The Colvin encyclopedia

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 1:31 PM - 25 Comments

A collection of documents, testimony and news reports related to Richard Colvin and Canada’s handling of Afghan detainees. The Colvin encyclopedia is updated as events warrant.

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The Year in Quotes: world edition

By Patricia Treble - Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 1:30 PM - 0 Comments

Twenty years later

By Shanda Deziel - Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 1:08 PM - 24 Comments

Private and public ceremonies were held in Montreal and Toronto Sunday to mark the 20th anniversary of the École Polytechnique shootings. On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine opened fire on the female members of an engineering class, in a self-proclaimed attack against feminists, taking the lives of 14 women and himself. For Family members and survivors, who after the Montreal Massacre pushed for tougher gun laws, this anniversary comes with more frustration and sadness as last month the government voted to scrap the long-gun registry. Also, marking the anniversary is an article in the Ottawa Citizen, in which engineering professor Monique Frize talks about the shadow the shooting has cast on her field, where female enrollment continues to dwindle.

CBC

Ottawa Citizen

Outside the wire

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 4:03 PM - 27 Comments

David Pugliese undoes one of the more popular counters to Richard Colvin’s testimony.

There have also been allegations about the extent of Colvin’s travels in Afghanistan. Retired general Lewis MacKenzie said recently on CTV that based on information “from a very reliable source, (Colvin) was not permitted outside the wire in Kandahar probably once and maybe not more than once, and so was the victim of having to talk to a number of other people, diplomats, military, intelligence, et cetera, to send his opinion out on his now infamous e-mails, doing the very best he could with restrictions that were placed on him.”

The claim that Colvin went off the base only once was also repeated by Globe and Mail columnist Christie Blatchford. It surfaced again on Tuesday, with the Conservatives using it to try to undercut Colvin’s reputation. “Here is a man, Mr. Colvin, who spent about a day out of his entire tour outside of the wire and had these few interviews,” said Treasury Board president Vic Toews.

The Citizen has confirmed, however, that Colvin left the base at least six times to travel into Kandahar, in addition to travelling to other locations in Afghanistan.

O'bomber

By Paul Wells - Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 3:44 PM - 128 Comments

Dana Milbank, making himself useful for a change, surveys left-liberal despair over Barack Obama’s Afghanistan strategy. The arguments will be familiar to students of Lawrence Martin, whose Globe column this week carried the unmistakable, and familiar, sound of a romantic falling out of love again. Oh, Barack — we thought you were good, but instead you’re bad.

We’re reminded once again that support for a candidate can be so fervent that supporters devote a lot of energy to blocking out what the candidate says, in plain English, over and over. Milbank is especially good on this point. Remember that one subspecies of the shortlived mania for Stéphane Dion was the ironclad conviction that Dion would represent Pierre Trudeau’s second coming as a federalist, even though Dion had spent his career sharply criticizing elements of Trudeau’s thinking. Similarly, apparently it was possible to think Obama would do nothing in Afghanistan except poke daisies into the barrels of all those rifles. One way to avoid this misperception would have been to listen to Obama.

Chairman Steve

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 11:23 AM - 26 Comments

The Prime Minister is big in China.

The motorcade stopped, the Prime Minister and his wife Laureen alighted from a black limo, and as they made their way down the street hand-in-hand, a flurry of RCMP security, paparazzi and tourists followed. Across the road a few shouts of “Harper! Harper!” went up and the smiling Prime Minister waved back.

The Harpers’ destination was a hole-in-the-wall shop called the Song Lin Tea Garden, where shop assistants Yu Lijuan and Wei Amin were waiting to welcome them. They said they knew “Canada’s Chairman,” was coming: local Canadian officials had alerted them in advance…

The Prime Minister couldn’t resist wading into the crowd that had gathered. As his RCMP detail tried to build him a secure space, Harper met and shook hands with a Russian-Canadian man named Dimitry from Vancouver, who is a machine operator at a Chinese pulp mill. Then Harper waded in deeper, where people smiled and enthusiastically shook his hand, some grasping his outstretched hand with both of theirs.

They're heeeere!

By Paul Wells - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 9:30 PM - 78 Comments

Washington Post:

In addition, U.S. diplomats have some heavy lifting ahead, with Germany and France uncertain about increasing their forces. In addition, the U.S. government hopes to dissuade two other major contributors — Canada and the Netherlands — from their plans to pullout within two years.

