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A Stroll Down Memory Lane - 2010. Part 1
2010 marked our 5th year in business, and was a turning point for cakelava. We began having a larger presence in the media, and Rick received his first invitation to teach classes in the early part of 2010. He was shocked and honored when he was asked to teach in Canada the following year and excited to to share his craft. He always wanted be able to give back to other decorators, as his mentors had done for him and this was a perfect opportunity to do it.
Rick and his assistant Annie's "Spongebob Birthday Cakes" Challenge on Food Network aired in April 2010, on Easter Sunday. It was an Easter Sunday we will never forget! Despite it being a family holiday which prevented people from attending our viewing party, we still had more than 100 guests in attendance who were there to support us and cheer Rick on! Around the time the episode aired, the media was often at our shop, filming Rick as he was making cakes and doing interviews.
It was a very interesting year for us. Hawaii started feeling the effects of the recession around this time, and there were less "destination" weddings - non-residents coming to Hawaii - and those that did often had smaller guest counts because some of their guests had lost their jobs or they couldn't afford to take such an expensive trip. In general, I think it was difficult time for many people in the cake industry, and we knew many people who shuttered their doors, which is always heartbreaking. We had counted our blessings we had a solid reputation by that time and was still getting regular business. Maybe as not as much as before, but considering the time, we were extremely fortunate.
As I reflect on 2010, I think of that year as the "end of the innocence" - not that life was so easy in the previous years, owning a business never is, but it was the last year we would focus solely on making cakes for clients. Early in 2011, Rick started teaching and began receiving more offers for other locations. Our traveling started and would become a big part of our lives in the coming years. We also got an amazing book deal for "Extreme Cakeovers" with Clarkson Potter in 2011, and would then balance the writing of the book with cake orders and teaching gigs. I remember at particularly hectic times of our lives in the last couple of years that we would reminisce about the days when we would "just make cake." Now, we wouldn't trade the opportunities we've had for anything in the world, but it demanded a level of commitment to our business that we never imagined!
I have chosen the cakes below as a sampling of some of our favorite designs that year. There were so many more I would have liked to include but couldn't for lack of time. We hope you have been enjoying the retrospective!
Rick was excited to try out these shapes for Laura and Oliver's wedding cake. The couple was married at Lanikuhonua, a gorgeous outdoor location on Oahu. Rick handpainted their cake to resemble the beautiful graphic motif from their wedding invitation. I was really smitten by this cake and loved how stylish and unique it looked. Luckily, so did Laura and Oliver!
Labels: cakelava, cakes by Rick Reichart, dog cakes, Oahu cakes, Oahu wedding cakes, sculpted cakes
When I had the idea about doing a cakes retrospective for cakelava dating all the way back to our humble beginnings in 2005, little did I know how much effort would be involved with the writing and cake selection process. Was I crazy to think that with well over 1000 cakes in our history it would be easy to choose a representative sampling? Clearly, I didn't think about it, I was driven by the desire to look back and appreciate how far we've come, and to share some cakes we are proud of with new people who may not be familiar with the designs.
For 2009, I had an especially tough time choosing cakes to feature so I divided it into three parts. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed it.
Rick designed this beautiful wedding cake with wrapped layers and handcrafted cherry blossoms for an outdoor wedding at Kualoa Ranch in May. The cake was featured in a number of magazines and in the book "1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes". The gorgeous photo is by Frank Amodo.
In 2009, a number of our good friends were married and some celebrated significant birthdays with a cakelava cake. This sushi cake was made by Rick for our friend Melissa for her 40th birthday party and gifted to her by her boyfriend as a surprise. Like us, they are huge fans of sushi. Rick made and placed sushis all over the cake. A few years later, Rick would teach students how to make the sushis on a sculpted platter for one of his classes. This exquisite photo is by Robert Bruce Ayres.
We've adored this cake for years! I like the vintage look of the flowers and bands around the tiers, and the muted tones used throughout. The bride Krista sent us the custom made bird toppers, we thought they were beautifully made and so cute! I wrote a post about this wedding cake back in October 2009 that covers the cake, including the types of flowers, in more detail.
It's no secret. Rick has a great appreciation for Hawaiian tikis and has been including them in his designs for years. I love them too. We even chose "Tiki's Grill & Bar" in Waikiki to have our viewing party for the Food Network "Spongebob" Challenge. He made this sculpted tiki out of cake for a couple's 17th anniversary celebration. We were both really happy with the way the standing tiki head turned out, and it remains one of our favorites.
By the time Rick had made the Tiki cake shown above, we were already in discussions with Food Network for an upcoming "Challenge" TV show they wanted to cast him for. When Rick found out they wanted him for "Spongebob Birthday Cakes", we both just about died! We were so excited for this particular challenge because we are huge fans of Spongebob Squarepants and it was a sculpting challenge - right up Rick's alley! For the competition which would take place in December, the competitors were asssigned one of the characters as their main character. Rick was given Spongebob, which we were both thrilled about! It was his first time on "Challenge" after numerous efforts to try and get out there to do them, and he had to compete against "Challenge" Veterans - Lauren Kitchens, Bronwen Weber and Kristin Davison - which added to the pressure!
In an ideal world, we would have uninterrupted time to prepare for such an important competition, but we had too many cake orders to fulfill during that time. Rick had very little time to prepare for his Challenge. He sketched his design, made Spongebob once, secured his assistant, Annie Welch, who he had worked when he was making cakes in Seattle. Once he was cast, we began noticing Spongebob EVERYWHERE, and took trips to Toys 'R Us to look at Spongebob items. Many emails, and forms to sign later, we were on a plane to Denver to shoot the competition!
The photo above was taken at the studios where "Challenge" was filmed. The production company had just moved into a brand new studio and we would be one of the first to use it. After a very LONG day with what felt like an equally long deliberation by the judges, including a Nickelodeon representative, the competiton ended and we flew back to Hawaii. Food Network still airs the episode from time to time and I will leave the result of the competition a mystery, in case you haven't seen it. It was a nail biter and a very close competition, and so much fun to watch!
Rick and his assistant Annie Welch standing proudly next to their creation! The competition occurred shortly before Christmas and would be aired in April 2010. It was the third longest, most agonizing wait we've had in our cake career, the second being the casting for another Food Network show. The longest wait we've had, well, we are still experiencing it and have been for the past year and a half! The wait for the Food Network shows was agony, but multiply that intensity by at least ten, adding in excitement we can barely contain, and this is how we feel about the wait for our book, "Extreme Cakeovers". It will finally be released by Clarkson Potter/Random House in July!
The next posts will cover 2010, which was another great year for cakes and media, and a turning point for cakelava, leading us down some new avenues.
Since our Stroll Down Memory Lane started, a number of you have recognized your cake and it has meant a lot to hear from you! Whether we have made your cake or are just enjoying the view, we would love to hear if you have a favorite cake, or anything else you want to share with us about the cakes.
Labels: cakelava, cakes by Rick Reichart, custom cakes, Hawaii cakes, oahu birthday cakes, Oahu cakes, Oahu wedding cakes, sushi cakes, Tiki cakes
Yesterday we continued our stroll down memory lane, remembering a selection of cakes made at cakelava during the year 2009. If you missed it, you can view it here. A number of cakes shared in yesterday's post could be categorized into a common theme. Today's cakes cannot be categorized. A great example of this would be the sculpted turtle hugging a cupcake, which Rick made for a wedding in June 2009, and is shown below.
It was one of our most unusual requests, a cute sculpted turtle hugging a cupcake. Rick and I were both intrigued by the idea when our clients told us this is what they wanted for their wedding cake. The bride and groom had a huge sweet tooth and had planned their wedding around a sweets and candy theme, which included sculpted giant cupcakes on the tables as centerpieces, which Rick also made. Their adorable turtle with a cupcake wedding cake was a huge success and circulated around the internet where the wedding was featured several times, including cakelava.com. The awesome photo is by Stephen Ludwig.
Labels: cakelava, cakes by Rick Reichart, custom cakes, geeky cakes, Hawaii cakes, Oahu cakes, sculpted cakes
I realized after the 2008 retrospective was posted yesterday, that I had omitted an important mention which was the start of my "Interviews from Cakeland" blog series. My first interviewee "victim" was Jen Yates of Cake Wrecks fame in August 2008. If you missed my interview with Jen, you can read Part 1 and Part 2 here. Little did I know at the time that I was the first in what would be a very long list of people who interviewed Jen and that Cake Wrecks would become very successful. My interview series is listed on the blog, and ended with Katherine and Sophie from TLC's "DC Cupcakes" in 2010, right before the start of their show.
As I scrolled through the cake photos selected for 2009, I realized that it would take at least two posts, like the year 2008, to offer a sampling of what happened that year. It was a crazy busy year from start to finish and ended in December 2009, with the biggest media opportunity we ever had. Rick and I flew to Denver where he competed on Food Network "Challenge" TV show for "Spongebob Birthday Cakes"!
Prior to the months before we were in communications with the Producers of "Challenge" and began preparing for the competition, Rick was making some of the best cakes he has ever done! It was the year he made his first standing electric guitar, and sculpted a burning firehouse. He sculpted a Serenity spaceship from the Sci-Fi film "Firefly", a Little Einsteins rocket ship, a bulldog, a Toilet!, a life size tire for Lex Brodie tire company, a P-3 airplane, and with the help of his assistant, a large composition featuring Spongebob and a bunch of his friends! In between the cakes, there was a feature in Your Wedding Day Magazine (YWD), a fundraising calendar for American Cancer Society, and a 50th birthday cake for Ala Moana Center, one of the biggest outdoor malls in America! It was time for cakelava to Go Big or Go Home, and we went for it, in a BIG way!
The year started with a photo shoot with Stephen Ludwig for a 2010 fundraising calendar for American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" which Rick was invited to be a part of. Rick and I were so excited to be able to give back for such a worthy cause. The creation of this cake was quite precious to both of us. Each cake designer was asked to design a cake that was inspired by a song, and Rick chose a song by Hawaiian artist, Israel Kamakawiwaole and the song was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", which you may be familiar with. It is a gorgeous rendition of the classic, and celebrates the beauty of Hawaii, with its abundant rainbows. Rick painted a stylized land/ocean scene on the cake and dedicated the cake to my Aunt, who has been battling cancer for a number of years. Being able to give this art piece that we had such an emotional connection to was one of the most special experiences we had that year!
