FLUSH. The Loonie is Swimming in the Bowl and the Economy is in the T

[whowhere]

Unlimited risk? Unquestioning seems more like it.

My life, like every other Canadian's became threatened the moment our government decided to join an imperialist crusade we had no business with. The very least the government should have done is sought a mandate by a referendum before committing us to such a pointless undertaking.

As it is, I support the troops against my will, but I doubt if our new enemy will make that distinction when it retaliates. I'll just be so much collateral damage if I happen to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Goddamn our government for hiding itself amongst our population and using us a shield.

Come on, Canada has to contribute to the world cause. When doing so, the soldiers deserve working equipment, good intel, and all issues addressed for their well being. Anything less from the politicians and their commanders deserves contempt. Canada is a leach and a parasite to world democracy. Canada weaseled its way into existence. Canada did not fight a great war to acheive Independence but through the force of World history Canada has evolved to where it is at. Whatever that exactly is. The least Canada can do is contribute anywhere and everywhere it can and be thankful for its undeserved existence. If the world was a playground and Canada was a school kid, Canada would get beaten unconscious for its arrogance and audacity. Unfortunately, the world is not a playground and Canada will not be taught the lessons it deserves.

[M.Dancer]

Its a little bewildering that our troops volunteer to go nonetheless. Why doesn't the military community send a strong message and just say no and refuse to work under these conditions. They don't have to go into battle, they do have a choice. Aren't soldiers part of a public sector union? Why isn't there a national strike underway on these workers behalf?

Probably because they are honourable and brave, which is why you don't understand them, being congenitally unfamiliar with those concepts.

[eyeball]

Probably because they are honourable and brave, which is why you don't understand them, being congenitally unfamiliar with those concepts.

I was a volunteer firefighter for 6 years so these concepts are familiar enough. When I was a firefighter I was also amazed to find out just how many volunteers were also firebugs and just how complicated something so simple as honour and bravery can get in a person's mind. I also learned a thing or two about critical incident stress.

I'm also aware of some of the complications that volunteering for something like Afghanistan can trigger. A good friend's daughter is going out with a 21 year old sniper who's shipping out in January. All this kids seems to know is, this is what he's spent his life training for, his number has finally come up and he can't wait to go. 21...and he's spent his whole life no less getting ready for this....he can't wait...how could anyone so naive possibly have a clue about what they're getting into and how adversly it could affect them for the rest of life?

My friend's daughter sounds a little torn and isolated. I can imagine a number of her friends, many of whom I've known as well for years also feel a little conflicted. I imagine isolation is a fairly common feeling amongst military people. I know I've seen this in the police families that cycle in and out of our communities. Although they're often held up as brave and couragous pillars of the community they just never seem to entirely fit into it. I suspect this is even more pronounced in military families.

Its pretty godamn sad to see this process actually taking place.

Oh well...

Happy new year to you anyway Mo.

[Toro]

"Canada’s currency may extend its biggest annual decline on record, as tumbling crude prices hobble foreign investment in the country’s oil patch, according to the world’s biggest strategists and economists."

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/fp/L...6162/story.html

Any thoughts?

Its pretty simple. If you think the economic crisis is going to get worse, the Canadian dollar will go down. If you think that the economic crisis is going to get better, the loonie will go up. If you think things will be about the same as they are now, the loonie will go sideways.

The fair value of the loonie based on purchasing power parity is about 80 cents, meaning it is trading around where it should.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Since when did AVRO build tanks? Canada has never designed a main battle tank, only license built other countries designs during WW2.

The Concorde design was a collaboration between French and British engineers drawing on both of their experience with supersonic aircraft. No one person was responsible for it. Both the French and British had been studying the problem independently and the final concept was the result of a brainstorming session between DR. W.J. Strang, chief engineer at BAC and Lucien Servanty, chief engineer at Sud Aviation. The Concorde project itself was overseen by Pierre Satre, technical director at Sud Aviation and Sir Archibald Russell, technical director at BAC. No doubt some former AVRO Canada engineers were also involved in the project, perhaps at a high level but to say that one of them designed it all by himself is another of those Arrow myths and legends.

When he left Canada, he went to work for Hawker-Sidley and headed up the design team for a project that was ultimately chosen as the design for the Concorde. For his work on supersonic transport design he was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society's George Taylor Gold Medal in 1962. He was working for the British government as a consultant for the actual build process.

Now to your point that Canada never designed a main battle tank, I never said we did. I said that we lost the brain trust for our engineering efforts with the demise of the Arrow.

[Wilber]

When he left Canada, he went to work for Hawker-Sidley and headed up the design team for a project that was ultimately chosen as the design for the Concorde. For his work on supersonic transport design he was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society's George Taylor Gold Medal in 1962. He was working for the British government as a consultant for the actual build process.

I assume you are speaking of James Floyd who was actually a Brit who worked for AVRO UK and came to AVRO Canada when the company was set up after WW2 as chief engineer, then returned to the UK to work for Hawker after the Arrow was cancelled. Apparently his work was very influential in the design and drew on experience with the Arrow but to say that the Concorde was designed by a Canadian or any one person is a real stretch.

[Jerry J. Fortin]

I assume you are speaking of James Floyd who was actually a Brit who worked for AVRO UK and came to AVRO Canada when the company was set up after WW2 as chief engineer, then returned to the UK to work for Hawker after the Arrow was cancelled. Apparently his work was very influential in the design and drew on experience with the Arrow but to say that the Concorde was designed by a Canadian or any one person is a real stretch.

That's the guy, he retired here too.

[Wilber]

That's the guy, he retired here too.

He was a brilliant guy but one of many brilliant engineers who contributed, there was no one designer of the Concorde. The most important factors in the performance of any aircraft are the engines and wing design. There have been many great aircraft designs that have never made it simply because there were no capable powerplants available at the time they were designed. The Concorde engines were built by Rolls Royce/Snecma and were a highly developed version of the Bristol Siddley Olympus that was used in the Vulcan bomber. Other than the fact they are both deltas, the Arrow and Concorde wings are quite different. Was Floyd very involved in the wing design? Possibly but a guy named James Hamilton is given a lot of credit.

[Charles Anthony]

If you want to discuss the Avro Arrow, please do so in a different thread -- perhaps this one:

The Avro Arrow, A Great Canadian Tragedy