who would have thought ... probably a worth cause, and without a doubt it was a better choice of funding than had we been 'one of the collition' in iraq
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Iraqis open the book on wildlife conservation
25-01-2007 / Birdlife International
Wildlife conservation in Iraq has been given a significant boost with the release of a guide to Iraq’s birds – the first field-guide of its kind for the nation.
BirdLife International and Nature Iraq, a newly-formed conservation non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Iraq, have published ‘Field Guide to the Birds of Iraq’ in Arabic.
Covering the 387 bird species that have been recorded in Iraq, this is the first comprehensive, fully-illustrated field-guide to an Arabic-speaking country.
“For Iraq – a nation that has lost so much of its wildlife in the last twenty years, this book opens the door for the growing conservation movement in this country.” said Dr Ali Douabul of Nature Iraq. “Local language field guides are crucial tools for conservation. They encourage people to realise, appreciate and get involved in bird conservation, which, because birds are good indicators of the environment, has potential benefits for all of our wildlife.”
The book is due to be presented to the Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, in the next few weeks.
The release of the ‘Birds of Iraq’ field-guide adds weight to the conservation movement that has started to emerge in the country. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government in 2003, the Mesopotamian Marshes – thought to be the site of the biblical Garden of Eden and home to 28 of Iraq’s Important Bird Areas - have been the focus of a major international programme to help restore their ecological and social-cultural heritage.
“For Iraq – a nation that has lost so much of its wildlife in the last twenty years, this book opens the door for the growing conservation movement in this country.” —Dr Ali Douabul, Nature Iraq
Under the regime of the previous government, almost 90% of the Marshes were destroyed through drainage. With reduced numbers of fish and the failing of crops, many people were forced to flee to neighbouring Iran and Jordan. Since this time however some 40% of the land has been re-flooded and wildlife – with it food for Iraq’s people - is returning.
“These are some of the most wildlife-rich sites in the Middle East, but often all we hear about is the conflict.” said Richard Porter, BirdLife International’s Middle-East Advisor and co-author of the guide. Mr Porter has in recent years led a team from BirdLife International that has trained biologists from Nature Iraq in skills to survey and monitor Iraq’s marshes for the wildlife that live there.
“It’s recognised across the world that biodiversity can enhance quality of life in a region. By publishing this field-guide with Nature Iraq, we are improving the ease with which people can become involved in conservation in the region; a positive step which has potential economic benefits for the nation as a whole.” Mr Porter commented.
The field-guide was made possible through funding from the Canadian Government via the Canada-Iraq Marshlands Initiative, the World Bank and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ornithological Society of the Middle East (OSME) and AviFauna.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
our tax dollars via the Canada-Iraq Marshlands
more than worth the read; U.S. take your battles eleswhere ....
i'm sure there is more to these stories of iran in iraq than meets the eyes or by what the politicians deems us to know. but everytime i read a paper, regardless of which part of the world and whether it be mainstream or an independant, either it be bias or slanted; is all one hears is the U.S. is either going to act like they own the world; which maybe they will soon, as they will have ships in every water and more military bases than a chain of hotels. now, i'm not a fan of hugo chavez; but i give him credit, that maybe he has to become the hard ass of the south american's to hold some ground and out of U.S. control. and to babble on a bit further here ... to hear the U.S. commentary on Castro; gawd, they can't even wait till he is dead before they plan his party or start plotting the future of Cuba. And yet, the world stands by while bush and company becomes a bigger threat to all humanity and abandon every human right or international law. And now to reading Guantanamo inmates shown pictures of suddam's hanging; as an attempt to intimidate and compel submission under a threat of death and mentally torture an already abused detainee population.
Iraqi PM tells U.S., Iran to take their fight elsewhere
January 31, 2007
Nuri Al-Maliki says Iraq cannot be a proxy battleground for the U.S., Iran
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is telling the United States and Iran to keep their fight out of Iraq.
Al-Maliki said he believes Iran is targeting U.S. forces in Iraq.
A U.S. official said Tuesday that the Pentagon is investigating whether Iran was behind a January 20 attack in Karbala that left five U.S. troops dead.
"We believe it's possible the executors of the attack were Iranian or Iranian-trained," the U.S. official said.
The sophistication of the attack, in which English-speaking guerrillas in American-style uniforms drove sport utility vehicles past checkpoints to attack a government compound, was beyond what insurgents in Iraq have shown they are capable of, U.S. officials said.
Whether Iran proves to be responsible for that attack or not, al-Maliki said his country cannot be a proxy battleground for Washington and Tehran.
"Iraq has nothing to do with the American-Iranian struggle, and we will not let Iran play a role against the American Army and we will not allow America to play a role against the Iranian army, and everyone should respect the sovereignty of Iraq," al-Maliki said.
"We will not accept Iran to use Iraq to attack the American forces."
Iran was a major topic Wednesday during CNN correspondent Michael Ware's wide-ranging, exclusive interview with al-Maliki. (Watch al-Maliki talk about the situation in Iraq )
The prime minister said Americans are basing their hunches about Iranian activities in Iraq on intelligence they've amassed.
The United States accuses Iran of fomenting terror attacks worldwide and pursuing a nuclear program that could lead to the development of weaponry. Iran has denied those assertions.
"We have told the Iranian and the Americans, 'We know that you have a problem with each other, but we are asking you please solve your problems outside Iraq.' We don't want the American forces to take Iraq as a field to attack Iran or Syria," the prime minister said.
Al-Maliki said Iraq doesn't want its sovereignty to be violated by any of its neighbors, which include Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey.
All could find a reason to interfere in Iraq, he said, including opposition to the U.S. troop presence, and sectarian and political differences.
"Iran is Shiite, and we are Shiite and we have many Shiites in Iraq, but this does not justify Iran interfering in Iraq. We respect this relation, but we will not allow such interfering to exist. Also, Iraq is an Arab country, the majority are Arabs, but this also will not justify for the Arab countries to interfere in Iraq."
Al-Maliki also addressed his government's position toward militias and troop levels in his country.
He said he supports President Bush's plan to bolster troop numbers in Iraq by more than 20,000 soldiers and Marines.
"We believe that the existing number, with a slight addition, will do the job, but if there seems to be more need we will ask for more troops."
Al-Maliki reiterated his intention to go after any or all entities that foment violence, including the militia of a supporter, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. And he indicated that troop-level adjustments must be based on prevailing conditions.
Some observers question whether al-Maliki has the political will to take on al-Sadr's Mehdi Army, thought to be behind much of Iraq's violence between Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias. Al-Sadr helped al-Maliki become prime minister last year.
The prime minister said al-Sadr's movement is committed to banning armed groups and not interfering with the new security plan. He said the group's commitment is "a good incentive for others who have militias to announce their support to the Baghdad security plan."
Nevertheless, he put all groups and people on notice: Everyone must respect the law.
"I will apply the law to everyone ... on militias, political parties, on participants in the political process," he said. "The law rules and who is on my side in respecting the law and the government's will be an ally and a partner and who rebels against the law and the government's will, will be a foe."
Al-Maliki emphasized his political detachment and fairness. While he has been a member of the Shiite Dawa Party -- a part of the ruling United Iraqi Alliance -- he said he is the leader of all the people, not just Shiites.
Iraq -- which has about a 60 percent Shiite population -- is also made up of Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Christians and others.
"I'm talking now as a prime minister and not as a member of the party. ... The membership of a party stops at the boundaries of the state," he said.
Al-Maliki said the effort to foster and bring about peace is not just a military one. He said it's political as well and requires national will, an implication that Iraqis need to put aside their ethnic, tribal and religious allegiances to help the state survive.
"We do not want to kill the people and drown the country in blood, and we welcome every step that brings a setback for militias or terrorists and a desire to join the political process so we can minimize the losses and blood," he said. "But this all has to happen under the umbrella of national will, the government and the law."
what an x-sec of treas. in the reagan years has to say about bush
The Failure of America as a Moral Force
January 30, 2007 Paul Craig Roberts (was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan)
President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq is the greatest crime of the 21st century.
Armed with a powerful moral case against Bush, whose lies are responsible for a war that has caused thousands of US casualties and killed vast numbers of Iraqi civilians, Democratic leaders are damning Bush’s war because it did not succeed!
The Bush Regime lied and fabricated "evidence" that was used to deceive Congress, the American people, and the United Nations. The vice president of the United States and the National Security Advisor created public images of mushroom clouds going up over American cities unless Iraq was invaded and Saddam Hussein’s terrible weapons of mass destruction were destroyed.
At the time that these absurd claims were being made, experts knew that they were false. Today everyone knows that the claims were lies.
The invasion of Iraq under false pretenses comprises solid grounds for impeaching both Bush and Cheney and for turning them over to the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague. Under the Nuremburg standard, to commit unprovoked aggression is a war crime.
Among the consequences of Bush’s monstrous war crime are the deaths of tens or hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, the destruction of Iraqi civilian infrastructure, the outbreak of civil war between Iraqi Sunnis and Shi’ites, the spreading of this sectarian conflict throughout the Middle East and the consequent destabilization of the region.
