Generals, diplomats, politicians and troops in Afghanistan

By John Geddes - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 3:23 PM - 2 Comments

Leaked news that Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, is urging President Barack Obama to think twice about sending more troops to the troubled country makes for some interesting discussion about the ways diplomats and generals sometimes try to publicly pressure their political masters.

Eikenberry, himself a retired three-star general, seems to be pushing back against the media campaign of Gen. Stanley McChyrstal, the top U.S. soldier in Afghanistan, whose own pleas for many more U.S. troops to be sent to help him against the Taliban were leaked earlier this fall. Eikenberry reportedly argues that Obama should wait for clear signs of reform on the part of the Afghan government before more American soldiers are committed.

Continue…

Predator or Putz?

By Kate Lunau - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 3:20 PM - 3 Comments

With its bone-crushing teeth and monstrous proportions, there’s no creature more fearsome in the public imagination than the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. Sixty-five million years after it went extinct, though, T. Rex is having an identity crisis: in recent months, much of what we know about this iconic monster has been “flipped on its ear,” says Stephen Brusatte, a vertebrate paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Indeed, the tyrannosaur’s size, speed and eating habits have all been thrown into question, leaving dino lovers wondering if the T. Rex really was so fearsome after all.

The North American T. Rex and its Asian cousin, the Tarbosaurus, are two of about 10 dinosaurs that fall into the tyrannosaur family, Brusatte says. Because tyrannosaurs were at the top of the prehistoric food chain, paleontologists long believed different members of this family couldn’t coexist. But a newly described fossil has challenged that assumption. With its thin teeth, horns, and hollow bones, Alioramus altai was a “ballerina” compared to T. Rex, says Brusatte, lead author of the study. Unearthed in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, Alioramus lived side by side with the Asian Tarbosaurus, suggesting not all tyrannosaurs were “top chiefdom brutes,” he notes. Perhaps because Alioramus wasn’t viewed as competition, Tarbosaurus didn’t seem to mind this smaller, daintier relative. Continue…

The hard truth

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 3:05 PM - 5 Comments

When Canada became the first country in the world to ban plastic baby bottles with bisphenol A in April 2008, after concluding that the widely-used chemical is toxic to newborns and infants, then Health Minister Tony Clement went out of his way to convince adults that they “need not be concerned” about their own health. It might be time to reconsider that position. A newly published U.S. study has found that BPA appears to cause erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in men. Researchers tracked 634 employees from four factories in China that use the chemical in their products over a five year period. The men handling BPA were four times as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction and seven times as likely to have difficulty with ejaculation than the regular population, they concluded. True, the levels the Chinese workers were exposed to were 50 times what an average American male faces. But with BPA, which coats the inside of everything from food cans to water pipes, so ubiquitous that it is found in the urine of 93 per cent of US residents, that’s going to be cold comfort to many.

The Washington Post

Canadian air travellers' bill of rights

By Chris Rivers, Takeoffeh.com - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 2:23 PM - 7 Comments

A growing disenchantment with many airlines has pushed a private member’s Bill of Rights for air passengers before parliament. Incidents such as shoddy service, lost baggage, denied boarding, flight delays and questionable pricing practices have created a backlash of consumer dissatisfaction which the federal NDP opposition is leveraging.

The tipping point for all the furor came in March 2008 when two Cubana Airlines flights were diverted to Ottawa during a snowstorm. The combination of the snow, lightning and Cubana having no relationship with local handling companies meant that the 300 passengers sat within eyesight of the gate for 12 hours with little food or water and backed-up toilets. A similar incident with Northwest took place at its main Detroit hub in 1999. According to Northwest, even their aircraft handlers were stuck in the storm and the airport was operating on a skeleton staff. Continue…

Love and hate, but mostly hate

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 2:07 PM - 17 Comments

Frank McKenna considers Michael Ignatieff’s situation.

Frank McKenna, a former Canadian ambassador to the United States, says recent criticism against Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff fits with how the Canadian public views political leaders.

Playing down the abilities of politicians is just part of our culture, he said. That’s been the case at least since the time of former prime minister Brian Mulroney. ”I think this just follows a trend that we love to hate our leaders,” McKenna said on CTV’s Canada AM. “We love to try to tear down the tall poppies in our country.”

