Another One Bites The Dust – But Where Is David Orchard?

Mulder

Another prominent Liberal, Allan Rock, has said he will not be running for the Liberal Leadership. Rock joins several other prominent Liberals who don’t seem to want the position.

And why would we expect any different? The winner of this contest will end up being a resident at Stornoway for a good 5 to 8 years. A productive Conservative Minority and probably majority next time around would require someone capable of slamming the Conservatives day after day after day, with no real chance at the leadership.

Manley sited his age. McKenna sited his age. Hell, even Bill Graham, the interim leader said his age precludes him from sticking around.

Who does this leave?

Well there are quite a few rising members of the caucus and a few who have been around for a couple of elections. But my bet is on whoever has the most experience slamming the Tories…

Hmmmmm…….

Why not David Orchard? He has the “text book” slams down. He has a severe hatred for Harper and McKay. He is now a supporter of the Liberal Party.

The other factor, playing on contenders minds, is the massive debt the Liberals apparently have been building up. New fund raising procedures prohibit major donations which were a big part of the Liberal income. This will severely hurt the party. Even deep pockets like Belinda’s would be off limits from my understanding. She couldn’t simply ask Daddy (or her brother Andrew) to pay off the debt.

This means the leader will likely be someone who understands bankruptcy laws. Considering the fat cows the Liberals relied on have the new restrictions to bar them from dumping, I can only see them coming out of debt with a massive money laundering scheme pulling money out of trust after trust and managing to filter it into the coffers $1000 at a time. And we all know the new Accountability Act is probably going to eliminate the risk of that.

Monte Praises Licia Corbella, And Rightfully So

Mulder

Monte Solberg rightfully gives Licia Corbella an A+ in Math when the rest of us are working towards an F in Environmental Studies.

Licia Corbella has written a brilliant article in Reader’s Digest about Canada’s Kyoto commitments.

Basically Licia points out that if we decide to ban all planes, trains and automobiles in Canada and entirely abandon all manufacturing, stop all construction and shut every mine we would still fall short of our Kyoto target.

Combined those reductions would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 252.9 megatonnes, still leaving us 17.1 megatonnes short of our insane Kyoto target. Licia gathers all of her information from the Environment Canada website.

Sometimes you just have to wonder who was calculating our commitment. I took the One Tonne Challenge and my home already has so many efficiencies in it that the biggest improvement I could make would be to get rid of the two cars in our driveway. 70% of my calculated Green House Gas production comes from these cars.

If Licia’s calculations are right, I may as well give up now and be happy I am on the side of pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol. Our new home has high efficiency appliances. I replaced pretty much every light bulb with the new energy efficient fluorescent bulbs that use 1/4 the power of regular incandescent ones.

I guess all there is left to do is trade in my Honda truck for a Hybrid Honda Civic. And that isn’t happening soon.

Muslim Terrorism Vs. Free Speech Battle Does Not Make It Open Season On Mohammad

Mulder

In the last day or two there have been numerous blogs out there re-posting some cartoons depicting the Muslim Prophet Mohammad. Many are saying it is a battle of free speech vs. the Koran which speaks against idol worship and not to make images of Mohammad lest you promote this type of worship.

I can see where people might tie the two together. But I have to say I think it’s wrong to tie any religious holy person to terrorism as many of these cartoons do. I do not argue that blogs and newspapers have a right to freedom of speech and I respectfully accept the argument and agree that we have the RIGHT to it.

I think of the kidnapping of a German that just happened because of the Mohammad caricatures, and I wonder what the countless millions and millions of good, honest Muslims think about the free speech argument being debated with their religious icon as the tool? Does it send some of those who are on the edge over to the radical side in protest of the west? Maybe.

The bottom line is that there has to be some societal class standards set by media, whether blogger or mainstream. Posting these cartoons may be allowed by law, but should it be by allowed by our own conscience is the question I asked myself? Everyone will have their own answer to that question, but as you can see from the lack of links or photos on this topic, I have my own voice on this one.

I guess I’m one of those that think about what they WANT their media to say… and not what it CAN say. Just because we have a ‘right’ to something, does not mean that everything it protects is right.

Feel free to comment…

Despite My Dislike For Their Coffee, Starbucks Stock Price Skyrocketing

Mulder

I knew my ticker showing how much money Tim Horton’s has lost since the boycott began was effective, but I didn’t expect this. Starbucks stock price is skyrocketing!!!

Actually, this is due to increased sales in ginger bread and eggnog flavoured coffee over the holiday season, but who knows. Maybe there is a twinkle in the eyes of stock holders eyeing various blogs boycotting Timmy’s?

I don’t know. But Starbucks is up over 8% this morning already.

FYI, click the here for more info on the Timmy’s boycott.

