Wisdom is the result of a happy marriage between intelligence and experience.
© Carl Dow, Editor and Publisher, True North Perspective
Friday, March 26, 2010, Vol. 5, No, 16 — 220
"True North is for opinion leaders"
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"We can break their windows ... Break them NOW ... And if we do a proper job, if we break the windows of hundreds, thousands, of Democrat party headquarters across this country, we might just wake up enough of them to make defending ourselves at the muzzle of a rifle unnecessary."
— American blogger Mike Vanderboegh calmly and rationally considers
the passage of the Obama administration's health care reform — 515 words.
By Nikolaus von Twickel
The Moscow Times
When Spanish police announced the arrest of about 80 reputed mobsters across Europe last week, many media reports trumpeted the development as the latest crackdown on the Russian mafia. — 716 words.
By Anna Arutunyan
The Moscow News
Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, who last year scolded the Rusal CEO over wage arrears and the year before promised to send a doctor to sort out another metals baron, Igor Zyuzin, on Wednesday named and shamed four of the country's top investors — Vladimir Potanin, Mikhail Prokhorov, Viktor Vekselberg and Leonid Lebedev — for "eating" government funds and not investing in the country's electricity sector. — 897 words.
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Editor's Notes
Friday, March 26, 2010
True North Perspective
Vol. 5, No. 16 (220)
Journalism is a tricky business. For every private citizen suddenly thrust, unwilling, into the media spotlight, there are an easy dozen promoters of one cause or another forever working to get their names, their faces and (sometimes) even their ideas a few moments in the sun. This past week, the notorious liar and so-called political pundit Ann Coulter cancelled an appearance at the University of Ottawa, scheduled for this past Tuesday night. — 655 words.
"News is what (certain) people want to keep hidden. Everything else is just publicity."
PBS journalist Bill Moyers.Your support makes it possible for True North to clear the fog of "publicity" and keep you informed on what's really happening in the world today. Please send your donation to:
Carl Dow, True North, Station E, P.O. Box 4814, Ottawa ON Canada K1S 5H9.
Letters to the Editor
An interesting reflexion on love turned violent and the recent tragedies in the Belleville area. Alberte Villeneuve-Sinclair examines the complexities of love relationships through her own trials and difficult life experiences. She concludes with great insights on the importance of communication and spirituality to enhance our mental health and keep our lives in focus.
— Thérèse & Roger Lalonde, Ottawa, Ont.
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By Alex Binkley
True North Perspective
OTTAWA — Stop worrying about the high value of the loonie and start worrying about a shortage of ocean shipping capacity that threatens Canada's economic recovery, warns a Montreal freight forwarder. The dearth of export container capacity from Canadian ports "is more harmful to the recovery of our economy than the high value of the loonie," says Jean-Paul Gobeil, director of international markets for Cyberfreight. — 604 words.
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From the Desk of Dennis Carr, Sustainable Development Editor
By Colleen Kimmett
TheTyee.ca
A full-page ad in Tuesday's Globe and Mail shows a bleak black and white photo of a tanker floating in the midst of a vast oil slick. Underneath, the words 'This was Exxon's Gift to Alaska. B.C. can expect the same from Enbridge.' — 585 words.
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By Royson James
Toronto Star
"Remember where you came from and whom you represent."
That's enough of a mantra to guide anyone embarking on life's journey, and it is so easy to forget. Paul Robeson never forgot. His life was so exquisitely dedicated to elevating humanity that the American renaissance man from the last century is a perfect candidate to grace the first poster in this city's annual commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racism, March 21. — 633 words.
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From the Desk of Dennis Carr, Sustainable Development Editor
By Kelly Sinoski
Vancouver Sun
VANCOUVER — TransLink expects to break even from the 2010 Winter Olympics after a record 26 million people turned to transit — especially on Canada Line and the two SkyTrains — to get around during the 17-day event. TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said the receipts are still to be tallied but it's expected additional cash revenues will help pay for a higher-than-expected demand for transit during the Games. — 522 words.
