I know, I know. I said I was taking a break -- and then I read some more. Each time, I think, "But this is important!" This time, I am going to relax -- really. The most loved little godchild in the world is coming -- and what else is important? If only all children could be born into such loving homes with extended families who think they're perfect!
List of Articles:
* Who's protecting investors? -- Nortel, Bre-X, Livent — where are our Googles?
* Auditing the auditors: Report cards coming -- Public overseer assesses top firms Wave of problems sparked review -- "We will not be naming particular sins in particular firms . . ." -- Who's protecting investors? Everybody else seems to be protected
* More Corruption? Someone will pay for the toxic mould on native reserves--but who? -- "Dr. Hari Vijay, a mould specialist with Health Canada, set up a field laboratory on the reserve in 2002 and collected blood samples from the population to determine if there were antibodies in the blood as the result of living in mouldy conditions. Before she was finished, her work was abruptly suspended"
* Where's the 'faint hope' for victims? -- if the police cannot get justice for one of their own
* Different codes for different folks -- Jonas on sharia in Canada
* Justice in the Islamic Republic -- Here’s a story about the glory of shari’a.
* MPs return eyeing re-election -- Resentment in Liberal ranks -- Does Quebec MP Helene Chalifour-Scherrer's elevation to the PMO mean she will get to take the Bombardier Challenger jet again?
* Censoring the Bible -- religious freedom and freedom of expression vs gay rights -- Predict which will win in Canada -- The two nominees for the SCOC are pro gay rights.
* The Olympics: three links
* Women are ruining the Olympics
* The Muslim Olympics
* CENSORING THE OLYMPICS
You might have to be from the Maritimes to get a chuckle from this.
How to say "I love you"
English - I love you
French - Je t'aime
Italian - Ti amo
Chinese - Wo ai nin
Newfoundland - Nice arse; now get in the truck.
Thanks G***.
Who's protecting investors? -- Nortel, Bre-X, Livent — where are our Googles?
The wheels of justice grind very slowly in Canada. They're charged, prosecuted and convicted in the US in about half the time it takes them to get going here, if they get going at all. Now, we have fewer experienced RCMP officers and prosecutors. It's an old story. Who benefits? Read a few of the following posts for an idea.
So Google Inc. is officially a publicly traded company and Nortel Networks Corp. remains mired in a pongy-smelly swamp.
Is there symmetry here?
Just look. There were plentiful pictures the other day of Google executives launching their stock with triumphant yahoo sorts of looks on their faces. And there were plentiful inches of ink spilled on that latest bad news from Nortel — more executives fired "for cause"; continued opacity around the company's financial performance.
And I'm thinking: Are the Canadian markets caught in a time warp or what?
[. . . . ] Up here, the Canadian Public Accountability Board, whose job it is to ensure public confidence in the integrity of financial statements, says it will release its first report on the country's top accounting firms next month. The board has cautioned that it won't name names, but instead will highlight problem areas in the financial statements of publicly traded companies.
When the board eventually itemizes improper recognition of revenues, or revenue shell games, how surprised will we be? Not very.
Scratch that. Not at all.
And the board appears to be quite concerned that, whatever they say, the country's big accounting firms may get mad at them. Poor baby. [. . . . ]
Wells must realize that there is an "elite" with a network of enablers from the courts to the media to NGO's to those who "live off the avails of" what that "elite" make available to those who go with the flow, that is, those who run things and who have enough power to ruin any person or business which might interfere with "the system", the way things are and have always been done.
If you don't believe this, try to remember the scandals which should have brought down any government, except Canada's. With the media, money and the complicity of the backroom boys of the old Tory party, Canadians were bombarded with a stream of fear-inducing ads, directives on how to vote from the provincial backroom old boys (particularly, it has been reported, in that land of transfer payments and other largesse from TROC with which Maritime votes are bought) who support the leftist agenda, and more. It worked!
Then consider that in the US there is a right and a left-wing body of thought and opinion debated and reported. How much does this happen in Canada? The consequence for us is that the most egregious examples of chicanery are allowed--even not reported--when the perpetrators are part of that network of Canada's "elites" or their supporters. Think of how much ridicule has been heaped on the Byfields, whose civic mindedness and evident decency should be lauded, largely because they question the way things are and have always been. Think of Preston Manning. Think of the scorn heaped upon the independent and innovative Albertans. To adopt some of their ideas might open a Pandora's box and Canadians might demand more -- accountability, transparency -- even democracy.
