Geopolitics for Dummies

Why Stephen Harper took a hard right on abortion.

It's a bit convoluted, but basically, the Star wants us to think there's a diff between Lib-cons and Reform-cons, and that the Liberal party's motion re abortion abroad was somehow evidence of that.

The motion, sponsored by Liberal MP Bob Rae, also read in part: “the Canadian government should refrain from advancing the failed right-wing ideologies previously imposed by the George W. Bush administration in the United States which made humanitarian assistance conditional upon a ‘global gag rule’ that required all non-governmental organizations receiving federal funding to refrain from promoting medically sound family planning.”

The Star has merely confirmed what I said earlier about Harper playing bad cop to Obama's (and Iggy's) good cop. All of them can say publicly whatever they want, but the ongoing global agenda of population reduction will advance regardless.

Related:

Barack Obama: Ventriloquist’s Dummy - Zbigniew Brzezinski: Ventriloquist

Webster Tarpley refers to Obama-advisor Brzezinski as "Russia hating" (and indeed he was very supportive of Afghanistan's war lords when it came to kicking out the Soviets [video]).

It occurs to me that this may be why the dummy Cons have - since Obama was elected - periodically beat their tiny little drums against Russia.

So the thing is, don't listen to what they say; watch what happens.

High Finansh *Hic*shplained

Thanks to John (Manitoba):

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed in a ledger. More ...

Image borrowed from here.

Dishonourable Mention

From Denis (Ontario):

Liberal bashing season is on: U of O crimes finally get reported

In choosing its latest president, the U of O has made itself home to a failed politician who was ethically challenged, who had bungled most major media-reported dossiers to cross his desk, who now appears to be in the pocket of outside interests, and who wants to spend more time out "in the world" than on campus.

***

From Ted (Newfoundland):

I think some people already realize the Harper regime wouldn't tell us what they had for breakfast without using the words national security as the reason for not telling them. Murray Dobbin gives us a good read on this deceitful ConReform tribe, worthless Chief Harper and Lyin' Jason Kenny.

The equally deceitful opposition gets dishonorable mention.

Sale tax sales pitch

Why British Columbia, Ontario need HST
Productivity will surge as the overall cost of technology and equipment is reduced

The benefit of the HST is that corporations will be able to deduct PST from their taxes as they have with GST. Another form of stimulus, apparently, better known as Survival of the Richest.

Hard to see how a productivity surge will benefit Canada when the author of the above article asserts that nobody's buying our stuff because of the higher assessed value of our dollar. Oh, right; our dollar's going to tank and then we'll be giving away our stuff.

I used to think the HST was just one more means of molding our minds. We're all aware of the new "recycling" tax on tech items, and seeing that on our sales receipts along with PST and GST is just too much of a visible reminder of how we're being taxed into the ground. Maybe there's a fourth tax they want to bring in and they're worried about the "optics"?

But singling out BC and Ontario like this makes me think that combining the federal and provincial taxes may be an aspect of preparation for eventual secession - the breaking up of Canada as it melts into the North American Union.

This is not "conspiracy theory"; there is actual movement toward this apparent inevitability. Here's their proposed map of the 19 "nation states" that will comprise the future North America.


I haven't quite figured out why this would necessitate increased seats in the current federal government, but I think there's a connection somehow. It may not be so much about increased representation in Parliament - or necessarily a chance for Harper to gain a majority (since there's no guarantee the extra ridings will vote Conservative) - as about a redistribution of voting districts that may somehow be more amenable to the future configuration of North America, given their growing populations. Alberta would be joined at the hip with BC.

The writer of the article on the HST is director of the Canada West Foundation which, as far as I can make out, approves of the oil sands, expressed grave reservations about the carbon tax, and is gung ho for senate reform - preferring to elect senators at the provincial level. They don't talk openly about secession or the NAU, but they are solely concerned with western interests, which are quite similar to American interests.

Apparently, population growth is not so pronounced down East, therefore no additional federal seats for them, but as I've stated before, the secessionist's map gives a whole new meaning to the term "Atlantic Accord", and the Maritime Union/New Acadia concepts which has spawned the Atlantica Party who claim not to be "corporate shills for the Atlantica Free Trade Zone Sponsors", not to mention the Novacadia Alliance.

I don't really understand the controversy over whether or not an extra four seats would benefit or harm Quebec, but Jack Layton's comment in that regard reinforces my contention (underlining mine):

We're trying to create the winning conditions for Canada in Quebec because we don't support those that would like to split the country up.

I suspect the NDP will support whatever gives it the best advantage should those who want to "split the country up" succeed (secede).

Example of redistribution: Access to maps showing before and after (pdf) electoral districts for Ontario.

Stacking the "jury"

... like he stacked the Senate.

Harper says jury still out on usefulness of G20

No it's not. Harper wouldn't even be talking about it if it hadn't already been decided that it's a pain in G8's butt to have to deal with variables. They only meet with the larger group to display some semblance of giving a dam what they think about goals the core group has already conspired to accomplish, come hell or high water.

Smaller groups also make it much easier to meet in secret without having to worry about protests.

The very fact that good cop Obama has "championed" the G20 while Harper turns up his nose is evidence they're trying to find a way around it in future.

Both Harper and Obama will swear that you're important too, but just try knocking on their doors.

Harper overtly champions "helping" women in developing countries while refusing them the choice of abortion. This is a "noble lie" in keeping with Straussian influence, a sop to his religious right supporters. In the high-sounding words of Gwen Landolt, vice president of REAL Women Canada "you don't impose the practices of the Western world on the developing world.”

That's hilarious, don't you think? The first thing the early missionaries did was put clothes on the natives. But that's ancient history.

Harper knows full well that eventually countries deemed to be overpopulated will institute forced sterilization and forced abortion. Why? Because as Landolt says: "they like having their children. They want their babies”. In keeping with Malthusian philosophy, however, the PTB do not want their babies.

Still they are mindful of Leo Strauss's injunction that the sheeple need be eased into unpleasant, government-imposed circumstances.

"[Strauss] feared people trying to force a world state to come into being in the future, thinking that it would inevitably become a tyranny."

The dream of a "world state" is well on the road to tyranny. The problem with the G20 is that it will debate the issues, and as we Canadians know, Harper avoids debate whenever he possibly can. Obama, on the other hand, pretends to foster it. Bad cop, good cop. What a team!

Combining "democracy" with plutocracy

"Democracy" in the title is in quotes because Canada is not a democracy - it's a repressive capitalist system ruled by the wealthy, propped up by lesser beings who covet a chunk of the pie.

Ted (Newfoundland) writes:

It's been awhile since I sent anything. Needless to say, I read your blog daily.

