a little of your help

2009-11-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

You click on the link. You ask your friends to do the same thing every day. Dogs, cats and other abandoned pets get the food they need to survive in the hands of the SPCA until adoptive humans rescue them.

Pretty simple really.

H/T Dana

Smith & Wesson's Pink Breast Cancer Awareness 9mm Pistol

2009-11-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Good. I was already getting bored with my Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Slice Toaster and my Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Inflatable Beer Pong Table.

As noted by PR Watch : "According to a 2008 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, firearms are the second most common cause of violent deaths of women, accounting for 29.2% of all violent deaths among females in the U.S. in 2008."

Cross Out in Italy . . . .

2009-11-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

Today's BBC notes the Italians are a bit miffed at the European Court of Human Rights:

Italy school crucifixes 'barred'
BBC News | Tuesday, 3 November 2009

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against the use of crucifixes in classrooms in Italy.

It said the practice violated the right of parents to educate their children as they saw fit, and ran counter to the child's right to freedom of religion.

The case was brought by an Italian mother, Soile Lautsi, who wants to give her children a secular education.

The Vatican said it was shocked by the ruling, calling it "wrong and myopic" to exclude the crucifix from education.

The ruling has sparked anger in the largely Catholic country, with one politician calling the move "shameful".

The Strasbourg court found that: "The compulsory display of a symbol of a given confession in premises used by the public authorities... restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions."

It also restricted the "right of children to believe or not to believe", the seven judges ruling on the case said in a statement quoted by AFP news agency

________________

Vatican spokesman the Rev Federico Lombardi said the European court had no right intervening in such a profoundly Italian matter, the Associated Press reported.

"It seems as if the court wanted to ignore the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity, which was and remains essential."

He told Italian TV: "The crucifix has always been a sign of God's love, unity and hospitality to all humanity.

"It is unpleasant that it is considered a sign of division, exclusion or a restriction of freedom."

_______________

The government says it will appeal against the decision.

Well, at least little Jewish and Muslim kiddies won't have to stare at "the sign of God's love, unity and hospitality" represented by a guy dying nailed to a couple of boards all day.

Good grief . . . .

H/T Penny

H1N1 Poll

2009-11-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

For what it's worth, CBC is asking if "you think the government mishandled the swine flu vaccination process?"

The stupidity . . .

2009-11-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

THE LA TIMES has an obituary written by Claire Noland, that details the life and times of Qian Xuesen, who died at the ripe old age of 98.

So, who was Qian Xuesen, and why should you care?

He was one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in California, that did the early ground-breaking research in American rocketry — and a victim of the McCarthy paranoia. Deported in 1955 on suspicion of being a Communist, the aeronautical engineer educated at Caltech became known as the father of China's space and missile programs.

Can you say Silkworm?

I bet the Leafs could get him in the second or third round

2009-11-03T00:04:00.000-08:00

Sure, his fundamentals need a little work, and he's no pretty boy, but this kid is big, strong, tough, dangerous and wild at heart. He's aggressive in the corners, has the killer instinct needed in today's NHL -- he'll really maul the other team.

crossposted from the Woodshed

Darwin Award nominee

2009-11-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

This young fellow should have stayed home and watched The Witches of Eastwick.

BC MLA Harry Bloy. Coward.

2009-11-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Gee whiz Mr. Bloy, you're really brave when you're yapping it up from within the legal protection of the legislative chamber.

You know, there was a disappointing factor about the Olympics, and it was that 200-odd group of terrorists who came to Victoria from across Canada to interrupt the games. Anyone who could support this group should be ashamed of themselves.

[...]

They do not understand, these terrorists, the potential goodwill and economic benefits that come from these games because they have a limited intellect and do not understand how the world truly operates.

Really.

This is from a member of government who refused to answer questions in his own riding as to why MLAs were getting free Olympic tickets and who supports and promotes the lie that Gordon Campbell and his cabinet did not have plans to increase taxes on BC consumers by accepting the Harper/Flaherty Harmonized Sales Tax scam.

This is from a government that is hacking and slashing health, education and social services while stuffing dollar after taxpayer dollar into a spectacle famous for athlete doping and offering tickets to events at prices only the wealthy can really afford.

This from the former proprietor of a chain of junk-food stores.

This from an individual of limited honesty.

And in case you didn't get the message Bloy is trying to make, he would have legitimate protest crushed under a terrorist title.

Big words from a little man.

