Living in terror

By by Michael Petrou and Nicholas Köhler - Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 8:20 AM - 20 Comments

Reuters/ Newscom

New Yorkers were saved from possible carnage when a car bomb failed to explode in Times Square earlier this month. That was due, in part, to a familiar mix of factors that have minimized casualties from terrorism on American soil since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001: luck, vigilance, and the bumbling incompetence of those who plotted the attempted assaults.

Minutes after a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder packed with propane canisters, fertilizer, gasoline, gunpowder and firecrackers was parked on the square, two street vendors noticed smoke wafting from the car and alerted nearby police. They closed surrounding streets to foot and vehicle traffic and evacuated nearby buildings.

Continue…

Five and a Half Things about the Guergis interview

By Scott Feschuk - Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 7:18 AM - 20 Comments

1. It probably doesn’t help Helena Guergis’s case that whenever I hear her voice I think of the little Poltergeist lady. Now clear your minds. It knows what scares you. IT HAS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!!

(This isn’t a joke. I am deeply unnerved by her Soft Voice. At points during last night’s interview, it was as though she was trying to tuck Peter Mansbridge into bed. “I guess I could be naïve, Peter. Yeah. <softer> Yeah. <softer> And then the baby unicorn and the fairy princess were bestest friends for all time. The end.”)

1.5 When Guergis made reference to watching her career implode on “the news hour at 11 o’clock,” I admired Peter Mansbridge’s restraint in not tearing off his microphone and hollering, “Why don’t you go cry to your best friend Lloyd Robertson then?”

2. Allowing Mansbridge to view the videotape of her alleged meltdown at the Charlottetown airport was smart – no boot throwing? WHAAA?? –because it allowed her to begin the interview with a demonstration of credibility. Two obvious questions: Why didn’t she do this sooner? And more important, can we all go Continue…

‘I’m hurt by the Prime Minister’

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 10:17 PM - 3 Comments

As Peter Mansbridge as our witness, there are apparently no “diva-like moments” to be seen on the videotape of Helena Guergis passing through security at the Charlottetown airport. Ms. Guergis admits she had a less-than-pleasant conversation with the ticket agent and that she uttered the phrases “happy f—ing birthday” and “hellhole,” but insists the latter was reference only to the airport she found herself in—she’s apparently not too keen on airports—and not reference to the city of Charlottetown or the province of Prince Edward Island.

This was merely the beginning of the CBC’s exclusive time with Ms. Guergis, as aired on The National just now (starting at the 14:15 mark of that link). After Mr. Mansbridge and Ms. Guergis had visited the offices of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to view the tape, they sat down in a dimly lit room to chat.

Wearing braces—I don’t recall those being there when last we saw her—and speaking in her small voice, she managed then to raise approximately as many questions as she answered. Continue…

Day 13 of 14 (III)

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 8:25 PM - 0 Comments

Jack Harris comments after QP on the NDP position.

The whole effort here on our part is to get a parliamentary process whereby the parliamentarians review the documents and parliamentarians make decisions about what is really truly national security and what needs to be made part of the process of holding the government to account.  And that’s still our position and it maintains our position.  So it’s a question of working out the details and making that happen and if that in fact is what is able – going to be agreed to.

The Authentic and the Absurd: The case of Banksy

By Andrew Potter - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 6:51 PM - 0 Comments

Banksy is in town! Or at least, Banksy’s operatives. Or someone pretending to be Banksy. Or someone imitating Banksy. Or just an ad agency. Or… Whatever. It’s all designed to promote his new film, which is all you need to know. Continue…

The Commons: Be serious

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 6:16 PM - 11 Comments

The Scene. Michael Ignatieff rose and shone—which is to say smiled somewhat—then remembered the subject at hand and his face became serious.

