Friday, October 7, 2016 — 58°C / 14°F & raining @ 11:30 pm in Ithaca —
New York Times’ Latest ‘scientific’ estimates of who has the best chance of winning this 2016 Presidential Election Circus —
— The New York Times is delving into who of the HillaRump Circus has the best chances to live in the White House [ If it’s still there when this election is History- ]
This is part of the NT page above the link. What’s represented here are estimates of how the voters in states and sometimes districts inside those states have changed their voting allegiance since 2004.
— If this is impossible to read on your screen or device go click on the link above and see it for yourself.
I thought I might toss some optimism into this mix, “No act of kindness is ever small.”
— & Here’s a message I do not want to send subliminally or otherwise: [ “Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” Now there’s a statement that could scare anyone out of voting this time. ] I really thought this would be a nice positive message about doing nice things for people and animals whether that might advance your career or get you elected or whatever —
— I think the above tweet reflects the tweeter’s personal preferences and is not intended to be a statement that reflects the mood of the nation at this time.
— The last time I heard an explanation of how ranked voting might work —> In this case with 5 choices, the first choice would get 5 points, second choice would get 4 points, third choice would get 3 points, fourth choice would get 2 points, and fifth choice would get 1 point. — I’d like to be a ‘fly on the wall’ catching all the comments and getting a good feel for the atmosphere at a super honest session with people manually checking though hard copy votes in a case like this. I’m thinking hard copy votes might be an attempt to make sure the president of Diebold Corp. hasn’t tried to hand another election to a close friend of his. There was some fairly strong evidence that the second coronation of G.W. Bush was rigged in that manner. ‘Technicians’ would appear at a critical polling station, check the machines for glitches, hand the parties responsible for the count a piece of paper with the results scrawled down and say, “oh, sorry, because we did find major problems with the inner workings of these machines, we had to get the results, here, and then we had to reset the machines back to zero – so this is the only record of this election that you have.” – And the ‘technicians’ walked away and vanished, never to be heard from or seen again.
This tweet really caught my attention, I had to look up where in the world Patagonia actually is.
— Wikipedia says, “Patagonia is the sparsely populated region located at the southern end of South America, shared by Chile and Argentina.” – Looks like most of it is in Argentina.
And this cool photograph – my guess is it was taken on a brilliantly foggy day – looks like an island floating in the sky.
— & I will leave you with this. Have a wonderful night and an even better tomorrow.
— One woman was killed by a Pit Bull in Montreal last year.
— So they passed a law making it illegal for any ‘new’ Pit Bulls to come into Montreal. And existing Pit Bulls can stay if their owners pay astronomical licensing fees, and keep their pets muzzled when outside the home, even on an enclosed balcony.
— How many people were attacked and/or killed by Human Beings in Montreal last year?
— Shouldn’t they ban Human Beings from Montreal? And levy insane fines on the ones who stay, so everybody gets the message and realizes the intent is to encourage you all to move somewhere else?
— Are Human Men the most violent creatures on this planet? Should Montreal ban all Men from entering and levy high fees on any men who stay there? Would that solve the problems? — And maybe we should just muzzle them all?
Wednesday, July 20th, 2016 — 66°F / 19°C & ‘Clear’ @ 9:52 am in Ithaca, New York —
— Below, please find information that has been copied verbatim from http://cafr1.com : [ There is a link below that should work, if you’re interested — ]
“If only Al Capone had been an attorney, he may have written new laws and made it to President”
The above was copied and pasted from Walter Burien’s CAFR1.com web site
— Just below the above graphic and the quote above it is a quote from Saint Augustine:
What St. Augustine had to say about what we now call government:
“A gang is a group of men under the command of a leader, bound by a compact of association, in which the plunder is divided according to an agreed convention. If this villainy wins so many recruits from the ranks of the demoralized that it acquires territory, establishes a base, captures cities and subdues peoples, it then openly arrogates to itself the title of kingdom, which is conferred on it in the eyes of the world, not by the renunciation of aggression, but by the attainment of impunity”
Your Choices in the Political arena: Indeed, the plunder has become so common, and the plunderers so smug and self-confident, that their predations are taken for granted, and the thieves themselves treated with extraordinary deference! It is something akin to the Stockholm syndrome. You encounter the same mugger at the same spot every day, and eventually establish a sort of bizarre relationship with him—-even, eventually, thanking him for not taking more. When you are given the opportunity to replace him with another mugger, you vote for the incumbent—sticking with the devil you know, unless his opponent offers to share more of his loot with you.
— How could all levels of government get away with cooking their books to hide the truth from 99.9% of their citizens that those citizens are being ‘hoodwinked’ into a mafia style ‘Protection Racket’? That all “Transparent” revelations concerning the state of YOUR economy are made to look honest and ethical, but juggle all the facts so YOU don’t see that your governments [ Federal, State or Provincial, County, and Municipal ] hide more than two thirds of their income/wealth — only reveal/’report’ what they take in from taxes and fees – claim that the 1/3 of their wealth/income is all they receive – ? —And laugh all the way to their bank accounts without ever revealing the truth that they could stop extorting all tax money from YOU – [ Extortion? They are fleecing you under false pretenses. ] & with the money they have ferreted away, they could provide each and every one of you much better services, including free health care, free public transportation, free housing for anybody who needs it, free education as far as anyone wants to go in their life long studies – and make sure everybody has the food and shelter they need – and that nobody has to feel like the ‘gravy train’ left the station without them?
— Apparently – it’s very easy to get away with this [ nonsense ].
— Let me quote one of my least favourite human beings of all time :
“The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.” – Adolf Hitler.
= = = = =
— I’ve been following what I could understand of what Walter Burien of CAFR1 dot com has been saying for several years now. He doesn’t make it easy. His expertise is in money matters, he is an investment counselor. He doesn’t always communicate what he’s trying to say in the simplest form. It may be that he, like too many lawyers, understand things in a jargon that most of us can’t quite unravel to our own levels with ease and grace. – But in the last couple days, he has sent messages out to people who subscribe to his news letters that seem a lot more easy to understand than usual.
— Here is the full text of those messages. *** If anything looks like a link you may have to copy and paste the text into your browser to get anything like a link to work properly. ***
* * * * * = = = = = * * * * *
— On July 18th, Walter Burien of CAFR1 Sent this to his subscribers:
= = = = =
CAFR1 NATIONAL POST:
CAFR1 in reply to an article written by Ellen Brown, please share and re-post:
Infrastructure Sticker Shock: Financing Costs Exceed Construction
The revenue via investment capital mentioned in this article notes for just California “State Government”. Here is a real eye opener for you.
FOR EXAMPLE: if in California, say just for San Diego county and “all” local governments, who have their own CAFRs also, (Cities, Towns, Burroughs, School Districts, Enterprise Operations, Special Districts, Universities, Community Colleges, Pensions, Debt repayment accounts, proprietary, discretely presented, special funding accounts, etc., etc., etc.) “in San Diego County” the numerous investment and funded liability accounts “collectively” totaled as of 2007 about 1.8 trillion dollars. No typo, yes, 1.8 trillion dollars.
As of 2016, the totals would have grown probably quite a bit after the draw down of 2008 – 2009 and coming back on track as of 2010.
Now burst the brain and think collective totals for “all” local governments “in” the State of California.
To see or download a few example CAFRs from 2013 (about 4600 so a very long page) for some local governments in California and other states categorized by group entities, go to – http://CAFR1.com/listings/List…
Ellen Brown does a good job by connecting the CAFR to the wealth held by “a” local government, as she did by looking at just the State government entity wealth held.
Per the State Bank issue, I wish she would total as I did all local governments (all types) as a start for San Diego County including the county and make the same presentation but now reflecting the “collective” total within the county.
A special note is: Up until 1999 CAFRs showed the gross standing balances but then in 1999 – 2000 many from the general population now heard about, located, and started looking at their local government CAFRs for the 1st time so accounting changes immediately went into play starting in 2000 forward to no longer show gross standing balances and the changes made were to show the “NET” standing balances (You will see Net balances on all pages now).
Government would create “liabilities” to redact from the standing balances shown. Big difference Gross vs. Net, so keep that in mind when you look and pay special attention to the “Notes to the Financial Section” to spot the ways the standing balances were redacted.
As I said before: “That would be a real eye opener”
I note that when a local government says: “But you have to take our debt into consideration not just our investment wealth.”
Well, here is a second big eye opener. Going back to the 80’s, government had so much cash rolling in, they needed a “Parking Zone” for it. What was devised was to “promote” debt at the front door and then use covertly their own investment assets to fund that debt through the back door. Many different methods are utilized to do this.
EXAMPLE: A City may own many enterprise operations. Say the city in some fashion moves 50 million into the City Golf Course. The City then has a 50 million dollar bond offering and the city Golf Course “invests” the 50 million dollars with the City’s bond offering.