Finding "Truth" a challenge, VANOC opts for fantasy

2009-11-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

When I read the headline on Dave Obee's column I was a little confused.

Ditch the cynicism and enjoy the Games

Yeah, well... I don't have it in me to drop the cynicism. Obee makes a valid point in his column with respect to protesters. I would agree that those who feel the need to make a loud and disruptive statement over the games probably damage any cause they represent by:

a. Not making their cause clear;
b. Merging it with a thousand other causes that are just as unclear;
c. Pissing people off who are just trying to have fun (at a time when "fun" is coming at a high personal and collective cost);
d. Unwittingly contributing to an economic boost which they protest is not going to happen from holding a five-ring circus.

Obee then goes on to tell us how he was at the 1988 Calgary games and what a wonderful deal they were. Hmmm. I was also at the 1988 Calgary games... in Canmore. It pains me that Obee thinks the biathalon is boring. Being an involuntarily assigned part of the Olympic Games structure in 1988 was a huge pain in the ass, but since the only thing I saw was the biathalon, boring it was not.

Obee then goes on to explain why we should remain cynical.

Nice.

Now, VANOC has produced another reason not to believe anything they pop on us. Ron Judd at The Seattle Times got a press release from the VANOC spin merchants. If you weren't cynical before, you should be after you read Ron's words.

The press release was issued before the arrival of the Olympic flame in Victoria on Friday, 30 October. The media was expected to sit on it until after the "embargo" was lifted at 10:45 PDT on the 30th.

Amazingly, the VANOC fantasy fairies knew in advance how everything would go, and the exact words spoken by VANOC king-of-the-trough, John Furlong, and BC premier Gordon Campbell, even though they had not yet spoken them. The VANOC communications directorate even managed to capture the emotions of all those who spoke and participated in the event even though the event had not yet occurred.

Some of you might remember the blathering of Fox TV uber-right-wing nutball Glenn Beck, when he outright lied about the cost of the Vancouver Olympic Games in an effort to cast the Chicago Olympic bid as a bad Obama initiative. The White House Press Secretary tore Beck (quite deservedly) to shreds for yet another lie since, as anyone who could get to a keyboard pointed out, the Vancouver Olympics had not yet occurred.

While Beck certainly has a recurring problem with the truth, the recent activities of VANOC PR and communications give one a moment of pause. Did Beck perhaps get his information from VANOC? Both seem able to report on events which have not yet transpired.

I can hardly wait for the "Tears of Joy" stories from VANOC.

And here is the unaltered press release which described the sham from start to finish, before it ever happened.

VICTORIA, Oct. 30 /CNW/ - The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay is officially underway with Him/Her revealed today as the first torchbearer to hold the Olympic Flame aloft on Canadian soil at the start of the historic 106-day journey celebrating Olympic Spirit and Canadian pride from coast to coast to coast.

XX, a (insert description here) was quickly joined by (short description) XX, (short description) XX, and (short description) XX who took turns carrying the flame as it left the grounds of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria, BC, and set out on Day 1 of its odyssey across Canada.

XXX was especially chosen to kick-off the relay to highlight and celebrate (XXX).

Upon the relay's conclusion on February 12, 2010 with the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the flame will have burned brightly in over 1,030 Canadian communities and reached within 900 kilometres of the North Pole.

"The flame embodies the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship and respect. These values resonate deeply with all Canadians," said Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, as he welcomed the flame at the public ceremony in downtown Victoria.

"The Olympic Flame will be travelling across Canada on the longest torch relay within a single country in Olympic history. With nearly 200 communities across Canada participating in local celebrations, this is a chance for Canadians from all parts of our great nation to share in the excitement as we count down to the Games' opening day."

With the glow of the Olympic Flame guiding their way, a ceremonial party of First Nations chiefs paddled across the waters of Victoria's Inner Harbour this morning towards the public welcoming ceremony cradling the flame from the dramatic jutting bow of a traditional canoe.

On shore, onlookers waved Canadian flags as they lined the harbourfront and sweeping green lawns of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings craning for their first look at the flame.

Traditionally painted with a Salish sea wolf on the blade-like bow, the Four Host First Nations canoe carrying the flame - a 13.5-metre ocean-going craft hand-carved from a single towering West Coast red cedar - was flanked on the historic voyage by two other canoes manned by representatives of the local First Nations who sang traditional songs.

