Saturday, December 28, 2013

Dan's Daily Dispatch- 2013 Archive

Each day as I browse newspapers and other "stuff" I find items that I think would interest someone in my life.

I post those items sporadically but each batch goes as blind copy only to specific individuals who I think may have an interest in one or more of the items.

In response to overwhelming response I post all of them here as an archive. They are posted in reverse date order.


This update to 2013.12.28.

2013.12.28  Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.12.28

FOR CELL PHONE USERS
Recently, the Vancouver Police Department urged phone users to jot down their International Mobile Equipment Identity, or IMEI, which can be accessed by checking the white label underneath the device's battery or by dialing *#06# on most phones. The ID number can be used by your service provider to deactivate the phone if it has been stolen.

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/busy-restaurant-makes-easy-target-for-iphone-thief-1.1578519

FREE TRADE AND TRADE AGREEMENTS- 7 items
1.
'Free Trade' and the death of democracy
A new free trade deal might expose governments to the will of corporations. Last updated: 18 Dec 2013 13:00
Dr Jason Hickel lectures at the London School of Economics and serves as an adviser to /The Rules. He has contributed political critique and analysis to various magazines. He is currently working on a
new book titled 'The Development Delusion: Why Aid Misses the Point about Poverty'.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/12/trade-death-democracy-2013121812233660574.html
*/**
2.
Why free trade matters
Free trade has an economic and moral case - as it promotes not just prosperity, but also peace.
Last Modified: 01 Jul 2011 10:48
Jagdish Bhagwati is University Professor of Economics and Law at Columbia University and Senior Fellow in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is currently Co-Chair of the UNCTAD Panel of Eminent Persons on "Development-centered Globalization.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/06/20116241442860602.html
*/*/*/*
3.
Paul Krugman
WHAT SHOULD TRADE NEGOTIATORS NEGOTIATE ABOUT? A REVIEW ESSAY
[really is in Journal of Economic Literature, March 1997]
But most easily found at:
http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/negot.html
*/*/*
4. Transcript of an Economist debate
"Fair trade
This house believes that making trade fairer is more important than making it freer."

Defending the motion
Ngaire Woods
    International Political Economy Prof. and Director, Global Economic Governance, Oxford University
Opening Statement
Carefully deployed special preferences and protectionism could be used intelligently to help to catalyse growth in African countries, and to improve the lives of the bottom billion. Conversely, the dismantling of special preferences has levied some high costs.

Against the motion
Jagdish Bhagwati
    Professor of Economics and Law, Columbia University
Opening Statement
    If the demand for fair trade in the sense of demanding reciprocity in openness leads to others reducing their trade barriers, that is good. But if it leads to closing of one's own, because others do not yield to such demands, that is bad.

Full text of debate and Comments
http://www.economist.com/debate/days/view/508
*/*/*
5.
A Comprehensive listing of blogs and articles generally opposed to free trade see the following from The Council of Canadians.
http://www.canadians.org/trade
and more particularly
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
http://www.canadians.org/nafta
*/*/
6.
Jeffrey Simpson
It hurts dancing to supply management’s tune
Published Friday, Dec. 02, 2011 2:00AM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/jeffrey-simpson/it-hurts-dancing-to-supply-managements-tune/article2257216
*/*/*
7.
Trudeau favours trade. So far so good
William Watson | 13/04/18 | Last Updated: 13/04/18 3:22 PM ET
More from William Watson
[Good article about wages in export oriented companies. Poor headline as it fails to focus on main topic.]

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/04/18/trudeau-favours-trade-so-far-so-good/
*/*/*

FOR ANIMAL LOVERS.
VIDEO
1,000 dolphins swim beside ferry off Gulf Islands
Rob Maguire filmed the pod while on the ferry from the Gulf Islands to Tsawwassen
CBC News Posted: Nov 01, 2013 5:29 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 01, 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/1-000-dolphins-swim-beside-ferry-off-gulf-islands-1.2326288

2013.12.06  Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.12.06

FOR BOOK LOVERS

"Books of the year    Torrents of words
The best writing in 2013 covered, among other things, American foreign policy, Israel, Gettysburg, the Kremlin, silence, solitude and emperor penguins
Dec 7th 2013 | From the print edition

http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21591150-best-writing-2013-covered-among-other-things-american-foreign-policy-israel?fsrc=nlw|hig|12-5-2013|7129254|35025521

FOR MUSIC LOVERS
If you did not get to attend the Banff International String Quartet Competition, or even if you did, here are videos of the finals.

http://live.banffcentre.ca/

Consider the trade off between these close ups of the performers versus being present at a live performance.

FOR ART LOVERS- 2 items

"Canadian art close-ups: Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, Paterson Ewen
Auction house art experts on what makes this season's top lots so desirable
CBC News | By Jessica Wong
Last Updated: Nov. 20, 2013
Note the clever use of a magnifying panel to see detail..

http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/zoom-art-auction/index.html
*/*/*

"Superheroes Plus Satire Propel Artist Masriadi Above $1 Million
By Frederik Balfour - Nov 11, 2013 2:00

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-11/superheroes-satire-push-artist-masriadi-above-1-million.html

FOR GOD LOVERS

"Does prayer help us resist temptation? Talking to God boosts self-control and emotional stability, claims study

People turn to prayer 'as a coping response to the high demands in life' and are rewarded with an increased ability to resist temptation
Previous findings have shown that when people try to control their emotions, the risk of aggressive outbursts and binge drinking rises

By Robin Yapp

PUBLISHED: 15:56 GMT, 29 November 2013 | UPDATED: 15:58 GMT, 29 November 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2515637/Does-prayer-help-resist-temptation-Talking-God-boosts-self-control-emotional-stability-claims-study.html#ixzz2m6awHpj2

FOR LOVERS

Sexy foods: 8 aphrodisiacs to enjoy with your partner
There's nothing like a meal featuring delicious aphrodisiacs to get you and your loved one in a state
of pure romance. Read on to discover eight aphrodisiacs, and how adding even one aphrodisiac to your
cooking repertoire will make for the most romantic night ever.

By Nadine Sharon Anglin

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/cooking_school/sexy_foods__8_aphrodisiacs_to_enjoy_with_your_partner.php?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Outbrain


2013.11.09 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.11.09

FOR FRIDAY BOOK CLUB AND LYNN VALLEY RESIDENTS
Lynn Valley density dustup continues.
Town centre and residential developments moving forward, opponents vow to continue the fight

By Jeremy Allingham, CBC News Posted: Nov 08, 2013 12:01 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 08, 2013
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lynn-valley-density-dustup-continues-1.2419019

FOR DOG OWNERS

Animal behaviour
Wag the dog
Canines have lateralised brains—just like people
Nov 2nd 2013 |
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21588841-canines-have-lateralised-brainsjust-people-wag-dog?fsrc=nlw|hig|10-31-2013|6905922|35025521



2013.11.04 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.11.04

FOR IDEAS BOOK CLUB
[re: Schmidt, New Digital Age. 3 reports- same event ]

AFP  |  Hong Kong  November 4, 2013 Last Updated at 17:56 IST
Google boss calls for 'freedom of speech' in China

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/google-boss-calls-for-freedom-of-speech-in-china-113110400711_1.html

=-
Google's Schmidt calls NSA spying 'outrageous, perhaps illegal' Add to ...
Reuters
Published Monday, Nov. 04 2013, 8:46 AM EST
Last updated Monday, Nov. 04 2013, 9:03 AM EST

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/googles-schmidt-calls-nsa-spying-outrageous-perhaps-illegal/article15240338/

Google's Schmidt 'outraged' by NSA snooping
By Charles Riley and Kristie Lu Stout  @CNNMoneyTech November 4, 2013: 8:26 AM ET
[Includes a video clip interview with Obama]  

http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/04/technology/google-nsa-snowden/

FOR FRIDAY BOOK CLUB- 2 items
[re Glaeser, Triumph of the City]
DIAMOND AND THOMPSON
The true costs of suburban sprawl
JACK DIAMOND AND DAVID THOMPSON
Contributed to The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Nov. 04 2013, 6:00 AM EST
Last updated Monday, Nov. 04 2013, 6:00 AM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-true-costs-of-sprawl/article15218154/

THOMAS KLASSEN
Rob Ford is right. Subways are best for Toronto
THOMAS KLASSEN
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Sep. 18 2013, 10:29 AM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Sep. 18 2013, 3:31 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/rob-ford-is-right-subways-are-best-for-toronto/article14394647/
=-=-=

FREE TRADE
[We are all free traders--- Oh, except for........]
Provinces embrace free trade with EU, but not each other
BARRIE MCKENNA
OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Nov. 03 2013, 3:53 PM EST
Last updated Monday, Nov. 04 2013, 5:35 AM EST

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/provinces-embrace-free-trade-with-eu-but-not-each-other/article15234375/

PROMOTE TRAVEL IN BC
VIDEO
1,000 dolphins swim beside ferry off Gulf Islands
Rob Maguire filmed the pod while on the ferry from the Gulf Islands to Tsawwassen
CBC News Posted: Nov 01, 2013 5:29 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 01, 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/1-000-dolphins-swim-beside-ferry-off-gulf-islands-1.2326288



 2013.10.31 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.31

 FOR IDEAS BOOK CLUB-     re: On Politics and obligation of citizens

Also relates to The New Digital Age
"B.C. shouldn’t use Internet voting due to security risks, panel says"
Rob Shaw / Times Colonist
October 23, 2013 11:22 AM
http://www.timescolonist.com/b-c-shouldn-t-use-internet-voting-due-to-security-risks-panel-says-1.669449

"…The panel will spend six weeks gathering public feedback on the issue before making a final report to the legislature in early 2014."

