Strom's Curse

Others are now commenting on the Curse. Ed Stelmach being Alberta's 13th Premier will he inherit the Strom Curse? I have said so pundits from the right including his opponent Ted Morton have said so. And now the MSM are speculating.

Stelmach confronts ghost of Harry Strom
Albertans ask if new Premier will suffer fate of Socred boss's 1971 loss to Lougheed

The worst criticism of Stelmach during the campaign was that he was dull and unimaginative. More than once, particularly in the last week, he was referred to unfavourably as the ''next Harry Strom,'' the last Social Credit premier in that party's 36-year reign.

But even if he can suture his party's wounds, another question is being whispered in Tory circles: is Stelmach the next Harry Strom? Strom was the province's last farmer turned premier. He was elected leader of the Social Credit party in 1968, then lost the next general election to Peter Lougheed's Progressive Conservatives in 1971.

Alliance Party Leader Paul Hinman said Stelmach's "good guy" persona is reminiscent of Socred Harry Strom, who turned over the reins of power to the Tories in 1971. "He's working on healing the party and talking to the grassroots," said Hinman. "I think it's a little too late and that this is the beginning of the end of the Tories."

Strom and Stelmach share something else. They are Alberta's 'rural' Premiers. Sharing the roles of Minister of Agriculture and now the Minister of Everything.

Mr. Stelmach's victory was due in large part to the thousands of rural voters who turned out to support him across northern Alberta, compared with the hundreds who voted for his rivals in each of the province's urban and southern ridings. "People wanted somebody they could believe in and trust," said Luke Ouellette, a rural Tory backbencher who supported Mr. Stelmach's bid.

It's the curse. Not that Strom was a bad Premier he was just a lame duck Premier in a province about to burst forth in a decade long boom. Hmmm sounds familiar.

He Had good ideas and put public education and post secondary education at the top of his agenda. The Socreds opened the U of L as one of few truly experimental open liberal arts universities in North America.

All in all Strom's short term in office was good for Alberta. It just was the party, it had staled and now rather than being a beer bash was really suffering a thrity years hangover, and the blahs. Like a bad guest you discover has stayed behind, after the last partier left, still wearing a lampshade because he thought it was funny before he passed out.

The party was stale, out of ideas, marking time, pacing in one place, in other words it sounds like the Tories of today. Is there really a Strom Curse?

Is 13 really unlucky? And what will it mean for Alberta's 13th Premier?

The origin of Unlucky 13


Or does it signify ultimate change, as in the 13th card in the Tarot.

XIII

Death

13. Death.--Death, Change, Transformation, Alteration for the worse; R. Death just escaped, Partial change, Alteration for the better.

Click to enlarge color image The veil or mask of life is perpetuated in change, transformation and passage from lower to higher, and this is more fitly represented in the rectified Tarot by one of the apocalyptic visions than by the crude notion of the reaping skeleton. Behind it lies the whole world of ascent in the spirit. The mysterious horseman moves slowly, bearing a black banner emblazoned with the Mystic Rose, which signifies life. Between two pillars on the verge of the horizon there shines the sun of immortality. The horseman carries no visible weapon, but king and child and maiden fall before him, while a prelate with clasped hands awaits his end. Death (La Mort) The Child of the Great Transformers; The Lord of the Gate of Death Card Number: 13 Key Number: 24 Rulership: Scorpio Hebrew Letter: Nun Translation: Fish Numerical Value: 12

