Before his last hearing Wednesday, Nadarkhani had been given three previous changes to repent, and all three times he has refused. After his final refusal Wednesday, No verdict has been announced, but many expect that he could be put to death as soon as Friday…
There were rumors on Wednesday night that Nadarkhani’s execution sentence was to be waived after the final trial, but contradicting reports indicate that the news was incorrect.
“We’ve had some reports that there has been a verbal announcement from the court in Iran that the sentence is annulled but we urge caution,” said Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a religious group campaigning for Nadarkhani’s release…
Even if the sentence were commuted, Nadarkhani could still face life in prison. And even if he were released, there would still be danger.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Savages
The Religion of Savages:
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
F-35 Shadow Boxing
Compare the Harper PMO's dodgy approach to the F-35, with the open and frank approach taken by Norway:
Norway’s Kongsberg has warned that the country needs a commitment from the US government within six months to integrate a national-specific missile on the Lockheed Martin F-35, or it could withdraw from the programme.
So far, Norway has received no assurance that the Kongsberg joint strike missile (JSM) [more here] will be integrated as part of the Block 4 software update on the F-35 in 2019.
The absence of such a commitment could prompt the Norwegian parliament to reject an expected request early next year from the nation’s defence ministry to buy the first four F-35s, in order to launch training activities in 2016…
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Harper Fires One Over America's Bow ...
... and Italy's, and Spain's, and China's, and ...
“Without key countries taking systemically appropriate and coordinated economic measures, without resistance to protectionism and acceptance of more flexible exchange rates, without fiscal consolidation [and] without a commitment by governments to cut rising deficits and reduce what are, in some cases, dangerous levels of national indebtedness – without things such as these, we will not avoid a recession,” Mr. Harper said in his speech in the House of Commons.And so, socialist Shangri-la dies.
[...]
Cameron said that he and Harper share the same analysis about the root cause of the current economic problems and the best way to fix them.
“The world is recovering from a once-in-70-years financial crisis and is suffering from debts not seen in decades. This is not a traditional, cyclical recession. It’s a debt crisis.”
When Comments Threads Outshine the Post
One entertaining thing about the internet is that often mundane articles produce anything but, mundane, comments threads. It's often where the Proles get to vent ... and vent they do.
Case in point: Readers take The First Lady to the woodshed:
Case in point: Readers take The First Lady to the woodshed:
The American taxpayers are very happy to accomodate you and your husband on this "date night". Are we picking up the tab for the babysitter as well?Context
[...]
TMI Moochele. Do Americans really need to know fundraising is your foreplay?
Yuck!
[...]
The Obama "date night" that most American's are looking forward to is in 2012.
[...]
People are taking "staycations" because of the economy. Michelle can't keep her fat booty in the country...off to Spain, Africa, etc. Her and her husband are totally clueless.
You Elected Chicago
... what did you expect?
Be sure to wade through the following piece by Malkin, and follow the links provided. Even our favorite dirt-bag, Soros, does a cameo:
Be sure to wade through the following piece by Malkin, and follow the links provided. Even our favorite dirt-bag, Soros, does a cameo:
While Falcone and his P.R. team take to the airwaves, I took more than “5 freaking minutes to do some diligence” and did a little more digging. My syndicated column below goes over the latest developments and basic facts since The Daily Beat’s Eli Lake first reported Gen. Shelton’s bombshell disclosures about the White House’s testimony-meddling.
But there’s much more.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Muslim Cannibalism
... Gandalf gets the scimitar:
ht
A Saudi Arabian ministry statement carried by the state news agency, SPA, stated that Abdul Hamid al-Fakki “practiced witchcraft and sorcery,” which are illegal under Saudi Arabia’s Islamic sharia law. Al-Fakki was beheaded in the western city of Medina on Monday, the interior ministry announced.Savages? Oh yes.
In October last year, Amnesty International said it had appealed to King Abdullah in a letter to commute Fakki’s death sentence.
His execution brings to 42 the number of people beheaded in Saudi Arabia this year, according to an AFP tally based on official and human rights group reports.
ht
The Harper Government Steps Up
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird plans to discuss with Saudi Arabian officials their attempts to stop Canadian broadcasters from airing an advertisement that depicts desert oil as unethical, QMI Agency has learned.Good Job.
"We are proud that unlike many countries, the press and third-party organizations are free to speak their minds in reporting and advertising in our country and we will defend their right to do so," Baird's spokesman Chris Day said in an e-mail from New York.
Playing Hide and Seek with Global Warming
Foster:
This latest study may thus have resolved Dr. Trenberth’s “travesty,” at least to his own satisfaction, but the travesty of the IPCC process — and the economic policy destruction for which it provides the justification — remains outstanding.Gunter:
What’s more, this latest release clearly shows that many of the world’s leading climate scientists have suspected for some time that the Earth was not warming as fast as predicted. However, almost none of them have admitted that uncertainty publicly. Why? Were they afraid we’d stop listening to their alarmist warnings if they admitted the planet wasn’t warming as much or as quickly as they worried?...utter and complete corruption.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Remember Jack Layton's Taliban Peace Talks
... here's how they went down in Kabul:
The Taliban have claimed credit for today's suicide attack in Kabul that killed Burhanuddin Rabbani, the chief of the Afghan High Peace Council and former president of Afghanistan. The suicide bomber killed Rabbani in his home and seriously wounded Masoom Stanekzai, the peace council's secretary, after detonating an explosive device that was hidden in his turban.Update: About Rabbani
"A Taliban member who went to Rabbani's house for peace talks detonated a bomb hidden in his turban," a statement released by the Kabul police chief's office said, according to Reuters. The suicide bomber had not been searched by security forces prior to entering Rabbani's home, as a sign of trust.
[...]
"As soon as Rabbani came three steps forward to hug Mohammad Masoom, he triggered his explosive-filled jacket killing Rabbani, (another) Taliban militant Wahid Yar and four security guards present at the house," he told Reuters.
Only he, the grand old man of the Afghan warlord bloc, could lend even the semblance of credibility to the enterprise. To Afghan democrats, only Rabbani could be counted on to provide a brake on a total capitulation to the forces of the one-eyed Taliban godfather Mullah Omar, the mass-murderer Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the sociopathic Siraj Haqqani and their benefactors in Pakistan's Interservices Intelligence Agency.
There is No Global Warming ...
... in the shade:
Oh dear, now we have three peer reviewed papers (Lindzen and Choi, Spencer and Braswell, and now Richard P. Allan) based on observations that show a net negative feedback for clouds, and a strong one at that. What will Trenberth and Dessler do next? Maybe the editor of Meteorological Applications can be persuaded to commit professional suicide and resign? The key paragraph from the new paper:
How Can I Grow My Business
... and hire as few people as possible:
... what you don't see is the jobs they destroy (through simulus) to create jobs [...] so on balance the country is poorer ...
F-35 Death Spiral
It's been called a death spiral," said Norm Augustine, a former chief executive at Lockheed Martin. "When you start a program with the intention of buying 1,000 airplanes and you wind up buying 100 -- and your plans call for building six a month, and you wind up building six a year -- the costs just go out of sight," he said.In a flat spin ... let's see if they can get it out.
