All I can say is that I am glad that Mike Duffy is returning to his 5pm slot on CTV Newsnet on January 29th.
Welcome back Mike!! We are all glad that you had a successful surgery and that you have recovered.
Hypothetically, Decima Research Is A Biased Pollster
Showing their true Liberal colours, Decima Research ran a poll which presented people with a HYPOTHETICAL situation as follows:
Decima Research asked people to choose between two hypothetical election promises – a $1,000 Conservative tax break for every household and a $1,000 Liberal break limited to households that took pro-environment action.
Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they would prefer the Liberal promise versus 28 per cent who preferred the Conservative pledge, say the survey results provided to The Canadian Press. Twenty-one per cent were unsure.
So the campaign promises were hypothetical, yet Decima chose the Liberals and the Conservatives and portrayed the Liberals as environmentally friendly. Why would they not choose the Green Party and the Liberals in this scenario with the Green Party being the one with the pro-environment tax break condition?
To make things worse, even if the two options were apolitical, the pro-environment tax break combination is far more appealing to anyone, not just those interested in the environment making it the easy choice for most. In fact, I am surprised that the results were not much higher for the pro-environment choice which means that half of respondents either did not like the plan or were not willing to answer. This is actually quite dramatic when you think about it.
How about we try this one. Choose between these two hypothetical campaign promises. a) The Liberal plan to offer a $1000 tax break per household or b) the Conservative plan to offer a $1000 tax break to households that take a pro-safety stance by joining their neighbourhood watch?
I think we know which option would win out there.
“I think what we’re seeing here is a signal that’s really about what kind of policies people want,” Decima CEO Bruce Anderson said in an interview.
“While they appreciate the idea of tax cuts they also appreciate that policy should be increasingly directed towards achieving environmental improvement. That’s what that 51 per cent are telling us they think.”
I think Bruce Anderson needs to revisit his polling skills if he thinks this poll was by any means fair or determinate of people’s feelings about the situation.
Aside from the claims Decima Research makes, I can safely say that this poll does give one clear indication. And that would be that Decima Research is clearly a biased pollster.
H/T to Political Staples
Student Crucified Over Crucifix In British School
This one earns the Officially Screwed label. A school in Britain has banned a girl from wearing her crucifix and chain.
A school provoked fury last night by ordering a devout Catholic schoolgirl to remove her cross necklace because it posed a health and safety risk.
Teachers demanded Samantha Devine remove her chain and tiny crucifix despite allowing Muslim and Sikh pupils to wear symbols of their religion.
Her family have vowed to fight the decision “all the way” claiming it discriminates against Christians.
I think that this school has one hell of a fight on it’s hands. But mark my words, I have a feeling that the student will lose and that the price will be that other religious wear must also be foregone. i.e. no more Kirpans, no more turbans, no more headgarb for Muslim females, no more yamakas, etc.
I am reminded of my years in highschool where I too was asked to remove my chain and crucifix. For me it only happened when I played in highschool basketball games and practice. I was asked once to remove it during a highschool soccer game but wore it for the majority of games and practices. (without incident I might add).
I understood the safety aspect in a sport or when in shop class, but I see no problem with a student wearing a chain with a crucifix in regular class. Although I am still not sure about Kirpans.
h/t to Backseat Blogger
A No Holds Barred Speech By Mark Steyn
I am just about finished Mark Steyn’s book and noticed this video of him speaking at the Heritage Foundation. In his speech he covers quite a few points from his book but he also touches on topics like the war in Iraq, the CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie and he does so with gusto.
I highly urge you to take the half hour and watch.
Iraqi Economy Booming More Than The Car Bombs
Let’s cut to the chase. Iraq, despite the security issues, is starting to thrive. The International edition of Newsweek reported in their December 25th, 2006 to January 1st, 2007 issue:
- 2 years ago, Iraqi cell phones numbered 1.4 Million. Today there are 7.1 Million.