Before docking, the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh chiefs asked permission to come ashore and passed the Olympic Flame, protected in a miner's lantern, to fellow leaders of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations upon whose traditional territories the Parliament Buildings stand. After a brief ceremony conducted in accordance with Salish protocols, the chiefly procession then carried the flame to a stage setup on the grounds for the start of the welcoming ceremony, accompanied by Aboriginal flame attendants Dina Ouellette and Aronhiaies Herne.

In a tribute to Jack Poole during the ceremony, the crowd bowed their heads in a moment of silence. The chairman of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games' (VANOC) board of directors passed away last week just hours after the flame was lit by the sun in Olympia, Greece.

To honour his memory, Poole's wife, Darlene, ignited a small torch with the Olympic Flame and set the 1.2-metre community celebration cauldron ablaze on stage. This same cauldron will be lit in nearly 200 celebration communities across Canada as part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, which officially starts today.

"What a magical moment," said John Furlong, VANOC's Chief Executive Officer. "We are embarking on an odyssey that we hope will shine a bright light on the people and places of Canada, starting right here in Victoria. For 106 days, we will have the time of our lives finishing back here in British Columbia for an Olympic Winter Games we hope will be marked in history as among the best."

Earlier this morning, at approximately 7:15 am (Pacific Time), the Olympic Flame touched down on Canadian soil at Victoria International Airport after flying for almost 24 hours on board a Canadian Forces CC-150 Polaris (Airbus A-310) aircraft from Athens, Greece, where the flame was entrusted to Canadian officials for the Games by members of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.

The flame was carried off the plane in a miner's lantern by Gregor Robertson, mayor of Vancouver: the Host City of the Games, as the stirring skirls of a solo bagpiper filled the early morning air. The Canadian prime minister and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell were among the dignitaries on hand for the flame's arrival celebrated with a 50-member honour guard and a flyby of four CF-18 jets from the 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron streaking overhead in a classic box formation.

The same jets soared overhead at approximately 10:40 am as VANOC revealed the identity of XXX as the first torchbearer to carry the flame in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola and RBC and supported by the Government of Canada. As the audience cheered, he/she ran through the crowd proudly carrying the curved metre-long winter white torch, officially starting the 106-day relay's 45,000-kilometre journey across Canada.

Moments later on Belleville Street, near the British Columbia Parliament Buildings, the first torchbearer flame handover took place - the first of 12,000 such exchanges marking the passing of the sacred fire to a new torchbearer. All 12,000 torchbearers will carry torches designed and manufactured by Bombardier and wear white uniforms accented with bright bursts of blue and green on the jacket's left arm, provided by the Hudson's Bay Company as keepsakes of their moment in Olympic history.

"The Olympic Torch Relay brings the spirit and energy of the Olympics to communities throughout British Columbia and across Canada," said Premier Campbell. "With the arrival of the flame on Vancouver Island, we are marking the start of an historic journey that will connect all Canadians and focus the eyes of the nation and the world on British Columbia when the relay ends here in just 105 days to kick-off the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games."

Today on Day 1 of the relay, the flame will visit 11 communities and places of interest in the Capital Regional District of the province and be carried by 147 torchbearers over 90 kilometres on foot, bike and boat. Among the areas visited are XX Aboriginal communities - the first of more than 100 First Nations, Inuit and MÃ©tis communities the flame will visit across Canada. More than 600 Aboriginal people are also playing important roles in the relay, such as torchbearers and honorary elder fire keepers.

Tonight, the Parliament Buildings in Victoria will once again welcome the Olympic Flame - this time as the site of the first community celebration of the 2010 torch relay. The celebration will include dance, theatre, visual and performance art, multimedia technology, and pyrotechnics. Members of the Victoria Symphony and hundreds of First Nations drummers and Les Cornouillers dancers will perform as the Parliament Buildings are painted in light with massive projections. Jeneece Edroff, 15, will light the community celebration cauldron on stage after she was selected by the community as their final torchbearer of the day.