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Greatest Accomplishment of the EU
... unifying the peoples of Europe ... in a sense:
But this piece does make another point. Ordinary German people are just as fed up with the EU and their unaccountable political élites as are we. Temperamentally, they are our allies. And that rather reflects the one unarguable success of the EU. It has managed to transcend the trauma of the last World War and unite the peoples of Europe ... in their hatred of the EU.
Killing the Beast is Hard
Expect the Global Warming industry to try every trick the book to keep the billions flowing ... taxpayer billions, by the way.
Even when caught out again and again, it's the fraud that just won't end:
Even when caught out again and again, it's the fraud that just won't end:
“There is to our knowledge no support for this claim in the published scientific literature.”
Courage
Indonesia:
Scores of women and children wearing colorful miniskirts and tight leggings gathered in central Jakarta on Sunday, outraged by a public official's comments that provocatively dressed women are to blame for sexual assaults.Meanwhile back in Progressia, those who fashion themselves as leaders in gender equality are too busy churning tax payer grants to even take notice ... and when they do, it comes out like this.
The protest was in response to remarks by the Indonesian capital city's governor Fauzi Bowo, who said on Friday that women must not wear revealing clothes to avoid being raped or victimized.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Is Harper About to Kill the Blue Beret Farce
But for the Harper government, the new reality is that Alberta attitudes drive defence policy, not Quebec opinions. Virtually every opinion poll over recent decades has shown attitudes in Alberta consistently more hawkish than quasi-pacifist opinion in French Canada. The Tories have little support in Quebec, and the last election confirmed that they don’t need Quebec M.P.s to create a parliamentary majority. The coming addition of some thirty more seats in the House of Commons for Ontario and the West will entrench this new reality. In the circumstances, the Conservatives have a free hand to build the defence and foreign policy that suits their view of the world. And they will.... here's hoping.
So, Canada’s back. Not the old Axworthyian Canada that talked a good game but did nothing. The new Canada wants to act to advance Canada’s interests, but is less interested in multilateral organizations, closer to the United States, and more focused on defence. Hang on to your hats—the next four years will be interesting.
Delicious Rant
I find it intensely irritating when these "above the line" figures waft through life, with their lofty, condescending demeanour, asserting that which is palpably untrue, simply by dint of their refusal to get to grips with the reality, or to do their homework and ground their beliefs in fact.Oh my ... I wonder if we have any such "grandees" in Canada ;)
In fact, I can't even begin to express how sick I am of these patronising, sneering grandees who have spent decades looking down on us all, so superior in their profound ignorance, and so absolutely certain that only they can possibly understand the true nature of their beloved "Europe".
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Corpses Met ...
... for 30 minutes:
"One of the starkest ways to emphasize the importance of Europe getting on top of this is that you don't want the future of Europe to rest in the hands of those who provide financing to the IMF," he said.Oh my, even corpses can have their sensitivities offended.
"There is no reason for Europe to be in that position and it would be very damaging to the credibility of the endeavour here in Europe," he said, before departing to warm applause.
But his frank tone and warnings of "catastrophic risk" is unsuited to European diplomacy.
The New Peer Review
The review process for Trenberth was, shall we say, totally different than the review process for O’Donnell et al 2010 or the comment by Ross and me on Santer et al 2008. The Trenberth article was accepted on the day that it was submitted:Corruption and "Green" science are now one and the same.
More F-35 Musings
The Green Jobs Revolution
... always rides on the back of taxpayers ... always:
The Obama Administration spent nearly half of the $38.6 billion ($17.2 billion) set aside for his green energy programs and was only able to create 3,545 permanent green jobs. This comes out to a staggering $4,853,000 per job.With green jobs, it's always the same, be it the EU, the UK, Canada, or the USA.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Muslim Cannibalism
A suicide bomber killed 31 people and wounded dozens more in an attack at a funeral for a member of a tribe that has raised an anti-Taliban militia in Pakistan's northwestern district of Lower Dir.***
The attack took place today in the Samarbagh area of Lower Dir, where more than 100 mourners were attending the funeral of a tribal member. The suicide bomber detonated his vest among the crowd as they were preparing to offer funeral prayers.
F-35: A Single Engine Problem
True north, strong and vast:
Fuhr agreed that Canada needs to replace its aging fleet of CF-18s, but had a different idea in regards to that replacement: “The F-35 will be a very capable fighter. But, is it the right fighter for Canada given our commitments? I don’t think it is. Given the alternatives, the fighter that best balances tasks versus cost is the current Block II version of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Twenty-five per cent larger than the legacy CF-18, the Block II Super Hornet boasts a proven design; network centricity; low observability; active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar; integrated, defensive, electronic countermeasures; and a multifunctional information distribution system — all at a significantly lower price than the projected costs of the F-35.”Take away the stealth requirement, and the F-35 has only one major advantage ... Quebec Jobs.
You Elected Chicago
What did you expect?
With the White House already reeling over the Solyndra collapse, a new scandal may have erupted today that could make the disappearance of $535 million in taxpayer funds look like a paperwork glitch. Eli Lake starts off his new gig at The Daily Beast with a huge bombshell — an accusation made to members of Congress from a four-star Air Force general that claimed the White House pressured him to change his testimony to boost a big donor to the Democratic Party:
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Long and Winding F-35 Road
... perhaps it's time to start looking for alternatives ... just in case:
Does MND MacKay still think that “We are purchasing them at a time when they will be in peak production around 2014-15…”? Then there’s this nonsense from the Associate MND with a special brief for procurement:
The Corporates
Monday, September 12, 2011
Forget about Leftwing - Rightwing
... what about "Up - Down"?
What of the Harper method has to do with winning strategies, and what has to do with gradually shutting out the Proles ... the building of walls in order to ensconce power more completely in the PMO? And, within the CPC, how much will the party hacks squeeze out the grass-roots to where only long time well greased operatives move forward and have a say?
Question: After Mr. Harper has completed 2 or more consecutive majority governments (which I predict), do you think he will have strengthened the wall separating the power elite from the Proles ... or made it more porous?
What has happened, as I argue in the third of my pieces, is that the line has moved from vertical to horizontal, the upper part occupied by the political classes and the corporates – with no distinction between private and public sectors.I wonder, where does Stephen Harper's governing style lead us? Is he with the Proles ... or the Power Elite? Foisting Julian Fantino onto the CPC comes to mind, along with Bill C-51 and Section 13 and support for Carbon Offset schemes, not to mention "stimulus spending"... but then there's the cancelling of the Gun Registry to look forward to along with the TFSA and lower taxes ...
What of the Harper method has to do with winning strategies, and what has to do with gradually shutting out the Proles ... the building of walls in order to ensconce power more completely in the PMO? And, within the CPC, how much will the party hacks squeeze out the grass-roots to where only long time well greased operatives move forward and have a say?
Question: After Mr. Harper has completed 2 or more consecutive majority governments (which I predict), do you think he will have strengthened the wall separating the power elite from the Proles ... or made it more porous?