- 3 years ago, Iraq had 8,000 registered companies. Today there are 34,000.
- GDP in Iraq grew 17% in 2005 and projections are for 13% in 2006.
- Income tax has gone from 45% under Saddam to 15% and Iraqi’s are spending.
To quote some of the article:
Consider some less formal indicators. Perhaps the most pervasive is the horrendous Iraqi traffic jams. Roadside bombs account for fewer backups than the sheer number of secondhand cars that have crowded onto the nation’s roads—five times as many in Baghdad as before the war. Cheap Chinese goods overflow from shop shelves, and store owners report quick turnover. Real-estate prices have risen several hundred percent, suggesting that Iraqis are more optimistic about the future than most Americans are.
That last sentence is quite telling. And all this from Newsweek, which is typically considered a left leaning publication.
So Iraq is thriving. What does this mean? It means that despite what Americans think about the war, the nation is going through some major pains while it grows.
The withdrawal of a certain great power could drastically reduce the foreign money flow, and knock the crippled economy flat.
Could George Bush be right? Could Iraq be a thriving western style nation under the right conditions? We may never find out with the Democrats taking control of both houses. The biggest complaint by the Democrats is that American soldiers are dying.
Some statistics. The number of casualties in 45 months since the war began is 3017. That comes out to just over 800 a year. In the four calendar years from 2001 to 2004 inclusive the average number of road deaths in the USA was over 42,000 a year. But do the car crash safety ratings get the air time that the war in Iraq gets? Not even close. Iraq is in the news every newscast, every day, every week. In my opinion, the war fatigue just caught up with Americans and we can thank the MSM for continuing to report every single death in Iraq numerous times and rarely, if ever, reporting statistics about how the nation has changed and is thriving under new government.
God help the Iraqi people once the Americans leave.
US Departure From Iraq Needs The Robson Plan (A or B)
Whenever I think of the way the US left Viet Nam, I imagine the scene from the beginning of Raiders of The Lost Ark when Indiana Jones is running through the jungle to his waiting pontoon plane, being chased by local natives, scrambling across the beach yelling “Start the plane! Start the plane!”, swinging on a vine and landing in the lagoon, swimming up to the pontoon and grabbing hold while the plane starts off down it’s watery runway for takeoff as spears and arrows land all around.
I get a similar emotion when I think of the Blackhawk Down situation in Mogadishu.
And I am starting to get the feeling that the situation in Iraq will be the same now that the Democrats are taking over.
It may not be politically correct, but I hope the US takes advice from John Robson.
What would Caesar do in Iraq? I ask not only because it was in that region that Julius Caesar came, saw and conquered. I ask because Imperial Romans habitually thought clearly and acted decisively on geopolitical questions.
As democratic politicians too often do the opposite, let me offer a simple, Caesarean solution to cut through the trouble and deliver Western security interests alive and well.
…
My plan A that won’t happen is the coalition troops grab their stuff and leave … through Syria. About 200,000 heavily armed, highly trained, really annoyed U. S. and other coalition troops stomp Bashir Assad’s regime flat, hang a left through Lebanon to demolish Hezbollah, then sail home from Haifa waving a sign saying: “Don’t make us come back and do that again.” I call this plan Caesarean because it’s the sort of thing Imperial Rome would have done to extricate itself from Iraq while inspiring salutary caution in its enemies, especially following the provocative assassination of Pierre Gemayel in Lebanon. But you know it’s not going to happen and you know why.
Far from being the ogre of Michael Moore’s fantasies, the U. S. lacks even the hard-headed sang-froid of imperial Britain, let alone Rome.
To expand Robson’s point, I think the Democrats lack the sang-froid of Scooby Doo and Shaggy when their box is out of Scooby Snacks.
Robson goes on with a plan B that makes a lot of sense to me.
…devise a Plan B that could happen. Namely that the U. S partitions Iraq into Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite countries and leaves at least the latter two.