Excerpt from the Prime Minister's Shanghai speech

By Paul Wells - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 9:18 PM - 81 Comments

…”But China is doing more than just building itself a ‘hard’ infrastructure of roads and buildings. It is also in the process of building a ‘soft’ infrastructure. A pillar of which is a modern legal system based on the rule of law.

“It is impossible to underestimate the significance of the rule of law in a modern society. It is a profoundly inclusive concept. One that subordinates all social, economic, political, and individual behaviour to an agreed set of codes and regulations. To have meaning, these rules must not be the exclusive preserve of a privileged few. They must be the common property of all citizens. They must be clear to everyone, taught to everyone and applied to everyone in a uniform way.

“No one can be above the law. And no one can be forgotten by the law or denied its protection. And to be applied impartially, the rule of law means that there should be a clear separation of the prosecutor from the person who will ultimately pass judgement.

“Of course, the rule of law is about more than just a dry set of rules. The rules themselves reflect fundamental values of right conduct.

“The Canadian experience, and that of countries around the world, is that these values, and the rights that make them specific, are universal. They are endowed equally to all people, everywhere. Not on the basis of any special power or privilege, but purely and simply because they have been given the gift of life.

“That is why we call them human rights. And they not only protect individuals from abuse. They empower them to contribute fully and creatively to building a stronger society.

“Canada believes that frank discussion among nations about human rights can foster wider respect for and entrenchment of those rights. That while circumstances and experiences may vary from nation to nation, we all share a sense of what is just, what is right.

“True friends are never shy about exchanging views on important issues.

“And so, as a friend, I must tell you that Canadians are concerned when they hear reports from China of interference in the right of free expression. Or that people are imprisoned and badly treated for observing their spiritual beliefs. These reports transgress our most deeply-held convictions…”

This week has four sketches

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 7:25 PM - 2 Comments

Our Friday round-up of what we saw and heard this week.

Monday. Mission accomplished
Tuesday. ‘If it has been doing such a good job, what does it have to hide?’
Wednesday. Questions without end
Thursday. And so we arrive at satire

While we're on the subject of torture

By Andrew Coyne - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 4:43 PM - 113 Comments

Torture in China – a growing scourge | Amnesty International

Torture still widespread in China, says UN investigator | World news | The Guardian

The UN’s Tough Criticism of China on Torture – BusinessWeek

U.S. cites China for repression, torture – White House- msnbc.com

Concluding observations of the UN Committee against Torture: China (December 2008)

I do hope no one will be so provocative as to mention any of this on the next “Team Canada” trip.

But then, according to Jack Layton,

Harper should not lecture China on its human rights record, considering the questions raised over whether Canada transferred prisoners to Afghan authorities where they were tortured.

“I think you always have to be careful when you live in a glass house when it comes to throwing stones,” Layton told reporters in Winnipeg Friday.

Quite right. Who are we to raise the subject of torture with China, given the second-hand allegations by one diplomat that no one has been able to confirm and that everyone else denies that some years ago some of the prisoners our forces handed over to the government of Afghanistan might have been tortured by the Afghan security service, notwithstanding formal agreements at our insistence requiring Red Cross inspections “at any time,” later amended to include inspections by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and representatives of the Canadian government.

Clearly the situations are parallel.

GLASSHOUSEDATE: Consider the eerie similiarities in Amnesty International’s report:

Zhou Jianxiong, a 30 year-old agricultural worker from Chunhua township in Hunan province, died under torture on 15 May 1998. Detained on 13 May, he was tortured by officials from the township birth control office to make him reveal the whereabouts of his wife, suspected of being pregnant without permission. Zhou was hung upside down, repeatedly whipped and beaten with wooden clubs, burned with cigarette butts, branded with soldering irons, and had his genitals ripped off.

This horrific case of abuse is not an isolated case. Every year many people die due to torture in China. Others survive the torture but continue to suffer the long-term effects of the physical and mental traumas they have endured.

Torture and ill-treatment of detainees and prisoners is widespread and systemic in China. Such abuses have been reported in the full range of state institutions, from police stations, detention centres, prisons, to administrative ”re-education through labour” camps,internal migrant ”custody and repatriation centres”, and enforced drug rehabilitation centres. Torture is also frequently reported as an integral part of the abuse of ”non-custodial” control measures such as ”residential supervision” and during ”special isolation” of officials during investigations into allegations of corruption.