FPS in Afghanistan
... that long distance feeling:
The specialist drew down on the runner and fired again. The shot missed slightly wide, just over the man's left shoulder. Taylor racked a third round. He adjusted his aim a hair to the right, held his breath, and pulled the trigger again. The rifle made its suppressed bark. At that instant, the insurgent turned his head to look backwards, and the bullet caught him in the forehead a millisecond later, killing him instantly. The body crumpled into the field.
Last Stand
... the end:
Former Vice President Al Gore will renew his 30-year campaign to convince skeptics of the link between climate change and extreme weather events this week in a 24-hour global multi-media event.
"24 Hours of Reality" will broadcast a presentation by Al Gore every hour for 24 hours across 24 different time zones from Wednesday to Thursday, with the aim of convincing climate change deniers and driving action against global warming among households, schools and businesses.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Canadians Who Died on 9/11
Michael Arczynski — The 45-year-old sports enthusiast from Vancouver was a senior vice-president of Aon Corp.'s Manhattan office. He and his wife, Lori, who was raised in Montreal, had three children after their marriage in 1990. Lori gave birth to a fourth child, named for his late father, after the attack. Arczynski, who loved to ski near Vancouver and spent a lot of time with family in Vermont, also left behind three daughters from his first marriage.
Garnet (Ace) Bailey — The 53-year-old director of pro scouting for the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings was a native of Lloydminster, Sask. He was aboard United Airlines Flight 175 when it crashed into the World Trade Center's south tower. He was a veteran of 11 NHL seasons as a player with the Boston Bruins, the Detroit Red Wings, the St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals. He moved to the World Hockey Association for the 1978-79 season and joined the Edmonton Oilers where he was a linemate of teenage phenomenon Wayne Gretzky. Bailey ended his playing career in 1980 after he accumulated seven Stanley Cup rings and turned to coaching. He is survived by his wife, Katherine, and son, Todd. Katherine has started the Ace Bailey Children's Fund, which supports play centres and programs at the Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston.
David Barkway — The 34-year-old executive with BMO Nesbitt Burns in Toronto was in the office of Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the north tower. He sent an electronic message to his Toronto colleagues, saying, "We need help ... This is not a joke.'' Barkway was in New York with his wife, Cindy, for a three-day business trip just days after celebrating his birthday. After his death, the avid golfer nicknamed Barky was remembered by friends in Toronto as a bright and thoughtful leader who loved fine cigars, high-tech stereos and trips to the cottage. The couple has two young sons, one who was born in January 2002 and named David after his father. The David Barkway Memorial Scholarship in Economics was set up by the Department of Economics at Carleton University to honour his memory and life and is awarded to a high-achieving fourth year economics student.
Ken Basnicki — The 48-year-old father of two was in the north tower attending a conference for BEA Systems, the software firm he worked for in Toronto. He was last heard from at 8:55 a.m. in a cellphone call to his mother from an office on the 106th floor. His wife, Maureen, a former flight attendant grounded in Germany at the time, said he had a boundless passion for golf, skiing, snowboarding and his Harley Davidson motorcycle. In the five years since her husband's death, Maureen has started the Canadian Coalition Against Terror and is lobbying for legislation that would allow Canadians to sue countries or groups that support terrorism.
Jane Beatty — A native of Britain, Beatty, 53, lived in Ontario for more than 20 years before moving to the United States to work as a technical supervisor at Marsh and McLennan Cos. Inc. in the World Trade Center’s north tower. She worked on the 96th floor of the north tower and phoned her husband Bob just before the plane hit. Three weeks before she died, she celebrated her fifth anniversary of surviving breast cancer. She had two grown sons.
Joseph Collison — Collison was born in Toronto in 1951 and moved to New York City more than 15 years ago. He was on the 102nd floor of the north tower, where he worked in the mail room of Kidder, Peabody & Co., according to his sister-in-law, Janet Collison. He was buried in Mississauga next to his parents. At the time of his death, Collison, who was not married, was hoping to adopt a young boy in New York whom he cared for.
Cynthia Connolly — Connolly, 40, transferred from insurance firm Aon Corp.'s Montreal offices to New York in 1999. She and her husband, Donald Poissant, married in 1998 and lived in Metuchen, N.J., with their Airedale-German shepherd, Shadow, and pet cat, Obi. People in her neighbourhood fondly remembered Connolly, four-foot-three, struggling to control her dog as they walked through the area. Her mother recalled her as "loving and caring,'' always showing a soft spot for stray animals who she would bring home when she was a child.
Arron Dack — The 39-year-old father of two was known to his family and friends for his ability to succeed in anything he tried. Dack was born in England, but moved to Canada with his parents in 1970. The senior executive with Encompys was attending a conference in the north tower of the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. He called his wife Abigail Carter and calmly asked her to call 911 since he thought a small bomb had gone off. Carter, who lived in New Jersey at the time but has since moved to Seattle, started two support groups for widows. He is survived by two children, Olivia and Carter.
Frank Joseph Doyle — The 39-year-old Detroit native was married to Kimmy Chedel of St. Adele, Que. He was an American citizen whose parents were from the Ottawa valley, and he had a home in Canada. The executive vice-president of Keefe, Bruyette and Woods left two children, Zoe and Garrett. Doyle, a gifted athlete who did a triathlon the summer before he died, was living in New Jersey and working on the 89th floor of the second tower. "He said, 'You have to promise me every day for the rest of their lives you'll tell Zoe and Garrett how much I love them, and I didn't realize that he was saying goodbye, he was just so brave and so strong,'" said Chedel. She created "Team Frank" in her husband’s honour — a collection of family and friends who participate in athletic events worldwide. Doyle’s friends from Bowdoin College also established a memorial scholarship in his name for outstanding athletes.
Christine Egan — The 55-year-old Health Canada nurse epidemiologist from Winnipeg was visiting her younger brother's office on the 105th floor in the second tower of the World Trade Center. Friends and family said the woman with a beaming smile was one of the most energetic, fun-loving people they knew. Egan was raised in England and moved to Canada in the late 60s. She taught at the University of Manitoba and received a PhD in community health services. Egan also had a love of Canada's North, where she had practised as a nurse. A memorial scholarship was set up in her name at the University of Manitoba for promising Nunavut nursing students. Egan's partner Ellen Judd said she was "good, generous person who was full of vitality."
Michael Egan — The 51-year-old lived in New Jersey and worked on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center at the insurance firm Aon Corp. The father of two boys moved to the New York area from Montreal in 1991 after immigrating to Canada to follow his sister Christine. She happened to be visiting him on Sept. 11 and was also killed in the attack. Michael spent much of his time introducing his son Matthew, who has Down syndrome, to various sports. His passion, his wife Anna has said, "was to make Matthew as happy as he could be."
Albert Elmarry — The 30-year-old moved from Toronto to the United States in 1999 to work in computer support for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of one of the towers. He had worked for IBM Canada when in Toronto. Elmarry, a devoutly religious man who started each day with a prayer, met his wife, Irinie, on a visit to his native Egypt. Irinie gave birth to a daughter nearly six months after her husband was killed.
