Thursday, March 31, 2005
Is It Getting a Little Warm In Here?
Looks like all the efforts to slow down the carbon emissions has failed to halt the continued rise. I have a strong suspicion that in a few years Kyoto is not going to look like anywhere near enough. All of which leads to things like rising water levels and massive floods, etc.
And More on Military Profits
So as I said before, the U.S. has finally perfected the art of war business by supplying weapons to both sides thereby maximizing profits to the utmost. Sweet!
Of Course, It's All the C.I.A.'s Fault
It comes as no surprise that the C.I.A. would get the blame for this one. That's despite the fact that they only provided what evidence they had when requested to do so, and that evidence came along with dire warnings as to it's credibility and the fact that it hadn't been properly assessed at that point. All of which was swept aside by George et. al. and only that part of the evidence which supported their agenda was hoisted up the flag to justify the American actions to date. So if you ask me, the spooks did exactly what they are paid to do, and that is to gain and assess intelligence. The Presidents staff interrupted that process and as such they bear the responsibility for what came after.
Iraq Children Worse Off Now
So apparently the kids of Iraq are doing worse under the American administration than they were under Saddam. Now that's saying a lot considering that the old Iraq had to contend with the U.N. embargo and all. Suffice it to say, another fine example of all the great improvements since the Yanks came to town.
What's That About Freedom of Speech
The U.S. is using the immensely popular terrorist label to keep a former Sandinista from entering. This amounts to essentially banning the guy because he supported his peoples efforts to rid the country of Somoza, another of history's great dictator. You see then, as now, communism trumps dictatorship in the U.S. on any day and therefore anybody who isn't a commie can depend on unlimited American support no matter what their crimes.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Environmentalists Prove Right About Salmon
Turns out many times more salmon are infected with farmed salmon lice than was previously suspected. Pretty much confirms what the environmentalists have been saying all along. Now lets see what other species can we wipe out?
How about the seals, the big hunt is going ahead full speed despite the fact that many have stated that the science in which it based is highly suspect or outdated. There are those who claim that this hunt may do serious damage to the species.
How about the seals, the big hunt is going ahead full speed despite the fact that many have stated that the science in which it based is highly suspect or outdated. There are those who claim that this hunt may do serious damage to the species.
U.N. Sounds Warnings
The U.N. is now saying what many others have said for a long time, and that is that we are in serious trouble. A good portion of it's resources already used, and not enough left to sustain us much longer, even at current levels of depletion and not taking into account any future growth. It's going to be a very interesting next fifty years folks, hang on for the ride!
Jackson Getting More Bizarre Everyday
Things haven't been going all that well for Mike lately as the judge has decided to allow evidence about past allegations. Mike's plan for dealing with this new blow, It's all a big conspiracy against black celebrities. Yeah, that's what it is Mike, It has nothing to do with the fact that six different kids are saying the same thing. If your innocent, Mike, than you must by the biggest idiot on the planet. After the first kid said these things, who would possibly have brought kids into their bedroom again without the security cameras going and five chaperones, just to protect themselves from just such accusations. Hell, most good doctors don't do exams on kids or women without a nurse present or a kids parents. But not Mike, he says there's nothing wrong with it, sharing his bed that is, and maybe he's right, it's still damn stupid to keep sleeping with these kids after they start making these suggestions.
Memo Confirms Torture Policy
In what is effectively stating the obvious a memo confirms that orders for the abuse of prisoners came from the highest levels in Iraq. Maybe this has something to do with the recent decision not to charge the soldiers investigated for the murders of prisoners. Oh well, just another day in life of the Christian Army of God.
An Eye for an Eye A Tooth for a Tooth
The jury's decision has been overturned because biblical references were discussed and played a role in the decision of the jury to sentence the guy to death. I'm not sure I agree that the decision should have been overturned on that basis despite the fact that I don't agree with the death penalty. People's religious beliefs play a major role in many of their day to day decisions. It is impossible to separate these beliefs from how they believe justice should be applied. If a jurors beliefs are going to be a problem for justice than this should come out during jury selection.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Judge Gets Off Light
He said it was all a misunderstanding. He thought she wanted his advances. That might explain his first approach, although I doubt taking a woman's hand and placing it on his dick was the best way of asking for a first date. This doesn't explain his pursuing her and grabbing her a second time, especially as she had fled for her life after the first. The real problem with the whole thing essentially is the fact that the judge had created a poisoned work atmosphere which was bound to offend someone sooner or later. All of it happening in our justice system.
