Best drawing of a human ever: tinyurl.com/3yvzpb

NYSlimes' "nuance".
The Times says Iraqis have taken their country back from George the Invader. Now, if only George would "invade" Afghanistan, the Afghans could take their country back from George.
NYT uses "freedom", as in Long live Freedom and Democracy. (See SDA archives.)

Sample of NYT's nuance: "Iraqis are clearly surprised".
...-

Baghdad Starts to Exhale as Security Improves (people moving with freedom, commerce returning...)
NY Times ^ | Nov. 20, 2007 | By DAMIEN CAVE and ALISSA J. RUBIN

BAGHDAD, Nov. 19 — Five months ago, Suhaila al-Aasan lived in an oxygen tank factory with her husband and two sons, convinced that they would never go back to their apartment in Dora, a middle-class neighborhood in southern Baghdad.

Today she is home again, cooking by a sunlit window, sleeping beneath her favorite wedding picture.

The security improvements in most neighborhoods are real. Days now pass without a car bomb, after a high of 44 in the city in February. The number of bodies appearing on Baghdad’s streets has plummeted to about 5 a day, from as many as 35 eight months ago, and suicide bombings across Iraq fell to 16 in October, half the number of last summer and down sharply from a recent peak of 59 in March, the American military says.

As a result, for the first time in nearly two years, people are moving with freedom around much of this city. In more than 50 interviews across Baghdad, it became clear that while there were still no-go zones, more Iraqis now drive between Sunni and Shiite areas for work, shopping or school, a few even after dark. In the most stable neighborhoods of Baghdad, some secular women are also dressing as they wish. Wedding bands are playing in public again, and at a handful of once shuttered liquor stores customers now line up outside in a collective rebuke to religious vigilantes from the Shiite Mahdi Army.

Iraqis are clearly surprised and relieved to see commerce and movement finally increase, five months after an extra 30,000 American troops arrived in the country. ...-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928186/posts

can't vouch for the accuracy of this, but it makes interesting reading...
http://predicto.blogspot.com/2007/11/clinton-history-lesson.html

Canada failing its obligations to children: UNICEF
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 | 4:37 AM ET
CBC News

...Canada has one of the highest rates of children in state care and in youth detention centres compared with other industrialized nations....

cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/11/20/unicef-children.html

Japan has started to fingerprint and photograph all foreigners when they arrive in the country.

It is only the second country after the United States to check foreigners in this way.

But unlike the US, which only checks foreign visitors, Japan will require foreigners living in Japan to be checked each time they enter.

The Japanese government says it is an anti-terrorism measure but others say it is discrimination.........

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7102962.stm

Abortion, age at first birth, childlessness, fertility, breast feeding, the pill, hormones and Breast Cancer

ie what they will not tell you until it's too late.

NYT put the "Too Good" news on the front page?
It's motto is now: "All the News That's Fit to Print, Broadcast, and Post Online".
Newsbusters knows nuance: "But how long will it be till we hear Hillary reminding people that, after all, she did vote to authorize the war?"
Ekzakary.
...-

Iraq News Too Good for Even NYT To Ignore

The President's escalation strategy has failed. We need to stop refereeing this civil war, and start getting out now. -- Hillary Clinton, statement of August 23, 2007

As many had foreseen, the escalation has failed to produce the intended results. -- letter to Pres. Bush from Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, June 12, 2007

That's not a cement mixer you hear. It's the collective Dem gnashing of teeth. Things have gotten so bad -- meaning good -- in Iraq that now even the New York Times is reporting it. Have a look at Willie Geist -- sitting in for Joe Scarborough -- opening today's "Morning Joe" by holding up the paper's front page to display its headline: "Baghdad Starts to Exhale as Security Improves." ...-
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2007/11/20/iraq-news-too-good-even-nyt-ignore

"Wow! A global warming extreme climate change and evil Zionist cluster bomb two-fer!" (Commenter)
Reuters/MSM neatly covered up the BIG story of the climate change: walnuts as big as hailstones.
...-

Hailstorm causes cluster bomb blasts in S. Lebanon
Reuters AlertNet ^ | Nov. 20, 2007

BEIRUT, Nov 20 (Reuters) - A hailstorm has caused hundreds of cluster bombs to explode in south Lebanon, the National News Agency said on Tuesday.

The cluster bombs were dropped by Israel during its war with Hezbollah guerrillas last year. The hailstones, as big as walnuts, fell in a number of valleys in south Lebanon, the agency said. ...-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928310/posts

LOU DOBBS CONSIDERS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY

http://tinyurl.com/2jbjd5

""Lou Dobbs for President? Don't laugh.
(...)
Friends of Mr. Dobbs say he is seriously contemplating a race for the first time, although it's still unlikely. They spin a scenario under which the acerbic commentator would parachute into the race if Michael Bloomberg, the New York billionaire and favorite of East Coast elites, enters the field as an independent. With Hillary Clinton continuing to score badly in polls in the categories of honesty and integrity, and with the public's many doubts about Rudy Giuliani and other GOP contenders, Mr. Bloomberg may well see an opportunity to roil the political waters by entering the race late. If so, Mr. Dobbs then sees a niche for a "fourth-party" candidate who could paint the three other contenders as completely out of touch.""

An ass-kicking of Dionysion proportions.

Hon. Stéphane Dion (Leader of the Opposition, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, the deception must stop: cover-up on torture and cover-up on Mulroney. Will the Prime Minister stop the cover-ups? Will he agree to testify under oath at the Mulroney inquiry?

