Category: Politicians in Bed with Big Business

Thursday, 02 October, 2014  -( 52˚F / 11˚C – & ‘clear’ right now  @ 9:15 am in Ithaca )-  { Headlines compiled by douglas j otterson }

{ We’ve been doing this because we believe the CBC may be more honest and more respectable than Media in the U.S.A., & not a lot of people in the U.S. may know that or have access to anyone who might point them toward the CBC & their web site. }

{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news.— & You can also find a link to the web cast of the most recent broadcast of “The National” the CBC’s ‘flagship nightly newscast’ under the “Must Watch” heading on their main page. — Thanks. — & Jim W convinced me to take credit for this, above.  ———djo——— }

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Other Sources: The Toronto Star:

CETA a much-announced trade pact of dubious value:   { –By: Thomas Walkom National Affairs, Published on Tue Sep 30 2014 –Free trade with Europe is the centerpiece of Stephen Harper’s time in government. It is so crucial that the prime minister announces it over and over again. -The latest re-announcement came Friday. This time, it was to celebrate the almost final text of what is officially known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the 28-member European Union. -That followed celebrations last year on an agreement in principle. There will undoubtedly be another gala when, after a “legal review” the final, final CETA text is released. – And there may be to 30 more over the next few years if the agreement is successfully ratified by the European Council, the European Parliament and the 28 member nations of the EU, – In ancient times, political rulers marked such victories with human sacrifice and lavish excess. Harper made do by spending a mere $338,000 to fly a gaggle of visiting European bureaucrats back to Brussels on a Canadian government jet. – The pact is far from a done deal. In Europe, the politics of CETA have become enmeshed in the debate over a similar accord being negotiated between the EU and Washington. – Critics fear that a section in CETA allowing companies to override domestic laws could set a precedent for the Americans to exploit. – There is also dispute within the EU over whether such trade and investment deals need to be ratified by all 28 member states. – But let us assume for a moment that the Canada-Europe deal eventually comes into effect. What can we expect?  – At first glance, the answer is not much. The government promises 80,000 new net jobs. But as Jim Stanford, an economist with the labour union Unifor has pointed out, this is a bogus number based on the assumption that no one can ever be unemployed. – Expect the price of European luxuries to fall as tariffs are removed. But don’t expect a big job uptick here. – Ottawa says Canadian beef and pork producers will gain better access to European markets thanks to CETA. And perhaps they will. – Yet as a recent analysis from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives points out, the European Union is already a net exporter of pork and beef. – This doesn’t mean there is no appetite in Europe for, say, Canadian pork chops. But unless European farmers are singularly inefficient, it does suggest the market would be limited. – Conversely, a deal with Europe promises to be less disruptive than earlier free trade pacts. – The Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement of 1989 and the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1993 virtually wiped out entire domestic industries. – This time, it seems that job losses would be more limited. – With significant exceptions (particularly in Ontario), the new pact would make it near impossible for governments or government agencies to favour locally owned firms. That could affect businesses ranging from school bus operators to caterers. – Canadian cheese makers would be hurt as would domestic automakers. But neither is likely to be destroyed. – The application of European drug patent rules would result in Canadians paying more for their pharmaceuticals. Provincial governments, all of which operate public drug plans, were particularly grumpy about this. But Ottawa has appeased them by offering subsidies. – Trade analyst Scott Sinclair says he expects the provinces will quietly pass laws implementing their CETA obligations. – The real danger in this deal has nothing to do with trade. Rather it is a provision, similar to one enshrined in NAFTA, that would permit corporations to overturn domestic laws.  – In effect, CETA includes an investors’ bill of rights aimed at penalizing government actions that interfere with profitability. – European businesses would be able to challenge such actions before a special dispute-settlement board. Irish banks, for instance, could challenge regulations designed to safeguard the Canadian financial system. – European firms could also challenge government regulations that “unduly” complicate or delay business activities. – Theoretically, Canadian companies would have reciprocal rights in Europe. But we don’t have good track record. – Under NAFTA, several U.S. companies have managed to overturn Canadian laws. No Canadian company has ever successfully used that trade pact to override a U.S. law. – Thomas Walkom’s column appears Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.  / —***** I asked friends in Canada about the Toronto Star – One friend, who has been helpful in the past, commented that Toronto has a “Sun” newspaper and a “Star” but no “Moon” — Here’s the message: “I used to subscribe to The Star. It’s central/left. Right wingnuts read The Sun. There is no Moon paper, lol. There should be though. It would be nice to have a  totally apolitical non-censored newspaper out there.” C.M. Harris. *****  —djo— }

