Dave_ON

More Phoenician than anything really, Egyptian worked on a series of pictographs to represent words or concepts. The Phoenicians were the first ones to come up with the concept of spelling out syllables with individual letters to represent the spoken word. While they are highly pictographic in nature, this was a significant departure from the Egyptian form of writing it was based on. For instance the concept of acrophony (where the first letter of the name of the letter is the sound it makes) was purely Phoenician. The general characters were modified Egyptian pictographs but the application was entirely different. This is somewhat of a pet subject of mine and the following is a cool link that shows the evolution of the alphabet. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parli...2587/alpha.html

I was largely referring to modern times, specifically the last 100 years or so. The only significant modern contribution was gun powder which had a wholly different application in China. While you are quite correct that the Romans had contact with the Chinese, due in large part to Roman demand for Seres (Chinese) silk this was generally conducted via Parthian intermediaries. The direct contact between the two cultures was minimal at best due in large part to the vast distance between their capitals. I don't think it's fair at all to say that Western "advances" were Chinese in origin. Most of our western advances are actually Greek or Roman in origin. Mathematics, Architecture, our written language, science all of these are based on Greco-Roman, not Sino Asian principals. Did western culture suffer some setbacks? Of course it's called the dark ages for a reason; this was due in large part to the authoritarian Roman Catholic Church. But then the Renaissance happened and Western culture really began to bloom. The impact of the Greco-Roman empire on modern western culture cannot even begin to be compared to the relatively minor impact of Ancient to Middle Ages China. I’m not saying that China wasn’t a world power during Roman times, but I think you’re overselling the impact it has had on western cultural advancement. China may have been ahead of the west in the dark ages, but in the years that followed the west left them in the dust.

Fair enough, though I would postulate that the only reason they were able to maintain this contiguous history is due to its remote location and was considered the end of the world in ancient times. They were very far away from the "world powers" of the day. The other issue with Mesopotamian culture of course is how frequently it changed hands, Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and finally the Ottoman Turks. I would further speculate that this geographical and self inflicted cultural isolation has largely contributed to their stunted cultural growth. This has caused the need for them to play "catch-up" in past 20 years and has given them the appearance of rapid growth. This growth is not indigenous to their culture and heretofore they haven’t done anything particularly new or innovative. They’ve merely copied the cultural achievements of largely western cultures, namely that of the US

Indeed a long history is nothing short of resting on laurels. Iraq/Iran are another prime example of this 10,000 years of history starting in Sumer and where are they now? Iran is still under an islamic tyrany and Iraq is emerging from a secular one and likely to return to some other form of tyrany when the Americans pull out.

Not sure why I'm even bothering but here goes. This further demonstrates my point. You don't engage in debate you pontificate and harangue. You don't address the concerns and points of others you dismiss them as if saying they are from the CIA somehow discredits them. The PRC has a great deal of control over absolutely everything in China. Tiananmen Square is a prime example of this. After the incident ALL foreign media was barred from the country. Only the PRC press was given access to the area. This should come as no surprise given that present day China's roots stem from a rather sadistic terrorist Chairmen Mao Zedong. Here's an excerpt of an article that demonstrates the kind and caring nature of China circa 1939. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chairman_Mao This article sites 56 sources all of which you will not read or you will dismiss them outright per your usual "debating" methodology. Yes what other country indeed could do such a thing? You see bjre the difference between you and most Canadians is we can admit there are problems with our society and work towards fixing them. You have even pointed out many of these issues, though it a somewhat exacerbated manner. You however, cannot and are in denial that there are any problems at all in China or that the government of China has EVER done anything wrong. I’m not talking small mistakes; I mean downright “evil”. So you see it is very difficult to take anything you say or post seriously until you can admit that China has a very bloody, ugly and dark recent history and that current circumstances are little better. If they were I'm certain you wouldn't still be living in Canada despite all your protestations that we as a nation are so very "evil" or "controlled" by the media. You've said before you came to Canada because you were "lied" to by immigration lawyers who were only interested in money. Well you've said before you make $100,000.00 a year so I'm certain you can afford to move back to China by now. Why is it you insist on languishing in what must be absolute misery with us mindless, media controlled slaves, when the verdant and liberated fields of China await you? It's ok to be proud of the nation you came from and to bring part of that culture with you and to celebrate it. It is entirely another to put it first over your new home or to only offer non constructive criticism. Frankly we don't want or need people who have no interest in working toward a better society living here. If you're not going to contribute, than I'm certain you can catch the first flight out.