This plan is also Caesarean, and not just because Iraq est omnis divisa in partes tres. Yes, I realize it would require some people to relocate, but moving beats dying in a bloody civil war. Meanwhile my proposal has three decisive geopolitical virtues for the coalition (beyond the PR plus that if sectarian violence persists it will be clear who’s to blame).
First, whatever the various domestic and foreign insurgents in Iraq want, it clearly isn’t partition. Second, once done it would be extremely hard to undo. Third, it lets the coalition depart without fleeing, leaving in splendid Roman fashion at least one client state very keen on U. S. support.
John Robson writes for the Ottawa Citizen and can be heard every Friday morning with Steve Madely on CFRA between 8am and 9am. He also has a new book
Floor Crossing – Sometimes Good, Sometimes Bad, But Always Ugly
After seeing the floor crossing issue come up in the comments of another post, I thought I would put up a post on this issue.
My personal opinion of floor crossing is that I tend to smile when my party gains a member (the good), I tend to fume for a day when someone from my party crosses to an opposing party (the bad). And in all cases I never once complain or state that an MP should not be able to cross the floor but there are always a bunch of people ticked off and screaming bloody murder. (the ugly)
There is always a financial issue that is the biggest hit. Electorial District Associations work hard to raise money to get their party member elected and I do believe that local party members in the MP’s constituency have a right to be angry.
But I honestly think that Partys change, constituent views change and MPs crossing the floor allow for some form of compensation for these things without having to hold a by-election.
As for the Khan crossing, I think Liberals in his riding should be more upset with Stephane Dion than with Khan because it was Dion’s ultimatum that ultimately forced Khan to do what he felt was right and that was to do what is best for Canada. If his constituents feel that he should have chosen the Party over the nation then shame on them.
I would also like to take this moment to point out that the only party that seems to really be upset about floor crossing as a concept is the NDP. Even though they are the ones who have gained the most from this crossing, I respect them sticking to their guns. I tend to think they are against it because as far as I, or wikipedia, know, there has never been a federal floor crossing to the NDP party. No wonder they are against it.
Thermodynamically Speaking, Global Warming Will LOWER Sea Levels
I have seen, read or heard numerous indications saying how the Earth’s Ocean’s will rise as iceberg’s melt. That was quickly refuted via Archimedes and good old fashioned displacement science.
Then came the fear-mongering about Antarctic ice melting. Considering the average temperature on the south pole is anywhere from -37 Celsius to -57 Celsius, I do not think a few degrees of planetary warmth will do much.
So now the environmentalists want to attack Greenland ice shelfs and other glaciers that are overland.
Well here is some science that no one has mentioned that counters rising sea levels.
It is a very well known but not well announced fact that warm air holds more moisture than cold air. By doing a bit of formula manipulation with the Ideal Gas law, I calculated that a cubic meter of atmosphere can hold an extra 0.85 grams of water vapour for every degree Celsius that the temperature rises. This fluctuates a very very small amount depending on what the two temperatures are or how high up in the atmosphere you go.
However, for a good rough estimate, you can assume the lowest 11km of the atmosphere holds about 75% of the Earth’s atmosphere density. Using the Earth’s average radius of 6.37 Million meters, I calculated that that 11km zone around the planet can hold AN EXTRA 851 Billion cubic meters of water. Taking into account the water surface area of the planet is 361 Billion square meters, then simple division would tell us that the planet’s water level would drop approximately 2.36 meters for every degree Celsius of increased average temperature.
Remember this when someone tells you melting ice will raise sea levels.
You can also point out that increased CO2 levels create bigger, stronger and more abundant plant life. These plants will need more moisture for photosynthesis which means they will be taking in more water than plant life in an environment with less CO2 and they will also convert more of that CO2 into O2.
i.e. warmer temperatures and more CO2 creates a buffering environment that counters the high levels with thriving plant life.