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By Edward Collard
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
OTTAWA — The federal and provincial retreat from traditional social transfers in the 1990s has frayed Canada's social safety net, and cities are now struggling to fill the growing gaps. — 428 words.
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By Lee Giles
Red Deer Advocate
Last week, Saskatchewan's New Democrats introduced a motion calling on the federal government to release all of its files concerning socialist icon and former premier Tommy Douglas. — 475 words.
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CBC News
The closing ceremonies at the Vancouver Olympics were supposed to show the world that Canadians have a sense of humour but many members of the RCMP weren't laughing at how they were depicted, according to an internal memo obtained by CBC News. — 280 words.
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By Alberte Villeneuve-Sinclair
True North Perspective
Alberte Villeneuve-Sinclair is the author of The Neglected Garden and two French novels. Visit her website to learn more www.albertevilleneuve.ca.
People in the Ottawa region never rely on the calendar to welcome spring because they know we are still in the grips of winter around March 20th. For example, on April 9th 2000, we had a major blizzard with temperatures of -18C and gusts of up to 67km/h. April 5th 2003, a mix of heavy winds, snow, ice pellets and rain made for a miserable day. April 4th 2007 offered a similar scenario. So we more or less expect spring around Easter. But not this year! — 1,219 words.
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Spirit Quest
By The Rev. Dr. Hanns F. Skoutajan
I am a clock watcher, indeed, an invertebrate time addict. To be without a time piece, as it happened recently when the battery of my watch gave out, is an agony. I don't know how often I turned my wrist but to see the same time each the time. Even though I am pretty good at guessing the hour I still rely on a watch, and I don't mean digital. I much prefer the analogue that shows me the full sweep of the day or night. — 1,013 words.
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By Murray Brewster
The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The Canadian military has quietly stopped reporting when soldiers are wounded on the battlefield and will instead deliver annual statistics to the public. The stark policy shift is described as a deliberate attempt to keep the Taliban in the dark. — 1,290 words.
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From the Desk of Alex Binkley, Contributing Editor
By J.L. Granatstein
Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute
There has been much grumbling among NATO members in the last few years. Those, like Canada, who are fighting in NATO's first out-of-area war in Afghanistan complain about those that aren't and those that restrict their soldiers' roles with caveats. Others worry that the threats of the present day — terrorism or cyber-attacks, say — are not really met best by a military alliance of western democracies that was created to check the expansion of Soviet Communism more than 60 years ago. And the new members, still fearful of Russia, cling to Washington, while some of the older members look to the European Union as far more important than the old alliance. — 848 words.
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By Daniel Tencer
RawStory.com
A British reporter who reported on an apparent cover-up of the killing of an Afghan family says the NATO-led forces in that country habitually lie about innocent civilians' deaths. Jerome Starkey, the Afghanistan correspondent for the Times of London, says the "embed culture" of reporting in war zones results in military censorship and self-censorship that allows military commanders to get away with falsehoods about civilian deaths. — 1,290 words.
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By Richard Gonzales
National Public Radio
California has just authorized a ballot measure that would legalize marijuana for recreational use. If it's approved in November, the state will become the first to make pot legal for fun and profit. The measure is the result of a months-long petition drive, which went over the top in signatures on Wednesday. — 514 words.
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Health Watch
By Paul Armentano
AlterNet.org
For several years I have postulated that marijuana is not, in the strict sense of the word, an intoxicant.
As I wrote in the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? (Chelsea Green, 2009), the word 'intoxicant' is derived from the Latin noun toxicum (poison). It's an appropriate term for alcohol, as ethanol (the psychoactive ingredient in booze) in moderate to high doses is toxic (read: poisonous) to healthy cells and organs. By contrast, the therapeutically active components in marijuana — the cannabinoids — appear to be remarkably non-toxic to healthy cells and organs. — 569 words.
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GlossyNews.com
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — James Randi, the renowned 81-year-old skeptic, has escaped from the closet after keeping his sexuality a secret for more than 70 years. Randi, formerly known as The Amazing Randi, began his career in Canada as a professional stage magician. Today, he is more widely known as a scientific skeptic who questions and disproves paranormal claims and pseudoscience, following in the tradition of Houdini. Randi has debunked more than 100 psychics and faith healers during his career, in a quest to rid the world of “hucksters.” 357 words.
