You have your own list of documents or other physical evidence you need, and one from your expert or experts.
The first step: When it comes from the other side, it is good to go.
Your spouse will have to produce at least one Declaration of Disclosure, and you may issue Discovery requiring your spouse to produce information or physical evidence, usually documents. When it comes from your spouse as part of their Declaration of Disclosure, or as a response to Discovery, you are done: the evidence's authenticity is established and your spouse is estopped from making a hearsay objection.
This is why it is very important to make sure that your spouse's Declaration of Disclosure is complete and states a position regarding each assets and debts characterization (whether it is community or separate property) and value. If your spouse's Declaration of Disclosure is lacking, then you can and should ask for a complete response from them, to create a document that you can use at trial.
Your spouse or their attorney might also produce discovery to you voluntarily. If so, it's important that you have some means of proving that production: e.g., at a trial you still may have to prove that your spouse gave you two-hundred pages of bank documents two years earlier.
The safest route would be to ask them to list the produced items in a dated and signed letter along with a verification—a signed statement under penalty of perjury.
Your documents, documents from third parties, and Declarations of Custodian.
For any item of physical evidence that you or your expert needs that has not been produced by the other side (e.g., documents you subpoena from third parties, or have acquired yourself), in most cases, if these are business records, you can admit the evidence so long as they are accompanied by a "Declaration of Custodian," a document from the third party institution that verifies that the identified documents are authentic and should be admitted without the live testimony of the person who drafted the documents.
Generally, you can get a Declaration of Custodian for your documents by issuing a discovery demand called a "Deposition Subpoena for Production of Business Records" to the institution. If you use an attorney service to draft this discovery demand, they will also draft a Declaration of Custodian.
Authenticity is easy to understand. Hearsay can be tricky: generally, when a party at a trial tries to enter evidence of a statement, the other side has the right to question the person who made the statement (this is called cross-examination). When the person who made the statement is not at the trial, and ready to be questioned about what they said, this statement may be excluded as hearsay. Certain business records, even though they contain statements, do not require the testimony of the person who made the statement—this is what is called an exception to the hearsay rule. A good Declaration of Custodian can establish that documents are authentic and are exempt from the hearsay rule.
You will need a Declaration of Custodian for all documents you wish to admit as evidence, unless the Expert Rule (see below) applies. If you can't get one, you will need to subpoena the person who drafted the document.
Most institutions (e.g., banks) will not hold documents for more than seven years. Keep this in mind if you are getting close to five to seven years from the point that important documents were created!
There is an important rule to consider when analyzing documents your expert will rely upon to formulate their opinion. In California the court has the discretion to admit evidence that an expert has relied upon in forming their opinion, when an expert would normally rely upon that type of evidence in doing so. E.g., if an accountant would normally review bank documents when tracing money and you have bank documents that you couldn't get a Declaration of Custodian for, then the court may admit those documents and the expert opinion which relies upon them.
The operative word here is discretion: the judge does not have to admit other inadmissible evidence relied upon by your expert. This could result in a successful objection to that portion of your expert's opinion which relies upon the un-admitted evidence.
At Divorce Helpline, we have 25 years of experience coaching clients in navigating the tricky waters of trial preparation. For more information on divorce trial evidence see our previous blog on Two Types of Physical Evidence.
In our example, how can the inheriting spouse connect separate property purchases using inheritance funds to the joint account in which all of the inheritance funds were deposited and from which all purchases of stock were debited through cashier's checks?
Bank account statements and checks will show deposits of inheritance funds into the account. Bank statements and checks can show the expenditures of separate property for the stock.
Similar to the Mix case, if the balance of her inheritance funds in the account exceed her expenditures on separate property stock purchases, she then merely needs to establish her intention to use her separate property to purchase the stock for herself.
At Divorce Helpline, we regularly work with court-experienced accounting professionals to help our clients navigate through difficult financial analyses, such as Tracing, at a fraction of the cost they would incur in litigation with our services.
Under Direct Tracing, the disputed property is traced to the withdrawal of separate property funds from the commingled account.
For this example let's imagine you have inherited $100,000, deposited it into a community account, then later pulled it out to purchase $100,000 worth of stock.
To show Direct Tracing, you would first prove that you deposited the inherited money (intended only to go to you). Let's say you have the will or other testamentary document and have documents showing the money flowing from the deceased's estate and ultimately into the joint account.
Then the stock was purchased: you would need to prove how much money remained after each stock purchase and in turn prove that there were sufficient separate property funds remaining in that joint account at that time to cover the payment at the time it was made. (See Marriage of Stoll (1998) 63 Cal.App.4th 837, 841; Marriage of Braud (1996) 45 Cal.App.4th 797, 823).
At Divorce Helpline, we work to help our clients get started in the divorce process, we work as divorce mediators and we are to help navigate through difficult financial analyses, such as Tracing. Be sure to check out our next blog to review how this applies to our example with inherited property.
I recently resolved a case where my client inherited money, deposited it into a community account, and then subsequently purchased stock (which subsequently became very valuable stock). She claimed that the stock was purchased with her inheritance money. Her husband claimed it was purchased with community money.
Determining whether the stock was community property (i.e., owned by the "community," the partnership of husband and wife) or my client's separate property required what is called "Tracing." "Tracing" is a test imposed by the court to determine, among other things whether a party can show that their separate property (usually money) has survived after being moved about, and sometimes when assets have been purchased out of accounts in which separate monies have been deposited.
There are generally two types of Tracing: "Direct Tracing" and "Family Expense" or "Recapitulation" Tracing.
In our next Divorce Helpline blog post we will take a look at Direct Tracing and in the following blog we will review how this applies to our example. In future blogs we will examine Family Expense Tracing, and one of the big traps a spouse can fall into related to Tracing.


最近數天在和朋在一起玩SOMA, 玩後想打少少感想. 抱歉這是一篇文字, 沒圖, 沒片, 也沒攻略. 想要這些請上youtube.
Soma takes place in an underwater research facility known as PATHOS-2. While the station itself is now in a state of disrepair, the player quickly establishes that PATHOS-2 was a group of stations scattered around the North Atlantic ocean originally functioning as a "space gun", or more precisely, a mass driver, an installation designed to send objects into space without the hassle of building expensive rockets. Unexpectedly, PATHOS-2 became a shelter and the last known human settlement to exist on Earth after a comet impact caused a major extinction event. There, the last humans survive on a day-to-day basis, attempting to fight the negative effects of their collective isolation. During this period, the machines in PATHOS-2 begin to develop human characteristics and a consciousness.
In May 2015, protagonist Simon Jarrett is involved in a fatal car crash in Toronto that kills his friend Ashley and leaves Simon with severe brain damage and cranial bleeding. Because of lingering effects from the accident, Simon agrees to an experimental brain scan in a run-down medical lab. During the scan, Simon appears to black out, and regains consciousness almost a century later in the Upsilon branch of PATHOS-2, a seemingly abandoned underwater research facility, with no knowledge of how he got there. Shortly after he wakes up, Simon begins to communicate with someone named Catherine, who instructs him to come to her location in Lambda station. While exploring PATHOS-2, Simon learns that he woke up in the year 2104. In 2103, a massive comet had devastated Earth's surface, leaving PATHOS-2 as the last outpost of humanity. Along the way to Lambda, Simon meets a robot that believes it is human, as well as numerous other robots that are hostile to him.
Arriving at Lambda, he realizes that "Catherine" is not human, but a "scan" of a human consciousness placed into a robot body. She reveals that "Simon" is also a scan of the original Simon, which has been placed into a robotic body, though she does not know who did it. Catherine explains that the facility has been taken over by an artificial intelligence known as the "Warden Unit" (WAU), and it has turned all the humans on PATHOS-2 into bio-mechanical monsters through the use of structure gel, believing that this is the best way to carry out its prime directive of preserving humanity and the station. She tells Simon about the ARK, a computer that runs a simulated world containing the scans of the station's staff, which was created to let humanity "survive" beyond the Earth. Despite being complete, the ARK was never launched into space. Simon agrees to help her recover the ARK and launch it into space.
As the ARK is located in a station deep beneath the abyssal Atlantic sea, Simon must construct a new body that can withstand the pressure before descending to retrieve it. After constructing the new body, Catherine moves Simon from his old body into the new one. As Simon awakes in the new suit, he hears another Simon talking in the previous suit he was in. Simon realizes that he wasn't actually moved, but copied into the new suit, as Catherine tells him that it is not possible to move scans of people. Simon can choose to either kill the "old" Simon, or let him survive.
Descending into the Abyss, Simon retrieves the ARK, taking it to Phi station. Simon learns that the original Catherine was accidentally killed by her colleagues when they had a disagreement over whether or not they should launch the ARK. Simon successfully loads the ARK into PATHOS-2's space gun, with Catherine promising to scan them into the ARK once it launches. Once the ARK launches, Simon is confused as to why they're still on PATHOS-2, with Catherine explaining yet again that she cannot transfer brain scans, only copy them. The player's Simon "got the wrong flip of the coin"; their copies are aboard the ARK while they must be left behind on the station. After a heated argument with Simon, who refuses to accept his fate, Catherine shuts down when her systems fail under the unconstrained pressure, leaving Simon alone on the station.
In a post-credits scene, the version of Simon copied to the ARK, completely unaware of the other version left behind on PATHOS-2, wakes up in an idyllic landscape. He takes a survey which asks if he would prefer to live an artificial existence in the ARK or accept death. No matter the player's choice, Simon is reunited with Catherine in front of a futuristic island city. Meanwhile, it is shown that the ARK successfully made it into space aboard a satellite as it leaves behind a devastated Earth.
