Canada's marijuana dealers are converting suburban homes and abandoned warehouses into pot farms, creating a C$10 billion ($8.5 billion) market that's three times the size of the nation's biggest legal crop, wheat.What does this all mean?
What should the price be? What would it be if we weren’t being gouged by the oil industry? Let’s figure it out. Crude oil at $68 (U.S.) a barrel translates to 50 cents per litre (Cdn) at the pump. Normal refining and marketing margins add 14 cents per litre. Provincial taxes (Ontario) add 14.7 cents. The federal gasoline tax adds 10 cents per litre, for a total of 88.7 cents per litre. Add 6.3 cents for the GST, and that gives us 95 cents — which is what we should be paying.What the policy paper then indicates that it isn't taxes that are keeping the price of gas up.
Quick relief could come by a reduction in the GST, I suppose, but then if people are used to paying $1.15/litre, the gas companies would still likely charge $1.15/litre. It would come at the cost of reducing the tax revenue, but increasing gas company profits.
The government could come in and force a 2-3 cent reduction in the price of gas. How that would work, I don't know.
I can buy the argument that increased gas prices will discourage unnecessary driving, but it also indiscriminately impacts the tractors, the combines, the pizza delivery guys, the taxi drivers and everybody who needs a car or gas-powered engine to function. Those businesses that should see increased revenue as people leave their cars at home, are going to pass their own gas consumption cost onto those consumers.
I have a feeling that the ominous warning in the report is going to come true.
Of course, no one is going to do anything about this. Just as no one is going to do anything about the fact that the industry is making billions from increases in crude oil prices that have nothing to do with its costs of production. Just as no one is going to do anything about the fact that every time the price goes up, the industry makes another windfall profit from their inventories of gasoline and heating oil.
Meh.
Tags: canada, gas prices, gst, politics
Finally, the third step in the right direction is the decision by Parliament to have an emergency debate tonight on the issue of high gas prices. The debate was initiated by Conservative MP Randy White, and I think it is incumbent on Parliament to tackle this issue with seriousness, and tonight's debate will, hopefully, serve that end.Posted on September 27:
As the Official Opposition Transport Critic and a Member of Parliament who has received an avalanche of emails, phone calls, and more than a few conspiracy theories from constituents on the yo-yo nature of gas prices lately, I was more than willing to participate in this 'debate'. However, as I proudly strode into the House at 10:50pm last night to give my state of the 'emergency' speech I saw just how much of an 'emergency' we were dealing with. With 5 MPs out of 308 in their seats (for the uninitiated, that means there were more pages in the Chamber than MPs) I first felt rather lonely, and then came the slight guilt I feel this AM.Looking at Hansard, it looks like there were 9 MPs in the House (at least that spoke) between 22:45 and midnight, but I don't know who got up and sat down so Mr. Moore's point remains valid.
Will Kirby - Big Brother 2 (Winner)Why Dr. Will?Born in Florence, Italy, Dr. Will Kirby has a degree in Biology from Emory University, which he received in 1995. He graduated with a medical degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2000 and did his first year of postgraduate training in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute in Miami Beach, Florida in 2001. His Dermatology residency training took place in association with Pacific Hospital and Western University. After winning CBS's Big Brother 2, Will went on to host NBC's Love Shack and serve as a medical correspondent for eXTRA! A licensed physician in California since 2002, Dr. Kirby's medical practice is limited to Dermatology with an emphasis on laser tattoo removal, cutaneous oncology, and facial cosmetic procedures. His close friendship with Mike "Boogie' Malin has afforded him interests in some of LA's hottest restaurants including Dolce, Geisha House, Big Wang's, Bella, and The Lodge. In his free time he enjoys surfing, basketball and reading. A physician, TV host, and producer, Will Kirby presently makes his home in Playa Vista, California.
Tags: big brother, dr. will, television, will kirby
French special forces in the Corsican port of Bastia abseiling from helicopters have recaptured a cargo ship seized by striking workers.Why didn't they just say rappelling?
