Articles of Interest — Offline

Makings of a Success Story  Obama’s first 100 days — Personality, pragmatism, policy, principle: this President has them all   ⇒ By John Ibbitson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 29-Apr-2009.

Apollo 11 Landing Sunday 16:17 EDT 20-JUL-1969; 6 hours later, Neil Alden Armstrong set foot on the moon (6 hours later at 22:17 ET) followed by Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. while Michael Collins orbited in the Command Module.

Alberta Passes the Buck on $1b Deficit  Global Crisis; Government bungling not to blame:  minister   ⇒ By Darcy Henton and Trish Audette writing for The National Post; posted Sun 22-Feb-2009.

Bust-town, Alta.  Oil’s implosion has wreaked havoc across Alberta’s energy industry, but the collapse of Upgrader Alley has been the most devastating. The government faces a stark choice: muscle the projects back to life or watch the bitumen flow to the U.S.   ⇒ By Gordon Pitts writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 21-Feb-2009.

Albertans Worry as Boom Goes Bust  Residents share growing concern the province’s financial woes are much worse than the government is saying publicly   ⇒ By Katherine O’Neill and Nathan Vanderklippe writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 21-Feb-2009.

Science Becomes a Parsimonious Zone  The absence of Genome Canada in the federal budget plan of Jan. 27 fits a pattern of comparative neglect of science and research on the part of the Harper government.  More broadly, it confirms criticisms that the short-term stimulus is not being geared toward long-term productivity and value.   ⇒ By The editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 30-Jan-2009.

Nobel Scientist Criticizes Tories over Funding  Professor Carl Wieman, an American Nobel laureate scientist working at the University of British Columbia is raising concerns about the federal Tory government’s approach to science funding   ⇒ By Ian Bailey writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 31-Jan-2009.

Now, isn’t that quaint?  Are the Harperites betraying the neo-CONservative proclivity to undermine science — much like the George W. Bush regime did in the USA? — some examples:

Scientists:  Bush Distorts Science  The Bush administration has distorted scientific fact leading to policy decisions on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry   ⇒ By Kristen Philipkoski writing for Wired; posted Thu 29-Jan-2009.

Scientists Say Bush Stifles Science and Lets Global Leadership Slip  In email interviews this week with 21 researchers in various fields of study, LiveScience and SPACE.com found widespread criticism for Bush’s "retardation of research," as one scientist put it, that threatens to knock the country out of its global leadership role in science and technology.   ⇒ By Robert Roy Britt writing for LiveScience; posted Thu 29-Jan-2009.

Researchers Struggle as Ottawa Scales Back Funding  Experts frustrated as other countries pour money into science   ⇒ By Anne McIlroy writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 17-Feb-2009.

The Politicization of Science in Canada  Read the open letter — signed by 85 Canadian scientists from a range of disciplines — condemning the federal government’s mishandling and mistreatment of science and due processes   ⇒ posted Tue 17-Feb-2009.

The bottom line?  CONservatives believe that public funding for scientific research is not desirable — especially if the research is against their political, ideological and/or religious belief systems.  Funny how they will try to foist their beliefs on people but vehemently refuse when beliefs other than theirs may appear to prevail or gain importance.  Can you spell “hypocrites”?

Getting Shovels into the Ground and Money into More Brains  Some Canadian university researchers are up in arms, and their hero is coming to town.   ⇒ By Jeffrey Simpson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 18-Feb-2009.

Researchers Fear ‘Stagnation’ under Tories  Warn that Ottawa’s approach will make it tough for Canada to recruit or retain top talent   ⇒ By Carolyn Abraham writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 02-Mar-2009.

Time to Keep Pace with Obama  President Barack Obama is generating an excitement around science that Canada has to be prepared to match.  If it does not, it will lose scientific and technological talent, and the economic opportunities it generates.   ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 12-Mar-2009.

Harper Defends Science Strategy to Scientists  Prime Minister Stephen Harper ventured into the lion’s den Monday, defending his government’s record on science funding before some of the country’s top researchers.  He emerged without a scratch.   ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Tue 17-Mar-2009.

Canada’s Timid Approach to Science Funding will Bring Diminishing Returns  John Polanyi asks whether Canada sees the same source of ‘boundless hope’ Obama’s talking about   ⇒ By John Polanyi writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 30-Apr-2009.

Meanwhile, from the indefatigable The National Post …Reality Hits Harper in the Face  Stephen Harper now all grown up as Canada’s Prime Minister, concluded in his 1991 master’s degree thesis that aggressive government intrusions into the free market economy should be avoided because they are usually just political ploys for re-election.   ⇒ By Don Martin writing for The National Post; posted Fri 30-Jan-2009.

Saved, Not Restored  Stephen Harper survived with Tuesday’s budget, but as a new poll shows, his reputation as a fiscal steward has been hurt   ⇒ By The editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 31-Jan-2009.

