Sep

29

This Land is Our Land

September 29, 2007 | 2 Comments

The Musqueam Indian band has scored a major legal victory against the federal government, halting the sale of two office towers – and asserting aboriginal title in the heart of Vancouver’s business district.
At issue is Ottawa’s proposed sale of the Sinclair Centre and another office and retail complex on Burrard Street, part of a larger […]

Sep

28

All systems Go!

September 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Syria’s Antiaircraft System Most Advanced In World. Syria has gone on a profligate buying spree, spending vast sums on Russian systems, ‘considered the cutting edge in aircraft interception technology.’ Syria now ‘possesses the most crowded antiaircraft system in the world,’ with ‘more than 200 antiaircraft batteries of different types,’ some of which are […]

Sep

28

Opps

September 28, 2007 | 3 Comments

The Harper government announced it ran a larger-than-expected budget surplus of nearly $14-billion last fiscal year and immediately pledged to return $725-million of this to voters as tax breaks. globe and mail
I love the idea that 725 million of 14 billion will be returned to the taxpayer as a tax break. About $35.00 a head. […]

Sep

27

And what about my culture?

September 27, 2007 | 28 Comments

Vancouver’s hookah-parlour owners are celebrating after winning an exemption Thursday from a proposed new bylaw that will ban smoking on most sidewalks in commercial districts, in bus shelters and even in taxis passing through Vancouver.
In giving the bylaw unanimous approval-in-principle, Vancouver city council members bowed to arguments that hookah lounges provide an important cultural space […]

Sep

26

Of Sovereignty

September 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

The continued disengagement from the fight by Pakistani military forces unwilling to combat terrorists and insurgents within their own country is indeed troubling. President Musharraf’s recent decision to fully disengage and withdraw his most capable combat forces from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas by January 2008 certainly does not bode well for continued distanced engagement […]

Sep

25

Monks Marching

September 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment

It has been a long time and it takes a long time to push Buddhist monks to march.
But they are marching and the generals of Burma are beginning to look afraid.

Sep

22

The Sisters are hip…

September 22, 2007 | 1 Comment

The sisters paid to build a massive geothermal heating and cooling system. The technology uses 240 wells and 47 miles of underground pipes to take advantage of the constant, 55-degree temperature of the earth to decrease the use of natural gas by 58.3 percent — an annual savings of about $200,000.
They cut water consumption nearly […]

Sep

20

Homeschooling fun

September 20, 2007 | 2 Comments

As we think it would be a good thing for Sam, our six year old whom we home school, to learn a second language we have a delightful French student coming in to tutor/chat for an hour or two each week to get Sam’s feet wet.
They were just in my office as he had stumped […]

Sep

19

Could Canada become Switzerland?

September 19, 2007 | 1 Comment

At the end of WWII Switzerland was unscathed, had a strong currency and a sophisticated - and secretive - banking system. When my parents got there in 1960 it was awash in currency. So much so that my father bought a house which had a negative mortgage. That’s right, the bank paid him to own […]

Sep

15

Adieu Stephan

September 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Apparently Green is not enough in Outremont.
CTV reports, illiterately,
Supporters of former leadership rivals Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae are already unhappy with Dion, he said, although a movement to ouster Dion before the next federal election is unlikely. ctv
The word CTV was looking for was oust and that may well happen rather quickly if […]

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