Even the old Liberal guard dog has now infused himself into a debate that has NO basis in reality. Quebec has not called a Referendum. No Referendum is on the horizon ... and yet... the MSM, Liberal bloggers and now even Chretien himself have tried to whip the nation into a fearful frenzy over national unity.
Jane Taber and the Globe and Mail agree! "So much for doing politics differently. The new, muscular NDP is throwing its weight around at the expense of the Liberals."
Excuse me Jane, curbing Liberal entitlement IS doing politics differently!
Big City Lib predicts that the current parliamentary formula of (Conservative Gov't + NDP Official Opposition = BOOM!!!). Since it is the stated intent of the Harper admin to end the Canadian Wheat Board's mandate by legislation, expect a very big 'BOOM'.
To date, the Liberal Party of Canada and its Federal Caucus has protected and defended the Canadian Wheat Board. Where I am unclear is what Liberal House policy will be in the new Parliament.
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Nadal then entered the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, where he had finished runner-up the previous year. Being one of the top eight seeds, he received a bye in the first round. In the second round, he defeated qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr in straight sets. He then played the six-foot-nine-inch American John Isner. Nadal comfortably came through in straight sets, 7–5, 6–4. He defeated Gaël Monfils in the quarterfinals 6–1, 6–3 and his countryman Nicolás Almagro in the next round, who was playing in his first Masters 1000 semifinal, 4–6, 6–2, 6–2. The first set of his match against Almagro would be just the second set he lost on clay up to this point in 2010. Nadal then defeated longtime rival Roger Federer 6–4, 7–6(5), avenging his 2009 finals loss to Federer. The win gave him his 18th Masters title, breaking the all-time record. He became the first player to win all three clay-court Masters titles in a single year and the first player to win three consecutive Masters events. Nadal moved back to No. 2 the following day. Entering the French Open, many were expecting another Nadal-Federer final. However, this became impossible when rival Robin Söderling defeated Federer 3–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 in the quarterfinals.[82] The failure of Federer to reach the semifinals allowed Nadal to regain the world No. 1 ranking if he were to win the tournament. Nadal advanced to the final and defeated Soderling 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 to win the French Open. The win gave Nadal his seventh Grand Slam, tying him with John McEnroe, John Newcombe, and Mats Wilander on the all-time list, and allowed Nadal to reclaim the position of world No. 1, denying his biggest rival Roger Federer the all-time record for weeks at No. 1.[83][84] By this win, Nadal became the first man to win the three Masters series on clay and the French Open. This was dubbed by the media as the "Clay Slam". This victory at Roland Garros marked the second time (2008) that Nadal had won the French Open without dropping a single set (tying the record held by Björn Borg). With the win in Paris he also booked his place at the World Tour Finals in London and became the first player to win five French Open titles in six years.
In June, Nadal entered the AEGON Championships, which he had won in 2008, at the prestigious Queen's Club. He played singles and doubles at this grass court tournament as a warmup for Wimbledon. Being one of the top eight seeds, he received a bye in the first round. In the second round, where he played his first match on grass since winning Wimbledon 2008, he defeated Marcos Daniel easily, 6–2, 6–2. In the third round, he played Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, whom he defeated 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–4, to advance to the quarterfinals. However, he was defeated by compatriot Feliciano López 6–7(5), 4–6 rafael nadal rafael nadal trofy cup rafael nadal Nadal reached the semifinals in singles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he was the defending champion; however, eventual champion Ivan Ljubičić defeated him in three sets.He and countryman López won the doubles title, though, as wildcard entrants against number one seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjić.This boosted his doubles ranking 175 places[78] to world number 66, whereas he was 241st before Indian Wells.After Indian Wells, Nadal reached the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open, where he lost to eventual champion Andy Roddick in three sets.
Nadal reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monaco, after beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6–3, 6–2 in the semifinals. This was Nadal's first tour final since Doha earlier in the year. He won the final 6–0, 6–1 over his compatriot Fernando Verdasco. He lost 14 games throughout all five matches, the fewest he had ever lost en route to a championship, and the final was the shortest Masters 1000 final in terms of games. With this win, Nadal became the first player in the open era to win a tournament title for six straight years.