What the news item does not say is that the panels discussion paper which was just released had been submitted to Bill Barisoff then the Speaker of the BC Legislative Assembly on August 31, 2011. That is 2 years ago and the public is only now being asked to submit comments.
For report [48 pages]
 http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/Internet-Voting-Discussion-Paper.pdf
For your comment go to
http://www.internetvotingpanel.ca/public-input/
*/*/*/*

FOR NEWSAHOLICS

Seymour Hersh on Obama, NSA and the 'pathetic' American media

Pulitzer Prize winner explains how to fix journalism, saying press
should 'fire 90% of editors and promote ones you can't control'

http://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2013/sep/27/seymour-hersh-obama-nsa-american-media
*/*/*

FINANCIAL CRISIS, THE FEDERAL RESERVE AND GREENSPAN

This interview with Greenspan is more balanced than the headline
BUSINESS / ECONOMY
"Greenspan rejects blame for crisis"
BY MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/26/business/greenspan-rejects-blame-for-crisis/#.Um0YC_mkp0g
*/*/*


2013.10.27 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.27

KINDNESS AND FEEL GOOD

Whenever you encounter some negatives in life...consider some of the positives
http://www.spreadkindness.org/about/clips-n-pics

See slide show of several acts of kindness at the bottom of a Huffington post story  n=31.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/10/15/vancouver-rent-bank-anniversary_n_4104232.html

FOR MARATHON RUNNERS

If These People Can Finish A Marathon, So Can You
Posted: 10/22/2013 8:20
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/22/marathon-records_n_4073197.html

HEALTH NOTE FOR STRESS

For mental woes, nature is good medicine: report
Relaxnews
Published Saturday, October 26, 2013 8:00AM EDT

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/for-mental-woes-nature-is-good-medicine-report-1.1514539#ixzz2iw2aedNi

CONTROVERSIAL ART- 2 items

iPad artwork on display in major David Hockney exhibit
Martha Mendoza, The Associated Press
Published Sunday, October 27, 2013 10:47AM EDT

http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/ipad-artwork-on-display-in-major-david-hockney-exhibit-1.1515463#ixzz2iw4EfWfT
*/*/*

Art school student to lose virginity in front of class
by Lauren O'Neil Posted: October 25, 2013 5:29 PM Last Updated: October 25, 2013 5:32 PM
Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Community

"A 19-year-old student has made waves this week with the announcement of a controversial upcoming project in which he intends to lose his virginity live in front of an audience -- all in the name of art."

http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2013/10/art-school-student-to-lose-virginity-in-front-of-class.html

Same item Huffington
Student Clayton Pettet To Lose Virginity In Live Gay Sex Show For Art Project
SWNS  |  Posted: 24/10/2013 12:07 BST  |  Updated: 24/10/2013 12:11 BST

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/24/student-clayton-pettet-lose-virginity-gay-sex-art-project_n_4154703.html?utm_hp_ref=uk
=-==-
 

2013.10.24 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.24

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD THEORY AND PRACTICE- 3 items

1 page editorial "Leader"

Problems with scientific research
How science goes wrong
Scientific research has changed the world. Now it needs to change itself
Oct 19th 2013

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21588069-scientific-research-has-changed-world-now-it-needs-change-itself-how-science-goes-wrong
*/*/*
4 page article "briefing".

Unreliable research
Trouble at the lab
Scientists like to think of science as self-correcting. To an alarming degree, it is not
Oct 19th 2013

http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21588057-scientists-think-science-self-correcting-alarming-degree-it-not-trouble
*/*//*

25 min. audio from CBC "The Current"

Bogus science paper reveals peer review's flaws
John Bohannon found that many journals are not living up to their peer review promises.

CBC News Posted: Oct 14, 2013 3:30 PM ET Last Updated: Oct 15, 2013
An interview:  A bogus scientific paper about a new anti-cancer compound
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/bogus-science-paper-reveals-peer-review-s-flaws-1.2054004

ECONOMIC VALUE OF GOOD TEACHERS

Knowledge for earnings’ sake
Good teachers have a surprisingly big impact on their pupils’ future income
Oct 12th 2013
"THERE are few policy questions to which improving the quality of education is not a reasonable answer. Yet assessing teachers is far from straightforward. Pupils’ grades or test scores may reflect any of a host of influences, not just the standard of instruction. Neither can one take for granted that good teaching, however it is measured, will translate into better lives for its recipients. In two new working papers…."

http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21587784-good-teachers-have-surprisingly-big-impact-their-pupils-future

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN ECONOMICS

Americans Win Economics Nobel for Market Insights
Scholars Fama, Hansen and Shiller Share Award
By BRENDA CRONIN
Updated Oct. 14, 2013 7:49

"Mr. Shiller, who has kept a diary since the age of 12, said in January he plans
to teach a free online introductory course on financial markets through Coursera.
There will be some emphasis on behavioral finance in the class, he said.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304561004579135023249089820


2013.10.22 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.22

IF YOU KNOW AN INTROVERT—OR WANT TO—OR ARE.

"Personal File March 2003
Caring for Your Introvert
The habits and needs of a little-understood group
Jonathan Rauch Mar 1 2003, 12:00 PM
Jonathan Rauch is a correspondent for The Atlantic and a senior writer for National Journal.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/03/caring-for-your-introvert/302696/

There is an interesting follow up to the above article.

"Interviews February 2006
Introverts of the World, Unite!
A conversation with Jonathan Rauch, the author who—thanks to an astonishingly popular essay in the March 2003 Atlantic—may have unwittingly touched off an Introverts' Rights revolution
Sage Stossel Feb 14 2006, 11:44 AM

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/02/introverts-of-the-world-unite/304646/
*/**
THE LESSER SNOW GOOSE STORY
"Best times to view them at the Sanctuary: mid-Oct. to mid-Dec. and mid-March to mid-April."
http://www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com/snow.html

ACHES PAINS AND WEATHER
Health Journal
How Your Knees Can Predict the Weather
Granny was right: Scientists find link between achy joints and the forecast
Oct. 14, 2013 7:12 p.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304500404579127833656537554

OH, TO BE ONLY "MIDDLE AGED" AGAIN
Middle-Aged Men, Too, Can Blame Estrogen for That Waistline
By GINA KOLATA
Published: September 11

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/science/middle-aged-men-can-blame-estrogen-too.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


2013.10.19 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.19


FOR BOOK CLUB "Triumph of the City" –2 items

Friday Oct 18:  there was some discussion of income disparity. That is the subject of this mind blowing fact.

"9 Out Of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact"
http://utrend.tv/v/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact/
*/*/

"WORLD: Delhi’s Urban Sprawl
As Delhi continues to expand, people living at the edges of the sprawling city question the benefits of urbanization
October 18th, 2013"

video 4 min
http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000002506481/delhis-urban-sprawl.html

BEDTIME FOR SENIORS 3 items

"Sleep helps brain stay fit by clearing waste ."

http://www.france24.com/en/20131017-sleep-helps-brain-stay-fit-clearing-waste
*/*
"My Body Changed. So Did Intimacy.
By JOYCE WADLER
Published: October 18, 2013"
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/booming/my-body-changed-so-did-intimacy.html
*/*/
"Data-Mining Our Dreams
By KELLY BULKELEY
Published: October 18, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/opinion/sunday/data-mining-our-dreams.html"

2013.10.15 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.15

FROM THE UN TO TERRY BIXBY
Interesting result of following a trail of curiosity through the web.
It started with a Globe & Mail commentary

What Canada committed against First Nations was genocide. The UN should recognize it
PHIL FONTAINE AND BERNIE FARBER
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Oct. 14 2013, 7:30 AM EDT
Last updated Monday, Oct. 14 2013

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/what-canada-committed-against-first-nations-was-genocide-the-un-should-recognize-it/article14853747/

Following up on one of the signatories:
Dr. Michael Dan, president of Gemini Power Corporation.

http://geminipowercorp.ca/breakingnewsc11.php?command=viewArticle&ID=15&currentFeed=2&t=GPC-President-Michael-Dan-Profiled-in-Globe-%26-Mail

ending with a Globe & Mail article with a photo of Terry Bixby

http://geminipowercorp.ca/photos/custom/Documents/Globe_Article_on_MDD_Scan_121026.pdf

The world gets smaller and smaller.

WALKING MORE
Walking more 'would save thousands' of lives in the UK

"......Being physically active decreases the odds of heart problems and stroke.