The government side has lately been lamenting that Mr. Ignatieff hasn’t been asking its ministers enough questions about the economy. This is apparently evidence of him not being a leader or just being in it for himself or having not consumed in the past year the necessary amount of Tim Hortons coffee to be considered a Canadian citizen in good standing with this government. Apparently if Mr. Ignatieff would only ask them about a serious matter—nothing to do with Rahim Jaffer or Helena Guergis or Afghan detainees or abortion or Nancy Ruth or the firearms registry—they’d be only too happy to provide a serious answer. (And, for that matter, the public and the press gallery would finally have what both are apparently desperate to hear.)

So here stood the opposition leader to recount the Liberal party’s economic management in the 1990s, to dissuade the Prime Minister from taking any credit and to wonder if Mr. Harper might take heed of the troubles in Europe, accept some Liberal advice now and refrain from cutting corporate taxes any further.

The Prime Minister, alas, was absent, so it was John Baird who stood to take this one. And the Transport Minister, being deathly afraid of heights, steered clear of the high road. Continue…

Things I Learned From Watching Season 4 of THE FACTS OF LIFE

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 5:36 PM - 5 Comments

Last week Shout! Factory brought out The Facts of Life season 4 (Sony, the show’s owner, brought out the first three seasons a few years ago). This was the first time in several years I’d watched the show, and these are the things — one might even say facts — I learned:

1. I seem to recall the second and third seasons being better-written than this one, even though they had the same writing staff. Maybe I’m remembering too fondly, or maybe they were running out of story ideas.

2. As a kid watching the show in syndication, I didn’t much like Mrs. Garrett, finding that all she ever seemed to do was preach, rather than say or do anything funny. I am pleased to say I haven’t changed my mind about that. Charlotte Rae, I like (for Pete’s sake, she was the original Mammy Yokum in the Broadway production of Li’l Abner). But if they ever remake The Facts of Life, they might consider letting the four girls solve their own moral dilemmas.

3. I actually had no idea, as a kid, that “I just had another one of my brilliant ideas” was supposed to be Blair’s catchphrase. But it was. She says it once in the TV movie The Facts of Life Goes To Paris and again in another episode.

4. The ending version of the theme song with the different lyrics (“You’ll avoid a lot of damage”) is better than the main title version.

5. Even watching a middling sitcom like this one, I’m impressed by how much riskier sitcoms could be in their storytelling choices than they can today. There was still, for example, the option to let an episode end sadly, with problems unresolved or even worse than when the episode started. The rule now, pretty much, is that every mainstream sitcom episode has to end on an “up” note unless the producer is Larry David. But one episode I watched was about Blair discovering that her dad has been using her for tax write-offs all these years (he doesn’t go to jail, because as the episode accurately points out, rich people don’t go to jail for stuff like that) and not only does the episode end without a hug, the freeze-frame comes on her realizing that her father doesn’t really care about her at all. Not a great episode, not a great show, but it comes from a time when sitcoms felt free to get away with a wider range of tones, styles, and emotions than they do today.

6. That episode I just mentioned? One of many episodes written or co-written by Paul Haggis. He wrote a lot better back then than he does now, much as Alan Ball has never lived up to the promise of Oh, Grow Up.

7. The bad side of how sitcoms could get away with things they can’t today: another episode I watched (which I had not watched as a kid, or I didn’t remember if I did) had Blair meeting a mentally-challenged boy whose disability she doesn’t notice at first, and the first ten minutes were the most tasteless parade of “retarded” jokes I have ever seen. Seriously. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia could never have that much bad taste. Nor should it, because those jokes aren’t funny.

8. Continuing on the “bad side” line: I miss the fact that multi-camera sitcoms once felt free to do dramatic scenes (the theatre-style shooting is actually very well suited to this kind of scene, maybe more so than single-camera sometimes), but watching these episodes reminds you of part of the reason why the “very special” episode died out: this kind of scene can cruelly expose the weakness of an actor who can just sort of get by in a comedy scene. Those of us who grew up with Facts of Life may remember that Kim Fields (Tootie) was okay with a wisecrack but went off the rails when she had to do anything serious, particularly when she had to yell. It is much harder to disguise an actor’s weaknesses in multi-camera than in single-camera, where a scene can be done in bits and pieces and then fixed in the editing.