January 2009. It was Rick's first standing up guitar, made as a groom's cake for a couple who flew in from Baltimore. We hadn't done too many upright sculpted cakes and Rick was excited to take on the challenge. We were both happy with how the guitar turned out. For their wedding cake, the couple went with a traditional and elegant cake with beautiful handcrafted tropical flowers.
A couple of months after Rick made the standing guitar groom's cake, he made a stacked drums wedding cake. The drums were done in a similar green to their wedding colors.
I remember Lena and Mike well. They bucked the traditional wedding cake idea and went for a sculpted burning firehouse with cusom figures of themselves in a fun pose. They were a fun loving couple and Rick was determined to convey this in the cake. He made a handcrafted custom figure of the couple with Lena tossed upside down over Mike's shoulder, a way that he used to carry her. I love this photo, taken by Dave Miyamoto!
We both adore this cake! It was a time consuming design for Rick to make because of the artwork, but it was so pretty in person and couldn't have been more at home in its environment.
We're big fans of the MINI Cooper, and enjoyed being able to make one in Rick's favorite color - orange! There is a fun back story for this cake, which you can read about here.
In Spring of 2009, Your Wedding Day (YWD) magazine released the issue with a feature called "New Ecclectic Hawaii". We were honored to be asked to do a shoot for YWD and be part of an awesome team of wedding professionals which included blufotographica, Finishing Touch, Yvonne Design, Emi Ink, Rachel Robertson, and Les Saisons. Rick designed the cake around the theme, which combined modern, tropical and Indian themes and included yellows, silver, white, black and bright pink. The result is shown above, captured beautifully by blufotographica.
We saw some themes gain popularity in 2009, like the "animals" theme - jungle animals, farm animals and the Noah's Ark animals. It was the first tine Rick had made a sculpted barn or a Noah's Ark filled with animals. Both cakes were done in all cake and the animals were handcrafted edible pieces. We both remember when he made all the animals for the Noah's Ark cake. There were animals peeking out of every open crevice, 360 degrees. The Ark suddenly felt much more massive when it was home to so many animals!
The start of the jungle/safari theme cake requests. It remains one of the most popular kids party themes and Rick has made many variations. This design is one of the most difficult jungle cakes he made, with each piece made and handpainted and the animals have a more realistic appearance than others.
Another jungle animals cake, done differently than the one above, but just as cute! All decorations are handmade.
Then came the Monkeys themed cakes. We have made so many of these, in different sizes, for twin children with two monkeys on top. We love them all!
The Sci-Fi/geeky cake theme was another trend we noticed in 2009. We adore the Sci-Fi cakes! More Millennium Falcons (above), R2-D2, the Death Star, a Star Trek Communicator, and "Serenity" ship from Firefly. All shown below.
The "Serenity" cake has an interesting story, which you can read about here. It was one of the most difficult shapes Rick had to create and though he is a Sci-Fi fanatic, neither of us had seen the movie, which made making the cake that much more difficult.
It was our first dimensional Candy Land board game cake, and we set aside a substantial amount of time for this party. At the time we were still making custom cupcake towers and our client added on a candyland themed cupcake tower to go with it. I still remember the week this cake was done. We had a bunch of cakes requiring a lot of artistry, and I don't know how Rick got through it all. Every time I turned around, he was making decorations or painting them, and our kitchen looked like one big colorful art explosion. The cake below was made that same week. Yes, that is, in fact, a dog with a scuba mask on.
The last cake in this post was a striking leopard print with bright pink daisies design and became very popular after it was posted. We loved this cake and it sure made its way around the internet! It will always be one of our favorites and the colors really came together. It was one of those cakes you are sad to deliver because of all the work that went into it, but then you see the expression on the client's face and it's all worth it!
I hope you have been enjoying seeing the cakes as much as we have liked re-living some great memories! In the next post, we will continue with 2009.
Labels: cakelava, cakes by Rick Reichart, custom cakes, Hawaii wedding cakes, Oahu cakes, sculpted cakes
Continuing our 2008 retrospective of selected cakes... Part 1 can be viewed here.
The majority of the cakes below were made in the latter half of 2008, starting with the first cake in the group, which Rick made for the very popular 8-8-8 (August 8, 2008) date. We saw the numbers trend start on 7-7-7, then 8-8-8 and so forth. On 8-8-8, we had a news television camera in our shop who documented the crazy wedding trend while Rick was working on the cakes. It was exciting but always stressful to have to create under those circumstances. The cakes turned out great, and a pretty blue cake with gardenias is shown above.
It was Rick's first "messy" cake. Prior to 2008, we didn't know what a "messy" cake was. It was an idea that our client came to us with. She asked Rick to design a cake that looked messy to have at a kids party where there would be arts and crafts for the kids. Our client gave Rick free reign on the design and after giving it some thought, he decided to approach the messy cake from the perspective of a child, imagining how a child might decorate a cake. I recall Rick mentioning that it was a tough design for him to do because he needed the cake to look "messy" but didn't want it to look ugly, like a wreck, and it needed to be done right. He made an extremely colorful cake for Maya and it was such a hit that the following year our client returned to get another "messy" cake! That next messy cake was done in pretty pastels.
I remember this cake well. The bride was from New York and asked for a much smaller version of Rick's and my wedding cake, but done in blue, like one he made a couple years earlier. This cake incorporates many of the decorations that cakelava has become known for - the dimensional palm trees, Hawaiian tiki, and the bamboo covered tier. The cake looked stunning in person and has been a requested design overy the years by brides wanting a Hawaiian tiki themed cake.
This lovely sophisticated animal print cake was one of our favorites from 2008. The bride worked for a prominent videographer in the wedding industry and had become a huge fan of Rick's cakes after shooting them at weddings. I still recall the letter she sent us asking Rick to make her cake. She was incredibly excited and hoping we would be available. She expressed her desire to have a cake that was very unique and didn't take itself too seriously. She and her fiance wanted a fun cake that their guests would swoon over. Rick selected a cake on a pole for them to give them the drama factor they wanted which also worked great for their black and white color scheme. He painted the three different animal prints by hand on the cake, adding feathers and a soft boa, and columns of black and white delicate beads on the bottom of the tiers and placed it on a porcelain cake stand. The couple was ecstatic with their one of a kind design and used a sword to cut into their beautiful cake! Visionari took the gorgeous photo!
The "Makenna" cake was an instant hit when it was posted on our website. If it wasn't for the size and cost of the cake, Rick would have made this exact cake numerous times. The Makenna cake fed well over 200 people, so the design was very specific and worked best for a large guest count, which not everyone has. From the perspective of the person communicating with the customers, it was a challenge for me to explain that this design wouldn't look the same with a guest count of 50. The proportions would be different, the number of tiers would be different and the squares shape wouldn't translate the same for smaller guest counts. We were really happy with the cake, and most importantly so was the client. The colors and fun polka dots theme was a fun one to design around!
Some cakes seem to appeal to just about every bride and at the time Rick made this cake, many brides were asking for the "Leslie R" cake. The bright orange and yellow sunset colors had great appeal and worked beautifully with the Hawaiian plumeria flowers and seashells on the cake. The cake has been featured around the world and even made its way into a book, "1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes". The couple have ordered many cakes from us, including a toilet bowl, one of our most unusual designs!
Rick has made two sculpted Buddha cakes. He made this Buddha for a very special friend of ours in honor of her birthday, which was celebrated at, of all places, a bowling alley! I wrote about the Buddha cake at the bowling alley experience in detail on the blog. You can read the post here. Rick made another Buddha cake with a more voluptuous representation, this time for an NFL player's vow renewal in 2012. You can view the other Buddha cake here.
Rick was ecstatic about making the "Fillmore" VW bus cake! He is a huge fan of the VW bus and used to own one. He has great memories of driving his VW bus with his dog in the back. The Fillmore character was right up his alley because there was a lot of handpainting on the bus and it was a fun cake to sculpt. He had made the Lightning McQueen numerous times and also the Towmater, but had been holding out for Fillmore. Eventually, he got his wish!
Students who have taken Rick's class in 2011 and 2012 will recognize this cake as the "hibiscus" cake. Rick designed this cake in 2008, when we were contacted to make the cake for a wedding that would be featured on a Mark Burnett TV show. Working with the event designer, Rick was given a color palette: sunset - red, orange and yellow - to be used throughout the wedding and to have the cake be a tropical/hawaiian theme since the couple would be flying to the island to get married. Rick made the cake which we then transported to Maui. At the time there was a ferry operating between the islands which made it possible for us to bring the cake. The sketch above is what Rick drew and presented to the event designer and she loved it. Little did we know then how much of a following in various media after we shared it. When it came time for Rick to choose a cake for his first "Discover Your Inner Artist" class, he chose this one, as we've had so many requests for it over the years!
This cake was very unusual in that it was designed to look like the squares
had shifted slightly off-center, so rather than the tier going straight across, it slightly recedes at the halfway point. This was a gorgeous wedding that was featured in Style Me Pretty and a book. The couple used lots of pinks and oranges in their wedding and had the graphic floral motif found on their cake throughout the wedding. The beautiful photo was taken by Rachel Robertson.
It was the first time Rick had made a cake with the tiers done in this way and it made for a dramatic presentation. This design has remained one of my favorites over the years. The floral vine pattern on the cake was inspired by the couple's invitation and is piped on the cake.
This wedding took place in October 2008. It was at the time, one of the most extravagant, over-the-top weddings we had done and there was over 400 guests in attendance. The theme of the wedding was a racing theme, which was integrated into both the wedding cake and groom's cake. At the time, we didn't know what a sprint racing car looked like, and luckily the couple had one and sent Rick photos to work from. It was probably the most difficult car cake Rick had made. For the wedding cake, he decided on an ombre look with color gradations of purples, with a checkered pattern on the bottom of each tier. It was such a fun, spirited wedding that we will always remember!
