Air Canada Screws Workers, Again

So much for all those worker claw backs in wages, benefits, pension funds, and give backs that allowed Robert Milton to get privatized Air Canada out of bankruptcy. Now that it is making a profit, and has for two years, well time to cut Canadian jobs to make even more filthy lucre.

Air Canada looking to move 700 jobs

The subsidiary of Air Canada does maintenance work for the airline, and 100 other customers. The airline is expected to transfer the work to a newly-purchased firm in El Salvador, where labour costs are cheaper.

Proving once again that when unions concession bargain they screw their members forever.

See

All That Jazz

Criminal Capitalism-WestJet

Globalization=Contracting Out

Privatization Canada's National Rail Disaster

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Star Dust Dreaming

Variable star V838 Monocerotis lies near the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, about 20,000 light-years from our sun. Still, ever since a sudden outburst was detected in January 2002, this enigmatic star has taken the center of an astronomical stage. As astronomers watch, light from the outburst echoes across pre-existing dust shells around V838 Mon, progressively illuminating ever more distant regions.

See

Space

NASA

Hubble


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Happy Burns Day

Radical Robbie Burns, Peoples Poet

A'hae toast ya laddie with a wee dram.

And one of my favorite of his poems; which was used in the original Wickerman.





The Rigs O' Barley
1783
Type: Song
Tune: Corn Rigs are bonie.

It was upon a Lammas night,
When corn rigs are bonie,
Beneath the moon's unclouded light,
I held awa to Annie;
The time flew by, wi' tentless heed,
Till, 'tween the late and early,
Wi' sma' persuasion she agreed
To see me thro' the barley.

Corn rigs, an' barley rigs,
An' corn rigs are bonie:
I'll ne'er forget that happy night,
Amang the rigs wi' Annie.

The sky was blue, the wind was still,
The moon was shining clearly;
I set her down, wi' right good will,
Amang the rigs o' barley:
I ken't her heart was a' my ain;
I lov'd her most sincerely;

I kiss'd her owre and owre again,
Amang the rigs o' barley.
Corn rigs, an' barley rigs, &c.

I lock'd her in my fond embrace;
Her heart was beating rarely:
My blessings on that happy place,
Amang the rigs o' barley!
But by the moon and stars so bright,
That shone that hour so clearly!
She aye shall bless that happy night
Amang the rigs o' barley.
Corn rigs, an' barley rigs, &c.

I hae been blythe wi' comrades dear;
I hae been merry drinking;
I hae been joyfu' gath'rin gear;
I hae been happy thinking:
But a' the pleasures e'er I saw,
Tho' three times doubl'd fairly,
That happy night was worth them a',
Amang the rigs o' barley.
Corn rigs, an' barley rigs, &c.

Burns is very much embraced by the men of the establishment and the movers and shakers in the communtiy. With their expensive and exclusive Burns night celebrations, one can be forgiven for thinking that Burns was one of them. Which he was not. A rebel he was and he remains.

No Churchman Am I
1782
Type: Song
Tune: Prepare, my dear Brethren, to the tavern let's fly.

No churchman am I for to rail and to write,
No statesman nor soldier to plot or to fight,
No sly man of business contriving a snare,
For a big-belly'd bottle's the whole of my care.

The peer I don't envy, I give him his bow;
I scorn not the peasant, though ever so low;
But a club of good fellows, like those that are here,
And a bottle like this, are my glory and care.

Here passes the squire on his brother-his horse;
There centum per centum, the cit with his purse;
But see you the Crown how it waves in the air?
There a big-belly'd bottle still eases my care.

The wife of my bosom, alas! she did die;
for sweet consolation to church I did fly;
I found that old Solomon proved it fair,
That a big-belly'd bottle's a cure for all care.

I once was persuaded a venture to make;
A letter inform'd me that all was to wreck;
But the pursy old landlord just waddl'd upstairs,
With a glorious bottle that ended my cares.

"Life's cares they are comforts"-a maxim laid down
By the Bard, what d'ye call him, that wore the black gown;
And faith I agree with th' old prig to a hair,
For a big-belly'd bottle's a heav'n of a care.

And speaking of drinking he wrote this pagan paen of John Barleycorn, the sacrificial god of the fields, which became a big hit for the band Traffic as well.

John Barleycorn: A Ballad
1782
Type: Poem

There was three kings into the east,
Three kings both great and high,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn should die.

