Thursday, September 29, 2005

Where is the Logic in This?

The Globe and Mail reports:

Mr. Justice Fraser Martin Wednesday ordered the postponement to May 1, agreeing with the contention of lawyers of the two accused — Jean Brault and Charles Guité — that going to trial earlier created the risk that jurors would be exposed to media coverage of sponsorship-related issues.

If I read this right, they are going to postpone this trial as they are worried that what will come out in the Gomery report may influence the jurors. Now correct me if I am wrong, but if the trial is held after the report, will not that very same information be seen by all possible jurors as it will be in every paper and on every TV and radio in Canada. With that in mind does that not then preclude that "all" Canadians may be excluded as jurors as the Gomery Report "may" have influenced their thoughts on the trial? Before, during or after does it really make a difference? Would not this report possibly be brought in as evidence in regards to this trial if in fact it does find wrong doings by these gentleman?

Any Lawyers out there who could possibly enlighten me on this one, as I don't have the time to search for and read all the legal jumbo involved here.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Working Together


Photo: Tom Hanson/CP
I truely wish that this photo would have shown all four of the major party leaders arm in arm working together.

It is nice to see that they can, for a good cause set their differences aside. Unfortunately "For The Good of Canada" is not a good enough cause. So back inside they go, back to the childish antics of Question Period. When are they going to start "Answer Period"? Where is Ms. Betty of Romper Room fame when you need her?

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Sunday, September 25, 2005

What is Politics

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is Politics?" Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way:

I am the head of the family, so call me The President.
Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.
We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.
The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we will call him the Future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense."

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.

So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy say's to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now." The father says, "Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."

The little boy replies, "The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit."

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Saturday, September 24, 2005

Technology Partnerships Canada


A picture is worth a thousand words.

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Thursday, September 22, 2005

English Chosen as Official Language

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.


Itz amazing how ezy it iz to grazp ziz new langvag. Go ahed and try it.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Canadian Foreign Aid

Canada's contribution to Foriegn Aid: $71,387,050,000.00 and counting....

I searched far and wide to find the answer to one question. Who gave Canada "Foreign Aid" to get to the point we are at? And guess what? I could not find the answer. Not one mention anywhere of foreign aid coming to Canada could I find. I guess if you go back to our origins, way back, you could possibly state that both France and England financed Canada. But could one reasonably call it foriegn aid? I don't think so. What those two countries provided was only the seed money to get the country started. They took more from the country than they gave. They pilfered the grand banks of fish, and did the same with the furs taken back to europe. The people of Canada from times prior to confederation to present, busted their humps, made great sacrifices and payed their own way. The results are obvious. A country that most anyone in the world would be proud to call home. Well almost.

So why do we give foreign aid to other countries? Why can't they do the same as our country has done? Time has changed many things.

The Canadian International Developement Agency(CIDA) as it is now called, may have one of the toughest jobs in all of government. It could also be one of the most rewarding ones, if they give it to the right countries and it actually gets to the people for which it is intended to help. How often this actually happens is up for debate. My personal belief is that most of it does not.

With the recent calls for Canada to meet the goal of .7% of GDP going to foreign aid, and more rescently the question brought forth by Mr. Harper regarding why we are giving China aid, I went and did some homework.

I have gathered up a few stats from our friends over at Stats Canada that I found interesting. I have also included stats from over at The CIA World Factbook.

The records at Stats Canada go back to 1948. What I have noticed is that The % of GDP going to foriegn aid drops every time a new priminister takes power. At times it drops dramatically, and in other cases very little but it does drop.

1948 - 1957 - Louis St. Laurent - (L) - % of GDP low = .03% - % of GDP high = .12%

1957 - 1963 - John Diefenbaker - (PC) - % of GDP low = .09% - % of GDP high = .20%

1963 - 1968 - Lester Pearson - (L) - % of GDP low = .13% - % of GDP high = .34%

*1968 - 1984* - Pierre Trudeau - (L) - % of GDP low = .28% - % of GDP high = .53%

1979 - 1980 - Joe Clark - (PC) - % of GDP low = .47% % of GDP high = .47%

1984 - John Turner - (L) - GDP low = .45% GDP high = .45%

1984 - 1993 - Brian Mulroney - (PC) - GDP low = .44% - GDP high = .50%

1993 - Kim Cambell - (PC) - % of GDP low = .44% - % of GDP high = .44%

1993 - 2003 - Jean Chretien - (L) - % of GDP low = .25% - % of GDP high = .44%

2003 - 2004 - Paul Martin - (L) - % of GDP low = .23% - % of GDP high = .23%

As we can see from these stats, Paul Martin has taken the amount designated for foriegn aid to a level below that of 1968. Very far from the .7% that he claims he is dedicated to.