{ Is today international anything day? —> Doug, who appreciated international coffee day . }

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Lead Articles:

-New- Liberian Ebola orphan a ‘miracle child’ facing uncertain future   { * Scorecard: “News articles designed to make you feel anxious / Total Articles” = ” 1 / 1 ” * —djo— }

10 U.S. disease experts now in Texas to probe  Ebola case   { * 2 / 2 *   }

First Nations join Vancouver land deal valued at  $302M   { *  2 / 3  * }

Hong Kong police warn protesters not to charge buildings   { * 3 / 4 * }

PM to announce Canada’s combat role in ISIS fight   { * 4 / 5 * }

-Analysis- Harper readying groundwork for Canada’s turn in Iraq: Chris Hall   { * 5 / 6 * = *** “You must believe that your government is sending your children off to die in b.s. made up touble spots [ caused by C.I.A. and other covert agencies stirring up hatred, playing ‘divide and conquer’ to manipulate you ] because you must believe that without your government and its military, you are helpless and vulnerable” <—> fascist agenda ***  —djo— }

Guns and grocery stores: U.S. supermarket chain draws fire from moms group   { I’m willing to bet that the group “Moms Demand Action”, an anti-gun lobby in the U.S.A. is funded by, advised by, manipulated by, or is a front for a group that wants to disarm U.S. Citizens.  I should have our reporter / editor Jim W weigh in on this. He was living in Ithaca when I met him. He had a rifle that he’d only used for target shooting. We went to a range together and he was a better shot in those days than I was. He was engaged to a woman from California who was a student at Cornell University up the hill there- And she was terrified of guns. I saw her look like she wanted to crawl backward out of her skin just knowing he owned a rifle that he kept securely locked up in a safe in a spot that almost no one would think to look for it. He decided to sell the rifle, saying he was making the jump to believing that prayer and meditation might be a better defence than keeping a rifle locked up where he probably couldn’t get it in time if there was a real danger anyway. I almost bought it. But he went with a licensed dealer instead. On the way home he admitted that he had been nervous about buying the rifle in the first place. His father had been an abusive, violent alcoholic who was over six feet tall and weighed between two hundred and three hundred pounds all his adult life. Jim said that he worried that, if he’d had a firearm within reach when his father went ballistic and began slapping his mother around, or beat up physically on his younger brother, he may have been extremely tempted to use deadly force. But, as an adult, when he was a good two hundred and fifty miles from his father, who had become disabled, and was confined to a wheel chair for a number of years, Jim told me that when he had the opportunity to buy the rifle, and thought that since he was trying to buy property in the woods where wolves, bears and an occasional big cat might be a real problem, he thought about it hard and long, and realized that he had grown up and was now responsible, and the fact that he examined his issues, and especially since he had not completely lost it when a bully was attacking a woman and he could have swung a metal baseball bat and probably crippled or killed the attacker, but gave the guy a warning and scared him off instead— He said he had realized he had matured and had the self control he needed to accept that he was a responsible adult and would not do anything stupid in the heat of the moment- “Moments don’t get any hotter than when you see some ice-hole who just might kill somebody you know and care about-” Jim left one of his targets from the shooting range, with an impressive cluster near the bulls eye, in the back of his hatch back Newspaper delivery car where anybody could look inside and guess it probably wasn’t a good idea to mess with this guy- And later, after his fiacée broke off the engagement, admitted that wished he hadn’t sold the rifle. But- Okay, I got rambling here- *** Several of my friends, people who do not wear aluminum foil hats to keep evil aliens from controlling their thoughts, believe that the U.S. second ammendment was intended to give the ‘sovereign citizens’ of the U.S.A. the right to defend themselves from all enemies, foreign and domestic, including a government that might lose its way and declare that freedom and free citizenry were enemies of the state. I also know quite a few people who believe that an armed ‘bad guy’ would not pick on a victim who might have a gun or be protected by somebody in a store who might have one. I never want to shoot anybody. I don’t care how dangerous a situation might seem. I mean, if somebody had a knife at my daughter’s throat and I was sure I could kill him with one shot and not miss and hit Rachel- I’d probably do it. But I don’t know how I’d live with that afterward- I could probably give myself PTSD just thinking about it. But I do not want to see the government and police forces become the only people in this country who can legally own fire arms. What’s the first thing an evil totalitatarian regime does when they come to power? They disarm the public. And then programs like the holocaust can happen. Gaaaa- Let’s hope it never comes close to that. *** / long winded again… —djo— } { Anxiety Meter: * 6 / 7 * }

