Thursday, April 30, 2009
Everyone Gets A Shot
The 100-Day Assault On America
By Larry ElderHas it really been 100 days? Aided by an eagerly compliant Democratic-controlled Congress, a sycophantic media, and a bunch of squishy Republicans, President Obama has taken the country on a radical, mind-boggling leap into collectivism. Obama ??? to u Read More
Ontario PC Leadership Race
Debate in Fergus
Last night I was at the Fergus Legion to hear the Ontario PC Leadership candidates here's what they had to say in order of table position:Randy Hillier - Wasn't able to make it. That's a shame, I've never seen him speak I was looking forward to finding out what makes the rebel tick. Fortunately the event host, Ted Arnott, read a statement from Randy. It was short but bold. He called the McGuin....
Patrick O'Neil's Pointed Pen
Last night I was at the Fergus Legion to hear the Ontario PC Leadership candidates here's what they had to say in order of table position:Randy Hillier - Wasn't able to make it. That's a shame, I've never seen him speak I was looking forward to finding out what makes the rebel tick. Fortunately the event host, Ted Arnott, read a statement from Randy. It was short but bold. He called the McGuin....
Patrick O'Neil's Pointed Pen
The Fact He Deserted Not A Factor?
cliff cornell jailed for having morals, speaking out
According to peace activist and lawyer James Branum, Cliff Cornell's one-year sentence was longer than the punishment meted out to 94% of US soldiers who go AWOL. It's clear that's because Cliff isn't not being punished for desertion: he's being punished for speaking out against the war. Soldiers, check your right to free speech - and your right to your own moral compass - at the door. MORELeave It To Kate To Simplify
Life Gets Lonely In That Closet At The Star
Antonia "Notice Me" Zerbisias.
Update: from the comments - "Would it be OK if we just ignored her?"
Ignoring Zerb is like ignoring Helen Thomas. Someday she'll be dead and you'll regret having missed out.
Posted by KateOink! Oink! More Worrisome Than Swine Flu
Pork Report
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has come out with a report exposing the wasteful spending practices of the Western Economic Diversification department.
Called 22 years of pork barrel spending, the CTF report explains how much of the WED spending is more about politics than it is about economic diversification.It's just the nature of the beast.And by the way, the Conservative government plans to create two more regional development funds agencies — one for Northern Canada and for Southern Ontario.So that means taxpayers can expect to roll out even more pork barrels.Posted by Gerry Nicholls
Layton Becoming Power Broker????
Coalition Fallout: Michael Ignatieff reaps what he sowed
Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff killed the formal Liberal-NDP coalition upon replacing Stephane Dion. NDP leader Jack Layton was furious, and still is. And now Jack Layton is having his revenge.
Click the title to read the whole story...
Any Old Port In A Storm. The Country Needs To Stay Afloat
- Tories court Bloc and NDP in bid to hold onto power
Tory insiders say the party is hatching a survival plan to keep the surging Liberals at bay and delay any potential election long enough to enjoy the international limelight at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
Wind Turbines Off Scarboro Bluffs? McGinty Green PlanEconomic/ Recovery
The Guardian reports that Britain's only wind turbine manufacturer is shutting down "dealing a humiliating blow the the government's promise to support low-carbon industries."
The plant, on the Isle of Wight, is owned by a Danish company. The boss of the firm blames "a lack of political initiatives" and selfish people who express a wholly irrational resistance to having huge windmills erected across the street from their homes.Click here to read more..
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A Mighty Wind The city has visions of a large-scale wind farm off our shoreline. And how could anyone in 21st-century Toronto be opposed? Ask the people of Scarborough.Read the full story >>
At Least They Are Trying To Take Back The Streets
Protests block University Ave. for fifth day
by Precious Yutangco
A stretch of University Ave. remains closed as a protest organized by the GTA's Tamil community stretches into its fifth day.
Protesters vs. the public
Apr. 30, 2009
It's clear that many Canadians are watching with sadness and empathy as the...
University Ave. reopens after police move protest
It's clear that many Canadians are watching with sadness and empathy as the...
University Ave. reopens after police move protest
A Normal Day At Silly Hall
THE MAYOR
HIS FLUNKIESPredictably, at Mayor Miller's City Hall, it's non-union staff who are taking the hit
After watching King David and his merry band of minions muddle their way through the mayor's priority item at council yesterday, I'm convinced more than ever that they're singularly incapable of organizing a piss-up at a brewery.
The issue at hand -- whether to impose a wage freeze on 4,000 non-union staff working for the city -- finally passed 24-17 around 5 p.m., after four hours of petty procedural wrangling.
According to the plan, some 59% of those staffers won't get any sort of raise this year while 41% will continue to get their 3% merit pay -- a move that is estimated to save $20-million over two years.
Yet by the time councillors voted, I was convinced that if some of Mayor David Miller's cronies had had their way, one lone bald guy working deep in the city's archives would be the single city manager subject to a pay freeze this year (no offence intended to bald guys).
The thing is, Miller's decision to target just management and non-union employees working for the city -- while refusing to state publicly that his 30,000 CUPE pals, all councillors and all non-union employees working at the city's agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs) should be subject to the same wage restrictions -- is not simply unfair.
It is also indefensible, no matter how much the King tried to sugar coat it with his patronizing musings about how the "public service works literally 24 hours a day, seven days a week" and he must thank them for their "tremendous efforts."
Some of his loyal supporters, I suspect, knowing the plan would be considered inequitable, tried to make it appear more palatable to the employees impacted.
First, over-the-hill councillor Howard Moscoe proposed giving non-union employees eligible to retire within five years a 2.4% cost-of-living increase, plus their lump sum bonuses this year so their pensions won't be affected.
"I think this will save us a lot of money," he proclaimed. "Someone at the top end (of the salary range) will retire, paving the way for some one at the bottom end."