Try to imagine all the lives, careers, hopes, and families that Bush has destroyed. Try to image the fate of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees, the departure of educated and skilled Iraqis from Iraq, the ultimate horror of civil war that is only beginning.
Official US casualties (dead, wounded, and maimed) at time of writing total 26,194. Experts have estimated the cost of the invasion and attempted occupation to be in excess of the enormous sum of 1,000 billion dollars.
This expenditure has made profits for Vice President Cheney, for Cheney’s firm, Halliburton, for the US military-industrial complex, and for private contractors, but it has done nothing whatsoever for Americans. Senator Frank Lautenberg reports that "Halliburton has already raked in more that $10 billion" from the Iraq war and that the value of Cheney’s Halliburton stock options has jumped from $241,498 to more than $8,000,000.
Moreover, the cost of Bush’s aggression in Iraq has been covered by red ink and foreign borrowing, which is financially punishing every American by pushing down the value of the dollar and pushing up the tax burden to service the war debt.
The conclusion is unavoidable that Bush has committed a massive crime against Iraqis, against the Middle East, against American citizens and military families, and against America’s reputation.
Finally coming to their senses and realizing the pointlessness of Bush’s war, the American people gave the Democratic Party control over the House and Senate in the hopes that the Democrats would put a stop to Bush’s war.
Was the electorate’s faith in the Democrats justified?
Listen to the Democrats’ statements and judge for yourself.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden declared on ABC’s "This Week" that "it’s the failed policy of this president, going to war without a strategy, going to war prematurely, going to war without enough troops, going to war without enough equipment."
Senator Hillary Clinton, a likely Democratic candidate for president, says: "This was his decision to go to war with an ill-conceived plan and an incompetently executed strategy."
The Democrats are damning Bush not for his monstrous crime but for failing at it!
Instead of holding Bush accountable for his crimes with impeachment proceedings, Hillary Clinton merely wants Bush to get rid of the problem so she will not be troubled with it on her watch: "We expect him to extricate our country from this before he leaves office." Hillary says it would be "the height of irresponsibility" for Bush to pass the war along to the next president.
A moral, humane, decent, honest person would define "the height of irresponsibility" as the act of taking two countries to war on the basis of lies and deception.
Now that Bush and Cheney have lost their war due to their incompetence and faulty execution, the Democrats are going to pass a non-binding resolution against escalating the war in Iraq. While Congress negotiates a posture on the Iraq war, the Bush Regime moves forward with its plans to attack Iran.
Everyone can see the US buildup of massive air and naval attack forces on Iran’s borders. Fox "News," the Bush Regime’s main disinformation agency, is busy preparing its viewers for the US attack by whipping up fear and hysteria over Iran. The Bush Regime suddenly changed its line and now blames Iran instead of al-Qaeda for its defeat in Iraq. The Israel Lobby is working around the clock for a US strike on Iran. On January 30 Bush again threatened that he will respond firmly if Tehran escalates its involvement in Iraq.
Bush’s threats are part of the propaganda that is creating an excuse that Bush can use to attack Iran.
Bush plans to bomb Iran. US war doctrine has been altered to allow Bush to use nuclear weapons to attack Iran. American neoconservatives and Israel’s right-wing have argued in behalf of attacking Iran with nuclear weapons, and a number of foreign experts are forecasting such an attack.
While Bush prepares in public view his war on Iran, the Democrats turn a blind eye. For the Democrats the only issue is whether or not Bush should send 21,500 more US troops to Iraq.
The issue is whether the war in Iraq can be quickly ended, or Bush and Cheney impeached, before the two war criminals create a more monstrous crime and a more dangerous situation for America and the world by attacking Iran.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
income splitting is not the answer
i'm against this; because it does not create a level playing field for all families. it leaves out the single / lone parent, or the great many families who live close or in poverty; and like it or not those who live in poverty are the ones that need it the most.
Budget speculation buzzes with talk of income-splitting for the middle class
January 30, 2007
OTTAWA (CP) - Income-splitting is a vote-getter that would save middle-class families billions of dollars a year in taxes, but experts say that doesn't make it sound fiscal policy.
MPs inside and outside the Conservative party are urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to lower taxes in his upcoming budget by allowing couples to combine their incomes and divide the tax load.
But some experts say income-splitting could blow a hole in the country's finances.
"It's known to be counter-productive to any responsible fiscal program," says Kathleen Lahey, a law professor and tax policy specialist at Queen's University.
"Most countries that have ever had any form of income-splitting . . . have been abolishing it or reducing it as quickly as they can because it's just too expensive," she said in an interview.
Economists have repeatedly shown that allowing single-earner couples to split income also encourages "marginal workers to withdraw from work," Lahey says.
"It's anti-competitive."
Still, the idea of a radical tax shift to ease the burden on single-earner families has vocal supporters. Two working parents with combined earnings of $80,000 now typically pay much less tax than couples with just one parent earning the same amount.
It's a discrepancy that critics have long said is unfair.
Closing that tax gap would make fiscal and social sense, says Independent Ontario MP Garth Turner.
"There's a lot of people who want to stay at home. They want to look after kids," he said Tuesday before hosting a Parliament Hill meeting to discuss related pros and cons.
"Many young couples today put off having kids until they're in their 30s because, man, who can afford it?"
The gathering included seniors, parents, policy makers and MPs of all stripes.
Income-splitting would cost Ottawa about $2.2 billion a year, Turner said, citing a parliamentary assessment he requested.
"It sounds like a lot of money. But that's one-third of the cost of the GST dropping by one point," he said of Tory plans to shave another point off the Goods and Services Tax to five per cent.
"It's really a matter of choices."
Economists have pegged the cost of income-splitting at anywhere from $3 billion to $5 billion a year.
"It's one of the most expensive things any government could do," says Lahey.
Still, Turner insists the time is ripe.
"Now that we've opened the door to pension-splitting for seniors, it's only a matter of time before this principle extends through society."
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced last October that seniors could save tax by splitting pension income - a move that's expected to cost the federal treasury about $1 billion annually.
It also raised hopes that Conservatives will include income-splitting in their coming budget.
Critics of the idea also point out that it will do little or nothing to help low-income singles or couples who arguably need help the most.
But John Williamson of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation stresses that higher-income couples shoulder a disproportionate share of the tax burden.
The weight is especially heavy for single-earner families.
An Ontario single-income family of four with two young children, earning $80,000 in 2007, can expect to pay $2,780 more in federal and provincial income and payroll taxes than a similar family where two working parents earn $80,000, Williamson said.
Income-splitting would help, although the federation favours broad-based tax relief that would benefit many more Canadians, he added.
Measures that would help stay-at-home parents contribute to the Canada Pension Plan or other retirement funds are also missing.
And income-splitting does nothing to help people like Suzanne Paulin, who attended the forum Tuesday.
The single mom of a four-year-old girl is living on about $800 a month as she studies to become a paralegal. Staying at home would be wonderful, "but you need to work to get ahead," she said.
"I've never lived above the poverty line - especially trying to raise a small child on my own.
"I'm for anything that puts more money in a person's pocket that can help them raise their children. I would love to get extra money in my pocket, too."
did japan borrow harper's play-book?
Abe of Japan warns cabinet to keep mouths shut
The Associated Press: January 30, 2007
TOKYO: With his support plunging and elections looming, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan issued a stern warning to his cabinet Tuesday — watch your mouths.
The warning to Abe's full cabinet at their regular meeting follows two major embarrassments for his government. First, Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma angered Japan's most important ally, the United States, by saying he thought Washington's decision to go to war against Iraq was a mistake.
Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa then jumped in by calling women "birth-giving machines."
Abe was not amused by either man's opinion, but has yet to ask either to step down. "Abe told the ministers to be careful of what they say," the deputy chief cabinet spokesman, Hakubun Shimomura, said after the meeting Tuesday. Abe was particularly concerned by Yanagisawa's remark, which he called "inappropriate."
"I hope he will commit himself to his responsibilities," Abe said Monday.
Kyuma, one of the more liberal members of Abe's cabinet, started the ball rolling at a news conference when he said the U.S. invasion of Iraq "based on an assumption that weapons of mass destruction existed was a mistake." He added that although he has expressed his understanding of the U.S. war in Iraq, he has never supported it.
"My opinion remains the same," he said.
Kyuma made the comments hours after President George W. Bush's State of the Union address. Japan has long been Washington's staunchest ally in Asia, and sent several hundred troops to Iraq on a humanitarian mission to support the U.S.-led coalition there.
Under intense pressure, Kyuma later said his remarks were misinterpreted. He said he had meant to say that he thought at the time that the United States needed to be "more cautious."
Yanagisawa made his inflammatory remarks Saturday during a speech on the country's falling birthrate, drawing criticism from the opposition and the ruling bloc.
"The number of women between the ages of 15 and 50 is fixed. The number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, so all we can ask is that they do their best per head," Yanagisawa reportedly said.
The minister later apologized and retracted his remarks.
"You can't just say whatever you please in this cabinet," said a clearly annoyed Yasuhisa Shiozaki, the administration's top spokesman.