But it also makes a difference in other conditions such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and
many cancers."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24396352


SNOW GEESE
'Blizzard of white' descends on Metro Vancouver
Tens of thousands of snow geese expected on Fraser Estuary
By Catherine Rolfsen, CBC News Posted: Oct 11, 2013 6:25 AM PT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/blizzard-of-white-descends-on-metro-vancouver-1.1990755

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN ECONOMIC
Americans Win Economics Nobel for Market Insights
Scholars Fama, Hansen and Shiller Share Award
By BRENDA CRONIN
Updated Oct. 14, 2013 7:49

"Mr. Shiller, who has kept a diary since the age of 12, said in January he plans
to teach a free online introductory course on financial markets through Coursera.
There will be some emphasis on behavioral finance in the class, he said.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304561004579135023249089820


 2013.10.12 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.12

TODAY'S BONUS
If you have not yet experienced the sense of satisfaction of doing just a little good in the world via Kiva, then here is a no-cost opportunity to give Kiva a try. The first reader [who is not yet a Kiva lender] to use the following link gets a fee opportunity to make a $25 loan to someone in the developing world. It is free! What is there to lose?
http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/daniel2049

MEMORIES OF KENYA – AND FOR ANIMAL LOVERS.
Photos: Walking with elephants in Kenya

Amboseli National Park is home to many wild animals, but it's the elephants that
are the star of the show.
 Photos: Walking with elephants in Kenya
 Amboseli National Park is home to many wild animals, but it's the elephants that are the star of the show.
OCTOBER 9, 2013

http://www.montrealgazette.com/travel/Photos+African+park/9016258/story.html?cid=hot_photo

Note that the same article has a link to photos of:
Photos: View of B.C.'s Great Bear Rain Forest
Spirit bears, grizzly bears, black bears and all sorts of wildlife and natural vistas await visitors to Great Bear Rain Forest in B.C.
October 9, 2013 12Photos: View of B.C.'s Great Bear...

http://www.montrealgazette.com/travel/Photos+View+Great+Bear+Rain+Forest/9016111/story.html
=-=-=

HERBALS AND HEALTH
Herbal products omit ingredients, Canadian study warns
(AFP) 18 hours ago

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ip0HmmFHBGzUm3dyjTGZfw-HKshw?docId=94f64bc7-e0f6-4f72-9a72-3fb33cc505f5

same story different re-write:
Herbal product contamination 'considerable,' DNA tests find
Unlisted ingredients and fillers could pose 'serious health risks'
CBC News Posted: Oct 11, 2013 7:21 AM ET

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/herbal-product-contamination-considerable-dna-tests-find-1.1959278



2013.10.05 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.10.05

UPDATE ON TONG'S NEWSPAPER VENTURE

SAY NO TO CORPORATE KINGS: Tycoon Tong tells of how powerful rivals got his media licence "DEFERRED"
Written by       Tong Kooi Ong
"….On 28 August 2013, we received another letter from the Ministry that said “Penangguhan Permit Penerbitan”. The approval we received just a week earlier was now “deferred”. No reason and no indication for how long was given….."

Full article:
http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=170652:say-no-to-corporate-kings-tycoon-tong-tells-of-how-powerful-rivals-got-his-media-licence-deferred&Itemid=2#axzz2gnfv9cxg

It is an excellent article on the important topic of how healthy competition is one of the best ways to improve the welfare of the people.

PAULSON'S STORY OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS.
Don't be put off by the headline- interesting.

Lehman Brothers Abyss Had Paulson Seeking Prayer Amid Crisis
By Henry Paulson, as told to Joe Berlinger & Josh Tyrangiel - Sep 12, 2013 5:19 AM PT
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-12/lehman-brothers-abyss-had-paulson-seeking-prayer-amid-crisis-1-.html

FOR MY GREEK FRIENDS
EUROPE NEWS
Back to Work: Greece Deletes Computer Leave Six-Day Vacation Bonus for Computer Use to Be Scrapped
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323846504579073143248135688.html?mod=WSJ_hppMIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond


2013.09.26 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.09.26

REMINDER OF THE CIDA/UofA UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI PROJECT-
"Carolyn McAskie is part of a group of very accomplished foreign policy experts who released a booklet this week entitled "The United Nations and Canada: What Canada has done and should be doing at the United Nations.''

A former assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping at the UN from 2006-2008 and career diplomat, McAskie insists the Harper government misrepresents what the UN does.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/why-stephen-harper-has-no-time-for-the-un-chris-hall-1.1868384

FOR THOSE CURIOUS ABOUT THE SFU RETIREE WALKING CLUB
Confession, it is not from my readings-just a chance to share the beauty of BC and the fact that this remnant of the Nairobi project can still walk even if I use hiking sticks! [photo posting and credit Parveen- the walk leader].
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kgehmqv2k191uiw/1NryeetRj4



2013.09.24 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.09.24

FOR BOOK CLUB "TRIUMPH OF THE CITY
Trouble in Metroland
London’s suburbs and commuter towns are suffering from the growing gravitational pull of the inner city
Aug 24th 2013
http://www.economist.com/news/britain/21584004-londons-suburbs-and-commuter-towns-are-suffering-growing-gravitational-pull
Note in particular the graph of job growth in Inner London.

FOR BOOK CLUB "ON POLITICS"
How Marshall Berman reclaimed modernity for Marxists.
The Bronx-born writer who died last week saw the danger of leaving decisions about public spaces to the technocrats
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/17/marshall-berman-modernity-marxists
"It is sad to hear of Marshall Berman's death. All That is Solid Melts into Air is one of the most stimulating books on the modern city, rich and imaginative. Compelling reading. It was Marshall Berman's review (in The Nation) that inspired me to read Mike Davis' City of Quartz. I'll always be grateful for that."

FOR MEMBERS OF THE KIVA TEAM "Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious"
SUNDAY, SEP 22, 2013 03:59 AM PDT
Atheism starts its megachurch: Is it a religion now?
The non-religious Assembly is perhaps the fastest growing church in the world -- and it's coming to a
mall near you
BY KATIE ENGELHART

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/22/atheism_starts_its_megachurch_is_it_a_religion_now/

The article has numerous and interesting links including this one to a book by Alain Botton, "Religion for Atheists"

For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing lots of peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.
http://www.alaindebotton.com/religion.asp



2013.09.21 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.09.21

FOR  G.I. GENERATION, BABY BOOMERs, GEN X, GEN Y, AND GYPSYs

Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy
Posted: 09/15/2013 12:05 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wait-but-why/generation-y-unhappy_b_3930620.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

BRAIN POWER

Are we close to making human ‘mind control’ a reality?
By Michael Millar
9 September 2013 Last updated at 19:20 ET

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23994649

FOR ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS AND NATURE LOVERS

Google Street View Unleashes 360-Degree Tour of Galápagos Islands
http://mashable.com/2013/09/12/google-street-view-galapagos-tour/
That is a 1 minute preview

For access to the collection of 30
https://www.google.com/maps/views/streetview/galapagos-islands?gl=us

2013.09.18 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.09.18

THE MOST DANGEROUS DRUG
"Sugar is 'addictive and the most dangerous drug of the times'
Soft drinks should carry tobacco-style warnings that sugar is highly addictive and dangerous, a senior Dutch health official has warned."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/netherlands/10314705/Sugar-is-addictive-and-the-most-dangerous-drug-of-the-times.html

MOLASSES
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the refining of sugarcane, grapes, or sugar beets into sugar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses

HIGH BLOOD SUGAR
Wider understanding
How the bacteria in your gut may be shaping your waistline
Sep 14th 2013 | NEW YORK

"….latest research into metabolic syndrome, the nasty clique that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, unbalanced cholesterol and, of course, obesity."

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21586269-how-bacteria-your-gut-may-be-shaping-your-waistline-wider-understanding

2013.09.10 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.09.10

FOR THE BOOK CLUB- 2 items
Dan checked Triumph of the Cities. The index indicates almost no references to technology.
"Clever cities
"The multiplexed metropolis
Enthusiasts think that data services can change cities in this century as much as electricity did in the last one. They are a long way from proving their case
Sep 7th 2013 | AMSTERDAM AND BARCELONA
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21585002-enthusiasts-think-data-services-can-change-cities-century-much-electricity

"Urban dreamscapes
"Starting from scratch
"Building the city of the future is costly and hard
"Sep 7th 2013 | MASDAR, ABU DHABI
http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21585003-building-city-future-costly-and-hard-starting-scratch
*/*/*
TIME SENSITIVE: MUNK DEBATE
Syria is in the news—a relevant debate
13.09.10 an e-mail from the Munk Debate offers TIME SENSITIVE [ONLY WITHIN 48 HOURSE] free access to their 2008 debate on the issue of:

"Watch now: The 2008 Munk Debate on Humanitarian Intervention
Dear Munk Debates Member:

"It is the global issue of the moment: should America strike Syria to punish the regime of Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons?

"To contribute to the public debate of this complex issue we are making available our 2008 Munk Debate on Humanitarian Intervention for free, unlimited online viewing for the next 48 hours.

"This compelling debate features the former Australian Foreign Minister and head of the International Crisis Group Gareth Evans, the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton, renowned actress and human rights campaigner Mia Farrow, and the outspoken former Canadian Chief of Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier.
"Click here to watch the entire debate uninterrupted and commercial-free."
[ here is the link :
http://munkdebates.com/interventionvideo   ]

HAPPINESS
Canada ranks 6th in global happiness survey
Main factors include social ties, freedom, UN-sponsored report says
CBC News Posted: Sep 9, 2013 12:04 AM ET Last Updated: Sep 9, 2013 2:51
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/09/08/happiness-canada-2013.html

Full report is at:
http://unsdsn.org/files/2013/09/WorldHappinessReport2013_online.pdf

Top 10 happiest countries
1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Switzerland
4. Netherlands
5. Sweden
6. Canada
7. Finland
8. Austria
9. Iceland
10. Australia
More details at.
http://dlmblogmissn.blogspot.ca/2013/08/oh-canada-oh-so-good.html

2013.08.23 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.08.23

Healing or Hocum- notes for retired nurses
life / health features
Langara expands holistic healing programs
by GAIL JOHNSON on AUG 21, 2013
http://www.straight.com/life/411866/langara-expands-holistic-healing-programs
Note the comment letter as well.
-=-=-
FOR ARTISTS
Artists 'better protected' against dementia, study finds
Music and art are less vulnerable to cognitive decline, Canadian neurologists say
CBC News Posted: Aug 22, 2013 5:03 PM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/08/22/art-dementia.html
*/*
ASMR: The amazing tingles you have to feel to believe
Thousands seek out the hard-to-explain sensation online
http://o.canada.com/2013/08/15/asmr-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response-tingles-asmrtists-whisperers-reddit/
*/*/**/
Try not to smile at this raccoon and dog play fighting
By Cottage Life
http://cottagelife.com/72824/blogs/try-not-to-smile-at-this-raccoon-and-dog-play-fighting-2