Monday, March 28, 2005
George's Right To Life
George is a big believer in the right to life thing, except of course as it applies to the wrongfully accused and the poor who can't afford medical treatments, etc. This article goes into George's record to date on all of the above and more.
U.S. Armaments Industry Big Winners
First the U.S. decides to sell F-16s to Pakistan. Not to worry, they stress that they can also sell them to India. India is saying the U.S. is escalating the local arms race. In the U.S. it's all just one big win-win situation. The Americans will be more than happy to sell as much weaponry as is necessary to make everyone feel secure. Hey, I feel more secure already!
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Yet Another Shark Attack
Now this one is certainly one of the more bizarre shark attacks. Seems like something right out of Jaws. We should probably get used to it. As more and more damage piles up on the environment, we can expect to see a lot more unusual behavior from the wildlife as all their previous harmonies get totally disrupted.
Tiger Reserve with No Tigers
All the tigers have disappeared from a reserve in India. No-one is claiming any knowledge of exactly what has happened to date. Suffice to say, there is not much chance for the tiger's survival when we can't even keep the ones in protected areas alive.
Wait a Second, There's Still A Corner of the World not Fighting
Things have been a little too calm in South and Central America for George's liking. Hence now the U.S. is turning south for points of contention. Warnings are now going out across the region as George makes all new threats to those persons not currently towing the American line. Even old stories like Daniel Ortega, who seems to have escaped American attention for the last decade, are now being warned. It just wouldn't do to have some area of the world not under current American threat of invasion. Hell even old friends like us Canadians are being threatened with the loss of our sovereignty over the missile bullshit. Looks like absolutely nothing is sacred to the new American Way.
Indo- Canadians Get Foolish
The Indo-Canadian community has decided to take the irresponsible path by blaming the Air India Trial failure on racism in Canada. While I agree that there exists racism in Canada, I'm not at all certain that it has anything to do with this one. Bureaucratic and police bungling has a whole lot more to do with this failure than racism. The failures in this case reflect more on the incapacity of our justice system than it does on racism. By playing up the racist angle for political and media points takes away from the real problems of our legal system today.
No Prosecution for 27 Murders
Apparently the U.S. Army would rather not charge the 17 soldiers involved with the 27 murders of detained persons in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now I would have thought that one murder would have warranted charges but 27? Now what possible reason could the U.S. military have for not charging those responsible? Perhaps they would rather we not hear about the fact that these soldiers were probably ordered to do just what they have done, or that the officers knew full well what they were up to but it was policy to ignore these little transgressions. In any case, now that there is not going to be any official accounting, I'll guess no one will ever know.
Friday, March 25, 2005
China Continues to Grow
Everyone is trying to get on the bandwagon bound for profits out of China. Trouble is, the world cannot sustain it's current rate of resource use much less increase it to the levels that will be needed for this new China Now that going to be an interesting story as it unfolds over the next thirty years or so.
Xerox Gets On Board
Xerox has listened to reason and pledged to discontinue the use of products harvested from old growth forests. Environmental groups have long pushed for business to make this commitment and it's encouraging to see Xerox doing their part.
Now These Community Leaders Take a More Rational Approach
It started with an essay at an Ottawa Islamic school describing the killing of Jews an applauding the action. This might have resulted in name calling by the different representatives but instead has increased the dialogue and education programs that already exist between the two groups, Jewish and Muslim. If more of the world took this approach to the teaching of our children, we could rid the world of religious fanaticism within one generation.