The bride ordered this cake as a surprise groom's cake for her fiance. She requested a sculpted boat with a wooden deck and include the shell shown on the sail. Her fiance is a fisherman and asked for fishing poles and a marlin in the water. It was an awesome cake and a great compliment to the more elegant wedding cake with phalaenopsis orchids they ordered.
The Fantasia cake! It is one of our all-time favorite cakes Rick made at cakelava. The couple who ordered this cake were HUGE Disney fanatics, and I do mean HUGE! They had a completely Disney-fied wedding, with character centerpieces, a Sleeping Beauty castle at the guests table, and guess where they were headed to for their honeymoon? The Happiest Place on Earth, of course! Rick was given carte blanche on the design. They wanted a "Fantasia" theme cake but it was up to him which scene he wanted to make and how he would do the design. Rick chose the famous water scene and made the Mickey Mouse and all the brooms and buckets by hand. The shapes were wonky and the icing was buttercream. He gave it a painterly look. The couple adored their cake and we were sad to see it leave our studio.
This unusual berry and gold colored cake with the concave shapes was one of the last cakes Rick made in 2008. The design was inspired by the bride's invitation, which featured a gilded etching of a floral pattern, which he added to the cake. The cake was about two and a half feet tall and looked beautiful in the room!
Join us for the next post, when we look at 2009, which was a also a very busy year!
Labels: cakelava, cakes by Rick Reichart, custom cakes, Hawaii wedding cakes, Oahu cakes, wedding cakes
A Stroll Down Memory Lane - 2008, Part 1
A Stroll Down Memory Lane - 2007
A Stroll Down Memory Lane - 2005 to 2006


Calling all party planners! If you want to throw a baby shower, we've got some eye-candy inspiration for you with this exclusive inside look at designer Rebecca Minkoff's bash, held at the Italian restaurant Fitzcarraldo in Brooklyn, N.Y., just last week. "Everything was so beautiful," Minkoff tells InStyle.com. "My girlfriends threw it for me, and I'm so thankful. I knew nothing before I arrived, and seeing all the surprises, friends, family and decor was just amazing."
OK then, let's talk details.
For the guest book, the stationer supplied a blank heart art print, and guests signed the design with a silver marker. Since it was already framed, it makes for a quick but personal addition to the nursery. Says Minkoff, "I'm absolutely going to hang it up! It has such sweet little notes from all the people I'm close to."
The lavender details continued to the decor, as Ara Farnam of Rock Paper Scissors events filled apothecary jars and stashed lavender bottles complete with circle liners that matched the invitations around the tables. The centerpieces, aside from the flowers by Cristina Lozito, included purple children's books, like Henry and the Purple Crayon, Purple Toast, and the Big Purple Activity Book. "This was the most magical baby shower," Minkoff says. It truly seems so.
"I knew nothing before I arrived, and seeing all the surprises, friends, family and decor was just amazing," Minkoff tells InStyle.com.
The designer's friends enlisted the help of Minted.com to create the invites and decor.
Signage, straw flags, and Instagram-worthy photo booth backgrounds were among the many cute Minted.com creations.
Italian restaurant Fitzcarraldo in Brooklyn, New York, was the perfect setting for the bash.
The exact shade of lavender used at the shower was inspired by the "tortura" color of Minkoff's bags.
"I have a 2.5 year old son, Luca. One day I asked him what he wanted to name his baby sister and he said Gouda!" Minkoff shared. "I don't know where he got it from but she's been Gouda ever since."
Little details created by Ara Farnam of Rock Paper Scissors events included lavender filled apothecary jars, lavender bottles complete with circle liners that matched the invitations, and lavender pacificers underneath cloches.
The centerpieces featured an assortment of sweet flowers by Cristina Lozito and Kelli Galloway from Hops Petunia Floral.
Each arrangement was unique, which resulted in a vintage feeling.
Purple-themed vintage books were used to anchor the floral centerpieces and served as conversation pieces.
Book titles included: Henry and the Purple Crayon, Purple Toast, and The Big Purple Activity Book.
Purple-hued candies and snacks served to heighten the color theme.
Each vase of flowers featured a pop of lavender.
Little flowers cropped up throughout the space.
Guests were treated to Veuve Clicquot champagne, Peroni, and Belvedere Vodka bloody Marys.
For the guest book, the stationer supplied a blank heart art print, and guests signed the design in silver marker. It was already framed, and is a perfect addition to the nursery.
"I'm absolutely going to hang it up! It has such sweet little notes from all the people I'm close to," Minkoff says.
Lavender-scented candles from Henri Bendel were given as favors. Family and friends were asked to light their candle and send a wish to Minkoff when she goes into labor.
"Everything was so beautiful," Minkoff tells InStyle.com. "My girlfriends threw it for me, and I'm so thankful."
"This was the most magical baby shower," Minkoff says. It truly seems so!


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MediaWatch : The Vancouver Sun and the Fraser Institute
An article at The Tyee notes the "remarkable success" the Fraser Institute has had in blanketing the Vancouver Sun with its guff.
Not so remarkable when you consider The Sun's senior editor for the editorial pages is Fazil Mihlar, former director of regulatory studies at the Fraser Institute, and that the Sun is owned by the Aspers, former Fraser Institute board members.
Here is all you need to know about that :
From Peter C. Newman's book, Izzy: The Passionate Life and Turbulent Times of Izzy Asper, Canada's Media Mogul, as quoted in the Georgia Straight :
Leonard Asper : "I don't see that a journalist is any different than an employee at Wal-Mart."
David Asper, chair of the National Post : "We own the papers. We have the right to have the papers print whatever the hell we want them to say. And if people don't like it, they can go to hell. They can leave, get another job."
According to the CRTC, as of Sept 22 2009 Canwest holdings in Canada include :
Global TV - National Post - Calgary Herald - Regina Leader-Post - Vancouver Sun - Edmonton Journal - Saskatoon StarPhoenix - Victoria Times-Colonist - Montreal Gazette - Vancouver Courier - Windsor Star - Ottawa Citizen - Vancouver Province - Alberni Valley Times (BC) - Nanaimo Daily News (BC)
plus 21 weeklies and 7 shopping guides.
So Canwest adherence - and subsequently much of the Canadian public - to rightwing Fraser Institute principles is not so remarkable after all.
Where are you getting your news?
Labels: media bias, media concentration
Van Loan : Oh noes - activist judges on the bench!
Oh noes - activist judges on the bench, some of them appointed by Cons!
Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan says he fears for the government's ability to fight terrorism because of "an increasingly complex legal environment" in which judges are no longer deferring to the government in its efforts to deport foreign suspects.
"It raises questions about whether we can protect national security and I can tell you I am concerned," Van Loan told Canwest News Service. "I spend a fair bit of time thinking about it."
"It" presumably being the Supreme Court's efforts to balance our rights and freedoms against your crap cases based on hearsay and intel derived from torture.
Think again, Bucko.
Meanwhile - oh noes for Cons again - Russkies!
A Lutheran church in Vancouver has been providing sanctuary since June to a former Russian KGB translator who is now facing immanent deportation to Russia for ... wait for it ... admitting to being a former KGB translator on his application for permanent residence in March 1999.
The federal court has found the government does have the right to deport Mikhail Lennikov back to Russia but, as CBC points out, is not required to do so :
The issue, then, is why Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan thinks Lennikov is "detrimental to the national interest."
The public safety minister adopted as his reasons a ministerial briefing note by Stephen Rigby, appointed to be the head of the Canada Border Services Agency in 2008.
CBC debunks the CBSA's "factual errors" intended to discredit Lennikov here.
Labels: activist judges, CBSA, Van Loan
The SPP is undead
Just three months shy of 2010 - the date by which the Canadian Council of Chief Executives originally projected the goals of the SPP would be completed - some people have been mourning or celebrating for years already.
The SPP is dead - a short history :
Oct. 10, 2007 "The Security and Prosperity Partnership is dead," wrote John Ibbitson in the G&M. "Nothing's going to happen anytime soon."
Aug. 1, 2008 "The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America is dead," says Robert Pastor, chair of the 2005 Council on Foreign Relations task force "Building a North American Community" available in book form with co-author John Manley.
Feb. 25, 2009 "The SPP is probably dead," Canadian Council of Chief Executives President Tom d'Aquino tells the foreign affairs committee, adding that "something else" will replace it.
July 13, 2009 "The SPP is in hibernation," - Chris Sands, Canada-U.S. relations expert at the Hudson Institute, in Toward a New Frontier which recommends "rebranding a revived SPP."
Aug. 2009 "The SPP's Death Knell has Sounded" - Embassy Mag. "The Security and Prosperity Partnership, as we knew it, is dead. May it rest in peace."
Aug. 19, 2009 "The SPP is dead, so where's the champagne?" - Stuart Trew, Council of Canadians, at Rabble.
Sept. 24, 2009 "The SPP is dead. Let's keep in that way." - Murray Dobbin, Canadian author, long time foe of deep integration, and one of my personal heroes.
That's two whole years of announcements about the SPP nailed to its perch and pining for the fjords.
The most recent - Dobbin and Trew - do not imagine for a moment that the push towards deep integration is over by any stretch, yet Dobbin does not see any successor on the horizon:
"Some on the left are so accustomed to losing that they make the claim the SPP will just re-emerge with another name."
And indeed I do so here - Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas.
Bush's outgoing gift to Obama has been embraced and described by Hillary Clinton as "a multilateral initiative to promote shared security and prosperity throughout the Americas".
Stockwell Day has already begun dutifully using the phrase "pathways to prosperity" in the House, while exPM Paul Martin, Chris Sands, d'Aquino, David Emerson and other fans of deep integration assure us of the inevitability of some future SPP rebrand and relaunch.
But what worries me is : do we even need a rebrand and relaunch anymore?
In 2003 the Canadian Council of Chief Executives' came up with the North American Security and Prosperity Initiative to shape Canada's future within North America. It called for "reinventing borders; regulatory efficiency; resource security; and a North American defence perimeter."