Well, the City now reflects that 50 million dollars as a debt, but is it really a debt? No, it is a book entry that is cross-matched with an investment on another set of books owned by the City, their Golf Course kept as a separate entity. At a stroke of a pen, if chosen to do so, one offsets the other.
There are over a hundred different ways to facilitate the same book-keeping trick including the investment capital coming from any country around the world. EXAMPLE: the City from one of it’s operations has 200 million dollars invested with an Asian investment house in China. The city puts up a 100 million dollar bond offering. A call is made to the investment manager in China with the instructions of; from the 200 million dollars held to invest 100 million dollars to cover 100% of the City’s 100 million dollar bond offering. The headlines in California then read: “China takes over another piece of California! 100% of the City’s bond offering came from China!
The public is none the wiser, and the beat of local government massive wealth accumulation goes on…
Again, there are many different ways to accomplish the same. The indication from what I have seen is that: If the dots were all connected through the smoke screen shell entities used on the transaction to trace the funding of government debt back to the actual investor, they directly or indirectly are one in the same.
Or, as percentages go, and all of the dots being connected, probably 70% + of that “debt” is in reality “self funded” and at a stroke of a pen (ice-cubes-chance-in-hell) if chosen to do so, one offsets the other. If confronted on the issue a thousand excuses would follow to perpetuate the way things stood. The bottom line in their thinking is: “We have taken it from you, we are the controllers, and we intend to keep it”.
All of us have heard of the collapse of ENRON. Well, ENRON promoted it’s wealth and hid it’s debt. Government does the * exact opposite *. Government promotes it’s debt and hides it’s profit.
The points disclosed above are rather Earth shaking to the peoples of this nation when comprehended. It flips on end the raw consciousness that we have been masterfully spoon fed to believe and take for granted. The reality of it all boils down to a quote made by a Brit back in the 1500’s and it is as follows:
TREASON: “Treason doth never prosper; what’s the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.” Sir John Harrington, 1561-1612
From the link for the example CAFRs, download the ones relevant to your locale, put on a DVD and share with many in your area. Make sure the ones you share it with, make copies AND share with all that they know also. The whole game for the last 80-years on government’s part to do what they have done is by simply maintaining “The silence is golden rule”.
In as much to maintain the silence is golden rule over the last 80-years, the key controllers from the syndicated media, organized education, the political parties, and entities that reached millions of people were included.
They knew all to well that cooperation was a must and the alternative not even a consideration due to the repercussions that would fall on them if they did not cooperate with the silence is golden rule. The one group that was definitely not included with disclosure by the PTB was the entire general population of the USA.
Again, download, burn DVDs, and share with many (especially with those that run their own businesses, teachers, and economic professionals)
Wishing all a better future, and a turning point for us all come 2017!
& On July 19th, Walter Burien of CAFR1 sent this message to his subscribers:
= = = = =
CAFR1 NATIONAL POST
The following Federal Court ruling opens Pandora’s Box per lower court authority / conflicts of interest to rule on or be involved in broad judicial court matters involving you.
In effect it helps protect “you” from being run through the mill by local “administrative” courts. Their “authority” to do so is brought into question if not nullified by the following Federal Court ruling.
The Battle for individual protection under the law from the abuses of local government “Administrative” courts begins.. Please share with those that would have an interest in these matters.
Well it has been a long time coming, but all along there have been discussions behind closed doors (never in public) that the Administrative Law Courts established with the New Deal were totally unfounded and unconstitutional. With the anniversary of Magna Carta and the right to a jury trial coming up on June 15 after 800 years, the era of Roosevelt’s big government is quietly unraveling.
A federal judge’s ruling against the Securities and Exchange Commission for using its own Administrative Law judges in an insider trading case is perhaps the beginning of the end of an alternative system of justice that took root in the New Deal. Constitutionally, the socialists tore everything about the idea of a Democracy apart. It was more than taxing one party to the cheers of another in denial of equal protection. It was about creating administrative agencies (1) delegating them to create rules with the force of law as if passed by Congress sanctioned by the people; (2) the creation of administrative courts that defeated the Tripartite government structure usurping all power into the hand of the executive branch, as if this were a dictatorship run by the great hoard of unelected officials.
Not discussed in the coverage of this story is that the Administrative Law Courts are a fiefdom, to put it mildly. They have long been corrupt and traditionally rule in favor of their agencies, making it very costly for anyone to even try to defend themselves. If someone were to attempt this feat, first they have to wear the costs of an Administration proceeding and appeal to an Article III court judge, then they must appeal to the Court of Appeals, and finally plea to the Supreme Court. The cost of such adventures is well into the millions, and good luck on actually getting justice.
Furthermore, Administrative Law Courts cannot sentence you to prison, but they can fine you into bankruptcy. So the lack of a criminal prosecution meant the judges did not have to be lawyers. They could be anyone’s brother-in-law looking for a job where he just rules in favor of the agency not to be bothered with law. Unless the victim has a pile of money, there is no real chance that he or she can afford to defend themselves. This is why the agencies cut deals with the big houses and prosecute the small upstarts who lack the funds to defend themselves.
In a 45-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May in Atlanta issued an injunction halting Administrative Law proceedings against Charles Hill, a businessman who the SEC accused of reaping an illegal $744,000 profit trading in Radian Systems stock. This is typical. The legal fees involved will exceed the amount of money he is alleged to have made, the typical result is to just pay the fine and they go away, it is cheaper.
The judge ruled that the SEC agency violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution by subjecting Hill to proceedings before an Administrative Law judge, who isn’t directly accountable to the president, officials in charge of the SEC, or the courts under Article III. The ruling is 81 years overdue. The entire structure of administrative agencies blackmailing people has been outrageous. Then you take the banks who just entered a plea of CRIMINALLY guilty to manipulating markets. They are now formally FELONS who engaged in violating SEC rules and thus under the SEC rules, they are no longer eligible for a banking license. The banks are “too big to jail” and the SEC has waived their own rules, of course, to exempt the banks. So they can engage in fraud and manipulation, get caught, pay billions in fines, and the SEC exempts them from losing their licenses. This is how corrupt the administrative agencies really are.
[ I think this is the cover to a pamphlet published & distributed by John Lilburne – This image was in this general location in Walter Burien’s message, but it wasn’t captioned or identified —djo— ]
This new decision calling the Administrative Law Courts what they really are is reminiscent of the notorious extrajudicial proceedings of the Star Chamber operated by King James I. The court of Chancery set up outside of the King’s Bench, so there were no trials by jury. It had the same purpose, to circumvent the law. This is where our Fifth Amendment privilege came into being. That came about following the trial of John Lilburne (1615-1657) for handing out a pamphlet the government did not like.
[ & This image was left justified at this point in the email message that I copied and pasted here – The images did not come with the copy and paste routine, so I imported the hard way 🙂 —djo— ]
The Miranda v Arizona 384 U.S. 436 (1966) decision of the Supreme Court came only after decades of abuse by American police against citizens, not unlike what we are watching today. The Miranda decision is hated by police, prosecutors, right-wing judges, politicians, and citizens. The decision is based upon the history of the right not to be coerced that began with the famous trial of John Lilburn before the English court of the Star Chamber in 1637 where he stood tall and objected to the King’s torture. Lilburn’s crime was handing out pamphlets against the king. John Lilburne (1615–1657) was a leader in the Leveller Movement of the 1640s and was a prolific pamphleteer who defended religious and individual liberty of the people. He was imprisoned many times for his views and was active in the army of the New Parliament rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In October 1649, he was arrested and tried for High Treason for printing and circulating books and pamphlets critical of the government but was acquitted of all charges by a jury of his peers.
Review “Actual” gross rates of return vs. “Net” rates of return. Payouts vs. Contributions.
Note that payouts are projected based on “Participants expected salary at time of retirement”. Actuarial projections are set on the projected cost basis “at time of retirement” and not what the participants salary is today. Projections are made 25-30 years out.
EXAMPLE: New participant’s salary today $45,000 and projected at retirement in 30-years $135,000 and thus on the projected cost basis the fund’s liability is substantially higher.
INTENT: The bigger the fund balance, the bigger the power base held under management.