Abe is in no position to be offending his supporters.
His administration faces a crucial set of parliamentary elections in July, and the gaffes occurred as Abe's support ratings hit their lowest level ever.
The Mainichi, a national newspaper, said 40 percent of the 1,044 respondents to its Jan. 27-28 poll supported the cabinet, down 6 percentage points from the previous poll in December. The Nikkei business newspaper said support for Abe fell to 48 percent in its Jan. 26-28 survey of 906 voters, down 3 percentage points from its December poll.
Abe took office in September with support ratings in the 60 percent range.
Video of British Forces Creative Outlet
Video
The Way to Amarillo!
British Forces at Al Faw Find Creative Outlet
gives a whole new meaning to organ donation
Court OKs use of dead soldier's sperm
JERUSALEM (Jan 30, 2007) AP
Keivan Cohen will soon have a child with a woman he never met.
The 20-year-old Israeli soldier was killed by a Gaza Strip sniper in 2002. At the request of his parents, doctors harvested Cohen's sperm after his death.
Now, after four years of legal wrangling, a court has ruled the sperm can be injected into a woman selected by the family.
The fight began when the Cohens tried to gain access to the sperm and the hospital refused on grounds that only a spouse could make such a request.
Arguing that their son yearned to raise a family, his parents challenged that decision. On Jan. 15, a Tel Aviv court granted the family's wish.
"On the one hand I'm terribly sad that I don't have my boy; it's a terrible loss," Rachel Cohen said. "But I'm also happy that I succeeded in carrying out my son's will."
Irit Rosenblum, a family rights advocate who represented the Cohen family, said the ruling was significant because it set a precedent for those seeking to continue bloodlines after death.
"I think it is a human revolution," Rosenblum said. "Ten years ago, who would believe that a human being can continue after he has died. I think it is great for humanity." The ruling also ordered the Ministry of Interior to register any children born as a result of the insemination as children of the deceased.
Monday, January 29, 2007
legion wants to increase membership....
maybe it is the way the article is written, or merely the way i read and interpeted, but what a way to attract membership .....
Afghan mission hoped to boost legion membership
January 29, 2007 CBC News
Royal Canadian Legion branches across the country hope to enlist new members from veterans of the Afghanistan mission, but the New Brunswick legion president says they'll have to work to attract and keep younger soldiers.
Another 120 soldiers left Canadian Forces Base Gagetown for Afghanistan on Monday.
Ken Glaholm, a Korean vet who is a member of the Jervis Bay Legion Branch 53 in Saint John, said he'd like to see the future veterans join up.
"It could improve vastly on the work that we do," Glaholm said. "It's so hard to get volunteers. One volunteer is worth 10 pressed men, as they always used to say."
Tom Eagles, president of New Brunswick's legions, said membership in the province has dropped from 30,000 to 13,000 in the past 30 years.
Edward Guimond has been an associate member of the Carleton Legion Branch 2 in Saint John for 18 years.
"You look around this legion today, and there should be 20 or 30 people in here, and there isn't," Guimond said. "If there's no legions, you don't have any remembrance or won't be the camaraderie. There won't be remembrance of what the women and men did, and fought for."
Eagles said it's up to the legion to keep any younger veterans who sign up.
"When you bring a new member in, you just can't put him back in the corner," Eagles said. "You have to make him feel welcome, and maybe even give him a job."
The average age of veterans of the Second World War is about 85, Eagles said, and some have carried out 50 or 60 years of work with the legion.
Eagles hopes new veterans from the Afghanistan mission will signify a changing of the guard.
can we believe the tories? ?????
Tories deny plan to extend mission in Afghanistan
January 29, 2007 CBC
Opposition critics are accusing the Conservative government of wanting to extend Canada's military operations in Afghanistan, but the Tories say they have no such plans.
The opposition members of Parliament were reacting Monday to a document released a day earlier that outlines Canada's goals in Afghanistan.
The document — written by military leader Gen. Rick Hillier and obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act — says the military's job won't be complete until Afghan security forces have full control of their country.
Military analysts have since said this plan cannot be achieved in the existing military timeframe, which calls for the removal of Canadian troops by 2009.
NDP defence critic Dawn Black says the document is evidence that the government has plans to extend troops' deployment.
"Clearly this government is preparing the military for a long war," she said during question period in Ottawa. "And that's not what Canadians have been told."
Opposition MPs say the document suggests that Canadian troops could be in Afghanistan for several years, with withdrawal coming as late as 2011.
But Conservative government said this is not the case.
"Our military has basically built a campaign plan to go on, but right now, they are limited until the end of February 2009," Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said.
He said the government won't consider an extension for at least a year.
But Denis Coderre, the Liberal defence critic, said if the government is sticking to the 2009 plan, it should have specified as much in its documented plans.
"Now, if you're supposed to leave by 2009, why don't you say that in your plan?" he asked
are tories in breech of copyright?
Tory attack ads raise questions about possible copyright breach
January 29, 2007
OTTAWA (CP) - Conservative attack ads fired at Liberal Leader Stephane Dion may end up sideswiping the ruling party after questions were raised about possible breach of copyright laws.
The television ads, which began airing Monday, use footage from last fall's Liberal leadership debates to deliver the message that the new Grit leader is weak, indecisive and an environmental failure. But that footage belongs to a consortium of TV networks which pooled their resources to provide live coverage of the debates. The Cable Public Affairs Channel provided the pool camera for each debate.
The networks are now looking into how the Conservatives obtained the debate footage for their ads.
CPAC anchor Peter Van Dusen said Monday that any outside use of debate video would have to be approved by all pool members. Moreover, he said such video is traditionally never authorized for use by political parties.
Van Dusen said he is not aware of any request by the Tory party to buy or use any portion of the debate videos.
"It would come through me and I certainly don't remember ever getting a request," he said, adding that he "would've said no" if he had received a request.
Conservative spokesman Ryan Sparrow refused to say how the party obtained the clips. But he stressed that the ads were approved by the Television Bureau of Canada before going to air.
However TVB president Jim Patterson said his agency - a voluntary advertisement-vetting service, created by private broadcasters - has nothing to do with ensuring that ads don't violate copyright laws.
"We don't rule on copyright. That is not our job," Patterson said.
Indeed, Patterson said the TVB always gets advertisers to sign a general letter of indemnity, specifying that the bureau can not be held liable if any legal issues arise from an ad. The Conservative party signed such a letter.
Given the reliance on debate footage in the ads, Patterson said the TVB has drafted a more specific letter of indemnity that it will require the Tories to sign for any ads in future. The new letter specifies that the TVB cannot be held liable for any copyright infringements.
Without knowing how the Tories came by the debate footage, copyright law expert Michael Geist said it's difficult to judge whether there may have been an infringement.
It's possible one of the networks sold the video to the Conservatives; the networks are checking to find out if their marketing or archival units might have done so.
Alternatively, a party member could conceivably have recorded the debates on a camcorder from a seat in the audience.
But if the party simply taped the debates from television, Geist said the ads could fall into a grey zone in Canadian copyright law.
"They might try to argue that they would qualify for some sort of exception under the Copyright Act," said Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor.
The most likely exception, he added, would be the "fair dealing exception for criticism."
Geist said the use of such video clips in political ads would be entirely proper in the United States, which applies a broad "fair use doctrine" to its copyright laws. The fact that the Tory ads raise questions here highlights the shortcomings of Canadian law, he added.
"Frankly, it should be beyond doubt that they should be able to use short clips of these kinds of public political events that should fall under a fair use doctrine. I think it's unfortunate that under Canadian copyright law there is some level of uncertainty."
american culture, hits an all time low
When Castro dies, the party's on
The city of Miami plans to respond to Fidel Castro's death -- whenever that may be -- with a celebration at the Orange Bowl.
Miami Herald/ January 29
One day, very possibly one day soon, ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro will die -- and a nascent committee sponsored by the city of Miami wants to be ready.
So it's planning a party.
The event, still in the very early planning stage, would be held in Little Havana's Orange Bowl stadium -- and might include commemorative T-shirts, a catchy slogan and bands that will make your hips shake.
The stadium is a bittersweet landmark in South Florida's Cuban-American experience. After the 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco, more than 35,000 exiles gathered there to hear President John F. Kennedy promise a free Cuba.
Decades later, the bowl served as a camp for Mariel refugees.
City Commissioner Tomás Regalado, a Cuban American, came up with the idea of using the venue for an event timed to Castro's demise.
''He represents everything bad that has happened to the people of Cuba for 48 years,'' Regalado said of Castro. ``There is something to celebrate, regardless of what happens next. . . . We get rid of the guy.''
Despite that statement, Regalado, along with other organizers, prefers to think of it as a celebration of the end of communism -- whether or not that is triggered by Castro's death -- as opposed to a large-scale tap-dancing session on someone's grave. Regalado compares it to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The city created the citizens committee that is planning the event earlier this month. When the still-unnamed panel met for the first time last week, Castro's death was nowhere to be found on the meeting agenda. The meeting was officially -- and ambiguously -- advertised under the title, ``Committee Meeting for an Event at the Orange Bowl.''
