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'The Connective': Arizona Pioneers 'Smart Region' Concept
Photo by Mark Goldstein
Posted By: Kirk Busch and Mark Goldstein via GreenLiving February 5, 2020
National and global buzz is increasing over the Smart Region concept dreamed up by Arizona State University where smart city technology will bypass individual cities by imposing regional policies directly.
Many think this is a great idea, but there are just a couple of problems with it. First, it strips sovereignty from individual cities and second, any regional form of governance is patently unconstitutional. ⁃ TN Editor
During the ASU Smart Region Summit in November, the formation of the statewide collaborative, The Connective, was announced at the State of the Smart Region Gala. The Connective's vision is that through a community-driven applied research model and intentional, unprecedented collaboration, the consortium of public, private, university, and community partners will empower Greater Phoenix communities to build the nation's largest, most connected smart region, developing and deploying technology-scalable solutions rooted in connectivity, mobility, equity, and sustainability. This constitutes a big bold new vision for Arizona!
"This is the first major regional effort in the United States to engage communities across such a broad range of municipalities in co-designing and co-investing in our smart and connected futures," says Lev Gonick, chief information officer at Arizona State University (ASU).
While ASU is planning its own smart city project, they're also uniting with the Arizona Institute for Digital Progress (AZiDP), Arizona Commerce Authority, Maricopa Association of Governments, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and 22 Greater Phoenix cities and towns to create and build The Connective.
"Creating a smarter, safer, more vibrant city is at the heart of this effort. ASU is proud to partner with industry and municipalities to advance this initiative for our city, our region, and the state," says Cynthia Sagers, vice president for research at ASU.
A day-long summit closed the SRS focusing on surfacing the big ideas and highlighting the strategic partnerships that will bring our cities and regions into the future.
Several companies have announced partnerships with The Connective, including Cox, Dell, Sprint, and SRP. Cox and ASU recently announced their plan to launch the Cox Connected Environments Collaboratory at ASU, an incubation space that will cultivate a smart region ecosystem while addressing the need for a consistent, powerful network on campus and beyond to really capitalize on the promise of these smart region initiatives. Students, faculty, and staff will develop Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to problems facing the optimization of buildings for sustainability and new way for us to interact with our evolving environment, providing new learning experiences in virtual and augmented reality, infrastructure modeling, privacy and security, sustainability, and more.
Sprint recently announced a significant collaboration to bring 5G, the Curiosity IoT Network to fruition, a whole new university degree program for IoT development.
Further, Alteryx and ASU are teaming up to use the former's data analytics platform to effectively use data to solve smart region challenges. This partnership will give students, faculty and staff members an edge on tackling real-world business issues and driving social impact.
All of these announcements signal a substantial industry commitment to public private partnerships and improving the experience of ASU community members while broadly sharing their discoveries and forward pathways.
Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder, had invested in the purchase of 25,000 acres west of the White Tank Mountains for a planned new smart city known as Belmont, and has now also invested in another 2,800 acres in Buckeye.
Belmont's partners consider the greenfield community to be a "blank slate of opportunity" for developing advanced communication, energy, and transportation infrastructure designed for innovation and delivering an improved quality of life.
In the meantime, Microsoft Corporation has acquired three land parcels in the West Valley for enormous data center builds.
'Greater Phoenix Smart Region Initiative' Takes Root…
Private Consortium Launches Smart Region To Slam…
New 'Smart Region' Scheme Is Regionalism To Dictate…
Smart Region: The Rise Of The Activist University
ASU Leads Nation In Unconstitutional 'Smart Region' Scheme
Regionalism: Smart Region Initiatives Overrule City Councils
Regionalism: Feds Are Actively Pushing Smart Region…
Christopher McMillon
Arizona looks to be a contender to be the first to become a complete Orwellian nightmare then? Anywhere the likes of Bill Gates is investing in, I'd get far far away from there. No, you won't be able to own land and live how you please. If you live in these areas, it's over.
Reply to Christopher McMillon
The sad thing about this whole "nightmare" that the Az. citizen has no idea what is happening. To me just the name 'Bill gates' send fear and you would think someone would notice. Alas, everyone to busy buying face masks to notice.
I have a friend she thinks Bill Gates is the "Anti Christ."


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POWER RANKINGS!
POWER RANKINGS: Despite being at fault for two goals, Sunderland defender holds onto top spot
After a disappointing all-round performance at the weekend from Sunderland's players, this week's Power Rankings were tough to call. Find out who's at the top and who are the big movers - including a massive jump from 18th to 2nd for one man.
By James Lowson@jimmylowson Sep 18, 2018, 9:17am BST
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How do you grade Sunderland players in a week where no-one performed to anywhere near the level we have come to expect from a Jack Ross team?
That was the dilemma we were facing at Roker Report towers after Saturday's dismal 2-1 defeat away at Burton Albion.
Ultimately in a poor week for the club, Jack Baldwin has held onto the top spot for a third straight week in our Power Rankings.
It's hard to feel good about seeing a player who was partly at fault for both Burton goals maintain his spot at the top of our chart. Yet nobody truly did enough to wrestle the top spot from a man who remains crucial to Sunderland's chances of promotion. Baldwin staying at the top reflects just how much he has impressed the Roker Report writers and Sunderland faithful in his short time on Wearside.
Maguire wheels away celebrating after his spectacular strike brought a consolation goal for the Lads at the weekend.
Chris Maguire takes a massive leap back up our rankings after his superb reaction to getting dropped, scoring a majestic goal, plus adding urgency and unpredictability to the Mackem's attack after half-time.
Aiden McGeady deputises as an active player in the top ten in acknowledgement of his instant impact and role in the Black Cats' solitary goal. The 32-year-old could be a contender for the top spot once he's fully fit.
Adam Matthews drops out the top 20 after being Sunderland's worst performer for a second straight game. It will be fascinating to see if Matthews keeps his spot in the side with Tom Flanagan fit and waiting in the wings.
Finally, we're happy to report Papy Djilobodji is no longer a member of our power rankings. With the defender's contract at Sunderland now terminated we can officially remove the defender from our ratings.
Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
1: Jack Baldwin (1) - He remains top in a week where no Sunderland player covered themselves in glory - hopefully next week's incumbent champ will have done more to earn it.
2: Chris Maguire (18) - A superb turnaround after being justifiably dropped from the starting line-up, his man of the match performance from the bench was capped by him scoring one of the best goals of the weekend across all leagues.
3: Jon McLaughlin (7) - One of the only players in Saturday's squad who can look back on their performance and be proud of their efforts - he was faultless for both goals.
4: Josh Maja (2) - Arguably one of the better performers in Burton, but even then, Maja was quiet for large spells of the game and looked like a teenager playing against men for most of the first half.
5: Denver Hume (3) - Maintains a top five spot despite not seeing any action on Saturday. This is as much a reflection on the dross we saw on Saturday, as Hume's man of the match performances a week ago.
6: Lee Cattermole (4) - Struggled in a midfield two with George Honeyman, hard to place too much of the blame on our former captain when it was Ross' naive tactics that left him so exposed.
7: George Honeyman (5) - Had a tough day, and much like Catts a majority of the blame for his performance lays at the manager's door, who should never have selected the pair as a midfield two.
8: Aiden McGeady (25) - Vaults into the top ten after an impressive first appearance of the season. McGeady was vital in creating space for Maguire's stunning strike and caused the Brewers multiple problems initially before fading due to a lack of match fitness.
9: Lynden Gooch (6) - Drops further down our weekly ratings after Saturday's disappearing act. It's hard to remember Gooch ever contributing so little to a match he played every minute of.
10: Glenn Loovens (8) - A Jack Ross favourite who's yet to really convince as Baldwin's long-term partner at centre-half.
11: Charlie Wyke (9) - Had a quiet game prior to being stretchered off. Wyke's desperately unfortunate to be facing an extended spell out injured before really getting a run in our first team.
12: Dylan McGeouch (10) - Injured again - another new signing that hasn't yet lived up to his billing.
13: Tom Flanagan (11) - A surprise omission from the side against Burton.
14: Jerome Sinclair (12) - Hooked early in the second half after a quiet performance on the left-wing. Missed his chance to nail down a starting place.
15: Robbin Ruiter (13) - Unlikely to play anytime soon given McLaughlin's recent form.