Meredith Ewart and Peter Feidelberg — The Montreal couple moved to the United States in 1997 and married in March 2000. One month before they died, they returned to Montreal for a second wedding reception with family and friends. Ewart, 29, and Feidelberg, 34, lived in Hoboken, N.J., and both had offices on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center's south tower, where they worked at Aon Corp. At the time of the attacks, Meredith's father, Robert Ewart, frantically called hospitals and the police in New York and at one point thought Feidelberg had survived based on a false Internet report. Friends remembered Feidelberg for his adventurous and competitive spirit, and his athletic interests, which included basketball, mountain biking, scuba diving and running the 1998 New York City Marathon. Friends and coworkers say Ewart shared her husband's athletic pursuits and was always rife with stories of their outdoor adventures. They said they were in awe of Ewart's beauty and intelligence.
Alexander Filipov — Filipov, 70, was born in Regina and lived in Concord, Mass. He was on American Airlines Flight 11 when it hit the World Trade Center, just days before his 44th anniversary. An electrical engineer with three sons, Filipov became a U.S. citizen in 1962. His widow, Loretta, said he never slowed down, trying bungee jumping at age 60 and carrying on with his favourite pastimes — golf, skiing and music.
Ralph Gerhardt — The 34-year-old vice-president with Cantor Fitzgerald called his parents in Toronto, just after the first plane hit the north tower. "Something just happened at the WTC. We either got hit by a bomb or plane. I am OK. We are OK. I love you, but I have to go now. We are evacuating. Call you later,'' Gerhardt said in a message to his father, Hans. But no more calls came after his son said he was going to look for his girlfriend, who was also killed. His father described him as a very family-oriented man who was very close to his parents.
Stuart Lee — Lee had returned a day before the attacks from his Korean homeland where he had taken his wife, Lynn Udbjorg, to show off his roots. He was vice-president of integrated services for DataSynapse, a technology company that serves the financial industry. The 30-year-old spent the last hour of his life e-mailing his company, trying to figure out how to get out of the building where he was attending a conference on the 106th floor. Lee, who grew up in Vancouver, loved travelling the globe with his wife, who described him as a romantic and someone known for his generosity to his friends and family.
Mark Ludvigsen — The 32-year-old native of Rothesay, N.B., moved to the United States with his family at age seven. The avid rugby player graduated from Virginia’s College of William & Mary and worked as a bond broker at Keefe, Bruyette and Woods. He and his wife of three years, Maureen, lived in Manhattan. Ludvigsen was working on the 89th floor of the south tower, but managed to leave a message for his mother at 9 a.m. “Mother, now don’t you worry. I’m in the other tower. I’m fine and I’ll call you later,” he said.
Bernard Mascarenhas — The 54-year-old native of Newmarket, Ont., worked for Marsh Canada, whose parent company, Marsh and McLennan Cos. Inc., had offices at the World Trade Center. The chief information officer for the company was on the 97th floor of the north tower as part of a five-day business trip to New York. Marsh had about 1,900 employees in the two towers; 295 were killed. Mascarenhas left behind his wife, Raynette, a son, Sven, and a daughter, Jaclyn.
Colin McArthur — The 52-year-old Glasgow native moved to Toronto in 1977 to work as an insurance broker. He moved to Montreal in 1986 after marrying his wife, Brenda. McArthur became a Canadian citizen and worked as a deputy managing director at Aon Corp. The couple relocated to New York in 1997 where McArthur continued to work for the same company on the 104th floor of the South Tower. He was a keen golfer who loved the game, despite his dubious achievements on the course, according to his wife. She set up the Colin McArthur Postgraduate Scholarship at his alma mater, the University of Glasgow.
Michael Pelletier — The 36-year-old commodities broker for TradeSpark, a division of trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was on the 105th floor of the north tower. He called his wife, Sophie, and told her he was trapped in the building and that he loved her. Pelletier’s Vancouver-based father refused to believe at first that his son, a strikingly handsome natural athlete who excelled at hockey, wouldn’t get out. “We were saying there’s gotta be a way, we know Mike, he’s a survivor, he’ll find some way out.” At the time of his death, he had a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.
Donald Robson — A Toronto native, Robson, 52, had lived in the United States for 20 years. He was a partner and bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. He and his wife, Kathy, had two sons, Geoff and Scott. He had been planning 24th wedding anniversary celebrations with his wife. “Then bang, it’s all over just like that,” she said from her Long Island home a year after the attacks. The friends Robson left behind described him as a “fun-loving guy who lit up every room that he entered.”
Ruffino (Roy) Santos — Santos, 37, a native of Manila, moved to British Columbia with his family in the 1980s. He moved to New York in the late 1990s, where he worked for Guy Carpenter as a computer consultant. He was supposed to leave the 94th floor of the World Trade Center the week after he died to work for Accenture. His mother, Aurora, and her two other sons went to New York for the first anniversary. “I want to see Ground Zero to pray and bring some flowers and candles,” she said.
Vladimir Tomasevic — A native of Yugoslavia, Tomasevic, 36, moved to Canada in 1994. He lived in Toronto with his wife, Tanja, and was vice-president of software development for Optus E-Business Solutions. He was on his first visit to New York and was attending a financial conference on 106th floor of World Trade Center’s north tower. “He was always there for anyone — that’s what we miss about him the most,” his wife has said. Tanja, who received a small amount of remains and a piece of shredded material from his pants, had urged the Canadian government to provide more support for the families of 9-11 victims.
Chantal (Chanti) Vincelli — The 38-year-old former Montrealer worked as a marketing assistant at DataSynapse Inc. Vincelli moved to New York in the late 1990s and lived in Harlem with her cats. She was setting up a kiosk for a trade show on the 106th floor of the north tower. Her brother Anthony said the woman who dreamed of becoming a talk-show host “had charisma, she had wit.” The local grocer named her the Harlem Princess and the name stuck.
Debbie Williams — Williams, 35, worked for international insurance company Aon Corp. for 15 years. She and her husband, Darren, moved to Hoboken, N.J., after being transferred to New York City by their employer. Williams, a Montreal native, gave birth to their only child six months after settling in Hoboken. A friend and neighbour set up the Debbie Williams Memorial Park Fund to install a new playground named after Williams at a Hudson County park.
One other person has been identified as having very close ties to Canada.
LeRoy Homer — Homer, 36, was the co-pilot of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania after being taken over by hijackers. Homer was an American citizen, but his wife Melodie was Canadian, having grown up in Hamilton. His family said Homer always wanted to be a pilot. He was just 15 when he started flight instruction in a Cessna 152. The couple, who lived in Marlton, N.J., have a young daughter. Homer served in the U.S. forces, serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and later supporting operations in Somalia. He received many commendations during his military career. He joined United Airlines in May 1995 and received awards posthumously for his actions on board Flight 93. The LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation was established to provide financial support and encouragement to young people who wish to pursue careers as professional pilots. It also promotes awareness about aviation careers to disadvantaged youth.
Source
... and those who voluntarily gave their lives afterwards.
A Memorial Site.