Big Federal Deficit May be Bigger  The Harper government’s big deficit budget that passed the House of Commons on Tuesday could place Canada even further into the red because of how it is tallying unmade asset sales, say opposition MPs.   ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Thu 05-Feb-2009.

Shop ‘Til We Drop?  Back in 2004, financial writer Robert J. Samuelson predicted what was in store for America’s consumer economy treadmill. He had a lot of it right.   ⇒ By Robert J. Samuelson writing for The Wilson Quarterly — Winter 2009; posted Fri 23-Jan-2009.

Harper Wants Joint Canada-U.S. Policies on Energy, Ecology  The government will argue that “a cap and trade system will be insufficient alone to get the job done,” a source said.   ⇒ By Campbell Clark writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 21-Jan-2009.

Economists were caught flat-footed at the start of the current economic global crisis.  I guess not much has changed.  Fascinating though how der Harper will manage to spin (about the only thing at which he and his cronies are actually good) this after trying to tell people lately that everything is hunky-dory.  And let’s not forgot that der Harper is of that ilk — an economist!  Too, this is the same guy who denied there was an economic crisis while campaigning in the last election.  Ah!  Statistics … always accurate but chock-full o’ lies!

Did Lag in Releasing Listeriosis Notes Break Law?  The Harper government has delayed for months the release of notes on conference calls held at the height of last summer’s deadly listeriosis outbreak — a lag some experts say breaks Ottawa’s own information laws.   ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Tue 24-Feb-2009.

Opposition MPs Criticize Tories over Listeriosis Secrecy  Opposition MPs say the Harper government’s refusal to release handwritten notes on last summer’s deadly listeriosis outbreak flouts its own Access to Information laws.   ⇒ By CBC News; posted Tue 24-Feb-2009.

Harper Government Withholds Listeriosis Notes  PCO delays for months Access to Information request for transcripts and minutes of conference calls made during deadly outbreak.  Access to Information regressed under Liberal governments but has now reached an “appalling” state of institutionalized delays under the Conservatives.   ⇒ By Sue Bailey writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sun 22-Feb-2009.

Harper Appoints Head of Limited Listeriosis Probe  The Harper government has appointed an investigator to report by July 20 on last year’s deadly listeriosis outbreak — a four-month delay from the original timeline.  Critics swiftly pounced on the fact that Mr. Harper stopped short of calling a full judicial inquiry that would allow Ms. Weatherill to call witnesses and compel testimony.   ⇒ By Sue Bailey writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 21-Jan-2009.

The researchers’ findings were released Saturday night (28-Mar-2009) online, in a report entitled Tracking GhostNet:  Investigating a Cyber Espionage Network

Recession Clouds Roll into Asia  China’s growth slows sharply and Japan’s exports plummet 35% as demand withers in the West   ⇒ By Mark MacKinnon writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 23-Jan-2009.

In Pieces  General Motors and Chrysler say they need more help. So do their suppliers   ⇒ By The Economist; Originally posted Sun 22-Feb-2009 ; posted Thu 23-Apr-2009 (as requested).

Time to Change the Act  Business in China, like business everywhere else, is being walloped by the global crisis. The slowdown is also exposing some deeper flaws   ⇒ By The Economist; Originally posted Sun 22-Feb-2009 ; posted Thu 23-Apr-2009 (as requested).

Cold Medicine  Japan’s crashing economy — Both politics and the economy flounder   ⇒ By The Economist; Originally posted Sun 22-Feb-2009 ; posted Thu 23-Apr-2009 (as requested).

Fox News Host Makes Farce of His Apology  He mocked our military and our Mounties, and incited outrage among our highest-ranking politicians, but Greg Gutfeld couldn’t muster the guts Monday to tell us himself that he’s sorry.   ⇒ By Jessica Leeder writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 23-Mar-2009.

Fox Host Apologizes for Mocking of Canadian Forces  The host of an over-the-top, late-night Fox network show has apologized for disrespecting the Canadian military with a recent segment on his intentionally inflammatory program.  “My apologies to the Canadian military, they probably could at least beat the Belgians,” a “penitent” Greg Gutfeld mused in his Twitter account on Sunday.   ⇒ By CBC News; posted Mon 23-Mar-2009.

Fox News Host Apologizes to Canada  Talk-show segment ridiculed country and its reliability as an ally in fighting terrorism just before four Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan   ⇒ By Alexander Panetta writing for The Canadian Press; posted Mon 23-Mar-2009.

Ottawa Demands Fox Apology for ‘Despicable’ Comments  The Canadian government has demanded an apology from Fox News for “despicable” and “disgusting” comments made on one of its late-night programs.   ⇒ By Alexander Panetta writing for The Canadian Press; posted Mon 23-Mar-2009.

Anybody remember how Mike Harris's Ontario cabinet included the late Al Palladini — who owned a large automobile dealership — as the Ministry of Transport?  Is there a pattern here?  That Harris cronies and compatriots almost always benefit from Government action/inaction and decisions … could it be that CONservatives do this as a matter of course?  Not just out of habit but out of their zeal to curb government — a CONvenient albeit not coincidental effect?

