Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Gopher News 33 Comments

Apparently, a change of government brings with it a change in government. Who could have predicted ?

The Saskatchewan Party government is shaking up the civil service this week, giving pink slips to eight deputy ministers.
That’s about half of the deputy ministers in the provincial civil service. Deputy ministers are the senior civil servants in the provincial departments who work closely with the ministers, who are politicians.
After the NDP took power in 1991, many of the deputies received their walking papers.
Now it’s the Saskatchewan Party’s turn to put their stamp on the civil service. One of the changes is to refer to government departments as ministries.
Among those leaving is John Wright, the former president of SaskPower and former finance and health deputy who had been a major part of the public service for decades.

I heard of Wright’s dismissal last night from a private source. He was well liked in the department. However, as not a lot about health service delivery is well liked in the province, it may have something to do with the decision. Old dogs, new tricks and whatnot. But that’s a guess.

Flick Off, Ontario – Flick On Beijing

Chinada 75 Comments

Joe Molner in the comments;

The Porchlight Projects in Ontario and Alberta are currently handing out free energy efficient light bulbs for citizens ostensibly to help lower the use of electricity to light up porches across the provinces.
The sponsors are:
Alberta Energy
City of Medicine Hat
EnCana Corporation
EnWin Utilities Windsor , Ont.
The Ontario Government
Ontario Power Authority
Ontario Trillium Foundation
Admittedly the project is a commendable and worthwhile and even educational, however I find some hypocracy swamping at least the Ontario portion of the project PORCHLIGHT.
You see, my little twist in beauty is MADE IN CHINA!
So the next time I see that liar Premier McGuinty stand up and bemoan manufacturing jobs going off shore from Ontario, someone should remind him to stop buying stuff for Ontario from CHINA!!!

What Media Has Ruled Upon, Let No Court Put Asunder

Media 47 Comments

Who needs the Supreme Court of Canada, when we have the Canadian Press?

What has the Supreme Court of Canada had to say about the death penalty in the Charter era? Helpfully, in the Kindler case, they decided to tell us. Here’s the answer: extraditing a convicted multiple murderer to face the death penalty in the United States does not violate the Charter. The only pronouncement that “the death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment” under Canadian law came from the dissent in that case – in other words, the written decision which a majority of the court disagreed with and which does not represent the law in Canada. Not that the Canadian Press will let that stand in their way…

The Sound Of Settled Science

Climate Cult 58 Comments

The Greatest Scientific Scandal of our Time;

We thus find ourselves in the situation that the entire theory of man-made global warming—with its repercussions inscience, and its important consequences for politics and the global economy—is based on ice core studies that provided a false picture of the atmospheric CO2 levels. Meanwhile, more than 90,000 direct measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere, carried out in America, Asia, and Europe between1812 and 1961, with excellent chemical methods (accuracy better than 3%), were arbitrarily rejected. These measurements had been published in 175 technical papers. For the past three decades, these well-known direct CO2 measurements,recently compiled and analyzed by Ernst-Georg Beck (Beck 2006a, Beck 2006b, Beck 2007), were completely ignored by climatologists—and not because they were wrong. Indeed, these measurements were made by several Nobel Prize winners, using the techniques that are standard textbook procedures in chemistry, biochemistry, botany, hygiene, medicine, nutrition, and ecology. The only reason for rejection was that these measurements did not fit the hypothesis of anthropo-genic climatic warming. I regard this as perhaps the greatest scientific scandal of our time.

You can start at Cjunk and follow the links to the quoted paper.

“The infantry needed a mechanic”

Military 4 Comments

Men of valour;

As temperatures approached 70° C (around 150º F) inside the armored vehicles, soldiers poured water down their body armor. A driver was naked other than his body armor and helmet,while soldiers in the back literally pulled down their pants. This was more than a mere attempt to keep cool. They were trying not to die. Thick clouds of dust baked the putrid Basra odors until they could gag a goat; although by then the soldiers inside the Bulldogs and Warriors could offer serious competition in a stink contest. With their heavy body armor and helmets, laden with ammunition, rashes erupted on their skin and their goggles and ballistic glasses were filthy. The place is like a toilet used as an oven. The people on the septic streets were flushed with hostility.
British soldiers, exhausted of sleep and food, drained from the heat, were deliberately moving forward toward an enemy rested with the home advantages of elevation, time, thousands of eyes and tons of weapons. The enemy could wait in ambush from the comfort of shade, while sleeping in bed, or even watching television.
They had been fighting all night, with no KIAs. Now the Welsh Warriors and 4 Rifles were escorting a resupply convoy of about two dozen vehicles straight through the center of Basra. After more than 13 hot, exhausting hours of near-constant fighting against an enemy that was rested, it was time to begin the killing.