These abuses do not only occur behind closed doors. They have often been perpetrated by officials in the course of their normal duties in full public view, and sometimes as a deliberate public humiliation and warning to others. They are perpetrated by a growing range of officials outside the criminal justice system, including family planning officials and tax collectors…

In recent years, victims of torture have included many people who simply became involved in disputes with officials, questioning their authority or attempting to uphold their rights. Officials have resorted to torture in the collection of fines and taxes. Torture as part of blackmail and extortion by corrupt officials is also frequently reported. Migrant workers, particularly young women, are easy prey and frequent victims.

Reports of torture increase during periodic ”strike hard” campaigns against specific crimes when police are clearly given the green light to use ”every means” to achieve ”quick results”…

Torture during interrogation is perpetrated against all types of detainees, including high profile cases. Torture and ill-treatment is also common in prisons and labour camps where prisoners are serving criminal or ”administrative” sentences. Forced labour and ”acknowledgment of guilt” are central to penal policy, generating an environment where prisoners are often abused. Particularly harsh treatment is inflicted on common criminal prisoners and political prisoners who are deemed to be ”resisting reform”. Prison guards often delegate disciplinary duties to selected prisoners or ”cell bosses” who are routinely responsible for abusing other prisoners, often at the direction of the guards.

China? Or Canada?

Newsmakers '09: Reluctant star

By Michael Friscolanti - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 4:00 PM - 7 Comments

Ask David Shultz, and he will try his best to convince you that everyone else deserves credit for that shiny piece of gold hanging on his uniform. The gold in question is a Star of Military Valour, a bravery decoration so renowned and so rare that no more than nine Canadian soldiers—Shultz included—have ever earned the right to wear it. Created to recognize “distinguished and valiant service in the presence of the enemy,” the Star is second only to the esteemed Victoria Cross, which hasn’t been pinned on anyone since the Second World War. Translation: despite his humility, Warrant Officer Shultz is a bona fide hero.
“It’s an honour to wear it, but I wear it and accept it on behalf of my whole platoon,” says the 40-year-old father of two, who has spent more than half his life in army fatigues. “It was a team effort, and the credit goes to all the troops who were on the ground that day.”

That day—May 6, 2008—began like so many others. Stationed at a forward operating base west of Kandahar, Shultz was in command of a team of troops whose mission was to protect another group of soldiers: the Canadian officers who travel from village to village meeting Afghan elders and assessing local needs (water, schools, protection from the Taliban). Shultz’s men, marching on foot through the volatile district of Pashmul, were heading to their second shura of the morning when the ambush began.

“There was a lot of gunfire right off the bat,” recalls Shultz, a member of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. “Because I know my troops and they know me, guys were already moving into positions where I knew I would need to put them.” His men killed the insurgent who fired the initial shot, but within minutes, Shultz and a handful of others were pinned into a shallow canal, ducking a heavy barrage of AK-47 fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

Continue…

Mr. Monk and the Niche Audience

By Jaime Weinman - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 3:43 PM - 2 Comments

In preparation for the series finale of Monk, Alan Sepinwall makes an important point about the show, which is that it helped to create a new kind of cable drama: the conventional show whose conventions have been abandoned by the networks.

As many people have noted, with the major networks’ banishment of light drama (for the most part) and the collapse of the first-run syndication market, cable took up the slack, presenting light mysteries and action shows that would have been running on NBC or ABC a couple of decades earlier, and appealing to audiences that found network fare unpleasant. (One key element of Monk‘s success is that it’s mostly a return to the non-violent mystery, without the blood and guts you see on forensic mysteries. Viewers who are turned off by gore — and who wonder why the networks aren’t more squeamish about that than they are about sex — can turn to Monk for a show that won’t have dismembered corpses all over the place.) Similarly, the family-friendly sitcom migrated from ABC’s TGIF to the Disney Channel.

There’s some question as to whether some of these shows are quite up to the quality level that they would need to survive on a network (and to sustain a 22-episode season instead of USA’s 13-episode runs). Monk was, and Burn Notice is, but some of the other USA-type shows sometimes come off as being graded on a curve: because they are comfort food, they can get away with being slightly B-list entertainments. This is even more clearly the case with the Disney Channel family comedies, none of which are really up to their predecessors’ level of professionalism in acting or production. But still, it’s good that someone keeps these kinds of shows alive, and USA’s direct challenge to NBC’s Jay Leno hour — by scheduling its dramas in competition with its NBC cousin — is a proud announcement that they, not NBC, are the real successors to the network that used to be awash in lightweight action/mystery shows.