CAFR1July 19, 2016 at 1:15 pmAlso, keep in mind the fund is “strictly participatory”. It is like buying a train ticket to ride from NYC to LA, CA. NYC (retirement) and LA, CA (when you die). With a train ticket, when you get to LA, CA would you try to walk off with the seat and the fire extinguisher on the wall? No you would not. You do not own one piece of the train, you just had a ticket to ride. As is the case in most large local government pension fund systems, the participants just have a “ticket to ride” under contract and do not own 1c of the fund’s balance. The local governments participating own 100% of their share in the funds balance.As was the case at the end of 2008 with the real-estate bubble burst and severe downturn in the economy that followed, California local government laid off 12,000 employees that now, poof, disappeared from the retirement system liability figures.1. How many billions in liability just evaporated with that layoff?2. Did local governments pull the now surplus equity from the pension system accounts they were participating in?3. When the economy improved 2010 to 2015 and local governments “re-hired” did they replace the money they pulled or did they just start a-new with the new-hires and new actuarial projections per the fund’s balance needs to be fully funded at cost projections for those new-hires at time of retirement?The above three questions are very relevant as to “how” this retirement system is operating.A review of the 2009 CalPERS CAFR may shine light on those 3 questions – https://www.calpers.ca.gov/docs/forms-publications/cafr-2009.pdf
CAFR1July 19, 2016 at 1:33 pmCalPERS 2010 CAFR – https://www.calpers.ca.gov/docs/forms-publications/cafr-2010.pdfCalPERS 2008 CAFR – https://www.calpers.ca.gov/docs/forms-publications/cafr-2008.pdf** For 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, note total participants vs. fund liability. Do the math as to what effected the fund’s ending balance.Was it market profit / loss, more / less participants, local government fund withdraws from the Retirement System?When a local government needs some cash, do they just lay off employees and make a withdraw from the substantial revenue which now is no longer a liability that local Government holds in a local government Retirement system account?
To update your information regarding getting email posts from Walter Burien – CAFR1, please use the following link:
— Okay, so I thought this stuff was important enough to fire up my home computer and copy and paste stuff I read last night during my lunch break [ on the laptop my daughter gave me when she upgraded to something she knew I couldn’t afford – ]. And This is as soon as I could dash this off and publish it to my WordPress dot com site and out into the blog-us-sphere and off into twitter ville and hopefully, effbook land –
— Happy Reading – If any of you come up with facts that I didn’t quite grasp when I read this, I’m sure you will let me know.
— Thanks — [It is now 11:05 am just outside of Ithaca. ] –,
Sunday, July 10th, 2016 — 63°F / 17°C & cloudy in Ithaca @ 1 pm Eastern Time.
This is from a tweet concerned with flouride in the water. I’m more worried about fracking.
— Somebody needs to explain to me how anyone who wants to keep their drinking water clean, pure and uncontaminated is vilified & Those who are actively poisoning that water are not considered Terrorists. Frackers and Flouride advocates should be tried for crimes against humanity. & Crimes against the planet should be considered a step above crimes against humanity.
Friday, march 4th, 2016 — // 27˚F / -3˚C & cloudy in Ithaca, NY @ 5:30 pm
In several ways, this cartoon sums up the main stream media news I’ve been hearing lately.
After I got home from work this morning I tried to watch the news and after I gave up on that I conked out for several hours, woke up with a headache, took a couple aspirins and went back to bed, now alluva sudden it’s 5:30 pm and I could almost believe Donald Trump could be leading a charge of stampeding elephants and hell-beant bigots right at my door. Still have that headache, But with one eye open, I can tell there are no stampeding herds of elephants barelling down on me here. I should take another aspirin, or maybe guess I didn’t get enough caffeine and get some coffee and then chill? Where do I go to whine, “Make it go away-” ?
I don’t know why, but this photo is very appealing right now, maybe if I was -there- the warmth and the relaxed feel of being near that river, or lake, or whatever body of water it might be – would drive the headache away and let me lean back and enjoy life?
— anyway, I have to go ‘chill’ right about now – Have a good evening and a decent weekend —
Wednesday, 29 July, 2015 -( 62˚F / 17˚C & clear at the moment @ 6:05 am here in Ithaca, New York & I don’t have time to check on New Brunswick and Alaska right now. )-
“DreamCat” – The Character that started us into developing out Multi User Role Playing Game- When we saw how easily we could finally get into world building and character building- but then life hit us with its little surprises and decided we had to work our tails off in the real world and left us nowhere near enough time and energy to finish that world and start letting civilians play around in it. (NOT YET—) Rolled in the demo section of our world building stuff.
I thought a new theme for this blog would be a good idea. But WordPress and its affiliates want to bleed as much money from anybody as they can and make their free blogs less and less ‘Elegant’ and harder to surf through. I might end up changing this theme again vey soon (like maybe after I get some sleep?) because I freekin hate non serif fonts.
I could almost believe they force developers to make their free themes as featureless and hard to use as possible.
There were a couple themes that came close to being ‘acceptable’ But there was something not quite right about each of them.
So I’m ‘composing’ this article in the ‘2014’ theme and the only thing I like about it is the captions under the ‘media’ – it’s all left justified instead of centered. But the font is going to drive me to distraction.
Sunday, 08 February, 2015 -( +24˚F / -24˚C & not dark yet @ 5:30 pm near Ithaca )- -( +7˚F / -14˚C & just turned dark & cloudy @ 6:30 pm Closer to Halifax —jim w—)- — { Headlines compiled by douglas j otterson & jim wellington, with help from —jda— } { Some things change, some articles remain. Do you know where your survival kit is? —djo— }
“Equality for All” – Nobody should be “more equal” than anybody else in the eyes of the law.
{ Today’s Birthdays : Saint Proclus, the patriarch of Constantinople was born on this date in the year 412. Emporer Sakuramichi of Japan was born on this day in the year 1720 and died in the year 1750. U.S. General William Techumseh Sherman was born on this date in 1820, Our friends south of the Mason-Dixon line will not take it kindly if you celebrate this one. Maxime Du Camp, a French writer/traveler was born on this day in 1822 and Jules Verne gasped his first breaths in France on this date in 1828. They’ve got Dame Edith Evans listed as being born on this date in 1885 and 1888. Lana Turner was born on this day in 1920 and Jack Lemmon was born on this date in 1925. James Dean was born on February 8th, 1931. Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen on the orginal Superman television show was born on Frebruary 8th, 1933. Ted Koppel, ABC TV News Anchor was born in Lancashire England on this date in 1940. Nick Nolte, the actor made his human debut in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1941 the same day that Tom Rush was born in New Hampshire. Brooke Adams the actress will celebrate again today, and Mary Steenburgen will also celebrate her birthday today. John Grisham, the writer – and Gary Coleman, the actor – Were also born on a February 8th. You can find all this and more at http://www.historyorb.com/today/birthdays.php }
{ Canadian Headlines :
Rescue specialists ready to join search for RCAF member missing in Avalanche. { * Royal Canadian Air Force search and rescue technician, Mark Salesse, was swept away during an avalanche in Banff National Park on Thursday, His family is ‘preparing for the worst’ as the search continues with little hope left that he might be found alive. * }
Smalll B.C. village evacuated after record snowfall cuts power for 3 days {* It bothers me that I hear so much about Canadian citizens being ordered to evacuate their homes so often lately. It doesn’t feel right. It feels like ‘authorities’ are demanding that everybody adhere to a ‘herd mentality’ and do what they’re told without question, because, hey, the government knows best what is good for you, doesn’t it? *NOT!* —djo— }
At least 22 killed in Egyptian soccer riot { * We’ve heard that ‘Soccer Riots’ occur. Soccer fans have a reputation for being a volitile bunch. I’m getting to the point where I don’t know if I want to believe any official government news release, or any main stream media report about any kind of riot, anywhere. They could show us video of the latest riots in some exotic country and tell us the people are rioting over Howdy Doodie’s birthday, or show us some official government book burning and tell us there was a popular uprising because ‘those people’ hate our freedoms, so hey, we better limit those freedoms of yours because terrorists want to take them away! -What?- * —djo— }
CRA’s new mandate lets agency pass info to police without judicial warrants { * I hope this gets shot down by the Canadian Supreme Court. CRA = Canadian Revenue Agency. “Hey, aren’t we wonderful? We allow you peasants a whole list of rights and freedoms. Oh wait, we’ve just taken most of them away from you. We have to protect you from terrorists who want to take your freedoms away from you. So you can’t have any freedom from now on. You understand, right? -No!- * —djo— }
==============
A Florida based artist has been told to stop selling miniature versions of the Super Bowl halftime ‘character’ sharks.