Cold Case: Christine Jessop’s adbuction and death still unsolved 30 years later    { * See? You, too, could be abducted and murdered by some random crazy person, even on your way home from school. Anxiety Meter: * 7 / 8 * }

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“Offbeat”

Former Winnipegger’s ‘mean toddler’ video goes ultra-viral   { * 7 / 9 * — Unless you become afraid that a toddler might pick up a kitchen knife and do you in while you’re sleeping, or the word ‘viral’ sets off subliminal triggers.  —djo— }

Sabre discovery may solve decades-old murder mystery    {  * 8 / 10 * Under “Most Viewed”  this article’s headline is “Sabre from American Revolution found in Guysborough wall” The sabre belonged to a loyalist who fought with a loyalist cavalry in the Carolinas during the Revolution. As an officer he was allowed to keep his sabre. In 1829, a ‘local doctor’ with a bad reputation —who may have stolen property from people he treated— in the Guysborough, Nova Scotia area, was found dead, stabbed multiple times by what was believed to be a sword. One of the original officer’s sons was among those who were charged in the doctor’s death, but charges were dropped? The sabre was found inside the wall of a house which was originally built by a retired sheriff, who may have found the sabre and hidden it inside his wall as a souvenir. *** Hey, somebody in your neighbourhood might secretly own some nasty old murder weapon. Maybe he’ll want to use it on you in the middle of some dark and scary night?*** —djo— }

Snoop Dogg, Jared Leto become Reddit co-owners   { Reddit raised $50M in vewnture capital to improve its operations >>—-> * “Things are about to change at Reddit, thanks in part to a large investment from none other than one of the social news site’s biggest fans: Snoop Dogg. -The company announced Tuesday that it has successfully raised $50 million dollars in venture capital funding to improve its operations from investors such as Y Combinator president Sam Altman, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, American angel investor Ron Conway, and yes, the Big Boss Dogg. – “We’re planning to use this money to hire more staff for product development, expand our community management team, build out better moderation and community tools, work more closely with third party developers to expand our mobile offerings (try our new AMA app), improve our self-serve ad product, build out redditgifts marketplace, pay for our growing technical infrastructure, and all the many other things it takes to support a huge and growing global internet community,” wrote the company in a blog post Tuesday morning. – “We have been entrusted with capital by patient, long-term investors who support our views on difficult issues,” the post continues.”We believe in free speech, self-governing communities, and the power of voting. We find that this freedom yields more good than bad, and we have chosen investors based on this belief.” – Other investors who participated in the funding round include American investor Josh Kushner, entrepreneur Paul Buchheit, Y Combinator founding partner Jessica Livingston, Eventbrite’s Kevin and Julia Hartz, Minted CEO Mariam Naficy, Reddit CEO Yishan Wong and actor Jared Leto. – As the Daily Dot notes, Leto had previously invested in several other tech companies — one of them being a free stock trading app called Robinhood which also secured funding from Snoop Dogg earlier this month. – Snoop, born Calvin Broadus Jr., has backed many business ventures throughout the course of his career, though they have predominantly been in the charity, entertainment, apparel and mobile gaming industries. – Some online have expressed surprise over the news that Snoop had bought a chunk of Reddit, but to those familiar with the acclaimed rapper’s affinity for the social news site, his investment makes perfect sense.” * Anxiety Meter= 8/11 – unless you have an unreasonable fear that Snoop Dogg might be an evil space-alien agent in disguise or something.  —djo— }