Provocative! Petulant! Ignorant! Immature! Arrogant! Amateur!

By Andrew Coyne - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 3:18 PM - 46 Comments

I trust the opposition will be properly mortifed at this latest affront to productive Sino-Canadian relations.

“Our government believes and has always believed that a mutually beneficial economic relationship is not incompatible with a good and frank dialogue on fundamental values like freedom, human rights and the rule of law,” he told the crowd of 500 business leaders.

“And so, in relations between China and Canada, we will continue to raise issues of freedom and human rights, be a vocal advocate and an effective partner for human rights reform, just as we pursue the mutually beneficial economic relationship desired by both our countries.”

We can only hope the Chinese leadership will find it in their hearts to forgive us.

BACKDATE: The CBC story tucks in a quick recap of the prime minister’s petulant provocations:

Canada-China relations have been frosty since Harper became prime minister in 2006, particularly because of his past comments on China’s human rights record and his public support of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who has been living in exile since China annexed the region in 1958.

Chinese President Hu Jintao also had threatened to call off a meeting between the two leaders in Vietnam in 2006 after Harper criticized China over a case involving Huseyin Celil, a Canadian activist jailed in China for alleged terrorist links. Beijing continues to refuse to allow Canadian consular visits to Celil.

BACKERDATE: Oh, I forgot a couple. Clumsy! Cavalier!

On Board Oasis of the Seas

By Bruce Parkinson, Takeoffeh.com - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 2:50 PM - 0 Comments

On Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis of the Seas you can bring your whole family – heck, you can bring your whole town.

You’ve no doubt heard some of the long and startling list of Oasis superlatives in the massive media build-up to its launch: capable of carrying over 6,000 passengers and 2,200 crew; 37 bars, 24 restaurants, 21 pools and whirlpools, an outdoor Central Park with 12,000 plants and trees – the list goes on.

Many cruise ships have been called floating resorts. Oasis takes it a step further: it’s a floating destination, with more dining, entertainment and recreational options than just about any beach resort on the planet. In fact, Royal Caribbean describes the ship as “an urban community at sea,” where guests can seek out ‘neighbourhoods’ that match their tastes and personalities.

Couples, singles and groups of friends are all more than welcome on Oasis, and there truly is something for everybody. But as Ken Muscat, Royal Caribbean International’s VP Sales points out: “This ship is definitely designed for families.” Muscat says it’s too early to tell – the first Oasis passenger cruise departs December 5 – but he expects that nuclear and multi-generational families will represent around 50% of Oasis passengers.

TakeOffeh.com joined thousands of travel agents on a late November 2-night ‘cruise to nowhere’ with the express purpose of checking out Oasis from the perspective of family travellers. Here’s what we found:

For the Kids: Because their happiness is essential to the happiness of the whole.

There’s no doubt about it: Oasis is a paradise for kids, from babies to teens. Even before you consider one of the most professional and elaborate organized children’s programs on sea or land, there are a host of other attractions guaranteed to rev up young spirits. There are basketball courts, Flow Rider surfing simulators, towering rock climbing walls, a mini-golf course and the H2O pool and water park complex.

The Boardwalk is one of the ship’s seven ‘neighbourhoods,’ described as ‘the first seaside spot at sea.’ It’s certain to be a child’s ship highlight. And it really does have that Coney Island atmosphere, with an authentic copy of an old-fashioned carousel, carnival games, a temporary tattoo parlour and a series of family-friendly restaurants and snack bars, including Johnny Rocket’s burgers, the Seafood Shack, the Boardwalk Donut Shop, an ice cream parlour and a candy store. The Aqua Theater on the Boardwalk features an 18-foot deep pool where the family-oriented diving show takes place, with divers plunging from dizzying heights above the deck.

This area is also home to the rock-climbing walls and the zip-line, which crosses over the main boardwalk. Some of the inside cabins feature balconies overlooking the Boardwalk, which Muscat describes as “a dream come true for the kids.”