I think Moscoe's idea is a good one. He should be the first to call it quits. I suspect he might have been eligible somewhere around 2003. Seriously, however, when asked how much this would cost, or save, Moscoe had no idea. "I don't know the numbers, ... it has not been entirely costed out," he said.
MOTION AMENDED
His North York pal, John Filion, jumped into the fray, amending Moscoe's motion by taking out the lump sum bonus. Again, no numbers were provided on costs.
Then newbie councillor Adam Vaughan wanted confidential clerical and administrative clerical staff to be excluded from the pay freeze to make sure the "lowest paid still have economic justice."
We never did find out if they were indeed the lowest paid -- although I have all the respect in the world for the city's conscientious clerk's staff -- because Sandra Bussin ruled all three attempts out of order.
That, however, was only after considerable prodding from Coun. Mike Del Grande.
Such a circus and as is typical the ringmaster -- King David -- was nowhere to be seen throughout much of the debate.
To be fair, I'm the last person to criticize honest attempts at Socialist Silly Hall to save money. Such efforts are so few and far between.
But King David's token efforts at being "fiscally responsible" at the expense of one (relatively small) group of employees who he believes won't cause a fuss is hardly impressive.
If he truly wanted to be "fair and responsible" to the people he represents (Toronto taxpayers) and really wanted to save money, he'd lead the charge to ensure all employees throughout the corporation take a wage freeze this year, or unpaid days off (say Miller Days). A real leader is consistent with everyone.
'UNWORTHY' OF COUNCIL
Yet when several members of council tried to tie the non-union freeze to the current negotiations with CUPE locals 416 and 79, King David became quite hostile, calling their efforts "unworthy" of council.
"I find it quite disingenuous to suggest there is some inequity here," he declared. Okay then.
If the mayor believes this won't come back to haunt him and won't impact on employee morale, he's got another think coming.
If he thinks he's fooling taxpayers, he's only deluding himself.
After all, to quote his strongest critic, Rob Ford, "this is a no-brainer."
Even a Harvard-trained economist should comprehend that.
SUE-ANN.LEVY@SUNMEDIA.Fair Would Have Been.......Councilors not take increase
Mayor 'unfair' to non-union staff
Fairness is more important than frugality for Toronto's right-wing councillors.
But Comrade Miller Has Aleeady Spent The Money...,AS USUAL
No tokens for streetcars: McGuinty
Toronto's plan to spend $1.22 billion on Bombardier streetcars is "not something that we've budgeted for," Premier Dalton McGuinty says.
Flap over streetcar deal a disgrace
As transit deals go, this one made perfect sense.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Cheap Shot
OBAMA …DESIGNATED UNCLE TOM
Tuesday, April 28
KEEPING THE LID ON :The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of United States was carefully crafted by the real power brokers in that country who are attempting to head off the total chaos and destruction that could ( some say should) destroy from within as marauding mobs burn and pillage … and , perhaps, finally come looking for those responsible for all they have lost.Everyone will recall that, based on polls about a year before the election, the American people couldn’t get rid of George W. Bush fast enough. Among a litany of accusations, he was considered to be a tool of BIG business … a paid lackey of the corporations that contributed to his election campaigns and , in effect, bought and paid for his administration.
Read More »
Tuesday, April 28
KEEPING THE LID ON :The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of United States was carefully crafted by the real power brokers in that country who are attempting to head off the total chaos and destruction that could ( some say should) destroy from within as marauding mobs burn and pillage … and , perhaps, finally come looking for those responsible for all they have lost.Everyone will recall that, based on polls about a year before the election, the American people couldn’t get rid of George W. Bush fast enough. Among a litany of accusations, he was considered to be a tool of BIG business … a paid lackey of the corporations that contributed to his election campaigns and , in effect, bought and paid for his administration.
Hilary Clinton’s numbers were high and indicated she could be his successor … then, out of nowhere, a man with relatively no political track record, came out to beat Ms Clinton for the Democratic nomination … and the rest is history.
Time Will Tell.....
- April 28, 2009| By Duncan Cameron|Coming out of Vancouver, with the choice for leader ratified by delegates, the Liberals will be looking for the right time to bring down the Conservative government, and force an election. more
Justice Served......
breaking news: war resister cliff cornell sentenced to 12 months, bad conduct discharge
War resister Cliff Cornell, who was forced to leave Canada under threat of deportation, was court martialled today. Cliff was sentenced to 12 months in the brig (military prison), and received a Bad Conduct Discharge.
That makes three war resisters - Cliff Cornell, Robin Long and Daniel Sandate - now serving prison time because the Harper Government refuses to respect the will of Parliament and implement the motion allowing war resisters to stay. James Burmeister also served time in prison, although he left Canada voluntarily.
This is a disgrace, and it has to end.
More details to follow.
It Was Only A Matter Of Time
Israeli official: Swine flu name offensive
We read:
We read:
"The outbreak of swine flu should be renamed "Mexican" influenza in deference to Muslim and Jewish sensitivities over pork, said an Israeli health official Monday. Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman said the reference to pigs is offensive to both religions and "we should call this Mexican flu and not swine flu," he told a news conference at a hospital in central Israel.So you can't call it "swine" flu because that offends Jews and Muslims and you can't call it Mexican flu because that stigmatizes Mexicans. So what on earth can you call it? I know: "Christian flu". You can be as offensive as you like about Christians.
Scientists are unsure where the new swine flu virus originally emerged, though it was identifed first in the United States. They say there is nothing about the virus that makes it "Mexican" and worry such a label would be stigmatizing.
Source
Is The Boy's Brigade Still Active?
Girl Guides of Canada fight back against progressive liberal sexualization of western world by introducing new badge
The Love Yourself Challenge Badge: If you can't beat em join em.
Home |
The Love Yourself Challenge Badge: If you can't beat em join em.
