Canada In Election Mode

GERALD CAPLAN

The Globe and Mail

Published Friday, Dec. 12 2014, 10:34 AM EST

      Canada will have a federal election no later than October 19th, 2015 (the "fixed by law" date).  The general feeling is that it will be earlier than that - possibly in the Spring of 2015. I will try to provide periodic special blogs of FACTUAL information (not partisan and no spin).

     If you haven't been following political activity for the past 9 years in the media, this article in the Globe and Mail might help to get you up to speed in time to VOTE.

Click on the underlined type below.

"If I could shake Harper’s hand, 

this is what I’d tell him"

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CANADA GOES GREEN and Movie Myths

 CANADA AND THE  ENVIRONMENT
(A Step Back and Steps Forward)

1)  "TAR SANDS" (bitumen, euphemistically referred to as "Oil Sands")

   - The first bitumen  tanker arrives in Sorel-Tracy port on the St. Lawrence River from the tar sands in Alberta. The Minerva Gloria is not only the first tanker of its size to arrive in Sorel-Tracy, but it will also be the first to carry diluted bitumen from Alberta. Its arrival deepens community concern for possible crude oil spills on the St. Lawrence River.

2) Report (Dec. 2014) of Clean Energy Canada:  More Green jobs last year than oilsands

     - There were 23,700 total direct jobs in the green energy sector in 2013,
       compared to 22,340 jobs in the oilsands
    - in the past five years employment in Green Energy increased by 37 per cent with
      investments of more than $24 billion
   - The complete 34-page "Tracking the Energy Revolution" report is available online

3) Energy Market Reports (2014)
       View trends, analysis and statistics by country. ReportLinker.com offers download access
       to top market reports on the Energy Industry comparing energy sources by country.

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Ridiculous Movie Myths That Turned Out to Be True

Disclaimer: I have taken the link to this article (by Chris Hoffman on December 2nd, 2014)
 from the web site of  How-to- Geek  without checking the veracity of the information.
How-to-Geek deals mostly with electronic and high technology issues. Subscription is free.

                                     1) The NSA Spying on Everybody
                                     2) Your Location Can Be Tracked
                                     3) Webcam Hijacking
                                    4) Hacking Traffic Lights and Cameras
                                    5) Darknet Drug Rings, Arms Trafficking, and Hitmen
                                    6) Hacking Security Cameras and Security Systems
                                    7) Hacking ATMs for Cash
                                    8) Security Backdoors in Encryption Protocols
                                    9) Hotel Key Cards Can Be Easily Hacked
                                   10) Passwords Can Be Easily Hacked

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Winnipeg, Manitoba, Has A World Champion 

Canadian Corey Gallagher won the First Beer Mile World Championship Race with a time of 5 min 23 milliseconds in Austin Texas. He credits his ability to down a beer in one breath as helpful.
    In a nut shell, the race is 4 laps around a 440 metre track with the requirement of drinking a bottle of beer (355 ml) before each lap.

2014 Manitoba Summer Beer Mile (click for video)

Gallagher's time of 5:01.57 min prior to winning World event in Austin Texas

Canadian gives berth to dragon

A DAY TO BE PROUD TO BE CANADIAN
Canadian Astronaut Gives Berth To Dragon Capsule
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield directs Canadarm2  for berthing the SpacE X Capsule

March 3, 2013

                                                                                                

"Canadarm2 holds Dragon by the nose, to drag it up and hook it on to a Station hatch,"

       - Chris Hadfield/Twitter

                     

The "arm in space" is one of Canada's greatest engineering achievements. And an expression of the best of Canada's soul: not flashy, not ostentatious, but useful, dependable, and willing to reach out and lend a strong but sensitive hand wherever one is needed, no matter how far-flung.  It is rated 5th out of 101 in the list of: 101 Things Canadians Should Know About Canada  survey.

  

                                CLICK for   101 list          

 

WIRELESS POWER FOR ELECTRIC

           CARS AND BUSSES 

Bombardier’s PRIMOVE technology provides wireless, contactless power for all types of electric vehicles including trams, buses, trucks and cars using the principle of inductive power transfer. This unique system allows electric vehicles to be wirelessly recharged either in motion (dynamic charging) or at rest (static charging) without affecting driving habits or journey times.                                 *from Bombardier web page
  This may well be an answer to the problem of recharging and limited range without stopping to charge the batteries. It is being tested in Germany by Bombardier. 

FAST CAR COMPARISON INFO

1) Chev Camaro:                          580 hp    60 mph in 4   sec 

2) Brabas modified BMW  V-12  800 hp   62 mph in 3.7 sec

3) Tesla S Electric Roadster:       299 hp    60  mph in 3.7 sec

THERE MAY BE A MESSAGE HERE ????