=-=-=
Watermelon juice: summer drink and muscle soother
Watermelon 'boosts athletic performance and improves recovery'
Eating watermelon before exercise helps cut recovery time and boost performance, a study has found.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10243473/Watermelon-boosts-athletic-performance-and-improves-recovery.html
*/*/*
Study seeks secrets of 'super agers': Old folk with 'young' brains
http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/health-headlines/study-seeks-secrets-of-super-agers-old-folk-with-young-brains-1.1421633#ixzz2ciFK4S9r

2013.08.08 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.08.08

The perils of sitting down
Standing orders
Real science lies behind the fad for standing up at work
Aug 10th 2013
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21583239-real-science-lies-behind-fad-standing-up-work-standing-orders?fsrc=nlw|hig|8-8-2013|6338624|35025521

2013.07.29 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.07.29

WHEN I SAW THIS I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT
But I forget what it is about
'Senior moments' may have real link to Alzheimer's disease
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-senior-moments-alzheimers-20130717,0,1159950.story
Oh yes, I see the word in the title.
*/*/*

VANCOUVER FOOD NOTES

Best Restaurants In Vancouver For Vegetarian Food
The Huffington Post B.C.  |  By Fiona Morrow Posted: 07/20/2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/20/best-restaurants-vancouver-vegetarian_n_3626380.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-british-columbia
=-==
Have you ever wondered where the name of the street you live on came from? Well, wonder no more! Published by
the Vancouver Historical ...
More results for street names of vancouver free ebook
http://vancouverisawesome.com/2011/02/17/street-names-of-vancouver-free-download/

Food Cart Fest sets up shop in False Creek
Food Cart Fest will run every Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. until September 22. Admission to the weekly festival is $2 and children 13
and under enter for free.
bhttp://www.straight.com/food/390281/food-cart-fest-sets-shop-false-creeky

HEALTH NOTES
More evidence not all prostate cancers need treatment
By Kathryn Doyle
NEW YORK | Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:45am
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/us-prostate-cancers-idUSBRE96M0L720130723
*/*/*

PILOT NOTES
Flying on empty: 5 Harrowing gliding incidents
Heroic landings of commercial jets after running out of fuel – with no lives lost
CBC News Last Updated: July 18, 2013
http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/gliders/

2013.07.11 Dan's Daily Dispatch 20130711

FOR THE MUSICALLY INCLINED
Choir singers 'synchronise their heartbeats'
By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC World Service
The researchers also found that choral singing had the overall effect of slowing the heart rate.
This, they said, was another effect of the controlled breathing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23230411

WILDLIFE AND ANIMALS
*/*/
GOPHERS & OTHER ANIMAL COMMUNICATION
Prairie dogs' language decoded by scientists
Human-animal translation devices may be available within 10 years, researcher says
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/06/21/science-prairie-dog-language-decoded.html
*/*/
Seal serenaded with saxophone music at Taronga zoo -
video [1 minute after short commercial]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/video/2013/jul/05/seal-saxophone-taronga-zoo-video

OF UNIVERSAL INTEREST
"What Do Women Want?: Adventures in the Science of
Female Desire by Daniel Bergner – review
On promiscuity, porn, monogamy ... this study of female sexuality overturns some tenacious assumptions.."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jul/11/what-do-women-want-review
=-=-=-

PHOTOGRAPHY  FRAMING
Number 1 question to ask before you take a photo

https://www.inkling.com/read/landscape-photography-from-snapshots-to-great-shots-sheppard-1st/chapter-4/getting-out-of-the-middle#c7a4f6d40480481892aacadc2595deb2?utm_campaign=20130611%20q2%20landscape%20outbrain&utm_source=outbrain.com&utm_medium=paid%20referral
*/*/*

FOR THE ARTISTICALLY INCLINED
Photos: Mirror art creates gravity-defying illusion
At interactive installation displayed in London, the facade of a terraced house was built on the ground with a large mirror above it. When people position themselves on the structure, they are reflected so as to appear dangling from the house.

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Photos+Mirror+creates+gravity+defying+illusion/8572176/story.html?cid=hot_photo#ixzz2XedjHznM

for a better view go to
http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=14756
click on view images.
=-=-=

2013.07.15 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.07.15

REMINDERS OF KENYA: BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS. 
[special thanks to Al H. for the 2 links]

http://www.kenyapics.com/

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/se0nij8510wzez7/m79oJAJBFX/LL%20suggestions

ANOTHER FOR ANIMAL LOVERS
Beluga whales serenaded in northern Manitoba
Two Winnipeg artists hold summer concert series on the western edge of Hudson Bay for their largest fans: thousands of beluga
whales

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Technology%20and%20Science/ID/2396317447/
=-=-=

IF I KNEW THIS
I might not have submitted my resignation to Taiga to take effect Aug. 8
[or did I remember to do that?]

Preventing Dementia: Delaying Retirement May Help, French Study Finds
CP  |  By Marilynn Marchione, The Associated Press Posted: 07/15/2013 8:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/15/preventing-dementia_n_3598041.html

BUT I will still keep up with the walking group
Exercise Prevents Dementia Study Shows Link Between
Fitness And Cognitive Abilities
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/05/exercise-prevents-dementia-study_n_2622363.html

AND keep taking my vitamins
B-vitamins may help stave off Alzheimer's Disease–study
Julia Jasmine Madrazo-Sta. RomanaJune 24, 2013

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/314293/scitech/science/b-vitamins-may-help-stave-off-alzheimer-s-disease-study

full text at
http://www.pnas.org/content/110/23/9523.full
requires subscription but possibly available via library

Magnetic Brain Stimulation Might Aid Stroke Recovery:
Study
Small trial found patients had faster recovery of lost language, speech skills
June 27, 2013
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/06/27/magnetic-brain-stimulation-might-aid-stroke-recovery-study

Hmm.. does this work for…. what was it I was trying to reference?

2013.07.04 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.07.04  Flash: Sandel on CBC1@0930 today


FOR PHILOSOPHERS: 2 items

Sandel to be interviewed by  Anna Maria Tremonti on CBC Radio 1 Thur. July 4 at 0930 PDT on The Current.

*/*/
Book Review Hobbes’s “Leviathan”
"Britain’s first modern philosopher
The significations of his words
After more than 350 years, the first critical edition of Hobbes’s “Leviathan”
Oct 6th 2012"
http://www.economist.com/node/21564180
"Thomas Hobbes: Leviathan. Edited by Noel Malcolm. Oxford University Press; 1,832 pages; $375 and £195"
====

For artists, art lovers, and art in politics

Chinese art during the Cultural Revolution
Expressions of rebellion
Jun 3rd 2013,
http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2013/06/chinese-art-during-cultural-revolution?fsrc=nlw|newe|6-4-2013|5831785|35025521|
====

For the artistically inclined
The Diarist, the Commentator, and the Seer. Three accomplished B.C. talents show compelling works at the new south Granville
Street gallery.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Galleries+this+Week+Monomania+Vancouver+Emerging+more/8606599/story.html

FOR ATHLTIC RUNNERS
Specialty running shoes may not reduce injuries
New Danish study contradicts long-held beliefs about running-related damage
CBC News
Posted: Jun 27, 2013
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/06/27/running-shoes-injuries.html

2013.06.25 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.06.25

Safe driving Keep your mind on the road
Hands-free texting is more distracting to drivers than using a mobile phone
Jun 22nd 2013
"…..As might be expected, listening to the radio or to a book were the least distracting activities (with scores of 1.21 and 1.75). Talking to a passenger (2.33) and talking on the phone (2.27 if hands-free and 2.45 if hand-held) were intermediate. The most distracting, at 3.06, was hands-free texting. On a scale where 5.0 is the most distracted it is possible to be, that is worryingly high….."
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21579795-hands-free-texting-more-distracting-drivers-using-mobile-phone-keep

*/*/
FOR THE BOOK CLUB
The genetics of politics
Body politic
Slowly, and in some quarters grudgingly, the influence of genes in shaping political outlook and behaviour is being recognised
Oct 6th 2012
http://www.economist.com/node/21564191
*/*/*
Handwriting or typing?  JUST FOR RICHARD
Coyne: Words on paper - how we write affects what we write
By Andrew Coyne, Calgary Herald June 25, 2013
http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/Coyne+Words+paper+write+affects+what+write/8574083/story.html
=-=-=--=
AS OTHERS SEE US, AL JAZEERA LOOKS AT VANCOUVER GENTRIFICATION

Gentrification battle
Redevelopment project aimed to mix social classes ignites tensions.
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201306242359-0022850
Video is 28min.

*/*/*
2013.06.23 Dan's Daily Dispatch

Solstice Supermoon Fills Sky This Weekend
This weekend's full moon will be the biggest and brightest of 2013
"Armchair astronomers can also catch the sky show virtually via a live high-definition webcast of the supermoon through SLOOH telescopes in the Canary Islands,
off the coast of Africa, starting at 9 p.m. EDT or 6 p.m. PDT on June 23.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/130622-supermoon-solstice-biggest-science-space-2013-june/  "

I suspect the connection is
http://events.slooh.com/
But I have not tested it.

