Prove You Are Gay

File this under Catch 22. You are only gay if you can prove you have had gay sex. Unless you have had gay sex you are not gay.

Wait a minute what about heterosexuals who are celibate or abstain till marriage. How do we know they are really straight?

Only someone from Brokeback Alberta, homophobic home to closeted cowboys, could come up with this logic.

"The (refugee) judge just didn't think I was gay enough and I didn't qualify to be gay."

IRB adjudicator Deborah Lamont, who heard the case from Calgary via videoconference, questioned his lack of same-sex relationships while he lived in the U.S.

"I found the claimant's many explanations unsatisfactory for why he chose not to pursue same-sex relationships in the U.S. as he alleged it was his intention to do so and he wanted to do so," she wrote in her decision.

Instead, she concluded: "...he is not a homosexual... and fabricated the sexual orientation component to support a non-existent claim for protection in Canada."

Gee and how was he supposed to PROVE he had gay sex.

And if he did would it end up on Fox News; Boys willingly submitted to rape according to O’Reilly

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Pachyderm Liberation

No sooner do they get criticized for the prison conditions that they keep elephants in, than the Edmonton Zoo folks tell us all is well.

Except it ain't. Last fall one of the elephants injured her trunk on the fence at the zoo. The zoo enclosure is too small and what the heck are we doing keeping tropical animals in a boreal region in an outdoors Zoo.

And this is the same reactionary defense of the indefensible, that Zoo Check got when they denounced West Edmonton Mall for their enclosure and imprisonment of Dolphins,all died except Howard who was secretly shipped out in the middle of the night.

Zoocheck Canada, a Toronto-based animal rights group, says Edmonton’s cold climate and small zoo enclosure are making the zoo’s two elephants, Lucy and Samantha, sick, stressed and bored.

Spokesman Julie Woodyer said today that renowned African elephant expert Winnie Kiiru, project manager of the Amboseli Human-Elephant Conflict Project in Kenya, visited several Canadian zoos last fall and determined that the climate is too cold and enclosures too compact at many facilities in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

“After reviewing all of the elephant enclosures in Canadian zoos, it is my opinion that the Edmonton Valley Zoo is the worst at this time,” Kiiru said in her report, released last month.

“The climate in Edmonton is completely inappropriate for elephants.”

In her conclusion, she recommends that the “City of Edmonton take immediate action to move Lucy and Samantha to a sanctuary that can provide them with a more appropriate physical and social environment and to close the elephant exhibit at this zoo.”

And it's not just Edmonton, Zoo Check has criticized the famous Calgary Zoo for elephant breeding.

Female elephants are matriarchal social animals, needing to be in a group, which is not what occurs in Zoo's or circuses.

Elephants live in a very structured social order. The social lives of male and female elephants are very different. The females spend their entire lives in tightly knit family groups made up of mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts. These groups are led by the eldest female, or matriarch. Adult males, on the other hand, live mostly solitary lives.

The social circle of the female elephant does not end with the small family unit. In addition to encountering the local males that live on the fringes of one or more groups, the female's life also involves interaction with other families, clans, and subpopulations. Most immediate family groups range from five to fifteen adults, as well as a number of immature males and females. When a group gets too big, a few of the elder daughters will break off and form their own small group. They remain very aware of which local herds are relatives and which are not.

Elephants are also self aware, that is they have the ability to think and communicate. Thus it is unconscionable to keep them imprisoned and neither Zoo can defend its actions as being good for the animals, the species, or science.

From a study reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an Asian elephant housed at the Bronx Zoo in New York, repeatedly touched a white cross painted above its eye, when it saw this mark reflected in a large mirror. Another mark made on the forehead in colourless paint, was ignored, showing that it was not the smell or feeling which caused the interest. Elephants are among the very small number of species such as the great apes and Bottlenose Dolphins capable of self-recognition.

Elephants in Zoos and Circuses in North America are the direct result of the Slave Trade and are the last vestige of that original Atlantic trade that brought Africa to the attention of North America's colonizers.