What Media Has Elevated, Let No Voter Put Asunder

Media 51 Comments

Who needs elections, when we have the Canadian Press?

Opposition parties are slamming Prime Minister Stephen Harper …. Elizabeth May of the Green Party says Canada has become an environmental saboteur,

I remember the good old days when you had to win a seat to be considered an Opposition party. Canadian democracy is so much more progressive when the media provides equal opportunity for the unelectable in the public policy debate, don’t you think?
h/t Maz2

A Tremor In The EU System

Radioactive 30 Comments

The die is now cast. As the euro brushes $1.50 against the dollar, it is already too late to stop the eurozone hurtling into a full-fledged economic and political crisis. We now have to start asking whether the EU itself will survive in its current form.
It takes eighteen months or so for the full effects of currency changes to feed through, so the damage will snowball late next year and beyond into 2009. Although “damage” is a relative term.
As Airbus chief Thomas Enders warned in a speech to the Hamburg workers last night, Europe’s champion plane-maker – the symbol of European unification, in the words or ex-French president Jacques Chirac — is now facing a “life-threatening” crisis.
Mr Enders said the company’s business model is “no longer viable”, and “massive losses” are on the horizon. So much for all those currency hedges that analysts like to cite. Have they ever tried to buy a currency hedge? They would discover how expensive these instruments are. Hedges cannot protect a company with $220bn in delivery contracts priced in dollars, when the euro/sterling cost-base is leaping into the stratosphere.
[…]
One thing is sure, President Nicolas Sarkozy will not let Airbus go bankrupt, nor see decimation of the French industrial core, without an almighty fight against those countries deemed to be engaging in a beggar-thy-neighbour strategy of currency devaluation – benign neglect in Washington, less benign in Beijing.
He will have allies soon enough, once the housing bubbles collapse in Spain and across the Med. Mr Zapatero will not be in power for long in Madrid. Mr Prodi is on borrowed time in Rome. A new political order will soon take hold in much of Europe, bringing in a new wave of prickly national populists.
[…]
This “disturbing” capital movement is occurring right now. Portfolio inflows into the eurozone reached a record EUR46.2bn in September. China, Asian wealth funds, Petrodollar sheikdoms, and now even Nigeria, have all joined a stampede into euros, utterly disregarding the underlying reality that Europe is in no better shape the United States itself. It is in worse shape, though this is disguised by the cycle. It is much worse in terms of economic dynamism and demographics.
Confidence has cratered in Germany, and the Netherlands, not to mention Belgium – which has not had a government for 165 days, and is now sliding towards disintegration. Since Belgium is a metaphor for the EU – an arranged marriage of squabbling tribes, speaking different languages, who do not love each other, and never did – this in itself amounts to a tremor for the EU system.

Red the whole thing.

Do You Think It’s Easy To Get Recognized?

Political Animal 56 Comments

It seemed like an innocuous remark. During question period on Wednesday, Environment Minister John Baird gave a little shout-out to an aboriginal delegation in the spectators’ gallery, who had been on hand earlier in the day at the announcement of a big conservation project in Canada’s North.
But that’s a big no-no. Only the Commons Speaker can recognize visitors in the gallery, and MPs who have done the same in the past have been banned from speaking in question period for 30 days. Baird got off with a warning, though.
Even more extraordinary, however, was how that remark provoked Stéphane Dion. The Liberal leader started wildly waving to the aboriginal delegation, pointing to his own chest with both hands and arguing that Baird was trying to take credit for something he himself had done when he was environment minister. “It was me,” he shouted upward to the aboriginal leaders, who looked a bit perplexed by all the gesturing. Then Dion started barking at Baird, saying all the work on the conservation project had been done before Conservatives came to office and “you only had to sign your name.” Observers on both sides of the House averted their eyes at the outburst.

It’s not often that one witnesses a lapdog turn on a Liberal. That was the Toronto Star.
h/t reader Sammy

Grey Cup Open Thread

Gopher News 82 Comments

Kick off is just under an hour away. For Sask expats (or the just plain curious) who can’t get the game on TV, you can listen live at 620 CKRM Regina (and get a better play by play than the CBC). From the reports coming out of a completely befuddled Toronto, the stands are going to be about 75% green&white.
As an indicator of just how big a deal this game is for the province – yesterday’s Regina Leader Post featured 32 pages of coverage.

At times it wasn’t pretty, but congratulations to Kent Austin, the Riders and the “Nation” – Grey Cup Champions.