這個game, 該怎樣說好呢? 事實沒什麼可怖之感. 因為只要怪身的接近會令你"失靈". 是的, 你會game over "You are dead" 的情況, 不過又如何? 就是可以由save point 上再load過 .
邵些怪物, 說是由人工合成獸的東, 當成是外太空生物也差不多 (是旦了, 反正都是果類野) 而外國的恐怖game又怎少得成地血, 免治豬肉等等之餘此類 就是這樣, 跟著另一台"人兄" 的電腦, 找這個找那個來"幫自己"之餘, 也幫其他"人" 逃出已不知什麼事而滅絕的地球.
場景而言不算很新的東西, 怪物...可以說是有, 又或者沒吧? 基本上初初玩會因為音樂而把你怕過半死. 關了聲音之下則是悶死. 因為是主角的你已是機械人, 不會有一個變態的怪物一手把你的心臟拔出來食的畫面. 如果要看這種畫面的話, 請玩Outlast. 結果也沒什麼的, 橋段老套而言是在開門又關門的同時把怪物引開, 分隔, 再進行你的解謎求生, 也同時得知那個故事是發生了什麼.
少少疑惑的地方, 是100年後的電腦可以支撐人類感情和模擬思維的連作. 有時我在想, 那樣子的事, 是電腦不停的在騙"自已"吧?
SOMA最好看/有趣的地方, 其實就是當中的故事, 也是它令我打出這編絕文字的game評. 存在主義的論證要點是"我思故我在", 當中的這點在game中被徹底地挑戰.
主角由2014年的多倫多做了brain scan 之後到了21XX年. 說真, 如果以物體而言, 我是很有理由信原主角還是在201X年的時空中生活得不錯.弄好了brain scan之後還是回家吃喝, 又或者因車禍所以命子不長也說不定. 然而在100年之後再醒的主角 (當然已是一台機械人) 到底是想把這個過去的資料copy又keep足100年到去未來, 再在一個機械人身上自我啟動? 過程真是好謎.
不少的事, 還有game中主角自己的對答把他原本的人性是塑造了出來 只是同行的電腦過以客觀的一樣把事分析得理所當然. 到反來主角也找到同行電腦的原主人 (意外被殺). 這事連"電腦都顯得出乎意料" , 顯然這位電腦人兄是在死前被做了brain scan, 再被裝入電腦工作.
然而此題目過了一週之多的打機時間, 真的感到很累的同時, 更累的是對存在主義, 還有道德的問題思考. 這個game有數次要你決定生死的事. 然而事實生/死的結果出入不大. 故事還是留了路給你向前走.
"我思故我在" 如果思維被以數據的方式抄錄, 被生產, 那麼 "我" 的定義會是什麼? 最後的一幕中, 兩個"主角"的情況出現了, 一個在海底, 一個在大空. 即是兩者都有"我思"的行為時, 似乎哲學上從沒定義. 又者"活"在ARK 中的"人類程式" 又到底是不是人? 我們一直都只以"我" 為單一, 多者為副或者為次, 那麼現在一個又一個"我"在複制, 又是什麼呢?
這, 是一個沒有答案的問題, 也是一個很有趣的科幻假設, 或者如果未來真的可以把人的思維模擬化, 這又是一個新層面的哲學.
回到這個game. 我知不少大網都有給很高的分數, 不過如果真的要挑骨頭, 我還是有不少疑惑. 主角面對自己已是機械身軀的反是有的, 不同對其他的對比還是冷靜. 事關其他的一出情緒問題時就會當機, 只有主角一人沒有.
關卡設計 : 6/10 , 事實不怎什麼新意, 反而覺得老套.
場地畫面: 5/10, 都是很老套. 那科幻要塞, 就是bioshock的設定在22世紀, 加上mass effect / halo 的科技感覺.


We've recently discovered 'Mad Men'. I'm loving all the smoking, drinking and downright appalling behaviour! Proper decadence. I suspect a major fall awaits the main characters. No spoilers please, as we're barely into series three.


text:
China: 6.5% growth expected in 10th five-year
The State Economic and Trade Commission recently announced the 1 Oth Five-Year Plans for major industries covering textiles, machinery, automobiles and petrochemicals. According to the plans, China aims at achieving an annual growth of 6.5% in industrial production value. The textile processing volume is expected to reach 14.25 million tons, compared to 12.10 million in 2000. The export target is set at US$70-75 billion against US$52 billion in 2000, which is US$10 billion higher than the target announced by the China National Textile Industry Council in November 2000. Per-capita fiber consumption is set at 7.4 kg compared to 6.6 kg in 2000. The ratio by use is 64% for apparel, 21 % for household goods and 15% for industrial applications. Labor productivity is expected to increase to 40%, and energy consumption per unit volume is to be reduced by 15%. The consumption of water will be reduced from the current 3.6 to 3 tons per 100 sq. meters by water recycling. Copyright Osaka Senken Ltd. Jul 27, 2001
Newer China: Industrial textiles in sharply growing demand
Older Korea: Fiber makers at a deadlock

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
teen-worried-about-her-sisters-adderall-abuse
Teen Is Concerned About Sister's Adderall Addiction
Teen Is Concerned About Sister's Adderall Addiction...
Caller: 18-year old girl calling on behalf of her sister
Problem: Adderall
Seeking: Information on Adderall rehab treatment program
Reason(s): 18 yr. old girl is concerned that her sister is actively abusing Adderall and is proud of the fact that she managed to convince her personal physician that she struggled with attention deficit disorder. The girl said, "I know that she not only frequently uses Adderall herself, but she also manages to make some money on the side by selling it to other classmates who want a boost to study for tests." The caller suggests that her sister openly brags to anyone who will listen that she feels great while on Adderall and does not feel that she is doing anything wrong. Additionally, when asked about it, her sister suggests that while she may not be able to do without the drug, she also openly questions why she would ever want to be without it. The teen states that she does not want to get her sister in trouble with her parents, but also does not know how else to address the situation. She said, "I really do not want to be someone who snitches on her own sister, but at the same time I recognize that this is something that could ruin her life. I want to have the facts available to me before I present this to my parents."


text:
Petey "Airshow" MacKay, um, scrambles
Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.
Here's a little musical accompaniment to Dave, Boris, and Ed's posts today on DefMin Pete "Airshow" MacKay and the timely fashion in which he, um, scrambled Canadian jet fighters to save Obama from the Russkies in, um, international airspace, um, three days before Obama even arrived here.
MacKay : "I'm not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit, but it was a strong coincidence, which we met with a presence, as we always do, of F-18 fighter planes."
The Star :
It's not clear why Canada chose yesterday to draw attention to what is a fairly common occurrence.
A senior government official said highlighting the mid-air meeting was a good way to show the worth and relevance of NORAD while its commander, U.S. Gen. Victor Renuart, was visiting Ottawa.
It's also a good way to "get some ink" for Canada's contribution to continental security, the official said.
Labels: Funny, MacKay, Norad, sucking up to the US
Viva Palestina! People without borders.
According to the map, they're more than half way there.
On Valentines Day, British MP George Galloway and a mile long convoy of over 100 donated vehicles packed with practical aid for Gaza left the Houses of Parliament in London to drive 5,000 miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
The convoy includes a fire engine donated by the Fire Brigades Union, 25 ambulances, 2 buses, a boat, and trucks filled with a £1-million of medicines, cash, tools, clothes, blankets, and shoe-boxes filled with gifts for children, all donated to the people of Gaza. Thousands of dollars in donations have also come from the U.S.
As my arrow shows, they are currently in Tunisia and by tomorrow will reach Libya. The plan is to cross the border at Rafah into Gaza in early March, where they donate their booty and the vehicles and then fly back to their countries of origin.
What a remarkable undertaking.
There have been, as you might imagine, adventures.
Nine volunteers together with their cargo and vehicles were arrested under anti-terrorism laws before they even left the U.K. Six were released the following day, 3 on the following Wednesday, and the police detachment which made the arrests provided financial assistance to help them catch up with the convoy.
They all attended a rock concert in Madrid.
The border between Algeria and Morocco, closed for 15 years, was specially opened to allow the convoy through. Algeria donated their fuel and Morocco their food and lodging.
Read more at the Viva Palestina! website or the daily blog.
And sign their petition for more media coverage! For shame that a multi-faith, multi-national effort of such tremendous goodwill should not be making headlines.
A big hat tip to Lagatta at Bread and Roses.
UPDATE : EGYPT WILL ALLOW CONVOY INTO GAZA
Excellent news.
Labels: Gaza, People without borders, Viva Palestina
MP George Galloway - Viva Palestina!
Labels: Gaza, George Galloway, Viva Palestina
Braidwood Inquiry : Dziekanski compliant after all
From the very beginning the RCMP justification for stunning Robert Dziekanski has been that he was "defiant" and "non-compliant".
Constable Gerry Rundel testified on Monday that Dziekanski turned away from the officers in a "to hell with you guys, I'm out of here," stance.
Const. Bill Bentley testified he feared for his safety after "Dziekanski disobeyed a police command, threw up his arms in the air and appeared to walk away from the officers, which he saw as an act of defiance."
Yesterday the lawyer for the Polish government blew that excuse away when he walked Bentley through five frames of Paul Prichard's video which clearly show that Dziekanski turned away from the RCMP officers towards a counter because he was directed to do so. In the video RCMP Cpl. Benjamin Robinson is plainly seen vigorously pointing towards the counter with his arm extended straight out in front of him and Dziekanski turns toward it as directed. At this point the four officers surround Dziekanski and RCMP Const. Kwesi Millington fired his TASER™ for the first time.