An anti-war coalition of mostly liberal groups ran a newspaper ad quoting six alleged lies about Iraq by President Bush and others.Who are those "liberal groups"? The ad was placed by "Win Without War", a coalition of groups that are listed here.
But, like movie blurbs, the quotes sometimes look different when read in full context.
And while much of what the ad calls lies was indeed wrong, there's evidence that the President and his advisers believed the falsehoods at the time.
"There's no question Saddam Hussein had al-Qaeda ties."FactCheck's analysis goes as follows:
[T]he full quote shows Bush ... made clear that he was not claiming that Saddam had any connection to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In fact, he was knocking down a suggestion made four days earlier by Vice President Cheney, who said on NBC's Meet The Press that it is "not surprising that people make that connection" when asked why so many Americans believed Saddam was involved in the attacks.Again, it's an interesting read, no matter what side of the George Bush fence you are on. I'm also not trying to portray the war in Iraq as justified - certainly not - but it does bring some issues into focus.
Bush, Sept. 17, 2003: We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th . What the Vice President said was, is that he has been involved with al Qaeda. And al Sarawak, al Qaeda operative, was in Baghdad. He's the guy that ordered the killing of a U.S. diplomat. He's a man who is still running loose, involved with the poisons network, involved with Ansar al-Islam. There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties.
Since the word "ties" can cover any connection, however weak, Bush was in fact stating the truth. The bipartisan 9/11 Commission later cited reports of several "friendly contacts" between Saddam and Osama bin Laden over the years, and cited one report that in 1999 Iraqi officials offered bin Laden a "safe haven," which bin Laden refused, preferring to remain in Afghanistan.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor and comedian Don Adams, best known for his role as the bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart on the television espionage spoof "Get Smart," has died of a lung infection, his agent said on Monday.Tags: don adams, get smart, inspector gadget, obituary, television
Adams, who had been in failing health in recent years, died at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Sunday night, according to agent Bruce Tufeld. Reference books gave different ages for Adams, ranging from the late 70s to early 80s.
A native New Yorker, Adams began his career as a stand-up comic and impressionist, gaining notice in 1954 as a winner on the "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" show, which led to his appearance on various variety series.
But his big break came in 1965 with the NBC comedy "Get Smart," a spoof of the James Bond spy genre in which he starred as the buttoned-down but inept Maxwell Smart, otherwise known as Agent 86 in the government intelligence organization known as C.O.N.T.R.O.L.
The Maxwell Smart persona grew out of a clueless hotel detective character he had developed in variety show sketches. Smart was known for the catchphrase "Would you believe...?"
"Get Smart" ran on NBC until 1969, then moved to CBS for another year before it was revived 25 years later on Fox.
Vox Noxi is looking for help in finding her friend's license plate. I just had to take part because the license plate is so cool.STOLEN! One custom Alberta licence plate: PHREAK. The plate was stolen from the back of a car on the night of Saturday September 24. The car was parked on 13th Street at Cameron Ave SW, just one block south of 17th Ave.I know I have some Alberta readers, so get out there.
The plate was a birthday gift, and stealing it is pretty damn low.
There is a reward for information leading to the return of this plate. If you took it and you regret it now that you’ve sobered up, give it back. No questions asked.
Contact the owner at (403) 282-0625 or fyrephreak@hotmail.com. Ask for Mark.
It's funny sometimes how relevant I am. No sooner did I post how happy I am to have heard that Michaëlle Jean had renounced her citizenship than I found that CTV reports that a "small knot of demonstrators" will be showing up to protest the office of the Governor General, regardless of who is appointed:Questions are being raised about the Governor General - not Adrienne Clarkson's spendthrift ways or Michaelle Jean's separatist sentiments, but whether Canadians should continue to put up with an appointed head of state.More specifically, the problem that is pointed out here:
When Jean becomes the 27th Governor General in a pomp-filled ceremony Tuesday on Parliament Hill, a small knot of demonstrators plan show up calling for an end to what they see as an undemocratic vestige of the colonial past.