Another kid-friendly neighbourhood is the Youth Zone, housed in a spacious 29,000 sq. ft. area. It is home to Kids Avenue, which links various themed sections including Royal Caribbean’s first nursery at sea for infants and toddlers, as well as separate spaces for 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11-year-olds. The facilities are superb, and Royal Caribbean has teamed up with major child brands like Fisher-Price and Crayola to create spaces like the Imagination Studio for arts and crafts, and the fully-equipped Adventure Science Lab. There’s also a good-sized video arcade for kids with itchy fingers.

Adventure Ocean Is the Oasis children’s program, and it’s highly impressive. One major feature is a 100-seat theatre where kids can present their own productions developed during the cruise, or watch a professional black light puppet show.

Adventure Ocean is headed up by Hamilton, Ontario’s own Jenny Beaudoin, who leads a team that includes eight Canadians, including seven from Southern Ontario. All of the staff hold degrees in education as well as extensive training in child care and first aid. “The quality of staff and care we provide would be very expensive on land,” Beaudoin says.

She describes the program as ‘edutainment,’ with separate science and art curricula. “I guarantee that any child will walk away learning something new, because we bring learning to life. And it doesn’t hurt a bit,” she laughs. In fact, Beaudoin says, some parents feel the Adventure Ocean kids program (there are other versions on several other Royal Caribbean ships) is a little too successful. “Kids like it so much they sometimes don’t want to leave to do things with their parents.”

Royal Caribbean took the distinct needs of moody, hormonal teens into account when designing Oasis. Teen facilities are one deck up from Kids Avenue, offering some separation from those annoying younger kids. Teens have great choices too, without the structure formal programming. The Living Room features a mock-tail bar, DJ classes and banks of computers for web surfing and Wii playing. Fuel is a disco and hangout space and there’s also The Deck, an outdoor meet-and-mingle spaced aimed at teens on the pool deck.

For the Parents: Because they need adult time too.

While the kids are off having fun, parents and grandparents can create their own version. They can shop, dine, spa, relax by a pool or settle into a hot tub cantilevered over the side of the ship 136’ above the water. They can take to the running track, stroll through Central Park, sample vintages at a wine bar, visit the well-equipped gym or borrow the latest thriller from the ship library. With nearly 2,000 balconies among the 2,700 staterooms, they can enjoy the ocean view or people-watch from the innovative inside balconies.

My Family Time Dining is a smart concept that offers an expedited 40-minute dining experience for cruisers 3-11. Parents can join in the meal or just spend time with the kids while they eat. Adventure Ocean staff will pick up the kids for the evening while parents can go on to enjoy a leisurely meal.

For pre-teens, there are supervised activities offered from 7-10 p.m. as well as on shore excursion days. This means parents can enjoy evening shows if they wish, and take a shore excursion without dragging along unwilling kids.

For the Family: Because holidays create lasting shared memories.

The family experience on Oasis begins with the accommodations. Among the 37 different stateroom categories are several designed expressly for families and family groups. Among them are family staterooms with ocean-view or Boardwalk-view balconies and spacious suites with equally large balconies.

There are all kinds of opportunities for shared family time on Oasis. At family restaurant Giovanni’s Table kids can try their hand and making their own pizza dough. There’s a weekly Lollapalooza Street Party with a Dr. Seuss theme. The Ice Show is another event sure to be popular with families.

Adventure Ocean also offers opportunities for together time, with things like family karaoke, family Wii and a ‘family nightclub.’ On the last day of the cruise parents are invited to Kids Avenue to enjoy being a ‘Kid for a Bit.’

“We ensure every single member of the family has a unique cruise experience,” says Adventure Ocean’s Beaudoin. “Kids have a completely different experience that is tailored just for them. I think this is the place to be for a family vacation that everyone will enjoy and remember.”

Bruce Parkinson is a travel industry journalist and regular contributor to TakeOffeh.com as well as sister company, OpenJaw.com

Photo Credits: ursispaltenstein.ch, 1.bp.blogspot.com, z.about.com, Bruce Parkinson, oasisoftheseas.com

It'll be hard caps after all

By macleans.ca - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 2:50 PM - 37 Comments

Environment Minister Jim Prentice told a parliamentary committee on Thursday his government plans to impose “absolute caps” on carbon emissions and develop a mechanism allowing companies to buy credits from others whose emissions fall under the limits. “We are talking about a cap-and-trade system,” Prentice told the committee, “a continental cap-and-trade system that involves absolute emission reductions.” The move towards “absolute reductions” is a significant departure from the Conservatives’ past insistence on intensity-based targets. Under the previous proposal, emissions would have been allowed to rise at the same rate as overall economic output. (For example, an oil company’s emissions limits could be on a per-barrel basis, meaning the more barrels they produce, the more greenhouse gases they’re allowed to emit.) The change of heart is seemingly motivated by the Obama administration’s desire to put in place a cap and trade system with which intensity-based targets would be incompatible.