Home |
Hell! If You Can Get Away With It Why Not Try.....
Restricting political loans
The grits have mad a mockery of the election funding rules with large loans which many of will never be repaid. I support this new legislation. Even elections Canada said this should be reformed and they are lackeys of the grits. ILow interest loans from friends work out to donations, well over the campaign spending limits. Dion still owes money dating back more than 3 years.Former Liberal lead
Dr Roy's Thoughts |
The grits have mad a mockery of the election funding rules with large loans which many of will never be repaid. I support this new legislation. Even elections Canada said this should be reformed and they are lackeys of the grits. ILow interest loans from friends work out to donations, well over the campaign spending limits. Dion still owes money dating back more than 3 years.Former Liberal lead
Dr Roy's Thoughts |
Dr. Roy Picked Up On This Also.....
Ugly on the inside
Dear antonia z has decided to call for the assassination of Michelle Malkin. Now she says its a joke. I thought my opinion of this loon couldn't sink any lower. she fits in well at the red star, all bias all the time. Wonder when she will humoursly call for the bombing of Tory caucus meetings. she is so funny. this is a loon who is always tranting about domestic violence against women ( she feel
Dr Roy's Thoughts |
Dear antonia z has decided to call for the assassination of Michelle Malkin. Now she says its a joke. I thought my opinion of this loon couldn't sink any lower. she fits in well at the red star, all bias all the time. Wonder when she will humoursly call for the bombing of Tory caucus meetings. she is so funny. this is a loon who is always tranting about domestic violence against women ( she feel
Dr Roy's Thoughts |
Star Columnist Makes The Big Time.......
Toronto Star columnist Antonia Zerbisias on Twitter
And incredulously, someone has taken offence.
Home
And incredulously, someone has taken offence.
Home
Tweet of the Day: Canadian leftwing extremist alert
Antonia Zerbisias is a columnist and blogger for the Living section of the Toronto Star. Just thought you (and her editors) might be interested in what this “mainstream” journalist wrote on her Twitter account tonight:
Zerbisias lives and works in Canada, where they put critics of sharia law on trial for hate speech.But you know, this is just good humor.Zerbisias lamely tried to cover her backside by arguing that she meant that she wished that I didn’t get hit because Cheney is a bad shot.See, “I wish the marksmen would take @MichelleMalkin” really means the opposite of what she wrote!Yeah. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot there, Antonia Z. The point is that Cheney hit a person instead of the quail. And that’s exactly what you meant.But since you’re a mainstream journalist and you’re a lib, you think you are entitled to get a pass — and then entitled to play victim and complain about how all the meanie rightwing extremists went after you.
Life’s so good when you’re a tolerant leftist.
More......
A Vote Is A Vote.....
Two very different meetings between Liberal MPs and Tamils
Just tryin' to mind our own business
While traffic remains blocked in the heart of Canada's largest city for the third day, some of us taxpayers (who are expected to foot the bill for this show of civil disobedience) are wondering why so many members of the largest ex-pat Tamil constituency don't have jobs they need to be at, for three days running.Of course, I'm sure it's racist of me to ask...
If You Favour Bi-Partainship Get Involved.....
Tell the Liberals what you think about how to buy stocks
Scott Brison is mailing people in Newmarket, asking them, and possibly others, about their opinions about the current economic crisis.
This cuts across party lines. I say we all offer our opinions.
Click the title to read the whole story...
A Photo Op......
FAA Memo: Feds Knew Flyover Would Cause NYC Panic; Threatened Sanctions Against NYPD & Mayor's Office If Secret Got Out...
'PHOTO OP' COST: $328,835
'PHOTO OP' COST: $328,835
April 29, 2009
Happy Hundredth-Day Day, Rookie.
Is there nothing that Obama don't know?
Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and Air Force One to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the photo-op kept secret from the public.In a memo obtained by CBS 2 HD the Federal Aviation Administration's James Johnston said the agency was aware of "the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes" in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor's office and threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out.
The people who populate the Obama administration really don’t believe in 9/11. They may have read about it, They may know intellectually that it happened. But they view it the same way we may view a lightning strike that hits an isolated golfer: a billion-in-one shot that “just happened.” That’s why the Obama team is renaming the attacks of 9/11 as “man-caused disasters” putting it on the same moral plane as an auto wreck. That’s why the Obama team is not really concerned about revealing what we do to interrogate prisoners with vital information. They don’t believe we haven anything to worry about. Unlike the people who evacuated their buildings during the fly-bys and who ran for their lives, believing that they were under another attack. For Team Obama, it’s always 9/10.Plus, who was holding the camera? h/t DrudgePosted by Kate
Mark Up One or Jack......
One flu over the cuckoo's nest
Clancy: NDP Leader Jack Layton has shown he can keep his head while some opposition politicians around him are losing theirs. Liberal MPs have introduced a motion calling for creation of an all-party "Special Surveillance Committee" to. MORE...
Clancy: NDP Leader Jack Layton has shown he can keep his head while some opposition politicians around him are losing theirs. Liberal MPs have introduced a motion calling for creation of an all-party "Special Surveillance Committee" to. MORE...
Something Mike Holmes Should Look Into
Wanted: Plumbers. Must not be foreign
Getting foreign credentials and work experience certified in Canada isn't just a headache for brain-surgeon cabbies.
Getting foreign credentials and work experience certified in Canada isn't just a headache for brain-surgeon cabbies.
This Is A New Low For Anyone
- Jonathan Kay: Mommy blows up with toddler — this has got to be a new low for militant Islam
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Having spent this morning catching up on my weekend reading, I came across this Page 4 article from Friday's New York Times. Here's the lead paragraph: "BAGHDAD — At least 80 people died and 120 others were injured Thursday in three bombings, one by a female suicide bomber in Baghdad who, Iraqi officials said, held a young child’s hand as she set off her explosives among a group of women and children receiving emergency food aid."