When the inquiry resumes on Monday, Const. Millington will face tough questioning as to why he then zapped Dziekanski for a further 20 to 25 seconds after he was already on the ground.
Labels: Braidwood Inquiry, Paul Pritchard, police brutality, RCMP, Robert Dziekanski, TASER™
Braidwood Inquiry : A second RCMP officer recants
RCMP Const. Bill Bentley in October 2007, prior to the public release of Paul Pritchard's video of Robert Dziekanski's death :
"Robert Dziekanski, 40, had grabbed a stapler 'and came at the police screaming' during the incident."
Const. Bill Bentley yesterday at the Braidwood Inquiry, after being walked through Paul Pritchard's video :
"If we didn't have the video, would your evidence be today that Mr. Dziekanski grabbed the stapler and ran toward you screaming?" commission counsel Patrick McGowan asked.
"I don't know," Bentley replied, prompting derisive laughter from several people in the public gallery."
Now Bentley says : "Dziekanski "actually appeared calm and cooperative and wasn't doing anything as the officers approached."
That's quite the switch, Const. Bentley.
Vancouver Sun : "Lawyer David Butcher, representing Bentley, asked that official inquiry transcripts, video, audiotapes and exhibits at the inquiry should not be released without a court order. It is believed Poland is considering charges against the officers. The request will be ruled on later."
Transcript of RCMP testimony is still not up at the Braidwood Inquiry site yet but in the past it has usually lagged by several days.
Labels: Braidwood Inquiry, RCMP, Robert Dziekanski, TASER™, the stapler defence
Circling the wagons for TASER™
Feb 12, 2009 : Tasers potentially lethal, RCMP head tells MPs when introducing new TASER™ policy guidelines to a House of Commons public safety committee in Ottawa :
RCMP Commissioner William Elliott :
"The RCMP's revised CEW policy underscores that there are risks associated with the deployment of the device and emphasizes that those risks include the risk of death."
Feb 25, 2009 : Police defend use of tasers and proclaim their safety when they want to expand their usage in the face of an increasingly hostile public :
Chief Tom Kaye, VP of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police :
"To date, there is no evidence, either scientific of medical, that a conducted energy weapon has been the direct cause of death anywhere at any time on any person."
Charles Momy, the president of the Canadian Police Association :
"There has been no research to indicate clearly that tasers are involved in the deaths of any of the individuals that we've seen in the past years."
Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino:
"150 studies worldwide have proven that "there is no direct link in any case in which a taser was deployed" to show that it was linked to the demise of an individual"
Bottom line : All officers need Tasers, police associations say
Hey, guys, does TASER™ still sponsor your annual Canadian Conference of Chiefs of Police? Just askin' .
Labels: Canadian Conference of Chiefs of Police, RCMP, TASER™
Help Abdelrazik get a ticket home
Following yesterday's post on the plight of Abousfian Abdelrazik and the new catch-22 conditions our government has seen fit to impose on his return to Canada, Sumeet Jain, a member of BASAS, left the following comment.
[BASAS, the British Association of South Asian Studies, is, according to their website,"the largest UK academic association for the study of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and the South Asian Diaspora."]
Mr Jain's request :
"See the facebook group I have set up to support Abousifian. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69034411293
I am asking everyone to send him a token donation to get a ticket home and to protest the Canadian government's stand that anyone who supports him is a supporter of terrorism."
Quite right. Both Sudan and the RCMP have already cleared Abdelrazik of suspicion :
"The RCMP conducted a review of its files and was unable to locate any current and substantive information that indicates Mr. Abdelrazik is involved in criminal activity,"wrote Mike McDonell, the force's assistance commissioner for national security criminal investigations, in a Nov. 15, 2007, letter that formed the basis for the government's request that Mr. Abdelrazik be taken off the UN blacklist.
However, that request was blocked by at least one member of the UN Security Council – presumed to be the United States."
It is appalling that this has been allowed to drag on for more than five years, leaving Abdelrazik destitute and living in the Canadian embassy in Khartoum. If he is guilty of anything other than being on a no-fly list, bring him home and charge him.
Mr. Jain's facebook link above. Go.
Update : Dr. Dawg's letter to Mr. Abdelrazik.
Labels: Abdelrazik, Catch 22, extraordinary rendition, no-fly list, sucking up to the US, UN black list
Braidwood Inquiry : First RCMP testimony today
Today the Braidwood Inquiry heard from the first of the four RCMP officers involved in the Vancouver airport death of Robert Dziekanski in 2007. The transcripts will not be available for a couple of days yet so here's what the media have reported. It is the first time the officers have spoken in public.
Constable Gerry Rundel, who was not carrying a TASER™ that night, testified that he feared "for my safety to a certain degree" although he was not clear why.
Dziekanski did not appear to shoot any staples at the officers, Rundel agreed.
Global :
"Rundel said he knew from the police radio that a fellow in the international arrivals area was "throwing objects" and breaking glass and was likely intoxicated.
(In fact, Dziekanski had thrown a small table but did not break glass or threaten other passengers. Toxicology reports after his death showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.)"
"Rundel said Const. Bentley first spoke in a "calm, friendly" manner to Dziekanski, but the incident escalated swiftly after that.
Dziekanski gestured toward his luggage but was told "No," by Const. Kwesi Millington.
Dziekanski complied with the request and moved away from his bags.
At that point Dziekanski threw up his hands and turned away from the officers in what Rundel interpreted as a "to hell with you guys, I'm out of here," stance.
"Within split seconds the Taser was deployed," said Rundel.
Pressed repeatedly by commission lawyer Patrick McGowan to say what specific command Dziekanski had disobeyed, Rundel became flustered but insisted that Dziekanski had moved away from his luggage, as he was commanded to do so by Cpl. Robinson, but then became "non-cooperative" or "non-compliant."
"Non-compliance" triggers the Taser deployment in the RCMP's training and use-of-force regulations, Rundel said."
"He appeared to not be behaving like a normal person would behave," said Rundel. "It was all part of my observation formed by opinion."
"A criminal investigation conducted by the RCMP into its four members' conduct, which was given to crown counsel late last year, determined that the officers' actions were not criminal.
Dziekanski died Oct. 14, 2007 after getting hit five times with shots from the Taser gun. He fell screaming in anguish to the ground and the officers piled on top of him. Within seconds, he had stopped breathing.
The inquiry had heard earlier testimony from firefighters who later attended the scene that the RCMP officers appeared to do nothing to help the man."
In other news, RCMP in B.C. plan to buy 40 new Taser weapons. The force is budgeting $50,000 for the new model X26E Taser guns.
Labels: RCMP, Robert Dziekanski, TASER™
Ottawa continues to fuck Abdelrazik over
You remember him - one of Canada's other Maher Arars.
G&M : "Mr. Abdelrazik must present a fully-paid-for ticket home before "Passport Canada will issue an emergency passport," the government said in a Dec. 23 letter to his lawyers. But Mr. Abdelrazik, who is living in the Canadian embassy in Khartoum, is destitute and the government has warned that it could criminally charge anyone who lends or gives money for a ticket under its sweeping anti-terrorist regulations."
Previously, when Abousfian Abdelrazik, who has been cleared of all charges by both Sudan and the RCMP, previously when he did have the ticket money sent to him by his family in Canada to get home, a Foreign Affairs official confirmed :
"There is no unwillingness to allow him to come to Canada aboard a private plane which the Sudanese government is willing to provide".
So in Aug. 2008, Abdelrazik booked a flight to Canada on Etihad Airways, which was willing to fly him despite the fact it would mean they would be banned from entering U.S. airspace due to his presence on the U.S. no-fly list as a consequence.
Oh but the catch that time was Ottawa refusing him travel documents to get on the plane because :
Senior [Transport Canada] intelligence officials warned against allowing Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen, to return home from Sudan because it could upset the Bush administration, classified documents reveal.
"Senior government of Canada officials should be mindful of the potential reaction of our U.S. counterparts to Abdelrazik's return to Canada as he is on the U.S. no-fly list," intelligence officials say in documents in the possession of The Globe and Mail.
"Continued co-operation between Canada and the U.S. in the matters of security is essential. We will need to continue to work closely on issues related to the Security of North America, including the case of Mr. Abdelrazik," the document says.
The Security of North America.
I really like how you capitalize "security" - makes it look so much more official.
Odette Gaudet-Fee, a senior Foreign Affairs official in Ottawa, July 13, 2005 :
"I wish I had a magic wand and make this case go away ... I find it unethical to hold him like this in limbo with no future, no hope and all because ... Obviously I cannot address the issue of the no-fly list"
Possibly the fact that Canada evidently arranged secretly for Sudan to arrest and imprison him, and then sent Canadian Security Intelligence Service agents to interrogate him in a Sudanese prison even as diplomats knew that he was being tortured - possibly that has dampened Ottawa's enthusiasm for seeing him again. Just like Arar.
Update : As Dr. Dawg notes, "No word as yet from human rights scholar Michael Ignatieff."
Send him a clue : Ignatieff.M@parl.gc.ca
Labels: Abdelrazik, Catch 22, CSIS, DFAIT, Maher Arar, no-fly list
National Geographic does the tar sands
National Geographic, March 2009, excerpt:
"Here Syncrude, Canada's largest oil producer, digs bitumen-laced sand from the ground with electric shovels five stories high, then washes the bitumen off the sand with hot water and sometimes caustic soda. Next to the mine, flames flare from the stacks of an "upgrader," which cracks the tarry bitumen and converts it into Syncrude Sweet Blend, a synthetic crude that travels down a pipeline to refineries in Edmonton, Alberta; Ontario, and the United States. Mildred Lake, meanwhile, is now dwarfed by its neighbor, the Mildred Lake Settling Basin, a four-square-mile lake of toxic mine tailings. The sand dike that contains it is by volume one of the largest dams in the world.