If you have a lemon, make lemonaide

2009-11-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

PERUSING A BLOG, ran across this posting, which might be useful:

"I thought I had that about 2 weeks ago, but didn't. I put this skull/crossbone sheet on the front door that said "Swine Flu Infection"...and let me tell you, I have not had any Jehovah's Witnesses knock on my door. In fact, I left it up and it's been 3 weekends of total peace and quiet"

Bill C-300 in a minefield of Cons

2009-11-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

You are a Con on the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee reviewing Bill C-300, An Act respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries . You have just heard in committee that women raped by the security guards of a Canadian mining company overseas are "forced to chew and swallow the condoms used by the guards during the rape".
Do you :
a) Demand to know what steps the mining company has taken to stop the abuse, or
b) Ask whether Bill C-300, which would penalize Canadian companies sanctioning such abuse abroad, might promote "complaints against Canadian companies in a frivolous or vexatious way".

Ok, that's not quite fair. I'm sure the member was appalled at what he heard - indeed he said so - just not quite appalled enough to know his first duty is to human rights not corporate rights. This is a recurring theme with the International Trade Committee, where Liberal John McKay's Bill C-300 is currently slogging its way through a minefield comprised of 6 Cons, 3 Libs, 1 Bloc and 1 NDP.

Bill C-300 will put in place badly needed human rights, labour, and environmental standards that Canadian mining and extractive companies receiving government support must adhere to when they operate in developing countries.
Con fuckwittery in committee ranted out here.

On April 22, 2009, Bill C-300 passed second reading in the House by a mere 4 votes : 137 to 133. It was the Libs/Bloc/NDP vs the Cons - but 20 Libs and 7 NDPs were absent from that vote.
Time to send them all a little note about that - Mining Watch has one all written up for you already - just add that you expect them to show up and support it next time.

The missing Libs :
Michael Ignatieff: IgnatM@parl.gc.ca ; Bob Rae: RaeB@parl.gc.ca ; Carolyn Bennett: BenneC@parl.gc.ca ; Scott Brison: BrisoS@parl.gc.ca ; Irwin Cotler: CotleI@parl.gc.ca ; Rodger Cuzner: CuzneR@parl.gc.ca ; Ujjal Dosanjh: DosanU@parl.gc.ca ; Judy Foote: Foote.J@parl.gc.ca ; Ralph Goodale: GoodaR@parl.gc.ca ; Albina Guarnieri: GuarnA@parl.gc.ca ; Mark Holland: HollaM@parl.gc.ca ; Marlene Jennings: JenniM@parl.gc.ca ; John McCallum: McCalJ@parl.gc.ca ; Dan McTeague: McTeaD@parl.gc.ca ; BernardPatry: PatryB@parl.gc.ca ; Glen Pearson: PearsG@parl.gc.ca ; Marcel Proulx: ProulM@parl.gc.ca ; Geoff Regan: ReganG@parl.gc.ca ; Scott Simms: SimmsSc@parl.gc.ca

The missing Dippers :
Charlie Angus: AngusC@parl.gc.ca ; Nathan Cullen: CulleN@parl.gc.ca ; Claude Gravellelle: Gravelle.C@parl.gc.ca ; Carol Hughes: Hughes.C@parl.gc.ca ; John Rafferty: Rmailto:Rafferty.J@parl.gc.ca ; Denise Savoie: SavoiD@parl.gc.ca ; Peter Stoffer: StoffP@parl.gc.ca

Thank you.
And a special thanks to Impolitical for giving it a boost.

Banking Bast_rds . . . .

2009-10-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

McClatchy has released the first report on their five-month investigation into Goldman Sachs' activities during the lead up to the financial fiasco.

You will be amazed to find out that the politically well-connected investment firm has not been exactly squeaky-clean in their activities.

Or maybe not.

How Goldman secretly bet on the U.S. housing crash
Greg Gordon | McClatchy Newspapers

November 01, 2009 01:37:11 AM

WASHINGTON — In 2006 and 2007, Goldman Sachs Group peddled more than $40 billion in securities backed by at least 200,000 risky home mortgages, but never told the buyers it was secretly betting that a sharp drop in U.S. housing prices would send the value of those securities plummeting.

Goldman's sales and its clandestine wagers, completed at the brink of the housing market meltdown, enabled the nation's premier investment bank to pass most of its potential losses to others before a flood of mortgage defaults staggered the U.S. and global economies. Only later did investors discover that what Goldman had promoted as triple-A rated investments were closer to junk.

_______________

McClatchy's inquiry found that Goldman Sachs:

* Bought and converted into high-yield bonds tens of thousands of mortgages from subprime lenders that became the subjects of FBI investigations into whether they'd misled borrowers or exaggerated applicants' incomes to justify making hefty loans.