16: Bryan Oviedo (14) - One of the worst performers on a day where no-one representing Sunderland played well, Oviedo looked jet-lagged and disinterested from minute one. Ross would have to see a real improvement in training to justify playing the Costa Rica international ahead of Denver Hume on Saturday.
17: Alim Ozturk (15) - An unused sub at Burton.
18: Reece James (16) - Didn't make the bench after Oviedo's return from international duty.
19: Max Power (17) - Desperately missed on Saturday, Power has just one game remaining on his 3-match ban. With McGeouch and Luke O'Nien's struggles in his absence, the 25-year-old should be line to quickly return to the line up and our top ten.
20: Bali Mumba (20) - There was no-place in our League One matchday squad for our teenage prodigy, he turned out for the under-23s instead.
21: Ethan Robson (21) - Left out of the first-team squad despite McGeouch being unavailable, played in midfield for the under-23s alongside Mumba on Sunday.
22: Adam Matthews 23: Luke O'Nien 24: Benjamin Kimpioka 25: Donald Love 26: Duncan Watmore 27: Max Stryjek 28: Didier Ndong.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How many of you take time out of your day for yourself? I bet not many of you do it on a regular basis.
In today's world, it is so easy to not switch off from your normal day to day life. We have work emails on our phone and have social media notifications going off every 5 minutes from Mr Smith asking for the latest recommendation about where to have his Sunday roast on the Stratford-upon-Avon Facebook forum page. By the way, how annoying are those people who are asking for consistent recommendations? Why can't they go and find out for themselves? But that is a different rant!
My point is that it is so easy to stay 'busy' in what you perceive as your normal day-to-day life and not take 30 minutes for yourself.
In some cases, you can't do this due to your children etc. Which is understandable but you can take 30 minutes for yourself every other day or every couple of days.
However, I would urge you to take 30 minutes for yourself wherever possible to clear your head. There is a saying going around at the moment which follows as.
"Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel".
Which all it basically means is you cannot help others when you mental and physically exhausted. Take as little as 30 minutes for yourself first so you can give the best to others.


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Treasure of Bruce Lee (1979)
Treasure of Bruce Lee (1979) by Joseph Velasco
Watch Online & Download Movie: Download: Treasure of Bruce Lee (1979) 1080p HD Watch:	Treasure of Bruce Lee (1979) 1080p HD
treasure of bruce lee (1979) by joseph velasco: A young man called Wang Lung (Bruce Le) has to find his uncle who holds the key to a hidden treasure. He has to battle a lot of opponents to reach his goal.
Cast/Stars: Bruce Le, Lita Vasquez, Lik Cheung
After watched and downloaded movie "Treasure of Bruce Lee (1979)". Please take a minute to write review about movie watched or downloaded. write what you watched in review form below:
Joseph Velasco
Bruce Bruce: Losin' It (2011 TV Movie)
Marcus Raboy
Bruce Against the Odds (1979)
Kei Ying Cheung
Bruce, King of Kung Fu (1982)
Darve Lau, Bruce Le
Return of Bruce (1978)
Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave (1976)
Doo-yong Lee
King Solomon's Treasure (1979)
Alvin Rakoff
Bruce Lee, My Brother (2010)
Manfred Wong, Wai Man Yip
They Call Me Bruce? (1982)
Elliott Hong
The Bruce (1996)
Bob Carruthers, David McWhinnie
The Legend of Bruce Lee (2010)
Moon-ki Lee
Bruce Lee: The Man, the Myth (1976)
Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death (1975)
Pin Lin, Harold B. Swartz
Treasure Hunt (1994)
Jeffrey Lau
Wanted! Bruce Li, Dead or Alive (1978)
Fei Lung Huang
The Legend of Bruce Lee (2008 TV Series)
My Name Is Bruce (2007)
Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story (1977)
Chi Chang, Hua Chen
Killer Fish (1979)
3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom (2012)
Jordan Roberts
The Treasure of the Amazon (1985)
René Cardona Jr.
Day of the Assassin (1979)
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
Treasure Island Kids: The Monster of Treasure Island (2006)
Michael Hurst
Kenneth Lonergan
One Piece Episode 753: A Deadly Elephant Climb - A Great Adventure on the Back of the Giant Elephant!
Avengers Assemble Season 3 The Ultimates
Tim Eldred, Jeff Allen
Spectral (2016)
Nic Mathieu
Valérie Müller, Angelin Preljocaj
The Boy (2016)
William Brent Bell
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
California Typewriter (2016)
Doug Nichol
Garry Marshall
Snowden (2016)


For some, cycling is a passion.
Others, it is a hobby.
Some do it as a competitive sport.
Others pedal to transport them from one point to another.
the bicycle brings us happiness and freedom.
You just need your legs to roll.
It will make us all healthy!
So go out and ride!
it's better than to hike.


Amidst a so far sold out F.A.M.E. tour with Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland and T-Pain, Young Money rapper TYGA takes a moment to R.O.A.R. with the youth in each city he visits.
The empowerment campaign, Reach Out And Represent, he told HipHopWired is his way of making his voice resonate beyond the jungle of music marketing.
April L. Vance, White House Liaison; Dr. Bilal Beckles, DDS; and Victor T. Sanders, CEO of Palmieri Jeans joined TYGA in front of a Washington, DC audience to talk the difference between a job and a career, being a visionary, and what aspirations the youth had in mind.
"A lot of kids don't have a lot of mentor figures to look up to so they relate to some of these younger artists like myself and they live through us, kind of, and they look to us as their older brother or older sister or what have you," TYGA said.
He attributes his own success, including a Grammy nomination, to being "self-motivated," and he plans to continue exploring what it's like to be a young person through his music.
His sophomore studio album, Careless World: Rise of the Last King, is slated for release November 19.
The R.O.A.R. speaking tour is in partnership with La Belle Vie foundation's BULU (Be U Love U) program. The next stop on the 28-city journey is Wednesday, Sept. 21 at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, OH.


I would be greatly interested in hearing about current ice conditions throughout the region. The warm/dry weather spell at the end of 05 has me concerned. I don't want to get up at 3:00am to travel a couple of hours only to find melt out or desiccated ice. Perhaps climbers could use this forum to post current conditions, much like Malcolm did on the old format. Cheers to a New Year.
Climbed Hidden Falls [RMNP] on 1/7/6 and Lincoln Falls [Hooiser Pass] on 1/8/6. Both waterfalls were in nicely. Lots of thick ice, pillars and curtains and not badly chopped at all. Saturday in the Park was clear warm and sunny (on the other side of the valley) but with a cold wind. Sunday on Lincoln was cold and snowy all day with a heinous drive back to Boulder for dessert. Neither location was "crowded" by any stretch of interpretation. Everyone seemed to either get along or get out of the way.
One cautionary note; A first time ice climber took a fall while seconding the upper pitch of the Scottish Gully. He was fine but rope stretch took him below his leashless tools which were left precariously perched in the steeper ice above. His partner had to lower him to an anchorable stance and rap off to retrieve the wayward axes. The scary part was that the moving of the rope knocked loose one of the sharp and pointy unleashed things which, fortunately, fell and stuck into the lower angle snow a foot or so away from the hapless "newbie". To their credit these two really nice dudes handled themselves with aplomb through it all but it could have been "really bad"! The thought of an ice tool tumbling and hurtling down towards a group of people is ugly even for Quentin Tarrentino. Prehaps it would be best to start out with leashed tools.
Heard Clear Creek is gone. Hope this snow will help a little.
I doubt I'll hear anything good about it with the 60-degree days but is there anything in Boulder Canyon? I have yet to get up there this year.
I generally update ice conditions once a week on my websitejackrobertsclimbing.com. The information I get is either first-hand or second-hand from friends around the state who get around in areas I don't. Check it out.
Thanks, Jack. I added it to my Favorites. Good stuff!
There is also a website Skywardmountaineering.com that lists Ouray, Silverton, and Telluride ice conditions.
Went to Hoosier Pass/Lincoln Falls looked good, nice for the weekend. Partner bailed so I ended up top rope soloing at Silver Plume, not falling down needs cold.
Jack's site is great for checking conditions! If you're thinking about Wyo for ice here's the scoop. Cody on 1/12-1-17 was unseasonably warm, south-facing ice was taking a beating and some of the lower climbs like Moratorium and Joy After Pain were rotting from the ground up. Joy After Pain is about 40' short of touching down and the mixed bit to get on it was hard and tough to protect. Mean Green and High on Boulder were both in good as usual. Bozos Revenge was also fat. They need cold weather to really build some ice up there. We stayed off the south-facing stuff altogether. Bears are waking up so take your running shoes and bear spray. Remember you don't have to outrun the bear, just your partners. Check out Coldfear.com for current conditions.