2013.06.18 Dan's Daily Dispatch 20130618

ONE ON RECREATION – OR IS IT ONE ON ONE?
Can Ottawa produce anything worthwhile?
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/17/canadian-two-armed-vibrator-maker-wins-us-patent-case

FOR THE MUSHROOM CLUB
Violin-making
Magic mushrooms
Violins constructed from infected wood sound like those of Stradivari
http://www.economist.com/node/21563276

A FEW ON HEALTH ETC.

http://urologytimes.modernmedicine.com/node/370848
Diet changes reduce all-cause mortality risk in prostate cancer patients
Publish date: JUN 17, 201

Superfoods have been shown to fight prostate cancer, in a ground-breaking study.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10093092/Superfoods-shown-to-fight-prostate-cancer.html

*/*/*/
Website helps Parkinson's patients avoid protein-medication
interaction
By Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press June 17, 2013
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Website+helps+Parkinsons+patients+avoid+proteinmedication/8536263/story.html#ixzz2WZetWvC8

Sibling bullying is linked to worse mental health for kid and teen victims.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/17/bullying-siblings-aggression/2421067/

Tai chi is the slow, graceful path to health for 2.3 million Americans --
and science backs up the benefits
Formerly viewed in the states as a senior citizens' workout, the ancient Chinese practice of tai
chi, which has its roots in martial arts, can be an effective workout for anyone, experts say.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/tai-chi-slow-graceful-path-health-2-3-million-americans-article-1.1374809#ixzz2Wa2d0AX7

2013.06.16 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.06.16

FOR ANIMAL LOVERS, TOURISTS, AND BC PROMOTION
Whale of a tale: Orcas seen roaming Vancouver waters
[note and apology: short commercial before each video]
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/whale-of-a-tale-orcas-seen-roaming-vancouver-waters-1.1326474#ixzz2WIoS1tyv
and
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/whale-of-a-tale-orcas-seen-roaming-vancouver-waters-1.1326474

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/whale-of-a-tale-orcas-seen-roaming-vancouver-waters-1.1326474
………
FOR MY GREEK FRIENDS
The Greek national public broadcaster has been suddenly shut down while an interview was going to air. It was mere hours after the government decided to close
the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation to save costs.
Martin Cuddihy
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-12/greek-public-broadcaster-taken-off-the-air/4750000
see also
http://www.enetenglish.gr/?i=news.en.politics&id=1158
………
FOR RDSP INVESTORS
Risks with exempt securities
Victoria adviser cost investors $65M, alleges BCSC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/06/06/bc-bcsc-david-michaels.html

2013.06.02 Dan's Daily Dispatch 130602
Munk Debate Taxing The Rich. Follow up
the web site  for later viewing of munk is
http://munkdebates.com/debate-videos/taxing-the-rich-video

2013.05.30Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.05.30

FOR THE SOCIALLY CONCERNED
"The world’s next great leap forward
Towards the end of poverty
Nearly 1 billion people have been taken out of extreme poverty in 20 years. The world should aim to do the same again
Jun 1st 2013"
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21578665-nearly-1-billion-people-have-been-taken-out-extreme-poverty-20-years-world-should-aim?fsrc=nlw|hig|5-30-2013|5803230|35025521
The comments on the editorial are thoughtful.
*/*/
HUMOUR FOR SENIORS
A sweet old lady is asked to say Grace at a gathering of "Seniors at Home" caregivers, and she brought down the house about 90 seconds into her prayer.
Getting Old = Mary Maxwell  7minutes
http://stg.do/9i0c
*/**/
ON CLIMATE CHANGE
"Global warming caused by CFCs, not carbon dioxide, study says"
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1174857/global-warming-caused-by-cfcs-not-carbon-dioxide-study-says
extract of original source is
http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0217979213500732
Q.-B. LU, Int. J. Mod. Phys. B DOI: 10.1142/S0217979213500732
"COSMIC-RAY-DRIVEN REACTION AND GREENHOUSE EFFECT
OF HALOGENATED MOLECULES: CULPRITS FOR
ATMOSPHERIC OZONE DEPLETION AND GLOBAL CLIMATE
CHANGE"
*/*/

ON HEALTH, WALKING, RUNING
Is It Better to Walk or Run?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/is-it-better-to-walk-or-run/?src=me&ref=general
            Daniel McDonald
 References:

2013.05.16 Dan's Daily Dispatch 13.05.16
For animal lovers
Trapped ducklings in Windsor saved by cellphone app
CBC News
Posted: May 15, 2013 12:36 PM ET
see the short video
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/05/15/wdr-cellphone-app-saves-ducklings-storm-drain.html

*/*/
for psychologists
DSM-5By the book
The American Psychiatric Association’s latest diagnostic manual
remains a flawed attempt to categorise mental illness
May 18th 2013
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21578024-american-psychiatric-associations-latest-diagnostic-manual-remains-flawed?fsrc=nlw|hig|5-16-2013|5722602|35025521|
*/*/
for gourmets, cooks and psychologists.
The 5 senses of flavour: How colour and sound can make your dinner
taste better
ANN HUI
The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Mar. 19 2013
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/the-5-senses-of-flavour-how-colour-and-sound-can-make-your-dinner-taste-better/article9957597/

2013.05.15 Dan's Daily Dispatch 130515
Tax the Rich
Only 1 today; it is mechanism to see the May 30 Munk debate on topic.
"Tax the Rich"
"For personal reasons, Robert Reich has had to withdraw from the debate. As his
                      replacement, we are very pleased to welcome New York Times columnist, Nobel Prize winner,
                      and global authority on economic inequality, Paul Krugman."
see sign up link in the announcement I am forwarding below my footer.

2013.04.23 Dan's Daily Dispatch 20130423

Financial Products
Alchemists of Wall Street at it again: Arcane-sounding names hide big risks
Nathaniel Popper, The New York Times | 13/04/19

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/04/19/alchemists-of-wall-street-at-it-again-arcane-sounding-names-hide-big-risks/
*/
Science vs Math
‘Disgraceful’ professor ignites firestorm over his secret: modern scientists do not need advanced math
Joseph Brean | 13/04/19 | Last Updated: 13/04/20 5:37 PM ET
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/19/science-vs-math/
-*-*

Exporting companies and wages.
Good article about wages in export oriented companies. The headline is very poor as it fails to focus on main topic .
"Trudeau favours trade. So far so good
William Watson | 13/04/18 | Last Updated: 13/04/18 3:22 PM ET

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2013/04/18/trudeau-favours-trade-so-far-so-good/
*/*/*
Political position and BC Election
"Vote Compass is an educational tool developed by political scientists. Answer a short series of questions to discover how you fit in the British Columbian political landscape."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bcvotes2013/features/votecompass/

2013.04.19 Dan's Daily Dispatch 130419
For Turkey Travelers
US tourist faces jail in Turkey for collecting beach 'stones'
An American tourist who collected stones during a six-day beach holiday with his wife was briefly detained in Turkey and faces trial for attempting to smuggle historical artifacts, he said on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22013551/us-tourist-faces-jail-in-turkey-for-collecting-beach-stones#ixzz2Qsvt0Jy7

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22013551/us-tourist-faces-jail-in-turkey-for-collecting-beach-stones#axzz2QpOTN1Sq

2013.04.02 Dan's Daily Dispatch 20130402

Testamentary trusts under scrutiny over tax benefit

"…One of the items in last week’s federal budget that perhaps got the least amount of attention yet could potentially affect the wills and estate planning of thousands of Canadians is the proposed consultation on the taxation of testamentary trusts…"

"….In a testamentary trust, however, the progressive graduated personal tax rates apply, resulting in lower tax rates on the first $135,000 of trust income. This can result in tax savings as high as $20,000 annually, which will vary by province, when income is taxed in a testamentary trust instead of perhaps in the hands of a high income beneficiary had they inherited the funds directly and subsequently invested them…"

This significance of all this for PLAN families is that the use of non discretionary testamentary trusts can often be a useful mechanism for providing financial security for someone with a disability.

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/03/30/testamentary-trusts/

Learn more. Enroll in Plan seminar on May 16
Wills Trusts and Estates: In-Person
https://plan-31.myshopify.com/products/wills-trusts-and-estates-in-person

2013.03.18Dan's Daily Dispatch 130318
What do you believe
Mary Hynes: What do you believe?
 > CBC Radio's Tapestry host says it's a loaded question
 > By Mary Hynes, CBC News
 > Posted: Mar 17, 2013
 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/03/15/f-faith-what-do-you-believe-mary-hynes.html
 > But ask the religion scholar and bestselling author Karen Armstrong,
"What do you believe?"
2013.03.19 Dan's Daily Dispatch 130319

Do academics own the titles of their articles?
What happens if someone co-opts someone else's title in academia without giving due credit?
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/03/2013317135620258615.html
Joshua A. Tucker
Joshua A. Tucker is a Professor of Politics at New York University
===
follow up for music lovers
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/03/18/ryan-wang-piano-prodigy.html
5-year-old B.C. piano prodigy gets Carnegie Hall debut
Listen to the video clip.
====
googling google
11 Google products and services you never knew existed
http://business.financialpost.com/2013/03/18/11-google-products-and-services-you-never-knew-existed/?__lsa=98c5-fc1b

note the following in particular

Google Art Project is a site that lets users takes virtual tours of museums and art galleries, similar to Google Street View.
http://www.googleartproject.com/

Google Scholar is a search engine for scholarly articles. Scholar is pretty expansive, letting you access articles, theses, books, abstracts and court
opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites.
http://scholar.google.ca/

Google Transliterate is a service that helps users type in a different language.
http://www.google.com/inputtools/cloud/try/

Power Searching with Google is a feature that sharpens users search skills. Google’s search experts offer tips and tricks to better navigate the
search engine and help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
http://www.powersearchingwithgoogle.com/

Strangely, one that is not mentioned in the article is:
http://translate.google.com/
I've not used it extensively but have used it with French and with Bahasa Indonesian.
==
headline giggle for the day
‘He’s got the rifle, I got the rack’: Sarah Palin explains relationship
with her husband at in CPAC speech
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/16/sarah-palin-cpac-speech/

2013.30.26 Dan's Daily Dispatch 2013.30.26

This for egg producers, critter lovers, regular lovers, and eclectic readers.
Diagram Prize Winner 2013: 'Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop' Wins Year's Weirdest Book Title
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/22/diagram-prize-winner-2013-_n_2931259.html?utm_hp_ref=books
The book took 38 percent of the votes in a public ballot, beating finalists including "How Tea Cosies Changed the World," "Was Hitler Ill?" and "God's Doodle: The Life and Times of the Penis."

