Surly Beaver: Liberal Gaffney-ACOA & Learnsoft (Correction), Kyoto & Stakeholder Influence, Whistleblowers, Corruption, Fry & Svend, IQ Test, Film

Update: Link to Small Dead Animals: Pay to the order of Maurice Strong Jan. 15, 06.

http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/

On SDA, see a copy of Maurice Strong's cancelled cheque for close to a million dollars. Remember, Strong and the UN Oil-For-Food Scandal, member of Canada's Privy Council and mentor to Prime Minister Paul Martin ... and much more information is on Kate's site which adds to Bud Talkinghorn's post yesterday on "Maurice Strong--Paul Martin's dangerous friend".




Whistleblowers Canada

Yesterday, I posted links to my posts where I had excerpted what I saw as key, but incomplete, on Canada's whistleblowers. Scroll down for Bud Talkinghorn's post and my part on Liberal lawsuits to shut people up and Canada's important whistleblowers with added links, etc.

Updated: Maurice Strong--Paul Martin's dangerous friend

Update added at bottom: Memory Lane: UNSCAM & Liberal Unity

Thanks to a link I took from Newsbeat1, here is the best link, directly to Hansard and the EVIDENCE presented:

38th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION
Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
EVIDENCE
CONTENTS
Thursday, February 3, 2005





Update and link error correction:

Your taxes have allowed another Liberal to make $$$

You may vote for more of the same on January 23; just vote Librano$ ... again.

The Surly Beaver -- It's Good to be the King: More Liberal Cronyism -- I apologize to the Surly Beaver; it's been one of those weeks. I received this item, among others, checked for the link, used it and erred. It was only when I checked SmallDeadAnimals that I realized. Thanks, Kate. To readers, mea culpa ... again.

There are many comments on the Surly Beaver website after this item which look worth reading. Check, for example, an article posted by Janine: "PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN NEW BRUNSWICK". Very interesting too. (Search: independent body , Unexus/Lansbridge , a degree-granting entity on June 11, 2001 )

Also, lately, I read something about a new department at UNB (e-learning?) to be headed by Ken Reimer who, if I have remembered correctly, was involved with an e-learning company. There is much going on in NB with computer learning. I'll check further but readers might want to beforehand.

Now, to the Surly Beaver's article:

Apparently it's good to be Liberal if your name is Michael Gaffney, Liberal candidate for Nepean-Carlton and son of Chretien era Liberal MP Beryl Gaffney.

You see, Mike Gaffney used to be the President and CEO of Learnsoft Corporation, a company based in Kanata Ontario. In September 1999, a virtual university was founded in Fredericton, New Brunswick to grant "E-MBA's." The university was given $600,000 in taxpayers money - $375,000 from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and $225,000 from Human Resources Development Canada. This private, for-profit university was and is a subsidiary of Learnsoft Corporation. Sometime later, Mike Gaffney sold his shares in Learnsoft for - you guessed it - $600,000.

Out of the Fry pan

As for (the Honourable) Liberal Hedy Fry, I hear she's moving ahead of the NDP's Svend Robinson in BC on the road back to the pork barrel ... dodging burning crosses all the way.

The electorate has been assured that Svend has been cured of the mental problem that causes shoplifting a diamond ring worth more than $50,000. I want that cure ... for smoking ... hack, cough, I feel an overwhelming desire to nick a cig coming on.




Political Pork -- IQ Test

Match the political party and riding with the $$$ funding.

Assignment 1:

$260,000 , $202,000 , $36,000 , Liberal 8 ridings , Conservative 22 ridings , NDP 5 ridings

Assignment 2: Bloc Quebecois vs Quebec Liberal -- while the Bloc held 53 of the Quebec's 75 seats.

$304,000 , Quebec Liberal ridings , Bloc Quebecois ridings , $774,000

Assignment 3: 4,659 Celebrate Canada projects and $17 million

PQ Liberal ridings , Bloc Quebecois ridings , 74 per cent of the in funding , 26 % of the funding

Easy, wasn't it? Check this *** below for more detail.

Check amateur sports for the pork $$$ funding trail too; it leads mostly in one direction.



Skaters Prepare for Turin Olympics

Last night I watched figure skating. Simply superb were two skates from Sasha Cohen, the most gorgeous, accomplished, crowd-pleasing skater to come along in a while. Not far behind her were the skates I saw by Jennie Meisner and another skater from Utah, I think, Rosen***? (maybe Rosenberg -- sorry, I have not seen her before.) who is a spectacular physical speciman--she moves so fast and accomplishes so much with a complex and very different program. Ice dancing by Belbin and Agosto is spectacular. Tanith Belbin had her American citizenship approved just this week by Congress and signed by Pres. Bush -- a good move for the US Olympic team. Canadians Davison and Dube were simply wonderful. There were other impressive skaters hoping to go to the Olympics in Turin. Whether Michelle Kwan will go to the Olympics (some health problem) has yet to be decided but she has had a long career, and I hope one of the young skaters gets this chance ... and I wish Dick Buttons would be quiet and let the skaters and their performances speak for themselves -- perhaps re-play and comment later. Buttons is knowledgeable but intrudes on enjoyment of the skaters and coming to our own assessments of relative worth. The Canadian skater (Leung?) who came second behind Johannie Rochette was very good. Worth watching.



