Doomsday, Gary Lunn and the first Dutch Traffic Warning; Are Conservatives Connecting the Dots?

I'm in the Netherlands for two weeks and right now I'm in the middle of a severe storm:

The traffic authorities issued a warning to motorists not to use the roads if at all possible, in the first such use of the "traffic alarm" since it was instituted in November 2005.

The weather bureau said the storm, with southwesterly winds gusting up to 130 kilometers an hour, was the worst since October 2002. The storm, which follows a southwesterly storm a week ago, was expected to peak in the late afternoon. (source)

And I have to say; weather is seriously bad; winds of up to 130 km/hour are blowing through the country. Dutch train stations are closed, many flights at Schiphol airport are canceled; it looks like it's going to be the worst storm since 1990.

In international news, scientist are warning us (for the first time) for the world's two biggest threats. And guess what, terrorism is not one of them:

"As scientists, we understand the dangers of nuclear weapons and their devastating effects, and we are learning how human activities and technologies are affecting climate systems in ways that may forever change life on earth," said Professor Hawking (source).

Well, and then there's Gary Lunn. He uses the argument of global warming as a reason to expand nuclear activity on Canadian soil.

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn yesterday said a $238 million green science fund, to be distributed over four years, will help pay for the research and development of technologies such as [...] nuclear energy.

First of all, nuclear energy is not a clean energy source. Secondly, I don't think Canada is in a "catch 22" like the US (Iraq, "should I stay or should I go now"); there are good other options that are clean and less dangerous.

We're in the 21st century, the century of sustainability. Let's walk the talk and do the math; nuclear technology is at the base of generating nuclear waste and nuclear arsenal, both contributing to the world's most important threats as outlined by Professor Hawkin.

There are many green solutions out there; this century is the (only?) time to do things right. With or without the Conservatives?

PMS is going green, Chrysler isn't, Exxon never will be

The CBC "doesn't get it";
(see picture)



Harper is trying really hard to look green.
(see picture)




But Chrysler is still in full denial.

Chrysler's chief economist Van Jolissaint has launched a fierce attack on "quasi-hysterical Europeans" and their "Chicken Little" attitudes to global warming.
(more)

I also ran into this site about Exxon Secrets and how the oil industry continuously buys supports for the "global warming does not cause climate change", similar to the "tobacco does not cause cancer" message.


More on
Chrysler: BBC News
Exxon: Exxon Secrets

Blair finds manner of Saddam hanging 'completely wrong': office

Blair finally condemns the execution of Saddam Hussein:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair believes the manner of Saddam Hussein's execution was "completely wrong", his Downing Street office said Sunday.

Blair has been under fire for refusing to speak on the subject, and criticism of his silence mounted after both his deputy and his finance minister condemned the hanging of the deposed Iraqi dictator as "deplorable" and "completely unacceptable".

In his first engagement since returning from a New Year holiday in Miami, Blair said Friday he would speak about the execution next week.

"In terms of what he will say next week, we don't think there are going to be any surprises on where he stands," a spokeswoman said, while declining to say when and how Blair would make his comments on Saddam's hanging.

"He supports the inquiry by the Iraqi authorities. He does believe that the manner of execution was completely wrong, but this shouldn't lead us to forget the crimes that Saddam committed, including the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis."

The execution was carried out at the start of a key holiday while leaked mobile phone video footage showed Saddam being taunted as he stood on the gallows, prompting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to order a probe.

Britain's finance minister Gordon Brown condemned the execution of the toppled president in an interview broadcast Sunday, becoming the highest-ranking government member to speak out so far.

Whole story: France24

U.S. To Give Abbas Forces $86 Mln Amid Power Struggle

Bush administration's love for regime change?

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Bush administration will provide $86 million to help security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, expanding U.S. involvement in his struggle with Hamas, according to documents seen on Friday.

[...]

Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri accused Washington of helping to mount a "coup'' against the Hamas-led government. ``We demand that President Abbas reject this American policy, which feeds the culture of divisions among the Palestinian people,'' he said.

Abbas's office had no immediate comment.

Whole Story: New York Times

Saddam execution turned him into a martyr: Mubarak

Timing is everything:

"People are executed all over the world, but what happened in Baghdad on the first day of Eid al-Adha was unthinkable. I didn't believe it was happening," [Mubarak] said.