Even putting aside our baseline revulsion at terrorism, there are three especially hideous things that jump out from this:
1) A mother deliberately taking her (presumed) child with her as she immolates herself. For all the hundreds of suicide bombings that Iraq has already witnessed, this has got to be a first.
2) This was a line for food aid. Islamists have gone from attacking U.S. soldiers, to attacking Iraqi soldiers, to attacking police stations, to attacking the religious ceremonies of rival sects — on down the line of nihilism until, now, they are reduced to blowing up hungry people seeking sustenance.
3) This hideous crime was played on page four of The New York Times. And a quick scan of other media suggests it got similar B-rate treatment elsewhere. This sort of act would have been worth a worldwide banner headline a decade ago. But now, it's just another demented Islamist senselessly slaughtering fellow Muslims. With her kid. Yawn.
Says a lot about the world we live in, doesn't it?
jkay@nationalpost.com
Attention Toronto Silly Hall-You Fostered This Type Of Idiocy
- Matt Gurney: Save a life, hide the starter's pistol
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According to an article today, Toronto District School Board officials have finally had enough of school shootings. In the latest effort to make schools safer, free from the risk of gun violence, the TDSB has decided to get tough, crack down, and finally rid our schools of the scourge of ... the starter pistols used at track and field events. Former teachers, coaches, and unnamed school board officials want to see the pistols banned and replaced with new technology over the next few years. No doubt the students feel safer already.
Starter pistols are to real handguns what a table knife is to a machete. They have triggers, this is true, and when those triggers are pulled, there is a loud bang. They vaguely resemble revolvers. By design, they cannot fire live ammunition, being capable only of detonating a blank shell or a even just a cap. The loud crack, easily heard by all, is what sends sprinters racing down their lane. More modern starter pistols include electronic sensors that detect the pull of the trigger, starting the race clock, allowing for extremely accurate timings of competitive events. There are, of course, other ways of announcing the race's start, such as an electronic buzzer or a sharp blast from a whistle. But that isn't the point.
Who Would Take His Place?
- John Ivison: No cake for the caucus at Harper's party
-
No-one could ever accuse Stephen Harper of being gregarious. The Prime Minister hosted a gathering of friends and staff at 24 Sussex Drive last Saturday to celebrate his 50th birthday and neglected to invite any of his Cabinet or caucus colleagues.
But the lack of warm, fuzzy feelings between the Conservative leader and his MPs does not mean that they are plotting against him. Nor has the modest up-tick in Liberal support in recent opinion polls resulted in Mr. Harper abandoning all hope of re-election.
A couple of recent opinion columns have suggested that the Prime Minister could be getting ready to take a walk in the snow before the next election. Yet it is not immediately clear what formed the basis for this speculation, save perhaps wishful thinking. Senior Conservatives suggest neither a coup d’etat nor a resignation are imminent.
NIMBYists Supreme
Porter a rare good news story
Island airport expansion to double Porter passengers,
Hooray for Porter Airlines and its recently announced expansion. Its success is one of the rare good news stories these days. It has overcome the nimbyists and the naysayers to build a successful airline operation. The island airport is an important part of Toronto's transportation infrastructure and Porter has utilized it well.
Andrew van Velzen, Toronto
Would Anyone Notice Or Care
Could a new leader save the NDP?
April 29, 2009
Chantal HébertA column that concluded it was premature for the prime minister to consider a walk in the snow drew positive responses from many Conservatives last week. Some of the most vocal criticism it inspired came from people who had concluded from the column headline that it was an invitation for Harper to quit and had not taken the time to actually read it.There are also Conservative supporters who simply cannot countenance the notion that they might lose the next election and who react viscerally to any suggestion that their party is fallible.
The bottom line, though, is that there is no serious Conservative appetite for a change in leadership before the election, including among the Prime Minister's potential successors, who mostly have no inclination – should Conservative fortunes deteriorate further – to risk becoming Harper's Kim Campbell. A column about a major shift in NDP focus that could see that party ensure the survival of the minority Conservative government over the coming months drew a very different response.
Some New Democrats were so adamant that their party would never lift a finger to prolong the life of the Harper regime that they argued the column was based on a figment of my imagination.Layton's post-Easter change of heart was not widely reported on but in a published interview last week, Brian Topp, the NDP's national campaign director, laid out some of the rationale behind it.
"The New Democrat caucus tried to do a big thing – tried to replace the government. And it didn't happen. That's the most memorable thing our team has done so far in this Parliament. Undertakings that don't succeed don't build support," he told The Globe and Mail, adding: "As they have done in every minority Parliament since the 1920s, the New Democrats are saying they will look for ways to make progress on the agenda the NDP committed to pursue during the last election. That includes using the NDP's balance of power position in Parliament to try to make progress."
If the reaction to my column is typical of the grassroots reception to the new NDP tack, co-operating with the Conservatives will be a hard sell with many New Democrats.Some of them are suggesting that the only viable way to justify extending the life of the Harper government would be to use the time to change leaders.While most New Democrats do not blame Layton for being left at the altar of the coalition, there is a growing feeling that he has taken the party as far as he could. Current polls do suggest that he is facing diminishing returns in the next election.
A leadership campaign would certainly give the NDP the much-needed pre-election exposure it has so desperately come to crave since Michael Ignatieff has become Liberal leader.Opening up the leadership at a time when the party is in a position of relative strength might also attract more interesting candidates than one that takes place against the backdrop of an election setback.
As things stand today, at least one prominent potential successor to Layton, Outremont's Thomas Mulcair, might not even have a seat in Parliament after the next election.And he could be just one of many NDP casualties.
He Certainly Has Proven To Be An Ineffective Pain In The Ass
Dalton's annus terribilus
Queen Elizabeth coined the term in 1992. We've endured economic meltdown, disaster in the auto sector and now fears of a flu pandemic
Provincial Liberals Not Kissing Comrade Miller's Ass....
