good story on critical mass

A Critical Mess? Yes It Is. If We Lock Up All Those Responsible for Current Traffic Problems, the Traffic Jams Would Be Gone.
by Gary Engler
The Vancouver Sun editorial criticizing the Critical Mass bicycle ride did not go nearly far enough.

While the editorial cited cyclists for breaking the law, everyone knows the real reason for public anger is the traffic jams the rides create.

Well, I say everyone who causes a traffic jam and disrupts the peace of our city should be arrested and sent to jail for a long time. That would send a message and quickly clear our streets for the enjoyment of its citizens.

So, in descending order of responsibility for traffic jams, the following scoundrels should be arrested and locked up by police officers who should refocus away from less important duties, such as catching murderers, busting meth labs and chasing bank robbers. I say arrest and imprison:

All the developers over the years who built the houses which sprawl for scores of kilometres, making it almost inevitable that hundreds of thousands of Lower Mainland residents will use private vehicles to go to work, shop and go about their daily lives.

All the politicians and city planners who enabled these developers to build our sprawling suburbs.

All the developers, politicians and planners who continue to build roads and bridges that will funnel ever more traffic onto our streets.

Everyone who argues that wider and more roads are the solution to traffic problems, because all the evidence instead demonstrates more cars and therefore more congestion is the inevitable result. All those who choose to live too far from work to use public transit or walk or ride a bike.

All those who could use public transit or walk or ride but instead choose to drive, especially those hundreds of thousands who commute alone in their vehicles.

All those who object to well-planned densification of single family neighbourhoods.

Everyone in the tens of thousands of households with two or three or more vehicles when fewer would easily do.

All those who drive a vehicle that takes up more space than is absolutely necessary.

All owners of businesses, especially those located downtown, which provide free or subsidized parking to their employees.

All those who object to the expansion of rapid transit because they don't want to pay more taxes or for other reasons, including those westside residents who have blocked the building of the SkyTrain line to UBC because they wish to keep the riffraff out of their neighbourhood.

All those who object to the expansion of bike lanes and other means of getting people out of their cars and into more healthy ways of transport.

All those who discourage pedestrians and cyclists by aggressive driving because everyone who walks or rides made to feel unsafe is less likely to give up their car.

Finally, all those who promote an economic system that requires us to choose between ever more growth or the misery of depression/recession. In this car-addicted society that inevitably means more automobiles and therefore more traffic jams. One could argue that these people are the worst of all and should go to the top of the list, as the ultimate bad seeds.

Imagine how many fewer traffic jams there would be if all these people were put behind bars. If they were locked away before the next Critical Mass, my bet is that even10,000 bike riders in the downtown core would barely be noticed. But if they still cause a traffic jam and disrupt the peace, I say arrest them too and throw them in jail.

Gary Engler is a Vancouver Sun news editor (currently on a leave of absence), a cyclist and a recovering car addict who hasn't owned a vehicle in two-and-a-half years.

more on omar khadr

Court: Canadian officials knew US abused Gitmo prisoner


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BY STEPHEN C. WEBSTER

Published: August 14, 2009
Updated 1 day ago





A federal appeals court in Canada ruled Friday that because officials knew about the abuse of a young Canadian detained at Guantanamo Bay, they must ask the United States to repatriate him.

In the ruling, Canadian judges Karen Sharlow and John Evans wrote, “The knowing involvement of Canadian officials in the mistreatment of Mr. [Omar] Khadr in breach of international human rights law, in particular by interviewing him knowing that he had been deprived of sleep in order to induce him to talk, ‘opens up a different dimension’ of a constitutional and justiciable nature.”

Khadr was arrested in Afghanistan in July 2002 when he was 15 years old for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed a US soldier, a charge he has denied.

The Canadian has been held at the US “war on terror” prison camp since October 2002, awaiting trial on charges of murder, conspiracy and support of terrorism.

According to unsealed secret Canadian government documents, Khadr, as a 17-year-old, was placed in a special program at Guantanamo that intentionally deprived him of sleep and moved him every three hours for twenty-one days in order to ready him to speak to government officials.

RAW STORY first reported in July 2008, that Canadian officials were aware of Khadr’s harsh treatment.

In April, Canada’s federal court agreed with Khadr’s lawyers that the government’s steadfast refusal to request his repatriation infringed on Khadr’s constitutional rights.

But the Canadian government appealed the decision and has consistently rejected pressure from opposition MPs, rights groups and others to bring Khadr home, saying it would wait for US proceedings to play out.

A spokesperson for Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon told Agence France-Presse on Friday, “The government of Canada is reviewing the [appeal court] decision.”

The Canadian government may still bring its case to the country’s Supreme Court.

Judges Sharlow and Evans were opposed on Friday by Judge Marc Nadon in a 2-1 decision.

“It is up to Canada, in the exercise of its powers over foreign policy, to determine the most appropriate course of action in dealing with the US with regard to Mr. Khadr’s situation,” Nadon wrote, according to The Globe and Mail.