So why is it that this social workers opinion is valid but not the opinion of other social workers? Is it solely because this one happens to agree with you at least in some aspects? I thought all social workers were “evil” as you put it and only in it for the money, that they didn't care about children. Why is Brad McKenzie different? WIP you're wasting your breath on bjre, he will site endless sources of dubious quality and any sources you site, regardless of any validity that they have will be rationalized away as irrelevant because they don’t coincide with his view. Rather than address the content he calls into question the source as if that somehow proves his point, because he, the ultimate authority has deemed it so. You’re trying to reason with someone who denies the atrocities of Tianamen square. While wiki isn’t always the most reliable this particular article sites 117 separate sources, all of which I’m sure bjre will call into question as CIA/FED sources thereby discounting their viability or validity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Squ...rotests_of_1989 This is someone who was raised by an authoritarian society and is no doubt running his own home in an authoritarian manner. He thinks there are absolutely no problems whatsoever with the PRC. What baffles us all is why if China is such a Utopia on earth, he chooses to stay in Canada and harangue us. Maybe the solution is to send the PLA after CAS, I’m certain that would fix all our problems.

I agree with some points in the article but I have to disagree with the assertion that because the Liberals haven't revealed their platform yet that they don't have one. I think given past history this is a very smart move on Ignatieff's part. When was it that Mr. Harper and the Conservatives launched a platform again during last election? Oh yes less than a week before Election Day. What did they do the whole election? The CPC attacked Dion's character and his platform. Given this it's very smart to keep your cards out of view. I do have to admit that Mr. Ignatieff's hesitation to call an election given the time has never been riper, and incidentally may not be this ripe in the fall, puzzling. Perhaps he feels the recession will only deepen over the summer and will have time to do as much damage to Conservative popularity as possible. That may be so and it's a rather risky move IMV. Then again it's easy to say that as an armchair politician. It's difficult to say what I would actually do if I were in Mr. Ignatieff's shoes.

That's really unfortunate, defending our Northern sovereignty was one item I was truly 100% behind Mr. Harper on. Admittedly I know precious little about DND matters but it seems to me we're much further behind the American and Russian naval capabilities than I'm comfortable with. Not that the army doesn't need love too, but given the amount of coastline in our country, it just doesn't make sense that we have such an ill equipped navy in comparison to other countries that are eyeing our resources to the north. If we can't defend our interests we will lose them. We truly need to beef up our military all around; unfortunately this is not something that most Canadians will ever get behind. This is a sad product of our co-dependency on the US which will inevitably bite us in the butt. If anyone even suggests spending another dime on the military there are cries of indignation about how "we're not Americans". While I definitely agree we shouldn't spend as much as our neighbors to the south we should definitely increase spending to ensure our forces are well equipped to do the job we've asked them to do.

I agree now is the perfect opportunity for the Liberals to call an election. Granted they'd only win a minority at this point, but at least they'd be basking in economic recovery come fall and the winter Olympics in the New Year. The window of opportunity in the fall will be narrow indeed and most of the current momentum will be lost. Who knows what the next few months will bring? The conservatives certainly have nowhere to go but up in PQ and I'm certain they'll be out an about La Belle Province all summer. I guess we'll see how this pans out in the fall, who knows Ignatieff's reasons for not pursuing an election. All the noise about calling an election over EI and then settling on blue ribbon committee to study EI over the summer? That's what the conservatives were going to do already, quite disappointing indeed. Perhaps there's some master plan behind this that I'm unable to see, time will tell I suppose. Oh well I guess that's the end of the political excitement for the summer, was hoping an election would help us get through the dry patch.

Well you frequently profess non-sense for free... what does that make you?

He's quite right Mr. Harper does make good on his promises. He also promised that when he was done we wouldn't recognize Canada anymore. So far so good...