To extract each barrel of oil from a surface mine, the industry must first cut down the forest, then remove an average of two tons of peat and dirt that lie above the oil sands layer, then two tons of the sand itself. It must heat several barrels of water to strip the bitumen from the sand and upgrade it, and afterward it discharges contaminated water into tailings ponds like the one near Mildred Lake.
The oil sands cover an area the size of North Carolina, and the provincial government has already leased around half that, including all 1,356 square miles that are minable. It has yet to turn down an application to develop one of those leases, on environmental or any other grounds."
Labels: oil bidness, tarsands
The Afghan Trap
What do you call a mousetrap which also captures the hand that baits the trap?
Labels: Afghanistan
North America Next
A year ago the U.S. Department of Homeland Security gave Arizona State University $15 million to establish a Center of Excellence for Border Security and Immigration. The border security research centre is led by Rick Van Schoik, director of ASU's North American Center for Transborder Studies.
Arizona State U presser, Feb. 2008 :
"The establishment of the center by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security follows more than two years of work assembling a team of U.S. universities, Mexican and Canadian institutions, government agencies, technology companies and national laboratories.
Research at the center will focus on new technologies such as surveillance, screening, data fusion and situational awareness using sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles and other technologies. The center will also provide research on population dynamics, immigration administration and enforcement, operational analysis, control and communications, immigration policy, civic integration and citizenship, border risk management and international governance."
Canadian advisors to NACTS include Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Anne McLellan and Christine Frechette, Director of the North American Forum on Integration, and York University and the University of Alberta, along with notable US deep integrationists Stephen Blank and Robert Pastor.
In their Feb 2009 policy paper "North America Next: A Report to President Obama on Building Sustainable Security and Competitiveness", they make eight recommendations calling for deeper integration, including :
the inclusion of private sector and public-private P3 partnerships in meet-ups prior to the North American Trilateral Leaders' Summits
a National Security Council deputy to expand their "focus on traditional security to include law enforcement, commerce, transportation, environment, water, and regional development in the three countries"
enhanced overall joint defense of North America which would allow Canada to continue responsibility for the Artic
a joint revolving fund for infrastructure investments in North America
a North American Greenhouse Gas Exchange Strategy to "ensure the United States continues to have priority access to Canada's wealth of hydro-electricity, natural gas, light petroleum and uranium in exchange for offsets for the greenhouse gases created by their development"
"moving the U.S.-Mexican and U.S.-Canadian borders (and their processing costs) away from the (actual) borders to the factories and farms from which trade goods originate", and
"building and improving trade corridors like CANAMEX that go from northern Canada to southern Mexico".
The paper recommends less emphasis on "integration" and more on "plug and play interoperability".
Just keeping you up on the new North American language here.
Labels: arctic sovereignty, CANAMEX, deep integration, DHS, NAFTA Superhighway, P-3s, Robert Pastor, Stephen Blank
President Obama visits
the House of Commons portrait gallery.
"When you walk in the door, all you see are pictures of Stephen Harper. I'd say between every window, in every available space of the wall, at eye level, every available space has a photo of Stephen Harper."
I had captions on this earlier, but you don't really need them, do you?
Labels: mirror mirror on the wall, Steve
Hats off to BC Mary at The Legislature Raids
She not only scoops Big Media on this one ; she drives it.
From Ian Mulgrew at the Vancouver Sun :
Drug dealer linked to legislature raid imprisoned
RCMP oddly silent about key victory against cocaine ring :
"The key figure in Project Every Which Way, the organized crime investigation that triggered the raid on the legislature half a decade ago, has been convicted and sentenced to nine years' imprisonment.
This significant event went apparently unreported until it appeared on citizen journalist Mary Mackie's blog [The Legislature Raids] and was brought to my attention Monday.
I was surprised no one in the federal prosecutor's office or the RCMP had issued a statement since this is the organized crime connection that led to the raid on legislature offices Dec. 28, 2003."
Does anyone still expect a Basi Virk trial anytime before Gordo retires?
Mary does. Vehemently.
She's been covering it almost daily ever since she noticed no one else was, save Tieleman and the Tyee, and she has been dogging media types to report this for months.
As she says in comments at The Gazetteer :
"Hard to believe that the guy whose activities had launched the raids on the BC Legislature, had been on trial - in Victoria - and 3 months later, nobody had noticed?? I posted the details under a clear headline: Jasmohan Singh Bains sentenced to 9 years -- so that Google couldn't miss it. I thought it would be news. Real news.
But apart from my own wonderful commentors, it seemed that nobody noticed.
I was so sure that the Bains trial and evidence were important to the BC Rail issues, I kept mentioning it, wherever an opportunity presented itself.
Such as during that crazy week in Victoria when Dave Basi was in Supreme Court on charges of A.L.R. bribery ... and he was in another Supreme Courtroom on matters relating to BC Rail -- and still NOTHING in the newspapers!
I kept talking to the CanWest journalists; I kept saying "Don't let this be like the Bains trial where nobody knows ..." But that's pretty much what happened ... nobody would have known about that either, except for Bill Tieleman's blog and mine.
Why was I so determined? Because I have never forgotten that press conference, the day after police raided the BC Legislature, when RCMP Staff Sgt John Ward explained it by talking about Organized Crime being a cancer at all levels of society. I figured he was talking over the heads of our leadership, telling us things he knew nobody else would willingly tell us. I still believe that. So, apparently, does Ian Mulgrew.
So one day a week or two ago, I was writing to Ian to compliment him on a column he had just written. I added, "I just wish you'd been assigned to the Basi Virk case, then we might've heard about the Bains trial ..."
Next thing I knew, Ian Mulgrew's story was in Vancouver Sun.
Ian -- alone of all the West Coast journalists -- not only realized the significance of the Bains trial, but barrelled right past his CanWest handlers and got his story into print."
The busted drug dealer here is Jasmohan Singh Bains, cousin to Dave Basi.
Dave Basi was ministerial assistant to then BC Finance Minister Gary Collins.
Bob Virk was ministerial assistant to BC Transportation Minister Judith Reid.
An anonymous informant tipped off the RCMP that Basi was laundering money for Bains.
A subsequent RCMP wiretap on Bains led to both Liberal aides being charged with fraud, bribery, breach of trust, and accepting money in exchange for info on the sale of the Crown corporation BC Rail in November 2003.
Another cousin, government media analyst Aneal Basi, is accused of money laundering for allegedly accepting cheques and transferring funds to Basi from a partner at Pilothouse, the lobby firm for one of the US bidders for BC Rail.
Constable Ravinder Singh Dosanjh, now suspended from the Victoria police force, is charged with obstruction of justice in connection with this investigation.
And now, after six friggin years, there will be yet another one year delay in the trial while the Supreme Court decides whether defense lawyers may be shown the sensitive boondoggley government documents identifying the informant.
Good thing Mary will be on it.
Updated to include Mary's comment at The Gazetteer.
Labels: Basi Virk trial, BC Mary, BC Rail, legislature raids, media, RCMP
Tin foil - not just for hats anymore
CTV : "The federal government is repatriating a database of personal information about Canadian citizens after warnings the U.S. government might misuse it.
The database with details about several hundred British Columbians was turned over to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency last year as part of a controversial project to issue "enhanced driver's licences" instead of passports for land-border crossings."
The BC pilot project is the first step in a Canada-wide program that could have seen the personal information of hundreds of thousands of Canadians handed over wholesale to American officials.
But the Canada Border Services Agency has bowed to pressure from privacy advocates and is recalling the database, with the U.S. border agency promising to erase its records.
The CBSA signed an agreement with its American counterpart to ensure that the information would be accessed only by U.S. officers at the time of crossing for border purposes only.
However, the USA Patriot Act could trump that clause, forcing the U.S. border service to turn over information to American security agencies.
Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart sounded the alarm about this over a year ago and also criticized the new enhanced driver's licences as creating a de facto national ID card for both countries.
Homeland Security Michael Chertoff told Canadians they shouldn't worry about the sharing of biometric information with other governments.
"Your fingerprint's hardly personal data, because you leave it on glasses and silverware and articles all over the world," he said.
As I noted at the time, having a glass of wine in a public restaurant is not at all like having your fingerprints fed into a database like Server in the Sky.
There's also the problem of identity theft.
Watch here as an ethical hacker drives round the block with his $250 homemade tracking device and copies the RFID tags, or radio-frequency identification device, off two passports.
RFIDs are used to track cattle and merchandise.
People with RFID driver's licences are supposed to keep them wrapped in tin foil.
Personally I don't think I'll have any left over.
Labels: Canada Border Services Agency, Jennifer Stoddart, national ID, passport, RFIDs, tinfoil, US Patriot Act
Geography has made us neighbours ...
The Canadian American Business Council will be running full-page ads in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the National Journal next week, in advance of President Barack Obama's visit to Ottawa.
The ad features a famous utterance made by John F. Kennedy during his visit to Canada in 1961 :
"Geography has made us neighbours ... economics has made us partners"
Representing Exxon Mobil, Shell Oil, Campbell Soup, Wal-Mart, Bombardier, and Alcan, the Canadian American Business Council boasts Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Michael Wilson as the chairman of the CABC advisory board.
Canadian ambassador Michael Wilson previously explained his position on Canada/US relations, courtesy of the Government of Canada website :
Advancing the North American Economic Area
"Economic integration is happening. Our businesses and consumers are making it happen"
"Building a competitive North American platform is essential"
"to engage the world as a North American economic powerhouse."