"In the end, no one will ever forget the circumstances and the way in which Saddam was executed. They turned him into a martyr, and the problems in Iraq remained."

Saddam's hanging has sparked outrage among Sunni Muslims, for taking place on the first day of one of the most important Muslim holidays, and for the grainy video released afterward that showed he was taunted and mocked as he stood on the gallows.

WHOLE STORY: FRANCE24

Related:
- Wikipedia: Eid ul-Adha

Unemployment down to 6.1% in December

It looks like NOW is the time to raise minimum wage:

The Canadian economy added more jobs than expected in December, helping push the national unemployment rate back down to a 30-year low of 6.1 per cent.

WHOLE STORY: CBC: Unemployment down to 6.1% in December

Jason Cherniak doesn't know what progressive means

Last Tuesday was an interesting day in the blogosphere, and I learned a couple of things too:

- the left in Canada is alive and kicking
- self proclaimed progressive blogger Jason Cherniak doesn't know what progressive means

Ever since I landed in Canada (in 2002 I moved from the Netherlands to Canada) I have tried to get used to the complete different political landscape here. What struck me most (and still does) is the consent to corporate bias by the MSM and the public at large.

In the Netherlands I considered myself a moderate; I’ve voted for the Dutch Liberal Party (currently more right than ever), but also for D66 and PVDA (labour) en GroenLinks (green left), depending on their platforms and the reputation of their leader (lijsttrekker). But nothing extreme, at least not for Dutch standards. Trying to translate this to Canadian politics, I’m often way of the political radar…(on the left that is)

Tuesday made something very clear to me; it’s not the Canadian people that are different, but it’s those in government who represent us (or, in the case of Mr. Cherniak, those who have aspirations to do so in the future).

The Toronto Star’s article, suggesting targeted solutions for a failed promise by parliament to root out poverty, is indeed a sincere action plan. Implementing it, even partially, will benefit the poor and, perhaps, root out poverty in Canada all together.

But JC had non of it. Nothing else than a “Say No to $10 minimum wage”. According to his blog, proposing $10 minimum wage is “crazy” because a raise of 25% would, well read it yourself:

“To me, the likely result seems obvious - one in four minimum wage workers will be fired.”

Of course Mr. Cherniak does not give references for his ridiculous statement. Apart from some conservative thinktank propaganda talking points (similar to those of the Fraser Institute), no serious data is given. The important reason being; there isn’t any.

Mr. Cherniak assumes, in short, that currently everything is fine; the economy is booming, and the low minimum wage is not a real problem.

Well Mr. Cherniak, everything is not fine. Indeed, the economy is booming. Top incomes of the business elite (and those of the political elite) have been rising exponentially, but, sadly enough, the very poor are still, very poor.

It should be clear by now that a booming economy does NOT automatically result in less poverty, on the contrary. And the reason is simple; it’s because the ideology, as presented by Cherniak and the Fraser Institute is seriously flawed. The wealth of a booming economy does not automatically trickle down to the bottom of the chain. Other powers (did you ever hear of corporate greed, Mr. Cherniak?) keep workers exploited and in poverty.

We know our government has to power to change this. Now is the time we demand from parliament to keep their so far failed promise.

Raising minimum wage substantially is not the complete answer. But it’s start, and it’s long overdue.

But it’s also time we tell Mr. Cherniak that consenting to the current status quo by using flawed Fraser Institute rhetoric is called conservative. I don’t have problems with Conservatives; everybody their own voice, vote, religion, or blog – that what makes democracy great! But I do find it problematic when someone claims to be progressive, when in reality he’s a conservative in disguise. Such a person has passed the level of hypocrisy palatable to me, and given the fierce reaction to his blog (and a dozen other blog entries), many other progressive bloggers feel the same way.

If Mr. Cherniak thinks he’s progressive, then he doesn’t understand what progressive means.

2006 Milestone: U.S. forces death toll in Iraq reaches 3,000

The U.S. military in Iraq reached a grim milestone at year's end as the Pentagon announced a toll of at least 3,000 soldiers dead.