Right Hon. Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, the terms of the inquiry, as the government already has said, will be set independently by Professor Johnston. I do not know whether he will accept the position of the current leader of the Liberal Party that there be an unlimited inquiry, or of the past leader of the Liberal Party that there be no public inquiry, or of the future leader of the Liberal Party, who says there should be a limited public inquiry. I am sure one of these Liberal positions will be adopted.

What I can say is that when the Leader of the Opposition alleges vast conspiracies and then votes by abstaining to keep the government in office, nobody takes his allegations seriously.

What, UN scientists exaggerating danger in order to get more funding - lets ask Al Gore...

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 19 -- The United Nations' top AIDS scientists plan to acknowledge this week that they have long overestimated both the size and the course of the epidemic, which they now believe has been slowing for nearly a decade, according to U.N. documents prepared for the announcement.

Having millions fewer people with a lethal contagious disease is good news. Some researchers, however, contend that persistent overestimates in the widely quoted U.N. reports have long skewed funding decisions and obscured potential lessons about how to slow the spread of HIV. Critics have also said that U.N. officials overstated the extent of the epidemic to help gather political and financial support for combating AIDS.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/19/AR2007111900978_pf.html

Tropical tyranny
National Post
Published: Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Canada is Cuba's biggest source of tourists. Nearly 600,000 of us fly there every year. Since tourism helped save the Cuban economy after the fall of the Soviet Union -- which had supplied annual aid grants of nearly $8-billion --it's fair to say Canadian tourists played a large part in keeping the Cuban government afloat.....

www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=2afc30b0-db3d-47f3-a2a4-99478f6a5423

He used to brag that he couldn't talk out both sides
Paul Wells | November 20, 2007 | 03:27:08 | Permalink
paul.wells@macleans.rogers.com

Sorry, Jean Chrétien. You don't get to claim that the only reason Canadians are stuck in "killing fields" is because Paul Martin couldn't make a decision, and look down on other NATO countries for refusing the hard jobs. If your criticism of Martin has any meaning, the implication is that you'd have been as wily as any German Bundesweenie at skipping out of the hard jobs.

In fact, the comments in the La Presse article are profoundly distasteful at best. "When you go to war, some people die. Canada is ready but other (countries) aren't. But it's a collective responsibility."

But. If Chrétien were still in power in 2005, "I'd have stood up to NATO and to General Hillier and I would have told them we were staying in Kabul, or that we were going to the north of the country."

So if he'd stayed in power, collective responsibility would have been somebody else's problem. Nice.

-----------------
Link: forums.macleans.ca/advansis/?mod=for&act=dip&pid=89063&tid=89063&eid=43&so=1&ps=0&sb=1

Thanks for that quote gored. You didn't link but I'll assume it was from Hansard.
We were all well informed about that from MSM....

oh, wait...oops...guess they were too busy quoting Schreiber.

Caroline Glick, Our World: From AMIA to Armageddon

THE SYRIAN and Iraqi cases also show that political courage and intellectual honesty are the keys to intelligence collection and analysis regarding weapons of mass destruction programs. When leaders and intelligence officials are uninterested in finding information about these programs, they are guaranteed to discover nothing. And when they wish to do nothing about information that they have, they can easily argue that their information was inconclusive. In contrast, if they decide to act on intelligence information that challenges preconceived notions and entrenched political interests, they are guaranteed to suffer the condemnations of those who have an interest in continuing to downplay or deny the dangers those programs manifest.

Against the backdrop of the international and American inability and unwillingness to handle the Iraqi and Syrian nuclear programs, the reports coming out from Iran regarding the mullocracy's nuclear program and the American and Israeli responses to it are nothing less than terrifying.

Israeli encryption guru warns computer networks are vulnerable

...The increasing complexity of modern microprocessor chips - the latest Intel processor contains upwards of 30 million transistors, for example - has made the existence of small, undetected errors almost a certainty, he pointed out. A single mathematical oversight in the design of a chip, he warns, could make it possible for a hacker to breach the virtual barrier created by encryption algorithms and wreak havoc on a global scale.

Coming from [Prof. Adi] Shamir, the warning is not to be taken lightly. In 2003, he was awarded the prestigious A.M. Turing Award - computer science's answer to the Nobel Prize - for his groundbreaking work in the field of public key encryption....

Has anyone here heard of the Hamilton Declaration? In an open letter to Mahmoud Abbas:

We the Palestinian Canadian community assembly at the Palestinian National Voice Preparatory Conference in Hamilton, Canada...

...We stress that the central issue in the Palestinian conflict with Israel has always been the dispossession of the Palestinian people from their land and property caused by the Zionist ethnic cleansing of 1948 and the Israeli denial to Palestinians of the basic human right to return and to live in peace and security as equal citizens on their land.

We further specifically caution you against any recognition of Israel as a “Jewish” state. Such a recognition would give Israel the façade of moral and legal legitimacy while critically compromising the full implementation of the inalienable Palestinian right of return....

One person injured after shooting spree in Islamic centre

Lausanne, Switzerland - One person was seriously injured after a man opened fire in an Islamic centre at Crissier in the Swiss canton of Vaud, reports said Tuesday. The 23-year-old Muslim was finally overwhelmed by police after firing a dozen shots in the incident Monday evening, according to the Swiss wire agency ATS.

The police had been called after the man was spotted in the street carrying a weapon.

The man had used his military service gun and ammunition, the report said. ...-
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/141064.html

Canada condemns Saudi rape victim’s sentence

Woman jailed, to get 200 lashes

OTTAWA — The federal government says it will complain to Saudi authorities about a court sentence of six months in jail and 200 lashes for a woman who was gang raped.