Climbed Fish Creek Falls outside of Steamboat a couple weeks ago and it was still very thin towards the top. It was more snow than ice. Punched through a couple times towards the top and got a great view of the wet void. Only got 1 screw in barely off the deck. Needs a lot more time.
Hey I'm heading up to Longs Peak next week and was wondering if anyone has any beta on the ice up there.
My friends and I are going to RMNP in a few weeks to do some ice climbing. Anyone know how the ice is forming up in the Loch Vale area? Thanks so much for the info.
Josh Koenig wrote: My friends and I are going to RMNP in a few weeks to do some ice climbing. Anyone know how the ice is forming up in the Loch Vale area? Thanks so much for the info.
Josh, the ice off the trail approaching loch vale was not in 1 week ago. Some ice was just starting to form, but none was touching down or reasonable enough to climb yet without destroying. We need more moisture and freeze/thaw!
Avery, thanks so much for the info.
Avery is right. I would start a current thread. You'd get way more hits.
Many thanks for sharing the great link. Can't wait until stuff comes in a little better... Take care.
Josh, Kevin Craig posted a conditions report 10/31/7 on the Alexander's page.
Admins, can you move the Fall 2007 comments (except this one) to that thread?
Post a Reply to "Ice Conditions in 2006"


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Mort Zuckerman: Obama Has Done Everything Wrong (VIDEO)
You know it's bad when a liberal bazillionaire like Mort Zuckerman has turned on you. What surprised me the most was his statement of fact that the Democrats were behind the housing crisis. I did not think I would ever hear that out of the mouth of someone who supported Obama, and someone so connected to the web (check out his bio at the bottom).
What about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that got there with the support of the Democrats in congress. That's what kicked off the great housing bubble; that's what started this whole thing rolling down the hill. Did they ever talk about that kind of excess in the congress? No…..this isn't something that is just due to the "wall street community".
Mr. Zuckerman has penned an opinion piece in The Daily Beast that should set Obama back on his heels even more than the trouncing the dems just took in Massachusetts.
He's Done Everything Wrong
Obama punted on the economy and reversed the fortunes of the Democrats in 365 days.
He's misjudged the character of the country in his whole approach. There's the saying, "It's the economy, stupid." He didn't get it. He was determined somehow or other to adopt a whole new agenda. He didn't address the main issue.
This health-care plan is going to be a fiscal disaster for the country. Most of the country wanted to deal with costs, not expansion of coverage. This is going to raise costs dramatically.
In the campaign, he said he would change politics as usual. He did change them. It's now worse than it was. I've now seen the kind of buying off of politicians that I've never seen before. It's politically corrupt and it's starting at the top. It's revolting.
Mort seems to understand the old chinese proverb that the fish rots from the head. Take a moment and read the entire article. Might make your day to see someone other than bloggers making the same points you have been making for months.
Many of you have seen Burning Down The House about the Community Reinvestment Act which created the housing bubble; if not click the link. I dragged this video out of the vault from October 2008 and John Stossel about government's involvement in the housing bubble.
Mortimer B. Zuckerman is chairman and editor in chief of U.S. News & World Report and publisher of the New York Daily News. He is also the co-founder and chairman of Boston Properties Inc. He is a trustee of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, and the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
The Barney Frank Masquerade
ALWAYS GET TAPE!
An email from Barney:
Friend —
The extremists who control the Republican Party have engaged in one of the most implausible masquerades in history by trying to identify themselves with the American Colonials who revolted against British rule.
In fact, as I prepare to go to the floor of the House this week to defend a package of tough financial reforms and consumer and investor protections, I confront a hostile, virtually unanimous Republican Party, which has a major characteristic in common with a different set of eighteenth century figures – the kings of France. When the French monarchy was restored to power in the 19th century, it was said that "The Bourbons have forgotten nothing because they learned nothing."
Current House Republicans now oppose financial regulation because they have learned nothing from the current economic crisis.
It is time to stand up against them and we need your help now.
Put Main Street First: Contribute Today
The Republicans have opposed virtually every proposal we have put forward to prevent another financial meltdown. They have fought bitterly against the establishment of a consumer financial protection agency; they have blocked efforts to restrict executive compensation; they are against regulation of derivatives, and they have opposed efforts to restrain predatory lending.
But their opposition to any serious financial regulation has some substantial benefits to Republicans in the form of campaign contributions from institutions which want to be able to continue their financial manipulations unimpeded.
I ask your financial support for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, so that Members who vote in favor of tough financial regulation will know that we will stand with them when they are attacked by candidates backed by powerful defenders of the status quo.
Please consider contributing $5, $10 or more today to the DCCC's Main Street Democratic Fund to help support Democrats who put Main Street first. Your gift will be matched by House Democrats 2-to-1.
There is so much at stake. The time to help is now.
Barney Frank
This coming from the guy that said Fannie and Freddie were fine, and who was one of the people that gave us the expanded Community Reinvestment Act which forced the banks to give ninja loans to people without jobs. I am glad to know that we are now extremists and even though not registered as republicans, we must therefore be republicans because we espouse the founders' rules.
Barney Frank's financial regulatory reform is just another plank in the Cloward-Piven Strategy.
Today's AYFKM? Award Goes To Barack Obama: "Don't Do Alot Of Talking And Get Out Of The Way"
Are you just sick to death of this clueless pretender that had 143 days in the Senate before he left his desk and started running all over God's green earth to get the job that he is currently failing miserably at? Are ya? How do we stop any and all future legislation from this bozo and his fascist friends until we can flip the whole congress in 2010, and then send him packing in 2012?
Oh yeah, we have a so-called president telling the American people to shut up not realizing that he should really be telling his own party to shut up. Unfortunately for us, we are the ones who are going to have to clean up this marketed and teleprompted resident's messes. Those of us that have not completely lost our jobs are having to put aside our lives and our families to stop the madness of the very people that started the economic meltdown to begin in.
"But I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking. Am I wrong Virginia?"
Why yes, Barack, you would be wrong!
Nothing says THE TRUTH like tape…
Maxine Waters and Gregory Meeks, Later 2004
The Dems and the Community Reinvestment Act:
H.R. 3311; More Big Brother Government
Control, control, control…
Congressman wants government GPS in cars
An Oregon congressman says he wants to test having a government GPS unit in every car so a tax could be imposed on the miles driven.
The proposal, H.R. 3311, which calls for a test costing $150 million-plus, was introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.
"Oregon has successfully tested a Vehicle Miles Traveled fee, and it is time to expand and test the VMT program across the country," he said in a statement on his website. "A VMT system can better assess fees based on use of our roads and bridges, as well as during times of peak congestion, than a fee based on consumption.
"It is time to get creative and find smart ways to rebuild and renew America's deteriorating infrastructure," he said.
His plan calls for the Department of the Treasury to study the idea with test GPS-equipped car projects in every state.
Blumenauer said the Oregon test "charged drivers for the number of miles they traveled rather the fuel they consumed. The test was convenient for drivers, protected personal privacy, and proved to be easily administrable."
Make sure to go over and read the whole article as Henry Lamb in a WND column has some interesting views of how this bill could be used.
Now put aside the big brother aspect of this POS bill for just one second. Think about this bill from a different angle; once again, "the producers" (people who work) in our country are going to get taxed greater than the "consumers" (people that do not work) because they actually commute to a job or their small businesses almost every day. Our non-reps CANNOT be this stupid. If it looks like a duck…it probably is a duck…
I have emphasised the interesting parts:
H.R. 3311: To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a pilot program to study alternatives to the…
To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a pilot program to study alternatives to the current system of taxing motor vehicle fuels, including systems based on the number of miles traveled by each vehicle.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ROAD USER FEE PILOT PROJECT; TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) Road User Fee Pilot Project-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of the Treasury shall establish a pilot program under this subsection to study alternatives to the current system of taxing motor vehicle fuels. Such program shall be known as the 'Road User Fee Pilot Project'.
(2) MILEAGE BASED PROGRAM- The Road User Fee Pilot Project shall study technology and methods for recording and reporting the number of miles traveled by particular vehicles, including–
(A) the manner in which a Federal system would receive payments with respect to the number of miles traveled by such vehicles, and
(B) integration of such technology and methods with State and local revenue systems and demand management systems.