9. Finally, I had forgotten that Blair was an atheist who, in one episode, gets punched by Jo for denying that there is a God. Knowing that Lisa Whelchel is almost but not quite on a Kirk Cameron level of born-again-ism, that comes off very strangely today. I have no idea if the writers meant it as an in-joke.

Bye Bye Brown

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 5:08 PM - 1 Comment

Gordon Brown is sacrificing himself in a last-ditch attempt to keep his floundering Labour party in power after an underwhelming performance in Britain’s national election. His resignation, promised to come by September at the latest, is an attempt to woo the third place Liberal Democrats, who essentially hold the balance of power after the first place Conservatives failed to win a majority of seats. Both front running parties need Nick Clegg’s Liberals in order to form a coalition government, and Brown’s resignation, which the Liberal’s said would bring them to the negotiating table, is heating up the fight to secure the allegiance, with the Tories almost immediately putting forward a counter offer— a referendum on electoral reform, Clegg’s key demand in negotiations. “I don’t think a prolonged period of uncertainty is a good thing,” said Clegg. “But I hope people will equally understand that it would be better to get the decision right rather than rushing into something which won’t stand the test of time.”

CBC News

'Prince of Pot' gets extradition order

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 5:01 PM - 1 Comment

After a five-year battle to avoid this very conclusion, Marc Emery or Canada’s “Prince of Pot” has been ordered extradited to the U.S., where he was charged in 2005 in connection with his Vancouver-based seed-selling business. “I imagine there’s some paperwork that needs to be shuffled and arrangements that need to be made. My anticipation would be (Emery would be sent to the U.S.) relatively soon, within the week possibly,” lawyer Kirk Tousaw told the Toronto Star. Emery has been out on bail since last fall, when he was released from custody while the federal justice minister made his decision.

Toronto Star

The not-so-fabulous Fabrice Tourre

By Jonathon Gatehouse - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 4:01 PM - 1 Comment

ABACA USA/Keystone Press

He is a made-to-order villain for these troubled times. A rich, young Wall Street banker, who—wait for it—also happens to be French. The author of boastful emails that joked about becoming “the only potential survivor” of the coming economic collapse, and selling concocted “Frankenstein” products to widows and orphans. Better still, Fabrice Tourre, the 31-year-old Goldman Sachs executive who is being sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for his immodest part in the subprime mortgage meltdown, comes complete with a risible nickname: “Fabulous Fab.” Triple-word-score bonus points: he gave it to himself.

Tourre’s stammering performance before a U.S. Senate committee last week cemented his status as a focal point for hazy public anger about the type of calculation and greed that helped propel world markets off a cliff in 2008. The complex collateralized debt obligation (CDO) deal he pulled together with the not-exactly-disclosed aid of a New York short-seller cost an oblivious German bank US$1 billion. Goldman claims to have lost US$83 million on the transaction, although there seems to be considerable evidence that it too was hedging its bets. And for Tourre, failure had its own rewards—$2 million in salary and bonus and a promotion to the London office. (He is currently on paid leave.) A curious set of circumstances indeed.

Continue…

Banking on a new image

By By Sasha Issenberg - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 4:00 PM - 3 Comments

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Over his two decades as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan repeatedly trekked to Capitol Hill to deliver testimony that developed an unlikely sense of majesty. News networks carried Greenspan’s remarks live, showing deferential senators transfixed by the chairman’s gnomic utterances. Markets rose and fell based on what he was perceived to believe about the economy’s direction. But Greenspan’s return last month to a Capitol Hill hearing room was a sad encore to those bravura performances. The 84-year-old arrived as little more than the president of an upstart consulting firm, Greenspan Associates LLC, and sheepishly took his seat. The agenda had changed, and Greenspan was no longer being asked to predict the future, but instead defend his past.

Continue…

What will the UK's new government look like?