[O]thers will be reminded that in the 21st century, a prime minister who speaks of the need to rejuvenate and democratize public life still hand-picks the only individual with the constitutional power to fire him.That's a good point and one worth exploring.
"In light of the responsibilities related to the function of Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces, I have decided to renounce the French citizenship that I acquired for family reasons in 2004.Once again, I'm satisfied.
"France acceded to my request by decree on September 23, 2005."
A Conservative member of the Manitoba legislature will change political parties in a bid to run against Tory health critic Stephen Fletcher in the next federal election.Or this oldy, [CTV, Former NDP premier appointed as Liberal in B.C.]:
John Loewen, the MLA for Fort Whyte, announced yesterday that he would seek the Liberal nomination in the riding of Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia.
Prime Minister Paul Martin named three Liberal star candidates in B.C. for an upcoming federal election, including former NDP premier Ujjal Dosanjh.Is your natural reaction that the provincial party member run for the same party federally? Now, John Loewen's reason for not running as a Conservative in the next federal election is known, and Mr. Dosanjh's was ... I don't know ... that's unimportant.
Jean Jordan - Big Brother 1Jordan -- real name Jean Jordan -- worked as an exotic dancer at a Minneapolis men's club before her four-week stay in the "Big Brother" house. She's also a triathlete and no one's fool. Inside the house, she was a master provocateur, and scandalized the other hamsters with her alliance with Mega and her rascally involvement in the love triangle with Brittany and Josh.The ultimate question would be whether or not Jordan would want to compete again as interviews have her saying she thought the show was boring. Granted, Season 1 was horrible. It only improved with Season 2 when they got rid of audience voting - people were voting out the more interesting people.
| Genghis Khan You scored 66 Wisdom, 87 Tactics, 61 Guts, and 44 Ruthlessness! |
| Genghis Khan was a Mongol conqueror, originally named Temujin. He succeeded his father, Yekusai, as chieftain of a Mongol tribe and then fought to become ruler of a Mongol confederacy. After subjugating many tribes of Mongolia and establishing his capital at Karakorum, Temujin held a great meeting, the khuriltai, at which he accepted leadership of the Mongols and assumed his title. He promulgated a code of conduct and reorganized his armies. He attacked the Jurchen-ruled Chin empire of North China and by 1215 had occupied most of its territory, including the capital, Yenching (now Beijing). From 1218 to 1224 he conquered Turkistan, Transoxania, and Afghanistan and raided Persia and East Europe to the Dnieper River. Genghis Khan ruled one of the greatest land empires the world has ever known. He died while campaigning against the Jurchen, and his vast domains were divided among his sons and grandsons. His wars were marked by ruthless carnage, but Genghis Khan was a brilliant ruler and military leader. Timur was said to be descended from him. Other leaders like yourself include Julius Caesar and Tecumseh Sherman |
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| Link: The Which Historic General Are You Test written by dasnyds on Ok Cupid |
| Genghis Khan You scored 66 Wisdom, 87 Tactics, 61 Guts, and 44 Ruthlessness! |
| Genghis Khan was a Mongol conqueror, originally named Temujin. He succeeded his father, Yekusai, as chieftain of a Mongol tribe and then fought to become ruler of a Mongol confederacy. After subjugating many tribes of Mongolia and establishing his capital at Karakorum, Temujin held a great meeting, the khuriltai, at which he accepted leadership of the Mongols and assumed his title. He promulgated a code of conduct and reorganized his armies. He attacked the Jurchen-ruled Chin empire of North China and by 1215 had occupied most of its territory, including the capital, Yenching (now Beijing). From 1218 to 1224 he conquered Turkistan, Transoxania, and Afghanistan and raided Persia and East Europe to the Dnieper River. Genghis Khan ruled one of the greatest land empires the world has ever known. He died while campaigning against the Jurchen, and his vast domains were divided among his sons and grandsons. His wars were marked by ruthless carnage, but Genghis Khan was a brilliant ruler and military leader. Timur was said to be descended from him. Other leaders like yourself include Julius Caesar and Tecumseh Sherman |
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My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The Which Historic General Are You Test written by dasnyds on Ok Cupid |
An upcoming season of Big Brother may be the long-rumored all-star season. In a chat with Joker’s, Kaysar says that he’s been approached about doing the show.Mmm ... an All Star Big Brother.