China frisks 10,000 pigeons for butt bombs   { * 9 / 12 *    China released 10,000 doves as part of a ceremony to celebrate their  National Day – But first they had the doves searched, intimately checked out –  because they’re afraid some anti-government group just might have stuck explosive devices up the birds’ butts. *** Hey, the next pigeon you see may be carrying an atomice bomb up its butt-  Ya think?***  —djo— }

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“Most Viewed”

Housing market a bubble set to burst, investment expert says   { * 10 / 13 *  You might wake up tomorrow and owe half a zillion worthless dollars on a house that isn’t worth a dime? Gee- the bank might kick you out into sub-freezing weather because you don’t have a real old fashion silver dime to buy your worthless home from the evil ice-holes at the bank? —djo— }

White woman sues sperm bank after insemination from black donor   {  * 11 / 14 *  What if your mother was artificially injected with sperm from a psychotic axe murderer? Or evil abducting space aliens who know how to breed psychotic killers? Gee, maybe they can send you a secret message in your dream state and turn you into a zombie assassin who will kill somebody you care about and have you captured on video in the act, so you end up facing the death penalty? And you will have no memory or any of this? But your dna will be all over the murder weapon. ***Sounds like a very early Halloween nightmare plot day here at the old blogging station. ***  —djo— }

Harper readying groundwork for Canada’s turn in Iraq   { This is the third time this headline has been listed, so maybe this would make it * 13 / 16 * Anxiety-inspiring headlines today. What do you think?  —djo— }

U of T is Canada’s only top 20 entry in world university rankings   { “U of T” = University of Toronto – Okay, this might be a stretch, but if thinking you may have gotten a sub-standard education makes you feel anxious, this might be * 14 / 17 * }

Judy Manning ‘surprised’ by questions about PC party connections   { * “Judy Manning, who was appointed to [ the Newfoundland and Labrador ] cabinet this week with little political experience, is taking exception to questions about her close connections to the Progressive Conservative party. – During an interview with CBC News, Judy Manning, the new minister of public safety and attorney-general, bristled when asked if her unconventional and surprising appointment was influenced by the fact she is the partner of longtime PC supporter Leo Power. – “I’m a little surprised that has come up. Quite frankly, in terms of my predecessors, I don’t recall the media ever approaching any of our previous cabinet ministers or our previous premiers about with whom they were sleeping,” she stated in reply to a question from CBC reporter Chris O’Neill-Yates. – Power started attending PC conventions in the late 1970s, was an aide to former federal Tory minister John Crosbie, and has played senior roles in managing provincial PC election campaigns. While he has never sought office, he’s well-known among party members. –Judy Manning to wait until next election to run for seat – Manning is also the niece of Senator Fabian Manning, a former high profile MHA. –‘Quite frankly, in terms of my predecessors, I don’t recall the media ever approaching any of our previous cabinet ministers or our previous premiers about with whom they were sleeping’– Judy Manning – Manning is also the minister responsible for the status of women, and said such questions “reaffirm for me that I have a significant role also to play under the banner of the status of women.” –  She said she was a spirited supporter of Premier Paul Davis in the lead-up to last month’s compelling PC leadership convention, and believes the new premier selected her because he thought she was best for the job, not because of her connections.” * Um, lets see, ** 15 / 18 ** people receiving powerful political appointments, who might be in charge of your public safety, or assuring that the justice department only prosecutes people who deserve to be prosecuted, may have no idea what they’re doing, how this system is supposed to work, or what needs to be done to insure that your rights and freedoms are properly protected. She may have her position because she slept with the right political insider? This might qualify as anxiety-encouraging, *  I’m saying the article raises those insinuations, I have no idea what she is like and I wouldn’t accuse her of anything. I’m commenting on the tone of the article. * *** And the CBC is a lot more careful about this kind of thing, like I say in the heading every day, they are probably a lot more honest than most U.S. Media, which are controlled by people you proably would not want to let your sister, or daughter, go out on a date with. *** —djo— }