Barrick, the Canadian Mining Company, is still up to no good and now its founder and chair, Peter Munk, who revels in media attention for his philanthropy, makes a major contribution to Univ. of Toronto; although generous, it comes from the same Barrick Corp. who uses SLAPP suits to silence anybody who questions their business dealings anywhere in the world.

The U of T also canned a Professor David Healy a while back when he took on BigPharma.

It appears, and I`m sure not news to you, that the Big Corporations, have infiltrated our universities and governments while too many in Canada and other countries just breathe air and walk around in a complacent daze, oblivious as to what`s happening.

George Carlin has it right.

YYC: Good to see this latest contribution from Ted. His absence was noticed and I was on the verge of sending out a posse.

My title is an indirect quote from the Barrick article Ted cites.

If you'd like to learn more about Barrick, there's plenty on the Internet, much of it not very complimentary. By the way, Peter Munk encourages investors to lose faith in paper currency so he can hawk his gold and to hell with the environmental impacts of mining.

If you're new to this blog, check out my Academic Freedom posts to see why, as Ted says, the overall corporatization of universities is "not news" to me.

Sadly, it's only recently become news to the media, being now so all-pervasive it can't be avoided. Even the right wing National Post has an article about U. of Ottawa's spooks who were worried that one of their coporate donors might be put off by the truth.

Thanks to Denis Rancourt for the NP link, and these related links: Covert surveillance in his own case, and that of the Burmese students.

Somebody helped me *

I'm very thankful I don't have to write about the new, massively long, incredibly bizarre list of charges laid against Col. Russell Williams, because Penny for Your Thoughts has already done so admirably.

Except to say that if this man - who is clearly a very sick puppy ("baby blanket?") - managed to rise as high as he did in the military, you just gotta wonder about the average level of lunacy in the whole outfit.

Jeepers. I guess I just gave him permission to plead innocence by reason of gross insanity. So much for the law protecting us from crime.

* Image borrowed from here, where's there also a great video of the Bee Gees singing "Stayin' Alive".

Medical despots

I said yesterday in reply to a reader comment that doctors often make good politicians. Among other traits, they have a glib facility for any half-truth that will enhance their efforts toward greater control over their patients' lives - and deaths.

Now they have inserted themselves into the gun registry war on the premise that registration will prevent suicide.

They apparently want access to gun registry information so that they can invade homes and remove the weapons of patients they've decided might use them to kill themselves because:

“Suicide is not a premeditated act usually; it’s usually impulsive, somebody feels overwhelmed, the gun is available, they pull the trigger.”

Presumably they also want the power to remove ropes, shoelaces, belts, sheets, ties, gas stoves, plastic bags, razor blades and vehicles, since all these tools of suicide are equally handy.

Like politicians, they're basing their rationale on a half-truth, the other half of which is here:

There are those who display the classic symptoms of so-called suicidal behavior, who build up to their act over time or who choose methods that require careful planning. And then there are those whose act appears born of an immediate crisis, with little or no forethought involved. Just as with homicide, those in the “passion” category of suicide are much more likely to turn to whatever means are immediately available, those that are easy and quick.

I wonder if they will also do these home invasions before or after prescribing certain drugs:

Popular anticonvulsant drugs raise suicide risks

Anticonvulsant drugs are chiefly used for patients with epilepsy, but the drugs have been aggressively promoted, in some cases for conditions they are not approved to treat, such as bipolar disorder, pain and migraine headaches.

Connection Between Prescription Drugs, Suicide Studied

Cody Miller was a high school football player who was allergic to ragweed. Douglas Briggs was a doctor coping with pain from an old back injury. Both are now dead, hanging victims driven to suicide, their families believe, when drugs prescribed to relieve physical symptoms upset their mental and emotional balance.

Every day I find more and more reason to suspect the overall sanity of the medical profession as a group.

Good Question

Woman in the street (video) wants to know why Gordon Brown called her a bigot when she asked him what he was going to do about the national debt.

Probably because Brown is intolerant of opinions other than his own.

But she did briefly mention (video) the influx of "eastern europeans" when jobs are scarce for citizens, although her greatest concern was for old age pensioners and the national debt.

While talking to her, Brown demonstrated the acting ability of the average politician.

I'm feeling sorry for "Sue", another assistant in line to catch it from Brown. But I'm also curious as to why no one reminded him he was still wearing a broadcast mic when he got into his car. Are the media and/or his peeps secretly in the employ of his political enemies? Or is it just the "darkness in his heart" that's bringing him down?

Not that I feel sorry for him; like I always say, "What goes around comes around". Not that I'm sorry about Tony Blair's forced resignation, either.

Paul Martin got his, too, for knifing Chretien. It's been the done thing among the ruling classes since "Et tu, Brute".

The bizarre "war on terror"

Detainee transfer documents buried in Canadian military shipping containers

... the documents are "all thrown together in a storage bin, a sea container" and an assessment of how long it would take to catalogue documents and identify the records requested by the commission may take years.

Translation: The dog ate our homework. This is just the latest excuse. If it doesn't work, then pretty soon we're going to hear that CSIS - which was more active in Afghanistan than we were previously led to believe - left them in a briefcase that got stolen.

There's no reason on earth why, if they know the location of the "sea container", and can find the tools to get it open, the process should take years - unless it's just not a top priority.

So much for Harper's promise of "accountability". Oh, what am I saying? That went by the board right after he promised it.

What is needed is another Frank Iacobucci to absolve the government of all responsibility, as he did in his conclusions about the rendition to torture of three Canadians who happen to have middle eastern names.

One doesn't receive all the medals and awards Iacobucci has by criticizing the ptb.

A documentary film about the horrendous impact of the tortured men's experiences has been on tour and was screened in Ottawa on Monday evening to a disappointing turnout.

Canadians need to realize that our secret police have gotten around Canada's prohibition against torture by outsourcing, which makes us all complicit in torture if we fail to speak up about it.

All three men have been cleared and are no longer in custody, but their lives have been wrecked, and the reasons, if any, have been buried under the guise of "national security" - another form of "sea container" or "briefcase".

***

Video: US military base under Taliban control

So much for the effectiveness of Obama's "surge". Rural locals are now in possession of American weapons after American troops "repositioned" themselves in "urban areas".

Ran like hell, is more like it.

Icky Iggy's Food Show

Michael Ignatieff pushes Eat Canadian plan.

What a grade A, duplicitous jerk is Iggy. Out of one side of his mouth he says that he would start a program that would enable us to eat homegrown food. Out of the other side, he vows to spend on everything but homegrown food.

Most of us don't need his proposed fancy ad campaign to buy Canadian. We are already willing to buy Canadian, but try doing that when all that's available are American, Mexican, and Israeli products due to enforced "free trade" and frickin' "shared values".