I am utterly speechless!

So, despite all the freshest statistics and numerous empirical studies to date, CONservatives will and still clamour for “tax-cuts” as their panacea to any and all economic issues (and non-issues for that matter).  Aahh!!!  CONservatives, the utter mindlessness of sheep and the blind obsequiousness of lemmings.

Politicians tend to lie.  That is just a truism.  However, the Harperites have polished their equivocation to a high sheen.  Not only do they tend to say one thing in English and another in French … this is but one sterling example thereof.

When a party, such as the Harperites (aka CPC), decides to spend money from their overflowing coffers on attack ads about the attack ads of your opponent, one can only smell not just the desperation; rather that the CPC is truly scraping the bottom of the barrel!

In addition to Hillier’s frustration with the overal bureaucracy in Ottawa, he also outlines prime examples of how obsessed the Harper administration (in this instance, it was der Harper, the PMO and then Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor) can be with message control.  It must be as if you were working in a marketing/advertising firm rather than a government — then again the conservative mantra kit does include “the government must be run like a business.”

Yet another instance of der Harper’s proclivity for incrementalism and non-transparency …

Amazing!  Particularly when one considers this man — as Ontario’s Minister of Finance from February 2001 until April 2002 — managed to run a deficit and hide it so well (at least until he left office and his provincial party was booted out of government).  It is also worth mentioning that he has managed to burn through a surplus built up by the LPC — while the latter were in office — and somehow he managed in two short years to turn that surplus position federal coffers into deficit even before the stimulus spending.  It is with amusing certainty that he and CPC will use the stimulus spending as their cover for their profligate ways.

The following two essays are very timely for all of us who, at work, are in the capacity of managing as well as those of us who are managed.  A must read for all …

The Elephant in the Oval Office  There is a fundamental flaw in the current approach to management. If Barack Obama perpetuates the pattern of acting prematurely, and we exhaust our confidence and resources, where will we be?   ⇒ By Tom Tavares writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 16-Mar-2009.

Perhaps those long years of being in opposition habituated the CPC to the behaviour they are currently manifesting.  After all, when you are unpopular (or at least not in power) you tend to crave attention and therefore indulge any and all means of achieving any semblance or approximation thereof.  But wait … they are in power now and according to several polls their numbers are on the rise!  So maybe that’s not it; just what is really going on?!?  Could it be that they are simply and really gung ho deadly serious — bordering on obsessive, actually — about self-promoting propaganda and see absolutely nothing wrong with slipping it in no matter what, how, when or where?  Certainly they don’t seem to mind using public money to do it — and that is the crux of all of this.  It’s not as if their party coffers are low (they are not).  They just can’t seem to help themselves but they ought to be more self-aware.

I think it is inherently impossible for der Harper to be a statesman — never mind non-partisan.  Granted that this was at an event sponsored by the Manning Centre for Building Democracy — a CONservative think-tank founded by Ernest Preston “Reeee-FOOORRRMMMM” Manning — still it is notable how even a CONservative blogger (please see within) found der Harper’s remarks rather bewildering.  Too, it is troubling how two-faced CPC and der Harper can be — coincidentally, the PMO refused to make available the text of the remarks made by the PM at the “private” event.

As for der Harper’s earlier speech this week …  Assessing the PM’s Sales Pitch  Did Stephen Harper deliver the right message during Tuesday’s economic address in Brampton?  Political insiders weigh in   ⇒ By Greg Lyle, Leslie Campell, and Scott Reid writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sun 15-Mar-2009.

Is This the Real Harper?  Canadians are only left to wonder whether this speech reflects the real Stephen Harper.   ⇒ By the Editors of The Toronto Star; posted Thu 19-Mar-2009.

Here's betting you did not know that Mexico is at risk of turning into a “failed state!?!?”

Is Mexico Disintegrating?  This crisis is far closer to home than a nuclear-armed Iran or a resurgent Russia. It’s unfortunate America so complacent   ⇒ By David Rieff writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 27-Feb-2009.

State of War  Mexico’s hillbilly drug smugglers have morphed into a raging insurgency.  Violence claimed more lives there last year alone than all the Americans killed in the war in Iraq.  And there’s no end in sight.   ⇒ By Sam Quinones writing for Foreign Policy; posted Wed 18-Feb-2009.

Reversal of Fortune  Vladimir Putin’s social contract has been premised on an authoritarian state delivering rising incomes and resurgent power.  But the economic crisis is unraveling all that.  And what comes next in Russia might be even worse.   ⇒ By Arkady Ostrovsky writing for Foreign Policy; posted Wed 18-Feb-2009.