* Used offshore tax havens to shuffle its mortgage-backed securities to institutions worldwide, including European and Asian banks, often in secret deals run through the Cayman Islands, a British territory in the Caribbean that companies use to bypass U.S. disclosure requirements.

* Has dispatched lawyers across the country to repossess homes from bankrupt or financially struggling individuals, many of whom lacked sufficient credit or income but got subprime mortgages anyway because Wall Street made it easy for them to qualify.

* Was buoyed last fall by key federal bailout decisions, at least two of which involved then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, a former Goldman chief executive whose staff at Treasury included several other Goldman alumni.

The firm benefited when Paulson elected not to save rival Lehman Brothers from collapse, and when he organized a massive rescue of tottering global insurer American International Group while in constant telephone contact with Goldman chief Blankfein. With the Federal Reserve Board's blessing, AIG later used $12.9 billion in taxpayers' dollars to pay off every penny it owed Goldman.

Read the whole article and watch your blood pressure rise while you think about how many Goldman alumni have been and still are in very powerful positions in Washington.

Sleep well . . . .

(Cross-posted from Moved to Vancouver)

At The Going Down of The Sun...

2009-10-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

With condolences and respect to the families and friends of:

Lieutenant Justin Boyes, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, killed due to enemy action 28 October, 2009; and,

Sapper Steven Marshall, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, killed due to enemy action 30 October, 2009.

Ric-a-dam-do

Ubique

Marital relationships . . .

2009-10-31T10:39:00.001-07:00

"National Toast" or "So Long and Thanks for All the Fishwrap"

2009-10-30T02:35:00.000-07:00

It looks like curtains for the Canada's most right wing national rag. As much as I bleed ink and hate the thought of another newspaper closing down, I will not shed a tear for the National Post - I only hope the courts refuse to allow the Aspers to tie this anchor around the collective neck of their other newspapers, which like most other papers have enough financial trouble to deal with already.The National Post was started by Conrad Black to attack the governing Liberals after Prime Minister Jean Chretien refused to grant Connie a waver and let him become a British aristocrat while remaining a Canadian citizen. The soon-to-be ~~Lord Tubby of Fleet~~ ~~Prisoner No. 90210~~ Lord Black of Cross Harbour decided that this would not do - mere law was not going this plucky underdog billionaire from achieving the British peerage that every Canadian boy dreams about. Deciding the Globe and Mail was not sufficiently conservative or at his beck and call, Tubby threw some money around, hired the cream of the conservative pundit and columnist crop, and set up the National Post.It has never made money, nor has it impressed anyone with its editorial brilliance.Despite the occasional presence of some bright lights, the National Post has been a rag from day one, the print equivalent of the FOX TV news, but without the constant stripper stories or teabag rallies.Eventually Black gave up, renounced his Canadian citizenship and ~~bought~~ took his seat in the House of Lords and sold the money-burning Reform-Tory organ to the Asper family, long-time Liberal party supporters who under heir-to-the-throne David Asper seem to have converted to the Likud-Republican neoconservatism embraced by movement conservatives in the United States and Canada. The acquistion of the National Post and the former Southam chain from Black, along with their purchase of several specialty TV channels, seems to have been the beginning of the end for the Asper family's CanWest media empire.Which, given the extent to which the Asper clan seems to like to interfere with editorial policy at their media properties, is just fine by me.When a news organ with pretentions to respectability starts giving editorial space to hateful, chuckleheaded boobs like Kathy Shaide and "Raphel Alexander" -- well, its time to take Old Yeller out behind the barn and do the decent thing.

Update: Well, the court has ruled that the National Post can take the rest of the former Southam chain of newspapers down with it. This is a shame because some of them, such as the Montreal Gazette, were actually doing okay compared to the rest of the industry. On the bright side, there could be some decent newspapers for sale at fire-sale-on-boxing-day prices for anyone crazy enough to want to take a chance on the newspaper business these days. Otherwise we may as well pucker up and kiss goodbye the Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Calgary Herald, Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Edmonton Journal, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, Victoria Times-Colonist and the Windsor Star. Which pretty much leaves the country with country with a bunch more cities that just won't have a real daily newspaper anymore.

Crossposted from the Woodshed where we have The Rules

Our head spook isn't happy

2009-10-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

CSIS DIRECTOR RICHARD FADDEN isn't happy with you and me. He feels like Rodney Dangerfield — just can't get no respect.

