Harper UN Address

He forgot to mention that Canada was a founding member of the UN, that we drafted the UN Human Rights accord. That we pushed for the International Labour Organization and its accords. We created the UN Peacekeeping force. That we helped create the new UN Human Rights commision that has a Canadian in charge.

That historically we saw the UN as a form of international governance promoting a liberal vision of the world after WWII. But of course these are all liberal/social democratic visions.

Promoted by past Liberal governments like those of Pearson and Trudeau. They had a vision for Canada in the World.

Not something our American syncophantic PM would want to admit to. His vision of Canada is being Bucky to Captain America.

His speech appears like it was written by the U.S. State Department. Read it here.
It's war mongering blather full of George Bush sound bites, that makes Canada look like the hand puppet of the U.S.



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Whose Energy?

Harper reminded an American business audience that Canada is an "emerging energy superpower" with vast oil, gas, hydro and uranium supplies. Canada's mutual security and trade interests with the U.S., our healthy economy and our shared values make Canada an indispensable ally, he told the Economic Club of New York.
Canada an emerging energy superpower: Harper

Uh huh whose energy? Its Alberta's. We supply Canada with 70% of its oil and 80% of its natural gas.

Imagine the howls of protest from the provincial PC's and their Federal Party if a Liberal PM had said this. Why comments like that smack of the NEP...

I await the PC leadership candidates like Ted Moron and the Link Byfields , the Sun editorial board, the Western Slander and the other Alberta Seperatists spewing of outrage over the pretensions of the federal government to speak about our energy.

Still waiting....waiting....hmmmm waiting....yep waiting....


But of course he is Alberta's PM. So the usual rightwing provincial rights advocates will excuse this federal incursion as being PR for the province.
Because after all the provincial right whingers are Harpocrites.

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Harper

Energy


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Democrats Divided On Chavez Speech

The Democrats being liberals that they are, not a socialist amongst them of course, are divided over Chavez calling Bush the Devil...Charlie Rangel on CNN blasted Chavez who visited his Harlem riding, saying that Chavez insulted "My President". Rangel: Only Americans Can Criticize Bush

"You don't come into my country; you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president," Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, scolded Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Gee Charlie maybe if your President would quit claiming to speak for the Free World, and the American media would quit refering to your Presidential elections as being the election of the Leader of the Free World then maybe you could say that. And by the way the UN is not America, it be on American soil but it is neutral territory.

Democratic House Leader Pelosi also on CNN said basically the same thing, my President right or wrong. But then she went on to show she was as much a tough guy as any Republican when it came to international relations....House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, was blunt in her criticism of the Venezuelan leader. "He is an everyday thug," she said.

However at least one Democrat got what Chavez was saying.....

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, a democrat, today defended Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's United Nations speech in which Chavez called President George Bush the devil. Harkin said the comments were "incendiary", then went on to say, "Let me put it this way, I can understand the frustration, ah, and the anger of certain people around the world because of George Bush's policies." Harkin continued what has been frequent criticism of the president's foreign policy.

And at least the Left in America gets it even if the Democratic leadership doesn't.

The South American leader spoke at Cooper Union last night before a packed audience including professors and union organizers. Chavez proclaimed himself "a friend" of the people of the United States, but said he hopes next time, they'll choose, in his words, an "intelligent president." He got the standing ovation for comments accusing Bush of committing genocide in Iraq.

Hey he is expressing the wishes of the majority of Americans something that the Democrats have failed to do because of course they are Imperialists who have a fetish for the Presidency right or wrong. And despite the superficial differences with the Republicans their President declared war on Serbia and restricted civil liberties after the Oklahoma bombing.

The Americans lack a left wing party like the NDP in Canada who at least has the guts to call for our immediate withdrawl of troops out of Afghanistan, something the Democrats have failed to do and will not do when it comes to Iraq. Because they are part of the Imperial establishment, after all its their Empire too.

SEE:

Chavez

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Chavez Book Tour

Read This Book.....

Is this guy brilliant or what....he starts his speech promoting Chomsky, exhorting the UN delegates to read this book and just keeps on pushing Chomsky on the press....forget Bush is the Devil....the headlines should have been...Read Chomsky.
The result is....

Chavez UN speech bumps Chomsky book up bestseller lists

The U.N. address by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has had an unexpected impact — on the best seller lists of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

As of Thursday afternoon, "Hegemony or Survival," originally published in 2003, had jumped into the top 10 of Amazon, where it was ranked 20,664 the day before, and Barnes & Noble.com, from a previous ranking of 748.