(3) EVALUATION OF METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES- Technologies and methods tested under the Road User Fee Pilot Project shall be evaluated on the basis of–
(A) protection of personal privacy,
(B) ease of compliance,
(C) public acceptance,
(D) geographic and income equity,
(E) integration with State and local transportation revenue mechanisms (including demand management systems),
(F) administrative, cost, and enforcement issues, and
(G) potential for fraud and evasion.
(4) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY- The programs carried out under the Road User Fee Pilot Project shall be conducted in each State and shall be conducted in areas that are diverse geographically and in vehicle density.
(b) Establishment of Working Groups- The Secretary shall coordinate with the following agencies to coordinate the creation of three working groups and integrate their findings into the final report required under subsection (d):
(1) TECHNOLOGY WORKING GROUP- In coordination with the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Secretary shall convene a working group to study appropriate technology platforms and standards to facilitate the most effective revenue systems.
(2) TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WORKING GROUP- In coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary shall convene a working group to evaluate the costs of collection and administration.
(3) ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP- In coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary shall convene a working group to study the potential to manage demand and to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
(c) Technology Research Program-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall establish a grant program to aid the development of on-board technologies necessary for a miles based program described in subsection (a)(2).
(2) ENTITIES ELIGIBLE FOR GRANTS- The following entities shall be eligible for grants for grants under paragraph (1):
(A) Institutions of higher education, as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(B) Commercial manufacturers with an established record of passenger vehicle innovation.
(C) Technology manufacturers with an established record of wireless networking and communications.
(d) Report- Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a written report to the Congress, providing initial findings from activities authorized by this section. Not later than 36 months after such date, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a written report detailing final findings and conclusions from the activities authorized by this section.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Treasury–
(1) to carry out this section (other than subsection (c)), $150,000,000, to remain available until expended, and
(2) to carry out subsection (c), $4,500,000, to remain available until expended.
Could we use the $150 Billion they want to spend on this "study" on something better? Like tax cuts for the American people so that we can start rebuilding the economy they crashed with the Community Reinvestment Act?
Tell Chris Dodd His Services Are No Longer Required
Just one more reason to send Chris Dodd home permanently and to vote against him in his upcoming election because of sheer stupidity, pandering to the banking crowd, his sweetheart mortgage deal, and lest we forget, punishing Americans with good credit ratings (pay attention at 2:33), but let's go back a few years.
Congress's Afterthought, Wall Street's Trillion Dollars
Fed's Bailout Authority Sat Unused Since 1991
On the day before Thanksgiving in 1991, the U.S. Senate voted to vastly expand the emergency powers of the Federal Reserve.
Almost no one noticed. (emphasis added)
The critical language was contained in a single, somewhat inscrutable sentence, and the only public explanation was offered during a final debate that began with a reminder that senators had airplanes to catch. Yet, in removing a long-standing prohibition on loans that supported financial speculation, the provision effectively allowed the Fed for the first time to lend money to Wall Street during a crisis.
That authority, which sat unused for more than 16 years, now provides the legal basis for the Fed's unprecedented efforts to rescue the financial system.
Since March 2008, the central bank's board of governors has invoked its emergency powers at least 19 times: to contain the wreckage of Bear Stearns and ease the fall of American International Group, to preserve Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, to limit losses at Bank of America and Citigroup, to lend more than $1 trillion.
The repeated use of the once-dusty law has surprised and alarmed a wide range of people, including economists and members of Congress. It has even raised worries among presidents of the regional banks that make up the Federal Reserve system.
Many critics are concerned that an institution not accountable to voters is risking vast amounts of public money and choosing which companies get help. Others are concerned that the Fed's new role will interfere with its basic responsibility for regulating economic growth.
Enter H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. Is this bill likely to pass? Probably not considering the NY Banks that we just bailed out ARE THE FEDERAL RESERVE!
There is also a question about the roots of the crisis: Did investment banks take greater risks in the past two decades because they knew the Fed could rescue them?
The 1991 legislation, authored by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), was requested by Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street firms in the wake of the 1987 market crisis, and it would save some of them a generation later.
Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and other leaders of the central bank have argued that the emergency authority has allowed it to rescue the financial system and that without it, the economy would be in far worse shape. And they argue that they are using the power as Congress intended.
As Congress intended, but isn't the Fed unconstitutional to begin with? Were not the Founding Fathers against a central bank system from the very start?
"This provision was designed as a last resort to make sure credit flows when times are tough and credit isn't being extended," said Scott Alvarez, the Fed's general counsel. "That's exactly what it's being used for today."
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said that the actions taken by the Fed have been necessary and important but that those actions should have been taken by an agency accountable to voters. He said he was not aware of the Fed's emergency power until September, and he favored removing much of that authority from the Fed once the crisis has passed.
Barney was not aware because he, like his peers in the House and Senate, DO NOT READ!
"This is a democracy, and there is a problem with too much power going to an entity that is not subject to democratic powers," Frank said.
I thought the United States was a Republic?
"By necessity, the Fed was the institution everybody looked to because they had the balance sheet and the legal authority to act," said Phillip L. Swagel, an assistant Treasury secretary in the George W. Bush administration who is to become a professor at Georgetown University's business school.
See video below as to how their balance sheet is coming out…
But the government's reliance on the Fed has roused critics.
"There's no accountability," said Walker F. Todd, a former economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland whose writings raised some of the earliest questions about the 1991 law. "How much power do you want to concentrate in a few people who are not directly accountable to the political process?"
Those criticisms have been heightened by the Fed's refusal to disclose which firms have benefited from many of the emergency programs, such as the names of the companies that have used the Fed's "commercial paper funding facility" to issue short-term debt.
The Fed 'loses' $9 Trillion:
Rodgin Cohen, a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell, suggested to several of his clients the idea of modifying the 1932 law to allow lending to investment banks, according to people involved in the discussions. Cohen is a legendary figure on Wall Street, building a career as perhaps the preeminent legal adviser on banking mergers, in part through his command of the minutiae of federal regulations.
Dodd, at the time chairman of the securities subcommittee of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, agreed to insert the language into a bill whose primary purpose was to reform the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which guarantees commercial bank deposits.
Dodd declined to comment for this story, but at the time, he said the legislation gave the Fed "greater flexibility to respond in instances in which the overall financial system threatens to collapse."
The Fed has extensive regulatory authority over commercial banks, to keep them from needing its safety net. But after Dodd's language passed into law, the Fed did not seek new regulatory authority over investment banks, nor did Congress move to provide new authority.
So not only do we have the Community Reinvestment Act being ramped up to give mortgages to people without jobs, but we have a Congress that did not regulate investment banks. (For those of you that have not seen the above linked video – take the time and vote it up.)
Instead, over the next two decades, federal officials would emphasize that investment banks had an incentive to be cautious because they were operating without a safety net.
Has the absence of a safety net has ever stopped any little kid from death-defying acts of insanity, or any capitalist on steriods from trying to make just one more buck because they lack a moral center, or any corrupt politician from making promises they won't keep to get just one more vote?
I believe everything we are seeing today goes back to current and former congresses that DID NOT FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION. I do compare the people who are running our country to crack addicted fiends that are just looking for their next fix of financial kickbacks or votes for re-election.
The Community Reinvestment Act and Dodd's part in it:
Time To Take Our Medicine
Ultimately, "we", the American people are to blame for what is happening in our country right now because we have been a trusting, sleeping giant and we have allowed progressively more corrupt Congresses and White Houses to enact laws that are counterproductive to the American Way Of Life, and now it is time to take our medicine. The only question now is which medicine are we willing to take; the recession medicine or the depression medicine. Are we going to clean out Washington, or are we and future generations going to be standing in the unemployment line while Bambi turns our beloved country into a Fascist/Communist/Marxist dictatorship?
1 in 9 homes in America are being foreclosed on and the Bambi Administration wants to drown 8 of those homeowners in hopes of saving the 1 that could not afford their mortgage to begin with. The MSM is not going to explain the tax increases that are coming in this manner, but that is the truth.
What is happening right now is the biggest paradigm shift in the way America operates since the Revolutionary War, and I for one, am not going to let Bambi and his tax evaders turn our country into the soup kitchen he likes to portray it as. The very fact that Bambi TAUGHT ACORN how to strong arm banks into giving ninja loans to people that would never be able to afford them is enough for me to want to find every avenue possible to get this snake impeached right now.