Here's how that agenda has been achieved through the SPP so far :
Joint RCMP-Homeland Security "Shiprider" pilot project
Civil Assistance Plan signed in Feb. 2008 allows the military of one nation to support the other during a civil emergency
Passenger Protect no-fly list
Sharing military responsibilities in the arctic
"Smart Borders' and unmanned drones patrolling the Canada US border
The exile and/or detainment in Canada of persons of interest to Homeland Security
Canada's cats paw FTAs with countries the US hopes to reach
The Canada Israel 'Homeland Security' pact
Canada helps the US occupy Afghanistan
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Biometric data into visas for foreign nationals
RFID drivers' licences - a de facto continental ID
Run-of-river projects and ramped up tarsands extraction for energy export
Proposal for national Canadian energy or water policy blocked
Streamlining regulations on food, drugs pesticides, genetically modified seeds.
"Intermodal transportation concept for North America"
Integrated North American energy and resource program
Does anyone really think just because 30 odd CEOs from the North American Competitiveness Council aren't meeting as a designated SPP group anymore that that's the end of it?
Ten days ago Harper stood in the White House and said :
"Today, Canada is announcing a major hydroelectric project, a big transmission line in northwestern British Columbia, which has the capacity down the road to be part of a more integrated North American hydroelectric system."
"Canada is not leaving Afghanistan; Canada will be transitioning from a predominantly military mission to a mission that will be a civilian humanitarian development mission after 2011."
So, no, I'm not celebrating anything until the SPP and the groundwork already laid by the CCCE - plus the unseen continued integration of its facets throughout the public service - can be stopped and rolled back.
Paul Manly is taking his film 'You, Me and the SPP: Trading Democracy for Corporate Rule' on the road.
The tour, which will visit 33 cities across Canada, will be launched with an Ottawa Premiere on Parliament Hill on October 1st. hosted by NDP International Trade Critic, Peter Julian.
The Ottawa screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q & A, featuring, Peter Julian, Teresa Healy (Senior Researcher, Canadian Labour Congress), Bruce Campbell (Executive Director, Canadian Council for Policy Alternatives), Maude Barlow (Chairperson, Council of Canadians), Louise Casselman (Common Frontiers) and Paul.
The screening and panel will be streamed live by Rabble.ca - see promo page
From Ottawa, the tour will be working its way east to Newfoundland and then back across Canada to British Columbia. You can see all the tour dates on the film website here
Each confirmed screening date has a pdf poster, handbill and press release that can be downloaded and used to promote the screening. Please help out where you can. All of the screenings are either free or by donation.
This ain't over yet.
Labels: Bruce Campbell, CCCE, d'Aquino, deep integration, John Manley, Maude Barlow, Murray Dobbin, NACC, Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas, Paul Manly, Peter Julian, SPP, Teresa Healy
Preserve those precious moments ...
... between when the safety catch comes off and your victim drops screaming to the ground twirling in circles like a giant bug.
Or just stick your pinkie over the lens.
The choice is yours ... with TASER CAM™ :
"Taser International's site says the video recording "is an invaluable tool in protecting officers from baseless complaints regarding professionalism and courtesy."
I'm thinking 'baseless complaints regarding courtesy' will not be much of a problem after that safety catch comes off, but the 'excited delirium' photo greeting card possibilities are endless.
h/t West End Bob by e.
Labels: TASER™
Abdelrazik sues Ottawa and Lawrence Cannon for $27-mil
After nearly six years of exile, prison and alleged torture in Sudan "at our request", Canadian Abousfian Abdelrazik is suing Ottawa for $24-mil and Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon personally for $3-mil.
Mr. Justice Russel Zinn of the Federal Court ordered the government to bring him home in June after years of cruel cat-and-mouse games with his constitutional rights under both Cons and Libs.
Zinn :"CSIS was complicit in the detention of Mr. Abdelrazik by the Sudanese authorities in 2003."
Despite having been cleared of any wrongdoing by CSIS, the RCMP, and Sudan, for five years Abdelrazik was repeatedly assured by DFAIT that they would grant him an emergency passport only to have them withdraw the offer again under various pretexts. They had no intention of delivering.
From the excellent Paul Koring :
"CSIS agents interrogated Mr. Abdelrazik in a Khartoum prison, offering him – according to Mr. Abdelrazik – freedom if he would help them and warning him if he didn't he would never return home to his family and Sudan would be his "Guantanamo Bay."
In his lawsuit, Mr. Abdelrazik's lawyer claims: "While in Kober prison, he was deprived of sleep, subjected to verbal assaults, pummelled, kicked and flogged with a rubber hose on his back." At other times he was hanged by his wrists, he said.
"This does not amount to torture or mistreatment. It is the reality in Sudan and he would not have been targeted for mistreatment any more than other fellow detainees," senior Foreign Affairs official Odette Gaudet-Fee said.
Another suggested Mr. Abdelrazik mutilated himself.
It is presumed that CSIS' original interest in Abdelrazik came via Abu Zubaydah, the schizophrenic halfwit waterboarded 83 times in 2002 in order to elicit a false confession linking Sadaam and al-Qaeda that could be used to justify the US invasion of Iraq.
CSIS has said while it once might have received evidence derived from torture, it no longer does.
Lawrence Cannon really has this one coming.
In July, Abdelrazik asked the federal government to help him get his name removed from a United Nations terror watch list so he could lead a normal life - get a job, healthcare, a bank account. This can only be done with the help of your own government; Cannon suggested Abdelrazik get himself off it.
It seems the only way to get this bunch of crackerbox politicians to obey Canadian law is to take them to court and embarrass them with massive lawsuits.
Had enough of this yet, Canada?
Labels: Abdelrazik, Abu Zubaydah, CSIS, DFAIT, Lawrence Cannon
Braidwood Inquiry resumes bickering
after being derailed just prior to final summation in June by the sudden appearance of an email written on Nov. 5, 2007 in which Chief Supt. Dick Bent alluded to the four officers' having a plan to TASER™ Robert Dziekanski prior to arriving on the scene, in direct contradiction to their sworn testimony that they did not have such a plan.
There's lots of media on this so I'm not going over all of it, but a couple of the more obvious Cover Your Ass points are being under-reported here.
Constables Bill Bentley, Kwesi Millington, Gerry Rundel and Cpl. Monty Robinson, who all gave startling similar but - according to the video we've seen -clearly wrong accounts of the events, were permitted to work together for several weeks after the incident.
The email from Chief Supt. Dent to Assistant Commissioner Al Macintyre regarding his conversation with Supt. Wayne Rideout on the eve of the release of bystander Paul Pritchard's video, which showed Dziekanski being Tasered five times, being restrained and dying face down in handcuffs on the airport floor :
Media Strategy — Release of YVR video.
Al, spoke with Wayne Rideout today about our strategy for the release of the video. He had a couple of concerns. First, he didn't think we should be providing any explanation for what was transpiring but instead just say the Inquest will take evidence under oath etc. I went through the rationale and said we need to have an explanation otherwise our detractors will put their own spin.
...then a paragraph on who would be the best media point man to "do the narrative" in order that they not "lose the perception of independence", then :
Finally, spoke to Wayne and he indicated that the members did not articulate that they saw symptoms of excited delirium, but instead had discussed the response en route and decided that if he did not comply that they would go to CEW. He has asked investigators for a synopsis and should have it by noon tomorrow.
Rideout testified on Tuesday that Dent's interpretation of their conversation is "wrong" and his superior Dent, who is due to retire in two weeks, reluctantly admitted that might be possible.
Al Macintyre has said he never even received this email but as a week of his blackberried emails from Nov 1 to 8th has gone missing, this is impossible to verify.
The RCMP has belatedly released another 18,000 relevant documents since June but the inquiry is wrapping up with closing arguments scheduled to begin on Oct. 5 regardless.
Meanwhile, the break in proceedings caused by the sudden appearance of the not-terribly-explosive-after-all email gave the four RCMP officers time to file in Appeals Court seeking a "permanent injunction to prevent the commission from continuing any proceedings against them", while Taser Int is asking the B.C. Supreme Court to quash all 19 of Justice Braidwood's recommendations.
And suddenly, B.C.'s police chiefs and top RCMP officers, including Rideout who calls the current in house investigation system an "unwinnable image problem", are all over the media recommending a new independent office to investigate police, but most balk at the suggestion that such a body be comprised entirely of civilian investigators.
Too much CYA still going on here all round.
My confidence in the Braidwood Inquiry took a beating in June when Justice Braidwood held a presser in which he displayed a childlike thrill at learning all about tasers immediately followed by blaming the media for much of the public lack of trust in the RCMP.
Braidwood Inquiry posts to date.
Posted by Alison at 12:59 am No comments:
Labels: Bentley, Braidwood Inquiry, Kwesi Millington, Monty Robinson, Paul Pritchard, RCMP, Robert Dziekanski, Rundel, TASER™
Emma the Embryo on teen pregnancy
A new study published by Reproductive Health found that US states with higher religiousity also have higher teen birth rates. The study hypothesizes that this correlation may be because "teens in more religious communities may be less likely to use contraception."
According to Ms Mag today - and Dammit Janet a week ago - the study author ... speculated that a potential explanation of this relationship is that "religious communities in the U.S. are more successful in discouraging the use of contraception among their teenagers than they are in discouraging sexual intercourse itself."
But then you knew that.
40 days of Harrassment begins today, that special time of year when the god botherers focus their bothering on women who want birth control or sex education because their sky monster needs more teen moms.
Labels: Emma the Embryo, Feminism
Poll : Do you think the war in Afghanistan is winnable?
Poll in yesterday's Toronto Star - One vote per IP (yes, I checked!)
h/t CanNurse in comments below - Thank you.
Map of Taliban presence in Afghanistan
from The International Council on Security and Development :
Data detailing the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan was gathered from daily insurgent activity reports between January and September 2009. ICOS believes that the level of incidents recorded by this methodology is conservative.
Permanent presence: defined by provinces that average one (or more) insurgent attack (lethal and non-lethal) per week.