The Most Dangerous Place in the World  Somalia is a state governed only by anarchy.  A graveyard of foreign-policy failures, it has known just six months of peace in the past two decades.  Now, as the country’s endless chaos threatens to engulf an entire region, the world again simply watches it burn.   ⇒ By Jeffrey Gettleman writing for Foreign Policy; posted Wed 18-Feb-2009.

Please be advised that this 6-page magazine article is 12MB in size.

This quaint article’s thesis is simple — der Harper’s 2005-2006 GST Cut worked as a policy because it got him elected.  The remarkable thing about it is not that the hallmark of CPC policy making and implementation has so far been that of the singular expediency — appealing to their constituency instead of the common weal, so to speak — of getting into and staying in office.  Rather, that this was Ian Brodie, a der Harper insider (well, technically, a former insider).

Most economists and analysts then and after decried the GST cut for its inefficiency — at best — and ineffectivity — at worst — in stimulating the economy.  Anyone requiring proof of that need only look around and realize that “Hey, we’re currently in a recession!”  Moreover, the revenue loss from the GST cut obviated real — read, substantial — income tax cuts that would have been more consistent with neo-conservative dogma.  This certain loss of flexibility was obviously considered acceptable by the Harperites and der Harper himself in order to attain, maintain and consolidate power.  In other words, politics trumps policy.

The Habit of Understatement  Canadians are entitled to information on the country’s finances that is as straightforward, transparent and accurate as the government can provide   ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 28-May-2009.

About freakin' time, too …

Rise of the Sultans  Iran is a paradoxical nation.  On the one hand, its political structure is a fundamentalist sultanism run by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and personified at least in the eyes of the outside world, by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.   ⇒ By Akbar Ganji writing for Foreign Affairs; posted Sun 28-Jun-2009.

Judge Asked to Unseal Millions of Tory Documents on ‘06 Election  Elections Canada is asking a judge to unseal up to a staggering five million pages of Conservative party documents tied to allegations the party broke federal election laws with a controversial advertising campaign in the 2006 election.   ⇒ By Tim Naumetz writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sun 25-Jan-2009.

Lisa Raitt’s About-face is Puzzling  Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt was born to be a smart political cookie.  Everything about her life makes that point — until the recent tape…   ⇒ By Linda Diebel writing for The Toronto Star; posted Sat 13-Jun-2009.

In Dharavi Slum, Few Dare to Dream of Riches  A United Nations Development Program report released two weeks ago says India’s slums are likely to get even bigger.  Currently, 42 million people, a number roughly equal to the population of Spain, are struggling in India’s slums.  By 2030, the report predicts, almost half the country’s population will be living in cities that are already crowded.   ⇒ By Diana Coulter writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 24-Feb-2009.

Now that Oscar Loves “Slumdog,” so Does India  The gleam of eight Oscars, it seems, is bright enough to distract a whole lot of people: In India a mere two days ago, “Slumdog Millionaire” was the subject of occasional political protest and often-acrimonious debate about “poverty porn” reigning Bollywood stars sneered at it as an outsider’s clumsy attempt at telling Indian stories.  But when, this morning local time, the improbable rags-to-riches tale swept the Academy Awards, half of India skipped work or school to watch TV, and no one remembered they ever had anything but love the film.   ⇒ By Stephanie Nolen writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 24-Feb-2009.

Betting on a Rosy Recovery, Little Room for Bad News  The federal budget is built on the belief that within a year all the stimulus packages being introduced around the world will fuel a stunning recovery for the global economy.   ⇒ By Heather Scoffield writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 28-Jan-2009.

Conservatives Do a Budget U-turn  In just two months, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has moved 180 degrees from last fall’s “economic update,” which forecast unending surpluses and provided no new fiscal stimulus, to yesterday’s budget, which projects deficits for the next four years and injects $35 billion in stimulus into the economy both this year and next.   ⇒ By The editors of The Toronto Star; posted Wed 28-Jan-2009.

The Democrats are in Power, but the Republicans are Alive and Well in Canada  Jim Flaherty promises “to meet the challenge of our time.”  But compared to its American counterpart, his budget is a timid thing.   ⇒ By John Ibbitson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 28-Jan-2009.

Harper Spends Big, but Can He Go Back?  Stephen Harper did his best yesterday to convince Canadians he’s still a small-c conservative, promising he would take just four years to eliminate every penny of the $34-billion deficit his government announced yesterday.   ⇒ By Brian Laghi waiting for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 28-Jan-2009.

Old Tricks; Lost Opportunity  Paul Martin’s former chief of staff on why short-term thinking and questionable projections overshadow the good in Jim Flaherty’s budget   ⇒ By Terrie O’Leary writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 28-Jan-2009.

A Formula that will Fail to Add up to a Conservative Majority  The attack ads are just part of the PM’s wider, failed bid for a majority   ⇒ By Jeffrey Simpson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 22-May-2009.

Health Care:  Magnet for Anger  The struggle is less about medical treatment than about power   ⇒ By David Shribman writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sun 20-Sep-2009.