Say It Ain't So, Not Wendy's
A woman got a little something extra with the chili the other day at Wendy's, a human finger. Wendy's is my hands down favorite fast food burger joint, and they make a mighty fine spicy chicken sandwich too. I don't know how much I'm going to like the new expanded menu. Is this a Soprano's style episode where the boys didn't grind up the unfortunate ex-associate enough or perhaps a discipline matter with one of the illegals where they were made an example of? It will be interesting to see if they ever figure out who the missing appendage belongs to.
You Got To Concede This Point to The Jackson Defense
You have to admit that to find the prints on the porn magazines a year into the festivities is a little suspect to say the least. The problem is, had the prints been credible evidence, it would have looked pretty back for Mike. Both his and the kids prints on the porn magazines pretty much proves at least that part of the kid's story. Now we really don't know if the prints were there from before the investigation or not.
Thankfully they Tried This Guy in the U.S.
You really got to give credit where it is due in situations like this. Had they tried the guy in Canada, we might expect to see him back on the streets about five years from now. In the U.S., they just don't mess around. The guy got 24 years in a prison system far rougher than ours. This is one area where Canada could sure pick up a few pointers from the Americans.
Meanwhile Plague -Like Virus Continues to Spread
Angola's Ebola style virus outbreak continues to spread. The African continent is already being ravaged by AIDS which I can't help but think would make them even more vulnerable to outbreaks such as these. A population already weakened by disease is hardly in an ideal position to fight off new infection.
Now There's a Great Idea
If we haven't been irresponsible enough already, there's talk that they might be able to clone a T-Rex with material gained from a recent find. We have demonstrated such an advanced level of intelligence with our stewardship of the planet so far, why not re-create one of the worlds all time top predators?
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Environmental Points of Interest
The battle over logging on the Queen Charlotte Islands is heating up as the Haida are now setting up blockades. It's kind of hard not to side with the Haida on this one. I trust the big logging companies only slightly more than I trust the politicians. I think the law should force all of us to listen to the first nations peoples when considering the development of natural resources. They are, after, all, the experts on long term sustainable use of those same resources. A record European based society has failed to achieve or re-create.
Meanwhile, the Fraser River salmon fishery is expected to completely fail over the next couple of years. Remember my comments on the Haida? First nations peoples have fished those same salmon for many thousands of years without ever having a negative affect on the stocks while our society has managed to wipe them out in less than 50 years. The world has the knowledge now to stop things like this. Between the knowledge of groups like the first nations peoples added to the new technologies that have already been developed, we could very much slow down the rate of destruction that we are now creating. We must only have the will and the foresight.
Meanwhile, the Fraser River salmon fishery is expected to completely fail over the next couple of years. Remember my comments on the Haida? First nations peoples have fished those same salmon for many thousands of years without ever having a negative affect on the stocks while our society has managed to wipe them out in less than 50 years. The world has the knowledge now to stop things like this. Between the knowledge of groups like the first nations peoples added to the new technologies that have already been developed, we could very much slow down the rate of destruction that we are now creating. We must only have the will and the foresight.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Remember Hogzilla
Looks like the National Geographic society has confirmed the existence of Hogzilla, the wild pig killed by an American in Georgia. While they are estimating it's size at slightly smaller than the farmer reported it's still massive. Kind of makes you wonder how many other legendary creatures there are out there who really exist.
Another School Gunman
While everyone is questioning how this can happen in America today, most are missing a couple of other points. The first would be the system's failure to protest the children when it is their responsibility to do so. After so many of these school shootings, one might think that steps would be taken to ensure their safety. Perhaps bullet resistant doors, metal detectors, and panic buttons to lock all the doors in time of need. I really don't see any other way so long as the American love affair with guns continues.
The Jackson Show
Just when we thought things couldn't get any more bizarre. The latest is Mickey coming into court in his PJs due to a back problem. It didn't seem to be bothering him much when he was treating his bussed in fans to a dance show outside the courthouse not so long ago. On the other side of the coin, his young accuser is facing a few credibility problems of his own as word comes out that this is not the first celeb he has accused of wrongdoing. Stay tuned for more details as this merry show continues.