More for critter lovers
 > Monarch butterfly numbers drop by 'ominous' 59%
 > CBC News
 > Posted: Mar 15, 2013 10:26 AM ET
 >
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/03/15/wdr-monarch-butterflies-decline.html
 >
Vegetarians and religionists
Jews divided by great Passover debate: Is quinoa kosher?
http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/03/25/jews-divided-by-great-passover-debate-is-quinoa-kosher/

2013.03.14 Dan's Daily Dispatch 20130314
Piano Prodigy
A five-year-old piano prodigy from West Vancouver is preparing for his debut at New York's Carnegie Hall.
CBC News  Posted: Mar 14, 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/14/bc-piano-prodigy-carnegie-hall.html

watch the video clips,  hear the interview
*/*/*

Food cravings engineered by industry
How Big Food keeps us eating through a combination of science and marketing
By Kelly Crowe, CBC News
Posted: Mar 6, 2013 11:43 AM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/03/05/f-vp-crowe-food-addiction.html
*/*
Rare burrowing owl
Rare owl spotted by accident
A CBC documentary crew unwittingly taped a rare burrowing owl
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/2341769152/
*/*/

2013.03.12Dan's Daily Dispatch 130312
CONSUMER PROTECTION, HEALTH, BUSINESS ETHICS, FREE MARKETS
Sugar industry's secret documents echo tobacco tactics
Sugar Association's intent to use science to defeat critics uncovered by dentist
By Kelly Crowe, CBC News
Posted: Mar 8, 2013
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/03/08/f-vp-crowe-big-sugar.html
original Mother Jones article.
Document Dive: What's Inside the Sugar Industry's Filing Cabinets?
Internal papers reveal a strategy to safeguard sugar from "opportunists," "pseudoscientists," and "enemies."
—By Maya Dusenbery
| Wed Oct. 31, 2012
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/10/sugar-industry-internal-documents-revealed
*/*/*/*
HOMOPHOBIA
Quebec launches anti-homophobia campaign
$7.1 million, five-year project
The Canadian Press
Posted: Mar 9, 2013
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/03/09/quebec-anti-homophobia.html
*/*/*/*

2013.03.11Dan's Daily Dispatch 130311

FOR MY VICTORIA SUBSCRIBERS
Canada’s last un-amalgamated cities
Tristin Hopper | 13/03/08 | Last Updated: 13/03/09 3:53 AM ET
More from Tristin Hopper

"beneath its flower baskets and English charm, Victoria is one of Canada’s most balkanized urban areas. In a region of only 340,000 people and three federal MPs,
there are seven police forces and 13 fire departments, all controlled by a small army of city councilors working in 13 different city halls.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/03/08/tear-down-the-borders-victoria-area-residents-rallying-support-for-amalgamation-of-13-municipalities/
*/*/*

FOR MY GREEK SUBSCRIBERS
Thousands of Greeks protest planned Canadian gold mine
The Associated Press
Posted: Mar 9, 2013 5:56 PM ET

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/03/09/wrd-greece-protest-canada-gold-mine-eldorado.html
*/*/*
FOR MY ANIMAL LOVER SUBSCRIBERS

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/mar/08/rare-footage-snow-leopard-video

Footage shows a snow leopard in the mountains of Qinghai Province, China. The images were captured on infrared cameras by wildlife photographer Matse
Rangja, who has only managed to film the leopard once before in eight years. Snow leopards are rarely seen by humans and are listed on the International Union for
the Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species
*/*/*
2013.03.08 Dan's Daily Dispatch 130308

Drama teacher, academic freedom
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/03/07/christie-blatchford-teacher-who-handed-out-crass-jokes-fired-for-the-canadian-sin-of-being-inappropriate/
.....
The Seven Secrets of Spectacular Sex
Posted: 03/08/2013 5:26 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/marcia-sirota/how-to-have-great-sex_b_2829361.html
*/*/*/*/
2013.03.07 Dan's Daily Dispatch 130307
Reversing the ravages of Parkinson's
Thanks to an innovative treatment that stimulates the brain, Dr. Philip Rutherford feels like a 'new man' and will soon return to work
By Pamela Fayerman, Vancouver Sun March 6, 2013
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Reversing+ravages+Parkinson/8055765/story.html
---
Free speech,  university policy, consumer protection, health care
Anti-vaccine movement coming to Vancouver
Centre for Inquiry says SFU should not host conference
CBC News
Posted: Mar 6, 2013 7:41 PM PT
Last Updated: Mar 6, 2013 10:10 PM P
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/06/bc-vaccine-sfu.html
---
2 million Canadians in 'live-apart' relationships
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/05/relationship-separate-address.html
CBC News
Posted: Mar 5, 2013 9:14 AM PT
Last Updated: Mar 5, 2013
--

2013.03.04 Dan's Daily Dispatch 130304

RE: ARTHRITIS
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/03/01/arthritis-rheumatoid-infections.html

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.21812/abstract

RE: SHINGLES VACCINATION FOR SENIORS
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/02/28/shingles-vaccine-seniors.html

According to the drug company's own research:

    The vaccine cuts the risk of illness by half for those in their 60s.
    Between the ages of 70 to 79, the effectiveness falls to 41 per cent.
    For those 80 years and older, the effectiveness is less than 20 per cent.

RE: FOR THOSE WHO RISK THEMSELVES AND OTHERS USINNG HANDS FREE

Hands-free calls impair drivers' brains, study suggests

'Hands-free isn't brains-free,' researcher says
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/02/28/technology-hands-free-calls-driving.html

RE: FOR THOSE INVESTING THROUGH PH&N&N
" PH&N again named Best Fund Group Overall

"Canadian mutual funds, hedge funds and fund management firms were
recognized on Tuesday evening in Toronto for their performance over the
past year at the Lipper Fund Awards 2013.

"Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management (PH&N) maintained their
lead in the group categories with two awards: Best Bond Fund Group and
Best Fund Group Overall. PH&N received the overall award in 2011 and
2010 and in the bond category in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011."

http://www.investmentexecutive.com/-/lipper-awards-2013-winners-announced?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=nl&utm_content=investmentexecutive&utm_campaign=INT-EN-saturday

 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

MUTUAL FUND FEES

Mutual fund fees are significantly higher than those in the United States.
The Ontario Securities Commission called for comments. CSA Discussion Paper and Request for Comment 81-407 Mutual Fund Fees http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/documents/en/Securities-Category8/csa_2012123_81-407_rfc-mutual-fund-fees.pdf The call for comments was 50 pages in length. My comment and solution was 1 page. It follows Comment 81-407 Mutual Fund Fees Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:41:30 -0800 To: comments@osc.gov.on.ca Hi Secretary OSC Ontario Securities Commission. Please consider the advantages of free trade. Open the market in Canada to funds from other jurisdictions especially the relatively low cost US. Competition is wonderful in reducing costs. Yes Canadian regulators will object. After all one of their main jobs is to keep their jobs. Note in particular the opposition to a single regulator in Canada. It is indicative of more interest in job retention than overall effectiveness and efficiency. Simply allow free trade with other jurisdictions with adequate oversight e.g. USA. Perhaps Canadian regulators could monitor the level of oversight in other jurisdictions and gradually expand the list of "free trade jurisdictions. Sincerely

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Protests and Common Courtesy



Walking to the skytrain station I find the major intersection of Granville and Georgia blocked with protesters and my ears assaulted by loudspeaker enhanced rants. Transit and traffic are tied up. Hundreds of people inconvenienced.

What in the world are those folks thinking? My reaction is that any person or group who is so lacking in common courtesy does not deserve a moment of my time or thought. Discourtesy has an impact on their message, if indeed they have any message. I simply hurry past with a bad taste in my mouth having saved my eardrums by turning off my hearing aids.

If they had been distributing pamphlets without blocking traffic I probably would have read their writings. Of course that would have required the capacity to have ideas, positions, analysis, and the capability to write clearly.

What Vancouver needs is a Hyde Park equivalent where polished orators can display their ideas and talents and at the same time provide a role model for the present ill structured protesters.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

HST Sober Second Thoughts: Snatch Victory from Defeat




The recent referendum vote to abandon the HST tax and revert to the old GST+PST is viewed by many as a defeat for the liberal party in British Columbia.

My view is that it was a temper tantrum in response to a botched implementation, fanned by a former politician well past his "best before date". They succeeded in blurring the distinction between the mode of decision and implementation and the validity of the policy itself. The tantrum is over. The liberals can be contrite about the implementation and still take the opportunity to snatch victory from defeat. Here is a blunt blueprint that would require considerable massaging by political spinmasters.

Call an immediate fall provincial election.

Declare that the liberal party has paused and had sober second thoughts and that it is time for voters to also pause for sober second thoughts.
It is time to either move forward with the liberals or move backward with the NDP and that it is decision time.

Campaign on the issue of good government, fiscal responsibility, reliance on knowledgeable experts, and continuation with the HST. Perhaps make some minor adjustments but keep the framework and avoid the costly disruption of a revert to the PST.

Declare firmly that if the electorate is serious about following Adrian Dix and the NDP [as inspired by Bill Vander Zalm] as they march pig headedly back to the past then so be it, but that the liberals are not prepared to lead in that direction.

Yes there is some risk that the NDP would win, with predictable results. Perhaps that is what the electorate deserves.

The failed recall initiatives are probably a better indicator of genuine political sentiment than is the toxic HST referendum campaign.

The odds are with a party that is clear that it will not lead in a wrong direction on tax policies that are detrimental to provincial finances in the long run.