The numbers do not lie; the housing market needs to bottom out naturally. The people that cannot afford homes need to be culled from the herd, and the markets need to stabilize themselves. Everything that the Bambi Administration is doing is going to destroy our economy.
For those of us that are numerically challenged, Glenn Beck explains housing prices since the beginning of the last century. Also, keep in mind, there are reports of this – which I believe is a rumor and am following to see if there is indeed any truth to these reports. If there is, impeachment and revolution are the requirement, not a situation where we discuss and ruminate.


A typical BMW. A completely special BMW 3er. A singular motor car. That is the new BMW 3er Coupé. With the two-door BMW settles a long tradition away and at the same time completely new accents in an interesting segment. Already for the third time the BMW 3er row is supplemented after sedan and Touring now around a coupé-model. But the new BMW 3er Coupé presents itself as independently as never first. Its individual character is to be recognized at first sight by the sportily stretched alignment body arranged again in the detail. And also under the hood the new Coupé offers something singular: The 3.0 liters row six cylinder engine with twin turbo loading, High Precision Injection and full aluminum crank cases celebrates there its premiere. 225 KW/306 HP strong high-power engine help the BMW 335i Coupé to outstanding driving dynamics and impresses nevertheless with favorable values consumed. For the introduction on the market two further petrol engines as well as two Diesel drives for the BMW 3er Coupé are offered. Rear-wheel drive, weight optimization, a harmonious axle load distribution and the most fastidious chassis of the segment are further guarantors for a fascinating driving experience. Beyond that Coupé for the first time also the intelligent all-wheel drive xDrive is available for the BMW 3er.
Voluminous pronounced wheel arches lend a strong expression to the Coupé. The process of shoulder, a character and door sill line underlines the stretched dynamics. Just as the shoulder line draws itself also the character line, which runs from the top margin of the front wheel arch over the door handle away to the rear, in the tail of the vehicle inside. The door sill line, which stretches itself as light reflecting element from the side, rises to the rear and both in the front and in the tail apron is continued.
With the curvature of the areas and the interaction of the lines the designers created a side view, in which the dynamic characteristics Coupés reflect themselves. Thus for instance the character line over the rear wheel arch becomes both outward and upward strained. This three-dimensional effect directs the view of the environment of the rear axle, that range, within which also with the BMW 3er Coupé engine performance in driving dynamics is converted. Beyond that a character and door sill line form an ellipse bent forward. Also with this, stressed in which three-quarter tail opinion particularly well recognizable diagram the forward urge of the vehicle.
Front apron, headlight units and hood outline for the BMW 3er Coupé were sketched likewise again and independently. The frontal view appears flat and broad, with which the sporty development of the vehicle is underlined. The lines of the power dome, which curves over the drive unit, lead from the A columns up to the exteriors of the BMW kidney. The flat double round headlights are easily towered above by the hood and begun to cut thus optically. Thus the impression of a self-confidently concentrated view develops. The new BMW 3er Coupé is serial equipped with Bi-xenon-headlights, whose rings for the employment was conceived as day headlight. The salient light guidance rings obtain a double effect: The Coupé is at any time good to recognize and besides at first attempt as BMW identify.
Also the LED-fed light guidance staffs of the rear lights lend an unmistakable expression to the new BMW 3er Coupé. Concisely in the tail and into the side integrated shining units are split and are enough into the trunk lid inside. The total tail opinion appears flat and broad. It is coined/shaped by horizontal running lines. In this way the broad trace and sporty seeming of the vehicle are stressed also from this point of view.
To the self-sufficiency of the coupé-Design also individual detail solutions contributes. Thus the outline of the wing mirrors, which were sketched particularly for the Coupé, takes up the alignment of the side view. And also for the organization of the side window limits, at the same time however a singular form typical for BMW was found. The yard master break, pulls itself in in a noticeable angle forward into the shoulder line. In order to make this alignment possible, the chrome strap of the side window verge is manufactured for the first time in a fitting - a further characteristic for the high priority Coupés.
Stretched dynamics also in the interior.
The impression of dynamics and exclusivity, which obtain the new BMW 3er Coupé with its body Design, continues in the interior. Strong outlines and flowing lines, at which convex and concave forms meet one on the other, are also there. The Coupé conceived as four seaters loads for brisk travel in a high-quality environment in. Similarly to the center console also the two rear single seats are separated from a shelf.
Horizontal lines at the armature holder and at the cowls underline the generous space offer. The instrument panel is course-bent in the upper range the operator. The armrest of the cowl is led in a continuous momentum from the instrument panel to the backrests of the rear seats. To round off the exclusive ambience with the light edges for the door interior and cowls, available as option, leaves itself. The upward shielded light straps dip the surrounding field into a warm, indirect light. All frequently affected control elements such as door openers and shift levers are particularly high-quality metallically improved. For individualizing the interior exclusive color balances stand for the upholstery, the roof sky and the interior trim to the selection.
Row six cylinder engines for efficient dynamics.
For the new BMW 3er Coupé three petrol engines and two Diesel drives stand to the selection for introduction on the market. With along installed row six cylinder engines, whose strength will transfer to the rear wheels, BMW settles in front on a proven and steeped in tradition propulsion principle. Much area for spectacular innovations nevertheless is under the hood.
Thus Coupé is used for the first time the 3.0 liter row six cylinder engine with twin turbo, High Precision Injection and full aluminum crank case in the new BMW 3er. Be based on the successful six cylinder suction engine, at the same time it however a new era in the engine development introduces 225 KW/306 HP strong power unit. BMW connects the typical six cylinder qualities with the work-promoting effect of two turbochargers and with a fuel direct injection of the second generation, which provides for the first time also in the driving experience for noticeable consumption advantages. The result of this combination is efficient dynamics in a particularly fascinating form. The engine of the BMW 335i Coupé achieves already at 1300 RPM a maximum torque of 400 NM. It makes its achievement available noticeably more spontaneously than loaded engines of conventional kind, afterwards turns it sovereign and cultivates to 7,000 RPM highly. Accordingly impressively the driving experience precipitates: The BMW 335i Coupé completes the acceleration of zero on 100 km/h in only 5.5 seconds. With 250 km/h by means of electronic a limit is settled to its forward urge.
Despite its impressive dynamics the new point power/transmission system in the row six cylinder program can convince also with high economy. 9.5 liters premium fuel 100 of kilometers each are sufficient for the BMW 335i Coupé during the consumption measurement in accordance with European Union standard. This efficiency is to be owed on the one hand to the low weight of the drive unit. The six cylinder with twin turbo-loading weighs approximately 70 kilograms less than an eight-cylinder engine comparable in the achievement. On the other hand it is the High Precision Injection, which make a so far unequalled economical handling possible the fuel. New Piezo injectors, which are central between the valves in the cylinder head arranged, provide in each situation for a uniform and accurately proportioned fuel injection. In this way an efficiency is obtained, which settles also in everyday life traffic in favorable values consumed.
A relationship between achievement, weight and fuel consumption, optimized again, also the two six cylinder suction engines can offer, which are offered for the introduction on the market for the new BMW 3er Coupé. The drive unit of the BMW 330i Coupé brings it now on 200 KW/272 HP and a maximum torque of 315 NM. Thus the acceleration on speed 100 can be completed within 6.1 seconds and the maximum speed ends, electronically limited, only with 250 km/h. With the impressive road performances and the high run culture a new optimum for efficiency associates to 3,0 with the liter suction engine. With an average consumption of 8,8 liters in the European Union test cycle the new BMW 330i Coupé undercuts the predecessor model around approximately 12 per cent.
The employment of magnesium as material for crank cases, bedplate and cylinder-head cover leads just like the use of lightweight construction camshafts to a substantial reduction of the weight. Additional efficiency advantages are obtained beyond that among other things with the full-variable valve gear VALVETRONIC. Both measures benefit also that 2.5 liter row six cylinder engine. With 160 KW/218 HP and a maximum torque of 250 NM this propulsion help the BMW 325i Coupé too likewise most sovereigns road performances. 6.9 seconds are sufficient for the acceleration on 100 km/h. The maximum speed is only reached with 247 km/h. As voucher for highest efficiency also in this performance class the average consumption serves according to European Union standard of 8,4 liters per 100 of kilometers.
