bill_barilko

It's not maritime law that prevents merchant ships from carrying arms but the laws of each individual country-or most countries anyway. Civilian held armaments simply aren't allowed into most ports and probably never will be-the problem needs a military solution

An old old Vancouver joke-anytime more than three old time hippies are gathered together chances are one of them is a founder of Greenpeace. Note-having lived in Vancouver all my adult life I know the truth behind the joke-and speaking of joke Patrick Moore is the second oldest joke in this city.

Ummm... you've never been too far from the trailer park have you?Not in this life anyway. Ever visited Korea Town in LA? Here in Vancouver much of western end of Robson St is Japanese stores/restaurants if not Korean-whole blocks on Kingsway are Korean nary an English language sign in sight-as are parts of the suburb of Coquitlam. It's true that Japanese try to fit in as they can-Koreans somewhat less so they often seem so unhappy even angry-maybe it's the lousy food they eat-Japanese is so much tastier.

All of a piece with the worst news the planet has ever had.If the commies spend enough money it might actually happen but the Colombians will make sure the price tag is several hundred times higher than the original estimate-it's the Latin Way after all. China and Colombia announce 'alternative Panama Canal' Panama Canal Trade between Colombia and China has increased from $10m in 1980 to more than $5bn last year Colombia has announced it is negotiating with China to build an alternative to the Panama Canal. The proposed transport route is intended to promote the flow of goods between Asia and Latin America. The plan is to create a "dry canal" where the Pacific port of Buenaventura would be linked by rail, across Colombia, to the Atlantic Coast. Trade between Colombia and China has increased from $10m in 1980 to more than $5bn last year. The announcement came from the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, who told the Financial Times that the project was "a real proposal... and it is quite advanced". China has been increasing its involvement across Latin America to feed a growing need for raw materials and commodities. According to BBC Bogota correspondent Jeremy McDermott, President Santos has departed from the emphasis on security of his predecessor Alvaro Uribe. Mr Uribe's Democratic Security Policy, backed by US military aid, is credited with halving the numbers of Marxist rebels and pushing them into the more remote jungles and mountains. Mr Santos is concentrating on what he calls "democratic prosperity", our correspondent says. He hopes that economic development will address some of the root issues of the 46-year civil conflict, such as poverty and the lack of opportunities, which have pushed people into being rebels or into the lucrative drug trade, our correspondent says.

If only we had someone with as much guts here in Canada.It's true the rot isn't as deep here but the smell of decay is everywhere. State multiculturalism has failed, says David Cameron The prime minister will criticise "state multiculturalism" in his first speech on radicalisation and the causes of terrorism since being elected.[/i] Addressing a security conference in Germany, David Cameron will argue the UK needs a stronger national identity to prevent people turning to extremism. Different cultures are encouraged to live apart, and objectionable views met with "passive tolerance", he will say. He will also signal a tougher stance on groups promoting Islamist extremism. Mr Cameron is to suggest there will be greater scrutiny of some Muslim groups that get public money but do little to tackle extremism. Ministers should refuse to share platforms or engage with such groups, which should be denied access to public funds and barred from spreading their message in universities and prisons, he will argue. "Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism," the prime minister will say. "Let's properly judge these organisations: Do they believe in universal human rights - including for women and people of other faiths? Do they believe in equality of all before the law? Do they believe in democracy and the right of people to elect their own government? Do they encourage integration or separatism? "These are the sorts of questions we need to ask. Fail these tests and the presumption should be not to engage with organisations," he will add. "We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values” BBC political correspondent Ben Wright said the prime minister would be delivering a stark message to his audience in Munich - that European countries must "wake up to what's happening within their borders". Mr Cameron will draw a clear distinction between Islam the religion and what he describes as "Islamist extremism" - a political ideology he says attracts people who feel "rootless" within their own countries. "We need to be clear: Islamist extremism and Islam are not the same thing." The government is currently reviewing its policy to prevent violent extremism, known as Prevent, which is a key part of its wider counter-terrorism strategy. The short speech will make it clear that Mr Cameron wants a stronger sense of citizenship and national belonging to replace an approach he thinks has failed, added our correspondent. 'I am a Londoner too' A genuinely liberal country "believes in certain values and actively promotes them," Mr Cameron will say. "Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Democracy. The rule of law. Equal rights, regardless of race, sex or sexuality. "It says to its citizens: This is what defines us as a society. To belong here is to believe these things. "Each of us in our own countries must be unambiguous and hard-nosed about this defence of our liberty." He will say that under the "doctrine of state multiculturalism", different cultures have been encouraged to live separate lives. "We have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values." Building a stronger sense of national and local identity holds "the key to achieving true cohesion" by allowing people to say "I am a Muslim, I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, but I am a Londoner... too", he will say.