According to Ian Macleod of the OTTAWA CITIZEN, Ricky believes

"Almost any attempt to fight terrorism by the government is portrayed as an overreaction or an assault on liberty. It is a peculiar position, given that terrorism is the ultimate attack on liberties. If terrorists believe in anything, it is nihilism and death, and they are equal opportunity oppressors."

Ricky is really peeved we're not with the program:

Fadden also revealed the service's dilemma in the recent security certificate case of suspected terrorist Adil Charkaoui.

A Federal Court this month killed the government's case against the Montreal man after government lawyers refused to reveal their detailed evidence against him, citing national security concerns.

The disclosure demand, "pushed us beyond what we could accept," explained Fadden.

"We were faced with a dilemma: to disclose information that would have given would-be terrorists a virtual road map to our tradecraft and sources; or to withdraw that information from the case, causing a security certificate to collapse.

"We chose the path that would cause the least long-term damage to Canada and withdrew the information. We did this because an intelligence agency that cannot protect its sources and tradecraft cannot be credible or effective."

Ricky is concerned about about CSIS "sources" — and get this — CSIS "tradecraft". Yes, folks, that's right, tradecraft. You know, like holding back polygraph results, and handing over people of interest to the CIA and the Syrians or whoever for "care and handling".

I wonder what Bill Stephenson, aka "Intrepid" would think about all this hoo-ha. Ricky, you got some 'splainin' to do.

Citizen Hero Recognized

2009-10-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

UPDATED: CBC's The Current audio here. (Paul Pritchard, 1st segment)

The citizen hero who filmed Robert Dzianski's violent death was properly recognized for his responsible and commendable actions.

Per the CBC today:

Man who shot Dziekanski video gets journalism award
By CBC News | October 28, 2009

The man who used a digital camera to record the death of Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver airport says he feels guilty he didn't try to help the Polish immigrant even though others honoured his actions Tuesday with a citizen-journalism award.

The man who used a digital camera to record the death of Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver airport says he feels guilty he didn't try to help the Polish immigrant even though others honoured his actions Tuesday with a citizen-journalism award.

Dziekanski, 40, died Oct. 14, 2007, following several shocks from a Taser four RCMP officers used to subdue him after he caused a disturbance.

The incident might never have received much attention if Paul Pritchard had not decided to grab his digital camera and start recording the actions of the distraught Dziekanski before police arrived.

_______________

After the incident, Pritchard, who was on his way to his family's home in Victoria and had been waiting in the international arrivals lounge at the time, handed his video over to the RCMP to use in their investigation. The police promised it would be returned in 48 hours.

But when the RCMP's public statements about the incident conflicted with what Pritchard and other witnesses said they saw, Pritchard demanded the RCMP return the video so that he could release it to the public.

When the police refused, saying releasing the video would compromise their investigation, Pritchard hired a lawyer, held a news conference and threatened to use legal action to get it back.

The release of the 10-minute video, which contradicted the police version of the incident, led to widespread public outrage around the world and diplomatic tensions between Canada and Poland. It also resulted in the deepest scrutiny of the RCMP in decades in the form of a special inquiry into the incident, led by retired British Columbia Appeal Court Justice Thomas R. Braidwood.

Citizen journalism award

On Tuesday evening in Toronto, Pritchard's work in documenting what happened and waging a legal battle against the RCMP for the release of his video was honoured by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.

The organization gave Pritchard its first-ever award for citizen journalism, which recognizes the contributions of ordinary people in the field of journalism.

_______________

"I don't consider myself a hero, and to be honest, I'm not completely happy with the fact that I did that," said Pritchard. "Maybe instead of grabbing a camera, I could have gone and talked to him.

"If I feel I did something wrong, or feel I didn't do enough, I think the effort I put in afterwards is enough for me to live with that ? I did everything I possibly could do."

Personally, I consider Paul a hero for what he did.

Without his responsible actions, the whole affair would have been swept under the proverbial rug . . . .

(Cross-posted from Moved to Vancouver)

UK search and seizure

2009-10-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Operation Rize: An officer uses an angle grinder
to open lockers containing safety-deposit boxes

THE DAILY MAIL has a very disturbing report by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark about a police raid last Summer. Wow. Where things get crunchy is that a lot of innocent people had to prove they had legal ownership of their box's contents, and when it was all done, some people claimed the fuzz had "appropriated" some missing goodies. Check it out.