Offbeat News:
14-lb baby delievered by woman who didn’t know she was pregnant { }
Valentine’s Day looms, so here’s on way to deal with rejection { * A couple of my best friends refer to February 14th as “V.D. Day” – Too many others were never asked to be anybody’s Valentine. Most of you will never know how brutal Valentines Day can be for too many people. Nobody should have to suffer that kind of humiliation. * }
Montreal Mermaid school offers fantasy and fitness { * I can’t wait for Weird Al to sing us a song called “Mermaid School Dropout” * }
Katy Perry’s lawyer jumps the shark-seller with cease-and-desist letter { }
==============
-The Big Chill – Version 2015 – Hits the Maritimes-
Local / New Brunswick / Maritime News:
The big chill: Cold Temperatures continue in Maritimes { }
Marketing prof urges CNIB to speak out about controversy { * – A Halifax marketing professor is urging the CNIB to speak out about the current controversy surrounding the organization. – The charity is taking four former Maritime lotto booth operators to court, trying to recover $100,000 of missing money. – The CNIB — an organization that helps visually impaired Canadians — operates lottery booths in stores across Atlantic Canada under a contract with the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, selling ALC products. – Lottery booth operators are not considered employees. Instead, they’re independent contractors hired by the charity. – The former kiosk operators deny any wrongdoing and think the problem rests somewhere else within CNIB. – Under their contracts, they agree to “accept full responsibility and liability for any and all products and/or cash shortages” and to “repay to the CNIB in full any costs associated with or damages incurred relating to such product and/or cash shortage.” – “Your reputation is everything,” said marketing professor Ed McHugh, adding CNIB has one of the strongest charity brands in the country. – He says CNIB’s decision not to speak out about the controversy in detail could hurt its ability to generate donations. – “You know, there’s how many… places and great causes looking for money and now you’ve got one that has this going on. People will think twice before they send their money to this organization,” said McHugh. – * —djo— }
Final funding push being made for Saint John social enterprise hub { * – Saint John social enterprise hub aims to reduce poverty. The idea behind the new building is that it will house organizations and micr entrepreurs in the city which aim to reduce poverty. – The building will be located at 139 Prince Edward Street. – Working together would bring more results, says Saint John community loan fund manager Seth Asimakos. – “We all work together in the area of poverty reduction in an entrepreneurial way. Hopefully, more ideas will germinate faster and with greater quality when we’re all together in the same building,” he said. – The social enterprise hub will house the Community Loan Fund, the Saint John Human Development Council, the Saint John Learning Exchange and the Ponde Deshpande Centre. The building will also be home to several entrepreneurs. – Asimakos says they will be aggressively campaigning over the next 40 days to raise the rest of the money needed for the capital cost of the $2.25 million building. – * —djo— }
Waterloo Village residents upbeat about plans for former school site { * – An old high school in uptown Saint John is one step closer to becoming a 34-unit mixed-income apartment building in a neighbourhood where the city is keen to attract development. – St. Vincent’s High School first opened in 1919 as a boys school, then turned into a Catholic girls school in 1954. – Since closing in 2002, it’s been vacant. – Last week, Saint John City Council gave its approval to rezone the area for the development. – There is optimism the project will help revitalize the Waterloo Village area. – “As these projects have done in other areas in the city, they do act as catalysts and pump primers for nearby projects,” said Peter MacKenzie of Comeau MacKenzie Architecture. – MacKenzie hopes to have apartments ready to rent by the spring of 2017. – Linda Scott of the Waterloo Village Association says the project will help bring more people to the neighbourhood. – “Part of our problem is that there’s a lot of transient residents and we have several services and things like that in the area, but anything that’s going to attract more residents will be a good thing,” she said. – * —djo— }
==============
{ We’re taking it slow for now, after being ‘down for the count’ / ‘under the weather’ / being beaten up by flu bugs for the last several weeks. Who knows? We might wake up tomorrow full of vim and vinegar and want to dive right back into what we were doing up to near the end of last month. But right now, I don’t even want to think about a lot of the nonsense that is passing for ‘News’ lately. — Quote Paul Simon? “I get all the news I need from the weather report.” (?) But anyway, we could probably supply you with a barrage of retweeted stuff: Yay? Note to the world: “Hang in there-” —djo— }
“Um —– ” Brilliant! But is that why human men wear those silly things around their necks? Do you know any women who are shallow enough to fall in love with somebody because he’s wearing a bow tie? Or any other weird article of clothing? I never will understand why people wear any kind of ties, Period! —djo—Hold all politicians accountable.This might almost be funny if Sun TeeVee was trying to poke fun at the worst of Fox TV. The pitiful thing here is, they actually think the ‘viewing public’ will take this b.s. seriously. —djo—Yay! I found something Positive! & I’ve wanted to hear anything good about Apple since it’s been looking like they’ve embraced the same sleazy-iced ‘Make sure they can’t use last years periferals with this year’s ‘gotta-have-its’ greedy ice-hole marketing strategy. Grumble Grumble…
==============
{ We should quit while we’re ahead? Good Night Amerika – Whatever you are. -wink- —djo— & friends — }
Saturday, 15 November, 2014 -( 31˚F / +0˚C – & ‘partly cloudy’ out there @ 10:30 am near Ithaca )- -( 32˚F / +0˚C – With Light Snow making it beautiful outside @ 11:30 am Closer to Halifax —jda—)- — { Headlines compiled by douglas j otterson & jim wellington, with help from —jda— }
{ —jda—‘s blog disappeared from the list of NaBloPoMo blogs on the ‘BlogHer’ page — Jim W went over 50,000 words at NaNOWriMo On Tuesday, Now = 60,938 words. & We really are trying to trim away stuff that maybe has been here too long. Trouble is, we think it may be important. —djo— }
Anti-Pipeline protests in Montreal.“Justice For The 43 Students – 20 November, 2014 – 6:30 pm Eastern Time – Radio Canada – Montreal.”
— Other Media: —
{ This is from the ‘Tweet-Us-Sphere’ : }
Three Tweets Arrived Like This:fr0g5 has to be one of our favourites. A lot of good stuff comes from that source. Montreal Police here to ruin a peaceful demonstration? —djo—
Lead Articles: Today’s Theme?: “Police charge man who impersonated a sergeant on Remembrance Day; Vancouver Mayor upset w/ social media ban on election day; U.S., EU override Australia to put climate change on G20 agenda; & Land of the giants: Massive sculptures popping up around the world.”
5 Tweets in a row, from CBC news up to Half Past Human- —djo—
Today’s lead article on the CBC /news/ page is about Police charging the man who impersonated a sergeant, wearing a military uniform and wearing medals that were not his on Rememberance Day. You may remember earlier articles which reported that after the first CBC News article identified him as a phony, he and wife began receiving threats. I don’t know how severe those threats might have been. There was some debate over how serious a crime this could have been, impersonating a soldier. Many were shocked to believe that anybody would actually enforce this law. —jim w—
=====
>>—-> We Are All One Spirit <—-<<
“Australians bury heads in sand to mock government climate stance” -From an article listed earlier in “Offbeat”. —djo—
=====
Today Show Australia host wore the same suit for a year?
“Offbeat”
Australia’s Today Show host wore the same suit for a year, and no one noticed { * I wore variations on the same uniform every day for several years and nobody said anything about my taste in work clothes. If a woman host wore the same dress two days in a row, that would be noticed. I’ve seen jokes where a woman’s closet had thousands of all kinds of dresses etc. in various colors and lengths and styles, and her huband had hundreds of identical suits. * —djo— }
Rosetta mission scientist apologizes for wearing ‘sexist’ shirt covered in half-naked cartoon women { * From yesterday * }
Janina Kolkiewicz wakes up in morgue hours after she is pronounced dead { * That was from yesterday.* —djo— }
Oddly shaped ‘suspect Cheetos’ photographed for art project { * That was from Thursday.* —djo— }
===== Greatest recent ‘Offbeat’ hits ===== >>——>
Microsoft fixes 19-year old Windows bug { * – Microsoft Corp issued patches on Tuesday to fix a bug in its Windows operating system that remained undiscovered for 19 years. – The bug, which is present in every version of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onward, allows an attacker to remotely take over and control a computer.
– IBM Corp’s cybersecurity research team discovered the bug in May, describing it as a “significant vulnerability” in the operating system. – “The buggy code is at least 19 years old and has been remotely exploitable for the past 18 years,” IBM X-Force research team said in its blog on Tuesday. – *
*** The bugs were not “undiscovered”, Government Hackers spoke about this on Coast to Coast A.M. before the summer of 2002. Art Bell was the host. This program is not listed in the current Coast to Coast A.M. archives, at least I could not find it by searching ‘hackers’. 3 men who were quite ‘enthusiastic’ and talkative about their experience working for hackers for US Government agencies that ‘officially do not exist’ -one of them told us he has an ashtray with one of those officially non-existent agency’s official logo on it- told us that microsoft was fully aware of holes in their operating system but were not going to do anything about it because the government of the US liked it the way it was. They said it was simple for any hacker to get into your computer if you were ‘running windows’ -“Especially if you have printer sharing turned on.” && They also said they liked Apple Computers back then because it was possible to tell a Mac to do only one thing at a time, not like windows computers which could have all sorts of nonsense going on undetected in the background. – AND Another Coast to Coast A.M. guest, much more recently, related talking to a computer pioneer a long time ago, when dial ups were the latest thing, and when the computer guy finished showing him something, he would not leave the room without shutting off his computer, and disconnecting the phone line from his computer. When the C2C guest asked the computer guy what that was all about, the computer guy said that he, as in insider, knew that the US Government could already get into anyone’s computer that was connected to Delphi or GEnie or AOL, even if the computer had been turned off. — And, now that almost every computer in the world has WiFi capabilities- you can never fully disconnect yourself from the possibility that they can turn your computer on and gather any information you have, or were ever connected to- any time they want to do that- With the possible exception that you might be ‘safe’ if you live inside a Faraday cage, a hundred feet or more beneath the surface of this planet. Welcome to the future, it sucks. —jim w— }
=====
“Hospital can’t remove child from family and force her to take Chemo.”