Josee Verner, [Conservative] minister responsible for the status of women, called the ruling "barbaric" and said it would only further violate the 19-year-old victim.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/986100.html

[US]State Dept won't condemn Saudi 200 lashes verdict against rape VICTIM
CNN ^ | November 19, 2007

COSTELLO: To most Americans it's an outrage -- a rape victim violated by seven men -- not only blamed for her own attack, but sentenced to prison and 200 lashes. The 19-year-old victim, interviewed by the Human Rights Watch organization, said: "Everyone looks at me as if I was wrong. I wanted to die."

In Saudi Arabia, woman cannot travel without permission from a male relative. And that night, the Saudi victim -- without permission -- met a male friend to retrieve some photographs. Both were abducted and raped. She says: "The first man with the knife raped me. I was destroyed. The fifth and sixth ones were the most abusive. After the seventh one, I couldn't feel my body anymore." The woman's original trial took place last year. Her attackers got sentences ranging from 10 months to five years in jail, and the Saudi judge determined the victim was also to blame -- for illegally mingling.
COSTELLO: The woman's attorney, Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, did appeal. And for his trouble, he's been stripped of his law license. And the judge ruled because his client spoke to the media, her sentence would double -- from 90 lashes to six months in prison. Plus, those 200 lashes with a bamboo reed. And if you're wondering what that looks like...

WILCKE: They use about a one, one-and-a-half yard long thin stick -- thin bamboo stick, usually, which you're supposed to whip the person with on the back, either publicly or non-publicly...in the marketplace, in front of the supermarket...

COSTELLO: Over here, the U.S. State Department would only say the situation was "astonishing."

QUESTION: Just to be clear, you're in no way condemning the sentence at all?

SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I've said what I'm going to say about it. ...-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928356/posts

Sodomy Arabia.

Where they abolished slavery in 1960, yet still winkingly carry it on. Where thousands of kidnapped young white children have ended up as slaves. Where women are worth half of a muslim man and the Kafir are worth one tenth. Where no non-Muslims are allowed to enter Mecca. Where they have highways for Muslims and separate highways for non-Muslims. From where they export and finance Wahabiism in schools and universities throughout North America. Where the majority of terrorists are born.

Where Mohammad and his fictious god and war manual come from.

fictitious. A spurwing plover moment.

Have you noticed that the Liberals even when not in power can't seem to shake their habit of unethically using political interference with the RCMP and any other judicial or other investigative bodies.

Just this week Dion writes a letter making DEMANDS to influence the professor on the Schreiber/Mulroney probe.

They make DEMANDS and use the media and the soapbox of the House of Commons to try to force the Justice Minister to politically influence Schreiber's deportation.

They are now DEMANDING that the RCMP investigate John Baird as to his friendship with the Ottawa Mayor.

Based on innuendo and theories and plain old Liberal spite they have instigated ethics investigations against the Conservatives, launched offical complaints against them with Elections Canada, and on and on and on.

Then they use the media to get headlines that the Conservatives are "under investigation".

Does anybody else find this all a truly sickening spectacle of blatant political interference in our systems.

Does anybody else find this all a truly sickening spectacle of blatant political interference in our systems.

So, Lorraine, Harper and the Conservatives while in opposition have never DEMANDED that the RCMP investigate Shawinigate, Sponsorship, Earnscliffe, income trust leaks, etc. Are you as upset about those "truly sickening spectacles of blatant political interference in our systems"?

It's classic opposition party showboat-ism. Harper learned to play the game very well and, as a result of his "truly sickening spectacles of blatant political interference in our systems", he is now the government. Mulroney played the game as well when Trudeau/Turner were in power, Chretien was master of that faux outraged acting gambit when he was Opposition Leader. Manning and Day failed in part because they weren't so good at it and Harper was perfect at raising demands for police investigations and claims of the Liberals working with the mob.

BTW, I thought Harper was the one "who could take a punch"? Why all this whining over Dion's whining? Worried?

"Why all this whining over Dion's whining? Worried?"

Nope. Just laughing our @$$e$ off.

It was the NDP who wanted Ralph Goodale investigated by the RCMP for leaking the Income Trust announcement.

And, BTW Ted what should worry Canadians is that the Liberals at the moment collect a paycheque to represent US in Ottawa and spend their entire time and waste the time in the House of Commons with self serving muck raking like pigs searching for truffles trying to find something , qanything on the Conservatives while saying "we want to make this parliament work".

The Liberals have paralyzed our federal government and turned it into a daily inquest instead.

The issues raised about the Liberals in the past where Liberals were ripping off Canadians was representing us. I note - we still have not found or gotten returned the literally BILLIONS in Liberal graft. That includes $9 BILLION in secret trust funds that Chretien stowed around the world.

Talk about wanting to change the channel. I do think it is time for Canadians to start demanding true non politically motivated investigations into Liberal theft.

Let the Liberals scream about a $300,000 business deal that had nothing to do with our money. You just look stupid.

Ted, explain to me what Mulroney/Schreiber has to do with the current government in Ottawa. Harper and Mulroney do not belong to the same party and what Mulroney did almost 15 years ago should be between him and the courts as a private citizen. Cretin has his shot against him and nothing was found to be wrong and it cost us 2.1 million for his personal vendetta.

The only, only reason this is arising now is because of the ineptness of Dion who is doing anything to deflect the attention on him.

All the investigations you mentioned were with a sitting government and were potential criminal acts as Adscam proved to be.

The victims of Islamophobia:

Robert Spencer (jihadwatch.org) links to an FBI report on US “hate-motivated crimes” during 2006, showing the truth behind the constant claims of victimhood from Islamic advocacy groups: FBI hate crimes report for 2006: Jews suffer over 5 times more attacks than Muslims.

