Sunday, May 30, 2010

Canadian journalist meets Thai rescuer

A Calgary journalist who was shot and wounded while covering the anti-government protests in Bangkok, has met the Thai man who saved his life. "I don't know what to tell somebody that saved my life. I've never done it before. It's difficult to say. I hope when I'm out of the hospital we can be friends", said Nelson Rand. Rand was working with the France 24 television network, when he was hit by three bullets earlier this month in Bangkok during a showdown between protesters and the army. Earlier this week, a Thai TV station arranged for a reunion between Rand and Oan Thirawat, 25. Thirawat, who was among the Red shirt protestors and a complete stranger to Rand, risked his own life to drag Rand to a motorcycle and then to a hospital. "I wanted to help him after the first time he was shot but the soliders were still shooting" Thirawat said. "I had to duck. I was thinking I had to help him because it's my job". Rand took three bullets to his chest, though he lost a lot of blood doctors say he should recover from his wounds. "I felt happy that I saved one life", Oan said. Rands parents flew to Bangkok to meet their son and said "Without the assistance of Oan, he wouldn't be with us today".


Nelson Rand is a very lucky man. After taking three bullets to the chest, and being stranded in the middle of a riot, the chances of him living at that point were very low. If it weren't for Oan Nelson, Rand would be dead. Nelson would have needed immediate medical attention and most likely would not have received it if it weren't for Oan. Personally I am surprised on how Oan would risk his own life to save someone he didn't even know. Oan would of had to risk his own life, going into the "heart" of the riot to rescue Nelson. Oan should be proud of what he did as most people who were in his position would choose to run away from the riot. He did the opposite and went in to save a person in need. In conclusion, Nelson Rand should feel very lucky to be alive, and should give thanks to Oan Thirawat for saving his life.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/05/28/rand-thailand.html

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Pakistan mosque attacks kill 80

AT least 80 people are dead after armed attackers stormed two mosques packed with hundreds of people in eastern Pakistan on Friday. Sajjad Butta, deputy commissioner of Lahore, said at least 78 people were wounded in the assaults which targeted the Ahmadi Islamic sector. At least seven attackers were involved in Friday's assaults on mosques in the Model Town and Garhi Shahu neighbourhoods of Lahore, police said. The assault at Model Town was brief, and involved four attackers spraying worshippers with bullets, and exploding hand grenades, Bhutta said. Several Kilometers away at Garhi Shau, the standoff dragged on for hours, as police traded gunfire with at least three attackers. "They fought the police for some time, but on seeing they were being defeated they exploded themselves" he said. It is not clear whether police have been able to secure the buildings, and officials haven't provided any information about what happened to the people who were held hostage. Members of the Ahmadi Islamic sector are often viewed as heretics by other Muslim groups, and Pakistan's government declared the group a non-Muslim minority in the 1970's.



Personally I am not surprised by these recent attacks. The tension between different religious and ethical beliefs in Pakistan is very high at the moment. The attackers that were responsible for the death of 80 people in the Ahmadi Sector, probably did so because of their belief differences. As the police mentioned, the Almadi sector is a place where the people who live there are viewed as being heretics by other Muslim groups. The issue oif religion is something that the people of Pakistan take much more seriously than we do in Canada. This is why I am not surprised by the attacks on the people of the Ahmadi Sector. I believe that the attackers will not stop as they did not want to just put fear into the Ahmadi people, they wanted to prove a point. I think the only way the attackers are going to stop, is to be caught be the police. Also, even if the attackers were caught there are most likely many more people like them in Pakistan who will carry on the attacks. In conclusion, I believe there really is nothing we can do to stop these types of attacks. There are many types of extremists that will do anything to prove their what they believe in.


Video of student-principal scuffle released

Security video of a March confrontation between a principal and a student at a Dartmouth N.S., high school was posted on YouTube on Friday. The video appears to show Ken Fells, who at the time was principal of Graham Creigton Junior High, wrestling with 14 year old Josn Boutilier. Fells was removed as principal at the Cherry Brook school last week, but is still an employee of the Halifax Regional School Board. Josh, who now attends a new school, received a concussion, cuts and bruises during the altercation, according to his family. Mike Wagner and Janet Boutilier had asked to see the video involving their son, but the school board declined to show it. They first saw it Friday afternoon on CBC, after viewing it, the couple said it confirmed Josh's account and repeated their call for Fells to be fired. "It just horrifies me" Boutilier said, adding that her son felt as though he was going to die that day. "What people don't understand is the tape is bad enough. It's what happened in the office that's even worse" Wagner said. The video show Fells dragging Josh into an office, but ends there. Josh sustained a concussion while in the office.