The raid that rocked the Met: Why gun and drugs op on 6,717 safety deposit boxes could cost taxpayer a fortune

More than 500 officers smashed their way into thousands of safety-deposit boxes to retrieve guns, drugs and millions of pounds of criminal assets. At least, that's what was supposed to happen.

Forged passports found in deposit boxes

Conservative Humour

2009-10-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Regarding opposition questions about H1N1 flu and pregnant women? Mocking laughter and jeering from the Con benches.

Dr. Dawg and Impolitical have more.

A winning library

2009-10-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

A hat-tip to Helmut; thank-you, sir.

Afghansitan on CBC

2009-10-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Sort of a quick post.

I've just flipped through and caught part of "Obama's War" on the Passionate Eye. It's a journal piece and all the big wigs and small players are being interviewed: Richard Holbrook, Gen. Stanley McCrystal, a US Marine ISAF staff officer, US Marine company commander. There's footage of firefights between US Marines and the Taliban, and of Marines talking to local villagers through a translator.

Highlights:

- Marines are demanding to know why villagers are not using their market and instead going elsewhere. The Marines have camped near the village/market to "connect more with the locals". Locals move out because they don't want to be near the guys with guns. Marines are frustrated and tell the locals they aren't being cooperative and if they aren't cooperative, they'll think they're Taliban. Footage marines surrounding Afghans and telling them to lift up their shirts.

- Counterinsurgency braintrust (Nagl, McCrystal, Kilkullen et al) talking about how much the Afghans need governance, and a chance a good life, and Dairy Queen. Mention stuff about valuing locals, and the military need to eradicate corruption. Nagl seems the brightlight, stating needs 600 000 more NATO troops.

- talk about how much Pakistan may or may not share goals with the US. How the US fighting the Taleban, whom Pakistan intelligence supports, thus fighting Pakistan. Weird. Talk about "most complicated war ever fought."

Impressions.

- Marines miss the point. They are put in the position of lecturing locals about what they ought to be doing such demanding they use the bazaar near the Marines and conform to Marine demands regarding their deportment/behaviour around them (keep your hands where we can see them!). At the same time the Marines are telling them how much they're friends of the locals, shaking hands, etc. This is dysfunctional and abusive, like a relationship where one partner threatens and hugs at the same time. No wonder the Afghans fuck off when the Marines show up. More abstract, the locals become the fulcrum of conflict between NATO and the Taliban, pulled one way or the other. Threatened by both groups, it is no wonder they're ducking out. A friend and combat veteran of that conflict once told me, "all the villages want is to be left alone by everyone" and this footage confirms it. Which brings us to the COIN braintrust.

- The braintrust, like their political masters, keeps babbling about what is needed to win. How many troops - 40K, 600K? What sort of strategy? Talk to the locals more, less use of air strikes? Pressure Pakistan? They treat it like a puzzle, or scientific problem. Gee Bob, all we need to do is get the formula right and we'll have hte ultimate, guaranteed to win, COIN strategy, tactics, and doctrine. It becomes a theoretical exercise based on the assumption that the Afghans need the West for whatever reason and that we cannot leave. None seem to be looking for ways to leave the locals alone. None talk about finding ways to leave them alone. Give them a market without a Marine rifle company bivved nearby. Take half the war away, and half the shooting stops. So the Taliban move in. Do the locals get to go to their own market and sell their wares when that crowd shows up, vs the Marines? If there is only side left, are there still firefights in the villages and fields? The generals and politicians talk about how many troops are needed over there to occupy enough of the country to keep it secure, but no-one asks how many Taleban can be mobilised to do the same. Sure, the data says the Taleban are active in a great many provinces, but are their enough of them to hold the ground and keep down non-Pashtun resistance? Are there enough of them now that Pakistan is another front in their fight? Would, if the Taleban are a growing movement expanding in nuclear and developed Pakistan, they have enough to do their thing in Afghanistan and Pakistan? From what I understand, much motivation for Taliban recruits besides the press-gang, is the fact all those Western troops are kicking around. Take away the West, does the Taleban weaken? NATO needs the Taleban and the Taleban needs NATO...

Anway, enough for tonight.

Bedpans or Bombs? Decisions, Decisions . . . .

2009-10-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow!

With savings like this nearly 20 more wars could be funded.

Maybe a debate between Big Pharma/Big Insurance and the Military/Industrial Complex is in order.

Let the campaign donations begin . . . .

(Cross-posted from Moved to Vancouver)