Unlike in previous years, Nadal next chose to skip the Barcelona tournament (despite being that event's five-time defending champion), and his next tournament was the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. He defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber, Victor Hănescu, and Stanlias Wawrinka, all in straight sets, to win his 57th straight match in April. In the semis, he faced a resilient Ernests Gulbis, who defeated Roger Federer earlier in the tournament and took Nadal to three sets for the first time this clay-court season. Nadal eventually prevailed with a 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 in 2 hours and 40minutes. He then defeated compatriot David Ferrer in the final 7–5, 6–2 for his fifth title at Rome to equal Andre Agassi's record of winning 17 ATP Masters titles. Nadal began the year by participating in the Capitala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He defeated compatriot David Ferrer 7–6(3), 6–3 to reach his second final in the exhibition tournament. In the final, Nadal defeated Robin Söderling 7–6(3), 7–5.[72]
Nadal participated in an Australian Open warm-up tournament, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open ATP 250 event in Doha, where he lost in the finals.[73] He defeated Simone Bolelli of Italy 6–3, 6–3 in the first round, and in the second round, Nadal defeated Potito Starace 6–2, 6–2. Nadal's progress continued in the quarterfinals when he was up 6–1, 2–0 against Steve Darcis of Belgium, who eventually retired from the match. He defeated fifth seed Viktor Troicki 6–1, 6–3, winning 11 straight games in the semifinals. Nadal lost to Nikolay Davydenko 6–0, 6–7(8), 4–6 in the finals, despite dominating in the opening set and holding two match points in the second set.Davydenko also defeated Roger Federer in the semifinals before advancing to the finals.
In the first round of the Australian Open, Nadal defeated Peter Luczak of Australia 7–6(0), 6–1, 6–4. In the second round, he beat Lukáš Lacko 6–2, 6–2, 6–2. In the third round, he was tested by Philipp Kohlschreiber, finally beating him 6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 7–5. In the fourth round, he beat Ivo Karlović of Croatia, 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4.[74] In the quarterfinals, Nadal pulled out at 3–0 down in the third set against Andy Murray, having lost the first two sets 6–3, 7–6(2).[75] After examining Nadal's knees, doctors told him that he should take two weeks of rest, and then two weeks of rehabilitation.
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From Smalldeadanimals: "It would be interesting for a pollster to find out if there's a growing concern amongst non-Quebecois Canadians about what plans Monsieur Jack Layton has for Quebec over the next four years. In this comprehensive column, Jeff Jedras carefully outlines a number of data points that justify much concern. Here's a snippet:
What they can’t do, however, is try to have it both ways. They can’t tell Quebecers one thing and Canadians another. They can’t say Sherbrooke is their policy but claim support for the Supreme Court opinion and the Clarity Act, because the two aren’t compatible. They need to pick a position, own it and stand by it in all of Canada.
Layton is like a 12 year-old boy playing with firecrackers, except that he's not using his own fingers but rather those of the Canadian public. Fueled purely by his own ego, he's opening up a can of worms that is likely to be more than a little rancid. Do the majority of Canadians really want to spend this next decade dwelling on Quebec sovereignty issues ... yet again?!
One thing's for sure: when this doesn't turn out well, and it won't, Jack will accept NO responsibility for the disastrous results. For that would require character. To quote Dennis Prager, "one of the beautiful things about being on the Left is never having to apologize for anything!" Small Dead Animals
This is what passes as a 'Progressive Blogger' these days from the Right Wing of the Liberal Party of Canada camp. Way to go Jedras! Keep on proving the truth in the old snippet 'Liberal / Tory .. same old story"!
The fine print: For the record, I do acknowledge that there are many, progressive Lib bloggers who do not share the kind of idiotic nonsense that Mr. Jedras and other Right wing Libs do.
"OTTAWA — The federal government has explored hiring a professional public relations firm and organizing trips for international leaders to promote Canada's oilsands industry, while fighting back against foreign climate change policies requiring it to reduce its pollution, a newly released federal document has revealed.
The action plan, prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, also suggested hosting an "annual retreat" of its oilsands advocacy team in London to plan a strategy to help boost the image of the industry that has developed an international reputation, as a result of campaigns launched by environmental groups, for producing "dirty oil."
"Consideration should be given to hiring a professional PR firm to help the Pan European Oil Sands Team further develop and implement a serious public advocacy strategy," said a draft version of a 2010-2011 action plan, released through access to information legislation.
"This has to be very well co-ordinated. The PR firm would play more of an advisory role. Hiring a PR firm would involve incurring a substantial cost." [...]
A spokeswoman from the department was unable to answer questions immediately about whether it had hired a PR firm, or could provide spending estimates on the cost of site visits and the proposed annual retreat of the federal government's oilsands team.
She was also unable to say whether the government was using information from Environment Canada about the impacts of oilsands activity in its public relations strategy or explain why it described BP and Shell as "like-minded allies."