The main issue with the "poll" you cited is this line which is directly under it. All legitimate polls indicate the Grits are ahead at present. Factor in that they are leading in the two most populace provinces and holding their own elsewhere and it's a pretty sure bet. For a complete listing of poll results check out the Canadian political polls forum. http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums//index....0&start=360 You'll find lots of legitimate scientific polls that indicate at this time the Grits would win a minority. Anything can happen and who knows what the next few months will bring. Canadians may not want another election but that's the reality of minority governments, they're extremely unstable. Unfortunately with the current state of affairs in Canada and the increasing regionalism and the polarization of the electorate; we're in for a few more minorities yet which means more frequent elections.

Actually I was mistaken, those were the minimum seat counts I listed and there are 308 seats in the house not 305. The actual breakdown is 106 in Ontario, 75 in Quebec and 36 in BC for a total of 217 with the remaining 91 seats split between the rest of the provinces.

It's not arrogance in the least, it is reality. There are enough seats in Ontario, Quebec and BC to rule the house. That is fact and simple mathematics. The seat count in Ontario 95, Quebec 75 BC 28 for a grand total of 198 seats. There are 305 in the house. The remaining 107 seats are split among the other provinces. Now tell me is it arrogant to say that if a party wins the majority of seats in ON, PQ and BC that they will win the election? No that's reality and all the parties know this, which is why these three provinces always get the most attention. It's also why AB is so very bitter about our current system of rep by population, they have a mere 21 seats and they're the 4th most populace province. The rest of the provinces have significantly fewer seats.

The polls would indicate that the LPC would in fact form the government. The LPC is leading the CPC by an enormous margin in both PQ and ON. This is where most of their support stems from and conveniently enough 60 some odd percent of the seats are there too. Toss in the gains in BC and a few from the Atlantic region and you've got a LPC minority. Whether Ignatieff pulls the plug at this point remains to be seen. But there's so much talk and posturing about it, it's tough to say.

Hate to break it to you but NS is a drop in the political bucket when it comes to federal politics. The only places less significant than NS in terms of seat count are PE and NF. Even if you combine all the seats in the Atlantic Provinces it's not enough to sway the federal government one way or the other. I honestly don't think Ignatieff is that concerned about NS. Especially since NF is a foregone conclusion and NB is beginning to turn red too. Ontario, Quebec and BC are the real battle grounds, the rest of Canada need not vote. That's not arrogance talking; it's the reality of representation by population.

Actually holding a summer election would not hold things up in the least. After this week Parliament is on three month summer break anyway, so things were already slated to be held up. If the Grits form a minority, which seems likely at this point, it gives them the entire summer to organize caucus and appoint ministers. The timing couldn't be more perfect. With economic recovery slated to be felt in the general populace come 1st quarter 2010 and the winter Olympics things are looking very good for the Liberals. As for Tory scandals, well it's too soon to say they haven't had any money scandals. They are still incumbent and no one else has had a chance to audit the books. I think we're in for a far less rosy fiscal picture when the CPC is booted out the door. This too will work to the LPC’s advantage as the CPC will wear the deficit not the Liberals. Say what you want about Trudeau and his debt; Ancient history in election terms. Reality is, the CPC's took power because of the timing of the Ad Scam, that horse is long dead and what people do know is, the economy is bad, people need EI that aren't getting it and the Liberals have been very vocal about getting it to those in need. Harper hasn't recovered from the fall disaster and has made one blunder after another in his quest to destroy the Liberals and hang on to power. One last thought, I wonder that if Ignatieff does table a no confidence motion if Mr. Harper will run to the GG again and ask to prorogue parliament for the summer. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he did but I’m certain the GG’s response this time would be a flat out no.

I think that changes to CPP are a foregone conclusion. Based on the increasingly top heavy demographic in our population our current system will not be able to support itself. However, the question remains what do we do with those folks who have paid into it their entire working lives? What do they get back from their "investment"? In my generation I don't know of anyone that would think they could count on the CPP being around come our retirement, and thus we have started RSP's or are paying into a company pension or both. Changes are inevitable and likely there will be some type of grandfathering that will be implemented.