I really feel sorry for the family. They were denied everything they asked for. I don't understand why the school board would not show them the video. The family has every right to see the video as their son was attacked by the principal. They should at least be able to see with their own eyes what actually happened. Also, I don't know why the school board has not relieved the principal of his duties. What good is a principal who abuses kids. It's not like the principal was someone special, they should just fire the guy. Another suspicion I have, is how did the boy sustained the concussion once in the office. It's one thing to wrestle someone, but if the principal had punched or hit the boy that is just wrong. The boy must have done something really wrong to get the principal this angry, however it does not give the principal the right to handle it the way he did. In conclusion, I suggest that the school board should fire the principal as soon as possible. It would end the tension and grief and would allow some peace to the family.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/05/28/ns-fells-altercation-video.html

Harper to cities: stimulus must end

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, told representatives from Canada's cities and towns on Friday that the federal government infrastructure stimulus program will end next spring. In his statement he said the thousands of infrastructure projects were an important part of Canada'a economic recovery, but warned mayors and other municipal representatives that they can't expects to live on stimulus funds forever. "People can't live on adrenalin, and economies can't live on stimulus" Harper said. The $43 billion infrastructure program must end March 32,2011, to let the government being reducing the deficit and lead the recovery from last year's global financial crisis the prime minister said. He insisted Canada "will lead the way" in the coming G8 and G20 summits to push for countries to get their fiscal houses in order. "Canada was the last major developed country dragged into the recession and we will be the least affected by it and will emerge from it fastest and in the strongest position of them all" Harper said. Mayors from Canada's largest cities argued at this week's meeting that it shouldn't take a global financial crisis for municipalities to get the fiscal help they so desperately need. Also, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff criticized the prime minister and how the current government views its relationship with municipalities. "The prime minister came here this morning and he said we're turning off the taps. The stimulus is ending, and my vision of this is we're in this for a long haul because we've got a country to build together". Ignatieff said.



I agree with Harper, Canada can't keep on living on the governments money. If the government were to keep pouring money into the economy, the economic state of our country would never really improve. It's been over a yet now since the recession hit, the government has put some effort into creating stimulus packages. The economy has improved to a point were I believe that it does not need anymore stimulus packages. If they were to keep on giving out these packages people would become dependant on them. Also the method would just give a "quick boost" to the economy. I do believe that the government has been spending money on things that are unnecessary, for example the G20 meeting. The government has spent millions on security for the meeting. I don't think it was a good idea for our country to volunteer to host this meeting. The money that was spent on it could have gone towards other things such as improving the economy. In conclusion, I believe in what Harper is doing, our country is almost to a point were it is financially strong and there is no more need for stimulus packages.


http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/05/28/harper-municipalities.html

Friday, May 28, 2010

Toronto G20 restricted areas unveiled

Officials in Toronto have outlined the areas in the"heart" of the city that will be restricted to the public as a result of the G20 Summit. These security areas are now starting to take place due to the the meeting of the world leaders, which is taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre between June 26-27. The construction of a security fence will begin on June 7 and will continue 24 hours a day until it is completed, Tom Russel, the head of G20 planning for Toronto police told reporters. "We know this will be inconvenient to Torontonians and we ask for your patience and understanding during this time" Russel said. "It is out hope that members of the public will be able to move freely throughout the fence perimeter until the evening of Friday, June 25". The northern portion of the fence will run along Wellington Street West, wile the Southern portion will run along Lakeshore Boulevard West. The Western portion zigzags southwards along Windsor Street and Blue Jays Way. The Eastern portion runs along Bay Street, east along Front Street West and then south on York Street. However, Russel had stated " the boundaries of the fence are subject to change".


I believe that Toronto is making a huge mistake by hosting the G20 meeting. I really do not think that Toronto as a city is gaining anything from hosting this event as we are losing huge sums of money and causing inconveniences for the public. For example, this fence that they are building, will only cause inconveniences for the population who lives in the downtown Toronto area. Also, people have no say in the matter, they can't make these security decisions, they just have to sit back and let them happen, and meanwhile it causes a major pain in the neck for them. I don't understand why Toronto volunteered to host this event. If Canada wanted to host it, it would have made sense to have had it in Ottawa. Ottawa is the the capital of Canada. In conclusion, I don not agree with having the G20 meeting in Toronto as I do not see it as a positive for Canada, and it is causing an inconvenience for the people of Toronto.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/05/28/g20-security-zone684.html

Thursday, May 27, 2010

N. Korea scraps S. Korea naval accord

North Korea said Thursday that it will scrap an accord aimed at preventing accidental naval clashes with South Korea. This was after South Korea blamed North Korea for a torpedo attack that sank a warship. The tension between these two countries, which are separated between a peninsula, has risen dramatically since last week's attack. Still to this point North Korea has denied its involvement in the sinking and warned any retaliation would result in war. North Korea's military said it will "completely nullify" an inter-Korean accord aimed at preventing accidental armed skirmishes along the disputed western sea border. "Immediate physical strikes will be launched" against any South Korean ships that intrude into North Korean waters, the countries military said. North Korea also said it will look at banning South Korean personnel and vehicles from entering a joint industrial park in the North Korean border. The North Korean military said the first-phase reactions will be to ban the South Korean people in the border town, however they suggest that more changes are to follow. A South Korean defence ministry official said South Korea will "resolutely" deal with the new North's changes and measures. The South Koreans warships staged a large scale anti-submarine drill of the west coast despite North Korea's warnings that such exercises will drive them to war.