Death Panels and Lies  "Sarah Palin is the most prominent politician to have promoted the idea that Obama wants to create some sort of Third Reich-style medical bureaucracy that would decide whether the disabled and the elderly deserve to live, or just have their health care terminated.  To borrow one of Palin’s attack phrases:  “Downright evil.”   ⇒ By Neil Macdonald writing for CBC; posted Sat 12-Sep-2009.

Why Health Insurers are Winning  The industry, deftly maneuvering behind the scenes in Washington, prepares to profit from health reform   ⇒ By Chad Terhune & Keith Epstein writing for Business Week; posted Sat 12-Sep-2009.

Obama Grounded  It’s unclear whether the President’s health-care reforms have fallen to Earth   ⇒ By Timothy Garton Ash writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 11-Sep-2009.

Heated Health-care Debates Ignore Solutions in Our Own Backyard  It is not immediately obvious, for example, that urban planning holds one of the keys to a pressing societal challenge   ⇒ By Sherri Torjman writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 31-Aug-2009.

America’s an Argument that Never Ends  Canadians keep their voices down for fear an honest argument would wreck the country   ⇒ By John Ibbitson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 26-Aug-2009.

Little wonder, considering that der Harper doesn’t believe in being green, anyway.

Trafficking in Transit Passes  It was obvious from the outset that the federal tax credit for users of public transit was more about political aims than environmental ones.  The initiative seemed to be more about wooing suburban commuters than about easing “traffic congestion and the harmful greenhouse gas emissions that come with it,” as the government claimed in its 2006 budget.  A report by the federal environment commissioner, released last week, has given substance to this impression.   ⇒ By The editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 09-Feb-2009.

Budget Fails to Pony up on Environment  The government will continue ignoring the economic potential that lies with environmental protection   ⇒ By Aaron Freeman writing for The Hill Times; posted Sun 08-Feb-2009.

How Climate-change Money Went down the Policy Drain  The Conservatives have this thing about taxes.  They just love using the tax system for political purposes.  They adore little tax incentives for slices of the electorate, even if as policy the incentives make no sense.  It’s part of their slicing-and-dicing the electorate into little targets, then directing a tax incentive (bribe?) at the target, assuming political gratitude will follow.   ⇒ By Jeffrey Simpson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 06-Feb-2009.

Putting aside partisan and philosophical differences in opinion and belief about capital punishment, I think what is most at issue here is the tendency for der Harper's administration to do things in an incremental manner.  While there is nothing necessarily wrong with that per se — at least at first blush — the danger in this instance is that accountability and transparency is being diminished — nay, avoided/abandoned altogether — by this administration to secure the CPC’s preferences.

This of course means that the neo-conservatives will provide additional assistance to private broadcasters but no additional aid to the CBC!  How convenient for the CONservative agenda!

Ethics Czar to Investigate Tory Logos on Cheques  Federal opposition parties have been complaining about mock cheques with Tory logos on them and now the federal ethics commissioner has confirmed she will investigate.   ⇒ By Robert Fife writing for CTV National News; posted Wed 21-Oct-2009.

Doorknobs Merit Federal Stimulus Signage  Routine maintenance on RCMP building in PEI offers further proof Conservatives are using taxpayer dollars to promote partisan interests, Liberals say   ⇒ By Joan Bryden writing for The Canadian Press; posted Mon 19-Oct-2009.

One word:  execrable.

Optics of Conservative Cheque Scheme Dodgy  It may be nice to reward a friend with a cheque or a job. In the long term, it could cost the Prime Minister his own.   ⇒ By Sheila Copps writing for The Hill Times; posted Mon 19-Oct-2009.

Beware Tories Bearing Cheques  The flap over the cheques underscores a bigger issue:  the relatively small size of the handouts — one was just $50,000 — and the scattered distribution.  What this tells us is that the government has turned billions of stimulus dollars into a political pork-barrel aimed at shoring up party support in dribs and drabs across the country rather than focus on fewer strategic infrastructure investments that would pay higher economic dividends in future years.   ⇒ By the Editors of The Toronto Star; posted Sat 17-Oct-2009.

Hypocrisy, Blue and Red  A sober look at the issue.   ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 16-Oct-2009.

Liberals File Complaints over Tory Cheques  Tories violated ad guidelines, party says   ⇒ By David Akin writing for The National Post; posted Fri 16-Oct-2009.

Liberals Vent Spleen over Partisan Cheques  Opposition launches 47 ethics complaints over use of Conservative Party logo on government payments   ⇒ By Jane Taber writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 15-Oct-2009.

Why all this noise now when one of the first egregious acts by the Harperites was to revamp the Government of Canada websites adding the colour Tory blue rather splashily!?!  Who could forget the use (and overuse) by the Harperites of the phrase “your new government” well into their second year?  As the likeliest fans of Ayn Rand‘s “The Virtue of Selfishness” the CPC is at base very consistent in their behaviour — particularly their tendency towards unabashed — nay, blatant — self-promotion.