Substantial presence: an average one or more insurgent attacks per month and include residents who believe Taliban are active locally (based on frequency of Taliban sightings).
Light presence: defined by less than one insurgent attack per month and local residents don't believe Taliban is active locally
Labels: Afghanistan, polls
The occupation of Afghanistan : "Useless"
"A bit useless" is how 23-year-old Private Jonathan Couturier, the 131st Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan, described the Afghan 'mission' that took his life.
If we are to have standing armies, the very least we can do, the absolute minimum responsibility we have to them, is not send them off to die in the useless occupations of nations who have done nothing to us.
Why are we occupying Afghanistan again?
Not, as Gordon O'Connor foolishly announced in the HoC in April 2006, to prevent "them from coming here".
Not, as recent elections there attest, to bring democracy to the people.
Not even apparently to improve their lot in life.
Fisk :
"Every three months, the Canadian authorities publish a scorecard on their military "progress" in Afghanistan. ... The latest report, revealed this week, proves that Kandahar province is becoming more violent, less stable and less secure – and attacks across the country more frequent – than at any time since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. There was an "exceptionally high" frequency of attacks this spring compared with 2008.
There was a 108 per cent increase in roadside bombs. Afghans are reporting that they are less satisfied with education and employment levels, primarily because of poor or non-existent security. Canada is now concentrating only on the security of Kandahar city, abandoning any real attempt to control the province.
Canada's army will be leaving Afghanistan in 2011, but so far only five of the 50 schools in its school-building project have been completed. Just 28 more are "under construction". But of Kandahar province's existing 364 schools, 180 have been forced to close."
And not, as Ann Jones - author of Kabul in Winter and a teacher in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2006 - writes at Tom Dispatch following her return trip this July, to train an Afghan police force and army to take over after we've gone either :
"So who are these security forces? They include the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP). International forces and private contractors have been training Afghan recruits for both of them since 2001. In fact, the determination of Western military planners to create a national army and police force has been so great that some seem to have suppressed for years the reports of Canadian soldiers who witnessed members of the Afghan security forces engaging in a fairly common pastime, sodomizing young boys.
Current training and mentoring is provided by the U.S., Great Britain, France, Canada, Romania, Poland, Mongolia, New Zealand, and Australia, as well as by the private for-profit contractors MPRI, KBR (formerly a division of Halliburton), Pulau, Paravant, and RONCO. "
Eight years on and $10-billion later just for training the police force, Ann Jones tells us, with a projected goal of 400,000 as the supposed end-strength quota for the combined security forces -- an army of 240,000 soldiers and a police force with 160,000 men, where are they?
The Invisible Men
"What is there to show for all this remarkably expensive training? Although in Washington they may talk about the 90,000 soldiers in the Afghan National Army, no one has reported actually seeing such an army anywhere in Afghanistan.
When 4,000 U.S. Marines were sent into Helmand Province in July to take on the Taliban in what is considered one of its strongholds, accompanying them were only about 600 Afghan security forces, some of whom were police.
Why, you might ask, didn't the ANA, 90,000 strong after eight years of training and mentoring, handle Helmand on its own? No explanation has been offered. American and NATO officers often complain that Afghan army units are simply not ready to "operate independently," but no one ever speaks to the simple question: Where are they?
My educated guess is that such an army simply does not exist. It may well be true that Afghan men have gone through some version of "Basic Warrior Training" 90,000 times or more. When I was teaching in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2006, I knew men who repeatedly went through ANA training to get the promised Kalashnikov and the pay. Then they went home for a while and often returned some weeks later to enlist again under a different name."
And with 40% of country unemployed who can blame them ?
"Think instead about what you might have won -- and could still win -- had you spent all those military billions on food. Or maybe agriculture. Or health care. Or a civilian job corps. Is it too late for that now?"
Yes, Ann, it is.
John Pilger :
"The Afghan war is a fraud. It began as an American vendetta for domestic consumption in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks, in which not a single Afghan was involved. The Taliban, who are Afghans, had no quarrel with the US and were dealing secretly with the Clinton administration over a strategic pipeline. They offered to apprehend Osama Bin Laden and hand him over to a clerical court but this was rejected.
The establishment of a permanent US/NATO presence in a resource-rich strategic region is the principal reason for the war...The game is over.
Corporatism and a reinvigorated militarism have finally appropriated parliamentary democracy, a historic shift.."
War is a racket. Not "a bit useless" after all.
All links via Rabble.
Monday night update : Ten days ago Senator Colin Kenny compared Canada's role in Afghanistan to that of the US in Vietnam and used the word "retreat".
Tonight he is calling for a diplomatic solution : "I certainly from Day 1 thought (Defence Minister Peter) MacKay was a nitwit to suggest we should not be talking to the Taliban."
Senator Kenny! Yo! Why would MacKay want to talk to the Taliban? This is not a war in which two sides are groping towards some solution; it is an occupation. From his point of view, what's to fix?
Labels: Afghanistan, Colin Kenny, privatizing war, rabble, war is a racket
No HST protest in Vancouver
Thousands turned out in Vancouver today in an anti-HST protest that united politicians from across the local political spectrum.
West End Bob was there and brings us details and photos.
Former Socred premier Bill Vander Zalm - yes, The Zalm :
"The HST is a cruel tax - it takes from the people, the consumers... and it's giving to the big corporations. They're the real beneficiaries."
TD Economics reported yesterday that businesses will win big under the HST, aka Harper's Sales Tax, slicing $6.9 billion off their costs in Ontario and B.C. combined. Steve is even giving Gordo $1.6-billion to help implement it.
BC LINO Finance Minister Colin Hansen promises there will be a "trickle down effect" but people really don't seem to fancy being pissed on any further :
Ipsos Reid poll : B.C. Liberal support has collapsed and the party now trails the NDP by 10 percentage points. Only 35 % of voters polled said they'd support the government if an election were held today.
Environics poll, via The Hook at The Tyee : 42% of voters in Vancouver Point Grey - Gordo's own riding - would sign a petition to recall Campbell, including a quarter of those who voted for him in May :
An overwhelming number (79 percent) believed the Premier should have told British Columbians that his government was going to introduce the tax prior to the election.
When told that the tax collected from consumers through the HST would all go to corporations instead of being used to pay for better government programs, 64 percent (including 59 percent of BC Liberal voters) said they were now even more
opposed to the HST.
On the critical issue of whether or not British Columbians would support modest tax increases in order to pay for needed government services -- the poll found a large majority (78 percent) would support an increase.
... This finding crossed all political lines, with 74 percent of Liberals also coming out in support of the proposition that taxes should be increased to support public services.
Recall Gordo. Do it.
Update : Dave at The Beav reports that the Victoria paper The Times-Colonist is looking for evidence that Gordo, despite pre-election promises not to, already had plans to implement the HST before the May election.
Here ya go, Times Colonist : a smoking gun pointed right at our heads from Gordo's policy think tank, the BC Progress Board, dated December 2008 : Investment British Columbia: Current realities and the way forward.
Response From the Progress Board :
"The most profound area for improvement to productivity, but also the most difficult to achieve, is in replacing the Provincial Sales Tax with a value-added tax, preferably harmonized with the Goods and Services Tax administered by the federal government. Such a change would significantly lower the marginal effective tax rate on investment and reduce distortions across sectors. Harmonization would face considerable challenges, not the least of which is public opposition as a result of a shift of the burden from business to consumers.
"In the short and medium term, lower-income British Columbians could see declines in real income as consumer prices rise. Public opposition to such a shift would be a substantial concern to policy-makers."
They also go on to advocate for TILMA, Gateway Pacific, run-of-river projects, and continued "harmonizing regulation between the province and the US". Additionally, they target the federal Fisheries Act as posing "overwhelming challenges to development in BC"
Labels: anti-HST protest, BC Progress Board, Harper's Sales Tax, LINOs
Canadian military aware of children being ass-raped by Afghan allies since 2007
but, according to David Pugliese in NaPo this evening :
"the concern at the time was that the incident might be reported in the news media"
You're shocked I'm sure.
The incident was reported in the media. In June 2008, the Toronto Star reported that in late 2006 a Canadian soldier had heard an Afghan soldier raping a young boy and later saw the boy's "lower intestines falling out of his body." Military police reported being told by their commanders not to interfere when Afghan soldiers and police had anal sex with children.
It took till May of this year for Maj. Francis Bolduc of the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service to state in its "thorough investigation" that the allegations were "unfounded" and what's more were "never reported to Canadian military commanders".
Seems that investigation was all bullshit, according to meetings and emails flying back and forth between generals in Afghanistan and the Defence Department's civilian and military public affairs staff since 2007.
Pugliese :
"The issue is sensitive for the Canadian Forces and the federal government as the Afghanistan mission has been promoted to the public as being about protecting Afghan civilians."
Or, as Christopher Sands of the Hudson Institute put it last year :
"Canadians are rather conflicted about why they're in Afghanistan. Some people saw this as an apology for not going to Iraq [and] some people actually genuinely think that being in Afghanistan is about helping the Afghan people."
No, they don't. Not any more. They just don't have the guts to come out and say that bombing the crap out of people who never did anything to us is the price of keeping those trucks flowing back and forth across the US border.
Another investigation is being undertaken by Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, "even though, according to military records, a member of his staff was informed about the sexual abuse issue back in 2007."
It will only look into the one assault reported in The Star in 2008, and "identify the actions taken by individual CF members and the chain of command in response to that incident, as well as assess whether medical care was provided to any soldier who witnessed the incident."
Words. Fail.
Alternate link as NaPo link has gone down twice now.
Labels: Afghanistan, Christopher Sands, Defence Dept, National Investigation Service, sexual predation
Libs support Colombian free trade deal
In the House on Monday, Liberal trade critic Scott Brison defended Bill C-23, the Canada Colombia free trade agreement thusly:
"If we isolate Colombia in the Andean region and leave Colombia exposed and vulnerable to the ideological attacks of Chavez's Venezuela, we will be allowing evil to flourish."
