WillyNilly

Some of the comments and posts make absolutely no sense, such as Lebanon was firing HUNDREDS of rockets A DAY across the border at Israel, before Israel invaded, that this was what prompted Israel to attack. Referring to Lebanon as Hitlers army invading Poland, and constant posts about the Lebanese Government being Hezbullah etc. None of this is true. You can see how irrational people can be, and how they refuse to see or hear the truth about anything. I also notice a lot of what I see as racist posts on this forum. This racism appears to blind people from reality. This is a Federal issue in my opinion, because Harper has performed dismally in this, his first International situation and has pretty much pointed to Bush and said "yah what he says".

I see a mention of Immigrants receiving Government Funding, a Settlement Allowance but I dont see actual statistics of their being on Welfare. Most Immigrants and Refugees receive a Settlement Allowance, that in a lot of cases has to be paid back. This is to provide clothing and household furniture for them. And to allow them time to attend ESL classes and Settlement Programs. It seems that Toronto isnt providing adequate Settlement Services to their new arrivals. There is where the fault lies, not with the Immigrants and Refugees. As per usual the Government had dropped the ball, creating problems for everyone. If there are Canadians, as in born here, having a hard time finding jobs and housing, you can imagine how much harder it is for new arrivals. Many are not allowed to work in the food industry. It also appears from the article that the plan for new arrivals is to put them into minimum wage jobs, service stations, fast food, etc. That really sucks and is a form of racism in itself.

There is some scary stuff on the internet following these lines, urging Christians to unite in the battle against Muslims and non-Christians. Rev. Jerry Falwell, a nationally recognized Christian minister and television show host, is the founder of Jerry Falwell Ministries and is chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

Isnt everyone to blame for 9/11 ? Everyone outside the US that is. Everyone who isnt white and Christian?

Toronto has the one Breast Health and Disease Specialist in Canada. ONE. If you are a woman or have a woman in your life that means something to you THIS should concern you. (I think Mt Sinai is in Toronto, I thought it was in Montreal but not sure on that.) ONE Specialist Surgeon in all of Canada. I can only imagine what the waiting list is like to see him. Every civilized country in the world has more than one Women's Health Centre, ladies, in Canada you dont count. Only in Toronto and it hurts to give them credit for anything, but there you have it. I've just never really liked anyone I have met from Toronto, they have an attitude that is off putting and grating. The first thing required of you is to bring them down to size and let them know they arent superior, but you are

Found the quote that referred to exchange of prisioners.

Its been posted a few times, with quotes, that tradiationally prisioners have been kidnapped in order to have an exchange of prisioners and appartently Israel has hundreds of Lebanese prisioners, but this time they decided to change the rules and attack instead. I have wonder if the kidnapped soldiers were put out as a trap in order to have an excuse to start this flattening of Lebanon.

The Canadian detained is a Geography teacher, travelling and photographing Israel for his classes on the Middle East. He was spotted taking photos near the Lebanese border, something I would think a lot of tourists would do. He was arrested and is being held without formal charges, as a spy.

Keanu Reeves was born in Lebanon and I believe he has a dual citizenship. What a jerk 'eh? Lebanese welfare scum. Terrorist. Disgusting to have people like him come to Canada and claim citizenship. I want him deported.

Toronto is not the fashion capital or the fashion setters for Canada. Most of the rest of Canada think their "fashion" is mundane and plebeian. In terms of home fashions Linda Reeves is awful, which is why her show has been bumped to late late night in the west. Montreal has better designers. But thats a matter of opinion, so cant really be debated can it? The west has too many waterfalls to name, Helmcken Falls plunging 141 metres in a straight drop, this waterfall is about three times higher than Niagara Falls. The Della Falls Trail near Port Alberni leads hikers from the head of Great Central Lake to the base of the highest waterfall in Canada (440 metres high, 1443 feet), a cascade from Della Lake. Takkakwaw Falls 254 Metres. Hunlen 253 Metres. At 57 Metres Niagra is pretty piddly. Way way down on the list Saskatchewan has produced so many recording artists that I wont even list them. Pamela Anderson was born in B.C. From the West, James Taylor, Jason Priestley, Paul Gross, Brent Carver, Hayden Christensen, Michael J Fox , Leslie Nielsen, Jillian Hennessy, Jann Arden, Kim Cattrall, Burton Cummings, Joni Mitchell, all from the West, and this is just a SMALL representation, there are too many to list. The west has Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, East Indian, Russian, Scandanavian etc. , cultures , restaurants and enclaves. Saskatchewan developed Fiber Optics and Medical Care. I'm too tired to look up more. Vancouver has the Pacific Ocean, no need to say more. Cathedral Grove. Stanley Park. Vancouver Island. Long Beach. Whale watching. The Inside Passage. Toronto is way over there and almost everyone who is anyone comes to Vancouver. The West has Jasper, Banff, the Pacific Rim, tons of parks and natural wilderness. CNN tower, Younge Street, Church Street concrete and more concrete. Western Canada savages rule.