Its purpose, according to the city's website: ``Discuss an event at the Orange Bowl in case expected events occur in Cuba.''
EVENT'S THEME
At that meeting, committee member and former state Rep. Luis Morse stressed the need for an uplifting, forward-looking theme for the party -- one not preoccupied with a human being's passing. The committee discussed including such a theme on T-shirts that would be made by private vendors for the event.
Plenty of details have to be sorted out: What musicians would perform? The city hopes entertainers will donate their services. How long will the event last? Hours? Days? And how much will it cost?
Performance stages require time to be set up, and a security guard company has already told Miami officials it requires 24 hours' notice before being able to work the stadium. A gap of a day or two between Castro's death and the Orange Bowl event is possible.
And before printing themed T-shirts, Miami has to actually decide what the theme is. It's still working on that one.
''That has to be done with a lot of sensitivity,'' Morse said. ``Somebody needs to be a very good wordsmith.''
The stadium plan, though in its infancy, already has drawn criticism from callers on Spanish-language radio who complain Miami is dictating to Cuban Americans where they should experience one of the most intensely dramatic moments of their lives.
Regalado stresses that folks will still be free to spend their time on Calle Ocho -- the cultural heart of Little Havana and a location viewed more fondly by many exiles -- or anywhere else for that matter.
''This is not a mandatory site,'' he said of the Orange Bowl. ``Just a place for people to gather.''
Ramón Saúl Sánchez, leader of the Miami-based Democracy Movement organization, worries about how a party would be perceived by those outside the exile community. He stressed that Castro's death will prompt a whole range of emotions among Cubans -- not just joy.
CRITIC OF PARTY
''The notion of a big party, I think, should be removed from all this,'' Sánchez said. ``Although everybody will be very happy that the dictator cannot continue to oppress us himself, I think everybody is still very sad because there are still prisons full of prisoners, many people executed, and families divided.''
Rather than partying, Sánchez would rather see the post-Castro focus be on improving conditions for those still on the island. If an Orange Bowl event must happen, Sánchez would like to see it in the form of a ''protest concert'' heavy on positive messages.
Regalado, meanwhile, envisions the stadium -- as opposed to Versailles restaurant or some other tried-and-true landmark -- becoming the operations hub for the hordes of media expected to descend upon Miami: images of a thumping, pulsating, euphoric Orange Bowl beamed to televisions across the globe.
''It's helping a community celebrate,'' he said. ``We can't stop the celebrations. We just want to help.''
Sunday, January 28, 2007
US rescinded on reserves; needed for the surge; bet some aren't too happy
Thousands may be involuntarily called for tours
January 28, 2007 / Montgomery Advertiser Alabama
Hundreds of thou sands of National Guard and Reserve members previously mobilized for tours in Iraq and Afghanistan are exposed anew to involuntary call-up under a policy change unveiled with President Bush's plan to "surge" forces into Baghdad.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he has rescinded a rule, set in 2002, that barred involuntary mobilization of reserve personnel beyond a "cumulative" 24-month ceiling for a wartime emergency.
But Gates also softened the effect of that decision by capping future involuntary mobilizations at 12 months apiece, including training time. This replaces what has been routine 16-to-24-month mobilizations for most Guard or Reserve members including a year "boots on the ground" in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The now shelved 24-month "cumulative" rule had been in effect five years, long enough that some Guard and Reserve members, and their families, might have believed it protected against a second call-up.
But Brig. Gen. James W. Nuttall, deputy director of the Army National Guard, said a majority of Guard soldiers will not be surprised by the policy change, given the nature of the wars they've experienced firsthand.
"The reality is that most soldiers, having served once in theater, knew that this was going to be a long war and that at some point we were going to have to come back to them," Nuttall told Military Update.
David Stein of Hesperia, Calif., agreed. The former sergeant first class with the California National Guard returned from a year in Iraq in May 2004. He said the impression left with his unit, based in Riverside, Calif., was that they wouldn't deploy again for at least two years. That 24-month cumulative rule, if known, wasn't a policy these soldiers had planned their futures by.
Nuttall said "selling" a second round of mobilization to Guard soldiers "is not difficult" thanks to the other policy changes Gates made, particularly his decision to cap mobilizations at 12 months. The idea is to have units conduct as much readiness training as possible before mobilization.
Some training while mobilized, before deploying, still will be needed so time in theater likely will be only 10 months, on average, Nuttall said.
"We would not be able to do this, quite honestly, if it were another 24 months," Nuttall said, referring to the effect on families and civilian careers. "Sacrifices have to be made by these soldiers but the fact that we shortened the mobilization for them is a huge benefit."
Defense officials, Nuttall said, are weighing a proposal to allow commands to apply stop-loss for up to a year before units deploy. Commands now can block personnel from retiring or separating from service within 90 days before mobilization. Once stop-loss is imposed, soldiers must remain in their units through deployment plus 60 days to out process.
Longer stop-loss authority would make more benefits available to affected soldiers and families, he said. It also would be "setting the unit up for success by locking down the formation" so commanders know earlier "these are the people I have trust and confidence in and I'm going to go to war with."
The Army now keeps about 10,000 soldiers in service using stop-loss, said a personnel official.
Nuttall said that out of 350,000 Army National Guard members, roughly 270,000 have deployed since the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001. The Guard couldn't continue to contribute as effectively to the war effort if the 24-month ceiling on total time mobilized were not removed.
David Chu, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the cap was imposed in 2002 "to ensure we did not overuse our people." But the actual law governing mobilizations says only that reservists cannot be mobilized involuntarily for more than 24 "consecutive" months.
Chu said Defense officials have been making the point that reservists likely would be mobilized more than once since July 2003 when then-defense chief Donald Rumsfeld signed a memo setting rotations goal for reservists of five years' separation between mobilizations. Ironically, U.S. ground forces haven't been large enough to accommodate that goal. When the next Guard units deploy, Nuttall said, an average of only three years will have passed since their last mobilizations.
In unveiling the surge plan of 17,500 more soldiers into Baghdad and 4,000 more Marines into Anbar Province, Gates also announced strength increases. The active Army is to grow by 65,000. That's 35,000 soldiers atop a 30,000 temporary increase phased in since 2004. The Marine Corps is to grow by 27,000; the Army National Guard by 8,000; the Army Reserve by 1,000.
Gates also wants members who are forced to deploy early or to extend their deployments beyond rotation standards to receive an extra $1,000 a month. Details on eligibility are still being worked. Chu said the payments should go to "those whose expectations we seriously violate" rather than to members who depart a day early or are delayed a day returning home.
"I don't think any of our people believes, nor do I think the American taxpayers believe, we should suddenly give you some big compensation for that," Chu said.
Finally, most future deployments of reservists will involve whole units rather than individual volunteers to improve unit cohesion. Fewer soldiers, Nuttall said, will have to tell spouses or employers that they're volunteering for another tour, and so face the prospect, he quipped, that "one will be handing them divorce papers, the other will hand them a pink slip."
Colin Mayes muzzled by party; won't apologize, but admits mistake
Okanagan/Shuswap: Mayes admits to making a mistake in email comment
CHBC 28 January 2007
A defiant Colin Mayes admits he made a mistake but will not apologize for his actions. On Friday, The Okanagan-Shuswap MP was told by BC's First Nations leader he should formally apologize for finding humour in what they're calling a racist joke or resign from his job leading a national committee on Aboriginal affairs. But Mayes doesn't think an apology is necessary for what he calls a minor error in judgement.
When reached by phone Sunday morning at his Ottawa office, Mayes told CHBC news, he continues to feel that "this is just a partisan smear" levelled at him by the Liberal party. He goes on to say that the issue has been completely misrepresented.
But Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the BC Union of Indian Chiefs says this is not just a political issue between the Liberal party of Canada and the Conservative government.
"In our view, he has completely destroyed his credibility and his integrity. And unless he's prepared to formally apologize, then in our view he has no other choice but to resign."
When it comes to Chief Phillip's demand for an apology or resignation, Mayes told CHBC news, "My mistake was that I didn't react by saying this was not appropriate. I should have been more outspoken. The comment wasn't an endorsement of the inappropriate words used in the joke."
But Mayes would not offer an apology.
His remorse may still not be enough to satisfy natives in Canada, according to Phillip.
"His efforts to defend his actions in our view just reveals the arogance of his character. That he believes that he can brush something like this aside."
Mayes agrees that he's overwhelmed by the attention to the email comment and was warned by the party not to comment further. He defends his commitment to Aboriginals both in his constituency and across the country. Mayes suggested that the issue will come up this week when the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs meets in Ottawa, but stopped short of revealing how they will deal with the matter.
[*Colin Mayes, obviously didn't read the press release by the Union of BC Chiefs]
unbelievable how conservatives handle colin mayes
apparently, a senior tory officials had earlier investigated the controversy over Colin Mayes regarding the emails; seeing how many native leaders did find it offensive and unacceptable. for an example the Union of BC Indian Chiefs put out a press release regarding the issue, Stewert Philip of the Penticton Indian Band expressed his sediments, and one can watch one of the chbc news interview in the video if they have any doubts. and further, an insult and / or offensive to many of us who live in this riding of Okanagan-Shuswap!