Lotto 6/49 winning ticket sold in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia   { * 16 / 19 * Somebody just won $13.8-million tax free dollars and you can’t afford to buy the premium cat food your favourite pet is used to? —djo— }

-22 photo slide show- Hong Kong police clase with protesters in historic standoff  { * 17 / 20 * You might suffer PTSD flashbacks next time you turn on your television for the evening news and watch thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators being butchered by machine gun fire from Chinese military personnel trying to ‘maintain order’ – I hope you haven’t listened to any of the fear mongering talk show hosts who have tried to tell you that the yellow peril Chinese Commies might parachute into your nice peaceful neighbourhood any minute now- ***sigh*** —djo— }

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Other:

-Live- Hong Kong police warn protesters not to charge buildings   { Repeat- but this makes * 18 / 21 * Anxiety inspiring headlines }

Be warned: Housing bubble set to burst   { * 19 / 22 * -Repeat- }

-Video- Lena Dunham of Girls: Secrecy is ‘kind of destructive’   { * 20 / 23 * ***Lena Dunham is no stranger to using her own life as fodder for her creative endeavours, most notably in her wildly successful HBO seriesGirls.

• MORE | Q on Lena Dunham
• ​AUDIO | Girls creator Lena Dunham wants to tell you what she’s ‘learned’

– But the 28-year-old TV creator, actor and director can now add another accomplishment to her lengthy, and frequently candid, body of work:  She’s now an author. – Dunham’s highly anticipated new book Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” launched Tuesday in Canada. Like her hit television show, the collection of essays includes Dunham’s outlook on what it’s like to be young and female—including revelations of sexual assault, eating disorders and personal struggles with body image. – In a Canadian radio exclusive interview with Q host Jian Ghomeshi, the outspoken star described the moment she became an open book: – “Probably, like, the minute I started talking,” Dunham said. – “I just never had a comfort with the idea of things that are supposed to be kept secret, and I think from an early age, I found the concept of secrecy kind of destructive.” *** One more reminder that you may be vulnerable to sexual assault, eating disorders or personal struggles with body image.  —djo— }

Is China willing to sacrifice Hong Kong’s booming economy?   { * 21 / 24 * Is your government willing to pull the financial rug out from under you in order to control you more completely?  —djo— }

Khorsan group shows why al-Qaeda us still a force to be reckoned with   { * 22 / 25 *  Never mind that the C.I.A. is on record for having set up “the List” — The literal translation of ‘al-Qaeda’ is ‘the List’ — of ‘friendly’ jihadist rebels in Afghanistan – that the C.I.A. supplied with money and guns and bombs and stuff to help get the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan. — There might be a terrorist / jihadist under you bed with a bomb wired to his chest. Jeeze, how can you sleep knowing that your son or daughter may be about to be seduced into joining a terrorist organization? Or might be blown up in your own home town by terrorists driven crazy by propaganda and insane promises from lying manipulators who use their anxiety to control them? Wait a minute, people in a high state of anxiety are easy to control — and how many articles in this ‘much-better-than-average’ CBC News Headlines page appear to be designed to increase your level of anxiety?  —djo— }

Ebola patient in the U.S. told hospital he was from Liberia — then was sent home   { * 23 / 26 * If the terrorists don’t get you, some weaponized disease might? — Weaponized or naturally occuring — here’s another threat –  you or your children might catch some incredibly nasty disease and die in agony because your government allows people from ‘certain countries’ to come into your country, your area, your city? Well, heck, we should give our wonderful, caring government the power to lock us all up in our homes and keep those nasty diseases from taking away our quality of life — hey wait a minute, they want us to surrender our quality of life, our freedoms and security in order to feel more secure? What??? Where’s the reset button? What’s going on here? Who is in control? Why are they doing this? —djo— }

