Big Guy

You may be right. Thanks for the conversation.

So Jian has no more legal problems and should be considered "not guilty". I accept that fact. But if my granddaughter decided to go on a date with him, then I would go along and "render him peaceful" if he touched her.

I am not going to try to continue to argue and disagree with you. You may very well be better informed than I about the situation. I opine from my knowledge. We live in Norfolk County in Southern Ontario with 25% coverage of forest. http://www.norfolkcounty.ca/living/parks-and-recreation/forestry/ When any developer applies for the right to re-zone for residential and begin to submit a major subdivision plan it is scrutinized by all staff from fire department to environmental as to the safety of the future occupants. It is virtually impossible for any fair sized habitat in Norfolk to be consumed by a forest fire. Cottages are a different story and the owners understand the conditions. Insurance policies reflect to safety of the environment. I wonder how many homes in the Fort Mcmurray were not insured because they were un insurable against forest fire or the premiums were so high that they were un affordable.

Fort McMurray evolved from a population of 38,000 in 2001 to 62,000 in 2011 to about 80,000 to-day. I submit that because of the pressing need for additional housing, the conditions of building and locating developments compromised safety over accommodation. To allow the building of suburb developments that close to forest is a municipal decision especially in an area as remote as this one. You reap what you sow.

Your analogy is silly and patronizing and certainly does not deserve an honest reply. I suggest that I understand forest and grass fires as well as anybody else. Fortunately there are posters like ?Impact who chose to spend their posting time on positive ideas and suggestions. Why do you waste your and my time with with cheap shots. Go bother somebody else.

What do you consider to be a "reasonable" national military capacity. Canada will always be dependent on the good will of our major ally - the USA. Whatever we pour into our military will be directed on which conflicts and confrontations the USA decides on. That is, except for the recent military excursions where Canada went on its own - like ...

Not Raptors but basketball - Stephen Curry has just won the MVP for the NBA: http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/10/sport/stephen-curry-returns/index.html The Golden State Warriors guard became the first unanimous MVP winner in NBA history on Tuesday, earning all 131 first-place votes for a total of 1,310 points. Saw him pot 17 points in one overtime period last night. Would you trade Lowry and DeRozan for Curry? If not then who would you give up for Curry?

I certainly agree with you and hope that is the final outcome. I have had numerous difference of opinion with members of our local municipal Council. Their outlook continues in the nearsighted approach of most governments - it is reactive. They tend to do things in reaction to a problem grown to a point where it now has to be addressed. I believe in the proactive approach. Identify the problem starting to develop and alleviate it before in becomes major. The difficulty with that is the solution to any problem costs tax payers money. If it is used to solve something obvious then it is accepted by most citizens. When it is used to prevent a growing problem then the taxpayer always questions the outlay. Perhaps what we are talking about here is risk management - a lengthy and complicated topic.

I have often wondered about our justice system. I have come to the conclusion that eventually, truth wins out and appropriate punishment is received. It may just take time. O.J. Simpson was accused in a very publicized trial of slitting the throats of his former wife and her friend. He was found "not guilty" and set free. It was generally accepted by the legal community that if he pleaded guilty to either murder or manslaughter based on lack of planning and steroid induced rage that he would have been convicted and sentenced to about 10 years (in that range). That would mean that he would be released in about 3 to 4 years, a repentant now off drugs and perhaps a spokesman for steroid abuse. Instead, he was found not guilty. He quickly became a pariah, starting on a downward spiral that ended with him now with a substantial jail term based on his associations with thugs and organized crime - an association related to his unpopularity. His children both have major drug problems. Most people have forgotten that he was one of the best running backs in College and NFL history. I believe that when someone "gets away" with doing something for which they deserve punishment, then they do not escape "justice". Time has a way of punishing the guilty.

When one prepares an emergency plan you do so on contingencies. This is 2016. There are computer models of weather and climate patterns. Instant information on wind patterns. Computer projections on all possible natural conditions. Instant communications. Do you really accept, "Oops, the wind has increased and changed directions". I have been involved in disaster preparation in an area in Southern Ontario. Our potential problems are more water related (storms etc) than trees but we also have heavy tree cover. Like in a war, a battle plan is developed for any contingency - including the 100 year standard - with a check list developed as to the escalating response based on a escalating problem - with extra room for error in areas of habitation. It is updated every year based on any observable changing patterns and infrastructure changes. I understand that we have a difference in view of what should be expected from our natural disaster prevention organizations.

I hope so. They might be a little more forgiving then those folks who lost their uninsured homes by this preventable disaster.

Firefighters go and do what they are told. Municipal and provincial leadership decides how many firefighters to have, what resources are to be available to them and the creation of a disaster plan. Please spare me your indignation and rah rah for the front line troops. No one here has been critical of the front line troops - just that there were not enough of them. They admit it and you seem to want to ignore it. That is you choice. You may be pleased and complacent with the outcome and expect this to happen again. I do not. Those on the ground and especially those whose homes were destroyed were let down. And I will bet that in time, after an investigation, that they will find that assistance should have been requested way before it was and obviously too late. I hear arguments that it was "a hundred year phenomena" and other excuses. You would think these folks would have learned from that Slave Lake fire - a few years ago not "100 year phenomena". Investigate this fiasco or get ready for Slave Lake, Fort Murray ....