Anti-Black 3,136
Anti-Jewish 1,027
Anti-White 1,008
Anti-Male Homosexual 881
Anti-Hispanic 770
Anti-Female Homosexual 192
Anti-Islamic 191

The victims of Kafirophobia:

The establishment media is seemingly obsessed with “grim milestones” in the War on Terror, as the Associated Press reminds us this past weekend. But in the next week those same establishment media outlets will probably stand mute when yet another “grim milestone” is reached – the10,000th attack by Islamic terrorists and militants since 9/11, which is responsible for approximately 60,000 dead and 90,000 injured.

Not including Sudan.

(thereligionofpeace.com)

'Nother load of left liberal BS/crap/lies from the criminal-corrupt UN.
...-
Canada failing to protect its children, UN report says
Canada.com - 2 hours ago
Canada is failing to protect the rights of its children in several key areas, according to a new report that marks the 18th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. ...-
(google news)

The craziness of the anti racism industry in detail. Political correctness gone mad.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/columnists/story.html?id=ae1b9b58-4f38-461f-83d0-c006505b9865

Illegal immigrant demands to be flown home because Britons are 'rude and unfriendly'

From the Daily Mail:

An illegal immigrant has demanded to be flown home after saying he was fed up with British people - because they are "rude and unfriendly".

Speaking today, Mokhtar Tabet, 30 - who has been given a home, food and free travel around London - claims his local council has breached his human rights by moving him to a place he does not like.

He was refused asylum in 2004 and is set to be deported.

He said: "The council evicted me from my home in September and moved me to Streatham, which I don't like.

"The new place is small, and the kitchen closes at 9pm, so I can't have anything to eat late at night. They have taken away my human rights."

Croydon Council says it has bent over backwards to help Tabet, who fled Algeria in 2002.

A spokesman said: "Mr Tabet was accommodated in Norbury Crescent, with Croydon Council paying his rent, council tax and utility bills.

"In July, his landlord gave him two months' notice to quit the premises, and the council offered him a flat in Anerley Road, which he refused citing its poor state of repair.

"The necessary repairs were carried out and he again refused it.

"He was told that refusal would amount to him making himself intentionally homeless and he would be placed in hostel-style accommodation. He agreed to this."

Mr Tabet is entitled to return to Algeria at his own expense and admits that he "does not like it here".

But he refuses to do so and says Britain will have to pay for his travel if it wants him to leave.

He moaned: "I miss Algeria. The English people are not helpful, they are so unfriendly and rude.

"I thought I had made friends in Croydon, but when I ask them for money they don't give me it, so I know they can't be my friends."

Unsatisfied at this, he griped: "Croydon Council only gives me food vouchers, they won't give me cash. I want the money.

"I have nothing to buy new clothes with, I have to go to a refugee centre. But if there's not anything nice there, you leave with nothing.

"I want the council to give me a bigger flat and money instead of vouchers."

It’s called dhimmitude.

Best drawing of a human ever: tinyurl.com/3yvzpb

Vitruvius @ 1:23 AM

Very modest, Vitruvius, but I'm partial to Vitruvian Man. I wish I still had the old Scientific American article on Vitruvius' odometer and Leonardo's unsuccessful attempts to make it work.

Jim Travers in the Star today (accidentally?) makes a good point that the only way to fix these monopoly procurement situations like Air Canada is to privatize them .

“Politicians have convinced themselves that their monopoly makes them collectively immune to market forces. They are wrong. Irrelevance inevitably follows indifference and not much is more certain to turn away voters than the perception that parties are more interested in accusing each other of ethical failures than helping the country bring head-hurting problems to heel.”

Inquires and new laws will not fix the conflict of interest problems of our political leaders. They will only get worse as the 42% of the GDP that the governments oversee continue to grow and create more chance for conflict.

The 42% of GDP of government in a $1.5 trillion economy is fraught with conflict and opportunity for influence peddling. It will get worse with growth. The only solution to reduce the scandals is to reduce the opportunity. No Board of Directors would allow its CEO and executives (ie PM and MPs and MPPs etc) to try and oversee an entiy like this massive complex of government we have today. They would focus the company on essentials. But the Liberals want to make government even bigger with more programs like Day Care.

Canadians might now understand the need to get govenment out of commercial enterprise with the clear example of Air Canada and Airbus procurement that has wasted our time for 20 years.

Shrinking government by outsourcing should be the lesson learned here

David: First of all, Harper is part of the same party. It was a merger, they retained the ownership of the old PC logos and trade-marks, he calls himself a Tory. He tries hard to present himself as a carry-on of the old Tory party to gain votes, so it's a little disingenuous to now claim to be a separate party, although I can see why he would want to make that claim.

But more to the point, I'm actually not making any assertion of connection between Harper and Schreiber. In fact, I've said here before that there is probably none, even though it does not look good that he called for an investigation last year and then quietly shut the investigation down (lucky for him the Conservative-pliant media has a short memory). That's just optics though.

My only comment was directed at Lorraine who thinks that one opposition party calling for the RCMP to investigate something it is a "truly sickening spectacles of blatant political interference in our systems", but it was proper and reasonable when the Conservatives did it with Shawinigate, Sponsorship, income trust leaks, etc., it was A-OK.

I've personally lamented the Liberals preferrence for pot shots over policy. For one, it reduces them to the level of Harper-like mud-slinging and political optics over policy. With such a weak government that can't raise itself in the polls or maintain any advance, you would think that the Liberals would see a great opportunity to try to convince Canadians they are a government in waiting with policy instead of Conservative-style showboating.