Vancouver Sun

Talking Pippa with Rebecca Miller

By Tom Henheffer - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 2:39 PM - 0 Comments

Pippa Lee was wild at birth — covered in a short layer of vestigial fur that sent her hysterical mother tearing down a hospital hallway, screaming “I had a monkey!” This is the protagonist’s rabid beginning in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, the newest film from writer/director Rebecca Miller.

“I happen to have a friend who was born furry. Her mother did in fact sort off freak out,” says Miller. In the film, Pippa’s mother quickly schools her in the social graces of 1960s middle-class America, turning her into a kind of living Barbie doll to be dressed up and doted on. Meanwhile, the mom is harbouring a diet-pill addiction and vicious mood swings. “Pippa is born wild like a little animal,” says Miller, “and she’s gradually tamed, almost literally with a leash and a whip.”

Miller is best known for her previous films The Ballad of Jack and Rose, starring her husband, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Personal Velocity, a movie about three women trying to find freedom from their own lives. She’s also an accomplished author, and writes film script adaptations of her own novels.  The books, and the films, deal almost exclusively with family relationships and the internal conflicts of female characters.

In Private Lives, Blake Lively, of Gossip Girl fame, plays the teenage Pippa, who’s teetering on the edge of destruction, toying with sex, drugs and pornography. That changes when she meets Herb, a successful, married, much older publisher (Alan Arkin)—and immediately forms a powerful bond. But by middle age, Pippa has had a long marriage to the now geriatric Herb and is following him from their NYC apartment to a retirement community in Connecticut. Robin Wright plays the older Pippa as she dutifully carries on in her role as caregiver while quickly, but quietly, slipping into a nervous breakdown. Wright, no stranger to marital upheaval (she recently divorced Sean Penn) or to fiercely conflicted female roles, brings an airy innocence to Pippa that sways perfectly between grace and rebellion

“It’s a coming of age story for a mature woman who kind of chooses her own narrative again,” says Miller. “I think that there’s a moment for a lot of people where you realize ‘wait a minute, it is my life and I still get to decide how it goes.’ And I think that it’s never to late.”

Where we're at

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 2:06 PM - 16 Comments

As a summation of where the debate currently sits, the first exchange from this morning’s Question Period.

Hon. Dominic LeBlanc (Beauséjour, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, international and domestic legal standards are very clear. Canada has an obligation not to transfer detainees into situations where there is a reasonable risk that they will face torture. We have now heard clear evidence that the torture was widespread and systemic in the prisons where the government was transferring Afghans. Why did the Conservatives think that Afghans transferred by Canadians would be spared this treatment? Do they not understand that they, the Conservative politicians in Ottawa, have failed to live up to their legal obligations?

Hon. John Baird (Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I say to the member opposite, the fight against terrorism, the fight against the Taliban, against al-Qaeda, is very serious and regrettably, the opposition is continuing to play partisan games on the backs of our men and women in uniform. There is not been one single proven allegation of abuse of a Canadian-transferred prisoner, and I should suggest to the member opposite that after three years of accusing our brave men and women in uniform of the very worst, it is time for the Liberal Party to apologize to our troops.

Weed killer impacts frog’s sexual development

By macleans.ca - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 1:54 PM - 4 Comments

Atrazine, a widely used weedkiller, affects the sexual development of frogs, according to a team at the University of Ottawa who found that, at low levels comparable to those measured in the environment, fewer tadpoles reached the froglet stage. What’s more, the ratio of females to males went up. “Atrazine is one of the top-selling herbicides used worldwide and was designed to inhibit weed growth in cornfields,” the university said in a statement, Reuters reports. “It is so widely used that it can be detected in many rivers, streams and in some water supplies. This has raised the alarm on the possibility of other serious detrimental environmental effects.” But Syngenta AG, the Swiss manufacturer behind atrazine, has defended it, saying it’s one of the best-studied herbicides available. Some studies have tied it to low birth weight, birth defects and premature babies.