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 3:48 PM - 0 Comments

Dutch drug tourism on trial

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 3:47 PM - 1 Comment

Cannabis-infused vacations are on trial in the Netherlands, where the European Court of Justice is set to rule on whether banning the sale of marijuana to foreigners contravenes European Union free trade laws. The case, which has reached the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concerns an incident in 2006, in which two foreign nationals were found in a cannabis coffee shop in the the border town of Maastricht, which had recently passed legislation outlawing such activity. Coffee shop owners maintain that the legislation discriminates against non-Dutch citizens, thus going against EU free trade laws. The EJC decision, which is expected to be rendered swiftly, will have ramifications for new Dutch drug policy.

Der Spiegel

Day 13 of 14 (II)

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 3:32 PM - 18 Comments

CP’s Joan Bryden gets at a crucial point in the detainee document discussions.

The parties have yet to agree, however on the most crucial point: how to resolve any disagreement that may arise over which documents can be disclosed publicly without jeopardizing national security.

Sources said the government proposed Thursday that the issue of disclosure be decided by “consensus” among MPs on the special committee. But opposition negotiators weren’t thrilled with the idea, seeing it as a way to essentially give a veto to the government.

The government’s negotiators – House Leader Jay Hill, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and government Whip Gordon O’Connor – did not describe the proposal as a bottom line and seemed open to other options, sources said.

Smoke this

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 3:16 PM - 0 Comments

Smoking cigarettes may be less common among youth today than in previous generations, but another puffing habit has taken its place: waterpipes, also known as hookahs or shishas. According to a new study by the University of Montreal and published in the journal Pediatrics, these instruments, which originated in India, are popular among young adults. Roughly one-quarter of Montrealers between the ages of 18 and 24 have smoked tobacco using a waterpipe over the last year. What’s more, five per cent had done so at least once over the last month. The most frequent users were found to be Anglophone males living on their own. Waterpipe users also tended to be most common among people who also use cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol and other drugs. This data is troubling because, contrary to the popular perception among many youth, waterpipe smoke does contain dangerous chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar—even more so than cigarettes.

Eureka Alert

Top Ten Friendly People

By Chris Robinson, Takeoffeh.com - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM - 10 Comments

Having met so many wonderful, giving people during my travels (I’ve even been offered a bride) I take the liberty of sharing my favoritism towards the friendliest cultures. Here is my top ten list of friendliest destinations.

1.Irish
Emerald Isle, diamond people – without question, it’s the warmth of the Irish people that stays with you long after you return. Total strangers treat you as close friends and the ‘craic’ – party spirit – of the Irish pubs is legendary. Maybe it’s the magical properties of a pint of Guinness?

2. Thai
The most gentle people on the planet. The Thai Buddhist culture underpins their genuine desire to please travellers. They naturally offer up their cultural heritage and make it easy for visitors to experience. I was once picked up on the streets of Bangkok by a local who took me to his family temple and then to his home to meet his family – all without a word in common.

3. Newfoundlanders
What makes people who live on a rock so friendly? Could be their Celtic heritage, their self-reliance or their remoteness from stressful big cities. Whatever the cause, their spirit is irresistible. If you survive being ‘screeched-in’ and kissing the cod, you are ready for anything.

4. New Zealanders
I probably relate so easily to The Kiwis (or they to me?) because they are the closest people in spirit to Canadians: they, too, have a beautiful homeland, a big brother neighbour, and they take great delight in showing off their home to travellers…but always, as befits a kindred Canadian attitude, in an understated way.

5. Tahitians
The best way to describe the overwhelming friendliness of Tahitians is with this example: my wife and I were travelling with our ten week old baby and treated ourselves to an upscale dinner in Papeete,Tahiti’s capital. Just as our meal arrived, baby Pip started to cry. Without hesitation, our Tahitian server scooped Pip up in one arm and served meals with the other until we had finished our dinner…much to Pip’s delight.

6. Bajans
Nature has provided Barbados with many attractions, and the people of this Caribbean island complete the package. I have run the Barbados Marathon twice, and the enthusiastic support of the Bajans lining the route is what carried me both times. The amazing part is that they clearly thought we runners were crazy, but they cheered nonetheless.