Potholes need the touch of a child

Mulder

I used to fish a lot. But through all my fishing excursions, I never, EVER, touched a catfish. Call me squeamish, but those guys have nasty whiskers and are bottom feeders. I won’t eat them, touch them, and heck, I would rather not even think about them. It’s just one of those things. So, whenever I caught one I would just cut line and let it go. This had me wondering things like what happens when the fish tries to eat? Would the hook rust? Would other fish look at mine and laugh? Or is that hook sticking out of his lip going to set a trend followed by the youth of today?

Well a young boy was wondering the same thing and asked his dad the same questions…..sort of. The father and son were so touched by this thought that they worked and developed a dissolving fish hook. And now we have law mandating this.

Well today I was reading about the Pothole problem that has afflicted Ottawa, most likely due to the January thaw we have had, and I got hit with deja vu. This has tricked our asphalt into thinking spring has sprung early. Let’s hope Wiarton Willy is tricked as easily.

The city is filling as many of the nasty road holes as possible.

“We have 20 crews out day and night,” said John Manconi, the city’s acting director of surface operations. They’re also contracting out the job to keep up with the number of potholes.

Manconi blames the early arrival of potholes on the extreme variation in temperatures.

The reason I bring this up is because I saw a show years ago with a young lady named Gina Gallant, who started a science project to use plastic we put in landfills in our asphalt, instead of burying it all. As it turns out, her roads are outlasting even the best road scientists approach.

Gina’s new paving material is called “PolyAggreRoad,” or “PAR.” After much experimentation, it was determined that an optimal mix consists of 6% plastic, 6% asphalt, and 88% aggregate (crushed rocks).

Engineers expect that PAR will be able to withstand more movement than regular road surfaces without cracking. Pavement should last longer and require less maintenance since there will be less opportunity for destructive freeze-thaw cycles that occur when water gets into cracks.

Gina approached Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley with a plan to use her system to pave local roads. The Mayor was impressed. The project moved forward.

You can read all about Gina here.

Stories like Gina’s give me great hope for our future.

In a weird twist the research that had me talking to officials at one of the biggest construction companies in Eastern Ontario, and three or four people at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, led me to the location of the MTO test road (500M stretches of various aggregate mixes) which is nearby in Petawawa. I think I may be taking a short drive in the near future to take a peek and some photos. (It’s near the military base so I hope I am not arrested or anything snapping shots of the salty highway.)

Stay tuned

Why does this give me, and Stephen Harper, grey hair?

Mulder

I am surprised I haven’t heard more about this from the Tories out there. Manitoba MP Brian Pallister is thinking about stepping down to run for the head of the Provincial Tories.

When referring to “the Orphan”, Adler means Brian Pallister.

Memo to Manitoba: The orphan was never on the list.

Fact: The Harper government will have fewer people in cabinet than its predecessor.

Fact: Several members of the Harper caucus in Alberta, who are far more qualified than the orphan, won’t be in cabinet.

Fact: Harper wants to give some seats to less qualified members in Central and Eastern Canada. Call it geographic balance.

Fact: The orphan knew all this before the election.

Fact: Manitoba Tory boss Stuart Murray announced last fall that he was surrendering leadership. That’s when the orphan started mapping out this strategy.

Pallister now has the chutzpah to tell Manitobans that he has made a sacrifice in not accepting a cabinet invitation that he never had.

He has the chutzpah to tell Manitobans that he is only now seriously considering a departure from federal politics despite telling political intimates months ago that he was eyeing the job of provincial Tory leader, and despite taking a poll to find out whether voters could stomach the words “Premier Pallister.”

I hate to admit this, but I think Adler is right on this one. If Pallister does resign to run for the Provincial big chair in Manitoba, it will put his riding into a bi-election. For the sake of his constituents, I hope he stays on through this parliamentary session. He is a bright, well spoken MP, and he would definately be an asset in Harper’s caucus.

I hope other Tories out there don’t ostracize me for feeling this way, but I do think we owe more due diligence when our party of choice is in power because we put them there. You might call it being ummm… for the sake of argument… being accountable.

Drop And Give Me Twenty Private Martin!!

Mulder

General Rick Hillier has publicly admonished the Liberals for the anti-soldier attack ads promoting a Conservative government would put soldiers in our cities. The head honcho of our military forces was probably staying non partisan before the election, but barely a week after election day and he has the Libs going through Basic Training drills.

Hillier pointed out that there are already soldiers living and working in every Canadian city prepared to help in the event of a crisis, emergency or natural disaster.

Hillier also criticized the Grits for failing to back up their promise to the military to hire 8,000 new soldiers, noting there were only a few hundred recruits since Martin first announced an initiative to swell the military’s ranks in 2004 because the money to pay for them was slow to flow.

He lavished praise on the Conservative defence election platform, which pledged to boost the military’s ranks by 13,000 soldiers.

It would have been nice to have a statement like this made before the election, but I understand General Hillier’s reservation in waiting until after the public has spoken. I’m just glad he said it. This is something to remember for the next election.