Divinatory meaning Upright - The beginning of a new life. As a result of underlying circumstances transformation and change. Major changes. The end of a phase in life which has served its purpose. Abrupt and complete change of circumstances, way of life and patterns of behaviour due to past events and actions. Alterations. Ill Dignified or Reversed - Change that is both painful and unpleasant. A refusal to face the fear of change or change itself. Agonising periods of transition. Inertia. Lethargy. Mental, physical or emotional exhaustion. The Symbolism of the Tarot by P. D. Ouspensky [1913] Fatigued by the flashing of the Wheel of Life, I sank to earth and shut my eyes. But it seemed to me that the Wheel kept turning before me and that the four creatures continued sitting in the clouds and reading their books. Suddenly, on opening my eyes, I saw a gigantic rider on a white horse, dressed in black armour, with a black helmet and black plume. A skeleton's face looked out from under the helmet. One bony hand held a large, black, slowly-waving banner, and the other held a black bridle ornamented with skulls and bones. And, wherever the white horse passed, night and death followed; flowers withered, leaves drooped, the earth covered itself with a white shroud; graveyards appeared; towers, castles and cities were destroyed. Kings in the full splendour of their fame and their power; beautiful women loved and loving; high priests invested by power from God; innocent children--when they saw the white horse all fell on their knees before him, stretched out their hands in terror and despair, and fell down to rise no more. Afar, behind two towers, the sun sank. A deadly cold enveloped me. The heavy hoofs of the horse seemed to step on my breast, and I felt the world sink into an abyss. But all at once something familiar, but faintly seen and heard, seemed to come from the measured step of the horse. A moment more and I heard in his steps the movement of the Wheel of Life! An illumination entered me, and, looking at the receding rider and the descending sun, I understood that the Path of Life consists of the steps of the horse of Death. The sun sinks at one point and rises at another. Each moment of its motion is a descent at one point and an ascent at another. I understood that it rises while sinking and sinks while rising, and that life, in coming to birth, dies, and in dying, comes to birth. "Yes," said the voice. The sun does not think of its going down and coming up. What does it know of earth, of the going and coming observed by men? It goes its own way, over its own orbit, round an unknown Centre. Life, death, rising and falling--do you not know that all these things are thoughts and dreams and fears of the Fool"?

Which means the death of the Tories under Ed just as it was the trouble with Harry for the Socreds.

And in Canadian politics 13 has been unlucky.

13th Prime Minister

John Diefenbaker (Progressive Conservative)

Harry Corwin Nixon

13th Premier of Ontario

In office May 18, 1943 – August 17, 1943

13th PM of Quebec

Félix-Gabriel Marchand

As premier, Marchand attempted to create a Ministry of Education in 1898. At the time, education was entirely in the hands of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church in the province. His legislation was passed by the Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber of Quebec's legislature), but was defeated in the Legislative Council (the upper house). It was not until 1964 that a Ministry of Education was finally created in Quebec.

As it has in American politics

Millard Fillmore
13th President of the United States
In office July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853
Vice President(s)	none
Preceded by	Zachary Taylor
Succeeded by	Franklin Pierce
12th Vice President of the United States
In office March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
President	Zachary Taylor
Preceded by	George M. Dallas
Succeeded by	William R. King
Born	January 7, 1800 Summerhill, New York
Died	March 8, 1874 Buffalo, New York
Political party	Whig
Spouse	Abigail Powers Fillmore (1st wife) Mrs. Caroline Carmichael McIntosh (2nd wife)
Religion	Unitarian
Signature

Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the thirteenth President of the United States, serving from 1850 until 1853, and the last member of the Whig Party to hold that office. He succeeded from the Vice Presidency on the death of President Zachary Taylor, who died of acute gastroenteritis, becoming the second U.S. President to assume the office in this manner. Fillmore was never elected President in his own right; after serving out Taylor's term he was not nominated for the Presidency by the Whigs in the 1852 Presidential election, and in 1856 he again failed to win election as President as the Know Nothing Party candidate.

After all when it comes to the irrational, politics and the occult share a common psychology.

See

Conservative Leadership Race

Harry Strom

Socreds

Ed Stemach

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Conservative Women Discover Feminism

Oh joy, oh serendipity, conservative women have discovered thier identity as women, as seperate from the male dominated blogger society.

it occurred to me that there is no Conservative Women's Blog roll in the blogosphere (at least that I am aware of)

As bloggers, as activists, as thinkers, debaters, engagers, they have come to this simple recognition of their need for independence, identity, self-recognitiion, in other words conservative women have come to the conclusion that as individuals they have power in a communal identity. That is feminism. Even if it is from the right.