Two weeks after Canada's Election, the New Democrats are experiencing an increase in support with the Conservatives, Liberals and Bloc all slipping. Even the daily, relentless campaign by the MSM to attack NDP MP, Ruth Ellen Brosseau seems to have backfired.
"Over the last two weeks (a total sample of 2,000, all data gathered before the Liberals chose Bob Rae as interim leader) here is what we see:
» The Conservative Party is polling at 38 per cent, down slightly from 39.6 per cent on Election Day.
» The NDP finds 33 per cent support, compared to 30.6 per cent on Election Day.
» The Liberal Party is at 15 per cent, down from an 18.9 per cent result.
» The Bloc is at 22 per cent in Quebec; 23.4 per cent was their total on May 2."
Rookie PC candidate George Lepp says he’s embarrassed that a photo of his family jewels was posted on his campaign Twitter account for about 20 minutes before it was quickly unzipped.
Alan Sakach, communications director for the Ontario Conservatives, said the photo was inadvertently taken by Lepp’s BlackBerry when it was in his front pocket. (Ed Note: HUH? Was his dick in his pocket as well? This explanation is completely ludicrous) The photo was posted after someone took it from the candidate for the riding of Niagara Falls, according to Sakach.
“He is pretty upset and embarrassed,” Sakach said of a photo that was posted on Lepp’s account Sunday. “It was removed as soon as it came to his attention.” The Toronto Sun obtained grainy copies of the Twitter page images before they were removed.
The pictures — too graphic to reproduce in the newspaper — are of a man naked from the waist down, showing a close up of his penis and his crossed legs.
Sakach said the device was operating on camera mode in his front pant pocket when it went missing. He added that Lepp suspects it was taken as he was jostled by protesters outside the Dixon Rd. convention centre where the Tories met for the party’s weekend convention." Toronto Sun
Let's review: -his blackberry was on camera mode in his front pocket. -from the pocket, the blackberry took pictures of his genitals -someone jostled him at a demonstration and must have somehow taken his blackberry -the someone who got his blackberry was able to log onto his campaigns Twitter account and post the pic.
"At the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper thwarted an announcement Friday by the G-8 countries that would have supported U.S. President Barack Obama's statement that talks between the Palestinians and Israel should be based on the 1967 borders with exchanges of territory." Haaretz.com
A mobile telephone or cellular telephone (commonly, "mobile phone" or "cell phone") is a long-range, portable electronic device used for mobile communiction. In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, current mobile phones can support many additional services such as SMS for text mesasaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video. Most current mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base stations (cell sites), which is in turn interconnected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (the exception are satellite phones).
History
The introduction of hexagonal cells for mobile phone base stations, invented in 1947 by Bell Labs engineers at AT&T, was further developed by Bell Labs during the 1960s. Radiophones have a long and varied history going back to the Second World War with military use of radio telephony links and civil services in the 1950s, while hand-held cellular radio devices have been available since 1983. Due to their low establishment costs and rapid deployment, mobile phone networks have since spread rapidly throughout the world, outstripping the growth of fixed telephony. In 1945, the 0G generation of mobile telephones were introduced. 0G mobile telephones, such as Mobile Telephone Service, were not officially categorized as mobile phones, since they did not support the automatic change of channel frequency in the middle of a call, when the user moved from one cell (base station coverage area) to another cell, a feature called "handover".
In 1970 Amos Joel of Bell Labs invented the "call handoff" feature, which allowed a mobile-phone user to travel through several cells during the same conversation. Martin Cooper of Motorola is widely considered to be the inventor of the first practical mobile phone for handheld use in a non-vehicle setting. Using a modern, if somewhat heavy portable handset, Cooper made the first call on a handheld mobile phone on April 3, 1973. At the time he made his call, Cooper was working as Motorola's General Manager of its Communications Division.
Fully automatic cellular networks were first introduced in the early to mid-1980s (the 1G generation). The first fully automatic mobile phone system was the 1981 Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system. Until the early 1990s, most mobile phones were too large to be carried in a jacket pocket, so they were usually permanently installed in vehicles as car phones. With the advance of miniaturization and smaller digital components, mobile phones got smaller and lighter.
Manufacturers
Nokia Corporation is currently the world's largest manufacturer of mobile telephones, with a global market share of approximately 36% in Q1 of 2007.Other mobile phone manufacturers include Audiovox (now UT Starcom), Benefon, BenQ-Siemens, High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC), Fujitsu, Kyocera, 3G, LG Mobile, Motorola, NEC, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric), Pantech Curitel, Philips, Research In Motion, Sagem, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Siemens, Sierra Wireless, SK Teletech, Sony Ericsson, T&A Alcatel,Toshiba, Verizon, and soon to be Apple Inc.. There are also specialist communication systems related to (but distinct from) mobile phones, such as Professional Mobile Radio.