Specialist Dustin Donica, 22, of Spring, Texas, who was killed Thursday by small arms fire in Baghdad, was the 3,000th soldier to die, the Defence Department said Sunday.

CBC News

Death of Saddam; the World speaks, Harper is silent.

The Pakistan Times has a good article on the World reactions on the hanging of Saddam (scroll down for world reactions).

I've listened to Dutch radio, German TV (ZDF Heute Journal has a video podcast you can download for free with Democracy Player) and French media; All polical leaders have spoken on the subject, except Steve Harper.

What's wrong with our current government? Can't they take a position on what happened? Everyone is talking about Saddam, and you would think whatever shakes the people, it should be of importance to our democratically chosen leaders. Is the hanging of Saddam the "important milestone" of 2006?

Saddam is dead; the violence continues....

December is (already) the deadliest month in 2006 for U.S. troops with the death toll reaching 106.

BAGHDAD, Dec. 29 -- Three more Marines were killed in battle in Iraq, the military said Friday, making December the year's deadliest month for U.S. troops, with the toll reaching 106.

Read the whole story - U.S. Toll in Dec. Is Highest of '06

Corruption Conservatives disclosed

Delegate fees are donations. That's how it works now, and how it has worked for decades before. But Conservatives don't "see" it that way. If it's so hard to see ones own currupt behaviour, one wonders about their honesty all together.

OTTAWA -- After months of heated denials, the federal Conservative Party has quietly admitted it failed to publicly disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of donations.

And the muddle over the disclosure meant that at least three party members -- including Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- donated more than the legal limit last year.

Last Thursday, the party filed a revised financial report for 2005 with Elections Canada, acknowledging that it did not report delegate fees collected for its national convention that year as donations, contrary to political financing laws.

the CPC tried to make certain donations "legal" by changing the law:

The party's letter notes that Mr. Harper's minority government last month attempted to amend the Canada Elections Act to ensure that convention fees in future would not count as donations. But the proposed amendment was shot down by the three opposition parties.

Read the whole article

Update: see also PEJ The gang that (again) promises to shoot straight again.

Military Deaths in Iraq Exceed 9/11 Toll

When numbers tell it all:

NEW YORK (AP) - Nearly four years after the war in Iraq began, the number of Americans troops killed there now exceeds the grim toll of victims from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The U.S. military death toll in Iraq has reached 2,974, one more than the number of deaths in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, according to an Associated Press count on Tuesday.

The U.S. military announced the deaths of two soldiers in a bomb explosion southwest of Baghdad on Monday. The military was withholding the soldiers' names until relatives could be notified.

The 9/11 death toll includes the 2,749 killed at the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 passengers aboard United Flight 93. While all were killed within a few hours that morning, the deaths in Iraq have stretched across 45 months - with no end yet in sight.

WHOLE STORY: the Guardian

Iraqi police deaths 'hit 12,000'

What numbers can tell us:

Some 12,000 police officers in Iraq have died in the line of duty since the US-led invasion in 2003, Interior Minister Jawad Bolani said.

The figure is from a total force of about 190,000 officers, he said.

The announcement follows a suicide bomb attack that killed seven policemen and wounded 20 others during a morning parade at a base north of Baghdad.

WHOLE STORY: BBC

Iran acts over Israeli nukes

From Al Jazeera:

Iran has called for the UN Security Council to compel Israel to give up its nuclear weapons.

The request, made on Tuesday in a letter to the Security Council, comes after Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, appeared to admit in a TV interview that Israel had nuclear weapons.

WHOLE STORY

French 'had bin Laden in sights'

It looks like "finding Bin Laden" has never been a priority of the Bush Government.

A new documentary says that French special forces had Osama bin Laden in their sights twice about three years ago but their US superiors never ordered them to fire.

[...]

The documentary, Bin Laden, the failings of a manhunt, was made by journalists Emmanuel Razavi and Eric de Lavarene, who have worked for several French media outlets in Afghanistan.

Razavi said the soldier told them it took roughly two hours for the request to reach the US officers who could authorise it, but the anonymous man is also quoted in the documentary as saying: "There was a hesitation in command."

[...]

France has roughly 200 elite troops operating under US command near the border. Paris announced on Sunday that it was withdrawing them in the new year.