I really do not understand the reason for the South Koreans anti-submarnie drill. The north Koreans warned them that if they were to do this, war could break out. Personally I would not underestimate North Korea, they are a country that is ruled by a leader who is not afraid of doing the unthinkable. I think that South Korea should try to put the torpedo attack under the table as much as they can, and they should try and forget about it. There is no need to start a war, the war would turn into a world war. When I say world war, I mean that that every country around the world will be affected by this war. This is because of the potential rivalry if China decides to join forces with North Korea. It could potentially be a dispute that could run throughout the world, due to the population of Chinese and South Koreans in North America. In conclusion, I would advise the South Koreans to try and avoid engaging in any activities that could potentially upset the North Koreans.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Mandatory school volunteering plan opposed

The progressive Conservatives' plan to introduce mandatory volunteering in New Brunswick high schools is producing much criticism from two Fredericton volunteer organizations. Last week, the Tory leader David Alward released the campaign promises, and among them the party's least costly suggestions is getting the most attention. Alward wants to bring in a new requirement that students would have to accrue a specific number of hours volunteering in their community before they can graduate. The current governing Liberal party have criticized the plan's mandatory aspect. Groups that rely on volunteers are not eager to accept high school students who would be required to be there. Judy Coates, the co-chair of a steering committee set up for a new volunteer centre in Fredericton, said new volunteers are always needed, but she has concerns about whatAlward's new program could entail. "I would be opposed to it just being that students all have to do 100 hours of volunteer work and have a community person write them a letter and they get checked-off" Coates said. She also said she would welcome new volunteers, but it should only be part of a wider range program of community involvement for students. John Carty, the executive director of Meals on Wheels, said volunteers are depended on for delivering the meals and helping with security checks. However,Carty said he's not convinced mandating students to help in their community is appropriate. "I would not want volunteers there because they have to be there" said Carty. The conservatives say no student will be forced to volunteer for a specific group. Instead, they'll be given a list of approved organizations and they will get to choose whichever one they like, but the required log hours will still be needed.



Personally, I support David Alward's new policy. I am a high school student in Ontario, and I have to by law, record 40 hours of community service to graduate. I feel as though by contributing either in a park clean up, or helping out a community event, teaches me how just by helping people in need gives you a source of satisfaction. However, I do agree with some of the criticisms that the new policy is getting. Some of the people are saying that there is no point of introducing the rule because it won't actually teach the students to give back. This is true for some of the high school students as some will just go and volunteer at any random event just to get the required hours, and not actually "want to be there". Fortunately not all of the students who volunteer, will regret doing so. Some of the kids will learn from the experience and will be motivated to help out the community in as many ways as they can. In conclusion, even though the law will not be beneficial for all students, some of the students will take something away from their experience. Whether it be, realizing that how helping out gives them a source of satisfaction or learning how many people are living underprivledged and in poor conditions. This is why I believe the policy should be mandatory in New Brunswick.



http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/05/24/nb-mandatory-volunteer-alward-852.html

Monday, May 24, 2010

Wearing life-jackets should be mandatory: OPP

Ontario Provincial Police are calling on Ottawa for a new law to require everyone in small boats to wear life-jackets. This new law in intended to stop boating-related fatalities. Canada's average boating-related fatalities each year is 180. The OPP commissioner, Julian Fantino, pressed the case with federal transport minister John Baird recently. He wanted to mandate the wearing of life jackets on moving vessels under six meters in length."You increase your odds of surviving exponentially by wearing your PFD" OPP staff Chris Whaley told CBC news this week in Toronto. Currently, boaters are required to have PFD's within reach for everyone on board a boat. However, the law does not force anyone to actually wear a life-jacket. "85 per cent of victims, had they been wearing their life-jackets, would have survived" Whaley said. Unfortunately, Ottawa has no plans to change the existing law. The only thing the OPP can do is to continue to work with law enforcement to try to convince them into changing their minds.



I really do not understand why the government is not considering changing the law. The statistics speak for themselves, on average 180 deaths each year due to boating accidents. Just by wearing a life-jacket aproximately 85 per cent of the victims who died would still be living. I think that law of having a life-jacket on at all times while in a moving boat should have been put into place a long time ago. I cannot think of one reason why the government is not even thinking about changing the law. Untill the law is changed by the government, many lives will be lost. The worst part about it though is that most of these individuals lives could have been saved if they were wearing a life-jacket.



http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/05/21/life-jackets-boaters-law.html