Where does the money go?

Top 5 countries recieving aid from Canada(2004):

Iraq - independence from the UK in 1932 - GDP = $54.4 Billion - GDP per capita = $2,100 - Canadian Aid = $115.86 Million (previously a dictatorship)(soon to be a democracy?)

Afghanistan - independence from UK in 1919 - GDP = $21.5 Billion - GDP per Capita = $800 - Canadian Aid = $99.38 Million (formerly Taliban Dictatorship) (Now Democracy?)

Ethiopia - one of the oldest countries in the world.
(no actual date found) GDP = $54.89 Billion - GDP per capita = $800 - Canadian Aid = $66.69 Million (previously: Monarchy)( then: socialist state)(currently: Democracy)

Bangladesh - Independence from West Pakistan in 1971 - GDP = $275.7 Billion - GDP per capita = $2,000 - Canadian Aid = $66.31 Million (previously: federal republic) (curently: Parlimentry democracy)

China - About 221 BC - (2nd largest economy in the world) GDP = $7.262 Trillion GDP per capita = $5,600 - Canadian Aid = $46.07 Million - (communist state)

Now lets look at the US figures.
Independence - 1776 from UK - GDP = $11.75 Trillion - GDP per capita = $40,100 (Federal Republic - Democracy)Canadian aid = Nada (remember these are stats for 2004, Katrina has not happened)

And finally here are the stats for Canada.
Independence? 1867 from the UK - GDP = $1.023 Trillion - GDP per capita = $31,500 - (confederation - Democracy)

If one only looks at the GDP, you would seriously wonder why we are sending China $46.07 million in aid. But as you can see when you look just a little bit further and take population into account, they are not doing as well as one might think. However we are talking about a different type of government here, and where they place their spending priorities is obvious to everyone. The people are not high on their list. This in fact maybe a reason not to give them any support at all.

This bring up other questions. Should assignment of foriegn aid take into concideration how the government of the recieving country is currently spending the cash it has? How it treats its own people? Should only "free" democratic societies receive help? How can we make sure that the "aid" is used for which it is intended? How long do we continue to give "aid" to a country before we right it off as a hopeless cause? If it is hopeless, then what is the next step to correct the the problem?

Time and time again it has been proven. Throwing money at a problem very rarely solves the problem and in most cases makes the problem worse. Should we be sending more "knowledge" to these countries rather than cash. “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown

The verdict is still out.

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Canadian Quote of the Month

In a briefing regarding JTF2 commandos opperations in Afghanastan, National Defence Chief of Staff (Operations) Brigadier-General Michael J. Ward made this statement "We have not suffered any casualties at this point, but casualties occurred on the other side."


And no doubt there shall be more. These guys are THE BEST in the world at what they do. Gives ya reason to be a Proud Canadian, even if the liberal government make you think otherwise.

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Thursday, September 15, 2005

What Generous Folks We Canadian's are

Isn't it nice that Martin has showed our generosity at the UN meetings today. He has kindly now donated to the Palestinian Authority another $25.5 million of our money over and above the $12.5 million in May he donated. This now brings the total to over $310 million in contributions we have made to the Palestine effort. Although he claims it is to "improve the lives of the Palestinian people.
"
Why do I have my doubts that that is what it actually is used for? Why does weapons for the cause come to mind? Why do I think there will be even more fighting in the area now than ever before? I'm such a pessimist!

Take a bow Canadian's you are very giving people.

Now how bout all the homeless and those living under the poverty level in Canada. What has Martin done for them recently? I'm sure they could use some $310 million to help their cause.

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Helicopter Maintenance

RICHMOND, British Columbia, September 15, 2005 -- The Honourable Raymond Chan, Minister of State (Multiculturalism), on behalf of the Honourable David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry, today announced a $3.5-million investment to develop new methods for maintaining and repairing helicopter engines and other aircraft components over their life cycle.

This Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) investment is part of a project costing up to $11.7 million being undertaken by Vector Aerospace Corporation through its subsidiary, ACROHELIPRO Global Services Inc. (AHGS), to develop its capabilities in helicopter engine testing, repair and overhaul, and in dynamic and hydraulic component rework.
To read the whole news release follow this link.

Maybe they should just take this money and invest in some "new" helicopters instead of trying to keep a fleet of anchient over used seakings in the air. Oh thats right they did, after cancelling a contract costing the tax payers over $500,000 in 1993 and then putting out a new contract in 2004 which was another
waste
of tax payers money and political interference from the liberal party.

Do not the manufacturers of helicopters already have the latest tech to provide proper maintenance and maintenance proceedures to these folks?