Beyond the promotional campaign he promises:

# A $40-million program to help 250,000 low-income children get better access to healthy food.
# New health-labelling criteria for food and tougher standards on trans-fats.
# Investing $50 million to ensure foreign imports meet local standards and to improve food inspections, and implementing a review of federal food inspection agencies to ensure safe food for Canadian consumers.

There is nothing there at all that will get more locally grown produce into the stores!

Granted, our produce is seasonal, but that doesn't explain why my favourite frozen fruit mix is not produced in Canada. We grow peaches, strawberries, melons and grapes, don't we? We can also freeze them for winter use, can't we?

And if we can produce scads of greenhouse tomatoes for export to the US, we can produce greenhouse pineapples for use in Canada.

This really ticks me off. I used a modified "f" word, which indicates strong hostility. I'd better quit blogging for today, and give my nervous system a rest. I feel like walking into parliament and pieing that smug, ignorant b*std who calls himself a Canadian Liberal. He's playing the same American-directed game as all the others.

Serenity now, serenity now! (I learned that from Arthur Stiller - see inspiring video.)

This VanSun article gives a few clues into the larger influences on Canadian agriculture.

Ukraine: Political theatrics?

Ukraine parliament hit by brawl, eggs, smoke bombs

Lawmakers brawled, threw eggs at each other and set off smoke bombs in Ukraine's parliament Tuesday as the legislature erupted into chaos over a vote allowing the Russian navy to keep using a port on the Black Sea.

Here's the video.

Considering the daily dramas our own parliament puts on in the House despite the parties being on the same page in the nitty gritty, one has to wonder if this too was just for show. They certainly seem to have had their umbrellas and tarpaulins readily at hand.

Of course, if an upset tax payer walked in and tossed an egg s/he'd be promptly hauled off to the hoosegaw for unacceptable behaviour in the hallowed halls of government.

Tidying up Poland

Thanks to John (Manitoba):

Polish opposition party demands international investigation into plane crash

... the failure of the Polish and Russian government to address compelling new evidence suggesting that the plane crash killing President Lech Kaczynski and top military and civilians leaders was engineered is generating growing criticism in Poland, and has forced Prime Minister Donald Tusk onto the defensive.

Tusk said Sunday that he would issue a report on the official investigation into the crash on Wednesday.

YYC: It's reported that "a device warning the pilot of obstacles was turned off" and that the premises of the dead passengers were ransacked by Polish secret police.

I hope the Poles are more successful in getting a proper inquiry than Americans have been regarding 9/11 and the deaths of JFK, RFK, and MLK.

I wonder what stance regarding the president's death the twin brother of the dead president will take during his election campaign? Will he keep quiet and focus on policy?

Already, his strongest opponent, acting President Bronislaw Komorowski, is being touted by the media as most likely to succeed. If the plane crash was all about regime change, then Poles are being set up for exactly that.

Bloomberg actually quotes a sociology professor who moonlights as a crystal ball gazer and can see directly into the minds of both the Polish people and Lech Kaczynski's twin - albeit in a rather convoluted fashion:

“Jaroslaw Kaczynski has an extremely negative electorate and even if that distrust has softened a bit during mourning for the late president, people will recall their feelings in a few weeks,” said Beata Laciak, a sociology professor at Warsaw University. “It may be even worse than before because people will view him as a political animal rather than a normal human being who wouldn’t be able to undertake a presidential campaign after such a tragedy.”

The power of suggestion? Listen up, Poles. Whether or not you'd like the Kaczynski legacy to continue, Jaroslaw is in no fit mental condition to run.

Good gawd, from such an assessment one can imagine almost any scenario. Will he commit "suicide" to prove this contention? No messy gunshots like with Bobby Kennedy?

What goes around ...

US Extradites Former Panamanian Leader Noriega to France

Noriega had been in U.S. custody since 1989, when he was ousted in a U.S. military operation and brought to the United States to face trial on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. His prison term ended in 2007 and Panama and France filed competing requests for extradition.

The charges in Panama include murder and human rights violations against his opponents, while French prosecutors accuse him of laundering drug money through the country.

Noriega timeline: This will tell you as much about the criminal activities of the CIA as it will about the man himself. Murder and human rights violations are low on the scale of importance to hiding the fact that the CIA is deeply involved in drug running.

When leaks occur through puppet patsies like Noriega, there's always the handy fake "war on drugs" to invoke and better patsies to be found. France knows the score. They too have to show they're fighting America's wars.

Even if there is no such thing as karma, there are universal laws of cause and effect, and the American people should realize that future consequences are being piled up to the sky by its corrupt administration. Obama might appear cleaner-cut and more articulate than Bush, but dirty dealings under cover of darkness and secrecy remain the order of the day under his watch.

Panama Country Profile

... Panama is of immense strategic importance ... This has made it a target for intervention by the US, which in 1989 invaded Panama to depose a former ally, Manuel Noriega, and until 1999 controlled the Panama Canal.

The canal is still covertly controlled by the US through the presidency of a fully cooperative, thoroughly Americanized, right wing, "Christian" business mogul, Ricardo Martinelli, whose main claim to fame is administering scholarships for Panama youth to become as Americanized as he is through business education in the States, ensuring continuation of cooperative Panamanian governments in the future.

Two things about Panama that always result from US "intervention" in small, defenceless countries are systemic corruption and mass poverty. This is the kind of "democracy" the US is spreading all over the world.

Elite families of European descent control most of Panama's wealth and power, while about 40% of the population live below the poverty line.

And to say that "Panama faces the challenge of shaking off its reputation as a major transit point for US-bound drugs and illegal immigrants, and as a haven for money-laundering" is not the same as saying that it has stopped or will stop being the said transit point for drugs and money laundering. Illegal immigrants, maybe.

Shared what?

Thanks to Christian (Quebec):

CUPW's Letter to Canada Post on Israel Stamp

Excerpt:

A recent article in Canada Stamp Detail said “Canada Post will issue the stamp “to celebrate Canada’s strong bilateral relationship with Israel – a friendship that spans six decades and is marked by shared values, common interests and strong political, economic, cultural and social ties.”

YYC: Well, if Canadians think Apartheid for Palestinians is okay, then maybe we do have shared values. In case you missed it the first time it appeared on YYC, here's how the stamp should look (thanks to Ron):

Now that you have the address for the CEO of Canada Post, you might consider sending them a letter of your own. It doesn't have to say a whole lot. Just say something like, "I'm a Canadian; I don't share certain of Israel's values, namely Apartheid for Palestinians; I oppose the stamp and will not buy it."

Coises!