4 children with paralysis monitored for Enterovirus D68   { * 24 / 27 — I’m not kidding, am I? Here’s a disease that targets the young, can kill your sweet, innocent little daughter – Is your anxiety level through the roof yet? There’s more— —djo— }

Repeat of the U of T article. I won’t call this anxiety raising this time   { * 24 / 28 * }

-New- Australian Parliament restricts veil wearers   { * 25 / 29 * A whole ethnic group is targetted for suspicion because there are a couple religious fanatics out of hundreds of millions of Muslims. The Prophet, God Bless Him, did not require that women hide their faces and hair. Human men who want complete control over everybody, especially women, put that in place. Now that thousands, maybe hundreds of millions of women have been convinced that they are safe and loved,  and ‘Loved by God’ if they keep themselves hidden — are being forced by governments in places they’ve probably moved to in this generation – to rip their protective clothing off and expose themselves to the eyes of people who hate them. Sound like rape to you?   —djo— }

-Repeat- White woman sues sperm bank after insemination from black donor   { I think I should let this slide this time. – even if the idea that you might not really know who your parents are might raise your anxiety level- It might not send you over the edge into sheer panic.   * 25 / 30 *  —djo— }

First Nations acquire huge swath of Vancouver land   { * 26 / 31 * —I actually believe that First Nations / Native Americans / Aboriginals everywhere – were robbed of their property and should be able to get at least some of it back, should not be herded onto unwanted land and forced into poverty while unethical ice-holes from across the ocean steal their resources and make themselves rich and make the lives of those they stole from even more miserable by parading around with lots of shiny toys and gadgets- and have a history of genocidal policies — who tried to forcefully strip the rich Aboriginal culture from them, made it a crime to speak their languages and practice their religions – Canada’s in a weird situation from U.S. standards. ‘The Crown’ owns all mineral rights to property bought and paid for by its citizens. People can take a walk around their property and find huge gaping holes where prospectors have dug for gold, iron, aluminum, nickle- whatever- and there is nothing they can do about it. In the U.S. if you catch somebody raping your property, you can shoot them. I think you still kill anybody you find in your home in at least most of the U.S.A. I mean, I heard cops say, “If you shoot an intruder, make sure he falls inside your house.” In Canada if you shoot a maniac charging at you with a machine gun, you might end up in jail for unsafe storage of a fire arm or discharging deadly weapons within city limits or any one of a dozen other thought crimes against the crown. BUT— Hey look at this. What if your government decides that the property you worked yourself half to death for isn’t yours any more- “opps, so sad, too bad, get out now! And you better not take anything with you that we don’t approve of!” ? — Some of these anxiety raising headlines should get a higher score than others. I mean, anxiety that somebody might kick your dog isn’t quite as bad as anxiety that your local government’s law enforcement people might decide tomorrow to set you on fire and lie and tell your neighbours you were a know terrorist on their watch list and probably set yourself on fire making a high tech bomb – because some crooked cop wants your property so he can stalk the cute young newly wed next door? Or they might just decide to force you out of property you spent forty years paying for- “because they can”?  —djo— }

Jun Lin hid homosexuality from his family, ex-boyfriend tells court    { * 27 / 32 * Jun Lin was the Chinese student killed and butchered by Luka Magnotta in a case that’s being tried in court right now in Montreal. Magnotta admitted to that, but says he’s not criminally responsible because he’s nuts, his brain isn’t wired correctly. Just knowing that people who kill and butcher others for no apparent reason, right in the middle of a supposedly civilized town or city- is enough to elevate your adrenaline levels. But what if there’s a sexual angle? What if the potential serial killer next door hates you because you remind him of someone who humiliated him as a child? What if the guy next door wants to kill you and rape your wife? your daughter? your mother? your husband? your son? your dog? your corpse? Well heck — you’re just not safe anywhere, are you? “Dear God! Send Help! Now, Please? -Amen-   —djo— }