Auditing the auditors: Report cards coming -- Public overseer assesses top firms Wave of problems sparked review -- "We will not be naming particular sins in particular firms . . ." -- Who's protecting investors? Everybody else seems to be protected.
Canadian shareholders who are shaken by recent warnings from public companies that their audited statements aren't quite as they seem will get a report card soon on just how well some of Canada's biggest auditors do their job.
The Canadian Public Accountability Board will be issuing its first report next month assessing the performance of Canada's four biggest auditing firms, David Scott, the board's chief executive, said in an interview.
"We will not be naming particular sins in particular firms, but we'll say in general: Here's the sorts of things that we have found," he said.
Re-read that last paragraph and then ask "Why not?" If some local kid robbed the corner store, his name would be in the newspapers. If you're big enough and important enough to be one of "Canada's four biggest auditing firms" which probably means you do work for the big boys, the government, the "elites", there is another standard? No! Is it possible? See my comments above.
[. . . . ] Auditors of public companies are in touch regularly with management through the year, and differences of opinion are often ironed out, Scott said.
If they can't be resolved, the auditor can bring the issue to the audit committee, which is made up of directors who are independent of management.
If the auditor is still unhappy, he or she can tell the company that the audit opinion will be "qualified," with the auditor explaining why he or she isn't happy with the statements.
"If you ask any auditor who's been around for a while in an opinion signing capacity, he'll probably have had to threaten qualification at one time or another," Scott said.
"It does go on, I can assure you. I personally have had to threaten qualification on more than one occasion to get a large company to make a change in its financial statements." [. . . . ]
More Corruption? Someone will pay for the toxic mould on native reserves--but who? -- "Dr. Hari Vijay, a mould specialist with Health Canada, set up a field laboratory on the reserve in 2002 and collected blood samples from the population to determine if there were antibodies in the blood as the result of living in mouldy conditions. Before she was finished, her work was abruptly suspended"
This is an example of what I had in mind above; whether there was corruption in this case or not, corruption that can be proven in a court of law, instinctively, we know how the system works. The government body that handles contracts of this nature awards the business to its friends and supporters, short-cuts are taken, the contractor(s) take the money and run (to be fair, not all do, I'm sure), and the rest of us, whether on reserve or elsewhere, are left with the results. There is a complicity involved, I believe. For example, think about the Health Canada whistleblowers who have lost their jobs lately. Then think of the whistleblower legislation which was designed so as to protect government, not the whistleblower. Check my archives.
Why was the study suspended? Who would order the suspension and why? To whose benefit? Do you think Canadian taxpayers will ever learn the whole story? What do you think will happen with Dr. Hari Vijay, mould specialist with Health Canada -- if she embarrasses the department(s) or minister(s) involved? If not eased out of her job, there are other ways of ruining her career. Bureaucrats are practiced at delivering what government wants -- even if it has to be--what would one call it--manufactured over time--the poor perfomance rating, the . . . well, you fill in the rest. The symbiosis is such that orders don't even have to be given and I suspect that bureaucrats do not actually realize what they are doing; they simply start to look more critically and negatively at the individual's work. Few of us could withstand excessive scrutiny of our work; there are always negatives which may be emphasized. And so, reflexively, the process is put in place if the minister involved would be negatively affected -- and so government work and awarding of contracts goes on in the usual manner.
An Ontario native band’s recent quarter-billion dollar class action lawsuit against the federal government may be the first of many across the country. It alleges that Ottawa failed to take reasonable measures to protect Ojibwa band members from the ravages of toxic mould in their houses [. . . . ]
Dr. Hari Vijay, a mould specialist with Health Canada, set up a field laboratory on the reserve in 2002 and collected blood samples from the population to determine if there were antibodies in the blood as the result of living in mouldy conditions. Before she was finished, her work was abruptly suspended. Vijay’s Ottawa laboratory was forced to release the collected blood samples. Band members say no explanations have been forthcoming as to why. When contacted by the Western Standard, Health Canada officials declined comment, due to the fact that the lawsuit over the mishandled sample is before the courts. No defense has been filed and the allegations are not proven.