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Enviromental Studies

Correct me if I'm wrong but is it not the resposibilty of a company to do an enviromental study to show that a project will not adversly effect the enviroment it plans on doing business on? Is not the resposibility of both the provincial and federal governments to do a revue and or their own enviromental studies before they give the go ahead for projects that are likely to effect the enviroment?

Now if the above statements are true, which by reading Environment Canada's (EC) National Environmental Assessment (EA) Program web site suggests. Why this?

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) has provided $3,750 to Regroupement régional des citoyennes et citoyens pour la sauvegarde de l'environnement(roughly translatted "Regional regrouping of the citizens and citizens for the safeguard of the environment")to support its participation in the environmental assessment of the proposed Alcan Spent Pot Lining (SPL) project. The funding is made available through the Participant Funding Program administered by the Agency.

How many studies do we need before we have the one that say's yay or nay to a project? I know everyone is going to say "It's ONLY $3,750" but as far as I'm concerned, this government waste far too much of tax payers money and every penny counts. And what kind of study can this meager amount provide? Is this just a "lets make them feel good" ploy?

I would love some insight on this one as I am bewildered.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2005

What Part of "Emergency" Do we not understand?

From todays Globe and Mail:

"More than half of Canadians seeking treatment at hospital emergency rooms are there for less than urgent conditions, a new report said Wednesday."

And we wonder why Health Care in this country is sky rocketing beyond control. I realize that it is currently, very difficult to find a "family Physician" in many area's of the country. This is far from a good excuse to run to the emerg for every little medical need that may arise. Have these people not heard of Medicenters?My family doc retired a few years ago, and to be honest I have not gone looking for a new one. If I come up with something medical that I can't handle on my own, I simply drive to the nearest medicenter and get checked out. Yes, the waiting time can be very long if you are suffering from something minnor. I have found through the years that most of them do a remarkable job of "triage". I have gone in with severe flew symptoms and have waited three hours. Is that exceptable? I think so, as the people that were taken care of before me were in worse shape than I from what I have seen. I have also gone in with a large gash in my arm. I was in and sewn up in minutes. The best example of medicenters "triage" I can give you from personal expierence was almost four years ago. My daughter had what appeared at first to be a bad flew. I had her stay home from school that morning. She called me at work in the afternoon crying. I rushed home to find her almost barely able to move. I picked her up and took her to the a medicenter that was just five minutes away. As soon as I carried her in they immediately took her into a room and a doctor was there in seconds. Without hesitation the Doctor gave my daughter a needle which later I found out was the reason she did so well in the end. He said he could call for an amulance but that I could drive her to the nearest hospital faster than they could get to the medicenter. Although I was panicking, and still not really sure what was wrong, I followed the doctors instructions and took her to the emerg at the Sturgeon Hospital in St. Albert, Alberta. The doctor from the medicenter had called ahead and informed them we were coming. They had a team waiting for us when I pulled up to the emerg doors. They wisked my daughter inside and began treating her. This is when I was informed that my daughter had meningitis. To this day I cannot thank any of the healthcare proffesionals that were involved enough. Especially that one doctor at the medicenter. Unfortunately, things happened so fast that day I never did get his name and the next month was spent in the intensive care at the UofA hospital beside my daughter. When I did think of thanking him, he had moved on from the medicenter and they could not release to me any information to contact him. As mentioned, because of this doctors quick diagnosis and descions my daughter was one of the very few inflicted with this horrible bug that survived with very little reprecusions. More than not, amputations if not death is the result of meningitis. My daughter was 13 when this happened. She is now going on 19 and she still has all her parts she came into this world with. Sometimes I think she did suffer some brain damage, but I'm told this is just normal "teen" behavior.

My point is, the emergency room should be for EMERGECIES only. IF you are not bleeding profusely or close to death, head over to nearest medicenter or your family doctor. Leave the emerg for the people that it was intended for, the seriously ill and injured. I'm sure this way those folks will be able to do a better job for those who truely need them and it might even save the system a ton of cash.

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Recent Government spending

I just recently subscribed to The Canadian Governmets RSS feed for "news releases". In the past two days I noticed these three announcements and found them quite intriguing. They total "only" as our government would say $498,900. Just a minor amount when we look at the entire budget.

The first:
Quebec City, Quebec, September 12, 2005 - The Honourable Jacques Saada, Minister of Canada Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Francophonie, today announced the awarding of $200,000 in funding to support the promotion and international marketing of the 2005 and 2006 editions of the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands.