Instead we have a situation where Dion is the best thing going for Harper, and Harper is the only thing going for Dion.

Private property vanishes in Manitoba

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/comment/story.html?id=009b499b-bb20-4edc-beeb-eb626c12ce4c

Ted writes,
Dion is the best thing going for Harper, and Harper is the only thing going for Dion

Feeling whistful for the good/bad old Chretien days?

"Harper is part of the same party."

"lucky for him the Conservative-pliant media has a short memory"

"For one, it reduces them to the level of Harper-like mud-slinging"

Ted, you have no intellectual, or debating credibility with statements like these.

Battle of the Nobel climate horror disaster movies
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/comment/story.html?id=64cb07ae-dea1-4735-b350-43347ae15e2e

Ted, your losing, you have not a leg to stand on with your retorts.
This Conservative government is entirely clean and clear of any connection to anything that happened in the Mulroney years.
It seems fitting to quote the man who is prolific with the blarney, "go f**k yourself" was his advice to Peter C Newman, and there are plenty who need that same advice. Mulroney has a bead on more than a few and this time he appears determined to go get 'em.

Liz:

You are obviously not reading well today so I'll repeat: I do not think Harper is connected to the Mulroney scandal.

AJ: No. I'm not.

Ted:
Yeah, right.

Mohammedanism, aka Islamism.
In Winston Churchill's The River War 1899, Churchill wrote: "No stronger retrograde force exists in the world."
Up with Islamophobia.
Down with Mohammedanism/Islamism.
Down with the UN.
...-

Islam should not be blamed for terrorism," UN conference
Hindustan Times
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928509/posts

"What this offensive did is it essentially cut the head off the snake," Scales said. ...-

Zarqawi Map Aided Successes Against Iraqi Insurgency

WASHINGTON — A key turning point in the U.S.-led war against the Iraqi insurgency came even before last winter's troop surge, FOX News has learned.

A map drawn by Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — who was killed last year by U.S. forces — turned up last December in an Al Qaeda safe house and essentially gave U.S. war planners insight into the terrorist group's methods for moving explosives, fighters and money into Baghdad.

Click here to see the map, which was obtained by FOX News (.pdf).

"The map essentially laid out how Al Qaeda controlled Baghdad. And they did it through four belts that surrounded the city, and these belts controlled access to the city for reinforcements and weapons and money," said Maj. Gen. Bob Scales, a FOX News contributor who recently visited Iraq.

"And [U.S.-led forces] simply made the decision to reduce these belts one at a time, and essentially what that did was it choked off Al Qaeda's access to the city. And once that was done, Al Qaeda had no alternative but to leave the city, to leave the belts and to retreat into the city of Baquba," Scales said. ...-
For map and link to Fox from here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928505/posts

The explanation for the turning point came as new reports of a more peaceful Baghdad surfaced.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Iraqi civilians were returning to more normal rhythms of life, which had been disrupted first by Hussein's oppressive rule and then by fighting that ensued after the 2003 U.S. invasion.

Click here to read the full report in The New York Times.

P.S. Meanwhile, the 'rats, aka cousins of Taliban Jack-NDP and Liberal Citoyen Dion:
2 Key House Democrats Threaten Future War Funds, Call on President to Accept Withdrawal Deadline (Fox)

just a question,

do they call the liberals grits because thats what you do with your teeth everytime one of them speaks?

actually the MSM never uses the nickname of the libs.

Rewrite CBC headline:

NDP-Liberal MPs' tempers flare!
In-fighting surfaces between Taliban Jack Layton-NDP's socialists and the socialists of the Citoyen Dion Liberals.
Fratricide of the left.
Stand back and enjoy. PM Harper enjoys the bloodletting.
...-

MPs' tempers flare at House ethics committee meeting

Chaotic session ends without discussion of key Mulroney-Schreiber item ...-
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/11/20/committee-mulroney.html

Via JM @ 7:15 a.m., pparently, according to UNICEF, ". . . Canada has one of the highest rates of children in state care and in youth detention centres compared with other industrialized nations. . . "

One reason is that the Charter entitlement—“whether I deserve it or not”—mindset has totally undermined the authority of parents. Canadian parents (and the public educational establishment) are terrified to discipline their children sternly, especially those who are real problems: out of control kids end up in custodial care because their own families don't (often ARE NOT ALLOWED TO) properly discipline them OR kids end up in custodial care because they tell on their parents and are removed from their homes.

In that regard, the well adjusted children in strict religious (Christian only) communities, who have been forcefully removed from their families, would also count in the UNICEF statistics.

A friend of mine was supply teaching in a Behaviour Class recently: three adults for three very ill adjusted 10 year old kids. The adults were almost begging them to be good. Rewards for minimal compliance were regularly handed out. On-going, severe rudeness was underplayed or ignored. There were no effective consequences for egregious behaviour: in fact, the worse the behaviour, the more the kids were pandered to. The kids ran the show. (And they'll probably have a few kids of their own in the next decade, who will be even worse.)

"Equality"—thanks to the Charter again—means no one must question the lifestyle of anyone else, no matter how demonstrably dysfunctional and unpleasant, to highly dangerous, their behaviour is to themselves and others.

UNICEF may be right, but it’s for all the wrong reasons. (What reasonable person would be surprised by that?)

More on the Lib-NDP fratricide;

Pat NDP to Paul Liberal: You're an sob.
...-

"The gambit ended with New Democrat MP Pat Martin calling Liberal chairman Paul Szabo a son of a female dog,..." ...-

CanPress headline:

"Curses and chaos as MPs wrangle over Mulroney-Schreiber affair"
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/11/20/4671439-cp.html

Rewrite headline:

Taliban Jack-NDP's Pat to Liberal Citoyen Dion's Paul:
You're an sob.
Sic 'em, Pat.

something that Dr. Bono Suzuki could actually comment on.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/11/20/attractiveness-study.html

Ted @ 12:03 is leaving out the fact that the MSM shills for the Liberals: the media sure didn't/don't for the Conservatives.