FireChat lets protesters chat without Wi-Fi, cell service    { * um * Okay, the evil bad guys who control the internet connections can’t shut the net down and stop you from calling for help if you have ‘FireChat’ — but wait — The article itself hinted that there might be possible security problems with FireChat – What if the evil empire can hack you when your’re not plugged into the internet, not on a Wi-Fi network, not within range of any cellular towers, get your GPS co-ordinates and swoop in with their black ops super soldiers and either snuff you out like stomping on an ant, or drag you off to a secret black ops prison and torture you through incredible amounts of pain for the rest of your short, and getting shorter, life? *28 / 33 * }

Franklin expedition ship found in Arctic ID’d as HMS Erebus   { * um * The background on this story is worrisome. Prime Minister Stephen Harper really wanted to find evidence that Canadians had explored the far north because he’s worried about Russian claims that they ‘own the north pole’ and may have their eyes and greedy little fingers poised to try to steal chunks of Canada and keep them for their own. Are we to believe that there may be problems just over the horizon? Russia might find oil in Canada and declare war after a murderous attack with no warning? Is that what we’re heading toward? Is that what your government wants you to believe might happen? So if you do not surrender all your rights and freedoms right now this instant you might wake up tomorrow morning with a foreign flag flying over your nearest courthouse and dozens of your closest friends hanging dead in the town square? *  29 / 34 *   —djo— }

Health Canada bans drug ingredients from 3 factories in India   { * 30/35 *  “OMG” the Hindu type Indians are trying to poison us now? Or is this a government plot to keep you from having access to drugs that might cure you of diseases that fascist pharmaceutical companies would rather see you die slowly from while paying more than you can afford into their officially approved coffers for pills that might make you a little more comfortable, or not- but surely won’t cure you?  —djo— }

U.S. Secret Service chief Julia Peirson resigns amid controversy   { * 31 / 36 *  Jeeze! If the best equiped, most highly trained security force in the free world can’t properly protect the U.S. President and his home – Can it possibly be safe for anyone anywhere?   “Gaaaa!, says djo. —djo— }

-Must Watch- Brazil favela fire   { * 32 / 37 * “A massive fire destroys around 100 homes in a Sao Paulo slum on Wednesday”  What if your neighbour’s barbecue blows up and starts a fire that destroys your whole neighbourhood?  —djo— }

-Must Watch- Walrus herd on Alaska beach   { * um * “Thousands of walruses swim ashore near Point Lay, Alaska” But in the video they explain that this is due to ‘global warming’ or ‘climate change’ and if the ice all melts, your nearest shoreline might rise and you might wake up under water. -Or not wake up at all?  * 33 / 38 * }

-Editor’s Pick- 4 new things we’re learning about Ebola   { * 34 / 39 * “North America knows how to contain it, but as Ebola spreads, the political risk grows.” —And millions of Africans who already don’t trust a lot of us, and often with good reason – don’t want to know that North Americans might be keeping their best technology at home, to save their own people, while letting too many Africans die from this disease.   —djo—  }

-Editor’s Pick- 10 top places to grow old    { *35 / 40 *  Hey, you, yeah you, reading this. You’re going to grow old and die. I think we might want to raise your anxiety level by reminding you of that, even in an article disguised as a fluff piece that tells you that Canada and Northern Europe are among the ‘top’ places to live while you grow old and die.   —djo— }

-Editor’s Pick- WWF’s Living Planet  not all doom and gloom   { “6 solutions for a planet ‘in decline'” – what? is the planet falling apart?   * 36 /41 * —djo— }

-Blog- Wisconsin Human Society goes viral with creative cat names   { Oh, how cute, but wait a minute, the word ‘viral’ is in there- oh no- oh no! *36 / 42 * }

***** Okay, enough pointing my finger at fear mongering headlines for today? This is taking way too much time. *****

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“Local / New Brunswick”