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By Jesse Bering
ScientificAmerican.com
Out of context, many of our behaviors — if limited to the mere veneer of plain description — would raise many an eyebrow. The most innocent of things can sound tawdry and bizarre when certain facts and details are omitted. Here's a perfect example: I accidentally bit my dog Gulliver's tongue recently. 3,233 words.
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By Aaron Lake Smith
TruthOut.org
According to a recent ad posted on the Internet, the college student recipient of Pizza Hut's summer "Twinternship" would be charged with "attending advertising shoots, product meetings and other corporate events" as well as "playing social-media defense, monitoring Twitter for any mentions of the brand and alerting superiors whenever anything negative about the Hut is being said." The clever ad continued "the successful applicant will speak fluent OMG and LOL and correctly use the terms DM (direct message), RT (retweet) and # (hashtag)." Now that most young people now stand little chance of finding meaningful, paid work in a career of their choice, it is comforting to know that there is one sector the young under-employed permalancer or mid-twenties service industry grunt can still turn to in times of need — the social networking job. — 2,241 words.
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In case you missed it ... and always worth repeating
Let's say that news throughout human time has been free. Take that time when Ugh Wayne went over to the cave of Mugh Payne with news that the chief of his group had broken a leg while chasing his laughing wife around the fire. That news was given freely and received as such with much knowing smiles and smirks to say nothing of grunts of approval or disapproval. — 688 words.
By Paul Richter
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — American and Russian officials have reached a deal to slash their nuclear arsenals after eight months of unexpectedly tough negotiations, sources close to the talks said Wednesday. President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who ordered the negotiations begun last July, still must sign off on details of the agreement, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. — 878 words.
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By Stephen C. Webster
RawStory.com (with Agence France-Presse)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned home to media derision on Thursday, having failed to resolve a bitter row with Washington over the building of Jewish settlements. One publication even called it a diplomatic "hazing" by President Obama. — 959 words.
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By Chris McGreal
The Guardian (UK)
WASHINGTON — Just a few years ago, Republicans greeted Nancy Pelosi's rise to the upper echelons of the Democratic party as a political gift. She was, her rightwing foes asserted, an extreme liberal of the kind true Americans just don't like — vocal in her support of gay rights, feminist causes and policies frequently branded as socialism. — 2,459 words.
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By Mira Baz
Global Post
SANNA, Yemen — A new white dress, chains of gold jewelry sparkling brightly and more attention than this 13-year-old girl had ever received before: It was like playing dress-up, but better, for Zainab Hussein. "I'm a bride and I'm getting married!" she bragged to her friend, showing off her new jewelry. A few days later, Zainab, who'd barely reached full growth, was married off to a 30-year-old groom who also was her cousin. He paid $5,000 to Zainab's father for his child bride. — 1,721 words.
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By Eric Reguly
The Globe and Mail
SANNA, Yemen — A new white dress, chains of gold jewelry sparkling brightly and more attention than this 13-year-old girl had ever received before: It was like playing dress-up, but better, for Zainab Hussein. "I'm a bride and I'm getting married!" she bragged to her friend, showing off her new jewelry. A few days later, Zainab, who'd barely reached full growth, was married off to a 30-year-old groom who also was her cousin. He paid $5,000 to Zainab's father for his child bride. — 1,195 words.
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By Mark Weisbrot
The Guardian (UK)
Venezuela has an election for its national assembly in September, and the campaign has begun in earnest. I am referring to the international campaign. This is carried out largely through the international media, although some will spill over into the Venezuelan media. It involves many public officials, especially in the US. The goal will be to generate as much bad press as possible about Venezuela, to discredit the government, and to delegitimise the September elections — in case the opposition should choose to boycott, as they did in the last legislative elections, or refuse to recognise the results if they lose. — 1,347 words.
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By Eva Golinger
Correo del Orinoco International
Despite critics' exaggerated outcries and accusations in the international media alleging Internet censorship, President Chavez announced a new government-sponsored program to promote Internet usage and cyber communication throughout Venezuela. — 1,915 words.