“Most Viewed”
Franck Gervais faces charges after impersonating soldier at Remembrance Day ceremony { }
B.C. civic elections – CBC has you covered { }
Stephen Harper at G20 tells Vladimir Putin to ‘get out of Ukraine’ { * While thousands of Canadians want Harper to get out of Ottawa * —djo— }
Social media election day ban upsets Vancouver’s mayor { }
Rosetta comet mission: No communication from Philae lander { }
G20 summit: U.S., EU override Australia to put climate change on agenda { }
Hassan Diab charged with 1st-degree murder in France { }
Bill Cosby’s guest spot on Letterman show cancelled { }
Veteran ticketed escorting body of Private Steven Allen { }
Vancouver election: Voting begins in B.C. civic election { }
-Must Watch- Historic site near ISIS territory { * Excavation team announced newest finds Saturday at Kakemish, an ancient city on the Turkey-Syria border, metres from ISIS-controlled territory. * Wouldn’t it be wild to discover that this whole ISIS vs the world campaign was actually some kind of mega-conspiracy plot to keep archeologists from learning something like how the very ancient residents of that city defeated all their bansksters and freed the human race from b.s. mind control and GMO terrorist scientists and corporate-fascist government suppresion of individual rights for centuries? * —djo— }
-Must Watch- Chris Hadfield on Philae lander { * Chris comments on the lander, he did not go to the comet and land with it. * —djo— }
-Must Watch- Hawaii lava flow { }
-Editor’s Pick- Calgary man’s picture found in documents revealing underbelly of extremist group { * Wait until we really find out who is behind the creation of this group in the first place? * —djo— }
-Editor’s Pick- Sugar wars { * “White sugar, brown sugar, honey, juice? It’s all the same, nutritionally speaking.” * But what is significant here are the omissions: GMO modified sugars might even be ‘nutritionally’ as good as ‘Pure Cane Sugar’ BUT- the modified stuff will rot you from the inside out a lot quicker. GMO food is poison. * —djo— }
-Editor’s Pick- Rosetta mission to comet 67P ‘revolutionay,’ landing a first { * – But don’t forget that thousands of years, maybe millions of years of recorded history were deleted when ‘they’ bured the Great Library of Alexandria. – * —djo— }
===== Keep around for a while? : =====
-djo’s Editor’s Pick- Questionable cancer ‘cures’ { * From Friday – Doctors and researchers know and have known since 1925 that sugar feeds cancer cells. Starve the Cells – kill the cancer. Effective herbs and naturally occurring ingredients in some plants also shrink and eliminate most cancerous growths but this information is supressed by Big Pharmaceutical companies who do not care if theire stuff kills you, they want to make a profit on your suffering. The really questionable stuff comes from ‘Big Pharma’ and the the Doctors they pay to spread their lies. —djo— }
-djo’s Editor’s Pick- Sugar wars { * From Friday: “White sugar, brown sugar, honey, juice? It’s all the same, nutritionally speaking.” * But what is significant here are the omissions: GMO modified sugars might even be ‘nutritionally’ as good as ‘Pure Cane Sugar’ BUT- the modified stuff will rot you from the inside out a lot quicker. GMO food is poison. * —djo— }
=====
“Remembrance Day”
“Local / New Brunswick”
Death of Saint John man after ‘violent’ altercation deemed homicide { * How many people have been accused of ‘suicide by police’ for not following orders they might not have understood? And- the Soviets locked up thousands in insane asylums for questioning their governmental authority, saying anyone who went up against their state was ‘obviously insane’ }
Brian Gallant faces more questions about politics and paving { }
Sackville RCMP seek ‘suspicious’ man who approached girl { }
Search for Dorothy Tucker continues near St Stephen { }
=====
Assembly of First Nations candidates.
“First Nations”
Three candidates for AFN National Chief { * “Ghislain Picard, Perry Bellegarde and Leon Jourdaine are the three official candidates in the running to become the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, a position which Shawn Atleo resigned from in May amid some conflict.” * —djo— }
>>——> Most Recent Articles Below this line <——<<
-Video- Chemotherapy ruling { }
Rinelle Harper only one part of Winnipeg’s race divide { }
-Opinion- First Nations children not well served by chemotherapy ruling: Arthur Schafer { }
When 2 worlds collide, can they coincide? Unreserved this week { }
Rinelle Harper discharged from Winnipeg Hospital, recovering at home { }
>>>———> From Earlier This Week <———<<<
Family says ‘stress of court case over chemo for [ First Nations ] girl ‘uncalled for { }
Judge rejects application to take [ First Nations ] girl from family for chemo { }
Diabetes epidemic among indigenous Canadians, say front-line workers { * Stay away from sugars and get a lot of exercise, Before your doctors warn you that you may be heading for Diabetes. * —djo— }
Saskatoon lottery winner gives back to community { }
Saskatoon group trying to up the profile of restorative justice { }
2 Alberta First Nations file suit against site C dam project { }
Brian Bowman urges Winnipeggers to reach out to Rinelle Harper and family { }
Police dig up barn where Glenna Mae Breckenridge says her dad buried bodies in 1955 { }
Internal document urges government to raise cap on aboriginal education { }
==== >>——> Older articles listed below this line <——<< ====
Teen Rinelle Harper ‘left for dead after 2 attacks { * – Two males have been charged with attempted murder after Rinelle Harper was twice attacked and “left for dead” during a violent assault on Winnipeg’s riverbank, police say. – * —djo— }
Racism in Canada: Join our live chat Thursday at 6 pm CT { * Too Late Now * }
‘It’s our story:’ N.W.T. Healing Film Festival Kicks off Sunday { }
-Exclusive- ‘Doctor’ treating First Nations girls says cancer patients can heal themselves { }
New police board chair backs murdered, missing women inquiry { }
Racism in hockey still hants Nova Scotia father { }
Amina Abu-Bakare says ‘walk together’ to end racism { }
-Opinion- Beware of assumptions and stereotypes in the Rinelle Harper case { }
-Updated- Attacked Winnipeg teen Rinelle Harper called a hero and fighter { * And her parents say she remembers nothing of the attacks. * —djo— }
Fort Good Hope elders go hungry due to delayed cheques { }
-Audio- Laurentian University hires more aboriginal professors in Sudbury { }
-Analysis- Racism still an uncomfortable truth in Canada: Duncan McCue { }
Regina artist teaches Prince Charles to make moose hide art { }
People on the Prairies less tolerant, CBC poll says { }
Eagle wing trafficking case to be heard in Lethbridge court { }
-Photos- Indigenous circumpolar women leaders descend on Yellowknife { }
Chrisma Denny’s family says society has ‘failed’ her { * The family of a missing woman from Cape Breton believes she wouldn’t have disappeared if there was more support for homeless and aboriginal women. * —djo— }
-Opinion- First Nations contributions to WW I and WW II: Lest we forget { }
MANFF [Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters] loses federal funding: Flood evacuee, critics seek answers { * -First Nations flood evacuees and those who help them say it’s about time that the Manitoba Association of Native Fire Fighters has lost its federal funding amid accusations about misspent money.- / Earlier: -An Aboriginal aid agency in charge of 2011 flood evacuees has been stripped of its federal funding effective immediately.- * —djo— }
Remembrance Day poem to be read in aboriginal language { }
Francis Pegahmagabow, unsung WW I hero, to get overdue recognition { }
‘Just move it’ gets P.E.I. aboriginal people physically active { }
Aboriginal Affairs short of cash for education, social programs: document { }
Jim Prentice, northern Alberta chiefs to discuss oilsands concerns { }
Police identify Rinelle Harper, 16, as victim of Midtown Bridge attack { }
Behchoko boy, 14, takes own life after bullying { }
B.C. First Nation considers growing medical marijuana on its reserve { }
-Opinion- Time for some serious thought about Inuvik’s future { }
-Updated- Missing Sask. teens believed found, being returned home { }
Clyde River supports Greenpeace petition against seismic testing { }
Adrienne Clarkson on why Canada’s multiculturalism works { }
Toronto rally ‘overwhelms’ struggling homeless First Nation house-builder { }
Australians share indigenous protected area strategies with N.W.T. { }
Gary Moostoos rejects apology from City Centre mall manager { }
AFN national chief candidates address key issues in election { }
-Photos- Unreserved: The radio show in pictures, November 8 { }
-Video- Mother glad Nunavut govenment is taking action following infant’s death { }
Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters loses federal funding { * -An Aboriginal aid agency in charge of 2011 flood evacuees has been stripped of its federal funding effective immediately.- * —djo— }
Decorated First Nations vet Tommy Prince a Canadian hero { }
Shoal Lake no. 40 gets backing from IJC { }
Homeless woman fined for building her own home { }
Head of B.C. Missing Women Commission says no to national inquiry { * “Wally Oppal, the commissioner of the British Columbia Missing Women Commission, is saying no to the possibility of a national inquiry into more than 1,100 missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada.” * *** He says now is the time for action, not an inquiry. *** —djo— }
-Feature- Nunavut put community’s health ‘at risk’ by mishandling nurse { * -When a baby in a Nunavut hamlet died of a lung infection in 2012, questions arose about the nurse who allegedly failed to treat him. A CBC investigation reveals a history of complaints about the nurse and a government that refused to fire her.- * —djo— }
-Video- Derek Nepinak calls for boycott of Sun Media, Winnipeg Sun newspaper { }
Minister of Child Services offers Onigaming support after suicides { }
Indigenous physician brings unique perspective to her practice { }
-8 Photos- Kinder Morgan pipeline: First Nations fight back with fish { }
{ We’ve left a lot of First Nations news on this page after it was taken down from the ‘aboriginal’ page at the CBC web site. & The ‘First Nations Page’ is actually called ‘Aboriginal’ on the CBC web site, but some First Nations object to that title, so we renamed it here. —djo— }
{ This is what still grabs me – from Twitter – We’re trying to trim this down, I wanted to delete these below and start fresh, but they seem a little too important to me right now. ———djo——— }
“11 steps to Fascism” I forgot where this came from. bad me. —djo—“George Orwell Quote” = “If you draw your sword, you’ve been bought and sold by the dark side.” -djo-
“Conspiracy Watch” was busy last week. This is one of a dozen similar quotes they posted. I’m not sure whether this was the original word for word phrase that may have been edited since Ben Franklin uttered it, or not. Wouldnt it be weird if we learned that many nuggets of wisdom we cherish were uttered in a drunken stupor? -djo-
{ “Anyone who would give up a little liberty for a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” —Benjamin Franklin }
{ “Any politician, police, military, or would be authoritarian of any stripe, who would capitalize on an event like yesterday’s in Ottawa: clearly does not deserve any respect at all, let alone the authority they demand.” — douglas j otterson }
{ Here’s a quote for you, not about yesterday and Ottawa but the philosophy applies: “The critical studies about #Ferguson in a decade will be fascinating. Because we are building this plane as we fly.” —deray mckesson }
{ “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies” —Thomas Jefferson }
“What can one do to reduce the fear of terrorism?” / “Click!”