Oooh - two Bush cat's paw points for you. Chavez appeared to be much on Brison's mind yesterday and figured several times in his answers, perhaps because the U.S. military has obtained a 10-year lease at seven Colombian bases to help fight drug traffickers and leftists.
He also said the Colombia FTA will provide jobs that will help to turn Colombia away from being a narco-state.
Nice try, Scott. Farming accounts for 22% of employment in Colombia.
The trade agreement eliminates duties on importing Canadian wheat, peas, lentils and barley.
After those farmers go broke trying to compete with Canadian agribiz wheat but before the paramilitaries drive them off their land for the Canadian mining companies, exactly what crop do you think they will be forced to turn to?
The agreement's Chapter 11 style investor's rights allows Canadian mining companies to sue the Colombian government should it ever implement labour or environmental legislation that affects their profits.
MP Claude Guimond, Bloc :
"When asked to adopt mandatory social responsibility standards for Canadian mining companies abroad, the government decided to adopt voluntary standards instead. When asked to create an independent ombudsman who could conduct impartial investigations to validate complaints, the government created the Office of the Extractive Sector Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor, who reports directly to the minister and investigates only if authorized by the mining company."
Well, what could possibly go wrong with that?
Gerald Keddy, Con Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, amusingly referred to this yesterday as "providing leadership internationally in encouraging free trade and open markets and discouraging protectionism."
Stockwell Day, who has started slipping the phrase "pathways to prosperity" into his remarks, tried to rustle up some good news on the lamentable increase in kidnappings, disappearances, and farmers and their families being driven off their land this last year :
"Kidnappings. Do they still happen? Yes, they do. They still happen in Canada, too. Are people still being murdered in that country? Yes, they are. They are still being murdered in Canada also. More than 350,000 internally displaced persons [in Colombia] have now received comprehensive protection and access to basic social services."
Yes, in addition to the worst human rights record in the hemisphere, Colombia has an internal refugee problem second only to Sudan's.
Chris Charlton, NDP labour critic :
"The shocking reality is that, in the event of the murder of a trade unionist in Colombia, labour protection simply means that the Colombian government would have to pay money into a development fund. Kill a trade unionist, pay a fine. Over 2,200 labour activists have been murdered since 1991.
The penalty for killing a trade unionist was capped at $15 million in any one year, paid by the Colombian government into a development fund. To put this into perspective, one year's maximum payment of $15 million equates to $5,628 per trade unionist already killed."
and then she said something I didn't know :
"Only 0.15% of Canadian exports actually go to Colombia"
and quotes Glen Hodgson, VP and chief economist of the Conference Board of Canada :
"Our annual trade with Colombia is about the same level as that with South Dakota and is actually smaller than that with Delaware or Rhode Island. Compared to other markets much closer, Colombia is not really a major player. Eighty per cent of Colombia's imports to Canada are actually duty free already."
This agreement isn't about free trade though, remember, it's about protecting investor's rights.
Diane Bourgeois, Bloc :
"Colombian investment in Canada amounts to $1 million, while Canadian investment in Colombia totals roughly $1.058 billion, which can essentially be attributed to the extractive industry....
Twice during the time I was a member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Development, Canadian companies received funding through CIDA.
They used money distributed through CIDA to get paramilitary staff on the company payroll. That money was used to pay hired guns, not to help the people.
At one point, CIDA disbursed $14,000. That is not a lot of money here, but in Colombia, it might be worth $100,000. TVI used that $14,000 to pay professional soldiers to protect company assets and prevent people from using the only remaining source of drinking water because it had contaminated every other source around the site."
Lee Richardson, Con, responds by telling us that "Canada is a world leader" in "promoting best practices in environmental stewardship" :
"As a member from Alberta, I can say that this is especially true in the resource sector when it comes to environmental stewardship and environmental impact assessments. We can offer a lot to our Colombian partners in terms of expertise and best practices. Indeed, Canadian companies are leaders in corporate social responsibility in minimizing the impact of their activities on the environment."
By now you must think I'm making this up or quoting out of context but sadly, you'd be wrong.
Linda Duncan, NDP, speaking to the 'side agreements' on environmental and labour protections :
"The side agreement is basically non-existent. It is simply paper. There is nothing to it. There are vague references to corporate social responsibility. There is absolutely no recourse. There are no penalties in the side agreement of the Colombia-Canada agreement. I do not think it appropriate that the Government of Canada pass over that responsibility simply to a Canadian investor. Were I a Canadian investor I would not want to have to be fulfilling that complete role."
Paul Szabo was the only Lib to recommend that there might be something wrong here and perhaps the bill ought to go back to committee.
Aside from two pleas for further reassurances, the rest of them kept quiet. I'd like to think they were ashamed.
Bob Rae has said : "The Liberal Party will be supportive of the bill proceeding to committee,"
Nothing from former human rights activist Michael Ignatieff.
Update : And it's shuffled back down in the deck again - for now.
Labels: Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, Colombia, investor's rights, Scott Brison
Syncrude ducks
According to CBC, the tarsands company Syncrude has pleaded not guilty to two charges laid in the deaths of what was originally reported as 500 ducks but later turned out to be over 1,600 ducks in their northern Alberta tailings pond in April 2008.
According to Syncrude's lawyer Robert White, the company is pleading not guilty because it has improved duck deterrence measures used at the site :
"The law has recognized for a long time that when people do their best to avoid something, then that isn't a matter for charges. That's a matter for fix-up."
Ah. So according to Syncrude's "fix-ups" logic if you should fail to avoid blowing someone's head off with a shotgun, then it isn't a matter for charges - it's a matter for taking a firearms class afterwards.
Back in June Syncrude, the world's largest producer of synthetic crude from the tarsands, was threatening to challenge the federal government's constitutional right to charge the company at all. Whether today's 'not guilty' plea is the first step in this constitutional challenge I do not know.
"Fix-ups". For those times when you're just too big busy to pay a possible maximum fine per charge of $500,000.
Labels: 1600 dead ducks, oil bidness, Syncrude
Proud to be a member of that 'left-wing fringe group' called 'women'
Antonia Z writes :
"I'm thinking of making T-shirts: "Proud to be a member of that `left-wing fringe group' called `Women.' "
I woulda put it on a thong for ya too, Zerb, but the letters got all bunched.
She is talking about Steve's unplugged nonsense from Wednesday :
"Instead of subsidizing court challenges, the previous government was doing, subsidizing lawyers to bring forth court challenges by left-wing fringe groups .."
Zerb continues : "Thank you for finally admitting that your government shut down the Court Challenges program in 2006 not just because, as then-Heritage Minister Bev Oda claimed in Parliament, you "recognize the importance of women" but because you believe that that women's rights are "left-wing fringe" rights."
As well as gays, lesbians, persons with a disability ...
The Court Challenges Program (CCP) funded "test-cases initiated by individuals and groups to challenge federal laws and policies that violate their constitutional equality rights."
Yeah, good thing we got rid of that. Since 2006 only the rich can afford to worry about equality.
Anyhow leave me your name to sign onto the virtual t and I'll repost it with more names tomorrow.
And pass it on - I do believe there may still be a couple of women left in Canada in danger of voting for the Conservative Reform Alliance Party coalition.
Update : Antonia Z has a facebook page for Proud to be's and her own t-shirt design.
Check out her blog tomorrow (Sunday) for more.
Sunday night : Final virtual t posted. Thanks to all for your names, your links, your support in getting the word out about Steve's vile petty mean-spirited divisive and undemocratic remarks. Hurray for us. I've thanked you properly at The Beav.
Monday night : Ok, guys, here's your chance. DAMMIT JANET - Go.
10 days later : Thanks to Antonia Z's T-shirt inspiration ten days ago, actual real not virtual Proud to be t-shirts now available as a fundraiser for LEAF.
Posted by Alison at 3:46 pm 25 comments:
Labels: constitutional rights, Court Challenges Program, Feminism, Harper unplugged, Zerbisias
Canada Colombia FTA : How much for the little girl Part 2
The second item on the agenda when parliament resumes on Monday is the second reading of the Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement, Bill C-23.
The Dominion posts that :
"There are strong indications that the Liberal Party are intending to support the bill. We managed to back them off once before - we need to do so again."
and provides email addies of the relevant Lib MPs, including former human rights activist Michael Ignatieff. Go.
This can only pass with Liberal support, the Bloc and NDP are opposed.
Yesterday the US State Department ok'd $32 million that Washington had previously withheld due to human and labour rights abuses, bringing to $545 million the total going to Colombia this fiscal year to fight gangs and drug smugglers buy access to Colombian military facilities.
"A U.N. human rights investigator reported separately in June that soldiers had killed hundreds of innocent civilians, falsely identifying them as guerrillas slain in combat to boost body counts. Officials have vowed to eliminate that practice."
Oh well then.
Of course these 'practices' have been ok with Harper since way back in 2007 :
"When we see a country like Colombia that has decided to address its social, political and economic problems in an integrated way, that wants to embrace democracy and human rights, then we say, 'We're in,' he said."
"We are not going to say fix all your social, political and human rights problems and only then will we engage in trade relations with you. That's a ridiculous position," Harper said.
and at last year's Leaders' Summit :
"if the United States and our allies turn their back on an important ally in this region, that will have long-term security consequences for all of our countries in North America."
Not to mention putting a serious crimp in the planned relaunch of the Free Trade Area of the Americas Plan B, aka "Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas".
Two days till C-23 hits parliament. Send a freakin letter to the Libs now. GO.
And I suppose you could also drop a note to Steve :
How much for the little girl?
Update : Pogge's letter :
To: IgnatM@parl.gc.ca, RaeB@parl.gc.ca, MinnaM@parl.gc.ca, CanniJ@parl.gc.ca, BrisoS@parl.gc.ca, SilvaM@parl.gc.ca
Dear Honorable Members:
The Conservative government has placed Bill C-23, the legislation to implement the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, on the order paper for this Monday the 14th of September. As I'm sure you are all aware, the Parliamentary Committee on International Trade has recommended that this legislation not be implemented until an objective third party does a thorough assessment on the human rights record of the Alvaro Uribe government which, by many accounts, has the worst human rights record in the western hemisphere.