Garnet (Ace) Bailey — The 53-year-old director of pro scouting for the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings was a native of Lloydminster, Sask. He was aboard United Airlines Flight 175 when it crashed into the World Trade Center's south tower. He was a veteran of 11 NHL seasons as a player with the Boston Bruins, the Detroit Red Wings, the St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals. He moved to the World Hockey Association for the 1978-79 season and joined the Edmonton Oilers where he was a linemate of teenage phenomenon Wayne Gretzky. Bailey ended his playing career in 1980 after he accumulated seven Stanley Cup rings and turned to coaching. He is survived by his wife, Katherine, and son, Todd. Katherine has started the Ace Bailey Children's Fund, which supports play centres and programs at the Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston.
David Barkway — The 34-year-old executive with BMO Nesbitt Burns in Toronto was in the office of Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the north tower. He sent an electronic message to his Toronto colleagues, saying, "We need help ... This is not a joke.'' Barkway was in New York with his wife, Cindy, for a three-day business trip just days after celebrating his birthday. After his death, the avid golfer nicknamed Barky was remembered by friends in Toronto as a bright and thoughtful leader who loved fine cigars, high-tech stereos and trips to the cottage. The couple has two young sons, one who was born in January 2002 and named David after his father. The David Barkway Memorial Scholarship in Economics was set up by the Department of Economics at Carleton University to honour his memory and life and is awarded to a high-achieving fourth year economics student.
Ken Basnicki — The 48-year-old father of two was in the north tower attending a conference for BEA Systems, the software firm he worked for in Toronto. He was last heard from at 8:55 a.m. in a cellphone call to his mother from an office on the 106th floor. His wife, Maureen, a former flight attendant grounded in Germany at the time, said he had a boundless passion for golf, skiing, snowboarding and his Harley Davidson motorcycle. In the five years since her husband's death, Maureen has started the Canadian Coalition Against Terror and is lobbying for legislation that would allow Canadians to sue countries or groups that support terrorism.
Jane Beatty — A native of Britain, Beatty, 53, lived in Ontario for more than 20 years before moving to the United States to work as a technical supervisor at Marsh and McLennan Cos. Inc. in the World Trade Center’s north tower. She worked on the 96th floor of the north tower and phoned her husband Bob just before the plane hit. Three weeks before she died, she celebrated her fifth anniversary of surviving breast cancer. She had two grown sons.
Joseph Collison — Collison was born in Toronto in 1951 and moved to New York City more than 15 years ago. He was on the 102nd floor of the north tower, where he worked in the mail room of Kidder, Peabody & Co., according to his sister-in-law, Janet Collison. He was buried in Mississauga next to his parents. At the time of his death, Collison, who was not married, was hoping to adopt a young boy in New York whom he cared for.
Cynthia Connolly — Connolly, 40, transferred from insurance firm Aon Corp.'s Montreal offices to New York in 1999. She and her husband, Donald Poissant, married in 1998 and lived in Metuchen, N.J., with their Airedale-German shepherd, Shadow, and pet cat, Obi. People in her neighbourhood fondly remembered Connolly, four-foot-three, struggling to control her dog as they walked through the area. Her mother recalled her as "loving and caring,'' always showing a soft spot for stray animals who she would bring home when she was a child.
Arron Dack — The 39-year-old father of two was known to his family and friends for his ability to succeed in anything he tried. Dack was born in England, but moved to Canada with his parents in 1970. The senior executive with Encompys was attending a conference in the north tower of the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. He called his wife Abigail Carter and calmly asked her to call 911 since he thought a small bomb had gone off. Carter, who lived in New Jersey at the time but has since moved to Seattle, started two support groups for widows. He is survived by two children, Olivia and Carter.
Frank Joseph Doyle — The 39-year-old Detroit native was married to Kimmy Chedel of St. Adele, Que. He was an American citizen whose parents were from the Ottawa valley, and he had a home in Canada. The executive vice-president of Keefe, Bruyette and Woods left two children, Zoe and Garrett. Doyle, a gifted athlete who did a triathlon the summer before he died, was living in New Jersey and working on the 89th floor of the second tower. "He said, 'You have to promise me every day for the rest of their lives you'll tell Zoe and Garrett how much I love them, and I didn't realize that he was saying goodbye, he was just so brave and so strong,'" said Chedel. She created "Team Frank" in her husband’s honour — a collection of family and friends who participate in athletic events worldwide. Doyle’s friends from Bowdoin College also established a memorial scholarship in his name for outstanding athletes.
Christine Egan — The 55-year-old Health Canada nurse epidemiologist from Winnipeg was visiting her younger brother's office on the 105th floor in the second tower of the World Trade Center. Friends and family said the woman with a beaming smile was one of the most energetic, fun-loving people they knew. Egan was raised in England and moved to Canada in the late 60s. She taught at the University of Manitoba and received a PhD in community health services. Egan also had a love of Canada's North, where she had practised as a nurse. A memorial scholarship was set up in her name at the University of Manitoba for promising Nunavut nursing students. Egan's partner Ellen Judd said she was "good, generous person who was full of vitality."
Michael Egan — The 51-year-old lived in New Jersey and worked on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center at the insurance firm Aon Corp. The father of two boys moved to the New York area from Montreal in 1991 after immigrating to Canada to follow his sister Christine. She happened to be visiting him on Sept. 11 and was also killed in the attack. Michael spent much of his time introducing his son Matthew, who has Down syndrome, to various sports. His passion, his wife Anna has said, "was to make Matthew as happy as he could be."
Albert Elmarry — The 30-year-old moved from Toronto to the United States in 1999 to work in computer support for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of one of the towers. He had worked for IBM Canada when in Toronto. Elmarry, a devoutly religious man who started each day with a prayer, met his wife, Irinie, on a visit to his native Egypt. Irinie gave birth to a daughter nearly six months after her husband was killed.
Meredith Ewart and Peter Feidelberg — The Montreal couple moved to the United States in 1997 and married in March 2000. One month before they died, they returned to Montreal for a second wedding reception with family and friends. Ewart, 29, and Feidelberg, 34, lived in Hoboken, N.J., and both had offices on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center's south tower, where they worked at Aon Corp. At the time of the attacks, Meredith's father, Robert Ewart, frantically called hospitals and the police in New York and at one point thought Feidelberg had survived based on a false Internet report. Friends remembered Feidelberg for his adventurous and competitive spirit, and his athletic interests, which included basketball, mountain biking, scuba diving and running the 1998 New York City Marathon. Friends and coworkers say Ewart shared her husband's athletic pursuits and was always rife with stories of their outdoor adventures. They said they were in awe of Ewart's beauty and intelligence.
Alexander Filipov — Filipov, 70, was born in Regina and lived in Concord, Mass. He was on American Airlines Flight 11 when it hit the World Trade Center, just days before his 44th anniversary. An electrical engineer with three sons, Filipov became a U.S. citizen in 1962. His widow, Loretta, said he never slowed down, trying bungee jumping at age 60 and carrying on with his favourite pastimes — golf, skiing and music.