Fracking linked to Alberta earthquakes, study indicates { * – Carmen Langer had just left his bed to grab a drink of water when he felt his house northeast of Peace River, Alta., begin to shake. – “At first I thought I wasn’t feeling very good that day… and it was just my blood sugar, but no, it shook pretty good,” Langer said about the Nov. 2 incident.
– Moments after the shaking stopped, his neighbours were calling, asking if he had felt what they just felt. – “After a few minutes, I realized it was an earthquake,” Langer said. – There was a small earthquake on Nov. 2 in Peace River, just northeast of Peace River. The recently published study involving Alberta researcher Jeff Gu indicates fracking may trigger earthquakes in the province. – Natural Resources Canada (NRC) registered a small, 3.0-magnitude earthquake that was “lightly felt” from Three Creeks to St. Isidor in northern Alberta at 11:14 p.m. MT. NRC said on its website there were no reports of damage, and that “none would be expected.” – Jeff Gu, a seismologist at the University of Alberta, said the earthquake could have been caused by shifting rock formations in the region — but added there could be another possible explanation. – “Certainly that region is not immune to earthquake faulting, but I would say having actual earthquakes in that area is relatively recent, relatively new,” he said. – Gu is one of three authors of a recently published study in the Journal of Geophysical Research, a peer-reviewed publication that looked at four years of earthquake data around Rocky Mountain House. The study concludes that waste-water injection into the ground is highly correlated with spikes in earthquake activity in the area. – It is the first study of its kind conducted in Canada that links industrial activity to induced earthquakes. – “The conclusion was that the industrial activities could, in some cases, potentially trigger or facilitate earthquake occurrences,” Gu said. – Alberta earthquakes increasing – Since 1985, fewer than 15 earthquakes above a 3.0 magnitude have been recorded anywhere in Alberta, according to the Alberta Geological Survey’s website. There has been an increase in earthquake activity since the 1960s, the organization says. – The Peace River earthquake is not the only one that has shaken the province in the past few months:
In October, a 2.7-magnitude quake was recorded about four kilometres southwest of Banff.
In August, a 4.3-magnitude earthquake was registered near Rocky Mountain House, causing about 500 customers in the area to lose power for several hours.
– Gu said the research into whether waste-water induction and fracking are related to earthquakes is still “really a work in progress.” – “There has been more and more evidence, increasing evidence, in the last few years in particular — in Arkansas, in Texas and actually more recently here,” Gu said. – But he said there is nothing to fear right now. – “I’m not worried until we get a conclusive answer on whether these are caused by industry or not, whether they are naturally occurring,” Gu said. – Langer, however, is worried. – “With all the stuff that’s going on in my community, I’m feeling quite concerned about it,” he said. “We’re having all kinds of environmental problems in the community… Something has to give here.” – * —djo— }
Thursday, 16 October, 2014 -( 70˚F / 21˚C – & cloudy @ 12:00 pm near Ithaca )- { Headlines compiled by douglas j otterson & jim wellington }
Tweet On Harper’s Record, RE: Childcare Promised vs Delivered.
{ We’ve been doing this because we believe the CBC may be more honest and more respectable than Media in the U.S.A., & not a lot of people in the U.S. may know that or have access to anyone who might point them toward the CBC & their web site. }
{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news.— & You can also find a link to the web cast of the most recent broadcast of “The National” the CBC’s ‘flagship nightly newscast’ under the “Must Watch” heading on their main page. — Thanks. — & Jim W convinced me to take credit for this, above. ———djo——— }
=======================
I hope that’s a bug on the camera- of a weather cam up the road a piece- —djo—
Thursday, October 9, 2014 – would have been John Lennon’s 74th birthday.
Both Jim W and I have had really weird stuff happening with our computers yesterday and today. Unwanted pop ups, unwanted new browser pages telling us we have an outdated version of firfox with serious security issues and need to download the fix without telling us what that fix is or should be- And we both coincidentally downloaded and updated those browsers to version 33 yesterday. Whattaya think? are we under attack here? Tune in later folks, maybe we’ll know in a couple hours. ———djo———
{ This from Variety: “No amount of familiarity with whistleblower Edward Snowden and his shocking revelations of the U.S. government’s wholesale spying on its own citizens can prepare one for the impact of Laura Poitras’ extraordinary documentary “Citizenfour.” Far from reconstructing or analyzing a fait accompli, the film tersely records the deed in real time, as Poitras and fellow journalist Glenn Greenwald meet Snowden over an eight-day period in a Hong Kong hotel room to plot how and when they will unleash the bombshell that shook the world. Adapting the cold language of data encryption to recount a dramatic saga of abuse of power and justified paranoia, Poitras brilliantly demonstrates that information is a weapon that cuts both ways. (Read the full review)” —djo— }
=====
Lead Articles:
-Live- CDC head grilled by U.S. Congress on Dallas Ebola response { * One of my favorited watchdogs told us last week that the federal government knew they would have someone with Ebola coming to the US and directly to Dallas. They basically knew the whole story from beginning to end six months before it happened and did nothing. I have no contacts on the ‘inside’ there to check on this, but, after listening to Remote Viewers and other scientific future checker out-ers like ‘half past human dot com’ — and others— I don’t need to take stuff like this on blind faith. If it isn’t true that somebody in government or close to government is ‘psychic’ enough to hone in on future events, then maybe somebody in a dark ops office is sitting there planning how and when to release ‘information’ or ‘disinformation’ with believable photos and ‘eyewitnesses’ ahead of time and have everything in place and ready to fly up and bite us when they believe the time is right? Remember the quote from the movie ‘The President’s Analyst’ – “I’m not paranoid! Somebody is really trying to get me!” —djo— }
CSIS bill allows tracking suspected Canadian terrorists abroad { }
3 Canadians rescued, 4 among 27 dead in Nepal avalanche { }
25 people tested for Ebola in Canada so far; all negative { }
Canada to contribute $30 million more to Ebola fight: CBC { }
Nurse with Ebola was cleared to fly before diagnosis: CDC { }
-Analysis- Alberta’s hurting, but industrial Canada could benefit from oil shock { }
-Updated- Canada’s new anti-terror measures to boost spy agency powers { }
-Analysis- How the law follows the wealth gap in modern-day America: Neil Macdonald { }
=====
“Lululemon store taunts Buffalo Bills and Sabres fans with reminders of past near-victory flubbs.”
“Offbeat”
Puck the Bunny predicts Habs win over Bruins at home opener { }
Fan interrupts Florida gubernatorial debate — and electric fan { }
Lulelemon’s Buffalo sports tribure a sheer misfire { }
‘Turnip for what?’: Michele Obama dances with a vegetable on Vine { }
-Yesterday- Squid swarm attacks research sub in Greenpeace video { * “These squid are used to being able to eat pretty much anything they see.” * —djo— }
“The squid in the video belong to a species known as opalescent squid, or ‘market squid,’ as the species often winds up in dishes such as calamari.” Do you blame them for fighting back?