‘Deadbeats’ in New Brunswick owe $44M in support   { But how much has the government extorted in the form of taxes?  Taxation without what? If you pay for something and the seller doesn’t deliver, that’s fraud – and the seller can go to jail and is often still obliged to pay you back or deliver goods for payment. right? What do governments promise when they take your tax dollars? Security? They’re delivering anxiety, demand your money back! Services? Garbage removal? A lot of municipalities now charge you for every bag or can of garbage they pick up –  some will take two or three before they charge you for everything over that. & This is AFTER you’ve already paid more than enough to cover their expenses. — Jim W told me that while he was broadcasting a local town council meeting in Ontario, he learned that the provincial government threatened to with-hold money it owed the municipality if that municipality did not add new fees and charges that it had never charged its citizens before that, and got along perfectly well without charging them- —djo— }

Traveling memorial to fallen Afghan soldiers arrives in Fredericton   { Hey- we have a huge problem with PTSD, there’s an epidemic of veterans committing suicide. I have an idea, lets trigger some more PTSD episodes, remind everybody of the guilt they feel for surviving when their friends didn’t- yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket! — —djo— }

Saint John movie payroll problems continue   { Locals who worked as extras in a movie shot last summer in Saint John, New Brunswick, are still awaiting payment – We reported on their last “It’s in the mail” promise, which happened several weeks ago.   —djo— }

Recounts granted in 7 ridings   { Any way the recounts to September 22nd’s Provincial elections turn out, well >>—->  if you can’t trust your government — ???  —djo— }

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“First Nations”

Marlene Bird attends court in wheelchair to see alleged attacker   { At least they used the word “alleged” here – “A woman whose legs had to be amputated following a horrific assault came out to a Prince Albert, Sask., courtroom yesterday to see her alleged attacker.”   —djo— }

-Opinion- What’s in a name: Indian, native, aboriginal or indigenous?   { “The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs ha​s​ been joined by Anishinabek of Ontario, representing 42 First Nations, in rejecting the name ‘aboriginal.’ But that term and several others have not been easy to shed, writes Don Marks.”  —djo— }

‘Caribou Legs’ to go back and complete final stretch   { “The Gwich’in runner, known as ‘Caribou Legs,’ will go back and complete the last leg of his run from Vancouver to Whitehorse, after an unexpected snowfall stopped him in his tracks earlier this week.”  —djo— }

Former gang member turned rapper paralyzed in attack   {  }

Tlicho Grand Chief Eddie Erasmus gets $166K a year   {  This is a case of the tribe deciding how much their chiefs should get: “Of the salaries made public so far, the highest paid chiefs in the Northwest Territories are those in the only region with self-government. –  Because they are self-governed, the Tlicho are not required to release the salaries of their leaders under the First Nations Financial Accountability Act. – But their rates of pay are set out in laws they’ve passed, which are publicly available. – Tlicho Grand Chief Eddie Erasmus will collect about $166,000 in pay this year. – Each of the four chiefs will be paid about $130,000, whether it’s Chief Johnny Arrowmaker of Wekweti, population 141, or Clifford Daniels, leader of the more than 2,200 people in Behchoko. – The Tlicho government set the rates of pay for chiefs and other elected members in 2005. – Just four months later, it passed a new law that increased the salaries of the chiefs and the grand chief by more than $40,000 a year. – Then in 2009, the Tlicho government passed a law that made chiefs’ and councillors’ salaries rise with the cost of living, starting four years earlier. – Under the First Nations financial transparency Act, all N.W.T. First Nations without self-government agreements must make the salaries of their chiefs public. –  Only seven have done so. – The highest paid chief among them is Dettah Chief Eddie Sangris, who earned $116,000 last year. *** Um, I’m under the impression that reservations in the U.S.A. are treated as sovereign nations within whatever state they’re in. Reservations can sell cigarettes without charging the taxes, including federal taxes, that everybody else has to charge. -maybe it’s a plot to kill native Americans off by letting them smoke too much?- But where, in this so called free world, does one government have the right to demand that money earned by officials of another government be made public? Does claiming that ‘big brother’ is protecting our neighbours from being exploited by possibly crooked officials make it okay?   —djo— }

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{ 1:45 pm –  told you it took me longer this way —  2:30 pm finally clicking on “Publish” ———djo——— }