Read the whole story: Aljazeera

Peru FM calls for CSN meeting to boost regional integration

The second summit of the South American Community of Nations (CSN) is expected to boost regional integration and create a better neighborhood, said Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde on Monday.

"The CSN's future will be improved if we give it a practical reason for its existence," said the minister ahead of the summit slated for Friday and Saturday in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba.

WHOLE STORY: Xinhua

France24

Why I hate TASER guns; UCLA Police use TASER on student.

Have a look at this. UCLA Police tasers a student who is unwilling to "stand up" AFTER he's being tasered.

It's clear that the police is on the wrong track. Although this student was obviously not cooperating, the police could've simply handcuffed him, and have two officers carry him out. Here's how I think the police should handle non-cooperating students.

- talk. Police should be able to reason with a student. Ask what the problem is and try to convince the student it's a lot less hassle (for both parties) to cooperate.
- handcuff him and carry him out.

The police might have talked to the student before, but this video doesn't show this; All we see is yelling officers threatening to TASER the student.

The handcuffing seems not an option to these policemen. What's wrong with the UCLA police?

Tasers are dangerous weapons; "Amnesty International have documented over 150 deaths following the use of tasers."

Personally I believe these weapons should be outlawed; again and again videos like these show up where it is clear the weapon is NOT "used instead of a leathel weapon" (which is often the argument for using TASERS) but out of convenience; the police considers the (threat of the) use of the TASER "easier" than reasoning or simple handcuffing/dragging.

Afer viewing this video we can all remove this UCLA University from our shortlist.

Here's what Wikipedia writes about the incident:

On November 15th, 2006, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a student of the university, was tased for refusing to leave the Powell Library^[37]. The media^[38] reported that the officers of the University of California Police Department (UCPD) inflicted "multiple taser shots to a 23-year-old student in the Powell Library computer lab". Several students recorded the incident on their phones, which shows Tabatabainejad screaming while being tased multiple times. After being tased, the police asked him to stand up, but Tabatabainejad either could not or would not. The police then continued to tase him several more times. Tabatabainejad claims that he was leaving the library when the police confronted him, and would not let him leave, which is supported by several eye witness accounts. Library policy forbids those who do not possess a valid UCLA ID from entering and using its facilities. Those who are asked to produce an ID must do so or must leave. The police reported that the Mr. Tabatabainejad did not produce a UCLA ID despite repeated requests. In the videos, several bystanders can be heard asking for the police officers' badge numbers as well as condemning what they thought was excessive force. Another police officer can be heard threatening to tase another student, who was protesting the incident, if he did not back away. The video can be seen here. The university is currently investigating the incident.

Iraq war a big mistake, Blair ally says; Guardian Unlimited

Tony Blair has come under fire from one of his closest government allies over the Iraq war and his wider foreign policy, it was reported today.

Margaret Hodge apparently told a branch meeting of the Fabian Society that the war had been the prime minister's "big mistake in foreign affairs".

According to the Islington Tribune newspaper, the trade and industry minister said she had doubted his approach to foreign affairs since 1998. The paper said she was particularly critical of Mr Blair's "moral imperialism" - importing British attitudes and ideas to other countries.

WHOLE STORY

Fossil of the day: Rona Ambrose!

CANADA.COM:

Ambrose earns “fossil of the day” award

NAIROBI, KENYA -- Environmental groups, federal opposition parties, and an official Quebec government delegation have cooked up a rude welcome for Environment Minister Rona Ambrose at the United Nations climate change conference.

Ambrose, who is scheduled to arrive late on Monday night, earned a “fossil of the day” award for comments made last week about Canada’s position on the international Kyoto agreement on climate change.

The awards are handed out on a daily basis by international environmental groups to countries that they believe are heading in the wrong direction.

“Tied for first place, Canada and Australia are both found guilty for making ridiculous claims to the press of their countries and for misleading the public,” Greenpeace Canada spokesperson Steven Guilbeault said on Monday. “Even more humourous is that Rona Ambrose, the Environment Minister was quoted in Canadian press saying that Canada is meeting all of its responsibilities under the Kyoto protocol, except for the bit about emissions targets.”

WHOLE STORY