Technology
Mobile phones and the network they operate under vary significantly from provider to provider, and nation to nation. However, all of them communicate through electromagnetic radio waves with a cell site base station, the antennas of which are usually mounted on a tower, pole or building.
The phones have a low-power transceiver that transmits voice and data to the nearest cell sites, usually not more than 5 to 8 miles (approximately 8 to 13 kilometers) away. When the mobile phone or data device is turned on, it registers with the mobile telephone exchange, or switch, with its unique identifiers, and will then be alerted by the mobile switch when there is an incoming telephone call. The handset constantly listens for the strongest signal being received from the surrounding base stations. As the user moves around the network, the mobile device will "handoff" to various cell sites during calls, or while waiting (idle) between calls it will reselect cell sites.
Cell sites have relatively low-power (often only one or two watts) radio transmitters which broadcast their presence and relay communications between the mobile handsets and the switch. The switch in turn connects the call to another subscriber of the same wireless service provider or to the public telephone network, which includes the networks of other wireless carriers. Many of these sites are camouflaged to blend with existing environments, particularly in high-scenery areas.
The dialogue between the handset and the cell site is a stream of digital data that includes digitized audio (except for the first generation analog networks). The technology that achieves this depends on the system which the mobile phone operator has adopted. Some technologies include AMPS for analog, and D-AMPS, CDMA2000, GSM, GPRS, EV-DO, and UMTS for digital communications. Each network operator has a unique radio frequency band.
Quebec blogger, Anthony Di Domizio has published a post on Factchecker that needs to be read by Progressive Bloggers, both New Dems AND Libs:
"Jack Layton is under fire for balking when asked about the NDP’s position toward the Clarity Act. Layton quivered when asked about his party’s position to endorse 50% + 1 a valid majority for a secession referendum. When asked by reporters during the election, Layton referred to the 2005 Sherbrooke Declaration. Here is what it says:
“The New Democratic Party aims to form the government of Canada.”
(This is probably where everybody stopped reading)
“The NDP recognizes Quebec’s right to self-determination, which implies the right of the people of Quebec to decide freely its own political and constitutional future…Therefore the NDP is committed to respect, in all its dealings, the Loi québécoise sur la Consultation populaire (Quebec Referendum Act). Also the NDP would recognize a majority decision (50% + 1) of the Quebec people in the event of a referendum on the political status of Quebec. The NDP recognizes as well that the right to self-determination implies that the Assemblée nationale is able to write a referendum question and that the citizens of Quebec are able to answer it freely…For the NDP, it is necessary to propose a positive vision of the future rather than contribute to polarize the debate.”
The NDP is clearly federalist and clearly respects the verdict that the Quebec people would offer them in a referendum.
Their position is identical to that of all Quebec provincial parties, including Jean Charest’s provincial Liberals.
Everything listed above is consistently federalist. Therefore, anybody implying otherwise (I’m looking at you Andrew Coyne) is misleading their readers. Does the Sherbrooke Declaration support the Clarity Act?
It does not.
“The New Democratic Party recognizes that exercising the right to self-determination is part of a political process. We feel that to formally legalize this process is not useful or necessary.”
They believe no Clarity Act should exist because they believe Quebec has a right to decide, in-house, if it wants to leave.
Jack Layton cannot say his party supports the Clarity Act’s existence with the Sherbrooke Declaration. It is federal law however, but the NDP has said it will support (in the House of Commons) any majority, including 50% + 1 and any question deemed acceptable by the National Assembly. So if it came to a vote, NDP MPs would vote this way.
Funnily enough, the Clarity Act stipulates that a vote of 50% + 1 will determine what the definition of a majority is…
The Clarity Act itself is very unclear as to what constitutes a majority. It stipulates that Parliament will decide what a majority is. Wonderful. Have we had successful referendums in the past? Sort of. Some history!
In 1948, Newfoundland had two referendums on whether or not to join Canada. After not getting the desired result in the first referendum, Joey Smallwood and company ran another one and 52.3% decided to join Canada. This is not a whopping majority and is a rather slim margin, being decided by less than 7 000 votes.
Therefore, a majority of less than 5% is enough to join Canada. But does meet the threshold of a “clear majority”? Who knows! It does meet the NDP criteria as it is above 50%. As for the other parties, there is a lack of…um…clarity. Going after Layton for the right reasons.