Racism Alive and Well in France
Looks like the people of France are growing just a wee bit tired of the centuries long war between Jews and Muslims. Not to mention the fact that Muslims extremists are not restricting their attacks to just the Jewish people. The end result of it all is the rise of racial intolerance. Now I'm not blaming anyone for getting fed up with all the bullshit. I can only hope that at least some portion of the Islamic world remembers that not all Americans are George Bush. On that same note, not all Muslims are extremists.
Monday, March 21, 2005
And Now The Dolphins
The fresh water dolphins are the latest to join the ever widening list of species being destroyed by humans. One species in the Yangtze is reported to have less than twenty left. We are not working anywhere near fast enough to save them and the rest of the world has very little influence in China.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Two Years into Iraq
Two years after the invasion of Iraq, protests continue around the world. Not all that surprising considering just about every word out of George Bush's mouth on the matter has been lies. Regardless of whether or not we agree with the reasons for starting this war in the first place, it goes without saying that the Americans have a responsibility to clean up the mess they have made. All is not bad news however, there are some small gains which can be credited to the war. Mostly, these have to do with the progress that has been made in other Islamic countries which can be attributed to the Iraq war. In many Islamic countries the push is on for more moderacy and away from extremism. The world is at the threshold of whether we exterminate ourselves over the next few years or whether we manage to overcome our petty differences and come together for the good of all.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
And Speaking of the Women of Islam
Now here's a woman with an incredible amount of courage. A woman in New York has called the faithful to prayer. Many a woman in the world has been killed by extremists for much smaller perceived insults to Islam. She was joined by another woman in Atlanta who did the same thing. Without a doubt this is a good thing but one that comes with much peril and I suspect that both women's lives are in immense danger.
Human Rights Effort Has Results in Pakistan
In jail, out of jail. The four rapists in Pakistan are back in jail again, most likely the result of immense pressure being exerted by human rights groups all over the world. This could be a sign of good things to come for the women of Islam. Hopefully it won't take another hundred years for these women to enjoy a better life than the one they currently have to live with under many of the forms of Islam now practiced.
U.S. Army Morale Sinks Ever Lower
The American Army is having problems with more than the Iraqis these days.. Recruitment is way down, awols way up, and morale sinking ever lower. If anyone really has any doubt about the foolhardiness of being there, they simply have to talk to one of these soldiers returning from their second or third tour to bring a little light on the subject.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Now They are Going to Target Seals
They are planning the biggest seal hunt in history. The reason given for this large hunt is an attempt to restore fish stocks that the government now says is being depleted by the seals. Is it not obvious to anyone else that anytime we plan one of these large culls for any reason other than disease, it at the very least represents a massive failure in our stewardship of said resource? Would it not be much wiser to increase the permits to hunt the seals slowly over time in order to study the affect it is having. The seals have existed for eons in balance with their environment without the help of humans, so why is it that they need our help now? Perhaps the depleted fish stocks have a lot more to do with us than it has to do with them. I don't make this opinion based on any bleeding heart style emotions. It is simply a matter of stewardship. I recognize that all life survives at the cost of other life. I don't see any difference between eating a hamburger and eating a seal so long as both are taken in a manner which is as painless, and as least traumatic to the animal, as is possible. So what the government is doing by announcing this massive hunt is to admit that they have completely blown the job so far and are now going to try some desperate action which they have absolutely no way of knowing what the result will be.
Even Blowing up Planes is Not Enough
They are saying more than $165 Million. That's the cost of the Air India investigation and trial to date. And after all that, the two persons charged are acquitted. Politicos are blaming the rivalry between CSIS and the RCMP as the cause for the failure of the Canadian System to bring anyone to justice over the matter. I might have thought that a couple hundred deaths might be enough to motivate these two services to work together and get over the juvenile antics. I guess not!