Remember all the community leaders who stole from various Africville causes over the decades-they headed down south where the livin' is easy.

You've been thrown off every public forum in creation because of your idiotic rants-when will you ever learn?

You'll have to make up your mind-what nature is left in Europe? I note the responses upthread all mention man made attractions.

Yes that and an odd cack handed sense of self aggrandisement-he thinks he knows something we don't and that makes him someone special-much more special than a run-of-the-mill prodigy. Sharing this precious knowledge with the peons here would spoil his aura of exclusivity.

Afghanistan? Corrupt drug dealing clans? Imagine that!

LOL!!

Yup! Funny how that works. As long as he keeps selling oil to the USA few care-Chavez can't afford to turn the taps off and everyone knows it. Remember that Venezuela has always had chronic inequalities (IOW was a certified shithole) so in the big picture little has changed

Vancouver could use one but politics is such a clown show here whoever comes forward will soon be shown to be the most ridiculous loonie ever-you read it here first.

You Guys have NFC what a flash mob is-that's not surprising though.

Few know the Real Reason Costello spends so much time here in Vancouver-it's because there are so few jews here-and blacks.

OP is totally out of the loop as far as knowing how the world works. FYI-that's how business is done-all the law enforcement agency has to do is be absolutely sure the perp wants the bombs/drugs/guns/WHY and they have a case. Of course the perps every word is recorded so he can savour his stupidity for as long as he lives.

Actually some Taliban are still using Lee-Enfield 303's the same gun my Dad used to blast Bear & Moose with back in the day.

I take a multivitamin daily-it's a sure fire way to inoculate oneself against fads.

Yes to date it's much ado about nothing-although veteran political whores like Hilary Clinton are trying to use this 'leak' to further their own ends as per SOP. Keywords-Vain, narcissistic, small minded, extremely limited, perfidious.

Not unless those plants were 15 feet high-which is possible in the outdoors but not indoors. Four average sized indoor marijuana plants-which really are bonsai sized-would yield about a pound if it was the right strain grown under the right conditions. A pound can be had for anywhere from $1,500 to double that depending on potency. Two pounds wet is going to be 90% water and as to the Hells Angels and Osama bin Laden being in cahoots that's even dumber. Again probably a pound dried. Six weeks if you're running it like it should be and spending the kind of time with them that increases yield-like any garden. Funny I know guys who've been doing it for years none has much extra dosh and holidays are out of the question unless you shut everything down. As to sentencing I don't know where they're going to put all those growers people are released daily for worse crimes because of overcrowding.

How about the Visit Alberta signs on the boards in NHL hockey rinks in the USA? Now that's a laugher!

I was surprised how much traffic there was on the main drag in Ukee this past summer even @ 06:00 hrs. Of course that didn't stop three juvenile Deer from feeding along the verge right downtown in the middle of the day.

BFD-most people aren't athletes and Ibuprofen is a godsend to them.

You know exactly SFA-that is painfully obvious. You claim to know roofing but in fact had NFI that roofers never tie themselves off. How could a prodigy like yourself make such an obvious error?

Your clerkish nonsense does you no credit-when was the last time you saw a roofer tie himself off? FYI-No one does that-they work free all the time. If you can crank your stiff old neck around to actually watch roofers doing carpentry on a pitched surface you might actually see it. Never been up a ladder either I see-to be expected.