Tories found email joke not `offensive'
January 27, 2007 / The Toronto Star
OTTAWA–Complaints about a Conservative MP embroiled in controversy over an email that denigrates natives were investigated and dismissed after an internal probe by senior Tory officials, a former member of the MP's riding association told the Toronto Star.
The email exchange occurred with a fellow board member in Colin Mayes' British Columbia riding of Okanagan-Shuswap in October, but emerged publicly only this week after an official with the riding association was fired for repeated complaints about the MP.
Among his complaints, Miles Lehn protested the controversial email, which he called "an embarrassment." He asked the president of the local riding association early last month if any disciplinary action would be taken, and was told about two weeks later that the Conservative party had investigated and found "nothing offensive about it."
"What the (riding association) president said to me was that Mr. Donison from the Ottawa office of the party had exonerated Colin of any wrongdoing," Lehn said from Vernon, B.C.
Michael Donison is the executive director of the Conservative Party of Canada, and he works out of the party's Ottawa offices. He did not respond to requests for an interview yesterday.
STAR STAFF
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Ausie's not impressed with Iraq
in the end, with so much opposition to / over the handling of iraq, lets hope we don't end up with the same aftermath in afghanistan; considering who carries the heavy hand with / in this nato mission.
Australians Upset with Government Over Iraq
January 26, 2007
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Australia are disappointed with the way their federal administration is dealing with the coalition effort, ... 62 per cent of respondents oppose the way the government has handled the Iraq war. ... Australian prime minister John Howard said he does not foresee any change in strategy, declaring, "You either stay or you go. You either rat on the ally or you don’t. ...
Australian Labor Party (ALP) leader Kevin Rudd dismissed the prime minister’s statement, saying, "I think Mr. Howard is on very shaky ground when it comes to providing a moral lecture to anybody else on the question of the future of Iraq policy." ...
Australians Upset with Goverment Over Iraq
January 26, 2007
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Australia are disappointed with the way their federal administration is dealing with the coalition effort, according to a Newspoll published in The Australian. 62 per cent of respondents oppose the way the government has handled the Iraq war.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,316 soldiers from 19 nations—including two Australians—have died during the military operation. Australia originally committed 2,000 troops to the war, but currently keeps about 1,400 soldiers in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Catalyst.
Yesterday, Australian prime minister John Howard said he does not foresee any change in strategy, declaring, "You either stay or you go. You either rat on the ally or you don’t. Now I’m not saying that is the only consideration but it is a big consideration for me."
Australian Labor Party (ALP) leader Kevin Rudd dismissed the prime minister’s statement, saying, "I think Mr. Howard is on very shaky ground when it comes to providing a moral lecture to anybody else on the question of the future of Iraq policy."
The next legislative election is tentatively scheduled for late 2007.
Polling Data
Overall, are you in favour or against the way the federal government has handled the Iraq war?
In favour
28%
Against
62%
Uncommitted
10%
Source: Newspoll / The Australian
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,152 Australian voters, conducted from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
beginning to sound like a man gone crazy ....
Bush rips anti-surge vote, says he'll make decisions
KENNETH R. BAZINET / DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU / January 27, 2007
WASHINGTON - A defiant President Bush indicated yesterday he'll ignore a Senate resolution opposing his Iraq strategy, saying when it comes to war he's the "decision maker."
"One of the things I've found in Congress is that most people recognize that failure [in Iraq] would be a disaster for the United States. And in that I'm the decision maker. I had to come up with a way forward that precluded disaster," Bush said. ...
Bush rips anti-surge vote, says he'll make decisions
KENNETH R. BAZINET / DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU / January 27, 2007
WASHINGTON - A defiant President Bush indicated yesterday he'll ignore a Senate resolution opposing his Iraq strategy, saying when it comes to war he's the "decision maker."
"One of the things I've found in Congress is that most people recognize that failure [in Iraq] would be a disaster for the United States. And in that I'm the decision maker. I had to come up with a way forward that precluded disaster," Bush said.
Bush, who last year described himself as "the decider" when it comes to Iraq, rejected the impact of the resolution at a meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, who was confirmed yesterday by the Senate as the top commander in Iraq.
Democrats showed little sign of backing down. Emphasizing Congress' intention to play a major role in Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) led a group of lawmakers to Baghdad yesterday, where they met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and senior U.S. commanders.
Bush also confirmed a report in The Washington Post that U.S. troops can now target Iranian fighters or military advisers working with Shiite rebels in Iraq.
"It makes sense that if somebody is trying to harm our troops, or stop us from achieving our goal, or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, that we will stop them. That's an obligation we all have, is to protect our folks and achieve our goal," Bush said.
"We're going to continue to protect ourselves in Iraq and, at the same time, work to solve our problems with Iran diplomatically. And I believe we can succeed. The choice is the Iranian government's choice," he added.
rebuilding iraq the american way ...
Iraq in Talks With Chevron, Exxon
Dow Jones Newswires / The Associated Press / Jan. 25, 2007
LONDON — Iraq is in negotiations with Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build a new $3 billion petrochemical facility, and is in talks with several other Western companies over industrial projects. ... While in the United States, the minister also held talks with the U.S. Geological Survey about performing a nationwide survey of Iraq's potential mineral base. He said he "had a good discussion" with the Export-Import Bank about possibly providing some of the financing for a nationwide survey to gauge Iraq's resources.
Iraq in Talks With Chevron, Exxon
Dow Jones Newswires / The Associated Press / Jan. 25, 2007
LONDON — Iraq is in negotiations with Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build a new $3 billion petrochemical facility, and is in talks with several other Western companies over industrial projects.
In an interview Thursday, Iraq's minister for industry and minerals Fowzi Hariri said the discussions with Chevron and Exxon began this week in Washington and are at an early stage.
"It will be one or the other company for this new facility, not both," he said. "We're hoping to have a (Memorandum of Understanding) in place by about July."
Hariri took his first trip to Washington early this week and met with several companies about industrial projects. The other leg of his trip took him to London, where he also met with a number of firms.
The minister, who has been in his post since last June, said the issue of security was a prominent feature of the discussions, given the sectarian conflict that has come to characterize Iraq over the past year. He said he emphasized to the companies that much of the violence has been in Baghdad. "What you see on the television is real ... but it's concentrated in the capital," said Hariri.
The discussions with the companies have been greatly aided by an Iraq foreign investment law that won final approval last October, he said.
Hariri said he hoped discussions with ABB Lummus, a unit of Swiss-Swedish electrical engineering company ABB Ltd., Dow Chemical Corp. and KBR Inc. over rehabilitating existing facilities would lead to tentative agreements by around March. "This is what we're hoping for but we will see," he said.
The contract with ABB Lummus could be worth $100 million, while Dow Chemical's contract could be $40 million to $50 million, the minister added. The contract forms for all the deals under discussion would include joint ventures.
While in the United States, the minister also held talks with the U.S. Geological Survey about performing a nationwide survey of Iraq's potential mineral base. He said he "had a good discussion" with the Export-Import Bank about possibly providing some of the financing for a nationwide survey to gauge Iraq's resources.
"We know we have iron ore and we think we have copper and probably gold," he said, adding that those opinions were based on old data.
Hariri plans to have discussions with General Electric Corp. over possible power turbine contracts and with General Motors Corp. over contracts for service vehicles, such as fire trucks and ambulances. The latter contract would be worth $80 million or less.
Over the next several years, the minister said Iraq would look to privatize all of state-owned industry, which number around 60 companies. He also said Asian companies were keen to enter discussions with the Iraqi government over industrial contracts.
Hariri said Iraq was also in discussions with San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp. over engineering contracts, but did not elaborate. The company recently said it was leaving Iraq after suffering through a spree of violence that killed 52 workers. The departure of the company served as another sobering reminder of how the carnage in Iraq has scrambled the United States' ambitions to rebuild the country.
Colin Mayes to apologize or resign
you have to watch this news cast; as another video news cast from chbc shows reactions from a native leader;
Native leader demands apology
26 January 2007 CHBC
Formally apologize or resign in disgrace. That's what the head of BC's First Nations communities says north Okanagan MP Colin Mayes needs to do following an email scandal revealed earlier this week. At issue is Mayes' response to an email containing a derogatory joke about natives.
video
*see yesterdays posts from other native leader's responses.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Colin Mayes Must Apologize
"Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a bi-partisan issue between the Conservatives and Liberals. Rather this is a violation of fundamental human rights."
Colin Mayes Must Apologize
Union of BC Indian Chiefs
News Release
For Immediate Release
January 26, 2007
Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver BC – “To openly applaud a blatantly racist joke and then to attempt to trivialize the matter represents acts of arrogant disregard of the duties of a responsible member of Parliament,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
Grand Chief Phillip was responding to media reports stating that Colin Mayes (MP for Okanagan-Shuswap) stated "good joke" in response to an October 21, 2006 e-mail “joke” about a First Nations man who is referred to as "chief" or “Tonto.”