Paul Leslie Wentzell 1989-2009

By Nancy Macdonald - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 1:40 PM - 12 Comments

Paul Leslie Wentzell was born on Aug. 18, 1989, to Paulette, a homemaker, and Leslie, a mining superintendant. He grew up in Daniel’s Harbour, a remote, coastal fishing village on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula. Paul, the baby, came nine years after his only sibling, Ryan, his idol. By the time he was in first grade at tiny Holy Cross All-Grade (there were no more than a few students in each year), Ryan was already working on getting his driver’s licence. Still, they were tight.

Paula Hancock, a neighbour, recalls seeing them walking home for lunch around that time. Ryan, who was holding his little brother’s hand, leaned down to say something as she drove past. Paul, who was gentle and fair-haired, looked up with “all the love in his little heart,” flashing him “the sweetest smile.” Continue…

Spare me the therapeutic platitudes

By Mark Steyn - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 1:30 PM - 100 Comments

As readers may recall, a few weeks ago I was invited to testify at the House of Commons about the Canadian “Human Rights” Commission. While in Ottawa, I stayed at a certain local hostelry that shall be nameless (the Château Laurier). I don’t like to complain. Seriously. I do so much of it for a living that I resent giving it away for free in private. But my room was unsatisfactory in many basic respects, and, a few days after I drew them to the attention of the gal at the checkout desk, an email arrived from the Assistant Manager, Housekeeping, which I quote in full:

“I would like to extend my thanks for bringing these issues to our attention. We truly appreciate Guest feedback, as it enables us to learn and grow from difficult experiences and truly strive to improve the overall Guest experience. Continue…

Afghanistan: Debate on demand

By Paul Wells - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 1:20 PM - 30 Comments

Colleague Coyne and I were in Halifax on Tuesday night debating this Afghanistan business. Our colleagues at CPAC have archived the video of the entire event here.

Olympic mitts

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 1:16 PM - 8 Comments

Heritage Minister James Moore  sports some official Olympic mitts.

Latin lovers abound in university

By Kate Lunau - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 1:00 PM - 5 Comments

Who said Latin was a dead language? Like the Roman army invading Britain, hordes of university students are flooding classics departments, intent on learning Caesar’s tongue. At York, enrolment in beginners’ Latin has doubled over the past few years, while the University of Ottawa has opened more spaces due to demand.

Alison Keith, chair of classics at the University of Toronto, thinks Latin’s popularity has to do with “media interest in the ancients,” as typified in movies like Gladiator. “I’ve spent time looking at the ruins, but they’re down around my knees,” she says, which makes seeing ancient Rome on screen all the more exciting. The Harry Potter books, too, have made an impression: “Lots of the code words have a Latin base,” she says. (Take the lumos spell, close to lumen, Latin for “light.”) Continue…

Who we are

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:57 PM - 30 Comments

Your new guide to Canadian citizenship is here.

Where will P.E.I. Muslims go to pray?

By Katie Engelhart - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:40 PM - 50 Comments

Call it Little Mosque on the Island. Last week, the CBC ran a news story about a Muslim doctor whose efforts to build the first mosque in P.E.I. have thus far come to naught. The “disappointed” doctor asked the province for financial assistance, only to be “turned down.”

The CBC story also suggested that there was reason to believe the city might step in. It quoted Charlottetown Coun. David MacDonald as saying he would be willing to meet with Muslims and “see if the city can assist in building a mosque.” But when Maclean’s spoke to MacDonald, he said, “We wouldn’t give any assistance to a religious group any more than we would to anybody else. We don’t provide financial assistance to any kind of developer.” The meeting, MacDonald says, will be little more than an “information session.” Continue…

Autumn house hunting: What $1 million will get you

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:28 PM - 0 Comments

Click below to see what’s available in some of Canada’s largest markets.

Autumn house hunting: What $500,000 will get you

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:28 PM - 1 Comment

Click below to see what’s available in some of Canada’s largest markets.

Autumn house hunting: What $350,000 will get you

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:28 PM - 1 Comment

Click below to see what’s available in some of Canada’s largest markets.

Autumn house hunting: What $150,000 will get you

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:25 PM - 1 Comment

Click below to see what’s available in some of Canada’s largest markets.

Teaching the Vancouver Olympics

By Tom Henheffer - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12:20 PM - 2 Comments

Should B.C. kids be learning about the Winter Olympics in school? The provincial government says yes, but teachers are fuming.