Explosive Students Out on Bail
Their out on bail, but with strict conditions. I'm sure the parents of the other students are very relieved about the strict conditions part. I imagine one of the conditions might be to not conspire to blow up any of their friends or teachers. They had explosives in their possession and where planning to blow up at least part of their school. Exactly what does a person have to do in Canada to wind up in jail for the good of all? Apparently planning to blow things up is not enough.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Environment Wins on One Hand, Looses on the Other
The U.S. has decided to reduce power plant Mercury emissions by 50 percent while at the same time opening up the Alaskan Wildlife refuge to oil exploration. Environmentalists have long fought this type of development of the refuge but it looks like under George their concerns have fallen on deaf ears. That is really very, very too bad for the refuge.
Horrors Continue in Congo
The terror has anything but stopped for the people of the Congo who have faced what can only be described as horror on a Genocidal scale. The U.N. had done precious little to stop the atrocities giving weight to those who feel George is the only person willing to take action when it suits the financial goals of the U.S. As this region holds little prospect of millions to be made for George's buddies, there is very little chance that we are going to see any intervention by anyone, anytime soon.
Meanwhile In Iraq
Looks like the corruption on a grand scale that has been going on in the New Iraq has caught the attention of Global Watchdogs who warn that the situation could become similar to the great democracy movement in Russia. That is to say that the country has been effectively taken over by criminals who are being trained in the best fleecing methods by the American administration's contract awarding policies. Now can anyone tell me what the hell any of this crap has to do with democracy?
Anthrax Again?
Just when Anthrax was passing out of the public minds we have yet another Anthrax scare. But wait a minute, the anthrax found at the Pentagon wasn't anthrax after all. It turns out that a lab made a mistake. The problem is, people will become just as paranoid now as they would have had it really been found. Thankfully, the threat of bio-terrorism will now be fresh in the public's mind, just in time to keep the old steam going for George's global plan. Remarkable coincidence you say, I can't help but wonder knowing George's record as we do.
Isn't it also interesting that no one has been arrested in the original attacks that killed five people. I wonder if they are really even looking for who did these attacks. Maybe they already know....
By 
Amerikan Propagandist, at
6:49 p.m.
Racism on the Rise in Canada?
According to at least one report, there has been an increase in the number of anti-Semitic acts in Canada. Now I would have thought that we were well on our way to eliminating this kind of nonsense here but it would appear that is not the case. Looks like there is still much to be done along these lines in Canada, not just the rest of the world.
Justice In Iran
You just have to say one thing about justice under Islam, and that is they really don't mess around. Once someone is convicted of killing kids for instance, the relatives can be absolutely assured that the guy is never going to kill another kid. The most recent case is a clear example. While I would prefer to just lock these monsters up forever, I'd choose their system any day rather than one like ours where we let these guys out over and over again for a repeat performance.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Women of Islam under Attack on Every Front
It's not enough that many women under Islam suffer civil rights abuses unlike any others. In their home countries many have to live with discrimination, abuse, and honour killings. One woman in Belgium has had to quit her job in fear of the threats she has been receiving because she wears a head scarf. Another woman in Pakistan lives in fear for her life after having suffered a gang rape in punishment for another rape reported to have been committed by her brother, later proven to be innocent. Many of the men responsible are now being released, hence her fear. Note the fact that one of these cases is taking place in Belgium. One might think that in today's world we wouldn't have to worry about this kind of ignorance and crime, yet it exists even among the most free thinking and liberal nations. One might think that in these days of technological advances that we would be free of this kind of thing, not hardly. The current state of the globe leads me to believe that as a species we have not evolved very much, if at all. All the signs point to the worse conditions on the planet since humans started to be such a major factor in life on this planet. Not exactly what I would call evolved. Religious intolerance is growing everyday. So much so in fact that we are not all that far from the Inquisition or the Crusades. In France they are making laws against religious clothing. The U.S. is the great custodian of God's Christian Army, Boykin's words. I won't even touch on the Middle East as the troubles there require books not sentences to even begin the discussion. A quick review, Taiwan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, The Congo, Afghanistan, should I keep going, The U.S., Chechnya, China, Nepal, hell I might just as well list the entire planet as a haven for civil rights abuses and crimes against humanity. Humane, now there's a funny term for you. We are educated to believe that as a species we possess this quality unlike any other species. Yet to me, we are more cruel and murderous than almost anything in nature. There are notable exceptions to this among us, the Mother Theresa's of the world come to mind. The problem is, even those who might be capable of a more enlightened view listen to the same news as dictated by George Bush and as such become tainted by these views. So much for evolution!