One small step towards libertarian- individualist-anarchist
feminism. One small step away from social conservatism.






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Some Same Sex Marriage Ok Say Tories

How did they get this? Could it have been leaked to them from the PMO.....

OTTAWA, December 1, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews.com has obtained the wording of the Conservative Motion to be debated next week. Parliamentary sources have revealed that the motion states: "That this house call on the government to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions, and while respecting existing same sex marriages."

So the Conservatives will recognize existing Same Sex Marriages while saying Marriage is to be defined as being between a Man and a Woman.

This makes about as much sense as saying "We recognize the world is round except we believe it is flat."

The Tories are still recognizing and supporting Same Sex Marriages, as long as they were done under the existing law. So what happens after this motion fails to pass? Because it's a 10000000 to 1 shot it passes. Or if it actually passed?

Nothing. It's another waste of Parliaments time just like their Quebecois are a nation, motion.

A tip o' the blog to Red Tory



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SSM

Same Sex Marriage


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Ed Stelmach=Harry Strom

Its a day of joy in mudville, the safe guy won the PC Leadership Race...Ed Stelmach.Yeee Haw as Howard Dean once said. The joy the joy. Just counting the days till the dissolution of the PC's. They just elected their very own Harry Strom.



So will Jim Dinning run for Kevin Tafts job? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Conservative Leadership Race

Harry Strom

Socreds

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Tanks For The Memories

Call it Deja Vu we are now in the same situation the Russians were at the end of their war in Afghanistan and we know how that turned out. And they had 40,000 to 60,000 troops and far more tanks then we have.

PANJWAII -- Canadian troops in the war-torn Panjwaii district rolled out the 42-tonne Leopards yesterday in the first combat deployment of Canadian tanks since the Korean War.

Hours later, they rumbled down the streets of the village of Panjwaii in an impressive show of force on their way to the nearby forward operating base (FOB).

Residents of the village of Panjwaii rushed from their homes to watch the biggest display of foreign firepower since their war with the Soviets in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Jonathan Neale: Afghanistan - the horse changes riders (1988)

Economically speaking, the cost of the war varies, according to the varying Soviet figures, but the most agreeable figure is given as $8.2 billion per year. As for casualties, it too is an arguable topic, due to the strict censorship of the Soviet Union. The official 15,000 dead is a gross underestimation. Experts agree that at least 40,000 - 50,000 Soviets lost their lives in action, besides the wounded, suicides, and murders.

And this war still is not about freeing Afghani's from the Taliban, but securing Afghanistan for Americas Oil Security. At the cost of Canadian lives.

Cotter | Afghanistan and its Neighbors


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Afghanistan

Caspian Oil






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White Collar Crime Reporter 1

In Canada it is fashionable for Acccounting Companies like Ernest and Young, and KPMG to publish annual reports on corporate fraud, and the losses incurred through white collar crime.

Of course they focus on the employee theft and fraud, not real corporate fraud or true white collar crime, of which these same companies and their coprorate clients like Enron have been implicated.

They like the banks involved, CIBC, Royal Bank, pay a fine and go on their merry way. While ordinary folks charged with shoplifting, B&E, or other none violent property crimes go to jail.

Even in the recent rash of cases in the U.S. like Enron where corporate executives go to jail, these are rare occasions compared to the usual treatment corporate crime gets, which is little or no attention. Until they impact society as whole, as Enron did.

Want to be a corporate criminologist? 
Prepare for the cold winds of
academic Siberia. 

The American Society of Criminology held its 50th Annual Meeting recently
in Washington, D.C. The program for the meeting lists 503 sessions. Fewer
than ten of those sessions dealt in any way with issues of white-collar
and corporate crime.

