Potpourri -- Reminders

Auditor general says "Canadians expect better" from federal ad contracting Brian Daly, Apr. 27, 2005

MONTREAL (CP) - Federal advertising activities worth $800 million were wrought with "major problems" and taxpayers deserve better for their money, Auditor General Sheila Fraser told the Gomery inquiry Monday. [. . . . ]

Appointment of judges too political, critics say Kirk Makin, May 16, 05, G & M

Scanning a list of every judge on the Newfoundland bench, former Conservative justice minister John Crosbie rhymes off their prior political affiliations.

[. . . . ] While Mr. Crosbie emphasized that most on the list became excellent judges, his summary highlights the fact that who you know and which party you support can be an inescapable fact of life when it comes to landing a federal judgeship.

The issue moved front and centre recently, when Benoît Corbeil, a former senior Liberal Party organizer in Quebec and a witness at the Gomery inquiry into the federal sponsorship program, alleged that judicial appointments had been handed out as rewards to Liberal stalwarts. [. . . . ]

Search: Madam Justice Claudette Tessier-Couture of the Quebec Superior Court , A mediocre appointment made to , indispensable oil to the machinery of a political party , passing over top-rated , a body of approved candidates who also happen to be supporters of

It was ever thus.




The man behind 'MP' Stronach Hill Times, May 16, 05

Well, a day later, it is 'Minister' Stronach.




The World According to Frank: The Life and Times of Frank Stronach

[. . . . ] Stronach’s passion for taking risks also led him into federal politics in 1988 as a Liberal candidate and into the world of horse breeding. Though his political bid was unsuccessful, Stronach saw his horse-breeding venture soar: the company owned by Stronach and his son Andy has become one of the largest and most successful horse breeders in North America, worth more than $100 million.

Original Air Date - Janaury 11, 2000

Monte Solberg May 17, 05, Jack's Newswatch:

"Ya that's it. They care about her [Stronach's] insights on skills training. Sure it will help to have her vote on the budget, but really it's her ideas they want. I bet those senior bureaucrats are salivating at the idea of doing a little "blue skying" with B. on the foreign credentials thing. That's been her strength all along. It's just that we Conservatives didn't see it. We didn't draw that out of her the way we should have, and now we are paying the price."

Another Canadian history lesson Kevin Steel on May 12, 2005 at 02:22 PM




Court points to guilty verdict for Yukos founder CTV.ca News Staff, May 17, 05

Is this the company that Jean Chretien went to Russia to consult on, with or about? I suppose he took mentioned some of his proven tactics. Do read the article.

Khodorkovsky is the former head of the Yukos oil company and was once believed to be the richest man in Russia.

His supporters contend the case against him was based on Kremlin revenge for his funding of opposition parties. [. . . . ]

Editorial: Canada's poisoned soldiers

[. . . . ] At first, they denied any testing had been conducted.
When that was no longer possible, they denied any link between Agent Orange and cancer and other diseases, despite American medical research showing just such a link.

Then, 10 months ago, Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals quietly reversed this policy, acknowledging that Agent Orange had been used at Gagetown, and that Canadian soldiers had been harmed. . . .

[. . . . ] Indeed, it's becoming abundantly clear that this stale, corrupt Liberal government, so cheap when it comes to fairly compensating our soldiers and yet so greedy when it comes to helping itself to our tax dollars in AdScam, has no shame left at all.

"Palestinian terrorism, especially coming out of Gaza, has dramatically increased since April."

Business as Usual in the Palestinian Authority by Daniel Pipes, New York Sun, May 17, 2005

[New York Sun title: "Little Change In Mideast Post-Arafat"]
Yasser Arafat's demise in November excited great hopes among those who saw his malign personality as the main reason for Palestinian intransigence.

But those of us who saw the problem as larger than Arafat – as resulting, rather, from the deep radicalization of the Palestinian body politic – expected little change. Indeed, I wrote at the time of Mahmoud Abbas' election to head the Palestinian Authority that, "he is potentially a far more formidable enemy to Israel" than was Arafat.

How do things look half a year after Arafat's death? About as awful as anyone might have expected. Specifically, Mr. Abbas is unambiguously leading the Palestinians to war after the Israeli retreat from Gaza in August 2005. Consider some recent developments. [. . . . ]

France Fighting Mad!

France is finally going to war ... against Google!

Plans by Google to scan millions of books and make them available online has the europeans in a lather. They fear that ... "the continent's contribution to the pillars of recorded knowledge will be crushed by a profit-oriented California company."

They are also concerned about english become overly dominant.

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