Diesel engines in the Coupé - more attractive than ever.
As delightful alternative Coupé also the employment of a diesel engine proves with the new BMW 3er. Finally two unusually attractive power/transmissions system of this kind come to the course in the BMW 335d Coupé and in the BMW 330d Coupé: strong, economically and serial equipped with a particle filter. Superlatives thereby above all the BMW 335d Coupé can offer. The sportiest six cylinder diesel engine of the world help it to a force development singular in this vehicle segment. 210 KW out/286 HP carries the 3.0 liters large row six cylinder diesel engine with variable twin turbo. Its maximum torque amounts to 580 NM. This outstanding value is available already at 1750 RPM, which maximum output reached with 4,400 RPM, beyond that winds up the engine up to the value of 5,000 RPM.
Those long continuously pressureful achievement development leads to according to dynamic acceleration values. From the conditions the BMW 335d Coupé reaches the 100-km/h-Marke after only 6.1 seconds, its maximum speed on 250 km/h is electronically limited. Restraint practices the strongest six cylinder Diesel in the program of BMW nevertheless with consumption. In the European Union test cycle it is content with 7,5 liters of Diesel per 100 of kilometers. Thus also this engine shows, how attractively the principle of the efficient dynamics in driving can affect itself. To owe this is on the one hand the stage loading in such a way specified, with which at low numbers of revolutions first smaller and afterwards additionally large turbochargers active becomes already, as well as on the other hand the COMM on Rail injection system of the third generation, which with Piezo injectors for a fast and finely proportioned mixture preparation provides. The propulsion for the BMW 335d Coupé is beyond that first full aluminum diesel engine of its performance class. Its weight reduced to 208 kilograms comes to meet both the agility of the vehicle and its economy.
With 170 KW/231 HP also the second variant of the large row six cylinder Diesel a proficiency level, which very probably corresponds to a sporty two-door, offers 3.0 liters. Its maximum torque of 500 NM promises likewise a form of the achievement development, which is as created for dynamic progressive movement. The value of 6.6 seconds for the acceleration of zero on 100 km/h confirms the sporty character of this diesel engine just as impressively as the maximum speed limited on 250 km/h. With a new turbocharger and an Common Rail injection of the recent generation the engine in the BMW 330d Coupé achieves in addition also in the area of economy new dimensions. The average consumption in the European Union test cycle is limited to 6,5 liters of Diesel per 100 of kilometers.


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CARPAY: Kenney's "not a lockdown" is very much one. And it's more dangerous than COVID.
John Carpay writes that despite the government's claim, Alberta is very much in a lockdown that is violating freedoms without just cause.
John Carpay
It seems that Jason Kenney is taking his government's communications strategy straight out of George Orwell 's classic 1984. The government in 1984 uses propaganda as a cornerstone of exploiting people and remaining in power, with slogans like "War is peace; Freedom is slavery; Ignorance is strength."
Too harsh?
After declaring a new public health emergency in Alberta this week, Kenney said: "Let me be clear, we are not moving into a lockdown."
He then proceeded to make all indoor social gatherings illegal; impose fines of $1,000 or more on people gathering "socially" outside of their homes (including weddings and funerals) in numbers larger than 10; limit religious gatherings to one-third capacity while requiring masks and prohibiting singing; shut down all banquet halls, conference centres, trade shows, auditoria, community centres, children's play centres and indoor playgrounds, and all team and individual sports; place onerous and profit-killing restrictions on restaurants, pubs, bars, and lounges; harm retail establishments by reducing them to a fraction of the capacity needed for profitability; limit museums, galleries, libraries, movie theatres, indoor entertainment centres and indoor fitness centres to 20 per cent capacity; severely damage "personal services" businesses providing haircare, esthetics, wellness services, professional services, taxi and rideshare, hotels/motels, and private lessons; and keep grade 7-12 children away from school for six weeks (November 30 through to January 11).
This, maintains Premier Kenney, is not a "lockdown."
Our caring and compassionate premier magnanimously acknowledges that these severe restrictions on our Charter freedoms to move, travel, assemble, associate and worship will be "disruptive to businesses and to all Albertans."
Not a lockdown; just "balanced" measures that are a bit "disruptive."
Not that our premier would know what it's like to have to take care of children at home when you are used to them attending school from 9:00 to 3:00. Not that our Premier's own public sector salary will in any way be impacted by his own measures. Not that he would ever need to survive on only $2,000 per month in government benefits while shouldering the responsibility of supporting a family and paying for rent or a mortgage.
Premier Kenney wants to "thank all Albertans in advance for [our] understanding and what [we] have done personally" to "stop the spike and protect each other."
Premier Kenney ignores Alberta Health Services (AHS) data which does not justify or support the daily fearmongering perpetrated by him and by Chief Medical Officer Deena Hinshaw.
As of Tuesday, November 24 there were fewer than 500 COVID-19 deaths in Alberta since March, in the context of more than 27,000 Albertans who die each year: more than 2,000 per month and more than 500 each and every week. Of course, the 492 COVID-19 deaths are troubling, but so are the other 26,500 deaths from cancer, drug overdoses, cancelled surgeries, suicides, lack of access to health care, and other causes of death. Many of these 26,500 deaths are caused directly by the government's lockdown measures, like cancelling 22,000 medically necessary surgeries and delaying thousands of vitally important CT scans and MRIs to diagnose cancer.
Only 348 COVID-19 patients are currently in hospital according to AHS, leaving more than 8,100 hospital beds available for more COVID-19 patients, and for patients suffering from the various conditions that cause 98 per cent of deaths in Alberta. COVID-19 patients are occupying 4 per cent of Alberta's hospital beds, which is pretty close to the 2 per cent of deaths in Alberta that result from COVID-19. Why and how is this a crisis that justifies the lockdowns we have been suffering under – to various degrees – since March?
Is it Jason Kenney's goal that our 8,500 hospital beds remain empty? If yes, why bother spending more than $7,500 per person on health care each year? Is the health care system here to serve citizens? Or are citizens supposed to refrain from using it, as though we wish to avoid troubling our masters? Overcrowding, bed shortages and delayed surgeries have been serious problems for many years, long before COVID-19 arrived. Why is it a crisis when COVID-19 patients occupy 4 per cent of available hospital beds? Is this percentage actually higher than when flu patients enter hospital each winter, of which we are told there are "zero" this year?
What applies to hospital beds also applies to ICU capacity. AHS tell us that COVID-19 patients are using 66 ICU spaces, which is 5 per cent of the 1,300 total ICU capacity. And we are to accept the destruction of businesses, livelihoods and mental health because of some danger of the health care system being "overrun"?
With COVID-19 patients occupying 4 per cent of hospital beds and using 5 per cent of ICU capacity, there is obviously no danger of our health care system being overrun. We are now hearing in November the same misinformation that Jason Kenney and Deena Hinshaw told us in March and April.
Media-supported fearmongering about large numbers of "cases" is misleading in the extreme. Aside from the small number of people who actually require hospitalization, 97 per cent of these "cases" concern healthy people experiencing no symptoms, and a small number experiencing symptoms which they can take care of themselves at home. Not my opinion; check the data for yourself.
There is no excuse for Premier Kenney and Deena Hinshaw to ignore AHS data on COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations. There is no excuse for fearmongering about meaningless and irrelevant numbers of "cases" of perfectly healthy people.
If George Orwell were writing his novel in Alberta today, he could have added a fourth slogan to his government's list of mantras: "War is peace; Freedom is slavery; Ignorance is strength; There is no lockdown."
Lawyer John Carpay is a columnist for the Western Standard and President of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (jccf.ca).
Related Topics:Alberta Health ServicescoronavirusCOVID-19Deena HinshawJason KenneylockdownUCP
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John Carpay is a columnist with the Western Standard and the President of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.
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FILDEBRANDT: $131 Sloan donation leak was an inside job – Conservative MPs tell us so
Conservative MPs say O'Toole's office has been caught clearly trying to set Sloan up. This is amateur House of Cards.
Derek Fildebrandt
What I'm about to write here doesn't take a lot of intelligence to put together. But since nobody has yet – at least publicly – let me connect some very clear dots.
On the evening of January 18, federal Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole announced that he was "asking" his MPs to kick fellow Ontario Tory MP Derek Sloan out of the party's caucus.
Far-left gotcha-propaganda website Press Progress said that they have proof that Sloan accepted a $131 donation from a man named Paul Fromm.