A person I know was told that because she had Fibromyalgia before her car accident she was not entitled to any ICBC benefits because her problems were probably not related to the accident, and she is more susceptible to injury because of the Fibromyaglia. Back problems and whiplash injury that she did not have before the accident. She was travelling at around 50-60 kph and ICBC said that speed was considered a "low velocity" speed and no one could be injured travelling at 50 kph unless their car went from 50 KPH to nothing. Where do they think her car travelled in order to slow down gradually after smashing into another vehicle that pulled out in front of her? You come to a dead stop when you smash into another vehicle that is cross ways to you and cutting in front of you. ICBC said it was a "fender bender" and the two vehicles did not "collide" and neither vehicle came to a dead stop during the accident and that over $2500.00 damage to her car does not indicate anything different. She had to have repairs to her fender, her hood and head lights broken in the accident. ICBC really sucks. People pay into it and get nothing back. They said they could deny a claim because of a "pre-existing" condition that made her "more susceptible" to injury than a "normal person" is. Now THAT his total nonsense. In the meantime this woman I know hasnt been able to do her job and has had to quit.

The problem with Toronto. They think the rest of Canada is jealous of them. Wrong. The rest of Canada finds their posturing ridiculous. They are not sophisticated, or stylish, they are not well educated in Political or Economics. Toronto is a secular little wasteland that most of Canada ignores. In 2006 Vancouver was voted the third best city to live in by the international people who do "the poll". I only looked at the top 5 and didnt see Toronto. (not that I recall) Why are so many people from Toronto moving "out west"? Beautiful nature, oportunities, nicer people, cleaner, more of everything. Why are to many people staying in Toronto? Beats the hell out of me. Why would they want to?

I think a major issue is were these treaties signed by Canada or by Britian? Were they put in place before Canada became independent of Britian? As todays Aboriginal people are fond of saying, Canadians can just say "I didnt sign those treaties". The Aboriginal people claim they didnt sell the land, so Canadians can claim they didnt sign the treaties giving Aboriginal people certain rights. Most of the treaties are ridiculous, some were signed when there were 400 people living in the Vancouver area. They have no more value than other rescinded laws, such as the ones saying women couldnt own property and werent allowed to vote. Non-aboriginal people BOUGHT the land, settled it, developed it. I dont see how anyone can rewrite or abolish the last hundred or more years of history. No matter what the Supreme Court decides, and they arent stupid, the people who own land in Canada wont go down without a fight. I also saw a recent article on the internet titled "Canada's Continuing Genocide of Aboriginals". What is the justification for something like that?

Hezbullah is offering aid to Lebanon people, no one else is. Their popularity is rising in Lebanon as a result of this "war". Hezbullah is active in evacuating citizens from southern areas of Lebanon and is providing them with camps and refugess centres. New numbers out of Lebanon state over 1000 dead and over 1/3 of those are children. For decades Lebanon and Israel has exchanged prisoners. This time Israel changed the rules. Maybe the soldiers were "bait" for the Hezbullah with this whole assault the original intent. Lebanon has historical, cultural and religious ties with Iran. Syria is more or less just the conduit between the two of them. The US wants to stir things up with Iran and has been itching to do so for a very long time. The US sends billions in aid and weapons to Israel every year. The US says it wont push for peace or a truce fire unless Iran stops sending aid to Lebanon, no mention of US stopping aid to Israel. US is STILL flying weapons and bombs into Israel, see contraversy over plane landing in England loaded with bombs for Israel. Political analysts are saying this is about Iran and the US, and it isnt over yet.

The main point is that Harper took Bush's firm stand, which changes the world's perception of Canada. Bush has no sympathy for Canadians in Lebanon or Israel, why should he? They arent "his" people. Bush has no sympathy for the Peacekeepers, and observers, they arent American .. but they ARE Canadian and Harper should have stood by "his people" but he didnt.

Canada has always had good relationships with other countries and Canadians have been welcomed in every country in the world. Usually the first question a Canadian is asked is "are you American or Canadian?" When you say Canadian the person asking almost always says "good, Canada is a good country." This will change now. For business people, for students studying and travelling overseas, and for tourists. The "innocent victims" of this war arent just those caught in the fire in the Middle East, its every Canadian who up until now has been seen as "good" and welcomed into other countries.