The Israeli squeeze on that open air prison called Gaza continues: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/israel-blockade-gaza-dark-160509075715382.html If this is not a war crime than what would be? Shame on anyone supporting such an obvious case of genocide!

So this "Island Of Democracy" in the Middle East is defining its own form of democracy; http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/israel-imposes-travel-ban-boycott-movement-leader-160510152536984.html Looks like you have freedom of speech as long as the speech follows Israeli government propaganda. There are two ways to protest - peaceful and violent. When you take away the peaceful way then ... Oh - and if you do not watch what you put on your facebook page you may find yourself in an Israeli slammer for a couple of months. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/israel-jails-palestinian-beautician-facebook-post-160509132438229.html Time to look to Iran as Canada's partner in the Middle East.

President Barack Obama will become the first sitting American president to visit the site of the U.S. atomic bomb attack in Hiroshima, Japan, the White House said Tuesday, a charged final-year stop meant to advance his goal of nuclear disarmament. http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/10/politics/obama-hiroshima-visit-japan/index.html There is speculation that he may apologize for the USA incineration of a quarter of a million Japanese civilians. Others suspect that the USA will never apologize for this mother-of-all "collateral damage"! Perhaps he will bring them the good news that Donald Trump has suggested that countries like Japan and South Korea should have access to nuclear weapons. That will give them the chance to return the favor and send the USA a "LITTLE BOY" in the future.

A few observations; You are either part of the solution or part of the problem. JT (and entourage) visiting during the busy time would be part of the problem. Watching CNN this morning; - headline - "Canadian Town in Ashes" - Fort McMurray in Northern Canada devastated and possible uninhabitable." CTV - "About 10% of Fort McMurray has been lost. Downtown building, all schools and hospitals saved, most infrastructure functional." HUH!! There is a difference between a fire "out of control" and a fire endangering a town. A fire endangering a town has top priority since lives are in danger. There are many fires "out of control" throughout uninhabited Canada - and have been for years. There was a major screw up! This fire began in the vicinity of Fort McMurray on Sunday. I have been following reports and explanations where the fire was fought within "the limitations of staff and resources" WHAT!! Those in charge had three days to bring in addition help from all over Canada, the USA, Mexico and apparently Russia. We need an honest and impartial investigation to guarantee that this does not happen again.

I had accepted the fact that one is required to share certain information if you wanted to take advantage of being a member of our society. If I want to drive on public streets then I need a drivers licence, if I want a SIN then I have to give up the information required to get one. I complete municipal, provincial and federal tax forms to establish how much money I have to contribute to building infrastructure, protection of the law and fire departments and ... I am also one of those who gets flu shots every year, not necessarily to protect myself but to keep an epidemic from occurring. I believe that if you are prepared to accept all of the benefits of Canadian society then you have the obligation to do some things that you may not like but are asked of you by your government.

Any time you use the term Holocaust, Hitler and Israel are used in the same paper, the Zionists go nuts. Sometimes it is appropriate: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/israeli-soldiers-compared-nazis-160509060134244.html Looks like a few Israelis are looking into a mirror and do not like what they see. Good for them!

Thanks for the link. I took you advice and completed the questionnaire. I also intend to attend personally when there is an opportunity in our area. I think that should be far more effective then commenting anonymously on this board.

A happy Mothers Day to all of you hard working mothers out there. Take the day off, kick your shoes off and let your kids and hubby look after you all day. Back to the grind to-morrow!

How do you know most people lie? I do not nor do most of the people that I deal with. I (we) cooperate because we believe that the process is important to run our country efficiently. A government can be reactionary or it can be preemptive. It can wait until a problem is evident and causing damage, evaluate how to correct it and then try to make those corrections. Or it can anticipate a coming problem (through statistical analysis) and make changes so that the problem will not metastasize. I believe that it is a far more intelligent process to anticipate and change than to react.

Maybe not all Syrian refugees are money sucking, selfish, terrorist supporting infiltrators: http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/we-understand-what-theyre-feeling-syrian-refugees-in-calgary-step-up-to-help-fort-mcmurray-fire-evacuees And maybe the racists and bigots got it wrong.

If you can win a game with a sub standard performance from one of your stars then the future is bright. Therev has yet to be a game in this series where all Raptors have been working on all cylinders. I think Toronto is going to win this series.

Our involvement over there does not make sense.

Apparently there are some people who have decided to ride it out in Fort McMurray. I am not sure that it is the brightest thing to do. But do authorities have the right to force people out of their houses? My recollection is that during floods, hurricanes et al, people were warned to leave but never forced to do so? Can a person be arrested for not leaving?