AND THEN THERE IS (lol)

4) Toyoto i-ROAD fully electric      2.7 hp        top speed  28 mph   31 miles on a 3 hr charge

 

Toyota's i-ROAD is a fully-enclosed, two-seater, three-wheeled, fully-electric, Personal Mobility Vehicle (PMV).

      It is designed to offer high levels of stability, safety and comfort.. "Active Lean" uses a lean actuator and gearing mounted above the front suspension member, linked via a yoke to the left and right front wheels. 

     A computer calculates the required degree of lean based on steering angle, gyro-sensor and vehicle speed information, with the system automatically moving the wheels up and down in opposite directions, applying lean angle to counteract the forces of cornering.  The system also operates when the it is being driven in a straight line over rough surfaces. The actuator automatically compensates for changes in the road to keep the body level.

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SPECIAL UPDATE

UPDATE ON CHIEF TERESA SPENCE HUNGER STRIKE

From Huffington Post: Former PM Joe Clark and 16 MP's from the NDP accept her invitation to visit her on Sunday, Dec 30th at Victoria Island, Ottawa

 Spence invited MPs and senators to visit over a two-hour period Sunday at her teepee, situated on an island in the frozen Ottawa River looking up at Parliament Hill.

Former prime minister Joe Clark, the highest-profile visitor, made an appearance Saturday, meeting with Spence and issuing a statement that said honest conversation can often lead to common ground.

Members of both the opposition NDP and Liberals expressed concern Sunday for Spence's health.
"She's a very determined woman and she's heard the message from others that she's done what people think she needed to do, but she noted that the prime minister has not talked to anyone, or put out a message that he is willing to meet with leaders, and that's all she's asking for," said New Democrat MP Paul Dewar, who was among 16 of the party's politicians to be invited inside.

Both Dewar and fellow New Democrat Craig Scott said they were worried about her condition.
"She's very peaceful in her demeanour, but that goes along with being quite weak now," said Scott. "She talks about sleeping more than she had earlier, in the first two weeks. I think it's very clear it's starting to take a physical toll."

Concern is strong enough that some have urged her to give up and let Opposition politicians take up the fight — something Craig said he tried to convey to her.
"I spoke directly to her and said, 'You know, you've done more anybody could expect one person to do, and there's no reason you and you alone should have to carry this burden.' And she said, 'It's my burden to carry.'"

An adviser to the chief and band council said there is no backing down.
"The chief is a strong-spirited, determined individual," said Danny Metatawabin. "We need to get the message out to the prime minister of Canada.
"Although she is drinking her liquids of water and fish broth, you know, she is getting weak in body when you don't eat solids. The body tends to shut down. They should just come and talk to us. Why are we afraid to communicate with one another?"

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq joined other federal officials Friday asking Spence to accept a meeting with Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan, but Spence rejected the recommendation.
The government points to a meeting it held last January with First Nations leaders as proof it is serious about improving their relationship, and adds it has spent millions on aboriginal health, housing and education.

But aboriginal leaders say they are being left out of the discussion the Harper government is having about how best to develop Canada's lucrative natural resources.

Joe Clark, who was a Tory prime minister from 1979 to 1980, said friends of his in the First Nations community had suggested he meet with Spence, chief of a remote reserve in Northern Ontario.
"My experience has been that direct and honest dialogue is always useful and sometimes essential, particularly in dealing with issues as complex and multi-faceted as the relations between First Nations and Canada," he said in a statement.
"Chief Spence expressed a humble and achievable vision — one which I believe all Canadians can embrace."

Canada's Debt VS Deficit

      Canada’s Finance Minister (Flaherty) recently said that our Federal yearly budget (deficit) will not be "balanced" until 2016-17. That just means we will not be increasing the debt after that date.  

      The Prime Minister contradicted him three days later and reaffirmed the government's plan ". . . . to  balance the budget prior to the next federal election (2015)." They disagree by only a year or two of increases to the debt.

     The following updating "clock" shows the TOTAL debt that Canada has accumulated to date. Our children can pay it off some day. Reducing the yearly DEFICIT by adding to the DEBT may make good sound bites but it doesn't change reality. The following updating "clock"  can be downloaded from Taxpayer.com.

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 GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN CANADA

1) University of Waterloo student team earned the title of this year’s Facebook hackathons Champions over teams from U.S, Canada , Brazil, and Ukraine. It isn't really "hacking". It is more of an APP for finding  groups of your :friends.

2) Maybe it is not a big deal, but the Parti Quebecois (Quebec provincial party) has approved having the Canadian Maple leaf flag fly beside the Quebec Fleur de Lis in their National Assembly. For the party devoted to the separation of Quebec this is a major concession. The fact that a recent poll showed 57% of Quebecois had strong positive feelings for the Maple Leaf flag.