Who the hell is Paul Fromm? Until a few hours ago, I – and probably 98 per cent of Canada – had never heard of the guy. Turns out that he's a particularly loathsome white supremacist.
The Press Progress hit piece was complete with lots of colourful pictures of Fromm doing his best impression of a Nürnberg rally. The intention was clearly to link Fromm with Sloan.
Doing their best Pravda knock-off, Press Progress has done this before, libelling mainstream – even moderate – conservative politicians in Alberta as a 21st century sturmabteilung. It's what they do best.
O'Toole did his best surprised face and tweeted furiously.
"Derek Sloan's acceptance of a donation from a well-known white supremacist is far worse than a gross error of judgment or failure of due diligence."
Conservative MPs tell me that they all learned about it in the press.
Now you don't need to be on Team Sloan to smell a rat here. You just need two eyes and half a brain. Let's examine the evidence.
One: Almost no candidate is aware of every – or even most – of the donations that they receive. It is processed by the campaign's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). For small campaigns like Sloan's, that position is often a volunteer, or at the least, not a professional. I could have accidentally accepted blood diamond money while I was in politics for all I know.
Two: No candidate – and I repeat no candidate – is aware of the details of donations the size of Paul Fromm's: $131. It's a rounding error. I only ever ran to be an Alberta MLA in my time in politics, and I did not know who was giving me $131. I knew if someone was giving me $1,000. Maybe even $500. Never, ever, $131.
Three: I have never heard of Paul Fromm before. Unless you're a full-time Nazi hunter, you probably have never heard of Paul Fromm either. I'm doubtful that Press Progress had heard of him until they had this gently brought to their attention.
Four: Paul Fromm's big $131 donation was processed not just by the Sloan campaign, but by the Conservative Party of Canada itself. Had the CPC had recognized this name, they would have flagged it. They didn't. They do apparently expect Derek Sloan's CFO to however.
Five: If the Conservative Party of Canada – with its legendary resources – could not flag this $131 donation, then it is not reasonable to expect a fourth-place also-ran campaign to have the resources to do it.
Six: Elections Canada only requires the disclosure of donor names for contributions over $200. It is illegal for them to disclose donations under that amount. The only two entities that would have had any awareness of Fromm's donation are: Derek Sloan, and, the Conservative Party of Canada's staffers.
Seven: Press Progress could not have legally obtained information about the donation except from: Derek Sloan, or, the Conservative Party of Canada. Take your best guess about which one gave the information to Press Progress.
Sloan is not a centrist Tory in the mould of O'Toole, and has a reputation as a bit of a maverick. Leaders do not like mavericks in their caucus.
And Sloan is the only rival that O'Toole faced for the Conservative leadership that currently has a seat in the House of Commons.
Multiple Alberta and Ontario Conservative MPs the Western Standard has spoken to tell us that they and Sloan found out about this in the media. They also tell us that they believe that this was entirely an inside-hit job by O'Toole via the Leader's Office or party HQ.
One veteran Conservative with inside knowledge of the matter says that several MPs intend to vote against O'Toole's demand to expel Sloan…if they get a secret ballot.
The Reform Act legally requires that they do, but I'm sure smart people in Ottawa can find a way around that.
And even if his caucus showed some spine, O'Toole has unilaterally declared that Sloan will not be allowed to seek the CPC nomination in his constituency again, even if his local members want him. Grassroots stuff.
From the MPs we have spoken to at least, the Conservative Caucus is bitterly divided. While Sloan has his share of enemies in the party, they see – without much need for a tinfoil hat – that this is clearly instigated at the behest of their own leader. And they tell us that they are afraid that O'Toole could come for them next on trumped-up charges (no pun intended).
What could O'Toole possibly be thinking? There are other ways for leaders to purge troublesome underlings. They can bring forward better false charges of impropriety. They can do a better job of covering their tracks. They can just go the route of Andrew Scheer via Brad Troast, and rig the nomination against them.
This is amateur hour House of Cards.
Derek Fildebrandt is Publisher of the Western Standard
MORGAN: Alberta needs less talk, and more action from Kenney
"Premier Kenney needs to pick a lane and to stick to it with authority."
Cory Morgan
Support for the United Conservative Party under Premier Kenney's leadership has collapsed. Exclusive polling for the Western Standard has the UCP languishing at an abysmal 26 percent support while the NDP is at 41 percent while the new and still leaderless Wildrose Independence Party has climbed to 9 percent province-wide. This trend is nothing less than catastrophic for the UCP and they will need to make some major changes if they hope to be re-elected in 2023.
With nearly two years in power now, it is tough to point to any concrete changes or policies from the Kenney government. While Jason Kenney talked a great game at campaign time, we have seen little follow-through. Where is the promised democratic reform through citizen's initiated referenda and recall legislation? Where is the fiscal conservatism and moves to get the budget under control? When will the government act on even one of the Fair Deal panel recommendations?
While Premier Jason Kenney continues to try to be everything to everybody, he is losing support on all fronts. The NDP-left will never learn to love the UCP, yet Kenney remains reticent to take on the government unions which are opposing all efforts at fiscal reform or efficiencies. Kenney has talked tough with unions, but won't act. It's time to take a stand and start cutting spending, not just haircuts. We are running out of money and taxpayers are running out of patience. It won't become any easier for waiting.
On the democratic reform front, Kenney needs to implement the promised referenda and recall legislation. It has been nearly two years and this doesn't need to be studied any longer. We know what we need and we know what we voted for. Give it to us already.
On the Western alienation front, Kenney has been at his most disappointing. This again has been clearly indicated in the recent polling commissioned by the Western Standard. Support for independence is exploding to new records in Alberta. While the UCP was not elected with a mandate to pursue independence, they were elected as a party expected to stand up to Ottawa. It is time that they did it.
Ottawa has more control over Alberta today than when Jason Kenney came to office. Tough talk is clearly not working.
No more panels. No more "expert" studies. No more kicking the can down the road. Albertans want some leadership and they want somebody to protect Alberta's interests from an increasingly hostile federal government.
We have made it clear that we want a provincial pension plan. I doubt that I will see it implemented before I am old enough to collect it, and I am only 49 years old.
Why more study on whether or not we want a provincial police force? We know we want it. Now start working on what it will take to create it. What did we get? The province commissioned yet another study.
Where is the Alberta Chief Firearms Officer we were told we would get? How hard is it to appoint somebody? Instead, we got an Alberta Firearms Advisory Committee. More talk.
We are getting a referendum on equalization at least, but Kenney has made clear that there will be no 'or else' consequences if Ottawa and the other provinces fail to make reforms.
We are living in tough times. Citizens want to see leadership and that means seeing leaders making tough, definitive decisions. Wishy washy approaches to issues aren't acceptable.
Premier Kenney needs to pick a lane and to stick to it with authority. If you oppose lockdowns, don't impose them. If you support lockdowns, do it unapologetically and do it in full. Trying to appease both sides only alienates both sides.
Talk is cheap and we are tired of hearing it. If the current government can't discover how and where they want to actually act on things, they will be replaced in the next election, and I fear for what that replacement may be.
Cory Morgan is the Podcast Editor and a columnist for the Western Standard
OUELLETTE & SHAW: Freedom of expression is under attack in Canada
"While Canada is a relatively free country, the pandemic has exacerbated our pre-existing shortcomings in terms of freedom of expression."
Our freedom of expression is under attack. In recent years, there's been a significant trend toward censorship in the media, in academia, and among the general population. The controversy at the University of Ottawa over the use of the N-word is one example among others. Why do we need to worry about this trend? For one thing, an attack on our freedom of expression is also an attack on our standard of living.
The virtues of freedom of expression are widely recognized: It improves the quality of our democratic institutions, facilitates the exchange of ideas, and leads to sounder, more transparent public policies.
But aside from these benefits, there is also a strong link between freedom of expression and economic growth. This is confirmed by the economic literature and by many academic papers from different researchers at Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the University of California, Berkeley, who all arrive at the same conclusion: The exchange of ideas stimulates innovation, and innovation is one of the main engines of economic growth and rising living standards.
Encouraging the exchange of ideas and the protection of freedom of expression is therefore intuitively beneficial, and this is confirmed by the scientific literature. But concretely, what would the average Canadian stand to gain if our governments put in place public policies encouraging greater freedom of expression?