$10,000 Study Calls For More Study – How Screwed Can You Get?

Mulder

Susan Sherring’s article in the Ottawa Sun today tells us about a consultant’s report on the delivery of French language recreational and leisure services. The report’s content?

Services are not meeting the needs of the francophone community. So what is the result?

Let’s start with setting up a task force, establishing a “work unit” responsible for planning recreational and leisure services in French, developing a five-year operational plan for the delivery of recreational and leisure programs responding to the needs of the francophone population, and for the city to “analyze all services offered by the parks and recreation branch.”

Bureaucratic blabber — and it cost taxpayers $10,000.

A task force made up of representatives from the city and interested parties in the community?

Isn’t that what the French Language Services Advisory Committee is for? This seems like nothing more than throwing good money after bad

What’s that? The French Language Services Advisory Committee? What’s this? Well the City Of Ottawa website says the following:

Mandate

The mandate of the French Language Services Advisory Committee is to provide advice to Ottawa City Council and its Departments, on issues that impact official languages in the City.

Responsibilities

The French Language Services Advisory Committee shall be responsible for:

* Providing a forum for citizens to raise issues and concerns;
* Providing advice and guidance to Ottawa City Council, through the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee, on matters pertaining to policies, programs and practices involving the use of official languages and services in the City;
* Reviewing the policies and procedures governing the use of the French language in City of Ottawa material and dissemination of such information to residents;
* Advising on appropriate policies and procedures on services provided in French;
* Reviewing and commenting on policies such as language training, or translation.
* Evaluating the provision of services in English and in French in the City and report as necessary through the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee to Council.

(emphasis added by me)

So we already have an advisory committee tasked to do exactly what we just paid $10,000 for. We also have an advisory committee that should be doing what this task force is going to do, which would cost us nothing.

At least one councillor is on board with me here.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Georges Bedard dismissed the report, suggesting it doesn’t advance the issue at all and does nothing to deal with the heart of the issue.

“It’s very disappointing, it doesn’t give us any practical solutions to the problem. In actuality, they should be making some firm recommendations. It has basic motherhood statements, like we should be respecting bilingualism,” Bedard said.

The report suggests the rate of registration by Francophones in programs offered in French “is disappointing, leading even the city to wonder if Francophones are interested in these activities.

I have a big suggestion. Quit cutting services, and start cutting consulting fees. Take the savings, and as a council, investigate one service or item at a time, and fix it. Then move on to the next item. How’s that for some common sense.

Our city council starts up the hot water and soap for the dishes, then runs off to clean the bathroom (no reference intended) and by the time they come back to the dishes, the water is tepid and suds are gone.

When you leave people like these consultants unattended, you get what you pay for. In this case nothing. This is not the fault of the consultant. It is the fault of a city council not vigilant enough with our tax dollars.

Flight Attendant's Fight For Wage Parity With Pilots Gets Supreme Court's Attention

Mulder

This news article has to be the most ridiculous, OfficiallyScrewed thing that the Supreme Court of Canada has ever gotten involved in….. aside from Flipowich’s battle of the cow. The CBC is now reporting that the Supreme Court of Canada has opened the door for the Human Rights Commission to investigate if flight attendants, mechanics and pilots deserve the same pay.

Canada’s top court has given the country’s human rights commission the go-ahead to investigate whether flight attendants should be paid the same as pilots and airline mechanics.

The case involving Air Canada employees dates back 15 years.

Are we kidding here? This has been on the agenda for 15 years and no one told these people the three jobs have different criteria, different levels of education, and different supply curves creating for variance in the salaries?

The commission had never analyzed pay rates because the dispute got hung up on the legal question of whether flight attendants, who are mostly women, and pilots and mechanics, who are mostly men, worked in the same “establishment.”

And I suppose we should begin paying orderlies who clean up the bloody mess in operating rooms the same as the surgeon doing the cutting? Or how about paying the court recorders the same as the judges? Get stuffed.

Air Canada held that the three groups should be treated separately in legal terms because they worked in different establishments. The human rights commission agreed, but two court cases followed, which delivered split decisions.

Air Canada appealed to the top court and lost. Now, the Supreme Court has ruled that the three groups do work in the same establishment.

With that preliminary question resolved, Section 11 of the Canadian Human Rights Act comes into play.

The section says it is discriminatory for an employer to pay different wages to male and female employees in the same “establishment” who are performing work of equal value.

Aye, there’s the rub. You can’t equate the work. Any way you slice it, the duties of both have similar aspects, as all jobs do. But the precision required, and knowledge and training, are quite different.

Does a flight attendant not take the safety of passengers into their own hands? They MIGHT in an emergency situation. But a pilot takes passenger’s safety into his/her hands the whole flight. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.

H/T to Black Sheep Press for this one.