Foiled again? Did somebody forget the twin?

Kaczynski twin to run for president

Jaroslaw Kaczynski ... said he would continue his brother Lech's ... policies if elected.

Al Jazeera doesn't say Lech Kaczynski died in a plane crash; they say he was "killed" in a plane crash.

Related: Questions about plane crash grow in Poland

See also links in YYC reader comment about the plane incident and the crash site photographer's mysterious death, and this article containing information from a Polish website.

There is a also a discussion about it at Above top Secret.

Canadian Freedoms

G8 protester arrested in Halifax

"They had asked her just to move. We said we were moving, but they didn't give her enough time. The cop in charge grabbed her by her shoulder and started squeezing and just looked at her with pure hate."

I've seen that look of pure hate. It was directed at me, years back, by a policeman of whom I asked permission to walk down a street adjacent to a similar protest I wasn't even part of. The cop was so into his mean guy mode he couldn't deduce that I was a harmless citizen who just wanted to get home to dinner. That look was what helped transform me into an activist.

Note how the press prejudices the reader by describing the protest as "noisy".

***

Thanks to John (Manitoba), who asks:

Is this where Canadian Universities are going, or are they already there? When Industry takes over funding Universities or research, originality will be lost, in favour of "practical" industrial demands. Leaving the Arts and original work by the wayside.

University Reform in Finland (video)

YYC: North American universities are corporatized and are virtual research employees of the "defence" industry.

***

British MP Galloway's hearing delayed

When Galloway was denied entry to the country in early 2009, the federal government said it was because of his support of Palestinian militant group Hamas. But the MP and his supporters believe he was barred because the Conservatives didn't want him to deliver an anti-war message.

YYC: Galloway is a double-edged thorn in the side of our evil-fighting theocracy.

Against media bias

Under the headline "Against extremism" an Ottawa Citizen article reveals its true focus - "Sikh militancy", immigration leniency and, oh yes, giving a boost to the sagging popularity of Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh.

A Canadian Member of Parliament has done something courageous, and now he needs -- and deserves -- the support of all Canadians ... Opposing Sikh militancy has caused grief for Dosanjh before.

The Citizen stopped short of saying that Dosanjh is "a credit to his race", but the subtle aroma pervades.

Dosanjh is a career politician who has always carefully placed himself as close to the power source as he possibly could. When the provincial NDP were in power in BC, he ran on their ticket and rode all the way to the top - until fortunes waned there and then he moved into Paul Martin's sphere and ran as a Liberal, helping to sell Canada to the US.

He's a politician's politician and clearly a media darling. He claims Sikhism as his religion, but does not offend with turban and ceremonial sword. He has always secured his position by wafting on the prevailing wind, so what's not to like? Still he gives the impression he would disown his own children if they offended Bob Rae, another opportunistic provincial NDPer who turned federal Liberal.

The voters are somewhat less enamored, however, and Dosanjh barely squeaked by in the last election. So a 25-year-old injury to his hand - the significance of which is dubious since the alleged assailant was acquitted - has been unearthed and added to a vague warning from Sikh parade organizers, plus an anonymous Facebook comment that could have been made by Dosanjh himself, or an assistant, for all we may ever know.

If indeed his main concern is undesirable elements within his religious group, shouldn't he work from within to stop it, or else leave it to law enforcement? Instead, he has placed himself on the outside, making an "us and them" case, thereby increasing conflict while drawing media attention toward himself and against a visible minority.

The truth, however, has always been that real threats of harm by humans against humans are purely sociopathic - even when rationalized by government and media and called wars.

They have nothing to do with religion, culture, or political persuasion and everything to do with individuals within groups who are possessed of an amoral weakness that pursues power at any cost.

They emanate from the leaders of organized crime, survivalist militias, the "Christian" Ku Klux Klan, "Christian" anti-abortionists, members of the military in all countries, domestic abusers, anti-feminists, anti-gay ... the list is endless of crazed people who hate and threaten and form followings of even weaker mentalities. Mess with any of these types and your safety "cannot be guaranteed".

Television and movies are rife with examples to follow, and physical/verbal violence is so prevalent among adults in every culture that schoolyard bullies emulate it, and children's games incorporate it.

The Globe and Mail is equally guilty of making the Dosanjh issue into a Sikh thing instead of a thug thing. When have you ever seen a headline screaming: "The shaming of the majority by the brutality of the few" that referred to "Christians" who abuse, threaten and kill?

Or when members of the military commit atrocities against women or are caught on camera abusing prisoners? These are dismissed as "bad apples" in an otherwise upstanding organization.

Or when Jewish moguls are charged with financial fraud? Or for that matter the generalized threat of the so-called Jewish Defence League, not to mention the increasing danger to livelihood and personal safety of criticizing the Israeli government or its military - or in the case of BC lawyer Doug Christie (video), for defending those who question official history?

Freedom of expression and academic freedom are under increasing threat in Canada and the Israel Lobby is getting away with it through its own brand of threats and intimidation.

Not surprisingly, the CBC has also taken up the banner for Dosanjh, quoting BC attorney general Mike de Jong:

"You don't get to — in Canada — issue threats to anyone, period."

That's patently untrue of course, as pointed out above.

In addition, Canadians are threatened with fines and jail if they fail to pay exhorbitant taxes or comply with Statistics Canada's invasive surveys.

And, of course, "peace" in the West is predicated on the threat of sanctions, "shock and awe", and nuclear anihilation, though Obama pretends otherwise.

It's not a pretty world we live in. Unfortunately, agenda-driven selectivity is all too common in government and media, and it's with good reason that few citizens trust either of those two estates.

Obama: Mystery Man

Thanks to John (Manitoba):

Just who is this guy, Obama?

Barack Obama is less of a person than an image— a brand. People see what ever they want as they do on a Rorschach test.

YYC: Very handy to have all the questions in one place.

Bear in mind the article reveals a decidely "Christian" stance against abortion (typically citing worst possible case scenarios), homosexuality, communism, and against Islam, which does not universally practise slavery or sexual mutilation, although Judaism does in the latter case, and multi-national corporations do in the former.

They also appear to be in error about Obama's never having invested in the stock market.

But the list is worth examining. Obama is a dark horse, no pun intended. A mystery. A conundrum. A living hologram.

Image borrowed from here.

The swarming of Iran

'Israel won’t strike Iran without US'

Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that Israel would not attack Iran without consulting the United States and that Jerusalem clearly saw sanctions as the next step to deal with Teheran’s nuclear program.

Interesting. Would that be east or west Jerusalem, Joe?

“Everyone from the Israeli prime minister straight through to the British prime minister to the president of Russia – everyone agrees the next step we should take is the UN sanction route ... China will agree to sanctions ... This is the first time the entire world is unified. Iran is out of bounds.”