Ralph Gerhardt — The 34-year-old vice-president with Cantor Fitzgerald called his parents in Toronto, just after the first plane hit the north tower. "Something just happened at the WTC. We either got hit by a bomb or plane. I am OK. We are OK. I love you, but I have to go now. We are evacuating. Call you later,'' Gerhardt said in a message to his father, Hans. But no more calls came after his son said he was going to look for his girlfriend, who was also killed. His father described him as a very family-oriented man who was very close to his parents.
Stuart Lee — Lee had returned a day before the attacks from his Korean homeland where he had taken his wife, Lynn Udbjorg, to show off his roots. He was vice-president of integrated services for DataSynapse, a technology company that serves the financial industry. The 30-year-old spent the last hour of his life e-mailing his company, trying to figure out how to get out of the building where he was attending a conference on the 106th floor. Lee, who grew up in Vancouver, loved travelling the globe with his wife, who described him as a romantic and someone known for his generosity to his friends and family.
Mark Ludvigsen — The 32-year-old native of Rothesay, N.B., moved to the United States with his family at age seven. The avid rugby player graduated from Virginia’s College of William & Mary and worked as a bond broker at Keefe, Bruyette and Woods. He and his wife of three years, Maureen, lived in Manhattan. Ludvigsen was working on the 89th floor of the south tower, but managed to leave a message for his mother at 9 a.m. “Mother, now don’t you worry. I’m in the other tower. I’m fine and I’ll call you later,” he said.
Bernard Mascarenhas — The 54-year-old native of Newmarket, Ont., worked for Marsh Canada, whose parent company, Marsh and McLennan Cos. Inc., had offices at the World Trade Center. The chief information officer for the company was on the 97th floor of the north tower as part of a five-day business trip to New York. Marsh had about 1,900 employees in the two towers; 295 were killed. Mascarenhas left behind his wife, Raynette, a son, Sven, and a daughter, Jaclyn.
Colin McArthur — The 52-year-old Glasgow native moved to Toronto in 1977 to work as an insurance broker. He moved to Montreal in 1986 after marrying his wife, Brenda. McArthur became a Canadian citizen and worked as a deputy managing director at Aon Corp. The couple relocated to New York in 1997 where McArthur continued to work for the same company on the 104th floor of the South Tower. He was a keen golfer who loved the game, despite his dubious achievements on the course, according to his wife. She set up the Colin McArthur Postgraduate Scholarship at his alma mater, the University of Glasgow.
Michael Pelletier — The 36-year-old commodities broker for TradeSpark, a division of trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was on the 105th floor of the north tower. He called his wife, Sophie, and told her he was trapped in the building and that he loved her. Pelletier’s Vancouver-based father refused to believe at first that his son, a strikingly handsome natural athlete who excelled at hockey, wouldn’t get out. “We were saying there’s gotta be a way, we know Mike, he’s a survivor, he’ll find some way out.” At the time of his death, he had a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.
Donald Robson — A Toronto native, Robson, 52, had lived in the United States for 20 years. He was a partner and bond broker for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. He and his wife, Kathy, had two sons, Geoff and Scott. He had been planning 24th wedding anniversary celebrations with his wife. “Then bang, it’s all over just like that,” she said from her Long Island home a year after the attacks. The friends Robson left behind described him as a “fun-loving guy who lit up every room that he entered.”
Ruffino (Roy) Santos — Santos, 37, a native of Manila, moved to British Columbia with his family in the 1980s. He moved to New York in the late 1990s, where he worked for Guy Carpenter as a computer consultant. He was supposed to leave the 94th floor of the World Trade Center the week after he died to work for Accenture. His mother, Aurora, and her two other sons went to New York for the first anniversary. “I want to see Ground Zero to pray and bring some flowers and candles,” she said.
Vladimir Tomasevic — A native of Yugoslavia, Tomasevic, 36, moved to Canada in 1994. He lived in Toronto with his wife, Tanja, and was vice-president of software development for Optus E-Business Solutions. He was on his first visit to New York and was attending a financial conference on 106th floor of World Trade Center’s north tower. “He was always there for anyone — that’s what we miss about him the most,” his wife has said. Tanja, who received a small amount of remains and a piece of shredded material from his pants, had urged the Canadian government to provide more support for the families of 9-11 victims.
Chantal (Chanti) Vincelli — The 38-year-old former Montrealer worked as a marketing assistant at DataSynapse Inc. Vincelli moved to New York in the late 1990s and lived in Harlem with her cats. She was setting up a kiosk for a trade show on the 106th floor of the north tower. Her brother Anthony said the woman who dreamed of becoming a talk-show host “had charisma, she had wit.” The local grocer named her the Harlem Princess and the name stuck.
Debbie Williams — Williams, 35, worked for international insurance company Aon Corp. for 15 years. She and her husband, Darren, moved to Hoboken, N.J., after being transferred to New York City by their employer. Williams, a Montreal native, gave birth to their only child six months after settling in Hoboken. A friend and neighbour set up the Debbie Williams Memorial Park Fund to install a new playground named after Williams at a Hudson County park.
One other person has been identified as having very close ties to Canada.
LeRoy Homer — Homer, 36, was the co-pilot of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania after being taken over by hijackers. Homer was an American citizen, but his wife Melodie was Canadian, having grown up in Hamilton. His family said Homer always wanted to be a pilot. He was just 15 when he started flight instruction in a Cessna 152. The couple, who lived in Marlton, N.J., have a young daughter. Homer served in the U.S. forces, serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and later supporting operations in Somalia. He received many commendations during his military career. He joined United Airlines in May 1995 and received awards posthumously for his actions on board Flight 93. The LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation was established to provide financial support and encouragement to young people who wish to pursue careers as professional pilots. It also promotes awareness about aviation careers to disadvantaged youth.
Source
... and those who voluntarily gave their lives afterwards.
A Memorial Site.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Bring Down Flight 93
Late in the morning of the Tuesday that changed everything, Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney was on a runway at Andrews Air Force Base and ready to fly. She had her hand on the throttle of an F-16 and she had her orders: Bring down United Airlines Flight 93. The day’s fourth hijacked airliner seemed to be hurtling toward Washington. Penney, one of the first two combat pilots in the air that morning, was told to stop it.... the story.
The 9/11 Generation
When Islamists unleashed murder and mayhem on September 11th, 2001, I was safely tucked away in Saskatchewan assisting a friend on his farm. My son was just entering high school. Although shaken by the events, it all seemed so "over there".
I had no idea how profoundly the events of that day effected my son, but it all came to a head when he announced 4 years later that he was joining the Canadian Forces. What followed was 4 years of service, a tour in Afghanistan, and the making of a rural Saskatchewan boy into a world-wise man. Before he left for the war zone, he had told me,"If we run out of people willing to sleep in the mud and dirt in order to protect our freedoms, we won't have a country for long."
I met a number of my son's brothers in arms, and to a man and woman they were all "in it" because of 9/11.
Like them, many thousands of young Canadians joined the Canadian Forces because of 9/11 ... many served in Afghanistan, some were severely wounded, and some never came home.