7. Greeks
Have you ever tried to visit a Greek home and not end up eating with your host? It’s impossible! They are possibly the most hospitable people in the world – in Greece or wherever in the world they have settled. And, yes, I have actively participated in a crazy, plate-smashing dinner party at a Taverna on the island of Kos that I will never forget.

8. Bolivian Aymara and Quechua Indians
I once spent many weeks trekking around Lake Titicaca high on the Bolivian and Peruvian altiplano. I had no tent, nor were there any hotels to speak of. I simply staggered into a village at the end of each day and the wonderful locals shared their homes and their food with me.

9. Kurds
Years ago, a small group of us were camped out near the Turkish/Iranian border. A band of armed Kurds surrounded us and invited us to join them at their camp, where we were feted until dawn. Their spirited hospitality was overwhelming.

10. Sherpas
In the Himalayan valleys of Nepal live a self-reliant people unlike any others I have encountered. They help Westerners who come in search of high altitude adventure to feel welcome. They seem to rise above hardship. Their quiet nobility literally embraces travellers who journey there. When I trekked in the Helambu region north of Kathmandu, their hospitality was simple, gracious and oh so appreciated.

By Chris Robinson
Chris hosts Canada’s top rated radio travel show – the Chris Robinson Travel Shows on Newstalk 1010 CFRB in Ontario and CJAD 8000 Montreal in Quebec. www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca

Photo Credits: Chris Robinson

On this week's travel news

By Bruce Parkinson, Takeoffeh.com - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM - 0 Comments

Where Have All The Airlines Gone?
As reported on TakeOffeh.com this week, if the recently announced merger of United and Continental is approved, there will be just four surviving American ‘legacy’ carriers: United Airlines, Delta, American Airlines and US Airways. The list of late and sometimes lamented airlines is longer, including Pan Am, TWA, Northwest Airlines, Eastern Air Lines, Braniff and soon, Continental. Until this week, Delta (formed by the merger of Delta and Northwest) was the largest carrier in the world by revenue. With United Airlines and Continental merging, they’ll take over pole position, but not by much, with combined revenue of just under $29-billion while Delta hovers around $28-billion. What will the merger of United and Continental mean for Canadian travellers? Likely not a whole lot, though the two airlines currently account for about 500 weekly flights from Toronto and Montreal alone. Some observers, including Canadian aviation analyst Robert Kokonis, predict higher fares with one less major player in the U.S. market, but he told TakeOffeh.com that increases won’t likely be dramatic, as U.S. domestic airfares have barely budged in 15 years.

The Upside of Bad Situations
When a killer whale tragically took the life of a SeaWorld trainer, the story made headlines around the world. Unfortunately, the event has also had a severe impact on attendance at the theme park’s Orlando location. As TakeOffeh.com reported this week, SeaWorld has come up with a dramatic way to boost the flow of guests, by dropping the admission price for kids aged 3-9 to just $5 for the rest of the year. The normal kids’ admission price is $68.95. In fact, SeaWorld won’t be taking any admission revenue from kids, as the $5 admission will be donated to a wildlife conservation project. Venerable travel writer Arthur Frommer describes the deal as “the most dramatic price reduction in the history of theme parks.” Frommer is a fan too, saying “I have always regarded SeaWorld as the highlight of Orlando, a unique experience that teaches the visitor about the world of sealife that inhabits our globe.” In a different upside to a bad situation, Club Med earned some kudos this week for the way it treated guests who couldn’t get home during the ash crisis. While many other European travellers faced significant out-of-pocket expenses when stranded without air transport, Club Med let its guests stay beyond the end of their reservations without charge, as it worked to find them a way home. Those scheduled to arrive during the no-fly period were allowed to rebook at no extra charge through October 31. We’ll give the Club two hands up for the classy moves.