Imagine, Saddam was once a buddy - a tool actually - of the US against Iran, yet look what has happened to Iraq. Now Iran is the new Iraq; sanctions are not designed to stop nuclear proliferation; they are just a prelude to the ultimate goal of owning Iran's natural resources.

Like the non-existent WMDs in Iraq, there is no sign of a nuclear bomb in Iran. If there were - and Ahmadinejad knows this well - Iran would not be so bravely picked on by these craven bullies who all possess what they don't want Iran to have.

We really are what we think we are

Medical Miracles

Given the time and a positive mental framework, the body is often able to heal itself under serious circumstances.

This is a story of the power of suggestion, and it is backed up by apparently authorative sources. The percentages given of spontaneous remissions could be much higher if more people altered their warped views of themselves and their bodies. I have been saying this for years.

I've also said I don't believe in cancer. Nor do I believe in many other conditions for which "science" has come up with fancy names to make them seem real enough for Big Pharm sell its wares.

Arthritis, for instance, is not a "disease" for which half a century of donations to the "Arthritis Society" has not produced a cure; it is an inflammation, and with the right attitude, with proper exercise, some patience, and an absence of belief in its inevitability, the inflammation will subside. But, of course, if we believe in it, if we unconsciously need to have it, it will still go away in time, but will pop up again in some other part of the body.

The problem is that people have been brainwashed into running to doctors, to be sucked into the medical system, placed on medication, then counter-medications, and above all to be stamped with a label called a "diagnosis" - and then they have something special to call their own; they literally own their disease, they call it "my disease".

There are no words more self-defeating than "after all, what else can you expect at your age?" or "it runs in the family, so chances are high you will get it" or "1 out of 3 will develop ... you name it". When will people realize the mind control that is going on in the name of medical science?

I recently watched a DVD ("Critical Condition") on the state of American health care, and how people are dying because they can't get the help they need. Most of the example cases were of people who were shockingly obese (check out the short trailer video on this page and see for yourself, or view the various stories on YouTube), yet this factor was not mentioned, only their diabetes or their liver condition, or their cancer. The same with the movie "Sicko" - a number of the patients were quite overweight and Michael Moore himself, who was pointing out the need for universal health care, is morbidly obese!

The cost of and the excessive drain on medical care has skyrocketed because people are self-indulgent, do not take care of themselves properly, and are totally brainwashed by TV, billboards, pulp magazines, and movies of sad, sad journeys into Alzheimer's or death from cancer.

It's so refreshing to see in print that the body is designed to heal itself. Unfortunately, for this age of instant gratification, the healing process takes time and patience, and yes faith, and not indulging in the luxury of reciting one's ailments to anyone who will listen and sympathize, or gawd forbid likening oneself to some movie star in the role of a dying hero.

All of us develop symptoms of ill health from time to time, and how well we fare depends on a diligent overriding of the mental conditioning that's constantly foisted upon us. I'm going to sound very pagan here (although it's more a result of having read "The Tao of Physics", though by no means should one book be the sole source for one's philosophy of life), but our body is nothing but a projection of our mental processes - or our spirit if you prefer. I think that's well worth pondering.

This is a message to myself as much as to anyone else.

Murkin style British election

Nick Clegg – the British Obama?

Is Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg an Obama-style hero for our times, a Churchillian leader or a popular rebel in the mould of Che Guevara? Perhaps he's just another great British underdog

Sounds like a real booster, doesn't it? But given the final paragraph, it's not much of a compliment to Obama or Clegg - or Tim Henman for that matter. Are they all just good tennis players?

According to Wikipedia, Clegg was also a ski instructor. Sounds ominous - downhill or cross country?

The BBC is providing "live coverage" of today's debate. CSPAN will also present a live discussion of the campaign, and you can see an ITV video of the first debate.

Logic from the normally sensationalist Telegraph?

Is World War Three about to begin on the Korean peninsula?

North Korea is not the most technologically-advanced state, and given that its hulking torpedos weigh 440lbs, it is surprising that one managed to slip under the radar, as it were, and then vanish without trace.

The investigation team has said it could take up to a year before it has any conclusive proof of an attack.

YYC: As usual the comments below the article are interesting, this anonymous one in particular:

Make a noise in the east, strike in the west.

China is gradually wearing the united states down, and once the job is done, thats 15 million barrels of oil a day freed up for india and china. They have a compelling motive to have a long term strategy to displace the U.S.

Noth Korea is a proxy, and are being used to distract and cause stress to U.S interests in the region.

Contrasted with the above is the usual type of Telegraph report:

South Korean ship sunk by crack squad of 'human torpedoes'

Airlines rattle the bailout cup

As expected, airlines are looking for bailouts, only they prefer to call it "compensation":

Mr Bisignani said the situation had been exacerbated by "poor decision-making" from governments and called on them to compensate airlines, something which the European Commission has said it is considering.

"I am the first one to say that this industry does not want or need bailouts. But this crisis is not the result of running our business badly," he added.

Typical of a highly paid airline exec, passenger losses are viewed only in terms of "a few euros" - the cost of a ticket. No doubt there are countless personal stories that would refute such a dismissive statement.

And was this "poor decision making" by governments, or was it a deliberate means to provide country officials with a cover story for not honouring by their presence the dead president of Poland who wasn't going along with the global agenda?

The volcano eruption itself was not planned, but it was surely anticipated, and there's plenty of indication that the mysterious deaths and the airline shutdowns were seized opportunities.

If so, the ultimate financial costs would have been factored into the decision. Savvy passengers will no doubt start looking for a good class action lawyer. Unfortunately, as usual, there's no real cost to anyone involved in the decision making since it's the average worker who ultimately foots the bill through increased taxes and cut-backs in services.

But it may well be dismissed as the act of some trickster god.

Best of a bad lot

Update (1:15 PM):

Ron writes:

Who in the Harper Government is instructing this thug [video] to physically threaten reporters?

***

Peter MacKay fit to be Conservative leader: Poll

Quebec Premier Jean Charest would be the second choice, suggests the Leger Marketing online poll of 1,545 Canadians conducted between April 12 and 19.

Trailing Charest on the list of replacements are Treasury Board President Stockwell Day, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, former New Brunswick premier Bernard Lord, Environment Minister Jim Prentice, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

An online poll is hardly a representative sampling of Canadians - but way to go Petie for being named most likely to succeed as a gang leader.

Or should we say, "Top Dog"?

"Canada's [paranoid] University"

From Denis Rancourt (Ontario):

Allan Rock's role in cover up of covert surveillance at U of O is [linked to] on front page of National Newswatch.