Reuters

Vitamins: worth the expense?

By macleans.ca - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 1:53 PM - 0 Comments

About half of all Americans take a daily multivitamin, and in the economic downturn, people seem to be taking them even more. But taking vitamins is controversial: According to Eric Rimm, associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, evidence shows that healthy diet and exercise are the best way to fight disease; vitamins are no replacement. If you don’t eat well and you’re stressed out, though, it could be a different story, the New York Times reports. As for cost, taking a daily multivitamin won’t hurt, unless you eat lots of fortified food. According to the newspaper, to get the most vitamin for the least money, you should take only what you need: talk to a doctor about taking a blood test to learn what might be lacking (many people, for example, would only need a vitamin D supplement). Find a good vitamin source, and keep in mind that paying more for a brand name won’t necessarily mean better quality vitamins. Experts suggest buying from well-known retailers that restock frequently, as vitamins lose their potency over time. And remember to check certification symbols: see if a product is certified by a nonprofit organization that checks for purity and quality.

New York Times

Cops gone wild

By macleans.ca - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 1:52 PM - 12 Comments

When a law enforcement officer in Arizona was caught on tape removing privileged legal documents from a defence lawyer’s desk while she was addressing a judge in court and couldn’t see what was happening behind her back, most observers expected the officer to apologize for his actions and for his boss to punish him. But in Phoenix, the state capital and seat of Maricopa County, the opposite has happened. Detention officer Adam Stoddard refused to apologize and was found in contempt of court by the judge. Instead of demanding the officer obey a court order, his boss, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, nicknamed “America’s toughest sheriff,” reacted by supporting Stoddard and giving tacit acceptance to a “sick in” protest by other law officials. Now, Arpaio has filed suit against the judge, alleging “possible obstruction of justice, stymieing a criminal investigation, and open hostility towards courtroom staff.”

Examiner

Maclean’s

Newsmakers '09: Lingo

By Katie Engelhart - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 1:40 PM - 0 Comments

	Reverse mullet: Fashion faux pas of the season: the “reverse mullet”—named after the haircut that Kate Gosselin (of Jon & Kate Plus 8) got last spring. The asymmetrical bob—short and spiky at the crown and longer in the front—was widely mocked, notably by celebrity site TMZ.com, which dubbed it a “bi-level, Flock of Seagulls-humped-a-porcupine” weave.
	Death panels: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin wrote a Facebook post falsely accusing Obama of trying to set up “death panels” to ration access to health care. She mused: “My baby with Down syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide . . . whether [he is] worthy of health care.” Fear, it seems, is contagious. A later CNN poll found 41 per cent of Americans felt seniors could fall victim to “government panels.”
	Toxic resumés: That’s about all that bankers from Bear Stearns and Lehman Bros. were left with when their firms went bust. Well, that and the millions in bonuses they accrued over the years, giving out “toxic loans” from “toxic banks” on “toxic streets” (think Wall).

Continue…

Life outside the accuracy wire

By Paul Wells - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 1:25 PM - 19 Comments

Our former Colleague Kady spots — and corrects — a most interesting correction.

A beacon unto the world

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 1:25 PM - 1 Comment

The Constitution Unit at London’s Global University has released its report on minority parliaments (previously cited here). The chapter entitled “Canada’s Dysfunctional Minority Parliament” begins at page 26.

Newsmakers '09: Twits

By Jaime Weinman - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 12:57 PM - 17 Comments

	Baby shakers Apple approved a “Baby Shaker” iPhone app, where users could shake their phones to turn a drawing of a crying baby into a quiet one. It was pulled when users complained that shaking babies is dangerous. Corporations always cave to the big baby lobby.
	Burger King Burger King has a “no shoes, no shirt, no service” policy, but a branch in St. Louis, Mo., may have gone a little too far: they refused to serve a six-month-old baby for being barefoot. Workers claimed that a shoeless baby was a health hazard, but were overruled by upper management, which apologized and gave the baby’s mother a free meal. The big baby lobby strikes again.
	Officer Oops When you’re a police officer about to go on a manhunt, where’s the best place to park your car? The train tracks. That’s what a Toronto cop decided one night in January. Then a Via train crashed into the vehicle. No one was hurt, but taxpayers had the privilege of replacing the car.

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