3) Somewhat related to the above, an online survey of 2,287 Canadians found that just 55 per cent are very or somewhat satisfied with the way democracy works in this country. That’s sharply down from the 75 per cent who expressed satisfaction in response to an identical question in 2004.

"Atypical" Canadian Happenings

1) National Chief Shawn Atleo of the Assembly of First Nations opened a three-day strategy session for First Nations leaders from across Canada with a call for unity in a "shared struggle" for change.

Some of the chiefs went to Parliament Hill, where MP's were to begin voting on the government's second omnibus budget implementation bill. A brief scuffle ensued after security guards stepped in to prevent some of the chiefs and First Nations members from trying to enter the House of Commons.

2) And speaking of scuffles, near the end of the session Wednesday, Peter Van Loan, the government's House Leader, crossed the floor of the Commons to confront his NPD counterpart, Nathan Cullen. Microphones were shut off but tape recorders showed "in-the-face" shaking of fingers complete with use of "f***" words. It was on the way to becoming more typical of a hockey game than the Canadian Parliament when the combatants were physically separated. Not typical of the staid old Canada I used to know.

Why We Need The USA

1) The XL Foods plant was at the centre of an E. coli outbreak in September that led to the largest meat recall in Canadian history. The contamination was discovered by US border inspectors who notified the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Sept 3rd.
    Until Sept 16th the Canadian government continued to say publicly that the meet was safe. On Sept 16th CFIA sent out its first alert warning with recalls continuing to increase past Nov.16th.  Check the timeline.

2) The RCMP opened an investigation into the spy activities of Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, a Halifax navy intelligence officer, several months after it received a letter from the FBI notifying them of the possible security breach. The RCMP investigation began only after Delisle voluntary turned himself in as a spy for Russia.

THINGS THAT DEFY COMMENT

1)

     GM offers the 2013 Camero with a "hot wheels" upgrade package for an additional $6,995 US . The beaming metallic blue car combines the high performance of the Camaro ZL1 to look like Hot Wheels dinky cars, such as red-lined wheels, a thick matte black stripe on its hood and flame graphics.


2)

Yep - the ultimate unicycle - a self-balancing, one wheel, electric scooter. 

Range Up to 30 miles  Speed 25 mph   Range  30 miles  Max Rider Weight 250lbs

Max Hill Incline 30%    Estimated Retail Cost $3,500  Estimated Retail Cost $3,500

PROGRESS IN ENTERTAINMENT

1) Winnipeg hits the VIP Cineplex Odeon scene. The theatre’s 12 existing auditoriums will be converted to eight traditional auditoriums and three VIP cinemas. VIP cinemas will similar to dinner theatre where you are served at your seat. Concessions will include specialized offerings, including flatbread pizza, calamari, and yes… alcoholic beverages. All seats are reserved. Feature auditoriums are exclusively for adult guests.

  2)  Disney has purchased Lucasfilm.
      
           Disney aggressively pushes forward to bring three new "Star Wars" features to the big screen, with "Episode VII" scheduled for release as early as summer 2015.
        Experts say this won't corrupt Star Wars  (???).

Canada’s New “tough on crime” Laws In Action

 The Winnipeg Free Press (Nov 2/12) reported:

1) Florante Cemania, the father of four, has been given a "mandatory minimum" 3-year prison sentence. Based on a tip, the police found seven ounces of cocaine and $27,000 behind a ceiling tile in his garage. Apparently he was hiding it for an acquaintance - it wasn't even necessary to prove that either the money or drugs were his. He and his wife came from the Philppines in 1990 and both he and his wife had been working until both he and his wife were laid off in 2010. He had no criminal record - not even a speeding ticket.

2) Two Winnipeg men have admitted to a brutal attack around a bonfire that ended with their so-called friend being stabbed in the neck, the tip of the knife breaking off and lodging near his spine. Alcohol was a factor. Mark Woodcock and Tyler Hiebert pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated assault. Woodcock was given 20 months in jail for his role, while Hiebert received 18 months of supervised probation.

3) A few days later, in Winnipeg,  there was a "mob" beating of an unsuspecting stranger for no apparent reason in Winnipeg. His injuries included a broken jaw, ribs and hand. One of the leaders of the this  gang violence was sentenced to 2 years in jail. Drunkenness was offered as a defense.

Credit Card Convenience Features

1) Wi-Fi Card allows you to purchase at a distance (and to be copied at a distance)

2) VISA and MasterCard new no-touch, no-PIN card payment system which speeds up the shopping process is raising security concerns. It does not require a PIN, or signature or identification.
 It is nice and easy and fast, both for you and for ANYONE else who happens to find (or steal) the card.