What I expect them to do is either resolve the issues with the Maple 1 and 2 reactors and if indeed that is not possible come up with a plan to begin work on a new reactor. The fact that a reactor is required is beyond question, what is in question is why the Conservatives scrapped the already active Maple 1 and 2 projects with no alternative game plan. As you yourself stated it takes years to perfect a reactor, not to mention a significant financial investment. The viability of the Maple 1 and 2 is up for debate. There are many nuclear experts that disagree with the findings of the report that resulted in the shutdown of the project. Waldo has cited one such source in an earlier post # 74. http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums//index....st&p=429363 So my question to you is this, does it make sense to extend a reactor beyond it license, rather than resolving technical issues with reactors that are already under development? Not only this does it further make sense to scrap an active reactor project with absolutely no backup plan in place or any indication that a new project with BETTER oversight will be at the very least started? Is privatizing AECL going to resolve the issue or is this another example of the conservative philosophy of privatizing profits while socializing the costs?

Wow Argus no need to blow a gasket. Your sanctimonious aspersions aside the question remains; what have the conservatives done about this problem since taking office? Why have we not heard about any sexy solutions to this sexy problem? Are the Liberals responsible for not resolving the issue while they were in power? Absolutely! Are the Conservatives responsible for continuing the Liberal legacy even though they claim they're so very different then the evil, lying money wasting Liberals? Absolutely! We, and consequently most of the electorate, don't care what the Liberals did or didn't do. We care about what the Conservatives ARE doing. Heretofore there has been absolutely no communication on what is being done to resolve the issue. When will you and the CPC realize that three years hence blaming the Liberals for the Conservatives inability to act is getting rather stale? Is it the Liberal stacked courts perhaps? The Liberal stacked senate? Is it the Liberal special interest groups staying their hand? Perhaps it’s the uncooperative opposition parties who are to blame? Certainly it couldn’t be God’s own party the Conservative Party of Canada. Responsibility for the CPC’s own inaction needs to be taken. We can't expect this will happen anytime soon if at all. What we can expect is the often cited Conservative mantra, "But the Liberals are responsible for Ad Scam"

The interesting thing to note is that the Conservatives went down 2 points nationally while the Liberals went up 1.5 and the Bloc .5. This seems to suggest most of the Conservative losses were in PQ to the benefit of the Libs and Bloc. With a 20 point lead in PQ and 11 point lead in Ontario at this point the Conservatives have no chance of pulling off another minority government. Sadly it means we'll simply have a Liberal minority which IMV puts us in no better position. I'm tired of minority governments and I have no interest in adding to the longest streak in Canadian history of consecutive minority governments.

So which are they? Are the Socialist or are the Facist? They can't be both the two are mutually exclusive by definition. Socialism on the extreme left of the political scale and Facism on the extreme right.

I'm not disputing that, that is in fact the case. However, let us not forget who currently is in charge and heretofore apparently has done nothing to remedy the situation. Who caused it is immaterial, when it is in fact your job to fix it. If the facilities were in such ill repair when the CPC took office, why have they done nothing to rectify the situation. They are all to quick to blame the Liberals for their own inaction and three years after the CPC took office the excuse is becomming thin indeed.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/06/08/...injunction.html The sad thing in all of this is that nigh on three years later the CPC is STILL trying to blame the Liberals. When will they put this rather sorry diatribe to rest? Can the Liberals still realistically be blamed for the Isotope issue since the CPC has been in government since 2006. Talk about beating a horse that’s been dead for three years. I also like that Ms. Raitt took the opportunity to try and stick it to Ignatieff. While Ignatieff not being in the country is certainly an excuse for not being aware of what’s going on in Canada. However, this of course begs the question as to why she, who by implication was in fact in Canada, didn’t know about the issue and failed to act to correct it. Waldo also did an excellent job of summing up the CPC paranoia. I guess if you try hard enough you really can blame everything on the Liberals.

The problem with your argument is that is assumes a homogeneity of culture among English speakers that simply does not exist. Canada is a loose confederation of regions, where regionalism runs deeper than does nationalism. In fact the only time nationalism ever really comes up among Canadians is when we’re referring to how very “un-American” we are. The cultures are vastly different from region to region. I don’t think you can safely say that someone from the Maritimes is culturally the same as someone from Alberta, or that Ontario and BC have anything in common other than their ability to grow pot. Then there’s Newfoundland which is almost its own country. Quebec is a just another region with its own distinct culture, just like every other region. Our differences in Canada outstrip our similarities by a country mile. It takes far more than sharing a common mother tongue to form a cultural consensus. Otherwise we’d all be flying old glory about now.