At the start of his talk Wednesday, during which Chavez referred to President Bush as "the devil," Chavez held up a book by Noam Chomsky, "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance," and recommended it to everyone in the General Assembly, as well as to the American people.

"The people of the United States should read this ... instead of the watching Superman movies," Chavez later told reporters.

Cheeky very cheeky.

"Representatives of the governments of the world, good morning to all of you. First of all, I would like to invite you, very respectfully, to those who have not read this book, to read it. Noam Chomsky, one of the most prestigious American and world intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, and this is one of his most recent books, 'Hegemony or Survival: The Imperialist Strategy of the United States.'" [Holds up book, waves it in front of General Assembly.]

"It's an excellent book to help us understand what has been happening in the world throughout the 20th century, and what's happening now, and the greatest threat looming over our planet. The hegemonic pretensions of the American empire are placing at risk the very survival of the human species. We continue to warn you about this danger and we appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our heads. I had considered reading from this book, but, for the sake of time," [flips through the pages, which are numerous] "I will just leave it as a recommendation

I can see it now the Chavez bookclub replaces Oprah.

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Chavez

Chomsky


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Pakistan Enabling the Taliban

As reported here before the key to the Taliban expansion into Afghanistan has been the dictatorship of Musharraf in Pakistan. First making a peace treaty with the Northern tribes and the Taliban then invading Balochistan. That province which happens to border on Kandahar province in Afghanistan.

Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan

Reliance on the Pashtun religious parties to counter its Baloch opposition has strengthened Pashtun Islamist forces at the cost of the moderate Baloch. With their chief Pakistani patron, Fazlur Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam running the Balochistan government in alliance with Musharraf’s Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam), a reinvigorated Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are attacking international forces and the Kabul government across Balochistan’s border with Afghanistan. But the international community, particularly the U.S. and its Western allies, seem to ignore the domestic and regional implications of the Balochistan conflict, instead placing their faith in a military government that is targeting the anti-Taliban Baloch and Pashtuns and rewarding pro-Taliban Pashtun parties.


Also See:

Afghanistan

War






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Crusader for the Pope

Uh oh that wacky Pat Robertson is at it again. This time he is helping out his friend the Pope. With friends like these.....

From the September 19 edition of the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club:

ROBERTSON: When somebody gives the clear, historic record and just says, "Let's have a dialogue," that person is set up for death. And now we understand the leaders of Al Qaeda are calling for a holy war between Islam and Christianity. It's going to come, ladies and gentlemen, and I hope that those of you who care about this pope will support him. He's a wonderful man.

Yep while the Pope tries to soothe the waters Pat just has to stir them up. He really really wants a crusade in the holy land to invoke the rapture.

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The Secret to a long life

World's oldest people live in Japan owing to seaweed, smoking and rice vodka

Hey I do all those, but I think the seaweed is over-rated and so is rice vodka, I prefer mine made from rye or potato. Though I hear beet vodka is the new hot thing. Any vodka as long as its very very cold. Going for another puff now.



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Smoking


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Airships Time Has Come

While nuclear power generation of steam processing for the Tar Sands is in the news off and on again, one of the other wonderful wacky ideas the Lougheed government in Alberta considered in the late 1970's and early 1980's was the use of Airships for heavy lift operations in the Tar sands.

The plans included airships with extra lift for carrying HD equipment, the extra lift provided by attached helicopters.

It turns out to be not so wacky and idea. Airships are an excellent energy efficient and sustainable form of transportation. The dangers posed in the past have been overcome.

But the Hindenberg incident doomed them to the pages of science fiction, from Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to Michael Moorcock, for the last sixty years.

The Hindenburg Revisited

Everyone knows that the Hindenburg burned and crashed because it was full of hydrogen. According to Addison Bain, everyone is wrong.

But no longer a report on sustainable transportation in the arctic published last year suggests that Airships need to be seriously considered for Northern development. Furhermore airship development for the north is being taken seriously as a form of sustainable energy efficient transportation see the links below to conferences and studies.

A Zepplin first transversed the Arctic in 1931 in a successful mission. Italy and and Russia also experimented with ariships in the Arctic prior to WWII.

The 1931 Polar Flight of the Airship Graf Zeppelin

An Historical Perspective

With todays technology and designs lighter than air aircraft need to be considered for doing the heavy lifting that other petroleum based forms of transportation can't because of costs.

The International Pipeline and Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA) is giving serious consideration to this idea that was once bounced around the Lougheed cabinet. Ah those were the days when the Alberta Advantage was our imagination and enthusiasm for the future.