British Airways strike begins

The union representing British Airways cabin crew has begun a five-day strike. However, the airline says it will be able to carry 70 per cent of passengers who have booked flights. Thousands of in-flight workers walked of the job this Monday to protest a cost cutting plan. This plan is going to be responsible for the elimination of roughly 1,700 jobs. The airline has a contingency plan in place that will allow it to move 7o per cent of its normal traffic using leased planes and other workers while putting customers on other airlines. However, even though the airline company has a contingency plan in place, more than half of the airline's flights out of London, Heathrow were cancelled Monday. This leaves many of the customers unsatisfied with British Airways, "I think the strikers are greedy, the way the econmy is. They should be happy to have a job", London traveller Maureen Lonergan said. The strike was supposed to begin on May 17 but was ruled invalid by Britain's High Court because the union did not follow the procedures when announcing the results of the vote to members. One of the union's key issues is the demand that the airline restore employee travel benefits that the airline suspended. The unions leader, Tony Woodley, said the dispute has turned personal because he believes the airline dislikes the cabin crew union. British Airways said it has accepted an invitation for more negotiations, and said it believes the union will also accept.


I believe that the cabin crew employees are taking their job for granted. During the economic times that we are in at the moment, they have to understand that British Airways has to start making cut backs. The first thing they would look into reducing is the cabin crew employees, because the airline itself does not need as many of them to operate efficiently. Also, by walking out like the cabin crew did, it hurt the reputation of British Airways. I believe it will make people think twice before flying with this airline company. I predict that this strike will come to a conclusion soon, because British Airways cannot go on with cancelling and postponing flights. If they let the strike go on for more than 2 weeks the will loose a great amount of money, and their reputation of being a major and reliable airline company will take a huge hit.


http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/05/24/british-airways-strike.html

Canada imposes sanctions on N. Korea

Canada and the United States both have agreed to offer their full support to South Korea. South Korea's president has cut all trade to North Korea as of Monday. This is all in retaliation for a torpedo attack that killed 46 sailors. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that Canada's sanctions will include enhanced restrictions on trade, investment and other bilateral relations with North Korea. Also, the Canadian government has agreed to suspend high-level visits to Canada by North Korean officials. "Canada has condemned the reckless North Korean regime for this egregious violation of international law and its blatant disregard of its international obligations," Harper had said in his statement. Harper also said in his statement that Canada has pledged full support towards South Korean President Lee Myung-baks decision to respond decisively to the "act of aggression." The South Korean President said his country has "always tolerated North Korea's brutality, time and again". Lee said that they did this because they "had a genuine longing for peace on the Korean Peninsula". "But now things are different, North Korea will pay a price corresponding to its provocative acts," he said. Three experts from the Canadian Navy joined the multinational team that investigated the incident, and concluded the warship was sunk by a torpedo on March 25 near the western maritime border. In conclusion, Harper's statement adds that Canada is committed to a co-ordinated international response, including through the United Nations Security Council.


I feel as though that Canada is being a responsible ally to South Korea. Canada really has no choice other than to say "yes", we will support the South Korean government. If Canada were to say "no", they are no going to help South Korea, many of the population would feel betrayed or feel that Canada is not being a responsible ally. However, this is a very serious issue, as I believe that this torpedo incident could be the cause for a war between South and North Korea. The reason I think this could occur is because of the long lasting feud between the two countries. South and North Korea are two very different countries, they are governed in complete different ways, and their way of life differs dramatically. Also, there is no evidence yet that the torpedo attack on the warship is to be blamed on North Korea. Personally I do believe that North Korea is responsible, but they have not come forth and taken responsibility for it yet. In conclusion, Canada is doing the ethical and responsible action in this situation, and is contributing to its reputation of being a friendly ally.


http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/05/24/south-korea024.html

Thursday, May 20, 2010

N. Korea fired deadly torpedo at ship: probe

Evidence overwhelmingly proves a North Korea torpedoed and sank a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors. The Ssouth Korean President, Lee Myung-Bak vowed"stern action" for the missile attack and called an emergency security meeting for Friday."We will take resolute countermeasures against North Korea and make them admit its wrong doings through strong international co-operation," Lee told Australian Prime minister Kevin Rudd. The White Hhouse called the sinking an act of aggression that constitutes a challenge to international peace and security. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, Lawrence Cannon, has stated that "evidence points conclusively to a North Korean torpedo having been responsible" and continues to say that "there is no other plausible explanation". Lawrence had also told the press that Canada is in full support of South Korea, as it is our ally and friend. However, North Korea warned that it will wage "all out war" if they are punished for the sinking of the warship. The North Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman from the National Defence Commission as rejecting the findings as a "fabrication".





