Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Provincial Budget Being Heard

    Tim Hudak, a Progressive Conservative Leader had said that Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals will raise taxes, spend money and break promises. Hudak said “If this budget was sold at your local Chapters, you would find it under ‘fiction.’ Ontario families know Dalton McGuinty will say anything he thinks will help to get him re-elected. Why would anyone believe him today?” New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath said that Dalton McGuinty's plan is a new sales tax. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan does not want to eliminate the stability in health care and education. Nora Loreto, the Canadian Federation of Students wants there to be student debt and fees in the budget. Satinder Chera, Ontario vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, likes the positive government spending, but not so much how the budget doesn't include job creators.



     I think that budget is being a little overreacted upon because so far everything has been on a steady pace but once people say something like the opposition it becomes overheard. People start talking about it and potentially they find the little cracks in the budget. I would agree that all the people above have a very reasonable statement to say about the budget. I think the government should not just get a general perspective of people's wants, but to look around in different aspects of life like business, education, environment, etc. And based upon that come upon a reasonable solution to not only support the people, but the government's own wants as well; also stay committed to their platform. If we can not trust the own people representing our province, how can we create a well structured and stable environment suitable for everyone in all aspects of life.  


Link:
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontariobudget/article/965438--voices-on-the-provincial-budget

Photo Link:
http://fpm3.weblogbiz.com/?p=864

Monday, March 28, 2011

Earth Hour 2011

     Pamela Rezansoff did an extraordinary thing on March 26 by turning off all appliances and lights and making her family wear warm, winter clothing; the only thing on was the fridge for food. There were abut 10 million Canadians expected to turn off their lights between 8:30pm to 9:30pm. Earth Hour was first introduced in Sydney, Australia in 2007, where 2.2 million homes and more than 2000 businesses turned off their lights. In 2008 there were 50 million people participating in 35 different countries. In 2009 there were approximately 1 billion people who participated in 88 countries. The World Wildlife Fund, who is the organizer, has stated that the numbers this year in Canada will surpass that of 2010. Major landmarks like the CN Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, etc. go in darkness for this event. 

     I think this Earth Hour is the best thing that has ever happened to gage awareness for global warming. If people turn off their lights it can save so much more money for the cities, companies, etc. Electric plants do not have to run as hard, allowing us to save more energy and not lead to pollution. I think this event should be more than once and perhaps once a month or at least once a season. People do not understand how one household or even one light switch can make a difference for the entire world. As proud participant since day one, I am so glad that an event like this has been recognized and that the number keeps growing. People will soon understand what it means by being green. It takes one little finger roll on a light switch. If we don't protect the Earth now, who knows what we could eventually lead to.  

Link:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Canadians+power+down+this+year+Earth+Hour/4507365/story.html

Photo Link:
http://www.photosfan.com/earth-hour/

Friday, March 11, 2011

Fatal Earthquake in Japan

     Japan was hit by a 8.9 earthquake creating a 13-foot tsunami that washed away cars and buildings; there have been reports of injuries in Tokyo. TV footage shows the massive damage it has caused, carrying houses, cars and even boats with it. The quake was struck at 2:46 pm with series of aftershocks which included a 7.4 magnitude 30 minutes after; the USA Geological Survey upgraded the first quake to a magnitude 8.9 while Japan's meteorological agency recorded it at 7.9. NHK warned the people on the Pacific coast of Japan to find safer ground. The agency said the quake struck six miles deep and 80 miles off the eastern coast. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii sent warnings to Japan, Russia, Marcus Island and Northern Marianas; there has been tsunami watch in Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Hawaii. 

     This is just another tragic event occurring and waiting to happen to other countries. The good thing is there are warnings for people to expect what is going to happen, but we don't know if they have enough time to find safer ground. It is just sad to see humanity getting hurt or even dieing and after these recent events in the past years we don't know what is going to happen next. The "Dooms Day" on 2012 is not 100% false, I think it is a process that will take years for human population to decrease significantly. The positive to this is we can find ways to prevent from people getting hurt; like the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. As a human being I feel the safety for everyone and I know everyday something new is created to save humanity. There are many ways of dieing but in this case it is natural events. This is mother nature and she is on our side, we just have to find ways to make her happy and on this planet I personally don't see much of that.  