"a strong, dynamic, and increasingly integrated North American economy."
"we need to continually position ourselves better — position North America better"
"we build things together for North America"
"the North American economic partnership is working"
"we can improve the safety of products available throughout the North American marketplace"
"developing a sectoral approach to improving North American competitiveness"
"committed to keeping the North American supply chain running smoothly"
"we must stake-out a strategic position for North American companies"
"We [Canada] are champions for improvements to the infrastructure that our North American industries depend on."
We get your point, Mike, but just in case there's any doubt the Americans will, feel free to run with my graphic instead.
Labels: Canadian American Business Council, deep integration, NAFTA
Dziekanski may have shot staples
Staples?
That's your defence - staples?
That there was the possibility of staples?
You RCMP lawyers have fucking lost it.
Millions watched four RCMP zap Robert Dziekanski within seconds of meeting him, kneel on his upper body till he was dead, and then stand around making no attempt to revive him.
We heard the immediate RCMP spin in the aftermath that only three officers were there, that the room was crowded, that they tried to reason with him, that when we saw the whole tape we would understand.
We also understand you need to prove that the officers felt themselves to be in danger.
But having a former Vancouver airport security guard testify that Dziekannski "made an attempt to squeeze the staples out" of the desk stapler he was holding for "five to 10 seconds", scratch that you say, maybe only "one to four seconds" is not helping your case here.
What we need to hear from the RCMP brass after 11 TASER™ deaths, is that something has gone terribly wrong with the RCMP recruitment process but you will fix it, or something has gone terribly wrong with the officer training program but you will fix it or something has gone terribly wrong with instructions given to officers as to when to use the TASER™ but you will fix it.
That there was the possibility of staples isn't cutting it and you RCMP lawyers should be ashamed of yourselves for thus embarrassing all the decent hardworking RCMP officers who had to listen to that crap yesterday.
Update : The Star : RCMP tightens rules on tasers
"Weapons potentially lethal, force says, and should be used only to protect officers, public"
... when "necessary" says RCMP Commissioner William Elliott
OK, but this isn't just about TASERs™, is it?
You keep spinning this as if it's all about the relative safety of teh TASER™.
Labels: Braidwood Inquiry, RCMP, Robert Dziekanski, TASER™
Happy Darwin Day !
Go, Dr Dan!
Dan Johnson, professor of Environmental Science and Canada Research Chair (Evolution and Ecology) at the University of Lethbridge, holds the 1/64 scale model of the HMS Beagle he finished just in time to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth today.
Yes, that tiny figurehead on the bow is a beagle Dan carved with an exacto knife. Details and pictures of the two month project for you shipbuilding aficionados out there are here at Dan's site.
A short history and a hearty hurrah for Darwin and his work written by Dan here.
And yes, he is that Dr. Dan.
Happy birthday, Chuck.
Labels: Darwin Day, Dr.Dan Johnson
The Amway, Blackwater, Focus on the Family Tree
Bill Berkowitz reports that Amway is getting ready to make a comeback.
What superb timing.
Just as we are getting used to the idea that much of the financial markets is one giant ponzi scheme, a company roughly based on the pyramid chain letter is set to rebuild its brand : a multi-level marketing scheme based on selling cleaning products to yourself while buying motivational tapes from the person up the chain who talked you into it.
Don't sneer. Amway made over $7-billion in 2007, having exported 80% of its business abroad to China, India, and Russia - where presumably a whole new batch of "distributors" is out looking around for people willing to buy their motivational tapes.
It's all about the networking.
Berkowitz reminds us of Amway's own networks and Muckety provides a nice interactive family tree with many more links than I've pillaged here :
Amway co-founder Richard DeVos was chair of the Republican National Committee and former chair of the Council for National Policy.
His son Dick DeVos, billionaire former president of Amway, is married to Betsy DeVos, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and founder of the National Right To Life Committee.
Betsy is the older sister of Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater USA.
Betsy and Erik's mom, Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, is a director of the Council for National Policy along with Grover Norquist and Paul Weyrich and FotF's James Dobson, and a board member of Focus on the Family herself.
As Amway co-CEO Doug DeVos put it : "We thought, well, if we're going to build a brand, build the brand that everybody knows already."
Fun fact : While the Mormons took the brunt of the coverage for their anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 campaign in California, the Colorado Independent reports that our Focus on the Family tree pumped more than six times as much as the Mormon church did into the Protect Marriage campaign - $1.25 million .
Labels: Amway, Blackwater, Council for National Policy, Focus on the Family, money money money, Norquist, Paul Weyrich, Prop 8
Binational poll on NAFTA and energy policy
From Environics, a poll of 1,000 Canadians and 1,000 American respondents conducted between January 22 and February 1, 2009 :
" Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, allows corporations to sue member governments for compensation anytime they feel that government policies, such as environmental policies, might reduce their profits.
Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose energy companies being able to sue national governments for lost profits as a result of government policies? "
U. S. : SUPPORT 26% ... OPPOSE 71% ... DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3%
Canada: SUPPORT 23% ... OPPOSE 72% ... DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 5%
That 23% of Canadians support foreign corporations doing an end run around locally elected governments is surprising till you remember the following related fun fact :
Percentage of eligible voters who voted for Steve in the last election : 22%
Labels: corporate welfare, energy, NAFTA, polls, Stephen Harper the Economist
Chomsky : Understanding the Crisis
A fascinating interview with Noam Chomsky at Foreign Policy in Focus.
On the people who are now designing Obama's economic policies :
"Dean Baker, one of the few economists who saw what was coming all along, pointed out that it's almost like appointing Osama bin Laden to run the so-called war on terror.
Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers, Clinton's treasury secretaries, are among the main architects of the crisis. Summers intervened strongly to prevent any regulation of derivatives and other exotic instruments. Rubin, who preceded him, was right in the lead of undermining the Glass-Steagall act, all of which is pretty ironic. The Glass-Steagall Act protected commercial banks from risky investment firms, insurance firms, and so on, which kind of protected the core of the economy. That was broken up in 1999 largely under Rubin's influence. He immediately left the treasury department and became a director of Citigroup, which benefited from the breakdown of Glass-Steagall by expanding and becoming a "financial supermarket" as they called it. Just to increase the irony (or the tragedy if you like) Citigroup is now getting huge taxpayer subsidies to try to keep it together and just in the last few weeks announced that it's breaking up. It's going back to trying to protect its commercial banking from risky side investments. Rubin resigned in disgrace — he's largely responsible for this. But he's one of Obama's major economic advisors, Summers is another one; Summer's protégé Tim Geithner is the Treasury Secretary."
Labels: Chomsky, Economy, money money money
Just another business expense
Nearly ten months after 500 migrating ducks died in the toxic waste of a Syncrude tailings pond in the tar sands, the governments of Canada and Alberta have charged the company with breaking two environmental laws. Their sudden interest was apparently prompted by a private lawsuit launched last month.
The maximum combined penalty that can be levied against Syncrude under those laws is $800,000.
The G&M reports that this amount "represents less than one hour of production revenue from the mine".
Labels: 500 dead ducks, Environment, Syncrude, tarsands, toxic waste
Yes, why don't we say the Pledge of Allegiance in Canadian schools?
"First we lost saying the Lord's Prayer in school, then the Pledge of Allegiance, and now the singing of O Canada..."
So complained the aunt of a student at the centre of the New Brunswick controversy over a primary school principal reducing the daily O Canada ritual to once a month and special occasions. I watched her say it on CBC National tonight.
Good grief, lady, what the fuck country do you think you're living in?
Canadian students don't stand up every morning and put their hands over their hearts and think up new and amusing ways to riff off "My friends are leeches ... in a bag ... "
New Brunswick is still in Canada, isn't it?
CBC National didn't tag the pledge gaffe in their otherwise sympathetic report into the savaging of Erik Millett, the school principal who tried to balance the conflicting demands of three sets of parents. He decided to change the playing of "O Canada" to once a month during assembly instead of piping it into every classroom every morning, rather than single out the students whose parents objected to the anthem by pulling them out of class. Instead he had the student of the pro-anthem parents lead the school in singing it at assembly once a month.
That was back in 2007 and that should have been the end of it.
Instead Millett has been recently pilloried in the media for "banning the national anthem in school", a number of ill-informed Con MPs denounced him in the House of Commons, and he received death threats from local parents who took sides. Death threats.
After being inundated by emails criticizing the principal's decision, the local school superintendent ordered that the anthem be placed back in daily rotation.
Tonight on CBC Millett tearfully recounted how this McCarthyist witch hunt all began when the Con federal minister he ran against as a Green in the election slagged him about his anthem dilemma in a newspaper article.
Millett's in therapy now and doubts he will return to teaching.
Read that quote at the top again.
Then go and help Liberal Arts and Minds figure out how to stop this kind of dangerous right wing jingoistic nonsense in Canada.
Labels: Canadian anthem, Con fuckwittery, deep integration, education, Erik Millett, Pledge of Allegiance, witch hunt
Afghanistan : Winning hearts, minds, and stomachs
Including stomachs sounds more in line with what Rory Stewart has been arguing for.
The Independent :
"The Obama administration today outlined a new campaign strategy for the war in Afghanistan, scaling back the ambitions of George Bush in a shift which senior officials and diplomats described as a "new realism".
Richard Holbrooke, Barack Obama's new envoy for Afghanistan, General James Jones, the new White House national security adviser, and General David Petraeus, the new commander of the Afghan campaign, all stressed that the US president's policy on the Taliban and al-Qaida would be governed by "attainable goals" matched by "adequate resources".