* How much of this $1.2 billion will stay in Canada?
City ripped over streetcars
The TTC hasn't jumped the tracks, but maybe it jumped the gun announcing the new Bombardier streetcars, the province's infrastructure minister says.George Smitherman said yesterday he was "perplexed" by the TTC's plan to buy 204 new Bombardier streetcars without having the $1.22 billion in the bank to "write the cheque."I do have a concern as a Torontonian," he said. "I just think in these times, with the kind of precarious circumstances that are there and the uncertainty that many people are experiencing, I'm not sure that's the best approach."
The City of Toronto and Mayor David Miller have identified too many priorities for provincial and federal stimulus money, and that it is impossible for Queen's Park to meet all of Toronto's demands, Smitherman said."He (Miller) has previously spoken to me about Union Station as his priority, and about the Sheppard (Transit City LRT) line as his priority," Smitherman said. "Well, my daddy taught me if you have a hundred priorities, you don't have any."Both the provincial and federal governments are accepting municipal stimulus project funding requests until May 1.
"We just have to be honest and say to taxpayers we really can't pretend to be able to support every priority," Smitherman added, noting there will inevitably be more requests for stimulus money than there are resources, so "tough choices" will have to be made.
But Miller said the senior levels of government have to come up with the money because the $1.22-billion Bombardier deal will create Canadian jobs."To me, if you want to stimulate the economy at a time when manufacturing industries are in decline, this is precisely the right way to use that public money to create what will become a whole new manufacturing industry," he said.
An Informed Populace.....
The Truth Sleuths By THANE BURNETT
What exactly is swine flu anyway?A friendly reminder: Clean up your act! By MIKE STROBEL
Just a friendly reminderTuesday, April 28, 2009
A Magic Bullet? I Don't Think So
EI claims rose 18.6 per cent in February: StatsCan
NDP wants more EI for new moms who get laid off
Make sure to read:
Comments( 51 )
Since October 14, when Stephen Harper was returned to office, opposition MPs have introduced seven separate bills to reform EI. None has made it past first reading.
The NDP MP for Sackville-Eastern Shore, Peter Stoffer, introduced Bill C-217, to improve compassionate care benefits.
The NDP MP for Acadie-Bathurst, Yves Godin, introduced bills to increase the length of the benefit period.
And Christian Ouellet, Bloc Québécois MP for Brome-Missisquoi, and Claude Gravelle, NDP MP for Nickel Belt, both introduced bills to cancel the two-week waiting period before a worker can collect benefits.
The Headline Says It All
That's What Friends Are For
A close friend of the Prime Minister’s has, for the third time, landed a government appointment, once again raising charges of patronage. John Weissenberger, a geologist described as a friend for life of the Prime Minister, was recently appointed to the board of directors for the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, an independent corporation tasked with distributing hundreds of millions in research funding. Two years ago, Weissenberger was named chief of staff to Diane Finley, then minister of citizenship and immigration, a position he took after stepping away from an appointment to the judicial advisory committee. “Harper never promised an end to patronage,” says NDP MP Pat Martin, “but he did promise an appointments review commission and that’s one of his biggest failures of his administration in my view.” Liberal Marc Garneau adds his concern, including an assertion that Weissenberger is an “outright denier” of climate change
Your Susan Boyle Fix For The Day
Long live Susan Boyle!
April 27, 2009
Robin Breon
What is it within the cynical souls of the pundits and reviewers of the mainstream media that has unleashed such a torrent of reproach against Susan Boyle?
April 27, 2009
Robin Breon
What is it within the cynical souls of the pundits and reviewers of the mainstream media that has unleashed such a torrent of reproach against Susan Boyle?
Quebec, The “Show Me The Money” Province
It’s nice to know that Quebec is being well taken care of by the rest of Canada in this little confederation of ours. After well, we wouldn’t want to go and let it do something foolish like, for instance, take care of itself. Never mind the fact that it accounts for over half the $12 billion in annual funding to the equalization program. They’re worth it. They’re so worth Unambiguously Ambidextrous
It’s nice to know that Quebec is being well taken care of by the rest of Canada in this little confederation of ours. After well, we wouldn’t want to go and let it do something foolish like, for instance, take care of itself. Never mind the fact that it accounts for over half the $12 billion in annual funding to the equalization program. They’re worth it. They’re so worth Unambiguously Ambidextrous
Great Idea..Problem Is It Is Run By The City....
.....and it's gaggle of beauracrats, politicians, job for life unionist, etc. Look at their track record!
Bike Rental Scheme You Say? In Toronto You Say?
A wonderful new initiative is being hatched by the city of Toronto, which is looking at buying a fleet of 3,000 bikes and launching a pay-as-you-go public bicycle system next spring. The system would let you pick up a bike at one place, drop it off at another, using kiosks and and a credit card that unlocks the bikes. Sounds peachy. A credit card would be used to unlock a bike and the customer
Unambiguously Ambidextrous
Bike Rental Scheme You Say? In Toronto You Say?
A wonderful new initiative is being hatched by the city of Toronto, which is looking at buying a fleet of 3,000 bikes and launching a pay-as-you-go public bicycle system next spring. The system would let you pick up a bike at one place, drop it off at another, using kiosks and and a credit card that unlocks the bikes. Sounds peachy. A credit card would be used to unlock a bike and the customer
Unambiguously Ambidextrous
Nationalized Medicine
The 'poor' are the rich Jesus warned you about
Times have changed and now the 'poor' get fat:
Miss Salt's immense weight meant the safe delivery of her triplets - daughters Deanna and Daisy, and son Finlee - last August was a major challenge for medics. It took a 68-strong team and a bill for the NHS of £200,000, including a specially-built operating table for her Caesarean section. Now back home in Coventry and living on benefits, she says she is too busy to prepare proper meals for her triplets or do much in the way of housework. Miss Salt, who blames her obesity on a thyroid problem, fell pregnant after seeing her then boyfriend for just four weeks. They split up halfway through her pregnancy (...)