=====
5 Outrageous fees consumers are being charged—
“Most Viewed”
5 Outrageous fees consumers are being charged { * – Watch Marketplace’s season premiere, Canada’s Dumbest Charge, Friday Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador). Join the discussion on Twitter by using the hashtag #dumbcharge – From paying to receive a paper bill to getting charged for checking airline luggage, if there’s one thing that bothers many of us, it’s beingnickel-and-dimed with add-on fees and dumb charges. – CBC Marketplace is on the hunt for the country’s dumbest fee. Canadians submitted more than 700 complaints about fees from across the country, expressing outrage at a huge variety of charges big and small. – Marketplace narrowed the submissions down to five fees that affect most Canadians. The five finalists will be announced on the season premiere, Canada’s Dumbest Charge, and viewers can vote for which fee takes the (dubious) top honour. (The special one-hour premiere airs on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. / 8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. Join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #dumbcharge.) – While Marketplace was poring through the submissions, it came across some shocking fees that seemed especially outrageous. While these didn’t make the final five, here are some of the most ridiculous fees that Canadians are paying: – The fee you didn’t expect: Charged for takeout – Want those leftovers? One submission pointed to a local restaurant’s doggy-bag fee, charging people who want to get their uneaten food wrapped up to go. – “It’s only $2, but [the restaurant] charges that much to take leftover food (not very good food) home,” the submission from Vancouver read. – The fee for doing (almost) nothing: Salad set-up fee – A woman from Edmonton called out a catering company that charged a “salad set-up fee” of $7.50. – “When I accompanied the catering staff to the room where we were setting up for a meeting, I watched the young man with the salad – he took the plastic wrap off the bowl, and walked away. I asked him if there was anything left to do for the salad “set-up” and he said “Nope.” That was it. $7.50 to take the plastic wrap off a bowl of salad… hmmm…” – The fee that feels cruel: Permission fee to watch dog euthanization – Many people were especially upset when they were charged fees that seemed inappropriate or insulting. One man complained that when he took his dog to the vet to be euthanized, he was charged a fee because he wanted to be in the room for his pet’s last moments. That fee? $50. – The fee for absolutely every small cost: Staple and paperclip fee – One of the most ridiculous submissions takes nickel-and-diming to a new level. One man complained of being charged precise amounts for every office supply his lawyer used. – “[I was] charged separately for staples ($0.07 each) and paperclips ($0.12 each) on my legal bill for doing up a will.” – The simply unfair fee: Wheelchair taxi fee – One submission called out a cab company for charging extra to take his mobility equipment in the car. – “Taxis that charge $5.00 extra per trip because I use a wheelchair.” – (The special one-hour premiere of Marketplace, featuring Canada’s Dumbest Charge, airs on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. / 8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. Join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #dumbcharge.) – —djo— }
Ebola symptoms: What are they? { }
Loonie oil prices could fall much further: Don Pittis { }
The above photo says it all.
Canada Post court challenge launched to save home mail delivery { *”The union representing Canada’s postal workers is hoping the courts will reverse Canada Post’s decision to stop delivering mail door-to-door in urban centres. – With termination notices rolling out across the country, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, along with groups representing seniors and the disabled, are launching a Federal Court challenge. – “The reaction was immediate from every part of this country,” said Denis Lemelin, the union’s national president, at a press conference in Ottawa Thursday. – ”Today we want to thank the people of this country, because people care about the postal service,” he said. – “Postal service is here to stay,” he said, vowing to maintain a “public post office” as well as home delivery. – Lemelin said the December 2013 decision, which was supported by the Harper government, was announced without prior consultation with the public or postal workers. – Court injunction possible – The challenge has been finalized and could be filed in Federal Court “within the week,” constitutional lawyer Paul Cavalluzzo told the press conference. Other applicants are still deciding whether to join the case. – After the challenge has been filed, an injunction could stop service reductions until the court rules. >>—->
The case will argue:
The elimination of mail delivery violates Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees equality rights for groups like disabled citizens.
The decision violates the federal Human Rights Act because of its effects on employees and vulnerable citizens without prior consultation.
Canada Post did not have the authority to declare it will no longer perform a public service that’s defined as part of the statutory monopoly it enjoys. Only the Parliament of Canada can take this decision.
Canada has contravened its international law obligations, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which requires all states to provide accessible public services, and the Universal Postal Union obligations, which require all states to provide affordable and accessible service.
>>—-> “I don’t think taking away home delivery has anything to do with universality or accessibility,” Cavalluzzo said. – “If you look at their accommodation program [for vulnerable groups], it’s really a program that Canada Post is making on the fly,” he said. “It’s totally inadequate and doesn’t make any of the requisites of our human rights law.” – The lawyer also noted that a massive review of Canada Post operations done for the Harper government in 2008 made no mention of ending delivery. – “Did you have any studies of the impact of the decision on seniors and disabled before you took the decision?” he said he wants to ask Canada Post. “Our view is that this came out of the blue.” >>—->
Businesses still served
>>—-> Cavalluzzo pointed out that businesses will continue to receive mail delivery, making them entitled to a fundamental service that individual Canadians no longer have. – “At the present time the government is hiding behind the decision of Canada Post Corporation. They shouldn’t be let off so easily,” he said. -Seniors groups and organizations for people with disabilities are joining the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in a legal challenge to preserve home mail delivery. – The National Pensioners Federation, which says it represents 350 seniors groups and over a million Canadians, has joined the challenge because it wants to reverse what it says is a trend of erosion of services. Mail delivery, it says, is important to help seniors stay in their homes for as long as possible. – Carmela Hutchison from the Disabled Women’s Network of Canada told the press conference that community mail boxes can put personal safety at risk when vulnerable women get their mail in public, while increasing the risk of theft if they ask someone else to get their mail on their behalf. – Mail carriers can sometimes spot people in distress, she said. She’s skeptical about Canada Post’s pledges to accommodate the women she represents. – “Do we put a big handicapped sign on the door? Who approves it? The Canadian Medical Association wisely indicated it would not,” she said, adding that paying for doctor’s letters to prove special services are required can be an economic barrier. – If things proceed, Canada will be the only G8 country without home mail delivery, the union says. – The union also says 110 municipalities oppose ending home mail delivery and do not want the burden of maintaining community mailboxes along streets and sidewalks. – The labour movement and the NDP have been canvassing door-to-door with petitions to maintain the service. – Canada Post ‘confident’ – In a statement, Canada Post said it is “confident” that its plan “will withstand any and all legal scrutiny.” – “Digital alternatives are rapidly replacing traditional mail and that trend will accelerate,” the statement said. Two-thirds of Canadian households already do not receive mail delivery at their door, and the decision to discontinue the remainder was “difficult.” – Canada Post’s accommodations program is “robust” and it spent “months” talking to human rights experts and organizations, the Crown corporation said. – “The changes being made are necessary to secure the future of postal service in Canada and avoid becoming a burden on the taxpayers.” <—-<< *** My Response to the management of Canada Post? “BULL SHIT!” *** Go read the definition of Fascism again. ***—djo— } { Go Read>>—-> CAFR1.Com }
Ebola outbreak: Priority is stopping it at the source, CDC says { }
Apple iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 pics leaked ahead of event { }
Nepal avalanche: Quebec woman says she was lucky to escape deadly slide { }
Mata Hari and Edith Clavell: Women, intrigue and WWI propaganda { }
McDonald’s coffee cup contained dead mouse, Fredericton man says { }
-12 photo slide show- Hong Kong pro-democracy protests { }
-Blog- Kissing protesters flood British grocery store to protest treatment of lesbian couple { }
=====
Other:
-New- 5 reasons Neil Patrick Harris will shine at the Oscars { }
-New- Dropbox passwords posted online { * “Anyone who would give up a little liberty in favour of a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” Benjamin Franklin —djo— }
-Updated- Assisted suicide ‘a last resort’ for some, Supreme Court told { }
Why it m ay be time to ‘take the brakes off’ producing an Ebola vaccine { }
Brawl causing drone from Serbia-Albania soccer match found by police { }
Switching to natural gas won’t slow climate change { }
Panic, bloodshed in Eaton Centre shooting video shown in court { }
Falling oil prices could delay tax cuts, economists say { }
Oscar Pistorius’s apology to family called insincere by cousin { }
Secret murder in Saskatchewan: RCMP say woman’s homicide is a private matter { }
-Updated- Telus misleads by picking and choosing wireless speed data, critics say { }
-Must Watch- Wingsuit World Fying Contest { }
-Must Watch- Avalanche victims and survivors { }