"Since 2000, Canada Economic Development has contributed $50,000 a year to this unique festival that showcases the traditions, art, history and music of military bands in the setting of Quebec's fortified city. We have now doubled our contribution to support the increased marketing of this distinctive cultural event and to better position the Quebec City region on the world stage. This prestigious event generates some $12 million in annual spinoffs, $2 million of that from foreign visitors," stated Minister Saada.

The second:
GATINEAU, September 14, 2005 -- Member of Parliament (Hull-Aylmer) Marcel Proulx, on behalf of Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women Liza Frulla, today announced $123,900 in funding for the Regional Association of West Quebecers. These funds will help the organization to undertake projects to improve the vitality and well-being of the English-speaking minority community and to develop new communications tools.

"Supporting organizations that serve linguistic minorities is a priority for the Government of Canada," said Mr. Proulx. "This funding for the Regional Association of West Quebecers is good news for the English-speaking people of Western Quebec, who will continue to have access to a wide range of quality services."

"To thrive, members of minority-language communities must benefit from quality services in their own language," said Minister Frulla. "I am pleased to support this association, which has always done an excellent job of responding to the needs of the English-speaking citizens of Western Quebec."

The Regional Association of West Quebecers intends to develop information activities, as well as communication tools to serve the English-speaking community. The Association also anticipates working more closely in partnership with several of the region's English-language institutions.

Financial assistance is provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Development of Official-Language Communities Program.

Funding announced today was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget.

And the third:
VANCOUVER, SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 -- The Honourable Hedy Fry, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Member of Parliament (Vancouver Centre), on behalf of the Honourable Liza Frulla, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women, today announced $175,000 in funding for the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique. The funds will enable the organization to coordinate consultations between the Francophone community and Government of Canada departments and agencies. The aim of the consultations is to ensure that federal programs and funding decisions are in line with the community's priorities.

"These consultations will enable all Francophones in our province to present their concerns and participate actively in the development of their community," said Dr. Fry.

"Through its commitment to renewal, growth, and development, French-speaking Canada enriches our culture. It deserves much of the credit for our country's ability to affirm its uniqueness internationally," said Minister Frulla. "I am delighted that our Government is working with the Fédération to provide its members with the tools they need to safeguard their community's vitality and prosperity."

The Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique works to improve services for Francophones living in British Columbia. It has also helped create provincial Francophone organizations that now operate independently.

Financial assistance is provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Cooperation with the Community Sector component of its Enhancement of Official Languages Program.

Funding announced today was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget.

The first one states that it brings in $12 million in spinoffs. If thats the case why is it that these companies that are making this kind of money because of it are not investing in this rather than the Canadian government?

The second and third seem at least to me, somewhat strange. Does not our federal government by law have to provide their services in both official languages? I know here in Alberta, where french for the most part is not a prominent language, I am always greeted in both official languages by front line government employee's. I belive no matter what language one speaks, whether it be english, french, ukrainian, german, italian ect ect... if there is enough support for that language in your comunity it will survive on its own. There are many examples of that here in Alberta. Beaumont, a small community out side of Edmonton is prodomently french and the french language and culture thrive there. Falher, a small town in northern Alberta is the same. Many towns around Alberta have large ukrainian populations and again, ukrainian culture thrive in these places. The list goes on and on. Why do they thrive? Not because of Government regulations or spending to promote it, that is for sure. It thrives only because the population itself supports and encourages it.

Now what I do find strange, Is all three have something to do with Quebec and or the french language. I do find it suspicious, with an election nearing. I read just recently, on a Canadian Government web site(sorry no link) that Bilingualism has only cost about $.05 per Canadian since it's conception. I highley doubt that! Maybe I have not seen enough of these "news releases" to know any better. I look forward to see more "news releases" in the future that do not go to these two area's.

What I want to know is why in this day and age must we keep throwing public funds into these types of projects? "If" they are so viable and well supported they should be able to finance themselves on their own merit through individual and corporate donations or am I off base here?

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What are your political leanings?

Go ahead, take the test. You may be surprized at what you find out. I know I was! H/T to Candace via I Am(Also)Canadian.










Your Political Profile



Overall: 65% Conservative, 35% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal


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Sunday, September 11, 2005

Common Sense at Last

Finally some common sense has showed up in the matter of religion and law. As reported in The Globe and Mail, "McGuinty rejects Ontario's use of Shariah law and all religious arbitrations".

McGuinty was quoted saying,

"Ontarians will always have the right to seek advice from anyone in matters of family law, including religious advice," he said. "But no longer will religious arbitration be deciding matters of family law."

Now hopefully the rest of the country will follow suit and this matter will be supported by the courts of this land.