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By Hannah Allam
McClatchy Newspapers
Secular Muslim politician Ayad Allawi Friday won Iraq's landmark parliamentary election by just two seats, defeating incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, who immediately repeated his demands for a recount and warned that the outcome "is not final." — 426 words.
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Agence France-Presse
LONDON — Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev bought Britain's struggling Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers for a token sum Thursday, a year after acquiring another top British title cheaply. Lebedev, an ex KGB agent, paid one pound (1.1 euros, 1.5 dollars) for the papers, while its current owners will pay 9.25 million pounds in the next 10 months to his firm Independent Print Limited (IPL) for taking on future liabilities. — 571 words.
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Annals of (mis)Education
By Jill Richardson
AlterNet.org
Seven-year-old Marley loves Happy Meals from McDonald's. She used to get Chicken McNuggets, but now she chooses a cheeseburger to go with her fries and Sprite. Her father, Patrick, is a chef, trained at the Culinary Institute of America, but Marley prefers McDonald's to his cooking. After a trip to McDonald's, Marley eagerly surfs onto McWorld.com, where she can enter a code from her meal to get a "behind-the-scenes look at iCarly," a kids' TV show (boys can use their code for a Star Wars promotion). — 2,221 words.
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Science
By Jonah Lehrer
New York Times
When I can't sleep, I think about what I'm missing. I glance over at my wife and watch her eyelids flutter. I listen to the steady rhythm of her breath. I wonder if she's dreaming and, if so, what story she's telling to herself to pass the time. (The mind is like a shark — it can't ever stop swimming in thought.) And then my eyes return to the ceiling and I wonder what I would be dreaming about, if only I could fall asleep. — 1,251 words.
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By Tom Blackwell
National Post
In Canadian cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, one of the most pressing priorities for police is combatting an illegal drug trade that has spawned a rash of gangland violence in recent years. A provocative new report from a B.C. HIV-research agency, however, suggests that throwing more police resources at the problem will only make the bloodshed worse, not bring peace to the streets. — 731 words.
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Reality Check
By Charles Bowden
High Country News
Charles Bowden lives in Tucson. He is author of Murder City: Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields (Nation Books, March 2010).
The man on the television screen wears a long black veil. His voice is penetrating, his hands are strong with thick fingers. He is telling of his work, killing people for money, a trade he pursued with some success for 20 years. Watching the film with rapt attention is a fugitive from Mexico who now lives in the United States. The reason he left is simple: He had to pay a $30,000 ransom for his year-old son, on top of the $3,000 a month he was paying for simple protection. I don't ask whom he was paying because he probably does not know. People with guns, maybe drug people or simple criminals, maybe the police or the army. He knows of others who failed to pay and then died. He stares at the screen and says, "I know him. He's a state policeman." — 1,725 words.
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From the Desk of Anita Chan, Contributing Editor, Australia
China Labor News Translations
In July 2008, CLNT provided extensive analysis of how China's social security system was failing migrant workers – especially when it comes to old-age pensions. Even though Chinese law requires old-age insurance for all migrant workers, until recently, the funds in workers' insurance account could not be transferred between different cities and provinces. Hence when migrant workers returned home, or moved to a new place of work, most chose to exercise the option of “cashing-in” their pension (tuibao). — 1,091 words.
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Granma
HAVANA, Cuba (Associated Press) — The Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba is now 10 years old, and has an enrollment of 10,000 students from dozens of countries, who are studying to be doctors without any cost for their families. — 641 words.
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Money and Markets
By Jeff Rubin
The Globe and Mail
There's a reason for the record steepness in the yield curve these days. The huge gap between short-term and long-term borrowing rates isn't just because capital markets quite rightly don't believe that today's virtually free borrowing rates in the money market are going to last. It's also because of something a little more lasting than central banks' current infatuation with near-zero interest rates. — 241 words.