Tory Logos on Federal Cheques Draw Fire  Shameless use of party logo:  Ignatieff   ⇒ By CBC News; posted Wed 14-Oct-2009.

From the article:

Wow!  If there ever was an example of “implausible deniability” it would have to be that!

Now, what is it about conservative zeal (or overzealousness[?]) that would drive them to habitually dive into their dirty tricks bag “every so often” and unleash their mischief (malice[?]) upon their opponents?  How indeed can they hate so much?  This recalls how Tom Flanagan, a dear confrere of der Harper, twice invoking on print Cato's invective (“Delenda Carthago!” — “Carthage must be destroyed!”) while ranting about the LPC.  Little wonder I call the federal party the CPC — judging from the current article, the toxin permeates enough of their ranks to cross into provincial politics.

An example of how petty and particularly partisan der Harper can be.

I posted this article more for comic relief than anything else.  It is a trivial matter but hilarious nonetheless.  I have included the comments from the online reader comments on the The Globe and Mail web page for additional levity — it is incredible how vociferous some people got (from all sides, actually), though.

Hey, at least when Harperites are corrupt they hide behind legalese, committee procedures, obfuscation and subterfuge!  Hmm … Ironic … considering these are the same who clamour for government to be run like a business.  Especially considering that most of them came from private enterprise and some of them have been associated — if not implicated — in their “business” practices.

IMF Sees an Even Deeper Recession  Agency now says global economic output will contract 0.5% Canada’s GDP to shrink by 2%   ⇒ By Kevin Carmichael writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 18-Mar-2009.

Harper Stands by Optimistic Economic Outlook  Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood by his positive economic outlook on Wednesday, despite comments from former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge that the global economy will remain mired in a long and deep recession.   ⇒ By CTV.ca News Staff; posted Wed 18-Mar-2009.

PM Unfazed by Gloomy Predictions  Harper won’t change tune on economic recovery despite former Bank of Canada governor’s grim prognosis   ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Wed 18-Mar-2009.

Minister of State for Science and Industry Gary Goodyear does a 180°.  First he refused to confirm whether he believed in evolution and instead invoked an incredible claim that being asked a question about his religion is inappropriate.  The question was simply whether he believed in the scientific theory of evolution.  A simple yes or no was required but he ham-fistedly fumbled it.  Now, he reverses himself just as clumsily.  This man is quite a credit to the chiropractic trade, don't you think?

Does Canada’s Science Minister Really See the Evolutionary Light?  Or does he think the human species is changing generation by generation to be better able to walk in high heels?   ⇒ By Arne Mooers and Dolph Schluter writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 20-Mar-2009.

Scientists Still Wary after Science Minister Confirms Belief in Evolution  Canadian scientists say they are somewhat comforted that the minister of state for science and technology, Gary Goodyear, has clarified that he believes in evolution, but his recent comments still raised some concerns and questions.   ⇒ By CBC News; posted Thu 19-Mar-2009.

Minister Clarifies Stand on Evolution  ‘We are evolving to our environment,’ Goodyear tells CTV after refusing to answer Globe question on religious grounds   ⇒ By Anne McIlroy writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 18-Mar-2009.

Here is a man who clearly needs to learn the subtleties of when not to say too much.  In this tempest in a wee teapot he has gotten himself into it would seem that in each instance all he had to do was not volunteer too much information or opinion.  Every time he does so, he ends up digging himself deeper.  I just hope he doesn't talk too much during his chiropractic sessions!

Liberals, Tories Defend Alberta Oil Sands  Conservatives and Liberals both came to the defence of Alberta’s oil sands Wednesday, responding to a stark 20-page spread in this month’s National Geographic magazine.   ⇒ By Jennifer Ditchburn writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 25-Feb-2009.

And so it begins … the CPC — aka CPC — has been gearing up for their personal attacks against the Liberal Leader Michael Grant Ignatieff in their fine partisan tradition of obfuscating the issues — never mind the truth — solely to score demagogic points with their following as well as the undecided amongst Canadians.

House Speaker’s Ruling, Right Ruling  The House sunk to a new low last week when, in the midst of a global economic crisis, Conservative MPs stood up, one by one, to complain to House Speaker Peter Milliken about not being allowed to launch personal insults in their one-minute statements anymore.  Seriously.   ⇒ By the Editors of The Hill Times; posted Mon 16-Mar-2009.

The Speaker Speaks Out  Milliken’s new militancy is both welcome and important   ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 14-Mar-2009.

The next item (below) quintessentially defines the true nature and substance of the CPC — i.e., the Harperites.  Incredibly, they actually complained about not being allowed to insult fellow MPs!

Divas of Doom Find Their Fame in Peddling the Direst of Fortunes to Pessimistic Masses  Bleak is chic as demand grows for dark oracles of blood-filled streets and ‘zombie banks’   ⇒ By Ian Brown writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 28-Feb-2009.