A Canadian tradition, the "Highway of Heroes", was born of 9/11 where ordinary Canadians completely and thoroughly outdid all Canadian political leaders in unabashedly showing support for the troops. The highway became a raw, unscripted, and genuine event that unlike political events, took no consideration of polls, no consideration of media opinions, and no consideration of the intrigue that colors every move made by politicians.
The Canadian phenomenon was repeated in far greater a way south of the border, where US forces launched a now 10 year war against Islamic supremacists. It's amazing, that there exist today thousands of soldiers in the United States and Canada that have as much, or more, combat experience than those who served on the front lines during the second world war. We have among us, as a result of 9/11, an entire new generation of hardened war veterans.
These brothers in arms, whether they come from the urban jungles of New York, the farmlands of Saskatchewan, or the pastoral villages of Wales, have all become the 9/11 Generation. What many fail to recognize is that in the United States at least, this warrior generation is beginning just now to enter the political arena at home ... and like the soldiers of the First and Second World Wars, it will have a profound effect on the direction of the nation.
The 9/11 Generation:
I had no idea how profoundly the events of that day effected my son, but it all came to a head when he announced 4 years later that he was joining the Canadian Forces. What followed was 4 years of service, a tour in Afghanistan, and the making of a rural Saskatchewan boy into a world-wise man. Before he left for the war zone, he had told me,"If we run out of people willing to sleep in the mud and dirt in order to protect our freedoms, we won't have a country for long."
I met a number of my son's brothers in arms, and to a man and woman they were all "in it" because of 9/11.
Like them, many thousands of young Canadians joined the Canadian Forces because of 9/11 ... many served in Afghanistan, some were severely wounded, and some never came home.
A Canadian tradition, the "Highway of Heroes", was born of 9/11 where ordinary Canadians completely and thoroughly outdid all Canadian political leaders in unabashedly showing support for the troops. The highway became a raw, unscripted, and genuine event that unlike political events, took no consideration of polls, no consideration of media opinions, and no consideration of the intrigue that colors every move made by politicians.
The Canadian phenomenon was repeated in far greater a way south of the border, where US forces launched a now 10 year war against Islamic supremacists. It's amazing, that there exist today thousands of soldiers in the United States and Canada that have as much, or more, combat experience than those who served on the front lines during the second world war. We have among us, as a result of 9/11, an entire new generation of hardened war veterans.
These brothers in arms, whether they come from the urban jungles of New York, the farmlands of Saskatchewan, or the pastoral villages of Wales, have all become the 9/11 Generation. What many fail to recognize is that in the United States at least, this warrior generation is beginning just now to enter the political arena at home ... and like the soldiers of the First and Second World Wars, it will have a profound effect on the direction of the nation.
The 9/11 Generation:
Ten years later, I write this e-mail from a war-torn and contested Afghanistan. With three tours under my belt (so many have done so much more) — and three years of war advocacy on the home front — my twenties, like those of hundreds of thousands of my compatriots (but fewer than 1 percent of Americans), have been consumed by events that emanated from that sunny Tuesday morning in 2001.
The Jumpers: Choosing Death on Their Terms
200:
Almost all of them jumped alone, although eyewitnesses talked of a couple who held hands as they fell.
One woman, in a final act of modesty, appeared to be holding down her skirt. Others tried to make parachutes out of curtains or tablecloths, only to have them wrenched from their grip by the force of their descent.
The fall was said to take about ten seconds. It would vary according to the body position and how long it took to reach terminal velocity — around 125mph in most cases, but if someone fell head down with their body straight, as if in a dive, it could be 200mph.
Friday, September 9, 2011
A Day of Service
No, not "that" Day of Service ... but this Day of Service.
September 11th is a day of mourning, not a day to echo the transnational socialist in the White House ... why can't we just remember ... be quiet for a change ... to reflect. September 11, 2011 was far far far bigger a geopolitical, cultural, and social event than something as empty as a "Day of Service" suggests. Sure, we helped in a unique way, but so did the Scots where scores of aircraft were coming in almost faster than they could handle them ... in fact, any half-decent nation on earth would've done what we did. Gander was and is only one part of a momentous day with many parts; some of which have not yet even been played out.
9/11 drew us into the greatest Canadian war effort since the Korean War ... 9/11 triggered the Iraq War .... 9/11 spawned a growth in the chasm between progressives and conservatives that has only widened since ... 9/11 shattered the multi-cultural myth ... 9/11 cast a shadow on foreign policy and international relations with Muslims that persists to this day ... 9/11 has been followed by Islamic war, terrorism, and activism that is unprecedented ... 9/11 reaches out to us at every major happening where security forces remind us again and again that Muslim terror can strike ... 9/11 was a singular and momentous event for Canadians that goes far beyond Gander.
At Celestial Junk, September 11th will be a day of mourning where we remember not only those who died on 9/11, but those who volunteered to lay down their lives afterwards.
If you really want to "do a service" on 9/11, may I suggest you look up the burial place of the nearest soldier to you ... one who died in Afghanistan ... take your children there and leave a token of your appreciation at that grave. You'll be doing your children a service.
Or perhaps, just spend some time watching the coverage on television ... remember ... re-awaken the feelings you felt that day ... mourn ... and vow to never let those millions of people on this earth who support those attacks to ever have their way in your Canada.
September 11th is not a day for feel-good provincialism ... it's a day of war, a day of mourning ... a day that struggles to be understood.
"Day of Service?" ... how collectivist yet trivial can you get?
Harper recalled Gander's efforts earlier Friday when he called on Canadians to mark Sept. 11 as a "National Day of Service" in memory of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Canada's efforts to lend aid in their wake.I get the general concept Mr. Harper, that Canada lent a helping hand ... but really ... must you parrot Mr. Obama so closely?
The move was announced by Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino in Ottawa.
September 11th is a day of mourning, not a day to echo the transnational socialist in the White House ... why can't we just remember ... be quiet for a change ... to reflect. September 11, 2011 was far far far bigger a geopolitical, cultural, and social event than something as empty as a "Day of Service" suggests. Sure, we helped in a unique way, but so did the Scots where scores of aircraft were coming in almost faster than they could handle them ... in fact, any half-decent nation on earth would've done what we did. Gander was and is only one part of a momentous day with many parts; some of which have not yet even been played out.
9/11 drew us into the greatest Canadian war effort since the Korean War ... 9/11 triggered the Iraq War .... 9/11 spawned a growth in the chasm between progressives and conservatives that has only widened since ... 9/11 shattered the multi-cultural myth ... 9/11 cast a shadow on foreign policy and international relations with Muslims that persists to this day ... 9/11 has been followed by Islamic war, terrorism, and activism that is unprecedented ... 9/11 reaches out to us at every major happening where security forces remind us again and again that Muslim terror can strike ... 9/11 was a singular and momentous event for Canadians that goes far beyond Gander.
At Celestial Junk, September 11th will be a day of mourning where we remember not only those who died on 9/11, but those who volunteered to lay down their lives afterwards.
If you really want to "do a service" on 9/11, may I suggest you look up the burial place of the nearest soldier to you ... one who died in Afghanistan ... take your children there and leave a token of your appreciation at that grave. You'll be doing your children a service.