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Saturday, September 10, 2005

I'm A Weiner

Olive pitter
I am the weiner of the first ever Wingnuterer contest for correctly identifying the contraption above. For those who don't know, it is a olive pitter. Zorpheous has offered up a mystery "prise". I have reluctantly sent Zorpheous my home address so he can send me this enigmatic "prise". I will be sure to inform everyone in blogland of what it turns out to be the minute I recieve it. I have also installed a new mailbox for this occasion. It is a transparent "ICED" proof mail box I designed myself.

ICED proof mailbox

Stay tuned for more on this mystery prize.

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Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Joke of the Day


What is the description of an elephant?









A mouse built to government specifications....

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Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Katrina, The goodest, gooder and good

Warning... the following links contain a ton of reading, very worth while reading for anyone and everyone.
The goodest:
LOVE TRIUMPHS Thanks to They Hate Us For Our Freedoms for bringing this one to my attention. Best have some tissues ready.
The gooder:
eject eject eject Although this post is a very long one. It is definately a must read.
The Good:
Right Wing Nut House This blogger is keeping a time line of the events before and during Katrina.

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Monday, September 05, 2005

Canadian Political Beauty Contest

Due to forces beyond my control, the "Canaian Political Beauty Contest" is on hold til further notice. The computer I had all the data base, and photo's stored on including the back up drive has been corrupted. I have tried to revive the two hard drives without success. Looks like I will be starting over from scratch. Fortunately the results from the last polls are saved on the web site.

In keeping with the current trend, I am going to blame President Bush for this catastrophe! He and FEMA should have seen it coming! I insist that they reimburse me for both of the drives, and my time to recover from this event. I want a full investigation into why they did not forsee this happening.

I would also like to thank Norton Antivirus for detecting and letting me know of the virus that took out these two drives. However it would have been nice if it could have prevented it from destroying them!

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Katrina's other Victim's


As I sit here watching the news from The gulf Coast unfold, my faithful companion and best friend, Roxy, a blacklab dalmation cross, lays beside my chair.

I can't help but think of all the poor animal's, not just pet's, that have been affected by this disaster along with the human suffering. I have seen footage of people refusing to leave thier homes when the authorities tell them they must leave thier pet's behind. These so called "pet's" are just as much a part of these people's family and lives as are thier children, parents, grandparent's ect... How can anyone expect them to just leave them behind? I for one could not imagine ever doing so or even having to make that choice.

Fortunately, things are changing and groups such as:
The Humane Society of the United States
International Fund for Animal Welfare,
Best Friends,
United Animal Nations(EARS),
Noah's Wish,
ASPCA,
are now coming to the rescue of these victim's.

The following sites have a few pictures that show some of the people and thier pets together in the disaster. These are the lucky ones.

Man's Best Freind
Katrina survivors upset over pets left behind

This link has some of the most amazing photo's I have yet to find showing the havoc throughout the gulf coast region caused by Katrina. There are well over 100 photo's on this site. Including many of people and thier pet's.
Daily Sentinel.

In closing I am putting out a challenge to all animal lover's to donate to one of the groups above. My cheque for $100.00 is on its way to The Humane Society of the United States.
I thank you in advance for your generosity.

Update:
Just found this link to a story CNN ran in regards to the same topic.
CNN Video
Pet Finder has started a database to reunite pet's with thier owners seperated by this disaster.

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Saturday, September 03, 2005

I can't believe it has come down to this

Comparing Katrina to what happened to the world trade centre is ludicrous!

Other than the shock, the horror, and the feeling of total helplessness, there is no way one can compare these two events.

How can anyone compare a couple of buildings, regardless of there size, to entire cities being whiped out?

When the planes hit the towers, most of New York still had power. They still had water safe to drink. They could go to the store and buy their groceries. They could watch the news on TV. Most of them could go to their jobs the next day. They did not have people shooting at them for no reason. They for the most part could go on with their lives somewhat normal.

New Orleans on the other hand is gone. There is nothing there for anyone at the moment or in the near future. No water, no food, no work, no power, NOTHING!

The immidiate responce to the World Trade Centers was due only to the fact that there was still a city and personel there to react.

New Orleans on the other hand, had to wait for the help to come from a distance. This help had to battle the debris covering the roadways. The airports were out of service, so that was not an option. The majority of the city was and is flooded making it difficult to get around. Not to mention the sad, very sick individuals who seem to think shooting at the people trying to help them is the thing to do.

New York had no advanced warning. They had no way of knowing what was about to happen.