According to our calculations and our econometric model, individual Canadians would be an average of $2,522 richer each year. Obviously, this amount wouldn't be deposited directly into one's bank account, but rather, a gradual increase in our living standards would result from the effects of more freedom of expression.
In the sample of 132 countries used in our study, Canada is among the top 15 per cent in terms of freedom of expression. But while it is true that we live in a relatively free society, taking this good ranking for granted would be a mistake.
Indeed, governments have a lot of room to grow when it comes to improving freedom of expression, especially if we compare ourselves to Norway, the top country in the ranking. There, it is standard practice for politicians to make constant efforts, encouraged by citizens, to better protect freedom of expression.
In contrast, in Canada, and especially in certain provinces like Quebec, the government can arbitrarily decide to subsidize one media outlet rather than another, which can potentially hinder media independence and lead to biased and less reliable information. Not to mention that it is increasingly difficult to obtain information from our governments through requests for access to information, which hampers proper public debate. This situation should alarm us.
In order to improve the country's performance in terms of freedom of expression, thereby also improving our standard of living, we have three recommendations:
Favour media independence from government by limiting arbitrary subsidies and, in their place, creating a regulatory and fiscal framework favourable to all media;
Encourage Canadian public universities to protect freedom of expression in order to truly allow their researchers, professors, and students to express themselves freely without risk of reprisals;
Increase the information and data available to the population by reducing the need to make requests for access to information, in order to facilitate public debate.
While Canada is a relatively free country, the pandemic has exacerbated our pre-existing shortcomings in terms of freedom of expression. We must not allow the current situation to become the new normal. For the sake of our standard of living and the wealth of our country, we must do more to promote and protect the freedom of expression of all Canadians.
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HomevaultCatch It at the Comic Shop December 23rd, 2020
Catch It at the Comic Shop December 23rd, 2020
Panel Patter
Welcome to Catch it at the Comic Shop, where the Panel Patter team looks at what's coming out at your favorite store or digital device this week. Each one of us that participates picks up to five items due out this week, with a little bit about why we like them. (NOTE: We use solicitation material for this, so if we miss creators, please talk to your publisher!) Sometimes we might only have a few items to share, other weeks, keeping it to five will make for hard choices. Here's what the team wanted to highlight this week...
Rob's Picks:
Heartthrob Vol 3 TP by Chris Sebela, Robert Wilson IV, Nick Filardi, and Crank!, published by Oni Press
All good things must come to an end, and when you're already living on borrowed time from a "borrowed" heart, it's time to make the most of what you have. Callie's tried to get out of her criminal ways, but sometimes you have no choice but to finish what you started. As a reader, I'm very glad to see this series get a chance to wrap up as a digital first now moved to print for the trade. Sebela/Wilson/Filardi/Crank! have put together a really fun period piece that has the vibe of any good heist story but, if you'll pardon the pun, also contains a lot of heart. It's always great to see Panel Pal Robert's work on a series, with his distinctive lines and great panel construction, and Filardi once again gives this a great looking sheen. Great stuff to end your year with!
King-Size Conan #1 by Roy Thomas, Steve McNiven, Kevin Eastman, Kurt Busiek, Pete Woods, Chris Claremont, Roberto de la Torre, Jesus Seiz, and others, published by Marvel Comics
Marvel's done pretty well by Conan so far since they got the rights back and haven't been shy about keeping him in the spotlight. This celebration, with Roy Thomas (one of the best to adapt Robert E. Howard) back to do a new story alongside Steve McNiven, along with work by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' own Kevin Eastman (which Marvel PR says is his first Marvel story!), another long-time Howard adapter in Kurt Busiek (with Pete Woods) and even a Claremont story that I suspect is probably a reprint, but you never know. Even if the others are mostly reprints, too (I can't tell by the copy), this is a great way to see top talents on an iconic character. When you finish, don't forget to grab Jim Zub's ongoing, for more barbarian fun.
Department of Truth #4 by James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds, and Aditya Bidikar, published by Image Comics (or so they'd like you to believe!)
The Department takes on yet another huge threat to the idea of truth when it appears they go straight for the throat of Q-Anon and a reporter's dalliance with their conspiracies that threatens to tear reality apart. This series is just so darn good, and because it's so mind-twisting, it's very hard to pin down exactly why. The high concept is just so good, and unlike lesser writers, Tynion is managing to pull it off so far. It's very hard to Philip K. Dick-style work in comics and Tynion's partners in crime, Martin Simmonds and Aditya Bidikar, really are outdoing themselves. While Bidikar is always a great letterer, I had no idea that Simmonds had a Bill Sienkiewicz side to his style. It's outstanding and really brings this one from "pretty good" to (spoiler here) one of my favorites of 2020. Don't sleep on this one, or you might get erased from existence! (Maybe not, but you will be missing out on a damn good comic.)
Tales from the Umbrella Academy: You Look Like Death #4 by Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, INJ Culbard, and Nate Piekos, published by Dark Horse
Klaus is in over his head--even more so than usual--as he gets mixed into deadly Hollywood grudges that make his grifting more dangerous than just getting murdered by a vampire chimp with a grudge. Oh, and there's a Vampire Amusement Park mixed in, too. This is goofy and fun and frequent 2000AD Artist INJ Culbard does amazing work on a much more lighthearted work than I'm used to seeing him do. His artistic comedic timing punctuates the jokes that just keep getting more and more absurd as this series keeps going. It's not a secret this spins a bit more from the TV show than the comics, where Seance is a scene-stealer. Who cares? It's a ton of fun anyway. Hopefully this isn't the last Umbrella Academy mini we get from Dark Horse.
James' Picks:
Gideon Falls #27 by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart, published by Image Comics
It's all been leading up to this, the giant-size finale of a fantastic series. If you're new to Gideon Falls, this would not be a very good place to start. What I'll tell you is that this starts as a sort of religious horror story and also a psychological horror story. You eventually realize that it's both, but it's also much more vast of a story, encompassing all of space and time and some big ideas. But also rooted in some characters that just want to get home, and to feel at peace. The art in Gideon Falls is always amazing thanks to the spectacular pairing of Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart. This is a creepy and sometimes legit terrifying series, and it's an absolute must-read.
The Picture of Everything Else by Dan Watters and Kishore Mohan, published by Vault Comics
I know almost nothing about this comic, but it's weird and scary and it's Dan Watters, and so I'm in. Watters wrote Deep Roots, which I absolutely loved. More recently, his new book Home Sick Pilots came out, and I really enjoyed the first issue. And I've loved the Vault Horror books so far (The Plot, Black Stars Above). So what I'm saying is, I'm excited for this, and you should be too.
The Seeds TP by Ann Nocenti and David Aja, published by Dark Horse
I only read the first issue of this series but I'm excited to read it collected. From what I remember it was super weird. The World is dying out, and there are aliens on Earth, preserving what appears to be DNA samples of humans. Maybe they can grow better ones someplace else. I don't exactly know what's going on, but I can tell you that this sotry is big and ambitious and weird and interesting. And that it's brought to life by the incomparable David Aja, who's doing really interesting and really different things than what he did in Hawkeye. What I'm saying is that this is worth a look.
Mike's Picks
A Dark Interlude 2 by Ryan O'Sullivan, Andrea Mutti, Vladimir Popov, and Andworld, published by Vault Comics
Sullivan returned to the world of Fearscape with A Dark Interlude, deepening the mythology he built in the predecessor title. The trick for the first issue, that I reviewed last month, was to find a way to both continue the original story and add new wrinkles, hence creating the sequel that isn't a sequel. And yes, it is a sequel. But that's fine, because the concept is rich, and Henry Henry deserves all the exposure he can get. Issue two starts to make good on the promise that we'll see a reckoning for all the chaos Henry Henry unleashed during Fearscape.
The Picture of Everything Else 1 by Dan Watters, Kishore Mohan, and Aditya Bidikar, published by Vault Comics
This week marks a two-for with Vault and the White Noise gang, with both titles embracing literary allusion. Watters joins with Kishore Mohan, whose dark, painterly style is perfectly suited for a supernatural Victorian mystery. Watters harnesses Wilde's notion that art ties us to ourselves and adds a horrific twist. You can tell that, for as dark a premise as it is, Watters is having fun with this script, hamming up the Victorian dialogue and leaning directly into the morbid notion that a piece of art can seal our fate.
catch-it dark horse image jk marvel mmc oni press rbm vault


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