As a result, the UofOWatch blog has been receiving more than 100 views per hour since 8am today, mostly from gc and corporate web sites.

YYC: This is not just about the university's covert surveillance of Activist Teacher Rancourt himself. The latest - and a decidedly corroborative issue - is surveillance of a Burmese student group whose solidarity with the oppressed people of Burma has been deemed offensive to certain donors to the university.

Serving and Protecting

... the force?

'Rogue officer' fired by Vancouver police

... for allegedly using a police database illegally and selling marijuana both on- and off duty.

But wait, that's not all:

In addition, he was charged with breaking and entering with the intent to commit extortion in connection with alleged street-level drug trafficking...

Makes me wonder how many cowardly bullies enter the police force to derive a greater sense of power from badge and uniform. But not to worry; the police chief says:

"... the integrity of the VPD, while shaken by this abhorrent incident, has not been broken."

Well, if the chief says it, it must be true ... eh?

***

Mountie regrets comments to Silverfox, inquest told

A Whitehorse RCMP officer broke down in tears Wednesday as he told a coroner's inquest panel about a crude remark he made in 2008 to Raymond Silverfox, who died in police custody hours later ...
According to a transcript from a cell-block videotape, which was read aloud to the inquest, Corbett told Silverfox, "No, you can sleep in your own shit," then later added, "Yeah, you need a pizza, too?"

What the cop regrets is that he got himself in trouble - not that he is cruel, racist, and hardly the brightest bulb in the chandelier - having lied on paper knowing that a video camera had recorded his words.

Prejudiced assumptions about the man's condition were made all down the line, including apparently by staff at the Salvation Army Shelter where police picked him up.

Do we have Linda Bush to thank that the death of Mr. Silverfox is even being investigated by an inquest?

Ian Bush, 22, was shot in the back of the head at the RCMP detachment in Houston shortly after he was arrested for having an open beer at a hockey game in October 2005.

Bush said she decided to drop her lawsuit without any settlement after B.C. RCMP showed they were committed to have future deaths in custody investigated by external investigators.

***

List of missing or slain native women grows

A report by the Native Women's Association of Canada says the total of missing/murdered aboriginal women across Canada during the past 30 years is at least 582.

Nearly half of all homicide cases involving First Nations, Métis and Inuit women and girls remain unsolved. The rate is dramatically different for cases where non-aboriginal women are killed, where 84 per cent are cleared by charges or other means.

"Serve and Protect" image borrowed from here - an article about the Toronto Police force. Quote from battered woman: "Don't call the Toronto police unless you feel like spending the night in jail."

Canada's "nice guy" image?

From John (Manitoba):

Court documents put spotlight on minister in banning of British MP

The controversy behind the Canadian banning of outspoken British anti-war MP George Galloway is set to deepen -- with potentially damaging implications for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, and others.

Jason Kenney is already damaged; he just doesn't know it. And what he doesn't know probably won't hurt him. Maybe I'm being too pessimistic?

***

Ottawa stonewalling Afghan hearing, lawyer says

“The documents will be given to your counsel when they’re good and ready,” Prefontaine told Stannard in a heated morning exchange.

Not what you'd call "gentlemanly" or statesman-like, this strangely alien government of ours.

***

Will Rahim Jaffer get off again? The CP headline speaks as if it's in the bag:

Jaffer never promised to open up doors to the PMO; business associate says

Harper has a "tough on crime" policy only when it comes to kids, not to politicians, no matter how juvenile their behaviour.

Eyjafjallajokull

UPDATE: The BBC answers the question:

Was the flight ban necessary?

As we suspected, the answer is "no", but the BBC prefers to say it's "unclear".

***

Thanks to John (Manitoba): some spectacular photos of the volcano. The header text says in part:

Some restricted airspace is now beginning to open up and some limited flights are being allowed now as airlines are pushing for the ability to judge safety conditions for themselves. The volcano continues to rumble and hurl ash skyward, if at a slightly diminished rate now

Note again that it wasn't the airlines themselves who made the decision to shut down; note also the coincidence that now that the funerals in Poland are overwith air travel is beginning to resume, even though the volcano is only "slightly diminished" and is still spewing ash.

The BBC in fact reports that air travel is returning to normal. Al Jazeera provides a complete list of all European airport reopenings.

It was interesting to see that only one Icelander in the photos was wearing a mask despite the "toxic" nature of the ash and that one photo showed a small plane flying directly over the ash clouds. Not to mention that many of the photos were aerial views.

There are very scanty reports of the death of the Bishop - deputy head of Poland's protestant church - who died in a car crash on the way home from the funeral.

Poland has scheduled a presidential election for June 20. It will be interesting to see if the country takes a direction more amenable to global governance.

Airlines lose $1.7 BN from 100,000 canceled trips

Another bailout coming? See link in comment here.

Related: A whole government disappeared?

"Gorgeous Guergis"

Guergis/JafferWatch: Who enforces the what now?

If you're interested in the legalities behind the ousting of Helena Guergis, this is a helpful article.

If you're interested in the media chin-wagging, go here. But, frankly, I think this says quite a bit about the general impression of the reliability of media reports:

Meanwhile, the Conservative government on Thursday had to defend itself from charges made by opposition MPs that it had sent the federal ethics watchdog on a wild-goose chase, after she explained she was getting her information about allegations against former minister Guergis mainly from the media. VanSun

You're going to definitely want to read this. It's either very tongue-in-cheek or somebody has the hots for Helena. Perhaps he's been "tricked into thinking she is Guinevere"? Sir Galahad wiki

Have you seen the YouTube video of her in role as beauty queen? Can you imagine cuss words coming out of this sweet, ultra soft-spoken mouth?

Thanks to Ron for the video link and this image:

Your chance to defy the Government of Canada

From Daniel of PAJU:

Sanctions-busting Telethon in solidarity with Abousfian Abdelrazik and against oppressive "national security" logic.

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Project Fly Home is calling on you to:
PUT THE PRESSURE ON! BREAK THE 1267 SANCTIONS!
Telethon Number: 877 737 4070

Full details in Call to Action:

According to the 1267 sanctions regime and under federal law, anyone who contributes money to Mr. Abdelrazik risks federal prosecution. Canadian regulations state that no Canadian shall "provide or collect by any means, directly or indirectly, funds with the intention that the funds be used" by a listed person.

We are calling on you to restate your solidarity or join the long list of people who have defied the 1267 regime by contributing money to Mr. Abdelrazik. Your donations will support Mr. Abdelrazik personally, and the very act of donating will help challenge the oppressive "national security" logic, which creates and feeds on fear, racism and isolation. Read more on how to participate.