The house is full of unwashed laundry and piles of toys, and Miss Salt says she and her babies only get dressed and go out once a week to collect her benefits. And she now wants her own council house: 'I know how to microwave a meal and make up instant mash, so I think we'd all manage.'
Kathy Shaidle : 2009-04-28 07:42:39 EDT
Times have changed and now the 'poor' get fat:
Miss Salt's immense weight meant the safe delivery of her triplets - daughters Deanna and Daisy, and son Finlee - last August was a major challenge for medics. It took a 68-strong team and a bill for the NHS of £200,000, including a specially-built operating table for her Caesarean section. Now back home in Coventry and living on benefits, she says she is too busy to prepare proper meals for her triplets or do much in the way of housework. Miss Salt, who blames her obesity on a thyroid problem, fell pregnant after seeing her then boyfriend for just four weeks. They split up halfway through her pregnancy (...)
The house is full of unwashed laundry and piles of toys, and Miss Salt says she and her babies only get dressed and go out once a week to collect her benefits. And she now wants her own council house: 'I know how to microwave a meal and make up instant mash, so I think we'd all manage.'
Kathy Shaidle : 2009-04-28 07:42:39 EDT
Controversy Obama's Middle Name?
And we're not just talking about the stimulus package:{youtube} Good one guy, good one.
Below are the Gallup poll results for percentage of the public, that believes that a president is doing a “excellent/good job”, after the first 100-days in office. Obama 2009 56% Bush 2001 62% Clinton, 1993 55% Bush, 1989 58% Reagan, 1981 67% Carter, 1977 63% Nixon, 1969 61% Sampling error: +/-3% pts This places Obama’s rating as second-worst when compared to the sample
$$$$$$ Well Spent
Federal government gives Calgary Stampede $2M
The federal government kicked off the summer festival season Monday by granting special funding to eight major events across Canada to stimulate tourism amid the economic woes.
The federal government kicked off the summer festival season Monday by granting special funding to eight major events across Canada to stimulate tourism amid the economic woes.
Has An Intelligence Virus Hit Queens Park?
Ontario backs off green audit for homes
A backlash from consumers and the real estate industry over a plan to require energy audits every time a home is sold has prompted Energy Minister George Smitherman to back down.
A backlash from consumers and the real estate industry over a plan to require energy audits every time a home is sold has prompted Energy Minister George Smitherman to back down.
Paying Attention To Grass Roots
Poll numbers add up to an exciting federal political season ahead
Yaffe: With the emergence of leader Michael Ignatieff the Liberals are buzzing about forcing an election to prevent the tabling of another budget. Conservatives have developed new appreciation for the leadership of Stephane Dion. Oh, how they miss him. MORE...
Time to come home Stephen....
"Harris/Decima and Angus Reid polls this week are consistent in showing the official opposition building serious strength in the seat-rich battlegrounds of Quebec and British Columbia. The Liberals also are advancing in Ontario."
The decline and faults of Stephen Harper
Woods: If you are a political junkie like me, it is interesting to watch the fortunes of politicians decline, pick up on the errors of judgement and hubris marking the tipping-point of their grip on power. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has reached that point. MORE...
Feeling Disconnected?
I know I am. I post daily, and visit the Blogging Tories daily, I enjoy all of the blogs, and feel like we are a community, where Conservatives can finally get our points across. I want to thank Stephen and Craig for keeping this community running. The Blogging Tories are not the problem, in fact, I think they are the solution for Conservatives who want a place to call home.My problem is with the.......
Climbing Out Of The Dark
Yaffe: With the emergence of leader Michael Ignatieff the Liberals are buzzing about forcing an election to prevent the tabling of another budget. Conservatives have developed new appreciation for the leadership of Stephane Dion. Oh, how they miss him. MORE...
Time to come home Stephen....
"Harris/Decima and Angus Reid polls this week are consistent in showing the official opposition building serious strength in the seat-rich battlegrounds of Quebec and British Columbia. The Liberals also are advancing in Ontario."
The decline and faults of Stephen Harper
Woods: If you are a political junkie like me, it is interesting to watch the fortunes of politicians decline, pick up on the errors of judgement and hubris marking the tipping-point of their grip on power. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has reached that point. MORE...
Feeling Disconnected?
I know I am. I post daily, and visit the Blogging Tories daily, I enjoy all of the blogs, and feel like we are a community, where Conservatives can finally get our points across. I want to thank Stephen and Craig for keeping this community running. The Blogging Tories are not the problem, in fact, I think they are the solution for Conservatives who want a place to call home.My problem is with the.......
Climbing Out Of The Dark
Swine Flu A Political Media Opportunity
Rookie minister praised for quick, open response
It is the first test for the rookie health minister: a flu, with early cases reported in Canada, that could evolve into the pandemic predicted by medical experts for so many years.
Political feud breaks out over swine flu
A political feud has erupted over the swine flu outbreak, as a Liberal attempt to strike an all-party committee to oversee the swelling crisis was slammed by the governing Conservatives as a bid to score political points.
I'd go to Mexico - Charest
An ad hoc committee of the Quebec cabinet has been created to monitor the spread of swine flu, Premier Jean Charest said yesterday.
Charest Flip-Flops: Quebecers must avoid Mexico
Politics is the greatest threat to effective pandemic response
Wilson: A potential new pandemic virus has emerged in Mexico and spread to the U.S., Canada and other countries. Canada is, in many ways, well prepared to manage any pandemic that may emerge. Plans that have been developed over the.. MORE...
It is the first test for the rookie health minister: a flu, with early cases reported in Canada, that could evolve into the pandemic predicted by medical experts for so many years.
