June 2, 06: TGIF

Heads up!

I noticed today that at least two links appear to have disappeared in a post from News Junkie Canada October 24, 2004 News Junkie Canada October 24, 2004. Eventually, I shall retrieve a copy with links from Pack Rats R Us. Until then ...

Additionally, spooks or gremlins are at work. Mid-post ... poof ... connection gone ... think ... what could be on this site that would cause a meltdown? ... nada ... spooks and gremlins drinking early on Friday? .........


Ottawa offers land deal to only First Nation offside with pipeline project -- Deh Cho

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government hopes cash and land will lure the only native group challenging a $7-billion proposed pipeline that could fuel prosperity in the Western Arctic.

Liberal leadership hopeful touring Okotoks' green community -- Stephane Dion Calgary Herald
http://
www.canada.com/calgaryherald/
story.html?id=dcbb765a-cef8-4e33-b7d3-546fe8e68246&k=87452

Liberal leadership candidate Stephane Dion visits Okotoks this morning to tour the Drake Landing Solar Community, a 52-unit, state-of-the-art subdivision with solar panels on rooftops that will generate energy to heat the homes and water tanks.

Kathleen Harris: Polygamy allowed 'limited' status May 31, 06

Multiple-wife marriages have been legally recognized in Canada to award spousal support and inheritance payments.

The former Liberal government long maintained that polygamy is criminal in Canada but documents obtained by Sun Media under Access to Information show that polygamous marriages have been recognized "for limited purposes" to enforce the financial obligations of husbands.


Religious organizations say same-sex marriage opened the door to decriminalizing polygamy, and worry that formal recognitions of plural marriages will weaken the government's ability to defend the anti-polygamy law if it faces a constitutional challenge on religious grounds. A polygamist from Bountiful, British Columbia has warned he will fight for his constitutional right to have plural wives on religious grounds.

We have had Muslim immigrants or refugees who imported a second wife as a "cousin" or other relative; once here ... Canada apparently has accommodated these women, the men's "cousins". The slippery slope ...



Internet Filtering in China in 2004-2005: A Country Study via opennet.net/map/

China's Internet filtering regime is the most sophisticated effort of its kind in the world. Compared to similar efforts in other states, China's filtering regime is pervasive, sophisticated, and effective. It comprises multiple levels of legal regulation and technical control. It involves numerous state agencies and thousands of public and private personnel. It censors content transmitted through multiple methods, including Web pages, Web logs, on-line discussion forums, university bulletin board systems, and e-mail messages. Our testing found [.... Would you trust a computer put together in China with the potential for ... exactly what? It bears considering .......]

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary

2. Political, Technical, and Legal Context in China

A. Sensitive / Controversial Topics for Media Coverage
B. Internet Infrastructure and Access
C. Legal Background
D. User Rights and Protections

3. Testing Methodology

A. Methods
B. Results Analysis
C. Methods Specific to China
D. Comparison of Testing Methods
E. Topics Tested

4. Results and Analysis

A. Summary
B. Proxy Testing Results
C. In-State Testing Results
D. Overblocking
E. Mechanics of China's Filtering
F. E-mail Filtering
G. Blog Filtering Testing
H. Google Cache Testing
I. Filtering by Chinese Search Engines Baidu and Yisou
J. Restrictions on University On-Line Bulletin Board Systems
K. Restrictions on On-Line Discussion Forums

5. Conclusion

Appendix 1

Appendix 2


2. POLITICAL, TECHNICAL, AND LEGAL CONTEXT IN CHINA

A. Sensitive / Controversial Topics for Media Coverage

[....] In general, China attempts to suppress publication of information related to "subversive" political movements and controversial state actions, including the Tiananmen Square uprising,5 support for a free Tibet,6 the Falun Gong spiritual movement,7 criticism of China's human rights and social justice records,8 independent news media,9 and pro-democracy / pro-Western commentary.10 Calls for decreased censorship are often themselves censored.11 Journalists who report on unfavorable events or question the party line are often jailed on fabricated charges meant to discredit them.12 Additionally, the state actively suppresses "inappropriate" material including pornography, sex-related information, and obscenity.13 Methods of circumventing Internet filters and content restrictions are also censored.14

[....]

