Why I'm Glad I have A Satellite Dish

The National Post ran this article. Seems the governing Conservative Party has decided to buy time to run a few attack ads on the Liberals. So instead of watching the GoDaddy advertisement featuring Kevin Rose and Alexander Albrecht you will watch some ridiculous ad on how bad Stephane Dion is as a leader.

This is so sad, do you really want to have your enjoyment of a game interrupted by some stupid sleazy political ad? This reveals that the Conservatives are no different the than Liberals because given a chance it's the same old same old. Here's the thing, they want to attack him, then wait for an election, not during a football game.

I truly believe we should write to the Conservative Partyor if your local MP is a Conservative, to them and tell them we don't want the gutter. This is nonsense and they should be told off.

Fortunately, Starchoice runs the American channels without sticking in the stupid Canadian ads.

Three Special Birthdays

This being January 25th, I want to mention there are three special birthdays on today.
The first is the great Scottish Poet Robert Burns. Throughout the land people will gather to celebrate this special day with the singing of songs, the recitation of poetry and the eating of Haggis. To make sure it is celebrated correctly, let us all stand and recite his great poem, Address to a Haggis:

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak yer place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my airm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dicht,
An cut you up wi ready slicht,
Trenching your gushing entrails bricht,
Like onie ditch;
And then, Oh what a glorious sicht,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive:
Deil tak the hindmaist, on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit' hums.

Is there that ower his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him ower his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit:
Thro bloody flood or field to dash,
Oh how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his wallie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An legs an arms, an heads will sned,
Like taps o thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!

If that was not enough of an honour for one day, there are two more who celebrate their birthday, and that is Kimberly and Katrina. So, Happy Birthday girls, have a great day today. Celebrate, but not too much.

Great Bear Rainforest Protected

This is very good news.

The Great Bear Rainforest is going to receive protection. A marvelous part of British Columbia and Canada will be preserved for future generations to explore and enjoy. We need more pristine forests protected, they are the front lines against Global Warming.

You can read more about the settlement here.

I want all of you to write to the government and encourage them to protect Canada's wilderness. Thank them for this and remind them that the environment is important because it affects us all.

These pictures are videosnaps from the movie/documentary An Inconvenient Truth. It is based upon the book and lecture the former VP of the United States Al Gore has been given on the issue of Global Warming. I know there are some people who scoff at such an idea, they say and I've heard some of them that the world is so big and we are so small. This is true but Mr. Gore points out where we are having the greatest impact is the smallest part of the planet's ecosystem and that is the atmosphere. We are dumping an incredible amount of waste into the air we breathe and its having the greatest affect on ourselves and the climate.

Global Warming is the reality and we are seeing it in places such as Essex County, the Arctic and the Antarctic. The Icefield is melting and the effects could be catastrophic, impacting both wildlife and us.

It is a fascinating movie, one that is developing a fair bit of controversy, including attacks by the Competitive Enterprise Institute a right-wing think tank that believes in things like not helping sick people acquire medication and other acts of compassion. Also, President George Bush was asked if he would watch the movie, his response was 'doubt it'.

The movie has inspired parody including one called Al Gore's Penguin Army. It was featured on YouTube and was supposed to have been made by a 29 year old living in Beverly Hills. However some investigating has discovered it was made by a PR firm with ties to the Republican Party and a number of Oil Companies. It features Al Gore, looking like "The Penguin" from the Batman movies and has him leading an army of Tux, the mascot of the Linux Operating System. Of course because it comes from Big Oil, its total nonsense, let's recall some of the PR spin that occurred after the Exxon Valdez.

I want to encourage you to find and watch the movie and consider doing research. If he is true, we need to do something.

For too long we've done evil, now it's time for us to do good.

Cease Fire in Darfur

I just received this email:

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson just released a joint statement with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir that, if implemented, would bring some immediate security and relief to the people of Darfur as well as provide a clear path forward to long-term peace in the region.

We asked Governor Richardson to travel to Sudan to discuss ways to secure peace in Darfur and to end the genocide. The Governor was accompanied by Save Darfur Senior International Coordinator Ambassador (ret.) Lawrence Rossin, Refugees International Executive Director Kenneth Bacon, and Public and International Law and Policy Group senior attorney Amjad Atallah. Since Sunday, when they arrived in Khartoum, Governor Richardson and the delegation have visited Darfur and participated in a variety of meetings with government officials, rebel leaders, humanitarian officials, AU commanders and UN officials.

The promises from President Bashir in this agreement are encouraging. They include commitments to:

* A 60-day ceasefire with an international peace summit to be held before March 15, 2007.
* Sudan's cooperation to work with the African Union and United Nations on the deployment of a hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur.
* Ensuring "zero tolerance" policies for gender-based violence in Darfur.
* Free access for humanitarian aid workers and journalists.

This is excellent news. Perhaps not peace but its a start. If you want to read the full press release, go to here.

It recognizes there needs to be a free flow of aid to the region and the end of violence to the people of the Darfur.

Now before we all celebrate, remember Darfur.

Keep the pressure on the government of the Sudan and the United Nations to ensure the cease-fire is implemented and kept intact. As I said it's a start and it can be the start of something positive finally coming to the region.

Darfur

I got an email from the Save Darfur Coalition. The email wanted to encourage me

I just wanted to remind you about the email we recently sent asking you to make it your New Year's resolution to ask five friends or family members to join you in signing our petition to the President and the new UN Secretary-General

.

So here is what I want you to do, sign the petition. Follow this link and sign. The petition

2.5 million people have already been driven from their homes in Darfur, Sudan. The refugees now face starvation, disease, and rape, while those who remain in Darfur risk displacement, torture, and murder. We must act quickly and decisively to end this genocide before hundreds of thousands more people are killed.

Fill out the form below to add your name to petition urging President Bush and the UN Secretary-General to take immediate steps to stop the killing in Darfur.

People are still dying in the Darfur region. Just because it is not being reported doesn't mean it is over. Sign and get involved.

Do it.

This is your New Year's Resolution as well.