In the first major foreign policy speech from the new administration, the vice-president, Joe Biden, told a security conference in Munich that the strategic review on Afghanistan under way in Washington would "make sure that our goals are clear and achievable".
Notable by its absence in any of the speeches from the American team was any mention of building democracy in Afghanistan. Instead, the emphasis was on creating sustainable security to try to prevent the Taliban from extending their grip on the country."
Good. I'm resigned to a continuation of US colonialism in Afghanistan with or without a NATO gloss. They can't unshit the bed but if it's not too late they can help change the sheets.
Whose stomachs are involved though?
DFAIT is pleased to boost Canadian companies to get in on the corporate action :
"Canadian companies that had to struggle to get a piece of the U.S. reconstruction of Iraq have been given a chance to avoid that problem in Afghanistan.
The federal public works department has issued a call for construction companies that might be interested in bidding on up to $100 million in upgrades to NATO's main air base in southern Afghanistan.
The United States is footing the bill ...
The work at Kandahar Airfield would involve "improvements to aircraft parking areas, the taxiway and the construction of an ammunition storage depot..."
You telling me there aren't any Afghan construction companies who could benefit from a contract to improve a parking lot?
And will KBR Canada , "with offices in Edmonton and Calgary" qualify?
KBR, formerly Kellogg Brown & Root and owned by Halliburton Co. , has just been awarded a $35 million Pentagon contract despite a $559 million fine for bribery in Nigeria, electrocuting US soldiers due to poor workmanship standards in Iraq, and running shell offices out of Cayman Islands box numbers to avoid paying taxes. Plus the alleged gang rapes and cover-ups among employees.
And reconstruction marches on. Strong stomachs will be required.
Labels: Afghanistan, bribery, Halliburton, Iraq, KBR, NATO, Obama, Rory Stewart
Paul Manly : "You, Me and the SPP"
Paul Manly is probably best known to most of us as the guy who shot the video of CEP union President Dave Coles exposing the 3 rock-toting Quebec police provocateurs at the Montebello protest against the SPP back in Aug. 2007.
His latest film is You, Me and the SPP : Trading Democracy for Corporate Rule.
Cribbing from his own description here :
"a feature length documentary which exposes the corporatist agenda that is currently undermining the democratic authority of the citizens of North America.
Two processes, the Security Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and the Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) are rapidly eroding and eliminating standards, civil liberties, regulatory systems and institutions put in place over generations through the democratic process."
A kick ass preview : The Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the SPP, ten minutes of interviews with Maude Barlow, Dave Coles, Michael Byers, Erin Weir, Gordon Laxer, Connie Fogel, Peter Julian, Ken Georgetti, and more. Clear, concise - an excellent overview.
You, Me and the SPP will be shown at Langara in Vancouver on February 14th and in other cities across Canada as part of the traveling World Community Film Festival [itinerary here].
Or you could buy the CD, or encourage your local library to do so, at his website, Manly Media.
Labels: docs, Montebello, Paul Manly, SPP, TILMA
Film Etiquette : "Giving the finger" now officially less obnoxious than urinating on bystanders
The Ontario Film Review Board has added "giving the finger", seen here being demonstrated in the Canadian House of Commons, to its list of infractions that contribute to a film being reclassified "from a General (G) designation into the Parental Guidance (PG) category".
But wait! Here's the best part. According to the guidelines in the 32-page manual, "the gesture ... is rated the equivalent of an animal humping someone's leg - more obnoxious than "a little bit of farting, belching", but "less obnoxious than a teenager vomiting and his friend urinating onto bystanders".
Unfortunately I don't have a HoC photo to illustrate that.
Labels: censorship, House of Common insults, Ontario Film Review Board
Friday night news dump : ConservaLiberals drop Cadman case
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday abandoned his $3.5-million libel lawsuit against the Liberal Party over allegations that he knew of Conservative efforts to bribe a dying MP in 2005.
The move was in direct contradiction with Mr. Harper's past vows to take the matter to a total victory in front of a judge.
"The truth is that this will prove to be in court the biggest mistake the leader of the Liberal Party has ever made," Mr. Harper said last March, speaking about Stéphane Dion.
The matter was settled, without an apology or a trial, and with all sides refusing to comment."
~ Globe and Mail, Feb 7, 2009
"Stéphane Dion and Stephen Harper are effectively functioning as leaders of the same political party, under the cover of apparent faked displays of "disagreements" in front of colluding affiliate corporate media organizations. These public displays, are designed to lull rank and file party members, and dupe Canadians into believing otherwise.
This strategy includes the defamation claim media spectacle about Chuck Cadman that was launched by Stephen Harper against Stéphane Dion.
Learned legal experts agree that this litigation claim will never see the light of day in a Canadian courtroom."
~ Yvette Lafleur, Global Research, April 2, 2008.
Well, you certainly called it, Yvette
In September Harper had the case postponed till after the October election.
In October the Cons' own former FBI expert testified the Zytaruk tape was not doctored as Harper had alleged under cross-examination.
In November the lead Conservative lawyer quit the case.
In a joint statement yesterday, the Liberal Party and the Conservatives said the matter was dropped and that no other comments would be made.
Now which of you is going to be the first to apologize to Tom Zytaruk?
Labels: Cadman, ConservaLiberals, Stephen Harper
Over 75% of infrastructure funds went to Con ridings last year
"The Opposition party's analysis of the $1 billion dispensed from the Building Canada fund found 21 of 26 projects receiving money are in ridings that elected Consevative MPs, Liberal infrastructure critic Gerard Kennedy said.
Kennedy told the House of Commons during Thursday's question period that it leaves the majority of Canadians living in opposition ridings "massively shortchanged."
Shorter Harper : I don't remember you Libs bringing this up when you helped pass our federal budget by a 211-91 vote two days ago.
Iggy : "I can't help but find I'm an impotent man," Ignatieff told the House. "Can the prime minister assure us that his infrastructure spending will benefit all Canadians, no matter where they live or who they vote for?"
Correction : Actually Iggy said "I'm an impatient man". My bad.
Labels: budget, Con fuckwittery, ConservaLiberals
Update : 14-year-old girl zapped in cell for picking at paint on the wall
continued from here.
Ban stun gun use on young people, Ontario child advocate urges
Ontario Child Advocate Irwin Elman :
"When I saw the tape, we had a young person who was peeling paint off the wall of a police holding cell with her fingernail and she was quiet and on a cot," he said. "And our estimation, the use of a Taser was not proportional to the need to protect, I guess, the paint on the wall."
"We're asking for a moratorium on the use of Tasers on children and youth, certainly in our province, until there's established, full research about their use on children and youth," he said.
Ontario rejects call for banning taser use on minors
Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci :
"... police officers should be able to use all the tools in their arsenal when dealing with a dangerous situation.
And he says age should not be a factor in deciding how to deal with an individual.
"That police officer should have all the tools necessary to ensure that he or she chooses a course of action that protects the individual, protects the public and protects the police officer — regardless of age," Mr. Bartolucci said.
Well that's just crap.
The "dangerous situation" is a 14-year-old girl lying on a cot in a police cell.
You're protecting paint here, Rick.
Paint, and the right to use a TASER™ on children for pain compliance.
Labels: police brutality, TASER™
Privatizing Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a crown corporation and the largest producer of hydro-electric power in the world. Worth $130B, its revenue in 2007 was over $12B, of which $2B went as a dividend to Quebec City. It provides Québec with the world's cheapest hydro rates.
The Montreal Economic Institute is a neoliberal think tank devoted to disbanding the wheat board and privatizing water, healthcare, and now apparently Hydro-Québec.
Yesterday the MEI released its report plumping for the privatization of Hydro-Québec.
Author Claude Garcia explained that while privatization would mean higher rates for Quebec consumers, they would gain the advantage of choosing their service provider and could be given shares in the new company. And why not sell power at 9.6 cents per kilowatt-hour to energy-thirsty consumers in Boston or New York, rather than at the current rate of 3 cents charged to Quebec's aluminum smelters?
Here's how that report was dutifully replayed in the media yesterday :
G&M : Report calls for sale of Hydro- Québec
"Hydro-Québec is racked by wretched inefficiency and would be better off to Quebec being privatized according to a new study commissioned by the Montreal Economic Institute."
CTV : Hydro-Quebec would be more effective if privatized, study finds
"A new study suggests Hydro-Quebec is racked by inefficiency and would be more valuable to the province if it were privatized."
CJAD : Sell off Hydro-Quebec, make an extra 10 billion a year. .
Bloomberg : Quebec Should Sell Hydro-Quebec, Globe Says, Citing Study .
Trading Markets : Privatizing Hydro-Québec would give $10 billion more a year to Quebecers .
Montreal Gazette : Our cheap power comes at a price .
OK, help me out here. If selling excess energy to the US is the goal, why not do it while retaining Hydro-Québec as a crown corporation for the longterm benefit of Quebec?
Could someone please explain that to me?
Labels: Economy, hydro power, money money money, Montreal Economic Institute, privatization
14-year-old girl zapped in cell for peeling paint off the wall
The father of a 14-year-old mentally challenged girl who was TASER™ed in her jail cell for peeling paint off the wall is suing the Ontario Provincial Police on her behalf.
"Ontario's provincial advocate for children and youth, Irwin Elman, who has reviewed a videotape of the incident and the OPP's internal investigation, said he can't understand why police needed to stun the girl, who was lying on a cot when the two officers entered her cell and allegedly zapped her.
"I can tell you from what I saw there was no harm to herself or to any other person. It's not proportional to use a Taser... . It's a 14-year-old child in a cell, not harming herself or anybody else," said Elman, Ontario's independent children's advocate.