Political feud breaks out over swine flu
A political feud has erupted over the swine flu outbreak, as a Liberal attempt to strike an all-party committee to oversee the swelling crisis was slammed by the governing Conservatives as a bid to score political points.
I'd go to Mexico - Charest
An ad hoc committee of the Quebec cabinet has been created to monitor the spread of swine flu, Premier Jean Charest said yesterday.
Charest Flip-Flops: Quebecers must avoid Mexico
Politics is the greatest threat to effective pandemic response
Wilson: A potential new pandemic virus has emerged in Mexico and spread to the U.S., Canada and other countries. Canada is, in many ways, well prepared to manage any pandemic that may emerge. Plans that have been developed over the.. MORE...
CUPE student paper links Jews to criticism of Sid Ryan and his academic boycott
Monday, April 27, 2009 at 06:50 AM
Comments: 18
Remember when Sid Ryan, the head of Ontario branch of CUPE suggested that Israeli academics be compelled to denounce Israel or be banned from Ontario universities? It caused quite an uproar.
Well, apparently, the uproar was stage-managed by the Jews. Shocking, isn't it?
Click the title to read the whole story...
Steve Janke: CUPE spots a new wrinkle in the Jewish conspiracy
Posted: April 27, 2009, 1:00 PM by NP Editor Filed under: Full Comment,Steve Janke
Sid Ryan, head of the Ontario office of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, attracted a lot of well-deserved criticism when he championed a campaign to block Israeli academics visiting Ontario schools unless they publicly denounced Israel.
The public backlash was fierce, and Ryan was slapped down by CUPE's national president, Paul Moist:
"I believe such a resolution is wrong and would violate the anti-discrimination standards set out in the CUPE Constitution," Moist said in a release.
"I will be using my influence in any debates on such a resolution to oppose its adoption."
In an interview, he added: "We don't discriminate against people based on their nationality."
You would think this was the end of the story. I certainly did. But then I stumbled across this story in the March/April issue of the YU Free Press. The YU Free Press is the CUPE mouthpiece at York University, published by CUPE Local 3903 in conjunction with campus radicals. In an article entitled "Why We Should All Support Israeli Apartheid Week", we learn of the identity of those who caused Sid Ryan so much grief.
It was the Jews!
Click here to read more...
Monday, April 27, 2009 at 06:50 AM
Comments: 18
Remember when Sid Ryan, the head of Ontario branch of CUPE suggested that Israeli academics be compelled to denounce Israel or be banned from Ontario universities? It caused quite an uproar.
Well, apparently, the uproar was stage-managed by the Jews. Shocking, isn't it?
Click the title to read the whole story...
Steve Janke: CUPE spots a new wrinkle in the Jewish conspiracy
Posted: April 27, 2009, 1:00 PM by NP Editor Filed under: Full Comment,Steve Janke
Sid Ryan, head of the Ontario office of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, attracted a lot of well-deserved criticism when he championed a campaign to block Israeli academics visiting Ontario schools unless they publicly denounced Israel.
The public backlash was fierce, and Ryan was slapped down by CUPE's national president, Paul Moist:
"I believe such a resolution is wrong and would violate the anti-discrimination standards set out in the CUPE Constitution," Moist said in a release.
"I will be using my influence in any debates on such a resolution to oppose its adoption."
In an interview, he added: "We don't discriminate against people based on their nationality."
You would think this was the end of the story. I certainly did. But then I stumbled across this story in the March/April issue of the YU Free Press. The YU Free Press is the CUPE mouthpiece at York University, published by CUPE Local 3903 in conjunction with campus radicals. In an article entitled "Why We Should All Support Israeli Apartheid Week", we learn of the identity of those who caused Sid Ryan so much grief.
It was the Jews!
Click here to read more...
What Next? Banning BANG From Lexicon
Ready, set ... ban! Starter's pistol is under fire
by David Grossman
Apr 28, 2009
The starter's pistol is under the gun, facing a growing clamour to end its use at local high school track and field meets.
by David Grossman
Apr 28, 2009
The starter's pistol is under the gun, facing a growing clamour to end its use at local high school track and field meets.
Stats Not A Substitute For Kelvar
Stats take a beating
By MARK BONOKOSKI
A week ago, about the same time a new StatsCan index put some polish to the tarnished image of Toronto the Good, a brick was tossed through the driver's window of my car -- no doubt by a crackhead looking for loose change, or by a hit-and-run artist looking for the GPS that wasn't there.
Crime in perspective
Apr. 27, 2009
A fresh example of criminal activity erupts virtually daily – gunfire in a...
By MARK BONOKOSKI
A week ago, about the same time a new StatsCan index put some polish to the tarnished image of Toronto the Good, a brick was tossed through the driver's window of my car -- no doubt by a crackhead looking for loose change, or by a hit-and-run artist looking for the GPS that wasn't there.
Crime in perspective
Apr. 27, 2009
A fresh example of criminal activity erupts virtually daily – gunfire in a...
Wakeup Call For Comrade Miller & His Supporters
Comrade Miller MIAPorter's new wing
By BRYN WEESE, SUN MEDIA
At least there isn't a recession at Toronto's controversial island airport.
Long-term financial strategy, Toronto-style
Posted: April 27, 2009,
Toronto’s leftwing mayor, David Miller, won his job largely on the basis of one issue.When the Toronto Port Authority sought to revitalize the small airport on Toronto island in 2002, including construction of a small bridge to save passengers the 30-second ferry ride, Mr. Miller headed a campaign to block it.He succeeded. Nonetheless, Porter Airlines, the main occupant of the airport, has thrived. Passengers can now fly from the downtown terminal to eight destinations, including New York, Chicago, Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa. Today Porter said it would upgrade the airport and double its fleet of Bombardier airplanes as it adds even more flights. Mr. Miller didn't attend the announcement. More planes and more flights means more jobs for “hard-working Canadians,” as Jack Layton might say.