In fact, as we all know, the MSM has a vendetta against the Conservatives. Ted knows this but pretends there's an equivalency here. There isn't.

Wonder if we can look forward to real fisticuffs between the Libs and the Dips in committee?

But I did appreciate Ted's comments @ 9:45.

"Weak government"? No, Ted, it's called a MINORITY.

Your comments about the Conservatives are so unbalanced, they're falling over.

Liz asks "....Wonder if we can look forward to real fisticuffs between the Libs and the Dips in committee?"

Fist fight with these panty waists!?

More likely the kind of slap fest you'd get with the "designer guys" getting their shorts in a knot.

Speaking of shorts in a knot ... wouldn't it be fun to see Dion's face if someone gave him a wedgy?

my black velvet elvis may be worth a fortune

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/071120/K112002AU.html

lookout - I totally agree. Parents and parenting have been removed from the picture, as Big Govt, a product of Liberal/NDP socialism, moved in.

But with the nanny state, you also obtain no responsibility, no accountability. That's because Big Govt rapidly transforms itself from a utopian focus on 'perfect services' to a pragmatic focus on Jobs For Civil Service Employees. The employees, their wages, pensions, benefits, security etc of the Big Govt rapidly become the sole focus of the State. The original notion of 'providing services' disappears. The Public Service Union moves in.

That's a key reason why, as nomdeblog pointed out, govts should not be involved in providing public services. No Air Canada, no CBC, no Via Rail. No childcare. Nothing. These things should all be moved far, far out of the reach of both politicians, and public employee unions, and into the responsible hands of private companies. Only private companies can be held responsible - and their contract either renewed or refused. The civil service? Heh. They're hired for life..no matter how incompetent.

Halo! Stachyou, Citoyen Dion? Oui, oui.
Message from Ted to Irwin to Ruby to Joe to Borys to Mario:
Librano$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
...-

Top 5: MPs With The Largest Telephone Bills

For the fiscal period dated April 1, 2006 - March 31, 2007:

#1. Liberal MP Irwin Cotler $38,642
#2. Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla $26,558
#3. Liberal MP Joe Volpe $26,101
#4. Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj $25,940
#5. Liberal MP Mario Silva $24,357

The House of Commons defines telephone expenditures as "long distance calls, certain constituency telephone services and wireless devices." ...-
File Photo: Comedian Tom Green attempts to get in on the scrum with Irwin Cotler outside the House of Commons in Ottawa after Question Period, on Monday October 24, 2005. Fred Chartrand/CP ...-

Puffin Poop on the Scrumbags here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071120.WBwblogolitics20071120084652/WBStory/WBwblogolitics/

OMMAG: Wonder if Dion has anything THERE that giving him a wedgie would change his voice?
One thing for sure he couldn't look more gormless.

http://invisiblepatriots.com/web2/AaronNick.html

Et & Lookout .... How do we get rid of the ones we have been saddled with so far? What we do get rid of federally ends up on the Provincial agenda.

Actually CBC is the last federal corp that we really have to worry about ditching ... unless you consider the wheatboard.

Everything else is regulatory in nature and getting government out of the regulating business is NOT going to happen.
BTW A/C we did get rid of it's a public traded company. Problem with them is governments interfering in things like equipment purchases or regulating in their favour at the expense of consumers.

Now don't get me started on government subsidies!

Tories widen lead despite Mulroney-Schreiber flap

[The nub is here:]
The poll also suggests the Tories are neck and neck with the Bloc in Quebec.
Anderson said the provincial sample is small enough that drawing conclusions from a single survey is iffy, but the trends are clear over three weeks and they show the Tories challenging the Bloc strongly.
"You could probably make the case that in Quebec, where the Conservative numbers have shown up pretty strongly this week, that we do know that Quebec voters are pretty fed up with allegations of corruption and scandal and that sort of thing," he said.
"It's probably reasonable to assume that they like the way that Stephen Harper reacted to the Mulroney affair."
He said the Tories seem to be making progress in Quebec.
"On balance, it looks like those nationalist Quebec voters, those BQ voters from previous elections are saying that the Conservatives, so far, are on the right track." ...-
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/278279
The Majority Rule: Speak softly and carry a big Quebec stick.

OMMAG, there’s still the BDC (remember Shawinigate?) EDC (Bombardier's bank) Via Rail , lots of harbour stuff , CBC.

“What we do get rid of federally ends up on the Provincial agenda.”

But with decentralization the Provinces will soon become more and more competitive with each other. They will be competing for capital and people as Canada becomes a true economic union . So the Provinces will be forced to become more productive with scarce resources and sell LCBO etc because they need the cash for infrastructure.

As ET alludes to, the albatross at both the Fed and Provincial level is government unions that deliver services that should be outsourced. That is a big cause of a lot of what is behind the influences peddling and conflicts our politicians find themselves sucked into.

Therefore if we want less Airbus fiasco’s let’s get the governments out of the business of business. (Government regulatory issues are a different matter and a necessary evil)

ET, you're right on there. Some schools have so many support staff and social services in their buildings, all paid for by the tax payer, and often making no difference in the kids' behaviour--of couse not: the boards' philosophies and methods are all wrong--the primary purpose of actually EDUCATING gets shoved aside.