For your reference — The Chuck Cadman Bribe Controversy

der Harper was likely going to lose the lawsuit he launched against the LPC.

PM Dropped Cadman Suit Ahead of Key Hearing  Stephen Harper dropped his lawsuit against the Liberals in the Cadman affair just weeks before a hearing on whether his emails, notes and agenda could be called into evidence.   ⇒ By Tim Naumetz writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 10-Feb-2009.

The Result is Silence  Stephen Harper’s reputation as a superior political tactician has taken a pounding in recent months.  But the Prime Minister’s success in obscuring the Chuck Cadman controversy shows he has not lost his touch entirely.   ⇒ By The editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 11-Feb-2009.

Tories Maintain Cadman Tape was Doctored  But Harper’s parliamentary secretary refuses to repeat claim outside the Commons   ⇒ By Campbell Clark writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 13-Feb-2009.  This is so typical of der Harper — use the courts to keep the issue quiet during the last election and then drop the lawsuit; but not before drilling it once again that he, or so he claims, and his CONservative cronies are beyond reproach and without fault.  Absolutely execrable!!!

Cadman Biographer Threatens to Sue Conservatives  Says he’s fed up watching Conservatives sully his reputation.  “This arrogant government knows they can say and do whatever they want — or feels they can,” Zytaruk said in an interview.   ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Fri 13-Feb-2009.

Harper’s Unkept Pledge  Three years ago, Stephen Harper sold himself to Canadians as a champion of federal transparency as he campaigned for the prime minister’s job.  He promised to “lift up the veils of secrecy” in Ottawa and to foster a “culture of accountability.”  After all, people have a right to know what their government is up to.  But that was then.   ⇒ By the Editors of The Toronto Star; posted Sat 28-Feb-2009.

After a brief respite, the true nature/colour/odour (take your pick, depending on your preference/alliance) of the CPC emerges — offensive and combative…

Kindly consider:  one of the core tenets of conservativism is a smaller role for government.  Well, it certainly is telling of the Harperites to look after themselves first and foremost by dint of self-promotion rather than looking after the common weal.  Of course, they can always argue that they are being consistent with their world-view.  After all, by making government truly unaccountable, irresponsible, insensitive, and downright distastefully incompetent then indeed they would secure their goal by searing their gospel and practices into the public’s psyche.

From the article comes this choice remark:  “If it’s 80% done, is there much of an informing purpose still necessary?”

Harper’s Dubious Ads  An editorial on the Tory’s “Economic Recovery Plan” Ads   ⇒ By the Editors of The Toronto Star; posted Wed 23-Sep-2009.

Way to go der Harper!

Is everybody filled with bewilderment, amazement and surprise?!?!  The Tories … lying?!!!  Could it be?!?  Woot!!!

If true, could this be the CPC’s turn for their own sponsorship scandal–like debacle?  Now, that would indeed be sweet — not to mention ironic — justice for the smug and holier-than-thou CPC!

Fascinating how the Harperites perpetrate this fiction when actually they are the “numero uno” climate-change deniers ever.  They only want one thing — secure the market for the oil processed from the Alberta tar sands.

Saddling Obama with Carbon Talk  Canadians are talking again about the environment.  Just not to each other.  These days the conversation is with the Americans, rather than our fellow Canadians.  And it’s more about lobbying than policy-making.   ⇒ By The editors of The Toronto Star; posted Sun 15-Feb-2009.

What the PM said on Fri. 10-JUL-2009:

Caveat emptor:  Do try and note that the graphs within do seem to indicate that over the long run, stocks decline over all over time — despite what your broker and investment advisor tells you!

While I am all for the hard-caps, I will adopt a wait-and-see attitude until and after the announcement (although it is tempting to actually extend it beyond… ).  I have this feeling that the clamour for “clean coal” down south could prevail upon or at least influence Obama's decisions as well as moves.

Conservatives Holding Back Details on Stimulus Funding  Carleton professor has it ‘on good authority that Infrastructure Canada is working on breakdown of spending.’   ⇒ By Harris Macleod and Cynthia Münster writing for The Hill Times; posted Mon 19-Oct-2009.

How Much of $47-billion Stimulus is Actually in Economy?  Again, Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page says the federal government has done an “uneven and inconsistent” job of reporting on its $47-billion spending to stimulate the economy and is blocking efforts to measure whether the spending is making a difference.   ⇒ By the Editors of The Hill Times; posted Mon 19-Oct-2009.

And already The Globe and Mail web site is starting to flood with right-wing nut bars spouting the same tripe that the CPC trotted out in the days following the formation of the coalition for their followers to feast upon — and feast these did indeed; hook, line and sinker, as a matter of fact.  Which just goes to show, those who are capable of original thought usually exercise that capacity when and — more importantly — if it is appropriate.  Sadly such a manifestation is a very rare occurrence within the CPC.