Introducing the Immovable Airline Seat
From the people who first introduced a fee for carry-on baggage, here’s another airline ‘innovation’. Spirit Airlines has announced that new lightweight seats being installed on its aircraft will lack the ability to recline. As reported on TakeOffeh.com, the airline calls them “pre-reclined” seats, meaning they are already tilted back about 3 inches. The beauty of the new slim leather seats is they are 30% lighter than conventional seats – which saves on fuel. And, by eliminating a steeper recline, the airline can also cram more seats into the plane. A lot more in fact: Spirit says it can seat 33 more passengers in the “pre-reclined” seats in its new Airbus A320. ‘To recline or not to recline’ is a major bone of contention among airline passengers, as the aforementioned Mr. Frommer found out when he railed against Spirit’s decision as yet another airline abuse of passenger rights. Frommer is clearly a recliner, but many of his readers begged to differ, citing personal space and the rudeness of passengers who slam their chair into full recline with no notice to the kneecaps behind them. He suggests asking permission before the recline, but in my years of flying that’s never happened, and I have the coffee stains to prove it.

Whodathunkit? Canuck Biz Travellers Play Fast & Loose With the Rules
As Bert Archer reported in the Globe and Mail recently, an unexpected picture of the Canadian business traveller was revealed at the National Business Travellers Association conference in Toronto: we ‘polite’ Canadians like to bend the rules more than our American counterparts. From an informal survey, Ipsos Reid found that 45% of American business travellers say they obey their employers’ travel policies while just 19% of Canadians said they comply with company rules about how to fly and where to stay. A third of Americans says they are satisfied with their companies’ rules regarding travel, while only 9% of Canadians said the same. Considering our reputation as law-abiding, this may come as a shock to the Canadian psyche. The most interesting part of the story came in comments from Nikki Germany, the Canadian president of Egencia, Expedia’s business agency. She says frugal Canadians often break the rules to save money rather than spend more. “Canadians are generally more fiscally conscious than our American counterparts,” she said, “prizing free parking or a discounted hotel rate over loyalty programs and premium bedding. I think it’s a cultural thing.”

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

Photo Credits: seaworld.com, spiritair.com

Cuban Confusion

By Ron Pradinuk, Takeoffeh.com - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM - 0 Comments

That is the question.

On February 16^th, the Cuban government announced that as of May 1 all tourists – including Canadians – would require medical coverage to be allowed into the country. Travellers who did not comply would have to buy insurance from local Cuban companies available at the airport, port or marina in order to enter Cuba.

Understandably, with 1.5 million Canadians visiting Cuba every year, the news of enforced health coverage had private insurance providers here in Canada chomping at the bit. Press releases and flyers were churning and everyone assumed supplemental health insurance was required.

Then came the clarification that, in fact, provincial health insurance cards are proof enough for the Cubans — which launched a confusing barrage of news reports. For the record, although the Cuban tourist board has not updated their Canadian website to indicate this important point of difference, they have confirmed to Take Off eh that Canadians with provincial health cards are permitted entry into the country. And although the rule was in force as of May 1, local Cuban airport officers have apparently not yet begun asking for the document.

The downside of the miscommunication is that consumers may be left with the impression that they shouldn’t bother buying additional health insurance. Supplemental health insurance should be viewed as a priority no matter what your destination. Without it you could face significant costs.

The Travel Health Association of Canada provides guidelines for coverage on their website www.thiaonline.com.

Here are several important points to consider:

1. Because Canadian Provincial Health Insurance Plans do not make direct payments to out-of-country (or out-of-province) hospitals, doctors or clinics, you will have to bear the costs yourself and then apply to the Department of Health for re-imbursement. Wait times for reimbursement by Provincial Health Plans varies by province, but range between 90 days and 18 months.
2. In-patient hospitalization reimbursement rates will be different, depending on the Provincial Health Plan in effect. The rates vary from province to province – from $200.00 to $400.00 per day for in-patient or intensive care. The cost of these services in most other countries often exceeds these amounts.
3. Outpatient clinics, lab services, and other incidental charges related to out-of-country emergency medical care are often not covered by the Provincial Health Plans.
4. Provincial plans will not provide evacuation back to Canada in emergency situations by airline or air ambulance, nor will they cover out of country ambulance services.