Without the assistance of spell-check, Kaysar wrote, "someone very high of the corperate ladder at CBS has asked me already" about participating in an all-star season. And in response to a follow-up question, he said "It sure sounds like there will be a BB Allstar cast. I think it will be soon."
Your Political Profile |
Overall: 40% Conservative, 60% Liberal |
Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal |
Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal |
Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
Defense and Crime: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
Members of Parliament will face a contentious decision when they return to the House of Commons next week to vote on whether to raise the age of consensual sex between adults and youth to 16 from 14.I guess the argument by the other guys goes that the existing law banning exploitation (defined as breaching trust, involving prostitution, or involving pornography) is strong enough to protect minors from unwanted attention. In addition, they want to ensure that teens who are sexually active in and around the same age group, aren't subjected to being branded a criminal.
Although the Liberals, Bloc Québécois and NDP are all on record as opposing the Conservative motion, Tory justice critic Vic Toews said he hopes several MPs will break ranks with party lines.
This removes concerns that kids in the same age group aren't being charged with statutory rape, needlessly, but at the same time says that if you're over a certain age - smarten up.
That being said:
Even if, as expected, the Tories lose the vote next Wednesday, Mr. Toews said his party will keep the issue alive in any coming federal election campaign.
I'd be interested in hearing the other side on this issue.
Is it really an issue to drive an election on? Are the laws against exploitation strong enough?
Updated: Interesting points over at Craig Cantin's site, regarding this very issue [Craig Cantin, Raising the Age of Consent - Green Party Position]. Let me say again, I don't want youth justice cases being filled up with 17 year old boys getting arrested for making out with a 15 year old girl. If the motion is just to make the age of consent 16, then count me AGAINST it.
Tags: canada, conservative party, exploitation
Buzztracker is software that visualizes frequencies and relationships between locations in the Google world news directory.What I didn't notice is that you can add the buzztracker map to a website.
Buzztracker tries to show you how interconnected the world is: big events in one area ripple to other areas across the globe. Connections between cities thousands of miles apart become apparent at a glance.
Radler, the 63-year-old former publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and chief operating officer of Hollinger International, was accused of participating in a scheme to divert more than $32 million US from the newspaper holding company.Okay. So by my math, with the Canadian dollar at about 85 cents, he diverted about CDN $37.6 million dollars.
Viruses you suffer from:Tags: humour, internet
Junkfood
Eat some real food. Something which you can identify the source of every ingredient, not the point of manufacture.
Sci-fi
Stop wearing the stick-on ears.
Politics
Stop caring!
Conspiracy Theory
Face it, the elected government is in control. Actually that's quite scary.
Viruses you might suffer from:
Linux (80%)
Install the latest version of Microsoft Windows. Learn to love it.
USA (80%)
Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves! [repeat]
Gaming (70%)
Life is not a game. Roll 3D6. On a 4 or more go out and do something with your life.
British (65%)
No need for cure. Benign virus.
Religion (60%)
Read "God's Debris" by Scott Adams (yes, the Dilbert guy)
Brand Names (90%)
Having a well-known name doesn't make it good.
Computer Games (90%)
Stop staring at the screen and get some fresh air. You should see a doctor about the RSI in your thumbs.
Environmentalism (73%)
Consume more stuff! It's easier to buy new stuff than to recycle.
Viruses you suffer from:Tags: humour, internet
Junkfood
Eat some real food. Something which you can identify the source of every ingredient, not the point of manufacture.
Sci-fi
Stop wearing the stick-on ears.
Politics
Stop caring!
Conspiracy Theory
Face it, the elected government is in control. Actually that's quite scary.
Viruses you might suffer from:
Linux (80%)
Install the latest version of Microsoft Windows. Learn to love it.