They took a plough and plough'd him down,
Put clods upon his head,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn was dead.

But the cheerful Spring came kindly on,
And show'rs began to fall;
John Barleycorn got up again,
And sore surpris'd them all.

The sultry suns of Summer came,
And he grew thick and strong;
His head weel arm'd wi' pointed spears,
That no one should him wrong.

The sober Autumn enter'd mild,
When he grew wan and pale;
His bending joints and drooping head
Show'd he began to fail.

His colour sicken'd more and more,
He faded into age;
And then his enemies began
To show their deadly rage.

They've taen a weapon, long and sharp,
And cut him by the knee;
Then tied him fast upon a cart,
Like a rogue for forgerie.

They laid him down upon his back,
And cudgell'd him full sore;
They hung him up before the storm,
And turned him o'er and o'er.

They filled up a darksome pit
With water to the brim;
They heaved in John Barleycorn,
There let him sink or swim.

They laid him out upon the floor,
To work him farther woe;
And still, as signs of life appear'd,
They toss'd him to and fro.

They wasted, o'er a scorching flame,
The marrow of his bones;
But a miller us'd him worst of all,
For he crush'd him between two stones.

And they hae taen his very heart's blood,
And drank it round and round;
And still the more and more they drank,
Their joy did more abound.

John Barleycorn was a hero bold,
Of noble enterprise;
For if you do but taste his blood,
'Twill make your courage rise.

'Twill make a man forget his woe;
'Twill heighten all his joy;
'Twill make the widow's heart to sing,
Tho' the tear were in her eye.

Then let us toast John Barleycorn,
Each man a glass in hand;
And may his great posterity
Ne'er fail in old Scotland

And he was outspoken on the social issue of his day;

The Slave's Lament
1792
Type: Poem

It was in sweet Senegal that my foes did me enthral,
For the lands of Virginia,-ginia, O:
Torn from that lovely shore, and must never see it more;
And alas! I am weary, weary O:
Torn from that lovely shore, and must never see it more;
And alas! I am weary, weary O.

All on that charming coast is no bitter snow and frost,
Like the lands of Virginia,-ginia, O:
There streams for ever flow, and there flowers for ever blow,
And alas! I am weary, weary O:
There streams for ever flow, and there flowers for ever blow,
And alas! I am weary, weary O:

The burden I must bear, while the cruel scourge I fear,
In the lands of Virginia,-ginia, O;
And I think on friends most dear, with the bitter, bitter tear,
And alas! I am weary, weary O:
And I think on friends most dear, with the bitter, bitter tear,
And alas! I am weary, weary O:

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Just Sign Here

Accidental Deliberations asks a pertinent question about a new Contiental Energy Plan to be done for the Fraser Institute by former premiers Ralph Klein and Brian Tobin;

"whether the report has been completed and ready for the authors' signatures from the moment they agreed to lend their names to the Fraser cause."

After all Klein already got a university degree through plagarism, so we know he will sign his name to anything. And he is the Fraser Institutes Golden Boy.




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Rodent Discovered in 1999 Makes News Today

The news reports state that this is a new discovery, impying recent, as in this year or late last year. Yet this little fella was first discovered in 1999. Not to recent. Lets see counting on my fingers that is eight years ago. And it is only making headlines today.

A strikingly unusual animal was recently discovered in the cloud-forests of Peru. The large rodent is about the size of a squirrel and looks a bit like one, except its closest relatives are spiny rats.

This illustration depicts Isothrix barbarabrownae, a newly discovered species of Neotropical rodent, in its arboreal habitat. The strikingly unusual animal has long dense fur, a broad blocky head, thickly furred tail and a blackish crest of fur on the crown, nape and shoulders. It is about the size of a squirrel. (Credit: Illustration by Nancy Halliday, Courtesy of The Field Museum)

Isothrix barbarabrownae, as the new species has been named, is described in the current issue of Mastozoología Neotropical (Neotropical mammalogy), the principal mammalogy journal of South America. A color illustration of the bushy rodent graces the cover of the journal.

The authors of the study found the rodent in 1999 while conducting field research in Peru's Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve Mountains in Southern Peru along the eastern slope of the Andes. Extending from lowland tropical forests in the Amazon Basin to open grasslands above the Andean tree line, Manu is home to more species of mammals and birds than any equivalently sized area in the world.