The people in the path of Katrina had several days notice and fortunately most were able to get out before it hit with all its destruction. Unfortunately not everyone was able to. How can anyone "plan" on moving over 1 million people in less than a week? We are not talking about all able bodied people here. Just think in your own city alone. How could you evacuate just one major hospital? Where would you put all the people? How could you continue to give them the care they need? Now consider all the hospitals, senior homes, extended cares, the homeless and those less fortunate that have no means to go anywhere. No city, no state, no province, no country for that matter, has the capabilities to perform such a feat in such little time. And this is only taking one of the cities hit into concideration. New Orleans was not the only place hit. Granted it is the worst off of those affected. Three states were affected and many cities and towns.

And now... the racism card is being played. This not the time for politics or name calling. It is not a time to divide the country. This is the time for all people to come together as they did for New York. It is time to put the "human" in "humanity". There is no black or white, at the moment everything is shades of grey. Leave the politics out of it, it serves no purpose in times as these.

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Canada and Katrina

It is nice to see that Canada is doing something to help in the wake of Katrina.

Sending out the 4 ships, 1000 personel and supplies, (the three Sea King helicopters? Not sure how much help they will be. Maybe for once they will stay in the air.)is a good start.

Making available more fuel to send across the border, is a good start.

Canadian Red Cross sending over 100 highly trained disaster response volunteers is a good start.

Sending the specialized 45 member Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team from Vancouver, is a good start. They are currently working an area known as St. Bernard Parish. A satelite image of the area can be seen here.

Offering the people of the area's affected a place to stay while thier home towns are rebuilt, is a good start.

The donations that Canadians have made to the various charities to help the victims of Katrina, is a good start.(over $200 million in donations have been raised to date from all sources around the world.)

Why do I keep saying "is a good start"? The answer is simple... this is just the tip of the iceberg of what we as Canadians can and will do for our nieghbours. As the days, weeks and months go by I have no doubt that Canadians will do more and more to help out in any way possible. Thats just the way we are despite all the American retoric that seems to flow in the MSM here. For once Priminister Paul Martin has spoken the truth. Canada and Canadians will do whatever we can to help!

My thoughts go out to our nieghbours and friends, the people of the United States of America.

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Friday, September 02, 2005

Mother Nature is a Bitch

The Rath of Mother Nature.

Please give what you can to help in the wake of Katrina.


79 AD,
Mt. Vesuvius erupted in southern Italy, destroying the ancient Roman city of Pompeii and two other communities. Thousands died.

1181,
In Japan, a famine kills at least 100,000 people.

1201,
The deadliest earthquake in history hit the eastern Mediterranean in July. Approximately 1.1 million people were killed, mostly in Egypt and Syria. This earthquake claimed the most lives of any other natural disaster in recorded history.

1228,
An estimated 100,000 lives lost from the flooding after some dykes broke in the Netherlands.

1290,
China, Earthquake takes at least 100,000 people.

1556,
The second deadliest earthquake struck the Chinese province of Shansi on February 2, 1556. It killed 830,000 people.

1642,
China, Flooding takes about 300,000 lives.

1730,
Japan, Earthquake took the lives of some 137,000 people.

1737,
India, Earthquake or was it a typhoon? killed some 300,000 in Calcutta.

1755,
Portugal, Over 100,000 lost their lives in the Lisbon earthquake and resulting tsunami.

1780,
The Hurricane that hit the Caribbean in October 1780 is the most deadly Western Hemisphere hurricane on record. It killed 22,000 people on the islands of Martinique, St. Eustatius, and Barbados.(This may change due to Katrina)

As many as 200,000 were killed in an earthquake near Tabriz, Iran.

1783,
Laki,Iceland, a volcanic eruption that included the largest basalt flow in recorded history, poisoned the island's pastures and caused the deaths of approxamately 10,000.

1815,
Mount Tambora on Sumbawa Island, Indonesia erupted with massive force. The eruption destroyed Tambora's peak and formed a crater six by seven kilometres wide. The eruption and resulting tsunamis killed 10,000 people. The agricultural loss, famine and disease brought about by the thick ash deposits caused the deaths of 82,000 more.

1826,
Japan, Tsunami kills about 27,000.

1871,
In 1871, after a period of drought, a massive forest fire spread over 1,036 square kilometres of Wisconsin. Nine towns were destroyed and 1,500 people were killed.

1876,
The deadliest drought in history occurred in China between 1876 and 1879. Rivers dried up, crops and livestock died. The drought led to the deaths of nine million people.

1883,
Indonesia was rocked again in 1883. Krakatoa, a small volcano on an uninhabited island between Sumatra and Java erupted sending an ash cloud 80 kilometres high and was heard in Australia, 4,800 kilometres away. The eruption also unleashed a tsunami, which pounded the shores of Java and Sumatra. 36,000 people were killed.