In the April ruling, Federal Court Judge James O’Reilly noted that Khadr was not granted special status as a minor by US authorities and cited international treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

He also took into consideration reports that Khadr was kept in isolation at the prison and subjected to sleep deprivation.

The government argued before the appeal court that it should have “unfettered discretion to decide whether and when to request the return of a Canadian citizen detained in a foreign country.”

It is “a matter within its exclusive authority to conduct foreign affairs,” said government lawyers, according to court documents.

But the appeal court ruled “there is no factual basis” to conclude the order presents “a serious intrusion into the Crown’s responsibility for the conduct of Canada’s foreign affairs.”

In today’s decision, dissenting judge Nadon wrote, “The Crown adduced no evidence that requiring it to request Mr. Khadr’s return would damage Canada’s relations with the United States.”

Courts in Britain, Australia, South Africa and elsewhere have previously found no clear duty to protect citizens in foreign countries.

But allegations that Canadian officials were complicit in mistreatment of Khadr triggered his constitutional rights, according to the original federal court ruling.

That ruling noted that Canadian officials had interrogated Khadr at the prison and shared information gleaned from him with US authorities.

Canada regularly checked on Khadr’s well-being and, in a diplomatic dispatch, “made it clear that it believed that Guantanamo Bay was not an appropriate place for a child to be kept in custody.”

But subsequently, Canadian intelligence agents became “knowingly implicated in the imposition of sleep deprivation techniques on Mr. Khadr as a means of making him more willing to provide intelligence,” the federal court said.

“In Mr. Khadr’s case, while Canada did make representations regarding his possible mistreatment, it also participated directly in conduct that failed to respect Mr. Khadr’s rights, and failed to take steps to remove him from an extended period of unlawful detention among adult prisoners, without contact with his family,” the ruling said.

vancouver cop charged with incest and sexual assault! yeesh...

Burnaby - Male Charged in Sexual Assault

File # 2009-38374 2009-08-14 11:36 PDT
On Thursday afternoon, the Burnaby RCMP Serious Crime Section arrested a police officer of the Vancouver Police Department.

The arrest comes in relation to an alleged sexual assault that occurred between July 31 and August 1, 2009 in Burnaby, British Columbia.

This male is now facing charges of Sexual Assault – section 271(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada, and Incest – section 155(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada. He will appear in Vancouver Provincial Court in September.

A publication ban is in effect in regards to any and all names of individuals involved in the case, and as a result no further information will be provided.

taser international using corporate intimidation.....how will the b.c. gov respond?

Taser to file suit over Braidwood findings: report
Last Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2009 | 11:15 PM ET Comments0Recommend7
CBC News
Taser International is preparing to mount a legal challenge against the findings of a B.C. inquiry looking into the use of stun guns in the province, according to a media report Thursday night.

The inquiry was launched in the wake of the death of Robert Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant, who died at Vancouver International Airport in October 2007 after being shocked multiple times with an RCMP Taser.

A Vancouver lawyer for Arizona-based Taser International told CTV on Thursday the company will ask a court to quash many of the 19 recommendations made by former B.C. Appeal Court justice Thomas Braidwood in his preliminary report last month.

"The commission breached basic principles of fairness and fundamental justice … both in its procedure and in the manner in which the report and its conclusions were reached," lawyer David Neave said in the CTV report.

CTV said it has obtained legal documents in which Taser International alleges the inquiry neglected to enter scientific and medical evidence brought forward by the company, and made its recommendations based on incomplete information.

In his preliminary report, Braidwood concluded that stun guns can be deadly and suggested much tougher rules be adopted if they are to remain an option for police.

He also recommended that stun guns only be used in single five-second bursts in most cases – rather than multiple bursts – citing increased medical risks associated with repeated shocks, and that paramedic assistance be requested in every medically high-risk situation.

Taser, which makes virtually all the stun guns being used by police forces, has steadfastly argued its stun guns are safe.

But Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh said Taser is merely using the lawsuit to intimidate its critics and protect its profits.

The Braidwood inquiry's findings have led many Canadian police forces to restrict the use of stun guns — also known as conducted energy weapons.

The second phase of the inquiry, focusing on Dziekanski's death, will resume in September, following which Braidwood is expect to issue his second report.

too cute!

this squirrel just happened to pop up at the right time. this was taken at lake minnewanka by a couple of british tourists! too cute.

today show dietician on how to eat healthy on a road trip!!! a must read...really!

USA Today Dietitian Recommends Eating McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell And Burger King On The Today Show (VIDEO)
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Huffington Post | Katherine Goldstein
First Posted: 08-13-09 01:45 PM | Updated: 08-13-09 01:54 PM

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Read More: Dietitian Recommends Fast Food, Elizabeth Ward, Food, Poll, Today Show, Today Show Dietitian, Video, Green News
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On The Today Show, Matt Lauer hosted dietitian Elizabeth Ward to discuss how to make "healthy" food choices on a road trip. Virtually the only measure Ward used to evaluate what was healthy was how many calories is in it.