Tune in to live-broadcast on Rabble TV. ALSO, tune in to Amandla on CKUT 90.3 FM for live reports.

In Montreal:
Free dinner from 6pm; Telethon begins at 7pm
Georges Vanier Cultural Centre, 2450 Workman St. (metro Lionel Groulx) - Wheelchair accessible. Free childcare on site.

Of rats and politicians

Maddy (Ontario) writes:

I've been wanting, but never manage, to comment on so many bits of news, with as much spittle as can be summoned, for such politics and politicians' faces one has to live with around here, bursting at the seams with the Zionism plague, like the dead rats I saw once floating in some sea after a cataclysm of rain (Athens). An incredible sight.

Like humungous sausages, one foot diameter, 2.5 ft. long, bobbing up and down, up and down, till they were washed ashore. To burst quietly from every pore in their bodies till their bodies broke down. I didn't follow the whole process because I'm jelly when it comes to unforeseeable decompositions.

But back to our politicians: next day the sea was calm and blue and pristine clear, the bodies of rats carried away by the brave of the municipality, whereas, oh for the whereases, our politicians (no insult intended to the rats) are there day in day out, mulitiplying, undistinguishable, bobbing up and down with the waves, and never seeming to ever get washed ashore for our so long overdue relief.

Not one face in Canadian politics that's bearable. Not one voice that doesn't spew of the script they're subjugated to repeat, consciously or by brainwash, ad nauseum.

I puke at US politics, and UK politics, and the round of usual white supremacists and the halo of hypocrisy they carry around that their stumped growth makes them think it's sanctity they've been endowed with by a god just there for them and their putrid glories.

As for Israel, I don't bother with what goes in or comes out of there, because sooner or later it will leave the map, and Palestine will be reinstated, and I will carry that belief till the day I die, a personal choice of mine.

I bemoan the state of the Arab nations especially those that have been kissing Zionist ass in all its forms for so long. Some nations and their leaders provide hope, Arab and non-Arab, and I pray that they falter not.

All this was to say that your announcement to take the weekends off rang of reason. I read the AlQuds AlArabi online and they combine Saturday and Sunday into one. And they're not a solo outfit, though by no means a very big one. So, again, this whole outpour was to say 'thank you' and you're doing the reasonable and fair thing, to you and your devoted readers.

YYC: I wish I could write like that. Seriously. Maddy proves conclusively that the "f" word is not the only descriptive available.

Maddy also gives me substantiated permission to goof off on the weekends. So there!

A whole government disappeared?

Thanks to Margaret (Europe):

Video: Jane Burgermeister talks about the Polish President's plane crash. At the end of the video she says, "You can expect to see Poland absorbed into the Euro-Zone and increasing its public debt very soon."

There are all sorts of rumours that this was a rub-out, of course. And the volcanic ash (check the reader comments for more related links) certainly appears to have been used as a cover for officials of other countries to boycott the funeral.

If you're up for a long video, you should watch Invisible Empire. It's an Alex Jones production, but it's done by the guys who made Loose Change, which I personally do not consider the last word on 9/11 and chose not to include it in my 9/11 resource page, opting for lesser known sources that appealed more to my personal sense of logic.

Invisible Enemy, however, is well-organized and fairly thorough in its approach to the chronological movement towards the New World Order, which you will see is not a creation of "fringe conspiracy" loonies - unless you consider the wealthy, crazy rulers of the world a fringe group - and doesn't hesitate to disappear anything that gets in its way.

It also contains a much fuller version than normally found on YouTube of George Bush Sr.'s famous New World Order speech.

Even if Jane Burgermeister's premise cannot be proved, one thing is certain - the rumours alone about the fate of what was known to be an upstart government will ensure the glorious "cooperation among nations" that George Bush Sr. envisioned.

Volcanic Ashes

Have you heard the one about the cigarette that got lit and made a silly ash of itself? Or, how about that Helen Guergis, eh? Sorry, I'm being corny, I know, but sometimes I just have to lighten up for a sec.

Seriously folks, a reader asked me what I thought about the ash stories, and since I only assumed it was hype, I thought maybe I should at least do a little research:

New ash studies needed to 'limit air traffic chaos'

"Just because airspace is being closed due to the ash cloud does not mean there is actually ash in the air in all these areas" ...

About 30 countries had by Sunday closed or restricted their airspace ... Justifying the widespread airport closures aviation officials have explained that airplane engines could become clogged up and stop working if they tried to fly through the ash.

Other experts:

... however, weren't convinced the volcanic ash would have a major effect on peoples' health and said WHO's warnings were "hysterical." They said volcanic ash was much less dangerous than cigarette smoke or pollution ...

"Once the volcanic particles are in the stratosphere, they're getting massively diluted because there's a lot of air and other particles blowing around" ...

How volcanic ash threatens aircraft

It would appear you have to fly directly over a volcano to get into real trouble, and even then, once clear of the area, normal engine response returns.

Nevertheless, it's given the media something on which to masticate and illusionize - a means to distract. Take the photo here, for instance, showing a few "grounded" planes at a Milan airport (so few in fact that it's no different from an average day at an airport). They don't dare say that the darkness of the clouds in the sky is caused by ash; but the photo leaves a dire impression, nevertheless. And the photo could be months or years old.

It's refreshing, however, that the sky contained no visible chemtrails, something the media won't talk about except to jeer occasionally. "La, la, la, I can't hear you ..."

Can volcanic ash be used as justification for chemtrails? Well, since they've never really tried to justify chemtrails at all, but are getting closer to the point (see item #2) where they might have to, I'm going with yes.

It also seems there is a movement afoot, the depths and breadth of which I haven't completely fathomed, to discourage air travel, in fact international movement period, judging from all the scare stories about Mexico, not to mention dollar parity (added to our high sales taxes) making Americans less eager to shop in Canada, while surprisingly not yet bringing down the prices in my supermarket - although I suppose that would be on products made in the USA and I tend to try to buy Canadian as much as possible.

Canada: Top Scandals

Top soldier refutes testimony Canadian troops shot unarmed Afghan

Oh well, if he's a "top" soldier, then I guess he must be telling the truth.

***

Guergis responds to conflict of interest allegations

What did you expect her to say?

Jane Taber should stay behind the print media; judging from the video accompanying the article, she does not express herself well in person.

Both Sides Now

Well, something's lost but something's gained in living every day ... Joni Mitchell

Two sides to the Ontario generic drug price reduction:

Funding cuts jeopardize traditional community pharmacies

The Star has a good critique of the drug industry in general, and seems to support the government's position, but I'm boggled by the following stats:

Americans spent a record $300 million on drugs last year. Canadians spent an average of $897 on drugs in 2008

The Star blames the "boomers" for the most drug use in Canada, but they've opted to sharpen our wits by making us do the American math. Good gawd, that's a million dollars per year per American! No wonder they keep voting for despots; they're all pharmaceutically lobotomized - yet somehow they're all millionaires!