Confidential documents obtained by the Western Standard indicate that an elders’ committee had been established in 1995 to address the “retrogression in living standards and evidence of corruption in the administration of band finances.” [. . . .] A member of the emergency crew who spoke on condition of anonymity said the slimy growths had actually been noticed in 1995. “The band called in the contractor and he was mad. He had us just stipple over the green stuff in the ceilings and take the drywall off the walls and put new drywall up. We could see it was all black behind there, but we didn’t know what it was, or that it would grow right back through the new wall.” [. . . . ]
Again, I recommend checking these sites for information glossed over or even omitted from the mainstream press. (How I miss the "Alberta Report"!)
WHEN EVEN the police, who are an integral part of Canada's justice system, complain they can't get justice for their own fallen comrades, it makes us wonder, what hope is there for ordinary crime victims?
Last week's eye-opening articles by the Sun's Alan Cairns on the antics of two cop-killers who have made a mockery of our parole system raise serious questions, for cops and civilians alike.
They also make us wonder how many more Jamie Munros and Jeffrey Breeses are out there.
Jamie Munro and his brother Craig were responsible for one of Toronto's most horrific police murders: Armed and masked, they shot and held hostage Const. Michael Sweet and let him bleed to death as he begged for his life. Craig was convicted of first-degree murder, but Jamie escaped with a second-degree conviction, sentenced in 1982 to "life" in prison with no parole for a minimum of 12 years.
[. . . . ] When people who commit the worst imaginable crimes are given the toughest possible sentences under our law, we expect those sentences to be enforced. We expect a "life" sentence to mean life -- not a life of travel back and forth to Europe; not special privileges to spend time with loved ones (a privilege these killers denied their victims forever).
We applaud the CPPA for making this issue a priority -- and for planning to confront Deputy PM Anne McLellan with it when she addresses them this Friday.
We hope they give her hell. After all, if the feds won't listen to front-line cops when they tell them the system is broken, what hope is there for the rest of us? [. . . . ]
Different codes for different folks -- Jonas on sharia in Canada
Jonas writes of a delightful character, of earned respect and lack of coercion -- and then he comes to the imposition of sharia.
[. . . . ] The problem begins when proponents of sharia want to elevate an informal agreement among potential litigants into a formal part of Canada's (or at least Ontario's) legal system. They hope to achieve this -- Mr. Ali suggests they already have -- through the Arbitration Act of 1991, a piece of legislation born of Ontario's brief affair with the NDP, which provides for individuals to voluntarily opt in to "alternate dispute resolution." ADF is a streamlined process, with reduced procedural and evidentiary safeguards, whose results are enforceable by the courts. Once you opt in, you can't opt out, apparently; if you select the cheaper and faster track of ADF to resolve your dispute, you're stuck with it. So, if sharia becomes part of ADF, you're stuck with sharia, like it or not.
Here's the rub. Letting disputants turn with their tales of woe to a rabbi, a mullah, a short-order cook or even a Mafioso, instead of a judge, isn't dangerous. It only affirms that Canada is a free country. But extending formal recognition to tribal or religious laws and procedures is dangerous. It suggests that Canada isn't a country. At best, introducing parallel systems of justice fosters the fragmentation of society. At worst, it raises the spectre of theocracy encroaching on the secular state.
[. . . . ] As Barbara Amiel put it in the London Sunday Times yesterday: "Though many communities have used informal conflict resolution through their own tribal and religious arbitrators, only Muslims have sought to formalize such a parallel legal system. It is also noteworthy that only ultra-liberal governments, such as Ontario's, have considered acceding to such demands."
Women will be delighted with this! Now, read on for an example of life under sharia in Iran.
Justice in the Islamic Republic -- Here’s a story about the glory of shari’a.
He had her arrested and put on trial for her crime.
Mahmoud worried.
He worried that she might get away with it. His honor was at stake.
So he stabbed his unfaithful wife to death. In the courtroom.
Since Mahmoud was the sole support of his now somewhat diminished family, and his slaughtered, unfaithful wife had no surviving family members on her side to demand vengeance, Mahmoud was allowed to go free.