Laureen Snider, a Professor of Sociology at Queen's University in
Kingston, Ontario, Canada, attended the conference. She anticipated the
dearth of papers on corporate crime. The title of her paper: "The
Sociology of Corporate Crime: An Obituary."

Snider's point: while corporate crime itself might be increasing around
the globe, the study of corporate crime by academics has been declining
rapidly over the years.

If academics study in the field of white collar crime, they study not the
crimes committed by corporations, but crimes against corporations -- the
traditional white-collar crimes of theft, embezzlement and the like, plus
newly defined white-collar crimes such as "theft of time."

Instead of focusing on criminal pollution, or the manufacture of hazardous
pharmaceuticals that kill, or illegal union-busting by major corporations,
the few researchers studying white collar crime are looking at how
employees steal from employers.

"If, for example, you take too long on your coffee break, of if you surf
the net when you 'should' be looking at something that is directly
relevant to the employer's interest, you are guilty of the offense of
theft of time," Snider says. "You are stealing the employer's money by
taking their time."

This focus fits well with a power structure that rewards ideas supportive
of the corporate domination of society, while punishing those who would
question that domination.

Snider is one of the world's handful of corporate criminologists --
academics who focus primarily on the study of corporate crime. She is the
author of Bad Business: Corporate Crime in Canada (Nelson, 1993 and is the
editor, along with Frank Pearce, of Corporate Crime: Contemporary Debates
(University of Toronto Press, 1995).

Corporate criminologists like Snider tend to be found in out of the way
places, like Kingston, Ontario, Canada, or Adelaide, Australia, or
Scranton, Pennsylvania. For some reason, the big city major universities
in the United States find it inconvenient to put up with a corporate
criminologist.

David Friedrichs is a corporate criminologist who has settled in at the
University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

There, he has written Trusted Criminals: White Collar Crime In
Contemporary Society (Wadsworth Publishing, 1996), the most comprehensive
text book on the subject.

Corporate crime and violence inflicts far more damage on society than all
street crime combined? So why are Snider and Friedrichs in the tiny
minority of criminologists?

Friedrichs says the reasons are complex, but one reason is that there is
no broad-based social movement against corporate crime. 

One major reason why corporate crime gets little attention from reporters,
academics and government officials has little to do with complexity, and
more to do with the simple reality of corporate power. Big corporations
have marinated our formerly independent institutions in corporate cash and
influence.

Why should reporters tackle tough issues of corporate power and crime when
such a foray might lead to loss of job, income and family support? Why
should an academics study corporate crime when government funding sources
send signals that such study is unwelcome? And why should a Justice
Department researcher propose to keep track of corporate crime statistics,
knowing that business politicians lurk in the hallways, waiting to make
life miserable?

Snider makes the obvious point that "certain ideas are much more
appealing" to the powerful ruling interests.

"The idea of corporate crime is one that is simply unappealing to business
elites," she says. "Ever since it was first invented by Edwin Sutherland,
the concept of white collar crime, and specifically corporate crime, has
been actively resisted. Corporations have certainly argued, if they have
had to face up to the idea at all, that corporate executives are not
criminals. We have reserved the concept of 'criminal' for people we think
are different from ourselves."

The result: our prisons are filled with the poor, the minorities  and the
underrepresented.

In law, as in modern corporate life, you get what you pay for.


See

Criminal Capitalism Blog

Too Greedy

Bring Out Your Dead

Conrad Black

Money Laundering Canadian Style

Bank Theft

Credit Card Fraud

Primitive Accumulation of Capital

Corporate Crime

White Collar Crime

Criminal Capitalism

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Science Sunday

Sometimes there is an advantage to living north of the 49th parallel. Like being hit by metorites.

Meteorite's Organic Matter Older Than the Sun, Study Says

Enlarge Image
(Dave Chidley/CP)

Peter Brown, a planetary scientist at the University of Western Ontario, points in this October, 2000, photo, to a meteorite found on Tagish Lake, B.C.

