fellowtraveller

No, that is just not true. If Houston has never met Brown, she'd almost certainly still be an addict. The way things were going, death was a pretty good career move. She reminded me of Celine Dion: great voice, terrible material. RIP.

Why would governments cede the rule of law to unions to impose their will on the economy or on personal freedoms?

No, I am curious as to what qualifies each or any of these persons to lead the country. Is that not a consideration for the NDP electorate? Doesn't the NDP have aspirations to win an election, not just have a leader? I thought I'd ask the question, it will certainly be asked by Canadians before the next federal election. Or is that too partisan and confrontational for your sensitivities? And no, I don't think just getting elected is enough qualification. I'm wondering who has the most experience managing large budgets, large numbers of people, understands foreign and domestic issues through actual experience, education in something practical, somebody who has had a real job at some point in their life, - that sort of thing.

Some witless Aussie doper got caught smugglig weed into Bali and is now wasting her time trying to get out by embarassing the Indonesian government. She presented the dumbest defence ever when on trial and is now going at it in such a way she will likely have to serve the whole sentence. Some people never learn.

I am genuinely curious as to what exactly are the accomplishments and achievements. Outside of getting elected and running political machines, what have each done that you find to be of merit?

Why would management of any comapny cede the authority of compensation? Corporations are not democracies where somebody makes a motion and all the staff vote.

I have not been following this story. Who won the NDP leadership?

OK, that is a pretty funny line.Imagine hockey games having stunt coordinators.

Typical apologist bullshit. I do not defend Israel at any cost. I do point pout that Iran has not just threatened to annihilate the Jews in Israel, they have promised to do so. They fund and arm Israels enemies on her doorstep: Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and Lebanaon is controlled via Syria. That is not an opinion. Those are not opinions. I expect that when the nuclear weapon is delivered to Israel, it will be through one of Irans proxies. Ever been to Teheran? I have. These guys are as serious as a fucking tumour, true believers. The Jews in Iran keep their heads very low. So do the Bahai.

You raised the topic, why not asnwer your own question: why are you so jacked up at what you see as Harpers government ripped asunder by Wildrose?You're dreaming. No, you are wet dreaming. Liberals had 26% last election and got 9 seats. Wildrose would be thrilled to do that well this time. They won't though, because they will pick up zero of the Liberal votes available.

I vote for Iran. They had no problem engaging Iraq in the 80s. They support Hamas, Syria and Hezbollah and destabilize Lebanon for decades - all in virulent hatred for israel and specifically Jews- a people that they have had little direct conflict with. It is pure anti-Semitism, something the jewish people are still a tad wary about given the Holocaust. Better safe than a glowing pile of glass on the edge of the Mediterranean. The Israelis decided long ago it will not happen again. Here is another newsflash: Europe and USA won't lift a finger to stop the Israelis, it will be done with their tacit approval.

There you have it. The Toronto media will try to make a sure thing into something else, I guess it sells magazines in Ontario or something. Really, before you embarass yourself, do some reading on what happened last year on two fronts: a)the circumstances of Stelmach leaving, which have their strong roots in how he arrived as leader the leadership campaigm , in which the 3 final candidates and the winner Redord were all red Tories. They did the very thing that the federal Tories did earlier: move to the middle because that is where the votes are. Harper would be a fool to align with a fringe party like Wildrose that has no chance at all of winning and will struggle to get into double digit seat territory. There is no gain at all for him. he won't do it privately or publicly. Flanagan was part of Reform, which has been absorbed by the CPC and is not really a factor anymore. Wildrose was akin to Reform, which is why Flanagan is involved. It won't matter on election night. Wildrose actually purged themselves from the PCs, which saved the PCs from a messy struggle.

I have spent much of my adult life in the North and like Ice Pilots NWT. It does depict that life pretty faithfully. For people who have never been in -50 weather, it is hard to explain just how tough it is to do any kind of business. I wish they spent a little more time profiling the communities they visit, their aircraft are really a vital link for some truly remote places. On the other hand, Ice Road Truckers is... meh. Nothing really happens much of the time.