If we can believe that stat.

Want a third side? See Friday's entry on this topic and Jack (Toronto)'s comment.

Sacks of looted Gold

Do words do that to you too? When I see Goldman Sachs I think of a gold man with sacks to put his loot in. Once on a car trip I asked my companion what a "foot boat" was. He looked puzzled. I said, "Back there, there's a sign that says 12 foot boats for sale."

Also whenever I see a sign saying "entrance", I think entrance, as in charm and captivate. I'm clearly not a well person.

Goldman CDO case could be tip of iceberg

Well I, for one, am utterly astounded by the behaviour of Goldman Sachs, aren't you? A fine, upstanding blood-sucking organization like that doing this to its own shareholders! Like I always say, the big guys can get away with anything except screwing with the investors.

Here is some sort of analysis of the affair, which I admit I haven't completely waded through yet.

Incidentally:

Wall Street (Goldman Sachs was hired to manage disposition) owns Whistler and Blackcomb resorts.

"What do you do with a ski resort in this economic market?"

I really thought Whistler might be used as a staging area for an Olympics false flag event. I bet the people who arrange such things were at least considering it.

Israel: Spreading disintegration

Here's an interesting twist on the conflict between Israel and Iran - Israel isn't interested in the US missionary work misnomered "spreading democracy".

Israel fears a democratic Iranian state far more than the present regime, because any regime that observed universal principles of human rights would have no option but to demand that Israel should end, in the words of Jimmy Carter, its apartheid relations with the Palestinians, specifically by implementing UN resolutions 228 and 336. If this demand is made by a new democratic government enjoying high levels of support within global public opinion, Israel could find it difficult to oppose.

What Israel apparently needs (the US needs?) is the complete "disintegration" of Iran - similar to what was and perhaps still is hoped for Iraq, and of course what was done to Africa, pitting tribal and religious differences against one another to create smaller nation states.

I'm glad the article points out the paradox of Israel's steady movement toward a fundamentalist religious government - while still touting itself the only democracy in the Middle East.

PDWI

Calgary police officer acquitted of drunk driving

Cops drive under the influence and over the speed limit all the time. I used to work in association with RCMP and OPP drug officers, and even went on a date with one and attended a couple of their Christmas parties, and I know this for a fact.

And what was made clear to me was that an officer was only charged if other officers "had it in for him" for some reason.

Edmonton police have beer and liquor dispensers in their lounge and instead of going home to families at night, they bring in female entertainment.

So you can be sure they don't drive home sober.

You can see personal vendettas in both of the above instances.

Note also that CTV mentions this is Travis Dunkle's "third criminal charge" but, being "the news" and all, they don't tell us what the offences were. And he still got off on a technicality, even though the media were sure he was going to do jail time - because, according to this article, the two other charges were also for drunk driving.

So I would suggest that if you're ever offered a breathalyser test you should demand that the officer blows as well.

Where are the Alberta MADD ladies while all this is going on?

Calgary has other troubles with its police officers:

Calgary cop's luring charges set for May 25, 26.

Let's see on what technical grounds this one gets off.

G20 Anarchy: Daring to flout bank tax

Flaherty warns of G20 division

... one possible compromise is a retroactive levy applied to financial institutions that took government money during the crisis, as the Obama administration has proposed. Canadian banks would be exempt since they didn't receive direct subsidies.

I'm sure there are Canadians who still think our government didn't bail out our banks, but typical of Stephen Harper, the government bought up mortgages which amounts to the same thing. Only technically, technically, it doesn't. And that's why Flaherty can be so bold in the face of Obama's idea to tax the banks.

Regardless of what happens, you and I know that the cost of any help to or taxing of the banks will be passed on to us via income tax and bank charges.

Shoppers Drug Miff

‘Threats’ to seniors over drug changes outrageous: Ontario health minister

Up until a couple of months ago I used to stop in at the Shoppers franchise closest to the Ottawa public library on my weekly excursions, and it was always a pleasant experience (as long as I avoided the products made in Israel). Now I think twice about going there.

They've moved to much larger quarters across the street, indicating they must have made a dilly of a profit - but they've cut back on cashier staff, so the lineups are very long. Twice I've left and gone elsewhere because they aren't the only store in town.

They've also set their security detector too high, and if you've got videos or books from the library you set off the dinger and have to have your bag checked by security, which is a royal pain in the nethers.

To top it off, they are also bugging their customers to sign a complaint to the government on the spur of the moment (they won't let you take the card home and think about it), and apart from the fact that I don't think petitions to the government any longer change anything, that's not a good way to do business.

So I'm going to write to them and tell them that. If you have something to say to Shoppers, here's the online email form.

Iggy says, "For a sec I forgot where I was."

Ignatieff forced to clarify medicare stance to concerned caucus

Liberals uneasy over Leader’s lack of condemnation of Quebec plan to charge for doctor visits

Iggy sometimes forgets that he's masquerading as a Canadian and his caucus has to remind him of mom-n-apple-pie Canadian values.

Now I'm going to say something that people might not like to hear, and that might surprise some people who like to think I'm a socialist. I think that user fees for health sevices might reduce the frivolous demand that has caused health care costs to sky rocket. But I also think that the government should steer away from blackballing home remedies if it wants to spend less on doctor visits.

You may already know that I haven't been to a doctor in 15 years, and am healthier than I ever was when I did do the doctoring thing. So you can imagine I have little sympathy for the hypochondriacs and the people who have lost the ability to think for themselves due to TV always telling them to "check with your doctor" - the ones who run to the doctor for every little pain, ache and pimple. If they had to pay a bit out of pocket they might decide it isn't worth it.

People who are really destitute and really sick, however, should be looked after free of charge.

The British PM debate

Nick Clegg won the British PM debate as far as the voters were concerned, but the Sydney Morning Herald did its best to portray the event as unremarkable.

... no obvious gaffes, no memorable one-liners, little by way of humour, scarcely anything likely to be remembered as a decisive game-changer.

Showing once again the shallow interests of the media contrasting with the real interests of the people.

CNN revealed that more people would rather see a "hung parliament" than see either Labour or Conservatives get a majority of seats. it's the same all over; people are afraid of giving any one party too much power - and with good reason given geo-political trends.

The Times Online has a Sky News video clip of the three debaters.

The media noted that Clegg wins on "style", while Cameron was too obvious with his poster-child-type anecdotes.

I noted however that Gordon Brown is proud of the fact that under his watch there are now "22% more people in prison".