USA (80%)
Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves! [repeat]
Gaming (70%)
Life is not a game. Roll 3D6. On a 4 or more go out and do something with your life.
British (65%)
No need for cure. Benign virus.
Religion (60%)
Read "God's Debris" by Scott Adams (yes, the Dilbert guy)
Brand Names (90%)
Having a well-known name doesn't make it good.
Computer Games (90%)
Stop staring at the screen and get some fresh air. You should see a doctor about the RSI in your thumbs.
Environmentalism (73%)
Consume more stuff! It's easier to buy new stuff than to recycle.
Okay, from now on, I'm not endorsing any winners of any reality TV show I'm currently addicted to. As you probably know, Janelle was evicted from the Big Brother house tonight (although the CBS website says the head of household competition is still going on).Multiple investigations are likely into the response by federal, state, and local officials to the disastrous flooding of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina. New facts are still emerging, and we expect it will be months or years before a full picture can be properly assessed.Interesting read.
In response to numerous requests, we present here a brief timeline of events, as best as we can document them from public records and the best news reporting from the scene. We do not blame or excuse anyone, and leave it to others to judge what, if anything, could or should have been done differently. All times are converted to Central Daylight Time.
I'm amazed at these Reuters photographers. They must snap about 4,000 pictures a second. How do they get this kind of shot?Racing Lens' Eric Carriere grimaces as the ball hits his face during the UEFA Cup first round first leg soccer match against Groclin Grodzisk at the Felix Bollaert stadium in Lens.Updated: The picture is missing. But, it's got a ball going into the guy's head. I've hotlinked it for now, but we'll see how long that lasts.
What can conservative minded people do to strengthen their contributions to national political discourse, the attainment of national goals, and the revitalization of Canadian democracy – contributions essential to greater electoral success and becoming a governing party?Institutions and infrastructures have got to show that, for conservatism to gain prominence in Canada, we cannot model ourselves after - I'll say it - unsuccessful models of conservatism in other countries, and I think Mr. Manning remarks that as well:
We should be exporters rather than importers of democratic technology and cutting edge solutions to public problems. Thus the Manning Centre for Building Democracy intends to mobilize Canadian resources to strengthen Canadian political infrastructure so that Canadians are less dependent on other countries for political ideas, training, and organizational techniques.We must remember, that conservatives want the following:
"There is almost no doubt that this picture will receive a tremendous amount of attention in the American and global media and is certain to produce even more jokes and insults directed at President Bush, who has been the target of ridicule throughout his terms in office.":)
Update: I'll question the wisdom of the "pee" tag at some point in the future.
Update 2: Oh, I forgot. That's a picture of George Bush writing a "secret" note to Condoleeza Rice about whether or not he could take a potty break at the UN.
Update 3: It may turn out to be some other dude's note too. So what. It's funny.
Tags: george bush, humour, pee
My name is James Calder and I endorse this message.
Okay, I got my shorts in a knot.
In anticipation of Survivor: Guatemala's debut on Thursday night, I took a Survivor quiz.
What's Your Survivor Strategy? created with QuizFarm.com |
The Aboriginal Peoples Party has signed up more than 150 members and hopes to field a slate of candidates in the coming election. But the fact Liberal Sen. Thelma Chalifoux is helping spearhead the party has one MP crying foul.Who is that MP that is crying foul? NDP MP, Pat Martin.
So, wait. The NDP is claiming the Liberal Party is now setting up political parties to help siphon votes (presumably) from NDP candidates? No, that's not what he is saying, is it?"I fully support the creation of an aboriginal political party if they choose, but it's doomed to fail in our system because there's very few seats where even a unanimous aboriginal vote would result in an MP."
[Pat] Martin raised concerns a political party could be designed to boost Liberal fortunes by hiving off several hundred votes in tight ridings, allowing Grit candidates to slide up the middle to victory.
"If this is any way a front or any way connected to the Liberal party, then I have serious concerns about it," NDP MP Pat Martin said.Where did this come from? This one, I think, may win the "Way Out of Left Field Award" for 2005.