I was not talking about satellite radio, I was talking about a popular FM station that is mostly paid for by subscribers. It is a major factor in the arts scene here and much loved by musicians, because they know that can get their music on air. And what is the purpose of that, why should they care that others like their music? Because they can make money from it, the can express themselves, and most importantly they can quit the job at Candian Tire. Marketing is important to anybody who wants to make a living via art, not just big name artists. . The only substantive difference between Nickleback and an indie band is not the quality of music. It is the success of marketing, of reaching enough people that like what you do and to pay for it. And the viral marketing of indie music has made for a complete change in the music industry. The iNternet is perfect for indie bands, and severely damages the Nicklebacks. People today have far better access to much more music than ever before. The scenario you describe in yor last para is largely gone, gone , gone. If you don't like the success of Nickleack, then criticize the people who like it, not the musicians. The music that indies and Nickleback play may be different, but their reasons for doing it are the same. It is all so very subjective. Indie bands aren't neccesarily good or better because they are somehow more noble, many of them are untalented, suck hard and deserve to go nowhere..

You make no mention of those most responsiblefor ensuring that workers have the necessary training and skills to compete in the job market: individuals. It is the fault of business. No, let us blame the govt. Great stuff. Keep it up.

Do you have a link for the poll. Last poll in the Edmonton Journal had the Tories at 53%. You're not exacty stepping out on a limb there with your projection, though you are right. I project the Tories will win easily. Wildrose will win single digit seats. Liberals- road kill this time, even though they got 26% of vote last time they might get half now that a red Tory is leader. NDP will be looking for a purpose in life and a new leader. The Tories elected a new leader and new Premier, Alison Redford. The Liberals also got a new leader, Raj Sherman. The ideological ties are much stronger between the federal PCs and the provincial PC party than with Wildrose. You'd understand it better if you spent some quiet time reviewing what happened last year with the departure of Stelmach, and why he left. I'll give you a hint: both parties moved to the middle. At the provincial level, that left Wildrose with the certainty of being an ineffective fringe, which makes many people but especially the PCs happy. By doing so, the PCs picked up tons of former Liberal votes, and also they purged their party of a splinter that held them back.

Well, at least I learned The Comedy Hour starts here at 5:05 PM

So tell me, when you were in China what sort of information on world events did you get from your media? Answer: none. If you had any doubts about the veracity of that info, you just checked Google, right? Answer: no. Or you could just check out thee truth at your Falun Gong meeting. Answer: only if you enjoy prison. Tell me again how human rights in China are the same as they are in Canada.

Or, it could be a major strength. I'm not sure what is on your radio dial, but I can hear plenty of indie music. As it happens, it is available on a station largely paid for by subscribers. Nickleback is no less valid than an indie band, it is a conceit to think that either is more valid than the other. (and for the record, I'd sooner thrust hot pokers in my eyes than listen to Nickleback.) There are also plenty of low budget inide films and they share one thing with high budget films: inconsistency. Some are complete crap, some are gems. You cannot legislate or dictate taste in art or music or film. You cannot force people to love something they don't, and you also should not oblige them to pay for it. If somebody other than the artist thinks it is good, they'll buy it. If nobody other than the artist likes it, I guess they need to stick with that day job like other people with hobbies. Shrug. My hobby is international travel. I could write poorly rendered stories about it. Why won't society support that?

Then spend that money on eyeglasses.

The very best investment you can make in your future and your intellect is to spend $87 on a passport. There s a whole world beyond your parents basement. If nothing else, it will save you the embarassment of making statements like that. You could start your trip in Tibet.

What is a closure settlement?CAW and CAT have a collective agreement that will cover termination of positions. If they don't, it's another sign of idiocy at CAW.

They took advantage of tax laws available to all and sundry corporations, and that is actually more socialist than capitalist. In a capitalist regime, govts would not offer anythig to anybody, sink or swim, on your own merits. As noted CAT recived no federal subsidy money at all. Every corporation and every citizen 'gleefully' takes tax breaks within the law, law they do not control.

So you are against the govt paying for the security of Canadians, but support all Canadian taxpayers paying for an enterprise that will get commuters in Toronto to work cheaply?

Hey, you know what else is hilarious? While Russia and China vetoed any censure of Syria, Assad took that as his cue to bombard one of his own cities killing over 200 people mostly women and children. Now that is comedy gold.