H. Google Cache Testing

To test access to Google in China, we connected to 37 Google servers from 11 remote computers located on four different backbone networks in China, and also from a remote testing facility. We found that the filtering mechanism blocking Google's cache is triggered by the text string "search?q=cache" in the HTTP GET request; this occurs whether the request is sent to a Google server or to a different site's server. A user making such a keyword request - seeking to access a site's cache - experiences disrupted access to the site.174

However, the filtering system can be bypassed - inserting an ampersand (&) into the HPPT GET request, such as "search?&q=cache", allowed access to Google's cache.175 We could not access Web sites with sensitive keywords, such as "falun," in their URLs. The filtering mechanism appears specifically designed to target Google's cache, since caches of other popular search engines, such as Yahoo!, worked properly.176

[....]

Sidebar:
Related Projects

* Internet Filtering in Bahrain
* Internet Filtering in Burma
* Internet Filtering in Iran
* Internet Filtering in Saudi Arabia
* Internet Filtering in Singapore
* Internet Filtering in Tunisia
* Internet Filtering in the United Arab Emirates
* ONI Country Studies

There is much more to check.




Poor Mr. Brison ... timwest, 5/31/2006

Mr. Brison will be replaced as environment critic by John Godfrey, the former president of the University of Kings College, who was a leadership candidate himself until sidelined by health concerns.

As environment critic, Mr. Brison’s attacks on Environment Minister Rona Ambrose were often easily parried. She and Prime Minister Stephen Harper simply read aloud old quotes from Mr. Brison, who, as a Tory, was critical of the Liberals for their lack of a plan to meet the Kyoto accord targets, and voted against ratifying the treaty.

Do they have no conscience? No fear of retribution? Of community censure?

It may be time to bring back God ... the one that Time pronounced dead on its cover long ago. A resurrection? Rebirth? ... Failing that, perhaps a suitably lengthy period of time in an unpleasant jail?

[Comment] Brigand, 5/31/2006 16:07:38 Onlookers taunted workers at accident scene reads the headline.Seems that emergency workers were disrupted by some of the friends of two killers who killed a married couple when they were street racing at 140 to 150 k an hour.These creeps tried to sneak past a cordoned off area to take pictures of the wreckage.A police officer stated that he has such people say."I don't care,officer.This is my thing. (street racing) This is what I do.I'll take my chances in court." Sure he will as he knows liberal lawyers might give him house arrest.Meanwhile a little girl 7 is an orphan.Wonderful.

[....Comment: eliza99 5/31/2006 17:53:02]

Picked this up from Govt. website. There SHOULD be a jail sentence, however

2. Imprisonment

The more serious offence, criminal negligence causing death, is punishable by life imprisonment,(64) while the less serious offences, criminal negligence and dangerous driving causing bodily harm, are punishable by imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years.(65) The maximum sentence for dangerous driving causing death is imprisonment for 14 years.(66) .... no minimum term ....

[....] At present, imposing conditional sentences is a widespread practice, even for a serious offence such as criminal negligence causing death.(69) The sentencing judge is required, under the Code, to consider all available sanctions less restrictive than deprivation of liberty.(70)

Canadian-Vietnamese soccer mafia boss nabbed
Thu, May 25 2006, By Mata Press Service

Vietnam police investigating a high profile corruption case involving government officers in Hanoi have arrested a Canadian who is reputedly the head of an international criminal syndicate. [I'm shocked! Shocked, I say ...]

The crime gang called "Long Haul" operates in Canada, Europe and Asia specializing in drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized betting on international soccer games, police said according to Vietnam-based news sources.

The Canadian was identified as 46-year-old Ngo Tien Dung alias Dung Kieu.