I think that’s enough science to last a week. I urge others to doublecheck my math. The data I used included:
The Ideal Gas Law (PV=nRT)
The Earth’s water surface is 361,126,400,000 square meters
The Earth’s average radius is 6.37 Million Meters
The average temperature is 283 Kelvin (or 10 degrees Celsius)
The average air pressure is 1 atmosphere or 101.325 KiloPascals
The weight of one mole of H20 is 18 grams
My Second Ever Email To Stephen Harper
Just before Christmas I dropped a note to the Prime Minister to pass on my Christmas and New Year’s wishes to him, Laureen and the kids. It was the second time I have ever written Stephen Harper and the first time I ever received a response from his staff.
On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to thank you for your e-mail, in which you raised an issue which falls within the portfolio of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry. The Prime Minister always appreciates receiving correspondence on subjects of importance to Canadians.
Please be assured that the statements you made have been carefully reviewed. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your e-mail to Minister Bernier, so that he too may be made aware of your comments. I am certain that the Minister will give your views every consideration.
P. Monteith
Executive Correspondence Officer
for the Prime Minister’s Office
In my email I also suggested that the government look into getting a Tesla Motors auto production facility in Canada siting the a) environmentally friendly aspect of the car, b) the positive job creation aspect of a new auto plant and c) the awesome photo ops that an announcement of this kind would make because the car is just smoking hot!!!
I hope the Honourable Maxime Bernier follows up with my request.
How Do You Say Kyoto Protocol In Martian?
Have the environmentalistas told Marvin the Martian to stop flying his gas guzzling spacecraft yet? Because the past 3 Mars years the polar caps on Mars have been shrinking!!!
Considering there is no life on mars to help warm the planet, this evidence points directly to something on a larger scale warming planets in our solar system. Scientists, for years, have speculated that solar flares affect the temperatures of the planets and this type of evidence provides a pretty good indication that they are right.
The image below is an animation of two images exactly 3 Martian years apart and was taken by the Malin Space Science System satellite currently in orbit around the red planet.
Note to those inspecting the dates in the two photos. The typical Mars Year is about 669 days so when you take three Mars years it throws the Earth date out by about 6 months (or about 180 days).
The south polar residual cap of Mars is composed of layered, frozen carbon dioxide. In 1999, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) showed that the carbon dioxide layers have been eroded to form a variety of circular pits, arcuate scarps, troughs, buttes, and mesas. In 2001, MOC images designed to provide repeated views of the areas imaged in 1999–with the hope of creating stereo (3-D) images, so that the height of scarps and depth of pits could be measured–showed that the scarps had retreated, pits enlarged, and buttes and mesas shrank. Only carbon dioxide is volatile enough in the martian environment to have caused such dramatic changes–the scarps were seen to retreat at an average rate of 3 meters (about 3 yards) per Mars year. Most of the scarp retreat occurs during the southern summer season; in some areas the scarps move as much as 8 meters, in others, only 1 meter per Mars year.
Three Mars years have now elapsed since MOC first surveyed the south polar cap in 1999. Over the past several months, MGS MOC has been re-imaging areas that were seen in 1999, 2001, and 2003, to develop a detailed look at how the landscape has been changing. This animated GIF provides an example of the dramatic changes that have occurred during the past three martian years. The first image, a sub-frame of M09-05244, was acquired on 21 November 1999. The second image, a sub-frame of S06-00973, was obtained on 11 May 2005. The animation shows the changes that have occurred between 1999 and 2005. Each summer, the cap has lost more carbon dioxide. This may mean that the carbon dioxide content of the martian atmosphere has been increasing, bit by very tiny little bit, each of the years that MGS has been orbiting the red planet. These observations also imply that there was once a time, in the not-too-distant past (because there are no impact craters on the polar cap), when the atmosphere was somewhat thinner and colder, to permit the layers of carbon dioxide to form in the first place. Just as Earth’s environment is very different today than it was just 11,000 or so years ago, the martian environment has also been changing on a similar time scale.
I bet they find a way to blame Rona Ambrose for this.