"The lawsuit, filed Jan. 23 at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Kenora, says the officers entered the cell without warning, "violently" pulled the girl to the ground and applied the Taser to her right upper thigh for three to five seconds."
"A doctor who examined the girl in the hours after the incident reportedly observed twin burn marks on her thigh."
"OPP spokesman Insp. Dave Ross said yesterday the force was not contesting that the girl had been Tasered, but that the OPP's professional standards bureau completed an investigation in December 2008 and cleared officers of any wrongdoing.
You're shocked and surprised at the results of the OPP professional standards bureau investigation I'm sure. Did I mention she is First Nations?
Rory Stewart on Afghanistan
Photo : Women university students in Kabul, 1995
Then : Prior to the CIA-backed civil war in Afghanistan and the Taliban rule beginning in 1996, 50% of the students and 60% of the teachers at Kabul University were women, and 70% of school teachers, 50% of civilian government workers, and 40% of doctors in Kabul were women.
Now : "While the Bush administration boasts that millions of Afghan girls are now going to schools, what US media outlets won't tell you is that schools are still scarce in rural areas, and most schools that do function teach a curriculum limited to Islamic studies, similar to boys' schools during the Taliban era." ~Afghan Women's Mission
A couple of nights ago I watched Afghanistan expert Rory Stewart, the British diplomat to Iraq who walked across Afghanistan immediately following its invasion by the US, on tv on CPAC. He painted a pretty bleak picture.
No link but I took notes. Here is the stat that blew me away :
85% of aid money to Afghanistan goes straight to overhead and profits for private foreign contractors.
Holy shit. 85%. Cue Major General Smedley D. Butler.
Now that the fantasy of turning Afghanistan into a "shining, white city on the hill" has been shattered, he said, the international community would be better off focusing on the few things it does well and then getting the hell out. More troops just reinforces the Afghan sense of being occupied which only adds to Taliban numbers.
Stewart also stressed alarm at what he called Obama's "unrealistic picture of what can be achieved" : " 'We're going to win in Afghanistan.' I don't even know what he means. I don't know what he imagines victory would look like. You can no more win in Afghanistan than you can in the Congo, Chad, Nepal."
"What about women's rights", asked someone from the floor.
"This is what I meant by unrealistic expectations" he answered, warning that Afghanistan is not going to conform to western standards or return to pre-Taliban conditions any time soon - not women's rights, not democratic rights. Such unrealistic targets only lead to disillusionment and more troops, a longer stay.
Nonetheless he does support long term economic aid to projects with practical economic results - roads, electricity, hospitals, schools - and singled out CIDA as providing some of the better examples of reconstruction projects that work.
Stewart's own NGO to hire local Afghans to produce and market traditional handmade goods, Turquoise Mountain, is a CIDA beneficiary.
Labels: Afghanistan, CIDA, Feminism, media bias, Obama, Rory Stewart, war is a racket
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14-year-old girl zapped in cell for peeling paint ...


Is your website mobile friendly? It better be.
What is a mobile optimized site? Simple: A mobile optimized site is a responsive one. Google recommends that sites be designed responsively, using CSS to adjust rendering on specific devices. Today's mobile users have high expectations. The site should load quickly, look great, be easy to navigate, and create an overall satisfying experience. Only then will they be ready to convert. Mobile visitors have a low tolerance for poor mobile experiences. If your mobile site loads slow, 43% of your users won't try to come back.
If your website is older, YOU need a mobile conversion or you are loosing visitors!
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Who is the Webmaster? A webmaster (from web and master), also called a web architect, web developer, site author, website administrator, or website coordinator is a person responsible for maintaining one or many websites.
I love managing websites and I love helping nice business people. My mission is simple, find nice people who need someone they can count on to take care of their website, and give them peace of mind so they can focus on their business.
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There is a movement afoot in North America to bring awareness to some of our less animal-friendly farming practices.
Take poultry, for instance. For a long time, modern farming methods saw hens locked in little cages and stuffed full of antibiotics. This long-standing, completely cruel, and unhealthy practice has been the norm within the meat industry for a while now. But thanks to hard work by activists (like The Humane Society of the United States and Ryan Gosling), things could be a changing.
Over the years, more and more companies have been moving towards a process that is far more humane before chicken and eggs (whatever comes first) land on our plates.
Currently, Whole Foods is the only grocery chain that is 100-percent cage-free. But back in September, McDonalds announced that they were working towards a cage-free policy and even Target has also joined in on the moral fun.
Why is this important? Let me hit you with some truth. In regards to eggs, some scientists and nutritionists believe that free-range eggs have shown higher levels of nutritional value than their battery-produced counterparts. The same can be said for chicken meat.
Additionally, caged chickens are fed the waste products of the grain industry and so the yolks contain very little lutein and zeaxanthin, two important antioxidants for the overall health of your eyes. A true free range egg will have a deep yellow and orange yolk, while caged eggs will have watery yellow yolks.
Besides all of the nutritional benefits, you also have to consider the overall treatment of the animals. Did you know that when chickens are bred in huge production facilities, the male babies are of no use and are disposed of like trash?
Female chicks are kept in extremely dark and cramped conditions (67 to 86 square-inches per bird), while being fed a steady diet of hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics.
With 90-percent of eggs still coming from caged hens, it will take time for companies to do a complete switch over. But, as the movement continues, more and more farmers will see the economic benefits a more humane business model.
Unless, of course, Walmart and Costco are just pulling the feathers over our eyes, pouncing on buzzwords to drum up positive press. But we'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
With the year 2025 being Walmart's goal, which also jives with the timeline of other big grocers including Albertsons, Kroger, and Supervalu, could Costco do better? Or will it be a longer process for the wholesaler?
The best laid plans of chickens and men often go awry.
Costco was already starting to push towards free range chickens back in 2006 when 2-percent of the eggs sold were cage-free. Currently they are sitting at 26-percent and, by the end of this calendar year (2016), the chain is committed to selling over a billion cage-free eggs.
It's a start, and although they are dreaming big by wanting to build their own facility, keep in mind there are still a lot of logistics that need to be figured out before putting a time frame on their 100% cage-free/antibiotic-free plans.
Walmart began offering customers cage-free eggs in its US stores back in 2001. As mentioned, they are looking to be 100-percent free-range by 2025, but of course they say that hinges upon available supply, affordability, and customer demand.
Are we dreaming if we think the superstore will actually pull it off?
I don't expect this little article of mine to tip the balance. But, as they say, be the change you want to see in the world! So in an effort to convince you (yes, you) to go free-range, I'll end with some tasty recipes that require happy hens.
Lightly grease a muffin pan with coconut or olive oil; set aside.
Add all the ingredients except chicken and hard boiled eggs to the bowl of your food processor and process until it reaches the consistency of a thick paste (about one minute).
Add the chicken and process on pulse until the meat is finely ground and all the ingredients are completely incorporated. Divide into eight equal portions.
Lay a piece of plastic film onto your work surface and place one portion of meat right in the center. Flatten the meat into a roughly half-inch-thick circle, then place an egg in the middle.
Gently slide your hand under the plastic wrap and lift the whole thing up. Use the plastic film to shape the meat around the egg until the egg is completely wrapped, then finish "shaping" it with your bare hands.
Place the finished egg in the muffin pan and repeat process with the remaining eggs and meat.
Place the Scotch eggs in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, take the pan out of the oven and carefully tilt it over the sink to drain the liquid that has accumulated in the cups.
Place the pan back in the oven and continue cooking the eggs for an additional five minutes, or until golden.
Remove eggs from pan and set to "dry out" on a cooling rack for about five minutes.
Serve warm or cold, with a side of greens.
In a skillet over medium high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Crumble, set aside.
Melt butter in an omelette pan over medium heat and saute vegetables, about 2 minutes. Beat eggs; season with salt and pepper and pour into the pan, covering the vegetables. Place a lid over the pan.
In a small bowl, combine bacon, chicken, and ranch dressing. Stir well to coat.
Once the omelette has set and puffed slightly, carefully flip.
Spread the chicken and bacon mixture over the omelette, sprinkle cheese on top, followed by the chopped tomato. Turn off heat and cover with a lid, allowing the cheese to melt.
Lift the lid, fold omelette in half, cut into two wedges and serve.
Combine the chicken, celery, carrot, red onion, mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, granulated garlic, paprika, and one teaspoon of pepper in a bowl. Mix until combined. Serve the chicken salad on the toasted rolls with lettuce and tomato.
Combine two tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a separate shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for three minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.
Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave sauce mixture on high for two minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and broil for two minutes or until the cheese melts.


text:
Accessibility Innovations by AT&T
What Does Tim Cook Think About Accessibility?
Accessibility in Georgia
A Positive Trend
Happy Friday! This week has been packed with lots of interesting accessibility news, and lots of it is very encouraging. You'll learn about a few high profile tech companies are working hard to create more accessible technology for everyone. We'll also show you which U.S. state is working to make their site more accessible. Enjoy this week's news!
Did you know that AT&T has a Corporate Accessibility Technology Office? They work to help make tech easy for anyone to use. The government technology site interviewed the group's lead accessibility technology architect who explained their goals by stating, "The goal, Bangor said, is 'to not build barriers in the first place.'"[1]
The article describes how tech currently makes it difficult for users with disabilities to do everything from contacting 911 in an emergency to enjoying television shows. While these are things that many people take for granted, a lot of people need assistance or modifications. It's great to know that such a big company has a dedicated accessibility division, and that they are working on solving these problems. I also think the Bangor quote says a lot about the group's direction. We need to build accessibility into our technology in the first place, and the group really seems to understand that.