1887,
The worst flood in history happened in China in 1887. The Yellow River overflowed its banks, leading to the deaths of 900,000 people.

1896,
The highest death toll from a tsunami until 2004 happened in 1896, when 27,000 people were drowned following an earthquake off the coast of Japan, according to the Guinness Book of Records.

1902,
St. Pierre, Mont Pelee, Mt Pelee erupted. Superheated gas and steaming volcanic ash spewed out, pouring down the mountain with tremendous speed. Within seconds, the deadly gas cloud had destroyed the town of St. Pierre and incinerated everyone in it, except for one prisoner in a basement cell. It was the worst volcano disaster of the 20th century.

1906,
San Francisco, USA, an earthquake estimated at 8.3 on the Richter scale, sparked fires that burned uncontrollably for three days, burning down two thirds of the city and completely wiping out the downtown business district. Tens of thousands of people lost their homes and fled the city and an estimated 3000 people died.

1908,
Dec. 28, 1908 - Southern Italy was ravaged by a 7.2 magnitude quake that triggered a tsunami that hit the Messina-Reggio-Calabria area, killing 123,000.

1920,
China, In the north China there was a drought that caused 20 million victims and took at least 500,00 lives.

China, Gansu, China is hit with an earthquake measuring 8.6 and kills around 200,000 people.

1923,
Sept. 1, 1923 - A third of Tokyo and most of Yokohama were levelled when a magnitude 8.3 earthquake shook Japan. About 143,000 were killed as fires ravaged much of Tokyo.

1925,
A tornado tore through three states in the U.S. midwest, lasting a record 3.5 hours. Starting in Missouri, the twister followed a course along a ridge through Illinois and into Indiana. The tornado reached its peak in Illinois, where it ravaged the town of Gorham, killing or injuring half the residents. It then barrelled through a number of other small towns, leaving a total of 689 dead and 1,980 injured.

1927,
China, An earthquake 7.9 - hit Nanshan City and took about 200,000 people.

1931,
China, A flood on the Changjiang River took at least 145,000 people other estimates go over a million.

1932,
China, A earthquake, in northwest Gansu Province, killed about 70,000 people.

1933,
China, Yellow River flood caused 50 dikes to burst - about 18,000 people killed.

1934,
In the midst of the Depression, the American and Canadian midwest suffered through an eight-year drought that ruined once-fertile soil, kicked up tremendous dust storms and caused thousands of deaths. The lack of rain left vast amounts of farmland bone dry. The dry topsoil was swept up by the wind, creating massive dark clouds of dust that turned day into night. People died of starvation and lung diseases caused by breathing in the dust-laden air, while hordes of farmers were left bankrupt. Three hundred and fifty thousand people fled the region, their livelihood swept away in the worst drought in North American history.

1935,
China, Another Yellow River flood caused 27 counties inundated and 3.4 million victims. An actual death toll was never released.

China, Another Changjiang River flood takes the lives of at least 140,000 people.

Pakistan, About 30,000 lost their lives in a 7.5 earthquake.

1939,
Chile, Some 28,000 people were killed from an 8.3 earthquake.

China, A flood takes about 200,000 lives.

Turkey, More than 32,000 lives were lost from a 7.9 quake in Erzican Province.

1942,
China, A drought in the Henan province took the lives of more than a million people.

1948,
Oct. 5, 1948 - More than 110,000 were killed when a 7.3 quake rolled through the area around Ashgebat in Turkmenistan.

1950, India, Around 30,000 people lost their lives in a quake of 8.6 magnitude in Assam.

1970,
Bangladesh, a cyclone and the resulting floods killed 500,000 people, making it the worst natural disaster of the 20th Century. Packing winds of up to 230 km/h, the cyclone slammed into the heavily populated coastal area, where several river deltas provide fertile land. The strong winds produce massive waves, which deluged entire villages. Millions of people were left homeless.

A single landslide in Peru in 1970 killed more than 18,000 people in the town of Yungay.

1971,
August 1971 - An estimated 100,000 died when heavy rains led to severe flooding around Hanoi in what was then North Vietnam.

1975,
Aug. 5, 1975 - At least 85,000 were killed along the Yangtze River in China when more than 60 dams failed following a series of storms, causing widespread flooding and famine. This disaster was kept secret by the Chinese government for 20 years.(AGAIN!)

1976,
The most devastating earthquake in modern times hit northeast China, measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale, rocked the industrial mining city of Tangshan, almost destroying it completely. A total of 240,000 people died, while another 164,000 were severely injured. Ninety per cent of the buildings were destroyed. It took ten years and massive investment to rebuild the city from the ruins.(Take note of this one! 10 years...)