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From the Desk of Mike (The Hammer) Garvin
By Joseph B. Atkins
AlterNet.org
All is certainly not rosy for Toyota or The Toyota Way these days. With millions of its cars on recall for pedal, floormat, and brake problems, Toyota president Akio Toyoda has apologized to the nation of Japan. Sales are dropping. The US Congress is investigating. Even the Prius hybrid, the pride of Toyota, Japan's best-selling car last year, is in recall. Toyota has had eight major recalls since September 2007. — 1,133 words.
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CBC News
Gordon Lightfoot says he is ready to change some of the lyrics to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald after seeing a documentary that disputes official findings on why the ship sank. — 470 words.
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KUALA LUMPUR — Film-makers can depict homosexuals for the first time in strictly censored Malaysia — so long as they repent or even go straight in the end, an industry group said Monday. — 281 words.
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Ottawa author Randy Ray and his co-author Mark Kearney of London, Ont. have published their ninth Canadian book, The Big Book of Canadian Trivia, which is now available in stores and on the authors' Web site at: TriviaGuys.com.
The latest Ray-Kearney effort is best described as a "greatest hits" book that contains the best Canadiana from their previous eight books, plus a considerable amount of new material.
In one big book readers will find all the trivia and facts about Canada they need to know: there are stories of important Canadian artifacts and history including what became of Canada's World War II spy camp.
All regions and provinces are covered, as well as important Canadian figures like John Molson, Elizabeth Arden and Russ Jackson.
If that isn't enough there will also be pieces explaining whatever happened to such Canadian icons as the last spike, labour leader Bob White, hockey tough guy Dave "The Hammer" Schultz, the first skidoo, swimmer Marilyn Bell and the first Tim Hortons donut shop.
Some items are "classics." Others are little known facts. Approximately 25 per cent of the material has never before appeared in print.
This fascinating Big Book brings together for the first time in one package the most notable facts and trivia from the archives of the trivia guys' collection.
The Big Book of Canadian Trivia is published by The Dundurn Group of Toronto.
The short story, The Old Man's Last Sauna, a groundbreaking love story, in the Friday, April 24 edition of True North Perspective, concludes the collection titled The Old Man's Last Sauna, written by Carl Dow. On Friday, April 17, you'll find O Ernie! ... What Have They Done To You! The series began Friday, February 20, with Deo Volente (God Willing). The second, The Quintessence of Mr. Flynn, Friday, February 27. The third, Sharing Lies, Friday, March 6. The fourth, Flying High, Friday, March 13. The fifth, The Richest Bitch in the Country or Ginny I Hardly Knows Ya, Friday, March 20. On Friday, March 27, One Lift Too Many, followed by The Model A Ford, Friday, April 3. The out-of-body chiller, Room For One Only, Friday, April 10. The series closed Friday, April 24, with the collection's namesake The Old Man's Last Sauna, a groundbreaking love story. All stories may also be found in the True North Perspective Archives.
Prolific best-selling Ottawa author and publicist Randy Ray has developed a website to promote his publicity services, which he offers to authors, publishers and companies. Mr. Ray has helped many clients get their message out across Canada on CTV, CBC Radio, CH-TV, A-Channel and Global TV, and in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun, Halifax Herald and many Ottawa-area weekly newspapers. Mr. Ray's web site is: www.randyray.ca. He can be contacted at: (613) 731-3873 or rocket@intranet.ca.
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If you have any problems with accessing the newsletter or problems with your computer, send an email to Carl Hall chall2k5@gmail.com , and he will be more than happy to assist you.
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Archives
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Carl Dow, Editor and Publisher
Geoffrey Dow, Managing Editor
Yvette Pigeon, Associate Editor
Dennis Carr, Sustainable Development Editor
Benoit Jolicoeur, Art Director
Ian Covey, Director of Photography
Carl Hall, Technical Analyst and Web Editor
Randy Ray, Publicity
Contributing Editors
Anita Chan, Australia
Canada
Alex Binkley, Ottawa
Dennis Carr, Vancouver
Rosaleen Dickson, Ottawa
Tom Dow, Sudbury
Bob Kay, Montréal
Randy Ray, Ottawa
Alberte Villeneuve-Sinclair, Ottawa
David Ward, Ottawa
Harold Wright, Ottawa
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