Scientists believe it to be the most primitive meteorite ever recovered, a relic from the early moments of our solar system.

Meteorite yields life origin clue

the meteorite scientists call 'the real time machine

Ancient Meteorites from Outer Solar System May Have Provided Raw Material For Life

Building blocks of solar system detected

Finding Our Origin in a Meteorite

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science

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Sacrilegious Sushi

This gives new meaning to Fishers of Men......

UK pastor behind worldwide shark smuggling racket

A British pastor of the Moonies church faces jail for masterminding a world-wide shark poaching and smuggling racket.

As a result of his illicit trade, many exotic fish fanciers in the UK may be in for a shock. What they bought as an unusual addition to their fish tanks could grow to 7ft long.

Kevin Thompson, 48, from Jarrow, near Newcastle, now based at the Unification church in San Leandro, California, is one of six men arrested for taking, then selling, thousands of undersized leopard sharks.

One FBI theory is that Thompson was trying to impress his leader, the Rev Sun Myung Moon, who has repeatedly extolled the virtues of fishing and refers to himself as King of the Ocean. Where Jesus referred to “fishers of men”, the Rev Moon’s church has become a major distributor of raw fish to more than six thousand restaurants in the US.




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Fishing

Religion

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Crime











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Sunday Sermon

It's tough getting around preparing the faithful for the end times. Wait a minute if its the end times why the heck do you need a lear jet?

Benny Hinn Ministries:

At recent partners conferences I have talked about the cost to secure this
state-of-the-art jet aircraft, the tool we must have for declaring the Gospel to the nations in this last hour.....

Another Great Canadian.....who gives new meaning to white collar crime.

Benny Hinn - Investigative Report On November 3, 2005, the fifth estate, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s investigative documentary program, broadcast, “Do You Believe in Miracles?”:

Benny Hinn may be the most popular personality in the Christian world today. Thousands pack arenas to see him heal the sick and the afflicted. Tens of thousands more watch his television program. Millions of dollars are donated every year to his ministry, none of which he says goes to him personally. But, what about those miracles? And where does all that money go? Bob McKeown investigates.
- Source: the fifth estate, 2004-2005 season

the fifth estate has now made some of its most popular documentaries available online, including its investigative report on Benny Hinn.

Benny Hinn: Controversy follows TV evangelist
Mass hypnotism, unproven healings, an extravagant lifestyle and lack of financial accountability are some of the allegations levelled against US televangelist Benny Hinn in the six hour, three DVD set The Many Faces of Benny Hinn.

Benny Hinn - A False Prophet

Religion News Blog's archive of news items on Benny Hinn.

See:

Corporate Crime

Religion

Christianity

Crime

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Same Old Liberals

As I said here despite the rhetoric of renewal and rebirthing of the Liberal Party with their Leadership race, somethings never change.

A long-time Liberal strategist is being accused of sneaking around Canada's political financing laws in his bid to get his party to promote climate change as its top priority to win the next election.

John Duffy, a former adviser to ex-prime minister Paul Martin, has set up a new website, climateliberal.ca, part of a non-profit organization to promote Liberal policies on climate change.

He argues his party has a duty to get the country moving to take action on global warming.

But NDP ethics critic Pat Martin has already fired off a letter of complaint to Canada's elections commissioner. Martin is demanding an investigation into the new outfit, which he suggested could fundraise for Liberal activities and boost the party's profile without being subject to existing restrictions on political financing.

''I call it sleazy and they're trying to pull a fast one on the election financing laws,'' Martin said in an interview. ''One of their (the Liberals) best and brightest operatives is thumbing his nose at the election financing laws by fundraising outside of the (Elections) Act.''

Duffy said his outfit does not fall under existing election laws since its goal is to push the Liberals to change, rather than promoting the party.

Oh, and just to round out his part-time environmental pedigree, John Duffy is also a full-time lobbyist for the nuclear industry. He proposes to fix one environmental problem by creating another.

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Liberals

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