-Must Watch- Canadian soldiers depart { }
-Editor’s Pick- Mata Hari and Edith Cavell: Women and WWI propaganda { * Elsewhere described as “The sexpot and the saint: Women and WWI propaganda” “Iconic women of era were used in campaigns to bolster war effort” “- Scholars commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War are turning their attention to female icons of the era — two of whom were used in propaganda campaigns after their deaths to bolster the war effort, albeit in very different ways. – One was notorious exotic dancer and courtesan Mata Hari. – The other was revered British nurse Edith Cavell. – Both of these iconic women were convicted of treason. – Both were executed by firing squads. – And both were mythologized after their deaths in ways that neither one of them would have sanctioned. – The ‘Bad Girl’ – There is a photo of Mata Hari wearing one of her famed diaphanous outfits in Paris, 1906. – At the crack of dawn on Oct. 15, 1917, 41-year-old Mata Hari (nee Margaret Zelle) was brought to a military firing range after being convicted of espionage for the Germans. – “Mata Hari was a woman of courage,” says biographer Julie Wheelwright, author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage. – The notorious femme fatale Mata Hari was elegantly dressed and refused to be tied to the stake. She also refused to be blindfolded, staring down the 12 soldiers assigned to the firing squad. – The soldiers were given the signal to fire. – “And then Mata Hari fell into what one witness described as nothing more than a heap of petticoats,” says Wheelwright. “And I find that description really poignant because it brings back to earth the fact that she really was harmless and it was really an unnecessary death.” – Julie Wheelwright, author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women In Espionage, says the propaganda machinery at work during WWI perpetuated fears of women who were autonomous sexual beings breaking social conventions. – Convicted on flimsy and fabricated evidence, she went from being the most sought-after exotic dancer and courtesan in Europe to the most vilified spy. – “Mata Hari was quite open about the fact that she had all these lovers. She was quite open about the fact that she enjoyed sex, and that she moved around and took her clothes off on stage. All of those things make her all wrong.” – Wheelwright argues that the execution sent a clear message at the time – especially to women. – “It was a message of ‘stay in your place,’” says Wheelwright, who points out that the propaganda machinery at work during World War One perpetuated fears of women who were autonomous sexual beings breaking social conventions. – “And certainly in France during the war, the images of women are images of caretakers, not of voluptuous women out to be artisans or courtesans.” – The ‘Good Girl’ – British nurse Edith Cavell was executed by a German firing squad as a spy on Oct. 12, 1915. – Just a couple of years prior to Mata Hari’s execution, another woman was executed by firing squad – this time in German-occupied Belgium. British nurse Edith Cavell was 49 years old when she was convicted of treason for helping Allied soldiers escape the country. – Her death on Oct. 12, 1915, was quickly turned into a rallying point to recruit British soldiers to avenge her. In the 10 weeks following her execution, recruitment to the British military doubled from 5,000 a week to 10,000. – And the war propaganda around her death took liberties with her story to suit the needs of the state at the time. – “She’s often shown to be quite young and vulnerable-looking,” says historian Tammy Proctor, author of Female Intelligence: Women, Espionage and Propaganda in the First World War. “A lot of the tributes to her emphasize her purity because she was unmarried. She embodies this notion of what women should be – nurturer and nurse who suffered for her country. That’s why her image becomes so important.” – Edith Cavell’s image was used to draw volunteers to fight shortly after her execution in 1915. – But there is a profound misinterpretation of what motivated Edith Cavell during her lifetime, argues biographer Diana Souhami. “She didn’t want any young men to die in the trenches.” – Cavell was a devout Christian who eschewed war, and as part of her nursing creed she believed it was her duty to help anyone who was sick or suffering, regardless of nationality. – “She was not motivated by patriotism. It wasn’t a flag-waving thing,” Souhami says. – The night before Cavell’s execution an English pastor met with her in her cell and said she would be remembered as a martyr. According to the pastor’s account, Cavell responded: “Don’t think of me like that. Think of me as a nurse who tried to do her duty.” – Yet there are more monuments to Edith Cavell than any other female figure from the first world war – including a 10-foot white marble statue just off Trafalgar Square in London. When her body was repatriated to England after the war her coffin was paraded through the streets of London on a gun carriage escorted by 100 soldiers. It was draped in the Union Jack for the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. – “People want symbols,” says Souhami. “To say that here was the spirit of good as opposed to the spirit of evil.” -” —djo— }
-Editor’s Pick- Parents could be liable for what their kids post on Facebook, Georgia court rules { }
-Editor’s Pick- What’s happened to the 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls? { * ‘Hope is now fading fast,’ leader of parents group says. * —djo— }
-World- Fighter jets roar over Kobani, Syria, as ISIS battle ramps up { }
-World- EU will be hard pressed to deal with turmoil in Greek stock, bond markets { }
-Canada- ‘No one wants to die if living is better’ Supreme Court told { }
-Canada- Canada’s new anti-terror measures to boost spy agency powers { }
-Business- TSX, Dow continue slide on weak economic news { * & The guys at half past human dot com forecast this to the day it began happening. * —djo— }
-Business- Ottawa complains to WTO about Chinese duties on Canadian wood pulp { }
-Business- AbbVie board backs away from Shire deal over new tax rules { }
-Business- U.S. jobless claims drop to 14-year low { * But the actual jobless rate is still way above the b.s. numbers they report. Last estimate puts it well above 24% }
-Politics- Canada Post court challenge launched to save home mail delivery { }
-Arts & Entertainment- Women filmmakers call for gender equity in male-dominated industry { }
-Technology & Science- New Poodle security bug found in web encryption technology { }
-Technology & Science- First-ever spacecraft to land on a comet next month { * And what happens if they find a million year old space craft sitting there waiting for them? * —djo— }
-Technology & Science- Google unveils new Nexus tablet, smartphone, streaming device { }
-Technology & Science- Parents could be liable for what their kids post on Facebook, Georgia court rules { }
Photo posted with GamerGate article
-Community- The internet has had enough of GamerGate { * “- For months now, members of the the embattled gaming community have been at war with each other over everything from accusations of biased video game journalism to reports of widespread online harassment against women within the industry. – The web has come to know this ongoing saga as — a term that is as difficult to define as it is to keep track of. – First used by actor Adam Baldwin on Twitter in August of 2014, the#GamerGate hashtag was initially used to organize a heated online conversation about ethics in gaming journalism. – That conversation was sparked by one man’s claims that his ex-girlfriend, a noted game designer named Zoe Quinn, had cheated on him with several men in the gaming industry — one of them a writer for the Gawker media-owned blog Kotaku. – Quinn’s ex-boyfriend appeared to imply within his post that her relationship with a Kotaku writer earned her game, Depression Quest, favourable coverage on the popular video game-themed blog — an implication that many online ran with. – “Quinn turned into the victim of an aggressive attack on her personal life, which included threats of rape, hacking attempts, at least one death threat and doxxing, or the Internet-based practice of publishing private information about an individual,” explained Abigail Elise of the IBTimes. “Those who attempted to defend Quinn from the attacks were given the label ‘social justice warriors,’ quickly escalating into a virulent attack against Quinn and the ethics of video game journalism. Journalists who refused to cover what seemed to be a very public examination of a woman’s private life were labeled gaming journalism conspirators, and a black list was even circulated by gamergate supporters.“-” —djo—}
-Community- Vatican sparks controversy by saying gay couples have ‘gifts and qualities’ { }
-Community- Kissing protesters flood British grocery store to protest treatment of lesbian couple { }
=====
Fibreoptic Cable.
“Local / New Bruswick”
Moncton the hub of a fibreoptic superhighway { Let’s hope that corporations don’t decide they can arbitrarily slow down fibreoptic connections just because they can. —djo— }
Horizon Health is refusing to fill housekeeping jobs, CUPE says { }
RCMP watchdog reviews police handling of shale gas protests { *Now, this one could become quite interesting.* —djo— }
Mentor program hopes to help intellectually disabled teens find work { }
McDonald’s coffee cup contained dead mouse, Fredericton man says { }
Community group gives natural resource lessons for N.B from Tanzania { }
=====
Inuit Artist Kenojuak Ashevak was honoured by Google with this doodle on what would have beeh her 87th birthday.
“First Nations”
Tina Fontaine’s family weeps as men who killed father apologize { }
Mary Johnny inquest: ‘Something weird and unusual happened,’ Dr. says { }
First Nations Bank opens branch in Yellowknife { }
Federal court to review Jackpine Mine expansion today { }
Three big ‘whoppers’ told about the Ring of Fire { *This ‘Ring of Fire’ is a mining operation in northern Ontario. A mining expert says the promise of its mineral development area has been overstated. —jim w— }
[First Nations] voters gear up to cast ballots in Winnipeg’s civic election { }
Discrimination not a factor in Mary Johnny’s death: son { }
HUnt quotas cut for southern population of polar bears { }
Watchdog says B.C. government ignoring recommendations to help children { }
=======================
{ 4:15 pm —Ready to Rock and Roll— Had help again from Jim W one more time — Thanks, Jim ———djo——— }
Radio Free Earth News 