“It is absolutely incumbent on Colin Mayes to immediately apologize” stated Grand Chief Phillip. “If he chooses to continue to attempt to deflect and deny the intent of his response, his role as chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples is completely compromised and must be reviewed.”
“To perpetuate the inherent ignorance of racism is inexcusable and left unchallenged only serves to further institutionalized the offensive and harmful effects of racism. Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a bi-partisan issue between the Conservatives and Liberals. Rather this is a violation of fundamental human rights. It is not a joking matter, in the event that Colin Mayes refuses to apologize, he must resign.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, (250) 490-5314
ubcic.bc.ca/News_Releases/UBCICNews01260701.htm
Penticton Band demands apology from Colin Mayes
Phillip Demands Apology From Mayes
A B-C native leader is demanding an apology from the M-P for Okanagan Shuswap.
January 26, 2007 / 107.5 Kiss FM News
Stewert Philip of the Penticton Indian Band and head of the Grand Chiefs, says Colin Mayes has openly conveyed a racist comment, by responding 'good joke' to an e mail that contained the words 'Tonto' and 'Chief'.
"I find his comments to be completely offensive and racist in nature and really take issue with his efforts to deflect and attempt to trivialize his racist comments and suggest it's merely a bipartisan dispute between the Conservatives and the Liberals. In my view, he has completely destroyed his credibility."
Philip wants Mayes to apologize or resign as the chair of the Commons committee on aboriginal affairs.
The Liberal's Native Affairs critic has also called for Mayes to step down as head of the committee.
Mayes said Thursday he has no plans to resign. (Pete McIntyre)
BC Chief Demands Apology from Colin Mayes
BC Chief Demands Apology
Wayne Moore - Story: 26180 / Cananet.net
Jan. 26, 2007 / 3:30 pm
The Union of BC Indian Chiefs wants an apology.
Grand Chief, Stewart Phillip, has demanded an apology from Conservative MP Colin Mayes.
The Okanagan-Shuswap MP is in hot water after responding "good joke," to an email joke titled "Tim Horton's Tonto."
The joke, written in broken English, makes reference to Chief and Tonto.
Mayes response to the joke came to light during a CHBC-TV news report earlier this week.
Mayes is chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples.
"To openly applaud a blatantly racist joke and then to attempt to trivialize the matter represents an act of arrogant disregard of the duties of a responsible Member of Parliament," says Phillip.
He says Mayes must "immediately apologize" or his role as chair of the Standing Committee will be compromised.
"Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a bi-partisan issue between the Conservatives and Liberals. Rather, this is a violation of fundamental human rights. This is no joking matter."
Phillip says if Mayes refuses to apologize, then he must resign.
new russian bill on dual citizenship for govt ministers
Federation Council approves ban on dual citizenship for govt ministers
MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) - The Federation Council has passed a bill prohibiting persons that hold dual citizenship from serving as Russian government ministers, which were earlier passed in the State Duma, at a meeting on Wednesday.
Under the bill, which amends the law on the Russian government, deputy prime ministers and ministers must not possess dual citizenship. Only a Russian citizen, who "does not have the citizenship of another state, as well as a residence permit or any other document proving the right of a Russian citizen to permanently live on the territory of a foreign country," can be appointed deputy prime minister or federal minister.
Under current legislation, only the Russian prime minister is prohibited from holding citizenship of another state. The bill will come into force after the president signs it.
Harper has to take this issue more seriously ...
Tory MP criticized over 'Tonto' joke
Métis leader and critics tell Colin Mayes to resign native affairs role and apologize
January 26, 2007 Allan Woods Richard Brennan Ottawa Bureau / The Star
...Métis National Council president Clement Chartier said the email exchange is not "behaviour that is acceptable today ... It is bad taste."
In his email, Mayes alleges a movement's afoot to "discredit me and replace me." Ten on the board of his riding association have quit since November.
Tory MP criticized over 'Tonto' joke
Métis leader and critics tell Colin Mayes to resign native affairs role and apologize
January 26, 2007 Allan Woods Richard Brennan Ottawa Bureau / The Star
OTTAWA–The chair of the Commons aboriginal affairs committee is in the eye of a storm over an email that refers to natives as "chief" and "Tonto."
Conservative MP Colin Mayes (Okanagan-Shuswap) received a so-called joke, entitled "Tim Horton's (sic) Tonto," in October. It tells of a native man who walks into a coffee shop with a buffalo on a leash.
Mayes replied to the email, saying it was a "good joke," which opposition parties and native groups objected to yesterday after seeing a copy.
"I find it offensive," said Liberal MP Tina Keeper (Churchill), an accomplished Cree actor. She resents the fact that some people still try to portray natives as "cartoon" characters. "How could you not get that this is offensive particularly when you are in that role?"
MP Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre), the Liberal native affairs critic, said Mayes should "resign immediately" from the committee post and apologize to First Nations.
Contacted at his Ottawa office by the Toronto Star, Mayes said: "Quite frankly, this is not a story. It's just not a story."
Mayes, at first, did not deny writing "good joke" but later said he could not recall whether he wrote that.
"I can't remember the joke but I think it is kind of a smear against the civil service ... It had nothing to do with First Nations," the MP from B.C. said.
Reminded that it referred to natives in disparaging terms, Mayes said, "I don't know about that," then went on to say he would not refer to natives as "Tonto" or "chief," agreeing that would be unacceptable.
"I find no humour in insults to anybody of any culture or heritage," he said, adding he resented any suggestion he was a racist because his own family is an ethnic mix.
"I am in a family that is very multicultural. My wife has Japanese heritage. I'm of European heritage. My daughter has adopted two boys from Haiti. Like, give me a break."
Mayes said he is simply the victim of a political smear.
"You got to look at where the source was and how it is being interpreted by Anita Neville and it is simply just a partisan smear that is levelled against me by Anita and I am really disappointed, because I am on the aboriginal affairs committee doing my best and have actually had very positive comments about my chairmanship."
Métis National Council president Clement Chartier said the email exchange is not "behaviour that is acceptable today ... It is bad taste."
In his email, Mayes alleges a movement's afoot to "discredit me and replace me." Ten on the board of his riding association have quit since November.
MP Colin Mayes says he won't resign
well, as a resident of this riding, i think Colin should resign. and obviously, if Colin doesn't find his actions wrong, then perhaps he should have to take some self help courses on this subject! and just as important, is why "Miles Lehn, who said he was booted off the riding association's board of directors Monday because of his criticism of Mayes, accused the MP of racism in the CHBC broadcast on Tuesday. ''To me that's the same as writing the e-mail,'' Lehn said of the MP's ''good joke'' response."
Tory MP won't resign for praising Indian e-mail joke
Romeo St. Martin [PoliticsWatch updated 6:15 p.m., January 25, 2007]
OTTAWA — A B.C. Conservative MP said Thursday he will not resign as head of the aboriginal affairs committee over a controversy in which he approved a joke e-mail that the Liberals are calling racist. ...
Tory MP won't resign for praising Indian e-mail joke
Romeo St. Martin [PoliticsWatch updated 6:15 p.m., January 25, 2007]
OTTAWA — A B.C. Conservative MP said Thursday he will not resign as head of the aboriginal affairs committee over a controversy in which he approved a joke e-mail that the Liberals are calling racist.
As well, Tory MP Colin Mayes is demanding the Liberals apologize to him for levelling the racism allegations.
A B.C. TV station reported this week that Mayes received the email from a fellow Tory that began "An Indian walks into Tim Horton's . . ." and ends with a punch line intended to poke fun at the perceived irresponsibility of senior public servants.
> Read the Joke Here
However, in the e-mail the person behind the counter at the Tim Horton's refers to the Indian as "chief" and "Tonto," names which the opposition Liberals described as "racist"
Mayes replied to the email with the words "good joke." The emails were provided to the TV station by a man who was recently fired by Mayes' riding association.
The Liberals called for Mayes to step down as chair of the aboriginal affairs committee on Thursday.
"It is unfortunate that Mr. Mayes would support and find funny something that is so insulting to First Nations," Liberal MP Anita Neville said in a statement.
"His attitude indicates that he is not qualified to chair the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. He should resign immediately as chair and apologize to First Nations people. As Chair his responsibility is to ensure that Aboriginals from coast to coast to coast get a fair, unbiased hearing at committee."
Later Thursday, Mayes issued a statement in which he accused Neville of levelling a "cheap, partisan smear" and of "completely" misrepresenting his email remark.
Mayes said in his statement that he finds "no humour that insults the culture or heritage of any group people" in the e-mail. "Those types of jokes are completely inappropriate."
"I am proud to be the chair of the Parliamentary Aboriginal Affairs Committee and look forward to continuing in my duties," his statement concludes.
Mayes was named chair of the committee in the spring after another Tory MP, Maurice Vellacott, resigned following comments he made about Supreme Court judges.
It is not the first time Mayes has been the subject of controversy.
Earlier this year, Mayes issued an apology after he wrote a letter to a local newspaper suggesting some journalists should be put in jail for writing misleading stories.