Is it just me or does anyone else find it utterly despicable that Belinda Stronach went to the US for breast reconstruction surgery unavailable here in Canada? No one will say a damn thing because it's breast cancer and she's donating a million to a chair at some university, but what the hell! An ex-Liberal Cab Min buggers off to the US because she's rich and the rest of Canada's women can just suck it up. What utter hypocrisy.

DrWright - I would imagine the greater number of abortions an individual woman has increases her risk for breast cancer even further. This topic was brought up on 'The View' - the television show - by a female quest, and the panel on 'The View' treated her like she was crap. I don't know why some women will protect their right to abort their children or other people's children, even when there is a visible correlation between having an abortion and getting breast cancer. I guess they don't want the truth to get in the way.

Belinda Stronach is trash, and no amount of breast reconstructive surgery in the States is going to change that.

Harper Gov’t Accomplishments Update
Posted by Sandy on Nov 20, 2007

In the spring of 2007, I provided a long list of links that identified Harper government accomplishments. Then, like today, the links showed that our current government, even in a short time and given opposition disruptions, are considerable and commendable. Today I want to revisit those accomplishments.

However, rather than present a long list every single topic separately, I am going to use the legislative and policy profiles identified by the CPC. Although the CPC links are clearly partisan, I will be using them because they are thorough and, I assume accurate — beginning with the government’s reintroduced crime package today. See also the official government of Canada website under “government initiatives” which are linked according to the month in which the accomplishments occurred.

* Safe Communities – Reintroduced Nov. 20, 2007 (Link)

* Accountability (Link)

* Child Care (Link)

* Health Care (Link)

* Sovereignty (Link)

* Tackling Crime (Link)

* Lower Taxes (Link)

While there is no doubt in my mind that the Harper Conservatives are doing an excellent job, we need to continually remind ourselves of their accomplishments — especially given the behaviour by the opposition parties over the past few weeks....-
http://crux-of-the-matter.com/?p=485

Better security sees Iraqi refugees flood home

Iraqi refugees are returning home in dramatic numbers, concluding that security in Baghdad has been transformed. Thousands have left their refuge in Syria in recent months, according to some estimates.

The Iraqi Embassy is organising a secure mass convoy from Damascus to Baghdad on Monday for refugees who want to drive back. Embassy notices went up around the Syrian capital yesterday, offering free bus and train rides home.

Saida Zaynab, the Damascus neighbourhoods once dominated by many of the 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, is almost deserted. Apartment prices are plummeting and once-crowded shops and buses are half empty.

...

The return of so many Iraqis is a strong vote of confidence in the security situation in Baghdad. However, it also reflects the tightening of visa regulations by Syria two months ago, making it more difficult for refugees to stay and impossible for most to come back if violence flares up again. The border crossing into Syria is closed for them. Their trip to Iraq is one way.

Mugabe grabs platinum and diamonds

President Mugabe unleashed a devastating new blow to Zimbabwe’s mortally wounded economy yesterday, announcing a new law giving the state a controlling stake in mines operating in the country.

Under the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, the Government can take over 51 per cent of companies mining strategic fuels and minerals, taking 25 per cent without paying.

The balance of 26 per cent it needs for a majority shareholding will be paid for, it said. However, the Bill brazenly asserts that payment will come from dividends earned from the state’s shares in the companies it takes without having to pay. It gives the state seven years in which to do it.

And while the Liberals condemn the CPC government for not doing anything to protect convicted Canadians behind bars in foreign prisons, here's one that should be brought up to Dion for response.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/columnists/story.html?id=07d33fc4-c43e-4dca-a28b-feb4476ac16e

Ted: "opposition party calling for the RCMP to investigate something it is a "truly sickening spectacles of blatant political interference in our systems", but it was proper and reasonable when the Conservatives did it with Shawinigate, Sponsorship, income trust leaks, etc., it was A-OK." Ted, I think the salient point here is that it is entirely appropriate for any opposition party to call for an investigation WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT TO BE INVESTIGATED -- something happening in the context of the current government that needs rectifying. 20 year-old cases where we are not going to get our money back is not a good example. The Canadian public are the losers here because a lot of money will be spent on an enquiry and nothing will be gained. We risk Brian Mulroney walking away with even more money in his pocket. This is a can of worms that the Liberals chose to open and it will backfire on the taxpayer. Politicians also look quite foolish when spending inordinate amounts of time on this non-issue.

even bigger than global warming.

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/faculty/jewitt/holmes.html

This looks extremely delicious:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ecf_1195459609

I would probably would have ate that whole spread in about three minutes while that chick sat there in disgust...

LindaL at 11:16pm Just what I would say.

A note to BC Eviro Minster Penner. .

Dear Minister Penner & Jerry Muir,

The difficult position of government who hopes to be re-elected.

To avoid stepping on Exxon, Chevron and GM toes [
re-election funding], while convincing the voters of an
intense and earnest desire to usher in clean energy. 90
million$ for futuristic buses is safe ground. 20 Very
Valuable buses.

No mention of current 1993 Nickel Hydride and Lithium polymer
ion battery for Electric Vehicles however. BC has oil to
sell.

No help for Delta*s Dynasty electric vehicle manufacturer who
meets Federal DOT regulations, yet is denied license to sell
their about town Dynasty EV. Same injustice for Zenn motors
in Quebec. [ Check the CBC news clip on my site..
TonyGuitar.blogspot.com ]

Zenn Motor cars have won quality and performance prize
recognition in other countries.

Talk of battery energy for automotive use can cause a
political party to lose serious funding, I suspect. Too bad,
since popularity of EV use in Vancouver could help do away
with that ugly amber smog dome one sees over the city from
Grouse mountain. That would also contribute to a reduction in
respiratory health costs.