I agree with both the White House and South Korea. I believe that North Korea is responsible for this attack. There was no apparent reason for the attack, however North Korea just wanted to show power and seek revenge towards South Korea. The feud between North and South Korea has been going on for years, and even though there has not been much in terms of actual attacks between the two countries, it does not mean they are still not feuding. One of the reasons that causes me to blame North Korea for this attack, is because of there previous violent history. I would advise the president of South Korea not to engage in attacks against North Korea. I think this is what North Korea wants as they do not want to start the war as it would look bad on their country. If South Korea where to engage in attacks then this would give a reason for North Korea to attack back. Also, North Korea has the advantage if they were to engage in war, because they have the latest technology in military equipment. In conclusion, I believe North Korea is to blame for the torpedo attack, but I would not advise South Korea to engage in war.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Teen babysitter sued over fire

A 14 year old who lives in northern Alberta, is being sued $350,000 after a fire burned down the home she was babysitting. This incident occurred back in 2007, when the babysitter Aaliyah Braybook was 12. She was looking after 2 little boys in a trailer in Clairmont, which is located just outside of Grand Prairie. When Aaliyah had noticed the fire, she quickly rescued the two little boys and brought them outside to safety, and then called 911. Earlier this week Aliyah and Douglas Mills, the father of the two boys were served with a statement of claim. They are being sued my Mills parents, Kendall and Diana Mills, who live in the damaged home. In their statement they wrote that Douglas Mills's five year old son Damien was playing with a cigarette when the fire broke out. They also said the Aaliyah was too young to be a responsible babysitter. Both Aaliyah and her father are shocked by this recent news, because they think that Aaliyah should be viewed as a hero for saving the two little boys from the fire. Aaliyah's father defended his daughter by saying that she had all of the qualifications to be a babysitter, and was well prepared to look after the children. Both the Braybrook and the Mills families are expected to hire a lawyer. The lawyer from the Mills family, said the lawsuit looks like a father is suing his son and the babysitter, but it is actually a dispute between the insurance companies.


I think that Aaliyah should not be sued. I agree with her father, saying that she should be thanked for saving the two boys lives, not be blamed. Also, I think that this is all about money for the insurance companies. If it weren't for the insurance companies I don't think their would be any type of financial arguments taking place. I feel sorry for the babysitter as she saved both of the kids lives and is being blamed for the fire. However, I do feel as though that she was too young to be babysitting. A 12 year old is too young to be responsible for two kids and a house. I am not saying she is to be blamed for the fire, I just feel that the government should make the minimum babysitting age older.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/05/05/teen-sued.html

Friday, April 30, 2010

Victim slams police in Col. Williams case

The victim of a sexual assault case from Tweed,Ontario, spoke out about the police actions. She said she felt "totally betrayed" by the police when she learned Col. Russel Williams had been charged with dozens of other crimes dating back to 2007. The police kept telling the victim that it was just a one time occurrence, and the the sex-pervert just wanted to take pictures. The victim was sexuality assaulted and photographed during a home invasion on September 30,2009. In February, 47 year old Williams, then commander of the Canadian Forces Base Trenton, was charged in that attack, along with an earlier home invasion and sexual assault. He was also charged with first degree murder in the deaths of Jessica Lylod, 27 and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 37. The victim of the Sept. 30 attack believes that the assailant may have visited her house a year earlier, when an article of her clothing went missing. She thinks that the police should have warned the people in the community about the sex offender. The police responded by saying " They were tyring to solve this investigation without scaring people". The Sept. 30 victim isn't the only Tweed resident who is shocked about the findings, and is questioning the police to why they didn't inform the town earlier.


I agree with the victim. The police should have informed the town about Williams past crime history. This could have prevented many cases of sexual assault, home invasion, and breaking and entry. I believe the only reason why the police didn't inform the Tweed residences is because of who Williams is. Williams is the commander of the Canadian forces, based in Trenton and was supposed to be a very well respected individual. People have now lost total respect for the police force and segments of the military as a result. It is fortunate that the situation did not become a violent one.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/04/29/ottawa-russell-williams-police-tweed.html

Monday, April 12, 2010

Pilot in Polish crash may be to blame: officials

Pilot error may be to blame for a plane crash in western Russia on Saturday, that killed the Polish president and 95 others. The passengers on the plane consisted of the Polish President Lach Kaczynski, and his wife, along with dozens of high-ranking government and defence officials. The TU-154 plane crashed while in heavy fog near Smolensk, Russia. The investigator who was assigned this case, is Russia's chief investigator Alexander Bastrykin. Bastrykin said on Monday, that the investigators have almost finished reading the flight recorders. "The readings confirm that there were no problems with the plane, and that the pilot was informed about the difficult weather conditions , but never the less decided to land" Bastrykin said during a briefing with the Russian Prime Minister. The pilot was identified as Capt. Arkadiuz Protasiuk, 36, and the co-pilot as Maj. Robert Grzywna, 36. The Polish delegation was traveling to Russia to attend a memorial for more than 20,000 Polish soldiers, police, and others executed by the soviet secret police and buried in graves in the Katyn forest near Smolensk in 1940.