There are hundreds of disturbing stories of Canadian tourists incurring thousands of dollars of debt from travel mishaps. Ask any travel agent who has witnessed their own clients’ struggles — the small additional expense for insurance can pay back many times over.

For Cuba, the bottom line is that whether or not you buy additional medical coverage is totally up to you. But remember the old insurance adage ‘We hope you never need it, but we hope you have it…just in case.’

By Ron Pradinuk
Ron Pradinuk is past national president of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies.

Photo Credits: debstheleo

Day 13 of 14

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 1:53 PM - 34 Comments

The only news today on detainee document negotiations seems to be that there will be a meeting of all sides tomorrow.

Barring a deal tomorrow, the parties would seemingly have to ask the Speaker for an extension. Or, conceivably, the Speaker could proceed as he warned he would when he made his ruling.

In Conversation: Rethinking health care

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 1:20 PM - 1 Comment

Click here for more information

Another guilty plea for the 'Toronto 18'

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 1:01 PM - 12 Comments

Fahim Ahmad, the original ringleader of the so-called “Toronto 18” terrorist group, has issued a surprise guilty plea in the middle of his trial. Now 25, the Scarborough man was the driving force behind an infamous 2005 winter training camp, where more than a dozen young Muslims marched in the snow and spoke of jihad while undercover officers hunkered nearby. A tough talker, Ahmad dreamed of storming Parliament, beheading politicians, and forcing Canada to pull its troops out of Afghanistan. In a fiery speech videotaped at the end of the camp, Ahmad tells his followers that “Rome has to be defeated.” It “doesn’t matter what trials you face, it doesn’t matter what comes your way,” he says. “Our mission’s greater. Whether we get arrested, whether we (get) killed, we get tortured, our mission’s greater than just individuals.” Three months after the camp, one of Ahmad’s trusted followers, Zakaria Amara, distanced himself from the others and embarked on a separate plot to detonate three truck bombs in downtown Toronto. Amara pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced to life in prison. A date for Ahmad’s sentencing has yet to be set.

Toronto Star

Taliban tied to NY bomb, U.S. claims

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 12:59 PM - 1 Comment

The Pakistani Taliban trained, funded and guided Faisal Shahzad, the man behind the failed Times Square bombing, according to U.S. officials. “We know that they helped facilitate it. We know that they probably helped finance it. And that he was working at their direction,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. This contradicts earlier reports, including remarks made by the head of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, that Shahzad was a “lone wolf,” and puts more pressure on Pakistan, which is mired in a domestic insurgency but is reluctant to allow American forces on its home soil. “We’ve made it very clear that if, heaven forbid, an attack like this that we can trace back to Pakistan were to have been successful, there would be very severe consequences,” said U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton. “We want more; we expect more.” The Taliban, for its part, initially took responsibility for the bombing, but has since retracted that claim.

National Post

$1 trillion in aid

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 12:53 PM - 3 Comments

Marathon talks have resulted in a $1 trillion aid package from the IMF, central banks and the European Union to stabilize the world financial markets in the wake of the Greek debt crisis. It’s the largest payout since the recession struck two years ago following the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The U.S. Federal Reserve has also reopened currency swap lines and the European Central Bank is offering to buy government debt in further efforts to calm investors. So far it’s working. The euro has already risen 2 per cent, and stock markets in Asia, as well as European shares, credit default swaps, and insurance-like instruments to hedge against default are stabilizing. “We shall defend the euro whatever it takes,” said EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn at a news conference. And It might take a lot—experts warn that the ongoing problems in Portugal, Ireland and Spain could require another 500 billion euros in bailouts.

Vancouver Sun

The Board of Inquiry report (III)

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, May 10, 2010 at 12:51 PM - 7 Comments

Sebastien Jodoin, a law fellow at Amnesty International who is participating in the Military Police Complaints Commission proceedings, sent along some unsolicited thoughts on the BOI report late last week. When I asked if I might post those thoughts here, he sent along more thoughts.

Mr. Jodoin was previously cited in this space here. You can judge his credentials and music tastes here. He obviously has a particular perspective on this matter. Make of his thoughts what you will. Continue…