Examines the political, commercial and personal stories that lie behind airship flights within the Arctic Circle. This book goes far beyond a description of the flights themselves, however fascinating and adventuresome they may have been in their own right. From the first lighter-than-air ascent in the Arctic in 1799 to the flight of the 'Graf Zeppelin' in 1931, it examines some of the early plans and endeavours. 10 maps. Diagrams. 177 b/w illustrations/photos. 312 pages. Hardback

Big balloons prescribed as cheap cure for what ails Nunavut

It’s all up in the air

Prof pitches scheme to test airships in Arctic

Airship industry seeks wider acceptance

21st Century Airships - The future of flight

Airships to the Arctic

University of Manitoba 2003 Airships to the Arctic Symposium II

Airships to the Arctic III

The Mobilus Initiative: Creating A New Component of the US Aerospace Industry Centered Upon Transport Airships

Cargo Airships: Applications in Manitoba and the Arctic

A CASE FOR AIRSHIPS IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC
Exploration, movement of heavy
bulky equipment, basic research, environmental
and resource management, and sovereignty
issues require transportation that
is cost effective (reduces the high cost of
caching fuel), can move slowly over the
landscape (oceanographic measurements,
geological and geophysical surveys, global
change surveys and wildlife census), has
minimal environmental impact, is highly
visible, and uses a vehicle that can move
easily over rough ice, water and land.
Given the scenarios outlined above it
is clear that other transportation options
need to be considered. One of these is the use
of airships. There are many skeptics concerning
use of airships but most people
agree that airships are light on infrastructure
(the airships are the infrastructure),
require little maintenance, and use comparatively
little fuel. Some of the uneasiness
with airships comes from the perception
that they are unsafe, primarily based on the
image of the burning Hindenburg and the
use of hydrogen.
This article presents a historical perspective
on arctic exploration using airships,
some past and current technologies relating
to airships, and a brief review of comparative
cost of operations. We also discuss the
potential benefits of airships to environmental
research and natural resource management
in the Arctic, and evaluate northern
weather patterns as they relate to airship
operations, as this is a consistent concern of
those who question their use under the
“harsh” arctic conditions.



The Mackenzie Valley Highway: Should it be Completed? If so, How Should It Be Funded

The first part of this paper will examine whether the Mackenzie Valley Highway project
is economically justified. Estimates of construction and annual maintenance costs are available.
In assessing the benefits from quicker and cheaper transport, account will be taken of an
alternative highway route, the Dempster Highway. Consideration will also be given to anemerging technology, airships, which in the near-to-medium future may become a viable alternative for the transport of consumer goods and commercial freight to Northern communities and development sites.

Full Proposals for IPY 2007-2008 Activities
Click for printer friendly version Proposed IPY Activity Details

1.0 PROPOSER INFORMATION

(Activity ID No: 324)

1.1 Title of Activity
The use of airships to study aquatic (marine and freshwater) and terrestrial ecosystems, visually and through the collection of samples across large sections of the Arctic

The key objectives are to test 1) airships as an alternate scientific vehicle, with a low environmental impact, by developing a series of ecological transects across the Canadian Arctic, 2) airships as a mobile transport infrastructure for short term flights such as caching scientific supplies, dropping off and picking up research crews in isolated areas, accessing hunting areas and testing scientific equipment (geophysical and oceanography). Furthermore greenhouse emissions will be documented and data will be collected on weather and air/water/soil/tree samples collected along the transects. Airships will also be used at sea ice break-up and during the spring hunt in the vicinity of Iqaluit. Of particular interest will be an assessment of the impacts, if any, on the movement of mammals and birds and the ability to improve census methods and 3) determine if airships could have a role in mitigating some of the effects of a warming Arctic.
The airship will originate from Yellowknife and key activity areas will be around Inuvik and Iqaluit. The Inuvik Research Centre and Nunavut Research Institute (Iqaluit) are major research partners in the proposal. ETAA plans several ecological transects from Yellowknife to Inuvik, Yellowknife to Iqaluit via Rankin Inlet. A transect is planned along the north slope of Alaska to Barrow and back across the Beaufort Sea in conjunction with the Canadian coast guard vessel (Nahidik). Additional activities will occur in the vicinity of Inuvik (transects over the Mackenzie River delta) and Iqaluit (test equipment, move supplies and move hunters during the spring hunt at the ice edge). The period of operation will be about 6 months over 2 years with most activity during the summer months. Arctic weather has often been considered a limitation for airship operation in the Arctic. A recent evaluation of weather patterns in the Canadian Arctic indicates that airships could operate much of the year in the Canadian Arctic because weather does not appear to be limiting.