Killer forests: the Science, the Kyoto Protocol & the Stakeholder Pressures

This morning, I read an article on global warming, "Killer forests" by Robert Matthews (Jan. 14, 06, Financial Post Comment, FP15), visiting reader in science at Acton University, Birmingham, UK.

Researchers have found that living trees produce methane. That makes it less than obvious what will reduce global warming.

There are discoveries by scientists that might put spanners in the works for scientiests promoting the present science accepted by those who support the Kyoto Protocol. The findings, published in Nature, are that:

* Trees produce methane, a negative for global warming

* Methane reduction comes with deforestation--No, cutting down all forests is not advocated

* Fossil fuel plants produce aerosols or particles which deflect some of the sun's rays from the earth

* Lakes used to feed hydroelectric plants, with their rotting vegetation, are heavy producers of methane

The article is intriguing. As a non-scientist, I can only read, but this information does pinpoint that MP's and their governments who make decisions must be aware of the influences and the bureaucracy already in place exerting pressure, those who have a stake in what has already been accepted--by Paul Martin's government--the incomplete knowledge--the science (Other scientists' views have been kept off TV, as FHTR has detailed in May or June, 2005) upon which the present government has relied to make decisions. The point made is that the influences and the science are so complex as to defy easy answers and hence, decision making.

The writer and scientists accept that the globe appears to be warming--there are opposing views--but the problem is do you, with imperfect knowledge take action which may be wrong, even harmful, or do you as politicians and governments do nothing until the science points the way?

Concerning the bureaucracy and forces in place which want to continue in the direction chosen by the Liberal government, there are whole groups of people who have influence and position

* the UN led overwhelmingly by Third World countries with their influence throughout the world and particularly on PM and Team in Canada

* Third World countries such as China and Russia, which stand to benefit from the West's concern for global warming and willingness to pay them for pollution credits and

* Bureaucrats everywhere -- whose present positions rely on newer and different information, this information, not being circulated and accepted, for it could affect their own positions, what appear to be safe sinecures for the forseeable future, stakeholders, if you will.




*** Blatant ... Minister of Some ... but not all ... Heritage(s)

Grit ridings got 79% of federal funding for Canada Day -- Quebec also received disproportionate share of cash for celebrations -- "1600 projects ... Those based in Liberal ridings received $5.9 million, or about four times the $1.5 million for those in ridings held by all opposition MPs combined." Glen McGregor, The Ottawa Citizen, Jan. 14, 2006 via NealeNews.com

A disproportionate share of federal funding for celebrations of Canada Day and other national holidays was given to organizations in ridings held by Liberal MPs.

A little more than 79 per cent of the $7.5 million provided since the last election through Canadian Heritage's Celebrate Canada program funded projects based in Liberal ridings, a Citizen analysis shows. [. . . . ]

Search: provincial and territorial Celebrate Canada committees , appointed by the minister of heritage , Canada Day musical performances in 29 Quebec municipalities , "a $3.2-million project, called Celafete 2005" , Montreal riding held by Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Lucienne Robillard , approved by the provincial Celebrate Canada committee , former astronaut Marc Garneau , Hedy Fry , British Columbia




CBC is on, trying to scare listeners and viewers about Same Sex Marriage this morning. Even if you sit on a fence with this, you should be aware that nothing major is planned by a Conservative government of which I am aware. I shall vote Conservative, trusting in the MP's decency and good sense ... if we don't want more of Liberal lies and corruption, gerrymandering and mismanagement?



Film: Another Country -- re the Cambridge Five

I watched an old film, the most sensitive portrayal of a British upper class public school boy's experience--an upper form teenager--during the 1930's at a prestigious school, perhaps Eton or Harrow, gay and during the film, falling in love. It begins with his cynicism, covering much sensitivity, and becomes a totally engaging film and a sympathetic portrayal of what any student goes through, but particularly, opposite sex students, went through on first falling in love. Hiding the situation figured more than disapproval. I had expected more disapproval in the 1930's, though I suspect we have always been hypocritical about much associated with relationships.

Intended to show the influence on Guy Bennett (Guy Burgess) that led him to become one of the traitorous five Communists in high positions in the UK, "Another Country" was one of the better old films I have seen lately. Bennett became a sympathetic character and the portrayal of life in public school was excellent, though you'll have to judge the accuracy for yourself. I have spent some time in a girls' boarding school, but not long enough to know what really went on, except for a hint of what was, and might still be, occurring. One of the staff simply suggested we not knock anyone up in the morning by walking in to rouse them without adequate warning. Hint taken.

Recommended and the acting impressed me.

Starring:
Rupert Everett (Guy Burgess)
Colin Firth (Donald MacLean)

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