TEHRAN, Aug 19 (AFP) - Iran’s judiciary ordered a man to be released after he killed his unfaithful wife in the courtroom, because the woman’s immediate forebears are not alive to claim retaliation, press reports said Thursday. [. . . . ]
MPs return eyeing re-election -- Resentment in Liberal ranks -- Does Quebec MP Helene Chalifour-Scherrer's elevation to the PMO mean she will get to take the Bombardier Challenger jet again?
She flew to Banff to politick pre-election -- then lost -- and now, she has "won" again. This is another example of how the game is played -- how you can win even if you lose -- as long as you have the right network of friends.
Some MPs also talk privately about their dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister's choice of Cabinet ministers to carry out the government agenda and their fear that Mr. Martin's staff is continuing its pre-election record of chaos, poor communications and refusal to listen to caucus concerns.
[. . . . ] "They've brought in a bunch of political operatives," said the MP referring to newly appointed deputy chief of staff Karl Littler, who was best known for his organization of Mr. Martin's leadership campaign and the Liberals' Ontario election campaign, and defeated Quebec MP Helene Chalifour-Scherrer, who co-chaired the election campaign.
Many say Ms. Chalifour-Scherrer, a long-time Martin loyalist who was appointed principal secretary in the PMO, is too inexperienced and got the job only because two years ago she was the first MP to publicly call for former prime minister Jean Chretien to quit to make way for Mr. Martin.
"It's all about politics and organization for the next election in the PMO. If they were interested in governing, they would have brought in people with a policy background."
Censoring the Bible -- religious freedom and freedom of expression vs gay rights -- Predict which will win in Canada -- The two nominees for the SCOC are pro gay rights.
In Canada, as in most Western nations, laws prohibiting the wilful incitement to hatred receive strong approval from the general public. Indeed, they are widely seen as a legal codification of our tolerant creed. But a recent Swedish case serves as a timely reminder of the perverse consequences that such laws can produce.
Earlier this summer, a Swedish court invoked that country's hate-speech law to sentence a Pentecostal pastor to one month in prison for preaching a vociferous sermon against homosexuality. The pastor, Ake Green, had labelled homosexuals "perverts whose sexual drive the Devil has used as his strongest weapon against God."
In making his case against the pastor, the public prosecutor explained: "One may have whatever religion one wishes, but [the sermon] is an attack on all fronts against homosexuals. Collecting Bible [verses] on this topic as he does makes this hate speech."
What about the pastor's religious freedom -- not to mention his freedom of speech? For the Swedish court, these considerations were trumped by gay rights. The rock-paper-scissors thinking behind the decision is best summarized by Soren Anderson -- president of a Swedish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights foundation -- who told journalists religious freedom can never provide justification to offend people.
While Mr. Green's prosecution may be unusual, and his religious views extreme, his case highlights a broader conflict already beginning to play out in this country. In 2002, a federal court in Saskatchewan effectively equated Bible passages condemning homosexuality with hate literature.
[. . . . ] The Swedish prosecution should serve as a warning to Canada and other Western nations. While efforts to expand hate-speech censorship are undoubtedly well-meaning, they serve to unduly curtail freedoms of conscience that have formed the centuries-old bedrock of Western societies.
In a topic containing the stolen email addresses of many Protest Warrior mailing list subscribers, a Nazimedia Morlock threatens web attacks against LGF and Instapundit:
Re: Phone numbers, addresses, and e-mails of over 1600 RNC delegates!
by DownWithRNC
(No verified email address)
Current rating: 0
22 Aug 2004
TIME TO SHUT DOWN LGF, INSTAFASCIST AND THE REST...BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
THE DIGITAL BROWNSHIRTS WILL BE STOPPED.
ENJOY YOUR LAST NIGHT OF SAFETY GLEN, CHARLES AND THE REST...TICK, TOCK, THE END IS NEAR FOR YOU FASCISTS.
I’ve alerted everyone possible about this threat, accompanied as it is by the revelation of hundreds of private email addresses. [. . . . ]
Hard to believe, isn't it? Link and read the comments. Actually, link and read everything you have time to read.