So we are going to stick with 96% dependency on oil then?
Damaged refining will certainly cause a crippled economy.

Brazil has suffered a severe gas shortage and having
declared... ** Never Again**, they are at 75% high efficiency
cane based biofuel. Gas and diesel are in the minority in
most of South America. Who is the banana republic?
AutoblogGreen.com

France uses electric vehicles for their postal service. Bills
get delivered, bills get paid and the economy steams along,
gas or no gas. Many taxis in Paris run on compressed air.
You can still get around, gas or no gas. Dept store truck
fleets run on battery power in both the UK and France so
goods are delivered... gas or no gas.

Road taxes for EVs can be collected at BC government agents
offices and or kiosks according to quarterly odometer
readings.

There is a bloom of electric bikes, mopeds and electric
scooters on the roads here in central Vancouver Island. All
of them are made in China. Instead of shipping all our
natural resources to Chine, it may be wiser if we were to
produce those finished products here in Canada.

Understanding the stresses of remaining in government, I
remain hopeful all the same. = TG

*
Forbes List of 2007 year - 10 WORST vehicles
====================================
Topping the list: The Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Caliber and Dodge Magnum.

A massive recall involving anti-lock braking system control modules affected 11 different Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models, including the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Nitro and Jeep Liberty, which were all on our turkeys list, while another recall concerning automatic-transmission control modules potentially affected eight different vehicles, including the Magnum, Nitro and Liberty.

[1] Chrysler Sebring [Xmission module]

[2] Dodge Nitro [Xmission control module ]

[3] Jeep Liberty [ anti-lock troubles ]

[4] Dodge Caliper R/T AWD [fuel costs can drain wallet]

[5] Dodge Magnum [ ranks bottom - Consumer Reports]

[6] Ford Crown Victoria [ weak side crash protection]

[7] Chevrolet Aveo [front fuel line recall]

[8] Nissan Quest [Front suspension Bolt recall] [Crash risk]

[9] Hyundai Entourage [least reliable]

[10] Pontiac Grand Prix [Fuel tank recall-1602 vehicles]

forbes.com/forbeslife/2007/11/15/cars-worst-year-forbeslife-cx_bh_1115cars.html
==================
Forbes checks across recalls, Consumer Reports, and other sources. = TG

Iraqis are in retreat; retreating from exile in Syria, etc.
...-

Better security sees Iraqi refugees flood home

Iraqi refugees are returning home in dramatic numbers, concluding that security in Baghdad has been transformed. Thousands have left their refuge in Syria in recent months, according to some estimates.

The Iraqi Embassy is organising a secure mass convoy from Damascus to Baghdad on Monday for refugees who want to drive back. Embassy notices went up around the Syrian capital yesterday, offering free bus and train rides home.

Saida Zaynab, the Damascus neighbourhoods once dominated by many of the 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, is almost deserted. Apartment prices are plummeting and once-crowded shops and buses are half empty. ...-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928647/posts

Baghdad voices: Improved security

Four Iraqis across Baghdad describe a welcome drop in violence in their city in recent weeks.

SAADI, DOCTOR, AL-YARMOUK HOSPITAL, BAGHDAD

I have been working in this hospital for about eight months and the security situation has definitely improved during that time. ...-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928741/posts

"News" from the wimps and whiners, at the Ottawa Citizen/MSM: Go to TO, Ottawa Citizen/MSM, and beg for $$$$$$ from Premier Liar Liberal McGuinty.

1. The Weather:
What a mess

A sprinkling of freezing rain and snow overnight has left area roads in rough shape...-

2. The Whining:
Tories dismiss concerns over city infrastructure
Mike De Souza, The Ottawa Citizen [...]

In the Commons, Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed the concerns, explaining that his government had answered the country's infrastructure needs.

"Since coming to office, this government has announced record amounts of spending, and record new programs into dealing with infrastructure in Canada," Mr. Harper said. "They amount to an additional $33 billion over the next seven years. This covers everything from national down to certain types of municipal and local infrastructure."

Always wondered what a bitchslap* was? It's socialism in action.
...-

Venezuela:A Female Legislator Slaps A Journalist While On-Air(shocking mayhem by Chavez supporter)

An irate Venezuelan politician rushed a television journalist conducting his show on Tuesday (November 20), attacking him for what she claims to be slander.

A supporter of President Hugo Chavez' socialist party, representative Iris Varela stormed onto the set of Gustavo Azocar's television show, slapping him, breaking his glasses, hitting him with a microphone and overturning furniture.

Azocar, who also published a book denouncing several members of the Chavez administration for corruption, said he had invited Varela to defend herself on his show.

"When we presented the book in Caracas -- and there are videos -- I said that if Iris Valera wanted to exercise her right to defend herself that she do it. I think it's a right we all have to defend ourselves," the journalist said after the attack.

Varela, who was at the television studio to appear on another program, later said she was fed up with accusations of corruption made on the show that she says are untrue. ...-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928770/posts

*A figurative example: Al Franken was on TV last night and bitch slapped Bill O'Reilly. (urban dict.)

"He swore that he didn't have any business with Schreiber. ... A former prime minister came and, on the Bible, says that he had no business, so I had no choice but to accept his word," Chrétien told The Canadian Press yesterday. "I don't have any regret because I acted with the facts I had in front of me."

What evidence did Chretien have to investigate Mulroney in the first place if at the end he "had no choice but to accept his word." Makes trials real simple, "Are you innocent of the charge? "Yes!" "Oh, all right then, on you go, sorry to have bothered you."

Could anyone imagine accepting Cretin's word on anything, not likely.