Click here to read more...
By BRYN WEESE, SUN MEDIA
At least there isn't a recession at Toronto's controversial island airport.
Long-term financial strategy, Toronto-style
Posted: April 27, 2009,
Toronto’s leftwing mayor, David Miller, won his job largely on the basis of one issue.When the Toronto Port Authority sought to revitalize the small airport on Toronto island in 2002, including construction of a small bridge to save passengers the 30-second ferry ride, Mr. Miller headed a campaign to block it.He succeeded. Nonetheless, Porter Airlines, the main occupant of the airport, has thrived. Passengers can now fly from the downtown terminal to eight destinations, including New York, Chicago, Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa. Today Porter said it would upgrade the airport and double its fleet of Bombardier airplanes as it adds even more flights. Mr. Miller didn't attend the announcement. More planes and more flights means more jobs for “hard-working Canadians,” as Jack Layton might say.
Click here to read more...
Monday, April 27, 2009
If You Haven't Bookmarked Gay And Right You Should
Tel Aviv Gay Pride to feature weddings this year....
I don't normally blog about gay pride...but I just can't help it when it occurs in Israel...The 11th annual Tel Aviv Gay Pride parade this summer will feature an event organizers believe to be the first ever for such an event anywhere in the world and certainly in Israel - two weddings, one of a gay couple and one of a lesbian pair.A campaign will be launched on the Web site gogay.co.il seeking
GayandRight |
I don't normally blog about gay pride...but I just can't help it when it occurs in Israel...The 11th annual Tel Aviv Gay Pride parade this summer will feature an event organizers believe to be the first ever for such an event anywhere in the world and certainly in Israel - two weddings, one of a gay couple and one of a lesbian pair.A campaign will be launched on the Web site gogay.co.il seeking
GayandRight |
As Always Quebec Support Is Linked To Pork Barrelling
Feds flood Quebec with Canada Day celebration cash
Quebec received 85 per cent of Canada Day celebration fundPM Harper needs to 'patch things up' with Charest
And former Quebec Tory MP Luc Harvey blames Josée Verner in part for party's poor showing.
Iggy! Are You Listening
John Ivison: Still a lot of work left for Ignatieff
Steve Janke: Still some work needed on Ignatieff charm front
Jonathan Kay on the Tamil Tigers, and Michael Ignatieff's moral rehabilitation of the Liberal Party
Ignatieff calls Liberal policy convention 'about plenty'
Steve Janke: Still some work needed on Ignatieff charm front
Jonathan Kay on the Tamil Tigers, and Michael Ignatieff's moral rehabilitation of the Liberal Party
Ignatieff calls Liberal policy convention 'about plenty'
-
Grit Leader Michael Ignatieff says the Grit convention, where he will be crowned leader, will reform the party's constitution, and end delegated conventions.
Pumping Up EI A Good Idea But.....
.....only if someone can guarantee that the economic problem will be resolved in 6 months. And the reality is that EI payments will cover shelter and food but I don't see people rushing out to buy new cars, fancy dinners, larger screen tv, etc.
Economy wanes, Harper dithers
April 27, 2009
The federal government is looking increasingly Pollyannish in the face of bad economic news. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his crew appear to be hoping the recession away rather than taking additional steps to counter it.
Last week, the Bank of Canada, previously on the optimistic side of economic forecasters, downgraded its growth outlook for this year. Canada's real GDP will shrink 3 per cent this year, not the 1.2 per cent decline the bank forecast in January or the even more modest 0.8 per cent drop foreseen in the federal budget of January. As forecasts go, that is a dramatic shift in just three months.
Explained Bank Governor Mark Carney: "These are difficult economic times with the Canadian economy being buffeted by an intense and synchronized global recession."
But Harper appeared unconvinced that any further response is require from the government. "We are taking the appropriate course of action," the Prime Minister told Parliament last week.
The central bank is doing what it can. Carney last week reduced the bank's benchmark lending rate to a record low 0.25 per cent – it is not possible to go any lower – and said it would remain there into next year. He also said the bank could inject more stimulus by increasing the money supply through a device known as "quantitative easing."
Unfortunately, relying on monetary policy to turn around a slumping economy is like pushing a string: there is no guarantee anything will happen at the other end if the commercial banks are reluctant to lend and consumers are reluctant to spend.
That leaves us with the other option: fiscal policy.
In its January budget, the government used fiscal levers to prime the pump by posting a big deficit and increasing infrastructure spending.
One can argue whether the government went far enough. But inarguably the government is falling short in one area: income support. As has been well documented, due to cutbacks by previous governments, only a minority of working Canadians now qualify for Employment Insurance. By easing the rules, the government could sharply increase the number of beneficiaries. That, in turn, would put more money into the hands of consumers and boost the economy.
But for whatever reasons – ideology, stubbornness – the Conservatives refuse to acknowledge this. Indeed, when asked in Parliament last week about making more workers eligible for EI, Diane Finley, minister of human resources, delivered this astonishing reply: "It is true that not everyone is eligible. Unfortunately, that is the way the system is, and everyone has agreed this is not the time to overhaul it."
Everyone has agreed? We beg to differ. Now is not the time? If not now, when?
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About Me
- Unhypentated Canadian
- I lean to the right but I still have a heart and if I have a mission it is to respond to attacks on people not available to protect themselves and to point out the hypocrisy of the left at every opportunity.MY MAJOR GOAL IS HIGHLIGHT THE HYPOCRISY AND STUPIDITY OF THE LEFTISTS ON TORONTO CITY COUNCIL. Last word: In the final analysis this blog is a relief valve for my rants/raves.
In Vancouver today, the Liberals begin a national convention to crown Michael Ignatieff as the leader they hope will take them back to power. Over the next three days, Ignatieff will speak several times. With television ...