Arrows fly over e-mail
Scott Neufeld January 26, 2007 Vernon Daily Courier
Federal Liberals are demanding that Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes resign as chair of a committee on Aboriginal affairs after learning of his response to an e-mail joke.
Liberal Indian Affairs critic Anita Neville had not seen the full e-mail, but said she was shocked by Mayes’ response to a joke about First Nations people. She said he owes Aboriginals an apology.
“This joke, with its reference to ‘chief’ and ‘tonto’ and its fractured English, is a classic example of the old negative stereotypes that lead to the denigration of Canada’s First Nations people,” she said. “He didn’t make the joke but he reinforced stereotypes of Aboriginal people.”
Mayes responded to the e-mail by saying “good joke.”
The joke was included in an e-mail sent to Mayes from a local party member on Oct. 21, 2006. After the Liberals distributed a press release about the e-mail exchange, media outlets across the country poun-ced on the story.
In an interview from his Ottawa office on Thurs-day, Mayes scoffed at Neville’s remarks.
“I’m quite upset about the cheap partisan smear that Liberal Anita Neville is making against me,” Mayes said. “She has taken an e-mail comment and completely misrepresented it.”
What was most surprising Mayes said is that Neville has been complimentary of his work on the committee and told him he was “very fair” as chairman.
When asked if she had spoken to any First Nations people who had taken offence to the remark, Neville initially said no, because she had been in meetings all day, but then changed her answer.
“I’ve heard from a number of people,” she said. “They were quite appalled by it.”
Neville said that Mayes should have simply deleted the e-mail and not responded to it. “Mr. Mayes should know better,” she said.
Mayes fired back saying that he does not find humour in jokes that insult the culture or heritage of anyone. He said he comes from a multicultural family with a wife of Japanese heritage and two adopted grandchildren from Haiti.
This isn’t the first time that an e-mail has landed a local Conservative in hot water. Former Conservative board member Miles Lehn was fired earlier this week because of an e-mail that some other directors took offence to.
In August, Mayes’ wife Jacquie apologized when she claimed “we are being attacked by principalities and powers that are evil” in an e-mail about Vernon Daily Courier managing editor David Wylie.
Tory MP criticized for praising derogatory joke
Peter O'Neil, CanWest News Service
January 26, 2007
Colin Mayes, the Conservative head of the Commons native affairs committee, says Liberal demands that he step down over a "denigrating" e-mail are the worst of petty politics.
OTTAWA - B.C. Conservative MP Colin Mayes angrily criticized and rejected a Liberal demand Thursday that he resign from a parliamentary committee over an e-mail in which he praised a derogatory joke about an Indian, the Liberals said Thursday.
Mayes, member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap, replied ''good joke'' in an Oct. 21, 2006 e-mail response to a tale about an aboriginal man who, while holding a shotgun and speaking in broken English, enters a coffee shop and has an exchange with an employee who calls him ''chief'' and ''Tonto.''
Liberal MP Anita Neville said Mayes, who withdrew his published statement last year that journalists should be jailed for writing inaccurate stories, must apologize to First Nations and resign as chairman of the standing committee on aboriginal affairs and northern development.
"This joke - with its reference to 'chief' and 'Tonto' and its fractured English - is a classic example of the old negative stereotypes that lead to the denigration of Canada's First Nations people," Neville said in a statement.
"Today's society finds it rightly unacceptable for anyone, never mind an elected public official, to speak of our aboriginal population in this manner.''
Mayes did not return a phone call but issued a statement attacking the Liberals.
''I categorically dismiss the cheap partisan smear leveled against me by Liberal MP Anita Neville. She has taken an e-mail comment and completely mis-represented it. She should apologize. I find no humour that insults the culture or the heritage of any group of people. Those types of jokes are completely inappropriate.''
He said he's ''proud'' of his work as chairman, will remain in the job, and said Neville's criticism is ''surprising and disappointing because she ''recently complemented (sic) me on the good work I was doing as chair.''
Tory caucus chairman Rahim Jaffer also accused the Liberals of launching a hurtful and ''cheap'' political attack against the MP.
''From what I understand he was very hurt, very dismayed, by the way this was being smeared against his character.''
Mayes, confronted about the e-mail by a journalist in Vernon, B.C. earlier this week, said he isn't racist but acknowledged he could have chosen better words in his reply.
''I don't know what my response was, and if it was that, then you're right,'' he told a CHBC TV reporter. ''It wasn't meant to be'' an endorsement of the joke, Mayes said.
Mayes, 58, is a former businessman and mayor of Salmon Arm, B.C.
He has faced criticism from fellow Conservatives, particularly after he was forced to withdraw his published statement about the need for a law to jail journalists.
OPTIONAL END
Miles Lehn, who said he was booted off the riding association's board of directors Monday because of his criticism of Mayes, accused the MP of racism in the CHBC broadcast on Tuesday. ''To me that's the same as writing the e-mail,'' Lehn said of the MP's ''good joke'' response.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
exactly!!!!!
Governor general urges Canadians to fix developing world in their backyard
January 25th, 2007
CALGARY (CP) - Canada has a developing world in its own backyard, with a number of aboriginal communities in a desperate state, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean said Thursday.
In a speech praising the international development work of Engineers Without Borders, Jean said Canadians "can no longer ignore" impoverished conditions within their own country. "Let us admit, once and for all, that the developing world is closer than we think."
Governor general urges Canadians to fix developing world in their backyard
January 25th, 2007
CALGARY (CP) - Canada has a developing world in its own backyard, with a number of aboriginal communities in a desperate state, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean said Thursday.
In a speech praising the international development work of Engineers Without Borders, Jean said Canadians "can no longer ignore" impoverished conditions within their own country. "Let us admit, once and for all, that the developing world is closer than we think."
Jean said during her trip across Africa late last year, she saw many situations and needs identical to those faced by some Canadian aboriginal communities.
These include a lack of simple access to clean drinking water, the growing marginalization of the younger generation and the need to find a balance between ancient knowledge and the modern world.
Other large social issues - such as ongoing violence against women, the desperate need for adequate housing and the promotion of education as a means of growth and development - exist not only on the other side of the world but here in Canadian communities, she said.
"There is urgent work that needs to be done in our own backyard, and this work could be an example for the entire world. It should be part of making Canada a model global citizen."
Jean's first public appearance during her three-day trip to the Calgary area was the keynote address at the national conference of Engineers Without Borders - a group that helps bring technology to developing nations.
Several members of the association were part of Jean's official delegation when she travelled to Algeria, Mali, Ghana, Morocco and South Africa in November and December.
Jean said seeing the work that a handful of Canadian engineers were doing throughout Africa was an important lesson.
"We were born . . . and we live in an affluent country just by sheer luck," she told the more than two hundred young engineers from across Canada.
"And I strongly believe that with this luck comes a responsibility - an absolute responsibility - to create opportunities for those with the greatest need."
During the trip to Africa, which received little coverage back home, thousands of people turned out to welcome her wherever she went.
After she urged Mali's national parliament to enact a long-stalled bill that would let women own property, gain an inheritance and seek a divorce, a leading newspaper columnist in the country compared her to legendary athletes Muhammad Ali and soccer star Pele as symbols of black pride.
During her second official visit to Alberta as governor general, Jean will spend a considerable amount of her time with native groups.
On Friday, she plans to visit a family shelter located on the Stoney Nakoda Nation, just west of Calgary.
Saturday she plans to meet a group of teachers from the Siksika Nation, one hour east of Calgary. The teachers graduated from a University of Calgary's Master of Teaching program that combines Aboriginal language, culture and teaching traditions with mainstream educational practices.
She will also meet briefly with new Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and attend the opening night of a new Canadian opera called Frobisher.
MP Jaffer voices on MP Colin Mayes ...
Jaffer says Mayes feels dismayed, offended ....
Okanagan M.P. under fire
25 January 2007 CHBC News
Okanagan Shuswap MP Colin Mayes is coming under fire tonight. The Liberals are demanding his resignation as Chair of the Aboriginal Affairs Committee. As CHBC first reported on Tuesday, Mayes found himself in hot water after an exchange of e-mails with a local party member. That party member sent him a derogatory joke about aboriginals... A joke that Mayes apparently thought was a pretty good one. And it's that response that has the critics calling for him to step down.
Video Link (shows the original story and then on to, today's remarks)
but regardless Mayes has had controversy ....
MP accused of lying
(Video)
Web posted on Tuesday, 17 October 2006 CHBC News
Okanagan Shuswap Member of Parliament Colin Mayes is being accused of being less than truthful with members of his own party during nomination meetings last month. Thirty-three names are attached to a letter that has been sent to the Prime Minister's office and Conservative party officials about the issue. When questioned at meetings in Salmon arm and Vernon Mayes denied he was the subject of a lawsuit. Court documents tell another story.
willing to trade colin mayes for another MP
seems like a good time to ask, with all the press recognition over colin mayes ...
until the next election;
would anyone like to trade their MP for ours?
more on Mayes; the rookie MP of our riding!
Tory MP accused of emailing 'denigrating' joke
Updated Thu. Jan. 25 2007 6:17 PM ET
Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- The Conservative head of the Commons native affairs committee says Liberal demands that he step down over a "denigrating'' e-mail are the worst of petty politics.