The Geography Of The Atlantic Slave Trade

"Chart of the Sea Coasts of Europe, Africa, and America . . ." From John Thornton, The Atlas Maritimus of the Sea Atlas. London, ca. 1700. Geography and Map Division. (1-11)

This map's elaborate cartouche (drawing), embellished with an elephant and two Africans, one holding an elephant tusk, emphasizes the pivotal role of Africa in the Atlantic trading network. The South Atlantic trade network involved several international routes. The best known of the triangular trades included the transportation of manufactured goods from Europe to Africa, where they were traded for slaves. Slaves were then transported across the Atlantic--the infamous middle passage--primarily to Brazil and the Caribbean, where they were sold. The final leg of this triangular trade brought tropical products to Europe. In another variation, manufactured goods from colonial America were taken to West Africa; slaves were carried to the Caribbean and Southern colonies; and sugar, molasses and other goods were returned to the home ports.

19th Century European Zoo's contained not just Elephants and other African flora and fauna, but Africans as well. Today we keep Elephants in their place. And our attitudes towards Elephants, as well as other species, as being self aware and cognitive is the same as it was towards indigenous peoples.

A Human zoo (also called "ethnological expositions" or "Negro Villages") was a 19th and 20th century public exhibit of human beings usually in their natural or "primitive" state. These displays usually emphasized the cultural differences between indigenous and traditional peoples and Western publics. Ethnographic zoos were often predicated on unilinealism, scientific racism, and a version of Social Darwinism. A number of them placed indigenous people (particularly Africans) in a continuum somewhere between the great apes and human beings of European descent

Entrepreneur William Reynolds, who billed the city as The Riviera of the East, had a herd of elephants march in from his Dreamland on Coney Island in about 1907, ostensibly to help build the boardwalk, but in reality to generate publicity. (Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society)

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Halloween Election?

So much for Ontario's historic first "fixed" election date.
Premier Dalton McGuinty's government has switched the much-ballyhooed Oct. 4 provincial election to Oct. 10 because of a conflict with the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret. With the change, this year's election will fall on a Wednesday, instead of a Thursday, the traditional day for votes in Ontario. Democratic Renewal Minister Marie Bountrogianni said that's because Ontario's chief election officer, John Hollins, was concerned Oct. 11 might infringe on that week's Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "The Jewish holiday pre-dates Dalton McGuinty's legislation. You think they would have figured this out from the beginning. This is incompetence."Hudak said, noting the holiday concern has been raised for two years.

Oh heck hold it on Halloween.

I am sure most pagans wouldn't mind, and besides it would be appropriate.

After all politicians are masters of disguising their true intentions.

And like ghosts and goblins they go door to door seeking to trick or treat.

And it is a celebration of ancestor worship and the dead, oh sorry that's the Senate.



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Spring Romance?

Condi is coming back to visit with Peter.

It will be a week after Valentines day, but it's the thought that counts.

After all he chased after her through out the middle east last month. And virtually repeated what she said word for word.

They are like peas in a pod when it comes to their Foreign Affairs in the Middle East. And when they have disputes she smooths them over for him.

So will there be another candle light dinner a visit to Peters bachelor pad in Ottawa and then a morning stop at Timmies like the last time she visited?

A tip o' the blog to audacious ontology

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Peter Heart Condi

Love and the Whole World Loves With You

Peter MacKay

Cougar


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Mad Bull

BSE confirmed in Alberta bull BSE case #9.

Again from Alberta; preliminary findings suggest the bull was born and raised in Alberta.

Which is because of this;The Real Story of Alberta's BSE Crisis



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The Truth About the Farm Crisis



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Anti-Intellectual Tories

Remember this; "There's been a lot of research," Oda says. "So when you look at millions of dollars that has gone to studying, we believe that now is the time to start doing something about the facts that we know."

Well its the same argument John Baird used in the House yesterday justifying cuts to environmental research in Canada.

Northern Climate Exchange

Hon. Larry Bagnell (Yukon, Lib.):

Mr. Speaker, the greatest impact of climate change in the world is on Canada's Arctic.

The Conservatives have claimed they are now finally concerned about the impacts of climate change, but on March 31 the government will close the Northern Climate Exchange which does important tracking and research both nationally and internationally. Why is the government again turning its back on the north?

There is still time for the minister to reverse his ridiculous decision. Will he commit to do that today?

Hon. John Baird (Minister of the Environment, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, the government recognizes the importance to act on greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is having a huge effect not just on Canada, but particularly in our Arctic.

However, this government believes that the time has finished to talk about things, to study things, to reach into promoting things. The time has come to act. That is why this government is taking real action on climate change reduction. We introduced equal energy initiatives, more energy efficiency and more clean energy.

The Reform/Alliance/Conservative party has always had a bee in its bonnet about academic research, along with their pals in the National Citizens Coalition (NCC), Harpers former employer.