This is truly a tragic event. These people died because of one mistake. I believe that the pilot is responsible as he should have not taken the risk in trying to fly in heavy fog. Since there were such high profile passengers on board all precautions should have been taken into consideration. The plane was in perfect shape, so a faulty plane could not have been responsible for the crash. This leads us to believe that the pilot flying was responsible and simply made a bad judgement call. He must have believed he could fly and not realized the severity of the fog. Pure and simple pilot error is the result in this tragic event.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/04/12/poland-plane-crash-warsaw.html

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Canada may fast-track Haitian immigration

The Canadian government recently stated that they are looking into a plan to help fast track immigration from Haiti. This is all because of the earthquake that crippled the Caribbean country, leaving thousands homeless. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that he and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, have been discussing ways to ease immigration and refugee rules to allow more Haitian people to come into our country. Early Friday morning three military air transports arrived in Montreal carrying 272 evacuees. These people were selected by the staff at the Canadian Embassy. A total of 6 Canadians have been reported dead, 13 injured, and 550 have been located in Haiti. There are approximately 1,415 Canadians still missing in Haiti. The Canadian Embassy is continuously acting as a refuge for Canadian citizens, unfortunately many people are being sent to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for transport back to Canada. The government wants to create a plan that would allow Haitian citizens with Canadian relatives to also come to Canada. The difficult task for the government will be deciding who to bring stated Chantal Barratteau-Haitian community in Montreal.



I believe that there a pros and cons of fast-tracking Haitian immigration. The government is doing the right thing by allowing them to come into Canada, because back in Haiti most of the population has nothing left after the earthquake. However, by allowing the citizens in without need is also unacceptable. Most of the individuals who come from Haiti will bring nothing to Canada's economy. The majority have little education, and posess no trades that Canada needs. By allowing too many of these type of people into Canada might reduce the economy in some areas. On the other hand, I do believe that the government is doing the most ethical thing by allowing them entry. Most Haitians have nothing back home, and will most likely live a horrible life for the next 2-3 years until the country gets back on their feet. By allowing them into our country, they will be provided with a much better life.



http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/15/haiti-canada-immigration.html

Monday, March 29, 2010

Toronto commuting times worst of 19 major cities, study says

A study has recently shown that Greater Toronto's commuting times are the worst of 19 big cities polled. The average commute time for a round trip journey takes 80 minutes. People in Toronto spend on average an extra 24 minutes driving around the city each day than in Los Angeles, 12 minutes longer than New York and 32 minutes longer than Barcelona. This is astonishing because the cities mentioned above are much more populated than Toronto. The Board of Trade Chief Executive, Carol Wilding, commented on Toronto's last place ranking and says it is "embarrassing". The provincial budget, which delayed $4 billion in planned transit spending did not help. "This isn't complicated. Everybody agrees that Toronto has a fantastic transit system , but for a city of about one million we stopped making meaningful rapid transit years ago", commented Mayor David Miller to reporters on Monday. In the report is stated that only 29 percent of Toronto-area residents chose to leave their car at home when going to work. In Paris, 74 percent of people chose to leave their car at home. However, Toronto has still managed to remain a very popular place to live. It recently has ranked number 2 in labour attractiveness, only behind Barcelona.


The results from the study reflect upon how inefficient our road and traffic system is in Toronto. The government needs to spend more time on this very important issue of road traffic. I think that it is a very underrated problem in Toronto, the government and people tend to spend more time worrying about other issues like the environment. Don't get me wrong, I know that the environment is still an important issue that the government promised to fix, but maybe they should consider issues that are proving to be a problem on a day to day basis like road traffic. This issue has been dominating the way people plan their days. People have to plan ahead of the daily traffic to get to their destination. The statistic that suprised me is that Toronto still remains a very popular place to live, even though it rated worst in daily commuting times(80 minutes round trip).



http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3357218327889429076&postID=922439062041490728

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Zundel released from German prison

Ernst Zundel was released from a German prison this Monday, after serving 5 years in prison for his denying that the Holocaust every took place. Zundel has finally made his way back to Canada after 7 years, 3 weeks and 3 prisons in Germany. Zundel did not comment when asked if he still believed that there was no Holocaust. "It's kind of a sad situation; there's a lot to say. I'll certainly be careful not to offend anyone and their draconian laws" he stated. The German born Zundel, had been living in Canada for the last four decades, where he made frequent court visits to argue his anti-semetic views regarding the Holocaust. He had expressed his beliefs in books and websites. Zundel was deported to Germany in 2005 after the Federal court ruled that he was a threat to National security. Zundel was arrested upon arrival in his home country, and held without bail. In 2007, he was convicted of 14 counts of inciting racial hatred and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Zundel had received the maximum sentence under the German law for denying the holocaust. In many European countries such as Germany, Austria, Poland, Belgium,and Spain it is against the law to say that the Holocaust did not happen. Zundel spent only three years in jail as he received credit for the 2 prior years waiting to tried.

Zundel has spent the last seven years of his life forced to live in Germany for expressing his own personal beliefs. Canada has done the wrong thing by deporting him, as Canada does not persecute people for expressing their opinions. This is a country where everyone is entitled to freedom of speech. However, I personally do not agree with what Zundel is saying, but the government does not have the right to take away his citizenship. It would be different if he were to be living in Germany and expressing his views there. Since Canada could not legally sentence him in Canada they had to deport him to Germany, where he was guaranteed to be charged with a crime.


Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Pope sounds warning over airport body scans

The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI spoke out against the use of body scanners at airports. He stated, "Human dignity must be preserved even as countries attempt to protect their citizens against acts of terrorism". This announcement was made on Sunday at the Vatican, in front of an audience including airport officials, and airport workers. The pope did not use the word body scanners when he spoke out, but instead said that even when facing the threat of terrorism, airport security should not forget to respect, "the privacy of the human person". He also stated, "it is above all essential to protect and value the human person and their integrity". United states was the first place to start using these body scanners, then later Canada and European countries have started to follow. The purpose for the body scanners is detect items hidden under clothing without having to physically search each individual. Also recently, some of the Muslim community has chosen to be pat-down physically, instead of using the body scanners. They believe that is is against the teaching of the Muslim law. Canada is in the process of installing 44 new body scanners to be used for U.S. bound passengers. In response to all of the criticism regarding individual privacy, the officers will now be viewing the image in a different room, so they can never actually see the passenger. The reason for all of these new security measures is due to the Nigerian man who tried to sell off a bomb on Christmas day aboard an international flight bound for the United States.



I believe that installing the body scanners is the right thing to do. If this is what it takes to make traveling on airplanes safer, this is what should be done. However, I also agree that it does invade your privacy and human rights. The public has to understand that these people screening you are not there to invade your privacy they are just doing their job. People have to forget about and just get over it. If the public does not want to be scanned the airports should give them the choice either to be physically searched, or take the scanner test. This might eliminate the fear of people seeing "underneath" your clothes. Until the terrorist attacks stop, the need for these new security measures will just increase, in the meantime people just have to remember that safety comes first.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/22/pope-body-scan.html

Thursday, February 18, 2010

IOC orders blogger to remove video

The International Olympic Committee has ordered a P.E.I blogger, Stephan Pate to remove the video of the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili from his website. Nodar was only 21 years of age when he died during a training run on February 12th, 2010, just hours before the Olympic ceremonies. Pate had posted the video of the death along with his commentary. The IOC has emailed him recently asking him to take it down. The email states that the IOC owns the rights to all of the images of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and only licensed broadcasters can use them. However, Pate recently has denied the request to remove the video, stating that Canada's copyright act allows the use of copyrighted material as part of a news story. Pate said the only reason he posted this video was because it is his job to report news. Also being part of the news organization(NJN), Pate has the right to post news. The IOC responded by saying that there are two reasons that they want the video removed: One is to protect the IOC's exclusive rights and those of the official broadcasters, secondly the IOC feels that it is disrespectful to the Kumaritashvili family. Pate has not yet removed the video and says that he will take it to court if necessary.

I feel that what Stephen Pate is doing is wrong, however what he is doing is completely legal. By posting the video of the death of someone, it shows that you really don't care or you don't know the meaning of respect. The IOC is doing the right thing by trying to get Pate to remove the video, but I feel that Pate will not. Pate cannot be criminally charged with anything, this is why he will not remove it. I feel that the only way to get Pate to remove the video is to get one of the Family members of Nodar to contact Pate and explain that what he is doing is wrong. Pate will not surrender to the IOC, because he does not want it to seem that he was wrong and they were right.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/02/22/pei-blogger-olympic-video-584.html

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Oylmpic cauldron fence thwarts visitors

The Olympic committee has recently erected concrete barriers and wire fencing surrounding the perimeter of the cauldron. The cauldron is a giant steel and glass structure that has four flames burning from it, rising almost 10 meters. The committee has done this for security measures because they feel that since it is made of glass someone will eventually try to break it. Some say that because of the recent anti Olympics protests in downtown Vancouver, the fence had to be put up. People traveled from all over the world to visit and take pictures of the Olympic symbol, however now the photographers have been forced to take pictures trough fences and from a distance of 50 meters from he cauldron. People are very upset " What a wonderful moment of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to have a picture of you family in front of the torch, you can't do that"- visitor Carolyn Schmidt told the CBC. The fence has caused arguments and disputes among the photographers, people struggle to find the "perfect" view for their pictures. The Olympic committee in response stated that there are pictures on their website that people can download. However, people do not feel the same way, they actually want to take the picture themselves with their family in the photograph alongside the cauldron.



I believe, that the fence that they have put up is unnecessary. The Olympic committee has been concerned by recent vandals in Vancouver. The Olympic flame is not something that you just take away from the public. The flame is a symbol of the the Olympics, quite simply the Olympics would not be the same without it. The fence they have put up is an eye sore, it takes away from the natural beauty from the site of the flame. If they absolutely had to put up the fence they could have built a nicer looking fence, not one that looks like a chicken wire fence. It might as well have been a prison fence. Also, if they would have considered more of the options they could have built the structure holding the flame elevated on a stage with no opportunity for people to reach it. If they would have done this both the Olympic committee and the public would have been satisfied and the public would have been able to make the proper olympic moment in photographs.