The government has spent more than $500,000 over the past three years to create an Olympics education program-, which includes a website and DVD with curriculum recommendations for teachers, incentives for schools to ensure children stay active, and webcasts about student issues such as diversity, disability, and inclusion. Continue…

Neda Agha-Soltan and why I've never been so proud to be an Oxford grad

By Michael Petrou - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:56 AM - 3 Comments

The University of Oxford’s Queen’s College has established a scholarship for Iranians in honour of Neda Agha-Soltan, a protester who was shot dead during protests against June’s rigged election. The Iranian embassy in London is incensed.

The royal treatment

By Patricia Treble - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:56 AM - 7 Comments

Guns are bad and a registry won't make them less so

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:32 AM - 42 Comments

A new poll suggests Canadians outside Quebec are ready to do away with the controversial long-gun registry. The Canadian Press/Haris-Decima survey found 61 per cent of Canadians outside Quebec believe the registry is not helpful in stamping out gun crimes. However, within Quebec, it’s a different story; 56 per cent oppose abolishing the registry. Doug Anderson, senior vice-president of Harris-Decima says that, in general, Canadians still feel that “too many guns in society is a bad thing.” But many are convinced that the registry is simply a billion-dollar waste‹one that targets well-intentioned farmers and hunters as opposed to hardened criminals. Anderson speculates that the 1989 massacre at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, which left 14 women dead, may have influenced Quebeckers’ reticence to do away with the registry. In the House of Commons, the Bloc Québécois voted unanimously against abolishment.

CBC News

Ontario grants protection to cheap fast food

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:31 AM - 28 Comments

Books, children’s clothing, diapers, and newspaper subscriptions are among the products Ontario has exempted from the 8 per cent provincial component of the 13 per cent harmonized sales tax that will be implemented next July. And as of Thursday, a new kind of purchase will added to the list: cheap fast food. Finance officials plan to announce the exemption of fast food items under $4 at a Toronto Tim Hortons. Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan and Revenue Minister John Wilkonson say the new tax scheme will create an estimated 591,000 new jobs in Ontario. Opposition parties dismiss the HST as a tax grab.

CBC News

Swine flu deaths south of the border set to triple

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:23 AM - 3 Comments

The number of swine flu deaths in the U.S. is set to triple overnight. According to the Center for Disease Control, the new figure, which is expected to be released today, is a result of new surveillance methods, and will likely show that 4,000 people have died from H1N1, up from the 1,200 that were previously reported. While the apparent spike may induce panic, experts insist that getting an accurate read of influenza numbers and deaths is always problematic, as testing for the virus takes a backseat to treating flu-like symptoms. As Dr. Frank James, a health officer in San Juan County, Wash., and clinical associate professor at the University of Washington, explains: “The public will struggle with this change and some will take it to mean that the government does not know what it is talking about, while those that think more clearly will understand the process and outcome and reasons for the difference.” Despite the increase in the death toll, the likelihood of dying from swine flu in the U.S. is still outstripped by other daily hazards, such as drunk driving accidents.

ABC News

One step closer to a "three-parent baby"

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:22 AM - 4 Comments

Using eggs from young donors to repair the damaged eggs of older women who hope to conceive, researchers are one step closer to creating a baby that, biologically speaking, has three parents. While they haven’t yet used these eggs to produce babies, they have been injected with sperm to produce an early embryo in the lab. The technique could be used to increase the chances of fertilization for older women, or to reduce the chance of genetic illness, but it’s also likely to provoke outrage among critics who say it could lead to genetically modified children. In vitro fertilization often fails in older women because of abnormalities on the outside of their eggs. But the team of researchers at St. Mother Hospital in Japan think they could implant the healthy nucleus, containing most of the information needed to produce a baby, into the cytoplasm of a young mother donor. They did this successfully in 31 eggs; of these, seven formed “early stage embryos” when injected with sperm in a test tube.

The Telegraph

Who's the boss?

By macleans.ca - Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:21 AM - 2 Comments

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signaled a dramatic break with his predecessor, current prime minister Vladmir Putin, by calling for deep reforms to the Russian economy and political system. “Instead of a primitive economy based on raw materials, we shall create a smart economy, producing unique knowledge, new goods and technologies, goods and technologies useful for people,” Medvedev said. “Instead of an archaic society, in which leaders think and decide for everybody, we shall become a society of intelligent, free and responsible people.” Medvedev’s proposal calls for government to become more transparent and corrupt officials to be rooted. The massive state-owned companies created by Putin don’t have a future, he said. Medvedev’s ability to deliver on these reforms will depend on who really controls Russia – the president, or his prime minister and former mentor, Vladimir Putin.

BBC News