Tories Regroup Ahead of Pivotal Budget  Harper team reveals spending plans, places budget in veteran hands as part of survival strategy   ⇒ By Steven Chase and Daniel LeBlanc and Brian Laghi writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 26-Jan-2009.

Critics Blast Government’s Budget ‘Spin’  The Harper government undermined the credibility of its budget and the Finance Department when it anonymously revealed Canada was facing a $64-billion deficit on the eve of one of the most important federal budgets in recent memory.   ⇒ By Kathryn May writing for The Ottawa Citizen; posted Mon 26-Jan-2009.

During the Bush administration, der Harper followed suit without trying to be as blatant and obvious a climate-change denier as Dubya — although it still showed unintentionally.  Now though, der Harper is all of a sudden an enthusiastic cap-and-trade afficionado.  Sometimes, you just have to laugh at politicos — especially the CONservative variety — “it's not that the wind is blowing, it's what the wind is blowing!”

Here’s a look at the Harperites in the wings who apparently cannot wait to get into office and guess what?!?  They are shamelessly tauting credit for — and promise even more — dollars to their constituents from the “Economic Action Plan” pot.  Anyone surprised, anybody aghast?  Hardly…  Without a doubt there is a direct correlation between the dollars the Harperites spend — and their dangling the promise of more to come — and their polling numbers!

The Harperites usual reaction to any issue of the day:  “Don’t worry, be happy!” They did this before the current recession made itself felt solidly here in Canada, remember?

Fear’s Old Struggle with Vaccination  The alarm over H1N1 pales beside the battles over smallpox — especially in 19th-century Montreal   ⇒ By Michael Bliss writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 06-Nov-2009.

The swine flu — or Influenza A subtype H1N1 — season isn’t over and according to the health authorities the cold of winter will make this flu more virulent.  Bottom line:  It’s up to you which fear you will indulge and let guide your action.  Will it be the fear of catching this flu or those conjured by the conspiracy theorists?  Choose your hysteria well!

Emergency Response Plan Lacking  Auditor-General points to H1N1 pandemic or major blackouts as examples of how poorly the agency operates during times of crisis   ⇒ By Daniel Leblanc writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 03-Nov-2009.

When even the Auditor General Sheila Fraser points out the flaws in how the Harperites are operating, then it can't possibly be mere partisan wishful thinking on the opposition’s part when the CPC is called out.

Urgency from Feds Still Lacking  From the beginning of the H1N1 pandemic there has been a calm, verging at times on complacency, from federal officials   ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 03-Nov-2009.

Ottawa Defends H1N1 Vaccine Rollout  Canada ahead of the rest of the world on a per-capita basis, a federal official told The Globe.  “There is no shortage,” the official said   ⇒ By Daniel LeBlanc writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 02-Nov-2009.

Wow… I guess with the Harperites if you say it often enough, it becomes “the truth!”

Before this was the crass and opportunistic politicization of the stimulus spending via the use of publicity photographs featuring the huge CPC cheques.  Now this.  Next, the CONs will be denying that they're politicizing the civil service as well.

The CPC is the party that campaigned on openness and accountability.  Enough said.

Tory Gov’t Unload Boxes of Stimulus Spending Details  Kevin Page had asked for more information, complaining that the sketchy data provided up to now made it impossible to tell whether $12 billion in stimulus spending is having any impact on the economy.  But rather than provide an easy-to-analyse spreadsheet listing infrastructure projects and how much money has been spent on each of them to date, the government flooded Page Thursday with 4,476 pages of documents.   ⇒ By Joan Bryden writing for The Canadian Press; posted Fri 30-Oct-2009.

The CPC and der Harper despite their campaign promises for transparency are an obstructionist and obfuscating lot, to be sure.

Tories Finally to Release Stimulus Spending Info  Kevin Page, Parliament’s independent budget officer, told a House of Commons committee Tuesday that says he’s been informed his office will start getting province-by-province details soon, possibly by week’s end.   ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Thu 29-Oct-2009.

About freakin’ time, too!!!

The second big lie in the “TV tax” advertisements is the claim that the broadcasters’ combined profit is $400-million while conveniently omitting that Rogers Communications Inc. posted a $485-million for 30-SEP-2009 — that is Rogers’ alone, excluding Bell’, Telus’ etc.  On top of which, Rogers profit was down 2% from the same period in 2008!  So, I ask, what is Rogers whining about precisely?  ⇒ Thu. 23:19 12-Nov-2009

The funniest comment I encountered on the web about this story was one troll who maintained he didn’t watch Canadian news either and didn’t care what others said.  He asserted that most Canadian news outlets are partisan anyway — and, more importantly, he spouted his twaddle on The Toronto Star web site!

I wonder if der Harper considers the $34-million to date (so his party claims although critics estimate a figure closer to $60-million) that his party’s spent on advertising the “Economic Action Plan” part and parcel of his “shovel-ready” suite of projects — I’ll leave what substance the CPC is shovelling to your fertile imagination.