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Slavery, Today, You've Got to Be Kidding
Well apparently slavery is still a problem in the world. Now I would have thought that in a world where the U.S. attacks other countries in order to free the people and establish democracy that we would have long ago dealt with legal slavery. Alas, tis not the case. Only now has Niger joined the modern world by starting to enforcing the law against slavery. The problem there is reported to be huge. Now I recognize that illegal slavery exists even in countries like Canada but I would have thought that the legal variety would have ended long ago.
It Had Nothing To Do With Organized Grow Ops
20 Plants... 20! That's what they found at the nutcase's place in Alberta. Since the big find, we have heard non-stop about the problem of organized grow ops and how they lead to things like the murder of the four mounties. Hey, big tip boys, organized grow ops have many thousands of plants, even the ones in residential houses. We have all seen the news reports showing the cops taking bundle after bundle of plants out when busting one of these. 20 Plants is practically personal use for a heavy user with perhaps a small surplus if all the plants are female and healthy. The people spewing on about the evils of organized crime must be taking lessons from Bush on how to take a story and distort it to the point that it has no bearing on the facts and then present this distortion as reason for their current media blitz to end the decriminalization momentum. The problem is all too many people will believe these distortions, for proof of this concept see current political situation in the U.S.
Friday, March 04, 2005
China Shoots Back
China has returned the Americans allegations of civil rights abuses. China has included a long list of incidents of rights violations and is calling on the U.S. to practice what it preaches and failing that to at least concern itself with the activities in the U.S. before accusing anyone else.
Death in the Mounties
It's already starting. That is, the talk of how Canada's decriminalization of pot has led to this incident. The fact is, this has nothing to do with it. This was simply a nut, for whatever reason, who decided to make someone pay for his life. It turned out to be four young officers in this case. The fact that this guy was well known to police leads to the question why wasn't much more caution taken? In any case, I don't believe that the proposed law has anything to do with it. They hadn't gone to his place over drugs, it was about stolen autoparts. I do see some links between the current situation and the possible new law. The possibility of decriminalization makes pot more socially acceptable. Being more acceptable, consumption goes up. Which leads to the increase in the presence of grow ops. Perhaps more than the simple decriminalization is called for. As an illegal substance, pot will still be produced by organized criminals. Perhaps it should be made available the same way booze is, that would be the end of the illegal grow ops, and the end of the involvement of organized crime.
More Missile Talk
It's a problem, it's not a problem. The words are flying every direction over this one. Another report out today that describes Canada's decision on the missiles as a disaster. Apparently, no one knows the result of our not signing on for the missile defense plan. I see the problem not as a concern about the missile systems, but rather a problem with the credibility of George Bush et. al. He has broken all records for lies and mis-information. Is it any wonder that Canadians don't want to take him at his word? So long as George remains in power, I would always vote against joining up with the new defense plan.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Winds of Change Coming To Egypt?
There are some encouraging signs that things are starting to change in Egypt. I suspect that if women ever manage to gain equal rights in the Middle East, the world is going to be a safer place for everyone. Equal status for women has long been established here so it's hard to imagine it being any other way. Unfortunately, women in politics here have pretty much followed the examples provided by their male counterparts and as such have not added any fresh insights into the political landscape. There's always hope that this will change.
Canada Failing It's Children
Canada has failed to make any significant progress toward eliminating child poverty despite making a pledge to do so by the year 2000. According to the rankings we are in the bottom third of the industrialized countries examined. What's that we've been reading about the budget surplus.
Yet More Missiles
The words are flying since Canada has refused to sign up for the new missile defense system. Half the articles are saying that there is no problem and the Americans won't be pissed. The other half are saying that our relationship will never be the same. I hope that they will never be the same. It might be nice for the U.S. to start bargaining in good faith and treating their allies as equals and with respect.