She started out with breakfast at McDonalds, stating she was a big proponent of eating eggs. She recommended scrambled eggs and an English muffin. (This item doesn't actually appear on the menu, but these ingredients are served at McDonalds -- maybe she was suggesting making a special order, or throwing out the rest?)

For the record, scrambled eggs at McDonalds, which one could easily mistake for being comprised of well, eggs, actually contain the following:
Pasteurized whole eggs with sodium acid pyrophosphate, citric acid and monosodium phosphate (added to preserve color), nisin (preservative). Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono-and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color).
She goes onto recommend Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC Grilled Chicken (HuffPost bloggers have had a field day with this "healthy" alternative) and processed and packaged snacks.

While Ward and Lauer tout the value of eating fruit as a healthy snack, for the most part this dietitian throws her support behind the idea that processed fast food, filled with additives, preservatives and factory farmed meat is good for us, as long as it doesn't exceed a certain number of calories.

WATCH:


Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

My favorite thing to eat while traveling, food I made at home and bring with me, was not mentioned as an option.

For a full list of what Ward thinks is healthy to eat, check out her USA Today article.

hhhmmmm tories? racism?

Harper Consistently Embarrasses Canada Abroad
by Haroon Siddiqui
Israel and the U.S. have well-deserved reputations for standing up for their citizens abroad. Canada, under Stephen Harper, is gaining a reputation for failing its own.

Omar Khadr rots in Guantanamo.

Abousfian Abdelrazik, tortured in his native Sudan, had to be holed up in the Canadian embassy in Khartoum for a year before being allowed to return to Canada.

Bashir Makhtal – abducted from Kenya to his native Ethiopia and sentenced to life in prison for allegedly belonging to a separatist group – may or may not get Ottawa's help in fighting the verdict of a kangaroo court.

Huseyin Celil – a Uighur Canadian human-rights activist serving a life sentence in China after being convicted, in secret, on charges of terrorism – has been forgotten by Ottawa. Its waning interest has run in tandem with its increasing enthusiasm for business with China.

Perhaps the Harper Tories don't want anything to do with anyone tarred with the terrorism brush, rightly or wrongly.

But now comes the case of Suaad Hagi Mohamud. The Toronto woman was left dangling in Nairobi after an airport official thought her lips did not match the picture on her passport. Rather than helping her, the Canadian embassy became a party to tormenting her. It has taken 11 weeks and a DNA test to prove her identity.

Her case wouldn't even have come to light had it not been for Star reporter John Goddard, who has kept at it, day after day.

Gar Pardy, former head of the consular services section of foreign affairs in Ottawa, and others see a pattern of discrimination.

They draw comparisons with Brenda Martin, jailed in Mexico but rescued by a minister's intervention and flown back on a government plane. She is white, others not. The others are also Muslim.

Star columnist Christopher Hume yesterday accused the Harperites of racism based on colour. "This smacks not just of prejudice but of apartheid."

Former MP Omar Alghabra, who was Liberal citizenship critic, says the "elephant in the room" may be the Tory belief that some Canadians are not "real" citizens and, thus, unworthy of consular help.

Dan McTeague, former Liberal minister responsible for Canadians abroad, says Harper shows no interest in Canadians in trouble overseas unless he is embarrassed into action by the media or the courts. Given that 9 per cent of Canadians are abroad at any given time, we need a parliamentary debate on the issue.

Dirty laundry

Protocol has it that when travelling abroad, the leader of a country refrain from washing dirty domestic laundry in front of foreigners or playing partisan politics.

Not Harper. Either he cannot help himself or he does mean to fully use the international stage to beam loud messages back home.

Sept. 2007: He's in Australia, from whence he berates Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand.

The latter had said he couldn't deny women in niqabs the right to vote because the law did not let him. The Prime Minister accused Mayrand of subverting the will of Parliament, when, in fact, Mayrand was upholding it.

But Harper, riding a wave of bigotry in Quebec in time for three federal by-elections, wouldn't let facts or protocols get in his way.

Last month: At the G-8 summit in Italy, he blasts Michael Ignatieff for saying Canada was losing clout globally. In turned out that the latter hadn't said so and Harper apologized, rightly. But he wouldn't have magnified his problem had he refrained, in the first place, from domestic mudslinging abroad.

This week: Grilled in Guadalajara about his decision to impose visas on visitors from Mexico, Harper blames our refugee system.

That is seen by Tories as a Liberal legacy, when, in fact, it was Brian Mulroney who set up the independent Immigration and Refugee Board and the rules governing it.

Harper wants to tighten the rules. What better way to set up the coming changes than to use the megaphone of a foreign summit to badmouth the system back home?