Or perhaps, just spend some time watching the coverage on television ... remember ... re-awaken the feelings you felt that day ... mourn ... and vow to never let those millions of people on this earth who support those attacks to ever have their way in your Canada.
September 11th is not a day for feel-good provincialism ... it's a day of war, a day of mourning ... a day that struggles to be understood.
"Day of Service?" ... how collectivist yet trivial can you get?
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Soulja Boy Gets a Spanking
There is something enjoyable about watching real men verbally spank a pretend thug:
... and soldiers responded (language warning):
... and the best for last:
So, the foul-mouthed rapper “Soulja Boy” told American soldiers to go “f**k” off in a new rap video and insulted them for not being real men.
... and soldiers responded (language warning):
... and the best for last:
Santelli ... Friedman Shoot-out
I love the way Santelli manages to rub elites faces in their own feces ... again and again.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
When the NDP Squawk ...
... you know you're onto a good thing:
The Conservative government's approach to national security has divided the country and done little to make it safer, the NDP's interim leader said Wednesday.... Why the Peaceful Majority Might be Dangerous
Nycole Turmel accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper of creating a climate of fear by singling out "Islamicism" as the country's biggest security threat.
Harper told the CBC on Tuesday that Islamic extremism remains the main preoccupation of Canada's intelligence services 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Warmists Dig Deeper and Deeper
... producing what may be the fastest "peer reviewed" paper to ever be spun:
WUWT has more.
This is all part of the same pattern that has characterized the warmists’ approach to climate “science” since the last century. They come up with models and use these to produce predictions which are then baptized as sovereign truth. In real science, they would have been required to demonstrate the predictive validity of their models before their predictions would be granted any confidence – and when observations contradicted predictions, they would have been expected to revise their models instead of beating the data until it fit the model outputs. Instead, thanks to Algore, Hansen, left-wing politicians looking for regulatory and legislative mechanisms to control the polity and extract more tax dollars, and a compliant left-leaning media hungry for “imminent disaster” headlines, the burden of proof has been shifted to those who challenge the modellers instead of being left where it belongs: with the modellers who still have not demonstrated the validity of their models. I simply cannot believe we are still discussing a theory that, 20 years after it went mainstream, has yet to produce a single scrap of confirmatory empirical evidence.Luboš (my favorite opinionated physicist) let's fly.
The extent to which the AGW true believers have warped the scientific method to serve their pecuniary and political ends is simply breathtaking. Climate science represents the greatest perversion of the scientific method since the Enlightenment. It is phlogiston, phrenology, and Lysenkoism all rolled up into one big, fat, corrupt boil desperately in need of lancing.
WUWT has more.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The New Civility
We all know who fantasizes and encourages violence. If it’s not just a guy in Obama’s neighborhood it’s a guy introducing Obama or unions or disturbing stuff like this:What did you expect?
After all, most leftist are just small turds pooped out by the mother-of-them-all.
Rush makes it clear who the thugs are.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Euro-zone ... Morte !
... R.I.P.
It bankrolled French farmers through the Common Agricultural Policy, that disguised tithe for war reparations. It then bankrolled Spanish farmers as well.
It funded each new wave of EU expansion, though reeling itself from the €60bn annual cost of its own reunification. It gave up the cherished D-Mark, the anchor of German economic stability.
We are so used to German self-abnegation for the sake of Europe that we can hardly imagine any other state of affairs. But the escalating protest against EMU bail-outs by Germany’s key insistutions go beyond the banalities of money. The fight is over German democracy itself.
Ugly America
When the Iron Curtain fell, the mega power of the Soviet Union fell with it ... but, what few admit, is that throughout the decades the Soviet monstrosity had crapped out lumps of guano all over the world to fester and reek within free societies to this very day.
Hindered by strong constitutional impediments within Liberal Democracies, these guano lumps never could resort to the violent kind of taker-over and murder that the Mother-of-them-all had engaged in ... but the lumps never-the-less have infected just about every aspect of free liberal democratic society. Amazingly, it is government debt and markets that have done a better job of diminishing the power of the lumps than just about anything else.
Hindered by strong constitutional impediments within Liberal Democracies, these guano lumps never could resort to the violent kind of taker-over and murder that the Mother-of-them-all had engaged in ... but the lumps never-the-less have infected just about every aspect of free liberal democratic society. Amazingly, it is government debt and markets that have done a better job of diminishing the power of the lumps than just about anything else.
... this is Labor Day the way it should be — with a guy named Hoffa threatening his political enemies while a union-stooge Democratic leader sits by and smiles.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Passing Wind
... eco-mania indeed:
Nor, it seems, can the trolls deal with the intermittency question. As the wind estate increases, the amount of fossil-fuel back-up will increase, to the extent that we are having to contemplate doubling up on our generating capacity – one set for when the wind blows, and another set for calm conditions.
For Those Accustomed to the Easy Path
... work can be hard:
Obama is still suffering from the Speech Illusion, the idea that he can come down from the mountain, read from a Teleprompter, cast a magic spell with his words and climb back up the mountain, while we scurry around and do what he proclaimed.
The days of spinning illusions in a Greek temple in a football stadium are done. The One is dancing on the edge of one term.
The White House team is flailing — reacting, regrouping, retrenching. It’s repugnant.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Great Green Chimera
... of modern mythology:
“Green jobs” are a chimera. Though diverting taxpayers money into the renewable energy sector may indeed “create” jobs in the renewable energy sector, it will cost many more jobs in the broader economy.If one believes in myths to the point of forcing entire countries to abide by the norms those myths espouse ... is one really that mentally stable. It's as if an entire class of human (the politico), has gone and cracked up.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Killing Keynes
The EU faces an insolvable problem, but it is one they created. You can’t have a monetary union without a fiscal union. At least when no nation is obligated to play fair. They either terminate the EMU or paper it over. There is no other practical fix, at least when economies of member states are declining. They are the poster child for the failure of Keynesian-Monetarist economics.... indeed.
The Gate-Keepers to Green Hell
When propaganda fails ... use force:
If some scientists would like do demonstrate in their own peer-reviewed paper where *anything* we wrote was incorrect, they should submit a paper for publication. Instead, it appears the IPCC gatekeepers have once again put pressure on a journal for daring to publish anything that might hurt the IPCC’s politically immovable position that climate change is almost entirely human-caused. I can see no other explanation for an editor resigning in such a situation.
[...]
I’m also told that RetractionWatch has a new post on the subject. Their reporter told me this morning that this was highly unusual, to have an editor-in-chief resign over a paper that was not retracted.
Apparently, peer review is now carried out by reporters calling scientists on the phone and asking their opinion on something most of them do not even do research on. A sad day for science.
Cry Me a River
The sound of parasites bitching:
Quebec federalists and separatists lambasted the prime minister Friday for appointing a top aide who doesn't speak French and who once said there are too many francophones in government.Parasites always whine the hardest when they are in danger of loosing their host.
Liberal MP Denis Coderre described the hiring of former Toronto Star columnist Angelo Persichilli as director of communications at the Prime Minister's Office as "bullsh--t."
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