When they were in opposition MP John Williams published an annual review of government waste, which often focused on humanities research grants to academics.

And now they are the New Government in Canada they refuse to fund academic research that conflicts with their social conservative agenda.

When the Tories take 'action' it results in cuts to vital ongoing research.

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Correction Child Care For Seniors

A correction on my post yesterday about Child Care and Seniors here is what Harper actually said;

Right Hon. Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition knows, the government has been investing in areas of core federal responsibility like national defence, international trade, security and direct assistance for Canadian families.

On the other hand, it is interesting to note what the Leader of the Opposition wants to do. He wants to kill pension income splitting for seniors. He wants to repeal our tax cuts, including the GST cut. He votes against anti-crime legislation. He wants to take away the child care benefit from seniors, to scrap the softwood lumber agreement, to rip up military contracts and all the benefits to Canadian firms in all regions. We do not want to go back.

Apparently in Harpers New Canada only seniors are having children. Wow biotechnology sure has come a long ways.

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Tories Promote Lung Cancer

The most common form of cancer associated with smoking is lung cancer. And women suffer from lung cancer more than men.

And women and girls smoke more than men and boys.

Remember this; Oda insists her government will instead fund organizations and programs she says more directly affect women.

I guess that explains why the Tories gave a half million they saved from cuts to the Status of Women to Big Tobacco.

After all cigarette smoking directly affects women.

And they could say they were promoting women in politics;

Sources said the break -- worth about $500,000 -- is aimed at the constituency of Immigration Minister Diane Finley, who is thought to be in some danger of losing the next election.

Yes, I know I could have said this was classic pork barrel politics but Olaf said it so much better.

And the Tories are once again on message;

"It's an issue of tax fairness," said Dan Miles, communications director for Mr. Flaherty.

We all know what that means.

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Firefox 2

Released last October I only just upgraded to Firefox 2 yesterday when Google notified me that an upgrade was available.

And wow what a difference.

It includes spell check, which really helps me out, as folks have commented on my spelling, and it works automatically, in my email, my blog, when I post to Canada Blog Exchange, wow I was impressed.

Then my system shut down and it retrieved and restored my settings, including this blog posting when I opened Firefox again.

It includes a Google search bar, and when you click to open a new site it posts it in the tab bar rather than in a new window. IE7 ain't got nothing on this.

What we do care for, and where IE7 can’t compete, is innovative features. The live bookmarks, which bring Web feeds into the bookmarks folder, now get live titles as well. These add live micro-summaries to previously static bookmark titles, which can show the latest news headlines or blog posts, for example.

Like many of the new features, session restore used to be available as a third-party extension but is now built in. This enables the browser to restore all current tabs should the browser shut down abnormally — a lifesaver with multisite browsing and sadly missing from IE7. As is the integrated inline spellchecking that works in a similar, squiggly underline fashion as Word but is active in Web forms, forums and blog posts. Tab handling has improved in Firefox 2, with all labels now having a minimum size to ensure descriptions are readable no matter how many are open, before becoming scrollable when the screen is full. Also, if you close a tab by accident, you can now restore it with a single click.





The graph shows that, over the last week or two, Firefox 2 uptake has finally overtaken Firefox 1.5 usage. This appears to be quite an accurate assumption since Firefox's user base has traditionally been considerably more tech savvy and, further, the upgrade to Firefox was not forced on users. Hence, user uptake of the new browser appears to be much more enthusiastic than the uptake of IE7,





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Strange Bedfellows

The politics of universal health care makes for strange bedfellows in the U.S.

Wal-Mart, Unions Unite on Health Care

This united front of business and labour are calling for universal health care. But it is not Canadian style single payer universal medicare.

Joining Wal-Mart Stores Inc. CEO Lee Scott and Service Employees International Union leader Andrew Stern at a Washington press conference were top executives from Intel Corp., AT&T Inc. and Kelly Services Inc., a temporary staffing agency.

The partnership of business and union leaders laid out four main goals, including universal health-care coverage for all Americans and boosting the value of every U.S. dollar spent on health care. The business and union leaders' coalition, dubbed "Better Health Care Together," pledged to convene a national summit by the end of May to recruit others from the private sector, labor, government and non-profits.

If the environment is Canada's top election issue, Health care is going to be the issue in the next U.S. Presidential election.

But will any of the candidates endorse a single payer system like we have in Canada?


Wal-Mart, Union Leaders Collaborate on Health Care- PBS




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