Read the full AT&T's Accessibility Lab Works to Make Tech Accessible to Everyone article here.
May 18, 2017 was the world's sixth Global Accessibility Awareness Day,[2] and Apple's CEO didn't let it pass without talking publicly digital accessibility. Apple insider shares Cook's thoughts on digital accessibility, "'For us, we believe very deeply that accessibility is a human right,' Cook said. 'And we try very hard to make all of our products accessible for everyone because of that. It's a basic value.'"[3] He goes on to share what accessibility features he uses every day, and talks a bit about Apple's other accessible products and features. If you're a fan of Apple and interested in what they do in terms of accessibility, then this is a great article to check out.
Read the full Apple's Tim Cook talks tech with accessibility advocates for Global Accessibility Awareness Day article here.
The need for accessible websites is great, and the state of Georgia recognizes that fact. According to the Marketplace website, "One out of 12 people ages 18 to 64 in the United States identifies themselves as having a disability."[4] The state is working to make the Georgia website accessible to everyone.
The article also discusses the issue of accessibility and web design with a blind accessibility expert at the University of Washington who explains the roots of the problem, "Hadi Rangin…said most developers and designers are not being taught how to code for people with disabilities."[5] Getting up-to-speed on accessibility issues on websites is important for everyone. It can lead designers to make better websites that work for more people, and help website owners to accommodate all of their visitors. As the state of Georgia begins the process, we can hope that other state websites follow suit.
Read the full Georgia aims to make its websites accessible for all article here.
It's great to see such big companies championing the accessibility movement. It's even better to see them understand that it's not just a quick fix issue. Instead, accessibility needs to be understood and built in from the outset. Technology that incorporates accessibility as part of the initial design is important to create. The more common we make accessible technology, the better. Kudos to these and all companies who are helping to change the way we think about accessible tech!
What stories caught your interest this week? Did you do anything for Global Accessibility Awareness Day?
[1] http://www.govtech.com/health/ATTs-Acessibilty-Lab-Works-To-Make-Tech-Accessible-to-Everyone.html
[2] http://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/
[3] http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/05/17/apples-tim-cook-talks-tech-with-accessibility-advocates-for-global-accessibility-awareness-day
[4] https://www.marketplace.org/2017/05/17/tech/georgia-aims-make-its-websites-accessible-all
What We Can Learn from Famous People With Disabilities
Disability Statistics: Why Accessibility is Essential
Accessible Designs Help Kids Too!
Recent Accessibility News Highlights (Jan-Feb 2019)


I wonder if Treyvon gave a high five Eric at one point?
I wonder if Sandra ever gave a hug to Korryn?
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text:
Best of OYIT
Best of Glenn
Best of Jake
World Post - Persistently Confused Edition
By Bub
An elderly woman from Flagstaff held a protest in Washington D.C. this week under the mistaken belief that President Obama had outlawed the state of Arizona.
Actor/director Clint Eastwood was terrified to find himself in a stadium full of foul-mouthed, angry, black men.
Spectators laugh as the sole equine detainee at Guantanamo Bay stomps out a desperate request for transfer to the local glue factory after her 10th habeus corpus petition was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court.
As per request, President Bill Clinton was formally presented with every attendee of the annual Clinton Global Initiative forum to passionately kiss.
American advisors solicit feedback from an Afghan trainee on how best to secure the country.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dons boxing gloves to prevent knuckle-wear as he pummels the faces of political opponents who are tied to trees in a Caracas neighborhood.
Pop icon Madonna accidentally outed President Barack Obama as a 'black Muslim' this week while endorsing his candidacy at a concert in Washington D.C. This information was revealed in secret to her and other attendees of a recent meeting of the Liberal Elite Cabaal held at the mansion of George Soros and his gay partners William Ayers and the real Osama bin Laden.
Screen-testing for the 'Wayne's World' reboot, above, "dismal".
Mitt Romney unveiled his 'Plan for a Stronger Middle Class'. At a rally in Toledo he declared, "I believe in an America where we can demarcate a middle class through a system of intricate skull measurements regardless of personal income relative to top earners."
World leaders pleaded for action Tuesday at U.N. headquarters to stop the massacre of Syrians by the Assad regime which has so far claimed nearly 30,000 lives.
The Elders of Zion issued their annual Protocols this week, seen here honoring the producers of the controversial film 'Innocence of Muslims'.
NFL strike-breaking referees made an errant, game-deciding ruling on Monday, spurring calls to end the practice of remote refereeing professional football games from a thousand miles away by men with clinically diagnosed vision impairment.
9/26/2012BubBub, Ryan Gosling, World Post3 comments
K.Otey September 26, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Woah...I thought I had an understanding of ALL of these incidents but I was wrong!
Glenn September 26, 2012 at 11:09 AM
that picture of Clinton kissing what looks like a ventriloquist dummy is fucked up
Jake September 26, 2012 at 12:35 PM
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I love having the chance to shoot at a bit longer distances than possible at out GTAG range nights. This weekend was a perfect chance to do just that.
The rifle and the rest, you gotta love the Beasley approved seat cushion and beach towel rest.
The ammo; I switched to the lighter jsb pellets when I moved the targets back from 35 yards to 45 yrds.
And the view back from the first set of targets set up at approx 35 yards.
I used this to help dial in the scope, at 30 clicks I ran out of elevation (from the uaual 50 feet indoor range) so used 1.5 mil dots down from the reticle.
Once I got the range these guys were easy pickings.
Then I move some targets back another ten yards to about 45 yrds but the wind picked up so I chose I bigger target, an empty pellet tin.
Thanks for the shots , nice set up . shooting makes it even better.
I have yet to shoot my (all) non pal guns out past about 20 yards. I'm envious of your range and impressed by what a non pal gun can do. I'm heading out this week now thanks to you to see what I can muster from something that distance. Thank you sir!
That's some nice shooting with sub 500 rifle. However you should expect very good accuracy with a +$1000 rifle!
Lovely place! I sit in the adirondack chair on the front porch waiting for squirrels! Rest the discovery on the knee and shoot between the slats.
What a great place to do some great shooting. Well done on all counts.
looks like a fantastic getaway..
beautiful rifle and awesome shooting ..
Is that what you ON people call your summer home? Beauty if it is!
Rick that's just the garage!!!!
Well, it was good while it lasted!!!!!
The cottage in the pics belonged to my buddy Peter who was always very generous with invitations to visit and even letting me use the place when he wasn't. He's a transplant surgeon who holds 2 masters degrees, one in education and one in psychology. He also runs a leadership school for physicians and has written a couple of books.
BUT Ontario being Ontario he couldn't find suitable work as a surgeon and relocated to Seattle to make a life for himself.
You will have to depend on your consultant buddy who has a few acres of grass and cow poop to shoot on... and a nice local range membership!
Sounds good to me Murray! !! I am blessed really, to have both old friends with whom I have deep ties and also to have the opportunity to make newer friends who share the same passion for the shooting sports and a have similar outlook on life. The best of both worlds. I'm a lucky dude indeed.


This big blue tiny home has part of the 5th tiny house giveaway from Lamon Luther. This house was raffled off, with ticket sales going towards Beloved Atlanta: a charity that helps women who are escaping prostitution, drug addiction, and trafficking.
While this house was given away back in December of 2017, Luthor Lamon continues to host tiny house giveaways, so be sure to follow them on Instagram to keep up with their next raffle! The homes all raise money for different charities and are always built to impress!


What was your first filmmaking experience?
Why did you become an expatriate in Mexico City?
How did you break into the Mexican film industry?
Do you consider yourself to be a political writer?
What are your favorite unproduced screenplays?
How do you collaborate with director Alfonso Cuaron?
How does the novel differ from the screenplay for Children of Men?
How did you develop the characters for Children of Men?
What was it like to be on the set of Children of Men?
What is your advice to aspiring screenwriters?
"For Love or Country - The Arturo Sandoval Story "


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Welcome to the Buttons Diapers Green Gift Certificate Giveaway sponsored by Social News Daily and hosted by The Parenting Patch.
Buttons Diapers offers two green diapers: Apple and Sweet Pea. Simply using cloth diapers is greener than using disposables. For more information, check out my Buttons Diapers Review.
One lucky reader of The Parenting Patch and Social News Daily will win one (1) $25 Buttons Diapers or Amazon gift card (winner's choice). To enter for your chance to win the Buttons Diapers Green Gift Certificate Giveaway, simply use the following Rafflecopter form. Good luck!
The Buttons Diapers Green Gift Certificate Giveaway is open worldwide.
An international winner will receive $25 via PayPal in lieu of the specified prize. The Buttons Diapers Green Gift Certificate Giveaway ends at midnight CST on March 31, 2014. One winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter. The winner will be sent an email and will have forty-eight hours to respond. If no response is received within forty-eight hours, another winner will be chosen. The Parenting Patch is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Buttons Diapers is not affiliated with the Buttons Diapers Green Gift Certificate Giveaway.
Thank you for hosting such a great giveaway. I would love to win.
I love using cloth diapers! These look really cute! I have tried different ones though I have not heard of this brand until now. Its nice to see giveaways on cloth diapers. This is a great way to encourage families to use cloth instead of disposables.
I am just starting the switch and still learning all the different types of diapers! I hope I win, so I can help build my stash!
Those are really cute. Starting to regret never cloth diapering.
I don't have children yet, but I think these diapers are amazing! So much better than the cloth diapers of 30 years ago! I still remember those awful plastic coverings lol.
I might buy wipes and nighttime doublers.