I would ask that you please honour the recommendation of the committee and vote no on Bill C-23.
I'm betting Pogge wouldn't mind if you sampled it.
Labels: Bill C-23, Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, Colombia, human rights, Ignatieff, Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas
The two-tier Tories
First there was Harper's support for two-tier health care.
Then there was the two-tier torture awareness program , and his more recent enthusiasm for two-tier Canadian citizenship.
And now? A two-tier cap-and-trade climate policy :
New climate plan would favour oil sands
"Ottawa is eyeing a climate change plan that would allow Alberta's oil sands to continue growing – and polluting – but would clamp down on industries in the rest of the country, multiple sources have told the Toronto Star.
Conservatives intend to put a cap on the emissions from Ontario's manufacturing sector and other polluting industries across Canada, while letting oil and gas companies meet less stringent intensity targets which allow output, and pollution, to increase."
Because, what the hay - we're only 30% over our 2012 targets at the moment.
Somehow these guys never venture too far off the front porch of their firewall letter.
Labels: firewall letter, Harper, HarperCons, oil bidness, tarsands
Eight years after 9/11
"General Stanley McChrystal tried to contact his subordinates after a Nato strike killed 125/100/70 civilians, but too many had been "partying it up" and could not be raised.
General McChrystal, head of International Forces in Afghanistan (Isaf), has since put a stop to drinking, admonishing staff for not having "their heads in the right place" on Friday morning a few hours after the attack, the Times reports.
One insider said: "Thursday nights are the big party nights, because Friday's a 'low-ops' day"
Mercenaries in Kabul : From Animal House to Apocalypse Now
"The charity group Swedish Committee for Afghanistan expressed outrage today in reporting a US attack on a remote hospital being operated by the group. The troops burst in to the hospital without explanation and conducted a full and rather violent search of the facility.
The troops reportedly tied up several employees and the family of some of the patients, ordered the bed-ridden patients out of their rooms and smashed down several doors."
ICC prosecutor eyes possible Afghanistan war crimes
"The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said on Wednesday that he was gathering information about possible war crimes committed by NATO soldiers and insurgents in Afghanistan.
"What we are trying to assess is ... different types of allegations, including massive attacks, collateral damage exceeding what is considered proper, and torture," he said"
US Increasing Force Size in Iraq by Adding Contractors
"A report by Raw Story's John Byrne notes that despite President Obama's pledge with withdraw troops from Iraq, the overall force size is actually increasing in recent months, as thousands of new private contractors are being brought in.
This is adding to concern that while the US is pretending to "stand down" in Iraq, it is actually still as active as ever and is just using contractors to do the jobs that were previously done by the American troops. This puts the whole pullout in a different light."
Haroon Siddiqui : Eight years after 9/11, we know that:
"The war on terror spawned infinitely more terrorism worldwide than there was before this war.
The war on Iraq was launched even though the U.S. – contrary to its public assertions – knew that Saddam Hussein had no WMDs and no links to Al Qaeda.
The war on Afghanistan has been going downhill ever since the mission of toppling the Taliban, hosts to the plotters of the Sept. 11 massacre, was swiftly accomplished in November 2001.
The two wars cost the U.S. 5,000 lives and $1 trillion. The Afghan war, which has lasted 50 per cent longer than the American involvement in the two world wars combined, has cost Canada 130 lives and about $15 billion.
NATO does not care enough about Iraqis and Afghans to count their dead. It is estimated that perhaps 1 million Iraqi civilians have been killed, and 4 million displaced. As for the Afghan dead, injured and displaced, there aren't even credible estimates."
Continued ...
Labels: 9/11, Afghanistan, civilian deaths, Iraq, privatizing war, war criminals, war is a racket
The fuzzy blue sweater comes off...
"Let me be clear about this - we need to win a majority in the next election campaign.
If we do not win a majority, this country will have a Liberal government propped up by the socialists and the separatists. If they get together and force us to the polls, we have to teach them a lesson and get back there with a majority and make sure their little coalition never happens."
At least he didn't say "Let me be perfectly clear" this time ...
h/t Impolitical for the vid
Labels: election, Stephen Harper
Happy International Literacy Day!
The interactive Prose Literacy Map from the Canadian Council on Learning is based on the 2006 Census and a 2003 StatsCan International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey.
Prose literacy is defined as "the knowledge and skills needed to understand and use information from texts including editorials, news stories, brochures and instruction manuals."
and, presumably, election brochures. This is about comprehension in either of Canada's two official languages, not spelling or grammar or smarts - a point missed by many commenters under this CBC article.
Level 3 is "the minimum threshold for coping with the demands of the global knowledge-based economy". Lower rates of literacy, represented by light orange through red on the map, show the proportion of the population in each region that scored at Level 2 or lower. Or about half of us.
Posted by Alison at 11:23 pm 1 comment:
Labels: literacy
.ArmorGroup mercenaries in charge of security at the US embassy in Kabul :
"dancing naked around a fire, licking each others nipples and grabbing each others testicles, sex acts, peeing on each other, vodka shots from butt cracks, eating potato chips from clenched buttocks..."
Well, boyz will be boyz, stress of the mission and all that, leading directly to :
"hazing, weekly ritual humiliation, forced by their supervisors to take part in the demeaning sex games. Anyone who refused to take part in the games was ridiculed, humiliated, demoted or even fired. Those who took part were rewarded with better shifts and postings."
and sexual predation and intimidation of Afghan employees :
"An Afghan national who works in the dining hall at Camp Sullivan submitted a signed statement to the POGO [US Project On Government Oversight] in which he described how a guard had grabbed him and said: "You are very good for fucking." The man was accompanied by four other men and all were only wearing short underwear and carrying bottles of alcohol. The man said he was too afraid of them to say anything."
"The climate of fear and coercion" according to the US Project on Government Oversight, has led to "complete distrust of leadership and a breakdown of the chain of command, compromising security."
As in the "cowboy mission" - complete with weapons and night-vision goggles - leaving embassy staff "largely night-blind" in the event of an emergency:
In May, 18 guards, who are not trained for such missions, dressed up as mujahedin fighters and went out on unauthorised night-time military operations in the Afghan capital. The guards are said to have photographed themselves taking part in the "undercover" operation, later posting the images online.
"They were living out some sort of delusion," one of the whistleblower guards told The Washington Post.
The report reveals that, instead of taking action against the guards involved, ArmorGroup North America gave them a mocked-up citation which improperly bore the seal of the US State Department and praised them for their "intrepidity".
ArmorGroup North America has been protecting almost 1,000 US diplomats and Kabul embassy personnel. The 450 security personnel assigned to the embassy, including Canadians, all live at Camp Sullivan, where the sex parties took place. "
At a Senate hearing on waste, fraud and abuse by ArmorGroup in June, senator Claire McCaskill asked in exasperation: "Is this the best we can do?"
The [POGO] report accuses the State Department of being complicit in the problems, citing numerous letters in which the agency expressed concerns about security deficiencies at the American mission in Kabul and threatened to terminate ArmorGroup's contract. Yet in sworn testimony to Congress, the report said, department officials said the problems had been fixed.
The State Department renewed the company's contract, worth $180 million a year, through July 2010.
30 supervisors and guards are alleged to have been the instigators of the sex parties, hazing, and cowboy mission.
The State Department has demanded that the security guards in the photos be fired.
ArmorGroup has fired eight and two have resigned. Their identities are being witheld.
The Guardian : Guards gone wild :
"As of 30 June, there were nearly 74,000 military contractors – including 5,165 armed private security guards – in Afghanistan, far outnumbering the roughly 58,000 US troops in the country.
Privatised war: It gives those in power an easy way to circumvent traditional democratic processes. They can escalate war under the radar with far less interference from the public.
Hiring additional contractors in Afghanistan – the vast majority of whom are local nationals or citizens from other poor countries – simply doesn't generate the headlines that sending more US troops does. Moreover, contractor deaths are not counted in any official tally of casualties, which ultimately serves to slow the growth of public opposition to the war."
The Star's appallingly etiolated coverage :
U.S. embassy in Afghanistan cuts out booze :
"Private guards accused of wild partying, hazing
Photos were released of guards and supervisors in various stages of nudity at parties flowing with booze."
is the reason for this post.
Labels: Afghanistan, mercenaries, privatizing war, sexual predation, war is a racket
Canada to stage Afghan war porn attack in Washington
G&M : Canada to stage mock Afghan attack in Washington
"The Canadian embassy in Washington plans to build a faux Afghan village in the embassy courtyard, populated by Afghan actors, and set of fake IEDs, in an effort to show American opinion makers they're doing all they can to win the war in Afghanistan.
The Taliban will attack an Afghan village set up in the heart of Washington courtesy of the Canadian Forces, who will send in a medic in a dramatic effort to save a civilian crippled by the explosion.
At least four times over two days this month, simulated IED blasts will bring the Afghan war – and Canada's combat role in Kandahar – home to Americans if an elaborate scheme based on modern training realism attracts widespread attention, as is hoped."
Meanwhile, in the real world, same paper, same day :
Afghan officials say 90 dead in NATO air strike
"An American war jet blasted two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing up to 90 people, including insurgents and dozens of civilians who had rushed to the scene to collect fuel, Afghan officials said.
NATO officials initially insisted that there were no civilians in the area when the attack occurred about 2:30 a.m., but alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen later acknowledged some civilians may have died."
Update : After reading in the Globe and Mail about the Canadian embassy's plan to stage mock explosions in downtown Washington DC, DefMin Peter MacKay put the kibosh on it, perhaps due to two other recent ill-advised WTF? warporn exercises:
On 9/11 this year, a US Coast exercise involving mock firing on an intruding speedboat on the Potomac coincided with President Barack Obama heading across the river to mark the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks:
"The Coast Guard exercise so rattled other security agencies that nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport was briefly closed and high-level officials spent much of the day apologizing and explaining to a rattled public.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was said to be incensed that the Coast Guard planned a mock attack, including reports of shots being fired, on 9/11.