The Vietnamese native also uses the names Dung Hanoi and Lai Thanh Huu and reportedly operated out of Vancouver and Toronto. [....]

Vietnamese media said Dung changed his named to Lai Thanh Huu in Canada, obtained citizenship and has traveled to Vietnam at least 35 times as an overseas businessman.

Think hard ... Vietnamese truckers ... immigration Canada ... "obtained citizenship and has traveled to Vietnam at least 35 times as an overseas businessman." ... investor program ...

Related? Multiculturalism, IRB, Vietnamese ..... re: importing Vietnamese truckers



Dutch Pedophiles Form Political Party Bruce Mutsvairo, AP, May 31, 06 via CNEWS Forum

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Several self-avowed pedophiles founded a political party in the Netherlands on Wednesday, but it was unclear whether the party has more than a handful of members.

The Charity, Freedom and Diversity party said its central campaign platform will be lowering the age of consent in the Netherlands from 16 to 12.

"Forbidding children from sex only makes them more curious," party president Martijn Uittenbogaard told The Associated Press. [....] [It looks as though the pedophiles have caught the zeitgeist ... no?]

Whatever children are curious about, they must have, of course ............ Will Big Brother provide?




US Ambassador to the UN, Bolton, cuts to the chase

-- Bolton: We Won't Be Fooled by Iran -- U.N. Ambassador John Bolton gets tough with Iran: 'This is their last chance' to stop uranium enrichment and give up plans for nuclear weapons. (AP) newsmax.com, Jun. 1, 06

VIENNA, Austria -- Six world powers meeting to discuss the crisis over Iran's nuclear program have reached an agreement on a package of incentives and penalties to be presented to Tehran, diplomats told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The diplomats were speaking on the sidelines of a meeting between officials from France, Britain, Germany, the United States, Russia and China. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to make a public announcement. [....]

Related articles on that site:

U.S., Others Reportedly Reach Deal on Iran Incentives
Bush: U.N. Security Council Could Loom for Iran
Rice, China Discuss Iran Nuclear Issue
Iran Rebuffs U.S. Demand on Enrichment
U.S. Policy Shift on Iran Clears Way for Talks
U.S. Offers Talks With Iran; Iran Rejects 'Propaganda'
Former Iran Parliament Speaker Urges U.S. Talks
Iran's Military Plans for Invasion by United States

Howard launches Australian nuclear energy debate By Rich Bowden May 31, 2006, Monsters and Critics

Professor James Lovelock – originator of the Gaia theory – shocked environmental groups in May 2004 by advocating an expansion of the world’s nuclear energy programs. Lovelock considered that the dangers of global warming through the overuse of fossil fuels made nuclear energy – which emits no greenhouse gases – an attractive option.

Several commentators though, have questioned the Prime Minister’s motives for raising the nuclear issue. With an election due next year, and with Howard’s reputation as a master of “wedge” politics, many see this sudden emphasis on the emergence of an Australian nuclear power industry as no more than a stunt designed to divide anti-nuclear and pro-nuclear members of the Opposition Labor party.

Currently Labor’s left and right wings have agreed on an uneasy anti-nuclear energy stance though the party’s bitter internal divisions over uranium mining have shown the nuclear energy policy to be a potentially damaging issue.

Manhattan Democrats Unhappy With Hillary May 30, 06

As widely reported, Clinton has been moving to the middle as part of her probable run for the White House in 2008, staking out new, moderate positions on several key issues and sounding alarm bells among some liberals in the process.

The News reports that she has called abortion "a tragic choice," has sponsored a bill to make flag burning a crime, pushed for a crackdown on violent video games and, worst of all in the eyes of ultra-liberal Manhattan Democrats, supported the war in Iraq.

To make matter worse in their eyes it was revealed that Murdoch -- whose conservative Fox News Network regularly chastises Clinton and her husband, Bill -- plans to sponsor a fund-raiser for her. [. . . . ]

What world religion's positions could she have supported and then been applauded ... no matter what the barbarism? ... Think hard. Hint: it isn't Christianity.