1978,
Iran, An earthquake measuring 7.7 takes about 25,000 lives.

1980's,
In the early-1980s, No rain fell, rivers and lakes dried up and agriculture was impossible in twenty African nations between 1981 and 1984. The situation was particularly grim in Ethiopia, where a civil war ravaged the country, leaving hunger-stricken civilians to fend for themselves. At the height of the famine, it's estimated that 20,000 children were starving to death each month. In 1984, an estimated 150 million people faced starvation. The situation was brought to the world's attention by a BBC news crew, after which support and donations began to roll in. Unfortunately, it was too late for the hundreds of thousands who had already died.

1983,
Southern Australia, one the worst forest fires in recent times. The fire spread rapidly, ripping through the bush at 160 kilometres per hour, and changed direction without warning. When the fires were finally extinguished, farmers were ruined, 8,500 people were homeless and 71 people were dead.

And one of the worst monsoons in living memory claimed the lives of 10,000 people in Thailand over the course of three months in 1983. Some 100,000 people contracted waterborne diseases as a result of the storm.

1985,
Nov. 13-14, 1985 - At least 25,000 are killed near Armero, Colombia, when the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, triggering mudslides.

1988,
In 1988, an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale devastated Armenia, then a republic of the Soviet Union. The town of Spitak was virtually destroyed and all of its residents killed. In Leninakan, Armenia's second largest city, eighty per cent of the buildings collapsed, and over 100,000 people perished.

1989,
The deadliest tornado in history ripped through Bangladesh on April 26, 1989. Thirteen hundred people died and as many as 50,000 were left homeless.

1990,
Iran, a 7.7 earthquake in northwest Iran killed at least 50,000 people.

1991,
In 1991, China suffered another massive flood. Most of the country was pelted with exceptionally heavy rains. At one point, 40 centimetres fell in two days. Flooding was rampant. The worst of the flooding occurred when Tai Hu, a lake at the mouth of the Yangtze River, engulfed an important industrial and agricultural region. The economic loss was devastating, and the human toll was costly - over 2,000 people died. In one province, a million homes were swept away. Overall, the flood affected the lives of 220 million people.

July 15, 1991 - Mt. Pinatubo on Luzon Island in the Philippines erupted, blanketing 750 square kilometres with volcanic ash. More than 800 died.

Bangladesh, Flooding again took its toll on this nation. About 139,000 lost their lives.

1992,
The most costly hurricane in U.S. history was Andrew. The storm ripped through Florida and Louisiana in 1992 causing $27 billion worth of damage. It killed 58 people.(Again this will change thanks to Katrina)

1993,
"The Storm of the Century" that blasted the eastern United States and Canada in 1993 was unprecedented in size and scale. The collision of a huge mass of Arctic air with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico unleashed a massive snowfall from Florida to Nova Scotia, along with strong, bitter winds, and freezing temperatures. The blizzard paralyzed the eastern U.S., shutting down every major airport, something that had never happened before. The heavy snowfalls caused rooves to collapse and powerlines to fall. The powerful winds battered the coast, sweeping some homes into the sea. When it was finally over the storm had caused $3 billion in damage and 243 people were dead.

1998,
The devastation left by the second-deadliest Western Hemisphere storm may still be fresh in your mind - Hurricane Mitch laid waste to Honduras and Nicaragua in November 1998. It's estimated Mitch killed at least 10,000 people, while leaving two million homeless. Mudslides caused my torrential rains may have buried thousands of more people. Months after, disease and famine were still rampant in the storm's aftermath, as Honduras and Nicaragua struggled to pick up the pieces.

1999,
In December 1999, unseasonably cold, rainy weather, courtesy of La Nina, brought Venezuela one of the worst floods South America has experienced this century. Ten days of torrential rains triggered deadly flash floods and massive mudslides in Venezuela's northern states, where 75 percent of the country's population live. Thousands of homes were swept away and washed-roads hampered rescue efforts drastically. The death toll has been estimated as high as 10,000 or more, and 150,000 are estimated to be homeless.

Turkey, an earthquake struck in Golcuk killing about 17,000 people.

2003,
A 6.3 quake devastated the Iranian city of Bam, killing 26,271, according to official figures.

2004,
Dec. 26, 2004 - A magnitude 9.0 quake struck off the coast of Sumatra, triggering tsunamis that swept through the coastal regions of a dozen countries bordering the Indian Ocean. More than 156,000 died and thousands more are missing.

2005,
New Orleans, USA, Hurricane Katrina, ... we can only guess at this time.

There are two morals to this story:

1: Don't mess with Mother Nature!
2: Mother Nature does not like China!

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