If the liberals cannot do a better job than they did in garnering support for their position on the HST referendum then indeed they do not have the leadership which this province deserves. In that case we are in a dismal position with no genuine leadership in sight. The NDP under Adrian Dix simply used the HST referendum as advance campaigning for the party.

Notice that Adrian Dix did not initially condemn the HST but waited until he saw the way the wind was blowing. He will be hard pressed to give a rational for the mix of irrational exemptions that were present in the old PST. He will be vulnerable in disregarding the views of economists.

I feel confident that there are enough supporters in the NDP party with enough financial competence to know that the HST is a better tax system. Their heart will not be in a campaign focused on returning to the PST.

In addition there are enough moderate voters who can recognize good professional level economic advice, and a degree of sober leadership.

If the liberals call the bluff of the NDP and call a snap election, it will indeed be interesting times in BC.

This is a no lose blueprint for the liberals.
If they "lose" a snap election they will avoid governing in period of financial difficulty that will be impossible for the NDP to carry off successfully.
If they "win" the election they will have succeeded in bringing a majority of the electors face to face with the realities of the financial situation which the province now faces.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

June 2011 Speech from the Throne


June 5, 2011
Kamp.R@parl.gc.ca
Comments on throne speech

Hi Randy,

Again my congratulations on your re-election. My first was the day before the election!

I send you my reaction to the throne speech in the spirit of
"Each of us aspires to a Canada where everyone can succeed and contribute, where excellence and opportunity coexist."
http://www.sft-ddt.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1390

Each observation is given a numeric score.
10= good move and important
1 = ok move but not important
0 = vague, meaningless
-1 = bad move but not important
-10= bad move and important issue.

Average score over the 60 issues I noted = 3.0

First I will note some areas that seem important to me but are either not dealt with or thinly mentioned.

- foreign policy. Harper's willingness to have an independent policy even when in conflict with the US is refreshing; e.g. Israel and 1967 borders.

- immigration is touched on, but in isolation from economic progress.
- free trade is mentioned frequently but in such contradictory ways as to have little meaning.

Now some detailed scores, "quotes", and comments.
0 ="It will continue to focus on jobs and growth."

8= "It will bring the federal budget back into balance." would get a 10 if more specific. More later

8="It will invest in our system of universal health care." would get a 10 if more specific.
8= "Our Government will defend the rights of law-abiding citizens." a basic justification for a government.

"..Government will reintroduce our Budget, in order to implement the next phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan—our low tax plan for jobs and growth. See above for score 8 re budget.

10 ".. create the right conditions for growth and job creation: a stable, predictable, low-tax environment..". I have been generous in overcounting overlapping vague references.

1 "support for innovation and new technologies." Sounds good but government has miserable record in identifying winners.

10 ".. wider access to markets abroad". YES free trade is crucial. Does this include import of milk from the US?

-5 "introducing new tax credits for individuals and families". Just simplify tax rather than tinker and cater to special interests.

4 "complete work already underway with the Government of Quebec to reach an agreement on tax harmonization no later than September 15, 2011." Good luck on that. Hope you can accomplish without caving in to special interests

0 "Our Government’s plan will provide assistance for workers who want to learn new skills and seize opportunities". Too vague to be meaningful.

8 "Our Government will introduce and seek swift passage of copyright legislation that balances the needs of creators and users." Nice trick if you can do it.

-10 "our Government will continue to make targeted investments to promote and encourage research and development in Canada's private sector". Likely to be a waste. The private sector can take care of itself.

10 "and in our universities, colleges and polytechnics.". Yes this is the most likely area for government investment to pay off.

0 "It will also release and implement a Digital Economy Strategy that enhances digital infrastructure and encourages Canadian businesses to adopt digital technologies and provide digital-skills training for their employees and new hires." Bafflegab. Businesses are capable of identifying and implementing technologies when it is cost effective to do so.

8 "..will continue to cut red tape for small businesses so that they can focus their attention on growing their businesses and creating jobs". Good idea but "continue"?; I had not noticed any start.

10 "… free trade agreements covering eight countries, and negotiations covering some fifty more are underway.". Yes get on with it—and add free trade between provinces. Why no mention of Doah round of WTO? I am overly generous with the 10.

"Our Government will aim to complete negotiations on a free trade agreement with the European Union by 2012. It will also seek to complete negotiations on a free trade agreement with India in 2013." Good but this counts in the 10 above for free trade.

-10 "In all international forums and bilateral negotiations, our Government will continue to stand up for Canadian farmers and industries by defending supply management." You just lost it. Are you for free trade or not?. How about standing up for consumers of milk, eggs,. cheese etc. Note that farmers of most products e.g. beef, pork, berry crops, tree fruits can cope without your "supply management" interference in markets.

5 "We will strengthen our collaboration to streamline and secure our border and enhance regulatory cooperation, ensuring that people and goods can flow freely and safely between our two countries." Face facts, the elephant next door will invariably call the shots.

1 "Our Government will continue to welcome foreign investment that benefits Canada." Not much effort required here. Just stay out of the way and capital will flow to productive uses. Note also that foreign investment is just one aspect of free trade.

8 ".. move forward with willing partners to establish a new national securities regulator.." Good move. We do not need 10 bureaucracies

10 "We must eliminate the deficit and return to balanced budgets to ensure that our economy can continue to grow and create jobs and that the federal government will have sufficient fiscal flexibility for future choices." Somewhat vague but very important.

10 "we will undertake a Strategic and Operating Review of government spending led by a new Cabinet subcommittee established for this purpose. This review will be focused on reducing the cost of government". The liberals did this, don't re-invent the entire wheel. Make use of past studies. In particular follow through on
" and continue specific measures to restrain the growth of government expenditures." I am holding my breath and waiting for some announcements on this.

-10 "Our Government will also complete its stimulus package as promised". Give up on this political grandstanding favoritism.

0 "Our Government’s plan will put us on a strong footing to resume paying down the federal debt, further reduce taxes on families and continue investing in priorities." What a repetitive speech.

1 "..our Government’s low-tax plan will permanently enhance the Guaranteed Income Supplement for some 680,000 of Canada’s most vulnerable seniors." Yes, very important and already in place. Nothing new here.

8 "..will work with provincial and territorial partners to implement the Pooled Registered Pension Plan." Very good idea.

10 "The new Family Caregiver Tax Credit will support those who care for a dependent family member who is infirm. In addition, our Government will remove the cap on eligible expenses that caregivers can claim under the Medical Expense Tax Credit." Yes this is an increasing problem.

-5 "…establishing a Children’s Arts Tax Credit". Just another pointless tinkering with the already overly complex income tax act. Parents can choose which aspects of their child's development requires their attention and there is no end of available mechanisms already.

0 "Our Government is committed to respecting provincial jurisdiction and working with the provinces and territories to ensure that the health care system is sustainable and that there is accountability for results. It will maintain the six percent escalator for the Canada Health Transfer, while working collaboratively with provincial partners to renew the Health Accord and to continue reducing wait times. As has been done before, our Government will enter into a separate agreement with the Government of Quebec regarding the implementation of the renewed Health Accord.". Important but so vague as to be meaningless.

0 "our Government will also continue to pursue a stable, principled foreign policy that advances Canada’s interests." Good but vague, that is what we expect and nothing new here.

-10 "As part of our ongoing efforts to promote human rights, our Government will create a new Office of Religious Freedom to help protect religious minorities and to promote the pluralism that is essential to the development of free and democratic societies." Ample mechanisms are in place. The last thing we need is a different version of the existing Human rights Commissions.

-5 [for entire bafflegab about immigration] "Our Government is committed to protecting the integrity of our immigration system." This is an area that needs some specifics. The existing system is a mess and if you "protect it" that seems to mean leave it unchanged. .

"… It will introduce measures to address marriage fraud—an abuse of our system that can victimize unsuspecting Canadians and vulnerable immigrants." Good but can probably be handled within a reasonable re work of the entire system.

"Our Government will also reintroduce legislation to combat human smuggling" Good can be handled in rework of system.

8 exercise leadership in the stewardship of northern lands and waters. It is also committed to working with the Northwest Territories and the private sector to complete the Dempster Highway—by linking Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk". Would have been a 10 if some mention of securing our just territorial boundaries and jurisdiction.

1 "..the development of a National Conservation Plan, to move our conservation objectives forward and better connect all Canadians with nature." The government suffers from forever planning and delaying getting on with things.

10 "It will support major new clean energy projects of national or regional significance, such as the planned Lower Churchill hydroelectricity project in Atlantic Canada. It will engage the provinces, territories and industry on ways to improve the regulatory and environmental assessment process for resource projects, while ensuring meaningful consultation with affected communities, including Aboriginal communities."

-2 "Our Government will move quickly to reintroduce comprehensive law-and-order legislation to combat crime and terrorism." Better to focus on prevention. Better to focus on the proven programs for reducing recidivism.

2 "These measures will protect children from sex offenders" Existing laws are sufficient.

2. "They will eliminate house arrest and pardons for serious crimes."

0 "They will give law enforcement officials, courts and victims the legal tools they need to fight criminals and terrorists. " Sounds good. Too vague.

5 "Our Government will continue to protect the most vulnerable in society and work to prevent crime."

-2 "It will propose tougher sentences for those who abuse seniors" Tougher sentences are unlikely to be a solution. I suspect present laws are sufficient.

0 "and will help at risk youth avoid gangs and criminal activity." Good idea vague and meaningless.

0 "It will address the problem of violence against women and girls. Good idea vague and meaningless.

2 "Our Government will reintroduce legislation to clarify and strengthen laws on self-defence, defence of property and citizen’s arrest."

0 "Our Government will also continue to implement its response to the Air India Report." Meaningless. How many years does it take to "implement" and what "response" is being "implemented"?