French Jews Feel Abandoned. Tension in Suburbs From the desk of Paul Belien on Wed, 2006-05-31 20:14
www.brusselsjournal.com/node/1094

Today the French authorities closed down the website of “Tribu Ka”, a group of French black Muslims. The website contained anti-Semitic texts [some of which are quoted here]. Last Sunday evening about thirty members of Tribu Ka, armed with bats and sticks, staged a march through the Rue de Rosiers in the historic Jewish quarter of Paris, shouting “Death to Jews” and “Let the Jews fight us if they dare!”

Tensions between black Muslim immigrants and French Jews have been rising since another black gang, who call themselves “the Barbarians,” kidnapped Ilan Halimi, a 21-year old Jew, last February. Halimi was tortured for three weeks and subsequently murdered. Youssouf Fofana, the imprisoned leader of the gang that murdered Halimi, is acclaimed as a hero by groups such as Tribu Ka. Tribu Ka was founded by Kami Saba [Kémi Séba], a black Parisian who says he has been inspired by the Black Muslims in the United States. [....]

Lengthy, detailed, documented. Is it a hate crime in Canada to report that the gang are ... well, what they are?

Was allowing imams to prisons to instruct in the faith the wisest idea? ... Think of the education level of the "students" and a certain level of ignorance of world, national and their own history and geography; for example, their own history in Africa where Muslims and their own tribal enemies enslaved their ancestor Africans to sell to slavers for ships bound for the Americas ... et cetera.




New chief sounds alarm over siding Licia Corbella, Jun. 1, 06

Calgary and area fire chiefs are sounding the alarm on the need for building code changes in the wake of large recent fires.

[....] massive $60-million Erlton fire May 30, 2002 .... changes to the national building code, which isn't expected to change until 2010.

"Included in Calgary's submission is the question of vinyl siding, the materials that are installed under vinyl siding, the proximity of buildings to one another -- in short, a whole range of issues that come into play in these fire situations and we're going to be looking at all of them," said Chown.

[....] But he points out when you have a criminal deliberately setting fires in unoccupied homes, the "fire is fully raging before anybody know about it. [....]

Volpe to return $27,000 in donations -- NDP wants minors to be restricted from giving money to politicians

The sums were among the 20 donations of $5,400 -- the maximum allowed by law -- that Mr. Volpe's campaign received from five current and former Apotex executives and 15 of their family members.

Apotex chairman Barry Sherman -- whose wife is the sister of Mr. Shechtman's wife -- also gave $5,400, as did his wife, Honey, and four of his children, including a daughter who is under 18. President Jack Kay, his wife, Patricia, and two children, including a son under 18, also gave $5,400 each. Vice-president Craig Baxter and three family members also contributed $5,400 each, as did vice-president Michael Florence.

[....] Maurizio Bevilacqua, another contender, said he wouldn't have accepted such large donations from minors. But he said an age limit isn't necessarily the way to go since a 14-year-old should not be discouraged from donating $10.

Campbell Clark: Twins, 11, donated $10,800 to Volpe's campaign -- Liberal MP received additional $5,400 from 14-year-old boy via timwest, 6/01/2006

"When I came out and said that laundering money through your children's bank accounts to circumvent the donation limits of the election act is fraud, I should have said, laundering money through your children's bank accounts to circumvent the donation limits of the Elections Act seems like fraud, and it's up to the Elections Commissioner to determine if what took place is illegal or not," Mr. [New Democratic Party MP Pat ] Martin said.

In his first report of leadership campaign donations to Elections Canada filed last month, Mr. Volpe reported that he received 29 donations on April 20 totalling $152,700. Just over 70 per cent came from 20 donations of $5,400 made by the current and former executives of Apotex Inc., and members of their families.

Check the ages of the "instant members" who paid $10 to join the Liberals in BC during the time of the run-up to Canada's turfing the old PM and getting a shiny new PM ... you remember, the articles on Basi's Boys. May be interesting.