"This is just a cheap, partisan smear levelled against me,'' Colin Mayes said in an interview after initially ducking out of a meeting on Parliament Hill without speaking to reporters.
"She has taken an e-mail and completely misrepresented it,'' he said of Liberal MP and aboriginal affairs critic Anita Neville.
"I find no humour (in anything) that insults the culture or the heritage of any group of people. Those types of jokes are completely inappropriate.''
At issue is an e-mail that Mayes says he received sometime last summer.
It includes a joke about an "Indian'' who walks into a Tim Hortons with a shotgun in one hand and a buffalo in the other.
The server refers to the native man alternately as "Tonto'' and "chief.''
The native man drinks his coffee, then "blasts the buffalo with the shotgun, causing parts of the animal to splatter everywhere, then just walks out.''
The next day, the native man returns.
"Whoa, Tonto!'' says the server. "We're still cleaning up your mess from yesterday. What was all that about, anyway?
"The Indian smiles and proudly says, `Training for an upper management position in Canadian Government: Come in, drink coffee, shoot the bull, leave mess for others to clean up, and disappear for rest of day.' ''
Mayes's response to the e-mail began "Good joke.''
It was leaked to a British Columbia television station by a man who was recently fired from the board of the local Conservative association in Mayes's riding of Okanagan-Shuswap.
Miles Lehn was voted off the board, ironically, by directors who took offence to an e-mail he said was written in jest.
It reflected concerns about a perceived political shift to the religious right, and inferred that Mayes and his wife may wish to keep "godless infidels'' off the riding board.
Mayes suggested Thursday that Lehn's recent firing was behind the flap.
Asked if he still thinks the story of the native man in the coffee shop was a "good joke,'' Mayes said he couldn't really remember the content.
"I get hundreds of e-mails.''
Besides, he added, he may have intended to convey sarcasm.
Mayes was less circumspect when buttonholed by a B.C. television reporter earlier this week.
"I just laugh,'' he said of any suggestion he's racist. "They're just grasping at straws.''
Mayes said Thursday his wife is Japanese and his daughter's two adopted sons are from Haiti.
In any case, he said, he feels no need to apologize or step down as chairman of the Commons aboriginal affairs committee.
"I have had many compliments about my chairmanship . . . from the (Assembly of First Nations) National Chief Phil Fontaine and even from the members of the opposition.''
Fontaine was not immediately available for comment.
The Liberals called for Mayes's immediate ouster and an apology.
"As chair, his responsibility is to ensure that aboriginals from coast to coast to coast get a fair, unbiased hearing at committee,'' Neville said.
glad more of the press is picking up Colin Mayes and racist remarks
Tory committee head should quit over 'racist’ e-mail: Liberals
January 25, 2007 / The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Liberals want a Conservative MP to resign as head of the Commons aboriginal affairs committee over his response to a racist e-mail.
At issue is a joke e-mail that refers to a native man as `Tonto’ and `chief.’
A British Columbia television station reported that Tory MP Colin Mayes received the e-mail and responded with a “good joke.”
Mayes didn’t deny the response when questioned, but said he didn’t mean to endorse such humour.
Native references have gotten Tories into trouble in the past.
Conservative MP Brian Fitzpatrick told a native-organized debate in 2000: “You can’t scalp me because I haven’t got much hair on top of my head.”
go duceppe go!
Duceppe doesn't want Cdns involved in Afghan fighting
January 25, 2007
MONTREAL (CP) - Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe doesn't want Canada's troops in Afghanistan to be involved in fighting.
Today in Montreal, Duceppe said the Conservative government should rebalance the Canadian mission. While Duceppe says he supports international intervention - adding that a sovereign Quebec would also do so - he wants the emphasis on reconstruction of the war-torn country.
The Bloc leader called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to explain that Canadian soldiers are not in Afghanistan to serve American interests or to make war.
Duceppe says Afghanistan should not become another Iraq.
Gilles Duceppe wants Harper government to change focus of Afghanistan mission
January 25, 2007
MONTREAL (CP) - Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe says the Harper government should adjust the focus of Canada's mission in Afghanistan to reconstruction.
Duceppe reiterated his support for the international intervention in the war-torn country, saying on Thursday that even a sovereign Quebec would take part in such a mission.
"I've got a lot of admiration for the men and women who are ready to risk their lives to serve their country and help others," he said. "It's for this reason we have to act responsibly and with a lot of determination to pursue our objectives of reconstruction.
"We're asking for changes in the attitude of the Canadian government, so that it will propose a re-balancing of the mission," he said.
Duceppe said Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper should recognize there's an urgency to act because the situation is deteriorating.
"Afghanistan is not another Iraq and we will do everything we can so that Afghanistan does not become another Iraq," Duceppe said during a speech to the Montreal Council on International Relations.
The Bloc leader also called on the government to explain that if Canadian soldiers are in Afghanistan, they are not there to serve American interests or to make war.
Duceppe also said concrete steps should be taken to provide short-term humanitarian aide, road construction and infrastructure before the summer and the next Taliban offensive.
Duceppe said the government should "seriously examine" a strategy to deal illegal drug trafficking.
"I suggested last spring to study the possibility of buying the poppy harvest and using it to make medication."
"That's something which is already done in other countries, notably India," he said.
"The British Medical Association has recommended that Afghan opium be used to make diamorphine, which would help fill a shortage of this medication."
Duceppe got high marks for his speech from political scientist Louis Balthazar.
"Canada has a right to be there and Duceppe didn't challenge that . . .It was courageous on the part of Duceppe to defend the intervention when 65 per cent of Quebecers are against it," Balthazar said in an interview.
He also said Harper has to do a better job promoting the mission.
"He (Harper) has to explain to the Canadian population why we are there, what we expect . . .there must be more of a democratic debate," said Balthazar, who teaches at Laval University in Quebec City.
my local conservative mp Colin Mayes
*update Jan.26 2007: a correction regarding the article below, as it was brought to my attention of / regarding the error.
from the liberal.ca:
Correction
January 26, 2007
On January 25, 2007, The Liberal Party of Canada erroneously stated that Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott intervened in the Neil Stonechild case and set up a legal defence fund for the officers charged in his death. In fact, Mr. Vellacott spearheaded a legal defence fund for two former officers convicted after another Saskatchewan Aboriginal man, Darrell Night, was abandoned in freezing temperatures. We apologize for the error.
*****Jan 26 2007 Added to reflect the article below (taken from liberal.ca)
**In the original version of this release, the Liberal Party of Canada stated that Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott intervened in the Neil Stonechild case. In fact, Mr. Vellacott intervened the case of another Saskatchewan Aboriginal man, Darrell Night. We apologize for the error.
Conservative MP Colin Mayes Must Step Down, Apologize to First Nations
January 25, 2007 / Liberal.ca
OTTAWA – Conservative B.C. MP Colin Mayes must step down as Chair of the Parliamentary Aboriginal Affairs committee and apologize for his praise of an e-mail joke that denigrates Canada’s First Nations people, Liberal Indian Affairs Critic Anita Neville said.
A CHBC-TV news broadcast of January 23 points out how after Mr. Mayes received a racist joke via e-mail, he replied with “good joke” and dismissed criticism leveled against him that he was racist with “I just laugh because they’re just grasping at straws.”
“This joke – with its reference to ‘chief’ and ‘tonto’ and its fractured English – is a classic example of the old negative stereotypes that lead to the denigration of Canada’s First Nations people,” said Ms. Neville. “Today’s society finds it rightly unacceptable for anyone, never mind an elected public official, to speak of our Aboriginal population in this manner.
click here for the video
“It is unfortunate that Mr. Mayes would support and find funny something that is so insulting to First Nations. His attitude indicates that he is not qualified to chair the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. He should resign immediately as chair and apologize to First Nations people. As Chair his responsibility is to ensure that Aboriginals from coast to coast to coast get a fair, unbiased hearing at committee.”
Ms. Neville pointed out how this is not the first time Mr. Mayes has been asked to apologize to a group of Canadians for his skewed views. Back in April, he was forced to publicly apologize for and retract his claim that certain journalists should be thrown in jail.
“It’s time for Mr. Mayes to be held accountable for the things he says. He must resign his position as Chair,” said Ms. Neville.
This is also the second time that the Conservatives have shown poor judgment in their appointments to this committee. Mr. Mayes replaced Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott as Chair in May after Mr. Vellacott was forced out for his inappropriate comments about Supreme Court judges’ “God-like powers.”
Mr. Vellacott was appointed as Chair even though he faced strong opposition from the First Nations community because of his intervention in the Neil Stonechild case. Mr. Vellacott sided with the police officers convicted in Mr. Stonechild’s death and even started a legal defence for them.
*****Jan 26 2007 Added to reflect the article above (taken from liberal.ca)
**In the original version of this release, the Liberal Party of Canada stated that Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott intervened in the Neil Stonechild case. In fact, Mr. Vellacott intervened the case of another Saskatchewan Aboriginal man, Darrell Night. We apologize for the error.