The Quebec media have jumped on Layton because he tried to stray away from the long-held NDP position while speaking in English. He balked and dodged the same question NINE times. Everybody had a field day and justifiably so. His position is clear. Jack’s comments earlier this week are not.
I congratulate everybody else for taking 6 years to read the Sherbrooke Declaration. As stated above, we can forgive them for stopping when it said the NDP would take power.
Layton’s position does not harm Canadian unity one iota. He said he will respect the democratic will of Quebecers, just like Canada should recognize the democratic wills of other countries trying to secede as well.
What is harmful to Canada is the notion that if one has a different view then the one in the Clarity Act, that they are against Canada staying together, or that they are playing with fire with regards to Canadian unity. The sovereigntists themselves have already seized on Layton’s balk and are using it to try and drive a wedge.
The last thing Canada needs is a bunch of blowhards like Andrew Coyne telling Quebec what they can and cannot do, misstating facts and puffing out their nationalist chests in an effort to scare people into reading their newspapers. The discourse deserves better." Factchecker
Remember the wars that raged between the Paul Martin and Jean Chretien camps a few years back? After the defeat of the Martin government, Liberals ripped each others eyes out in the leadership race that saw Dion elected Leader. Oops! Bad choice .. okay .. start the leadership process up again and ... voila .. new leader, Michael Ignatieff. The rest is history. The Liberal party of Canada is in the dumper.
Inspired by glam rock artists like David Bowie, Elton John and Queen, as well as pop singers such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, Gaga is well-recognized for her outré sense of style in fashion, in performance and in her music videos. Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous achievements including five Grammy Awards, among twelve nominations; two Guinness World Records; and the estimated sale of fifteen million albums and fifty-one million singles worldwide. Source: Wikipedia
A few quotes from the Gaga:
"I had a boyfriend who told me I’d never succeed, never be nominated for a Grammy, never have a hit song, and that he hoped I’d fail. I said to him, ‘Someday, when we’re not together, you won’t be able to order a cup of coffee at the fucking deli without hearing or seeing me."
"Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore."
"I'm already crazy. I'm a fearless person. I think it creeps up on you. I don't think it can be stopped. If my destiny is to lose my mind because of fame, then that's my destiny. But my passion still means more than anything."
"A girl’s got to use what she’s given and I’m not going to make a guy drool the way a Britney video does. So I take it to extremes. I don’t say I dress sexily on stage - what I do is so extreme. It’s meant to make guys think: ‘I don’t know if this is sexy or just weird."
On May 23, 2011, Lady Gaga was spotted outside her hotel in New York City and posing with her fans.
Here's a big warm cyber welcome to the Huffington Post - Canada edition! Nice to see another progressive voice in Canada. What with Harper's Right wing crap about to hit the fan, progressives will welcome this new voice in Canadian cyberspace.
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page semi-protected Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Part of the Pacific War, World War II Two photos of atomic bomb mushroom clouds, over two Japanese cities in 1945. Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right) Date August 6 and 9, 1945 Location Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan Result Debated; possibly crucial in the surrender of Japan Belligerents United States United States Japan Empire of Japan Units involved 509th Composite Group Casualties and losses none 90,000–166,000 killed in Hiroshima[1] 60,000–80,000 killed in Nagasaki[1] [show]v · d · e Japan campaign [show]v · d · e Pacific War
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945 and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.[2]
For six months before the atomic bombings, the United States intensely fire-bombed 67 Japanese cities. Together with the United Kingdom and the Republic of China, the United States called for a surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945. The Japanese government ignored this ultimatum. By executive order of President Harry S. Truman, the U.S. dropped the nuclear weapon "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima on Monday, August 6, 1945,[3][4] followed by the detonation of "Fat Man" over Nagasaki on August 9.
Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki,[1] with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day. The Hiroshima prefectural health department estimates that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. In a US estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20–30% from flash burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by illness.[5] In both cities, most of the dead were civilians.[6][7][8]
Six days after the detonation over Nagasaki, on August 15, Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Powers, signing the Instrument of Surrender on September 2, officially ending the Pacific War and therefore World War II. Germany had signed its Instrument of Surrender on May 7, ending the war in Europe. The bombings led, in part, to post-war Japan's adopting Three Non-Nuclear Principles, forbidding the nation from nuclear armament.[9] The role of the bombings in Japan's surrender and the U.S.'s ethical justification for them, as well as their strategic importance, is still debated.
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