The Transportation Context
Airships could form an integral part of sustainable passenger and freight transport.
The majority of new concepts for medium and large airships rely on rigid structures for
providing a maximum payload capacity, safety and efficiency. Airships cruise at a low
altitude (1000 - 2000m) which helps avoid interference with other modes. They require
little ground infrastructure and could link to other transport modes.
“Air crane” concept
The Dutch CargoLifter AG “CL160” is an example of a large semi-rigid freight
airship for point-to-point delivery of heavy and bulky loads – “air crane” concept. With
a payload capacity of 160 tons and a range of 10,000km this offers an option for
transport of bulky goods which might otherwise require bridges to be temporarily
removed or loads to be disassembled and reassembled. The first full scale prototype is
to fly in summer 2001. Larger airships targeting unique market segments like bulky and
heavy freight transport will require innovative solutions addressing logistic aspects of
this concept. There are other developments in Russia and the US.

Lovin' Hydrogen
Maverick energy guru Amory Lovins says a profitable, pollution-free hydrogen economy is just over the horizon. It's merely a matter of taming the most powerful gas on the planet
DISCOVER Vol. 22 No. 11 (November 2001)

The Hydrogen Economy
By Jeremy Rifkin
After Oil, Clean Energy From a Fuel-Cell-Driven Global Hydrogen Web

The Home Page for Lighter-Than-Air Craft

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He Shoots

He scores....Domi dating Stronach

It seems that Belinda has traded one right winger in for another.

Good news for Hillary, that Stronach is out of contention for Bills wayward glances.



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Quack, Quack, Moo, Moo, Bang, Bang

Here is the Harpocrites messaging on the Long Gun Registry that has not changed since the election, nor since this summer. Despite the recent shooting in Montreal it continues to be the message from the government and their media syncophants.

The Conservatives made themselves the champions of decent law-abiding long gun owners like farmers and duck hunters

"Duck-hunters, farmers and law-abiding gun owners do not pose a threat to Canadians, criminals do,"

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said.

Our Government believes that enforcement should be focused on criminals who use guns, not law-abiding long-gun owners like farmers and duck hunters.

Justice Minister Vic Toews

Can’t define madness

That fight — the battle to ban the assault weapon that allowed Marc Lepine to murder his 14 victims in the blink of an eye — was a torturous fiasco, no matter which “side” you took.

The initial impulse, from traumatized students, from grieving families, from concerned Canadians everywhere, was just to do something to prevent dangerous characters from getting their hands on deadly weapons and ammo so easily.

But it somehow morphed into a billion-dollar registry that threatened to turn duck hunters and farmers into criminals — wasteful nonsense that neither satisfied nor protected anyone.

Shootings don’t vindicate gun registry

Some nut-bar with an illegal, automatic weapon opens fire on students at the downtown college, and supporters of the registry suggest it’s proof we need to keep forcing duck hunters and farmers to register their rifles and shotguns.

The message is clear duck hunters and farmers are the Tories electoral base. Not urban Canadians.

According to the 2001 Census there were 313,000 farmers in Canada, a population in decline.

And there is a severe decline in duckhunters in Canada.

In little more than a couple decades, two of every three duck hunters in Canada have vanished and the free- fall in numbers shows no sign of slowing. Sales of Migratory Bird Hunting Permits in Canada rose from 380,059 in 1966, peaking at 524,946 in 1978, before starting a long ride down to 197,584 in 1999. The outlook for the Canadian waterfowl hunting heritage is bleak. Hugh Boyd, Scientist Emeritus with the Canadian Wildlife Service has used population projections from Statistics Canada, and trends in permit sales to predict the number of waterfowl hunters in the future. His figures show that the number of duck hunters will continue to decline from 1999 levels, by 17% in the next two years, 49% in 7 years and by 64% over the next 10 years. Boyd also considered the influence of age in the trends. He found that the sharpest drops were occurring in the 15 to 24 year old age class, followed by 25 to 34 year olds. Projected permit sales for the 2001 season in these age classes are 14,100 and 19,700 respectively. There are zero sales of migratory bird hunting permits projected for persons under 35 years of age in 2006.

So this is who the Tories are courting with their pandering to get rid of the Long Gun registry, a disappearing population of less than a half million voters. Now I would call that a special interest group. Good luck in getting a majority next election.

See:

Gun Registry

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