Monday, February 15, 2010

U.K. press slams Canada's hosting of games


The British media have recently been criticizing Canada as being poor Olympic hosts. The main focus of the criticism is on the tragic death of 21 year old Georgian luger- Nodar Kumaritashvili. Nodar was killed in a training run on Friday, February 12, 2009. He lost control after turning corner # 16, fell and crashed into a metal pole. People have begun blaming the track setup for being too fast and dangerous. In response, the Olympic committee lowered the start level to the women's start point and made a new safety wall on turn #16. The British media now have started to criticize Canada for being poor hosts for the games. The media have made some very harsh remarks about Canada regarding the tragedy and the games itself. "Canada wanted to own the podium, this morning they can out their maple leaf stamp on something more instantly tangible" wrote Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail. Samuel has also accused Canada of cheating, stating that Canadian luge competitors practiced more than 300 times on the track while other countries' athletes had much less. Also, the media has been saying that Canada's desire to reach the podium is so high that they used the hometown track to their advantage, by limiting the use of the track to other countries prior to the Olympics.


I believe that the British press is unfairly criticizing Canada. The death of the luger was his own fault and blaming the Canadians for not allowing enough time to train is just not fair. The death was a total accident, it is something that is almost unheard of. Other lugers have even defended the committee by saying that they would have preferred the higher starting point, and that they like having more of a challenging course. Also, coaches and the luging community have come forward to say that the death was due to the lack of experience of Nodar. After the changes to the track there have been no crashes, or injuries substained to the competitors. After all of the negative comments let's see how perfect England willo be at hosting the Oylmpics in 2012.


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Government has no plans to bring back Khadr


Last week that Supreme Court of Canada made the decision that Omar Khadr, who has been detained at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for the past eight years, does not have the right, just because he is a Canadian citizen, to be brought to Canada for trial. The U.S government wants to try him in a U.S. court for his part in the killing of a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan eight years ago. The President of the United States, Barach Obama has stated that he will be closing Guantanamo Bay in the future and the the prisoners will be transfered to various locations in the U.S. for trial. Even though Khadr is a Canadian citizen the U.S. government feels that he should be tried in a U.S. court. Many in Canada feel that his rights as a Canadian are being taken away and that he should be brought back to Canada for trial. The Supreme Court feels it should not interfere with U.S./Canadian relations and by bringing him back to Canada for trial, they feel that relations between the two countries would suffer.


I believe that Khadr should be tried in the United States. Just because Khadr is a Canadian citizen, does not give him the right to be tried in Canada. Khadr left Canada therefore, he is responsible for his own actions that occur outside of the country. The U.S. arrested this man for a terrorist act against a U.S. citizen, which gives them the responsibility and right to convict Khadr. I believe that the rights that this man once had have been taken away due to his terrorist activity and considering it took place in a war zone outside Canada. Canada should not be in support if this man due to his terrorist act. Just because he was born in Canada, does not give right to be tried here. If Canada agrees to take responsibility for him and put in on trial in Canada, I feel that it would be a waste of our tax payers money and would create lenghty delays and problems within our legal systms.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Canadian clinic in Haiti running near capacity




Two weeks after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, a Canadian military medical clinic in the town of Jacmel in Haiti was operating at almost full capacity. The clinic is used to treat wounded victims of the earth quake. Lt. Col. Bruce Ewing, commander of the Canadian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) told the CBC that is currently treating 246 people as of Monday. Ewing stated that the clinic is designed to treat up to 250 people, but will try to keep treating people as long as they keep showing up. Canadians have started to produce potable water but is not ready to be handed out to the people. Ewing stated that they cannot distribute water until it reaches the appropriate standard. The water in Jacmel is very dirty, therefore Canadians had to obtain a large water purifier to treat the water. This was not an easy task as the roads in Jacmel were badly damaged, thus making it very hard to transport the water purifier. The United Nations estimated that up to one million people are homeless. The President of Haiti issued a demand for 200,000 tents as people are living in open areas. The government has designated temporary tent camps just outside of the city for homeless people to live. The government hope the the people can start making their way back to their homes if possible. To date, 21 Canadians are reported to be dead and 148 missing



I feel that the number of Haitians requiring medical assistance will increase. With more people requiring assistance the military medical clinic will at some point be unable to take any more patients. Lt. Col. Bruce Ewing stated that, "We will keep treating as long as they show up". I believe that at some point Ewing will have to go back on his word and stop accepting patients. The demand for these type of clinics in Haiti must be very high due to all of the injured people. Canada should start sending more doctors and create more medical clinics in Haiti to accommodate all of the injured people. The military should try and distribute the purified water as soon as possible because some people in Haiti have been without water for days. In Haiti the demand for water is so high that fights and arguments are starting to break out. This is why Canada should try and distribute the water as soon as possible. The Haitian government is doing the right thing by trying to move the people away from the streets and get them into the homes if possible. The issue of sanitation will play a big role in the many deaths within Haiti. Homeless people have been without proper sanitation now for up to two weeks. The potential of spreading bacteria around will ultimately cause death.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/26/haiti-dart-relief-aid.html