That brouhaha echoed another military embarrassment earlier this summer when Air Force One – the Boeing 747 the carries the president – flew low over Manhattan pursued by a pair of U.S. airplanes, all for a photo opportunity.
Nervous New Yorkers fearing another attack were enraged, and the White House
apologized."
Seriously, WTF?
Labels: Afghanistan, civilian deaths, sucking up to the US, warporn
On crying wolf
Last September Harper broke his own rules to trigger an election in the fond hope of being returned with a majority, and he did so to the almost universal acclamation of our national media.
A year later we have Iggy threatening to bring Harper down at the first available opportunity.
How are the major newsies doin' with that?
Liberals only engaged in political opportunism
It's all about vanity
What's a billion wasted among friends?
NDP, Bloc might save us from Ignatieff's folly
He couldn't have picked a worse time
Ignatieff's election blunder
Ignatieff will lose if he can't justify trip to polls
Is Michael Ignatieff afraid of being called a wimp?
The Liberal leader who cried wolf
Ok, you get the general idea. Apparently most of our print pundits are again lining up in the considerable shade of concentrated media ownership under Harper's fat arse, and even the more neutral among them are arguing that this election call is a huge blunder on Iggy's part because there is no single burning issue for the voting public to rally around.
Meanwhile the rest of us are looking at the incremental dismemberment of our country.
That last headline - The Liberal leader who cried wolf. Iggy has cried wolf a half dozen times to date and the villagers are rightly pissed at him for this, but in the end of Aesop's fable, the sheep still get eaten by the wolf.
Labels: election, Harper, Ignatieff, media bias
Iggy and ... not Steve?
Well who the hell knows? Happy Groundhog Day.
The Star :
"The Liberals will no longer help prop up Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, paving the way for a fall election if the other opposition parties also vote no confidence in the Conservatives.
"Mr. Harper, your time is up," Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said in a speech to troops today. "The Liberal party cannot support this government any further."
Meanwhile Steve actually muttered darkly about "bad things happening to this country if there's an election", while NDP MP Thomas Mulcair hinted the NDP might support the Cons "if Stephen Harper comes into Parliament with a willingness to work in the public interest, then we're going to take it on a case-by-case basis. Our caucus will decide."
Wankers.
Reasons to have an election :
The war on Afghanistan, the Cadman tapes, the in and out scheme, attacks on Canadian wheat board, Naftagate, dirty tricks manual, dissing Kyoto accord, gutting public service, cancelling Court Challenges Act, Omar Khadr, Toronto 18/Paintball 11, nuclear watchdog fired, listeriosis mismanagement, C-484, AIDs conference snub, arts and culture funding cuts, Status of Women gutted, war resistors deported, war branding for Olympics, softwood lumber deal, attack on Insite, cuts to mad cow testing, NorthComm pact, deregulating Canada Post, two-tier healthcare push, Abdelrazik, tar sands, ethanol grants to agribiz, extraordinary rendition, Afghan prisoners tortured, refusal to protect lakes, Lougheed Martin census, obstructing HoC committees, conditions on FN reserves, mail-outs from defeated Con candidates, rewriting/deleting research on government websites, Colombia free trade deal, Canada First - not, copycat crime bill, militarization of arctic, Bill C-537, Bill C-10, NACC, Server in the Sky, Canada-Israel homeland security pact, government scientists muzzled/fired, support for Guantanamo, RCMP whitewash, TILMA, Chalk River, no-fly list, biometric passports, CIA access to banking records, Benamar Benatta, North American Forum, red fridays, Bali conference, Commonwealth climate change talks, undermining nuclear disarmament, Question Period a shambles, Independent Panel on Canada's Mission in Afghanistan, war on drugs, lowering pesticide standards, Montebello, deep integration meeting in Banff, "staying the course" in Haiti, DND funding in universities, 600 Canadian companies gone to foreign ownership, support for Wolfowitz at World Bank, Smart Borders, dissing Louise Arbor, P-3 security forces in Afghanistan, attacks on Dion for having a French mother, faking up law and order hysteria, nukes in the tarsands, Accountability Act, UN vote against Palestinian women, Suaad Mohamud, stacking the Senate, dead wrong on economy, Adult Learning and Literacy Program - eliminated, Health Canada- $28M reduction, Medical Marijuana Research Program- eliminated, Law Commission of Canada - eliminated, Museum Assistance Program - funding cut, One Tonne Challenge - 40% budget cut, Stats Can- budget reduced, Status of Women policy research and lobbying - banned, CMHC - funding reduction, Canadian Heritage Centre - eliminated, Canadian Volunteerism Initiative - eliminated, Canadian Labour Business Centre - eliminated, Canadian Policy Research Network - eliminated, Community Access Program - eliminated, privatization of airline safety, sale of federal buildings, isotope "crisis", GHG "intensity targets", Clean Air Act, reversals on aid to Africa, blocking access to public documents, revolving door between Con polis and industry front groups, tacit support for coup in Honduras, prominence of Mike Harris MPs in Harper cabinet, muzzling Con MPs and candidates, gutting the CBC, rewriting foreign policy by banning certain words, and enthusiastic and unstinting support for deep integration with the US.
Labels: election, Iggy and Steve
MediaWatch : The Vancouver Sun and the Fraser Inst...
Abdelrazik sues Ottawa and Lawrence Cannon for $27...
Poll : Do you think the war in Afghanistan is winn...
Canadian military aware of children being ass-rape...
Proud to be a member of that 'left-wing fringe gro...
Canada Colombia FTA : How much for the little girl...
Mercenaries in Kabul : From Animal House to Apocal...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Moose Tracks... Ideal log cabin for your Gatlinburg honeymoon in Tn or just a romantic Gatlinburg mountain getaway that you will want to return to time and time again.
This luxury log cabins mountain theme includes 3 levels of luxury and entertainment for your romantic Gatlinburg mountain getaway. The main level boasts a comfortable living area with cathedral ceilings, exposed beams, a gas log fireplace and a huge wrap around deck with hot tub that enjoys beautiful views of the Smokies.
The over sized master suite is perfect for your Gatlinburg honeymoon or romantic Gatlinburg mountain getaway. It encompasses the entire upper level with its own bath, computer desk and catwalk to private covered balcony that enjoys the view.
The lower level includes the rec. room with pool table and a dry sauna and shower, sitting area and another outdoor balcony.
In addition to 2 full baths, there is a slate shower on the lower level that you will enjoy when coming out of the sauna.
Winter months may require 4 wheel drive and/or snow chains. Roads are all paved and well maintained, but they are mountain roads. Travel insurance is a available at booking for an addtional fee and it does cover inclement weather.
We were only there for 2 nights, but the cabin was clean and comfy! It was a mini honeymoon before we go to Jamaica and it was wonderful! I will definitely stay there again! Absolutely loved the pool table and hot tub!
The cabin was peaceful and relaxing. Close enough to the city but not to close.
Great location, nice cabin, exactly as advertised.
We walked in and were STUNNED by your cabin! Everything was so clean and well stocked with amenities. The spaces were much larger than we expected and the bed was very comfortable. The hot tub was already on and hot when we arrived. The views were stunning, especially as the sun set. We will absolutely recommend this place to anyone coming to Gatlinburg and I'm sure we will be back ourselves!
Thank you! We are so glad you enjoyed your stay in our cabin and we look forward to your next visit!
perfect spot for visit to the Smokies!
Great location, beautiful views and lovely place. We would definitely return!!
The privacy was awesome! Very relaxing. Beautiful cabin.
Located in prestigious Chalet Village and surrounded by the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Club house access with pools and tennis courts. Just minutes to downtown Gatlinburg, the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort, Action Packed Pigeon Forge and Dollywood.
No arrivals or departures on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Roads are paved and well maintained however they are mountain roads and in the event of snow you will need a 4 wheel drive.


If you are going to the MacTech Conference this year, you should check out the Workshops that are being offered on November 5th, the day before the Conference starts. These Workshops are designed to prepare you for and then complete a certification/accreditation or give you an in-depth look at a specific topic.
For Certification/Accreditation, if you are interested in getting an Apple Certification (IT, Pro Apps or Hardware), there is the Apple Certification Exams workshop. This workshop will help you prepare for the Apple Certification that you are interested in. Also available is the Office for Mac Accreditation, which is free but has a limited number of seats. These Certification sessions are scheduled so that you can do both the Apple Exams and Office for Mac Accreditation in the same day. If you have been meaning to get that Apple Certification but have been holding off, do not delay any longer and take advantage of this workshop.
If you would like to learn more about automation and scripting, The Automation Mindset: Scripting, Command Line and More covers this topic in depth and gives you the opportunity for personalized help on the topic. If you have always wanted to build automation for your environment but have never had the time or have gotten hung up on a specific concept or practice in the past, than this session would be invaluable for you. This session covers Automator, Applescript and Xcode. This is a great chance to get your feet wet with automation on OS X.
Another session that is of specific interest to Mac Admins would be the iOS Mobility Solutions workshop. Many environments have been ignoring iOS and hoping that the devices will go away over time, but it is clear that this is not the case. iOS devices will only multiply in the enterprise environment, so learning how to deploy and manage them is a necessary skill. This workshop will walk you through every aspect of deploying and managing iOS devices so that you can take these skills back to your environment and get those iOS devices under control.
If you are of the developer persuasion, there are also two workshops that would be of great interest. Firstly there is the iOS Development 101 workshop for people who are new to coding for iOS or anyone who wants to refine their foundational iOS skills. This session covers various iOS specific topics and will give you a kickstart to any iOS development project you may have in mind. Another Developer focused Workshop is on Adding iCloud Syncing to your App. iCloud syncing can be a mysterious and difficult feature to implement according to Apple's guidelines…but it doesn't have to be. Check out this session if you would like to implement iCloud syncing in your app but are not quite sure where to start.
Space is limited, so jump over to the Pre-Conference Workshop page and get registered as soon as you can.
the forums won't allow new topics to be created… it errors out stating that the topic subject field can't be blank, yet i've filled it out.
look at the forums "freshness" column. nothing has been updated in many months so I suspect it's forum-wide.