This is not the only ancient rodent recently discovered. In fact they are bursting out all over the world. And this may not be a new animal at all but another case of a living fossil.

See

Living Fossil

They Walk Among Us

Blonde Lobster, No Joke

Lost and Found

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Van Helsing I Presume

It seems that the fictional character Van Helsing had a historical basis in fact. According to this photo essay from Pravda. Not a wooden stake amongst all the items. Apparently this kit first appeared on Ebay last year.

Van Helsing's 19th century anti-vampire kit

01/25/2007

Photo-report (6 photos)



And along with the Movie don't forget the rock opera; Van Helsing's Curse
and the horror pastiche The Many Faces of Van Helsing;
and of course the comic; Tomb of Dracula.

See:

Vampire

Gothic Capitalism Redux

Pope Embraces Orthodox Church

Goth


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Virgin Birth Announced

Scientists hail Komodo dragon's virgin birth

Oh were you expecting something else?

Like maybe about some Man-God and his mother.



And it was orginally expected for her to give birth at Christmas....oh well a month late.....

It is as if Dr Ian Malcolm from Steven Spielberg’s cult classic Jurassic Park has been vindicated.

His statement ‘Life always finds a way’ rings true today as Flora, the virgin komodo dragon prepares to give birth to little dragons in the Chester Zoo, United Kingdom. Seven baby komodo dragons are due this festive season. So what is so special about the birth of these little ones? Flora conceived them without any male help.

Other reptile species produce asexually in a process known as parthenogenesis. But Flora’s virginal conception and that of another komodo dragon earlier this year at the London Zoo, are the first times it has been documented in a komodo dragon. The reptiles, renowned for their intelligence, are native to Indonesia. They are the world’s largest lizards and have no natural predators – making them survive at par with snakes and lions at the pinnacle of the animal kingdom.

The cases of Flora and the London lizard, Sungai, are described in a paper published in the magazine Nature.

Parthenogenesis is a process in which eggs become embryos without male fertilization. It has been seen in about 70 species, including snakes and lizards. Scientists are unsure about whether female komodo dragons have always had this latent ability to reproduce or if this is a new evolutionary development.

See

Snakes Alive

Virgin

Animals


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Dion Back Tracks On Afghanistan

It was only a month ago, when Stephane Dion running for Leadership of the Liberal Party declared he opposed the use of Canadian Troops to fight in Kandahar.

Today, well he would like to know more about the Afghanistan Mission, gee maybe he should check his cabinet notes, since it was the Liberals who sent them.

Meanwhile his second in command the warmonger Iggy says;

when asked if he could contemplate any circumstance in which Liberals would call for the withdrawal of Canadian troops.

"I can't see any,'' Ignatieff told reporters.

He said there is "absolutely clear water'' between the Liberal and NDP positions.

"Our position is we support the mission, we support the troops but we have very strong questions about the way the mission is being handled and managed.''

Gee thats not what Gerard Kennedy said during that same leadership race.

Liberal Leadership Rivals On Afghanistan

Yep "clear water", clear as mud. Turpitude continues to swirl around the issue of Afghanistan for the government, her majesty's loyal opposition and the BQ.

The NDP remains the only party consistant on their position of the Harpocrites War.


See:

Liberal Leadership Race

Afghanistan






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Prehistoric Bi-Plane

There are no new ideas, just old meme's.

125 million years before Kitty Hawk there was Microraptor gui
iTWire - 23 Jan 2007
By Stan Beer. A small winged dinosaur called Microraptor gui may well have been nature's predecessor of the famous flight of Wilbur and Orville Wright at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
Fossil sheds new light on evolution of flight Houston Chronicle
Dinosaur may have resembled the biplaneSeattle Post Intelligencer




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Dinosaurs

Fossils


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STFU

I guess the Harpocrite honeymoon with the White House is officially over.

American Ambassador David Wilkins is slamming Canada's efforts to have Maher Arar removed from a U.S. security watch list.

Mr. Wilkins says it's “a little presumptuous” for Mr. Day to say “who the United States can and cannot allow into” their country.

Memo to US Amabasador David Wilkins;

When a suit is before the courts and it involves the government which you represent one normally says;

" I am sorry I cannot comment, this matter is before the courts."

Please take note and STFU.



See

Arar



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