And special tip-o-the-hat to Premier Brad Wall and the SaskParty – for removing the NDP jinx from office and making a Grey Cup win possible again.
From a dog show list I belong to:

“The streets are KAOS….oops..I mean Chaos!!!!! Albert St and Vic is impassable, the intersection had to have 1000 people standing on the streets and sidewalks. The Albert St bridge is packed with
cars and people walking carrying flags open beer, which will get them in trouble, Horns honking…..and jsut bedlam!
I ran into Joyce D. ( WF Terriers) at my parents apartment lobby, and she said there was a totally naked guy running down Albert St. between the cars….she said she forgot her camera! hahaha….We made it out to Victoria via McIntyre and headed east to home…..the noise and traffic is incredible…what a great win for all of Saskatchewan!!!”

Y2Kyoto: Saving The World Through Burning Jet Fuel

Climate Cult 59 Comments

Efforts continue to rescue us from the end of civilization as we know it;

Calculations suggest flying the 15,000 politicians, civil servants, green campaigners and television crews into Indonesia will generate the equivalent of 100,000 tonnes of extra CO2. That is similar to the entire annual emissions of the African state of Chad.

Have you rid yourself of that gas-guzzling SUV yet?

Attendees are expected to include celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California, and Al Gore, the former US vice-president.
Many are merely “observers” who have no formal role to play in the talks, which largely involve government ministers and officials. Among these observers are 20 MEPs and 18 assistants whose itinerary includes a daytrip to the idyllic fishing and surfing village of Serangan.

Got your CFL bulbs?

The UN has also recently received thousands of new registrations from groups campaigning for the environment or fighting against poverty. WWF, one of the largest, is sending more than 32 staff to the meeting.
Thousands more are coming from businesses, especially the burgeoning carbon trading sector, which already carries out global transactions worth £12 billion a year and has an acute interest in the outcome of Bali.

Turn down your thermostat?

Indonesian officials say the final tally could reach 20,000 — and fear it could stretch the resort’s infrastructure to the limit. About 90% of the emissions will be generated by delegates flying thousands of miles to Bali, with the rest coming from the facilities they will be using.

How’s that new clothesline working for you?

Britain has tried to ensure its delegation is one of the smallest among the leading developed nations. Three ministers — Hilary Benn, the environment secretary, Phil Woolas, junior environment minister, and Gareth Thomas, junior minister for international development — will attend accompanied by about 40 civil servants.

Recycling your waste?

One of the biggest delegations is being assembled by the European Union, which is expected to send Stavros Dimas, the environment commissioner, and 90 officials. In addition, all 27 EU countries are expected to send separate national delegations. Germany has one of the biggest, with around 70, and France follows close behind with 50. Even Latvia will be represented by four delegates, while Malta, an island populated by 400,000, will have two.

Did you plant your tree?
And don’t forget to visit David Suzuki’s Bali blog to learn how our right-wing government is failing in their duty to sufficiently repress your C02 emissions. Because climate change is a non-partisan issue…

We’re keeping our fingers crossed [for a Rudd victory]. It would be great to have Australia on board in Bali. Heck, I’ll even buy their negotiators the first round of drinks at the swim-up bar

The Suzuki Foundation blog’s top post is titled – without a hint of irony – “Reality Check”.

Land Of Liberal Largesse

stuff 71 Comments

The National Post is having a contest – Canada in six words or less.

There’s a lot to like about our country, but thus far, the vast majority of entries have surprisingly been negative and, often, rather political. Judging by their suggestions, Jeff Spooner and Al Blow think that we’re a mediocre country, and proud of it: The former offered us “Canada: Birthplace of mediocrity” and the latter’s “Canada: Mediocre and reasonably proud of it” was a slightly more ironic variation on the same theme. Ori Rubin, who worked on the motto problem while raking leaves in the backyard with his dad, offered a similarly wry message: “Because the world needs more vanilla.”

h/t Darcey.

Lethal Target

Radioactive 10 Comments

Ten weeks have passed since the Israel Air Force attacked in Syria, and there is still no reliable information about the precise target that was destroyed, or about the importance and necessity of the attack. Since Israel keeps maintaining its veil of secrecy, Everything that is known comes from leaks by anonymous U.S. administration officials to several of the major American media outlets. What is almost certain, judging from the leaks, are the following facts: A nuclear site built by the Syrians was attacked, and there was some connection to know-how and technology transferred from North Korea. The prevailing assumption is that it was a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor that was in stages of construction, that would have enabled Syria to produce plutonium to manufacture a nuclear bomb.

Or was it? An alternate theory.

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