-5 "Our Government will act on its promise to introduce legislation to end the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry." I remember the Harper speech saying he has heard the voice of hunters and farmers. I wish he had hear the voice of the chiefs of police. An implicit admission that the government views itself as incompetent to operate the registry on a break even basis. A significant instance of ignoring the recommendations of experts.

8 "..introduce legislation to ensure that western farmers have the freedom to sell wheat and barley on the open market." Now how about the freedom of farmers to produce and sell as much milk, eggs, as they wish to the open market.

0 "…by providing new investments in First Nations Land Management. It will promote access to clean water and the deployment of clean energy technology in Aboriginal and northern communities." Probably well intentioned but most such investment has, in the past, been wasted and ineffective.

10 " We will also expand adult basic education programming in the territories to help to increase education and employment levels."

10 "Our Government will also introduce legislation to ensure that people living on reserve have the same matrimonial real property rights and protections as other Canadians." Good as far as it goes. What about property rights in general quite apart from the matrimonial issue?

0 "..we will provide the principled, accountable leadership and good, clean government that Canadians deserve." I should hope so.

2 ".. and it will now move forward on its long-standing commitment to democratic reform." Important but vague. I look forward to less "whipping" and more free votes in parliament.

8 "Reform of the Senate remains a priority for our Government. Our Government will reintroduce legislation to limit term lengths and to encourage provinces and territories to hold elections for Senate nominees."

10 "Our Government will reintroduce legislation to restore fair representation in the House of Commons." Important and unlikely. The conservatives cannot even agree on what is fair representation within their own party when convention time rolls around.

5 "It will take steps to phase out direct taxpayer subsidies to federal political parties over the next three years." Good move. Individuals can make $2 donations directly to the party of their choice. Folks who don't pay any income tax will have to face up to paying their own money rather than rely on other peoples money.

4 "It will support transparency for First Nations communities by requiring their chiefs and councillors to publish their salaries and expenses." Good luck on this. It won't happen.

0 "Our Government will also support the efforts of the Public Service to modernize the way it works so that it can continue to provide the highest standard of service to Canadians." Vague. It assumes the "public service" is interested in the topic. Try sending an e-mail to most government departments e.g. the income tax department. so much for "modernization".

10 "In filling the two upcoming vacancies on the Supreme Court of Canada, our Government will engage parliamentarians through the transparent process first used in 2006." Yes Yes

8 "Our Government will also ensure that citizens, the private sector and other partners have improved access to the workings of government through open data, open information and open dialogue." I wish I could believe you on this one. The track record of the Conservatives has been miserable on this.

0 "Government will move swiftly to deliver the next important phase of the Economic Action Plan." More endless repetition.

"May Divine Providence guide you in your deliberations and make you equal to the trust bestowed upon you." Has not worked very well so far.

I would prefer greater trust in the reports of experts in the various fields. Please, more evidence based policies rather than ideologies.

Best regards,
Daniel McDonald
Make a Small Development Loan, Make a Big Difference. Easy. http://www.kiva.org/

Saturday, December 11, 2010

REGISTER LONG GUNS


December 11, 2010

Keep the long gun registry.

Randy Kamp, M.P. Kamp.R@parl.gc.ca> cc gc PM
Pitt Meadows--Maple Ridge--Mission

Dear Randy,

Exec. Summary
1. The issue is still open for decision
2. Keeping the long gun registry is the right decision.
3. Keeping the long gun registry is the politically adroit move.

Details.
1. The Conservative polling firm phoned today soliciting views on this issue. This tells me the conservatives are wisely continuing to evaluate their options. So should you as my representative.

2. Keeping the registry is the right decision.

2a. Guns are dangerous and the fewer we have in our society the better. The more messages in that direction that the government sends- the better. Many folks with guns they really have no need for will get rid of them rather than register. Good. Fewer guns fewer problems.

2b. The gun registry. A good idea but initially executed with the usual Liberal inept management of costs. Now that it is up and running the past costs are sunk costs. The marginal costs of keeping it operating are worth the benefits in public safety. I think primarily of domestic violence, gun accidents, and suicides. Harper is an economist. He is familiar with the idea of marginal cost. Remind him of the fact. More important is to stop referring to the dead and gone past sunk costs as if they have any relevance now. Emphasize how conservatives can run it efficiently and effectively

Now that it is up and running, surely the conservatives are good enough managers to set the fee and manage the costs so that it is a cash break even operation. In various parts of our country we can register dogs, cats, bicycles, cars, people [voters lists], etc. etc. It is just not believable that we cannot register guns on a break even basis.

2c. The only people supporting reducing the control on guns are the gun nuts and the farmers and hunters who are too lazy or cheap to register.

2d. The Canadian Police Association and the Chiefs of Police support the continuing registration. I support our chiefs of police. Do you? Yes there are some officers with the opposite view. Some officers are gun nuts. The chiefs are the ones with the best overall view.

2e. Remember that Al Capone was brought down not for his criminal gang acts but for his income tax non acts. Presently many individuals accused of criminal acts get away on technicalities having to do with evidence. Unregistered firearms are a case of easy evidence and easy conviction.

3. Keeping the long gun registry is the politically adroit move.
The conservatives should simply lay low, do nothing, and allow the issue to die down, leaving the registry to quietly and efficiently operate. Yes there will be some disgruntled members of the party but they will not defect as there is nowhere for them to go. They will not join other parties and they will continue to vote Conservative.
Meanwhile the moderate conservatives, those who in my mind have a degree of common sense, will stick by the party rather than give up in despair. I dismiss the rumors that the NRA is active in lobbying the Conservative party.

Finally Randy, and on a somewhat personal note, close your eyes in meditative prayer and imagine Jesus owning a gun.

Sincerely,
Daniel McDonald

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Conservatives, once a principled party


It was once a principled Conservative Party

To: Randy Kamp MP cc: Prime Minister Stephen Harper

With great sorrow I write of my disillusionment with respect to what I once believed to be a principled Conservative Party.

I think of recent issues
1. Long gun registry. I will use this as the classic example and present my detailed views later.
2. Long form census form.
3. Inhibiting open disclosure and discussion of research findings.

In themselves decisions on these matters are not significant in the grand scheme of things. They are extremely significant as examples of a mode of governing that chooses narrow ideology and/or weak unprincipled populism rather than principled leadership. Two characteristics are prominent; dismissing the advice of experts, and paucity of principled rationale.

Some details on the long gun registry.
Responsibility for public safety is acknowledged by those of all political persuasions except perhaps anarchists. I look to our police chiefs, the RCMP, the paramedics, the emergency room physicians for informed views on the long gun registry and find them unanimously in support. In contrast this is what I find in The National Post of September 18, 2010:
Mr. Harper predicted the “registry will someday be abolished” because it will continually be opposed by the people who understand it — who he identified as “rural Canadians, hunters, outdoors men and women [and] police officers.
“These people will never accept this registry because they know it is ineffective and wasteful. And the party I lead will not rest until the day it is abolished.”
So Mr. Harper believes that those most in the know do not understand it. Simply not plausible. I place my belief in the chiefs of police.

The bill to abolish the long gun registry is a private member’s bill. Traditionally MP’s are allowed a free vote on such bills and are not whipped, what an appropriate word, into submission by their political bosses. Neither Stephen Harper or Michael Ignatieff are allowing a free vote while Jack Layton distinguishes himself with a principled approach.

Politicians are repeatedly faced with the dilemma of leadership vs. popularism. How does Mr. Harper deal with this?

Mr. Harper said it will be “an important vote.”
“We encourage all members of Parliament to, obviously, vote on the right side of this issue, but particularly when members of Parliament have made commitments to their constituents.”
Reasonably clear if the member feels his constituents are against the registry and firmly believe the registry is a bad thing. But what if his constituents are for the registry and the member believes the chiefs of police. Both are irrelevant for Harper whips them into voting “his way or the highway”.

I like to believe that politicians have a degree of rationality. Consider the 3 main arguments against the registry.
1. High cost. The outrageous high cost of development, while factual are now irrelevant. Those are sunk costs as any graduate of economics 101 knows. The only relevant costs are the future net costs. Harper has already assured the civil service that there will be no reduction in head count. An efficient operation would levy a fee high enough to cover the operating cost.
2. Harper and others say that they “know it is ineffective”. They seldom identify what they regard as ineffective although sometimes “preventing crime” is cited as the objective of the registry, which is a straw man. The chiefs of police say it assists them in being more effective and operating with a higher degree of safety for the police. That is good enough for me but apparently not sufficient to overcome narrow doctrinaire viewpoints.
3. I am not competent to personally conduct research into complex matters and usually must rely on others who are more expert. The same applies to politicians. For the long gun registry I consider the chiefs of police more competent than politicians to evaluate what contributes to effective and efficient law enforcement. For the long form census form I consider the views of professional statisticians more relevant than my views. For the value of public dissemination of research findings I consider the views of researchers more valid than mine.
Now observe carefully that in all 3 examples the Conservative leadership and my MP consider their own doctrinaire position to be more valid than those who are more competent in the subject matter.

4. Most serious is that in all 3 examples I find no references to underlying principles. Since my Conservative politicians either have no principles or choose not disclose them, I reveal mine. I lean strongly in the direction of maximizing personal freedom and personal economic choice. Yes the long gun registry and the long form census report impinge on personal freedom but in my view do so in a minor way that is more than offset by my personal benefit and/or the benefit to society. To muzzle researchers is a clear violation of their personal freedom without any plausible rationale.

I close with a challenge.
Present the clear rationale for your position on all 3 issues.

If I do not find rationality in my politicians then they will not find any confidence or support from me.

As usual, I post on my blog and will post any replies there as well.

http://dlmblogmissn.blogspot.com/