Link:
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/03/11/japan_earthquake_causes_damage_injuries/   

Photo Credit:
http://www.hotncurrent.com/

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Dalai Lama Prepared to Give Up Political Role

      On Thursday Dalai Lama announced that he will retire from political head of Tibetan exile movement. "Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power," the exiled spiritual leader said in a statement. On March 14 the parliament will meet in Dharamsala, India and to decide whether to accept his request; he always believes in democracy. If these changes are made the people would elect a new leader. Dalai Lama has had so many requests to stay but he says it is for the benefit of the Tibetans in the long run. He really feels the faith and trust from the Tibetans and that people will soon understand his decision. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the Dalai Lama a "religious crook" and spokeswomen Jiang Yu said, "He has said many times he is leaving but this seems to be one of his tricks to deceive the international community." There were 11 people arrested Thursday for showing "Free Tibet" banners and shouting anti-Chinese slogans. About 52 years, Dalai Lama fled to China on March 10, 1959 after a failed uprising; the exile group is stationed in northern Dharamsala, India. "Sooner or later, I have to go. I'm over 75, so next 10 years, next 20 years, one day I will go."


     Instead of the Dalai Lama retiring I think that he should take a little step down from his position and eventually little by little he can retire. First drop down from position to a second man in command perhaps or a regular member in the group. He has said these things before and we won't know how the Tibetan community will react once he retires. He is really old now and maybe he is trying to preserve his health. If Dalai Lama trusts the people he is working around to control the Tibetan community and worried about his health then he should retire. His spirituality is what keeps the communities strong. Can other new leaders contribute to this or can they add a new benefit?   

Link and Photo:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/10/india.dalai.lama/index.html

Another G20 Case

     During a Queen Street West demonstration on June 26, 2010 a 42 year old man was injured and the SIU (Special Investigations Unit) has been looking for witnesses from this new case. The victim Canute Fernandes suffered a fractured right arm, and shoulder; he was later taken to Toronto East General for treatment. After interviews with many police and witnesses there could not be an answer on how Canute was injured. There is no proof that the police hurt the victim and the provincial agency was unable to identify the arresting officers. The SIU recieved new images of Fernandes' arrest and injuries from Reuters. SIU wants to talk with the one holding the camera and any information must be called at 416-622-2293. Dorian Barton who broke his arm has filed a $250 000 civil lawsuit to Toronto Police; Joseph Thompson claimed a police officer broke his nose during a protest. Toronto Police Const. Babak Andalib-Goortani was charged with assault with a weapon in connection to the arrest of Adam Nobody.


      There is a reason there are police officers in the street for the G20, to protect the superior leaders by closing streets and creating laws at that time. I think the people have a right to protest in the street but to some extent that they are not causing damage to the city. I think that the police have a right to stop the people from protest, but to an extent where they are not hurting the civilians. In a final conclusion it is both the peoples fault but in this particular case I am favouring a little more towards the person. We don't know if he was just in the street and was aggrevated by irregular behaviour of the police and street closure. I am pretty sure he was just protesting and not going absolutely crazy and breaking police cars. This is a democratic country we shouldn't be protesting like animals nor having police officers that are willing to arrest any protester or hurting anyone. I think the people should have just stayed calm until the G20 was done and the police officers should have been trained in a more sophisticated way and to simply arrest crazy protesters instead of beating them up.   

Link and Photo:
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/117992--siu-reopens-another-g20-case  

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Harpers to Attend Royal Wedding

         Prime Minister Stephan Harper and wife Laureen are guests alongside many royals and dignitaries in the upcoming Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding in Westminster Abbey next month. Harper is looking forward to the wedding since Canada is one of the six countries in the Commonwealth and also since the newlyweds will be coming to a Canada Tour three months after the wedding; wedding is on April 29. Officials have invited 1900 people to attend with 50 members from the British royal families and 40 from various European families. Famous guests invited are British Prime Minister David Cameron, Victoria and David Beckham, rapper Kanye West and singer Elton John. Some world leaders like Barack Obama have not been invited. From June 30 to July 8, William and Kate will coming to Canada and they will stop in Alberta, Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island and Ottawa. Harper had previously invited the two before the wedding invitation.


         I think this is just another perfect scenario to show Britain's relationship with Canada as appose to the one it has with America. Barack Obama was not been invited perhaps because he had not "served well" for his nation and possible speculation of a little racism in my opinion. For Canada though, I think this will be helping the tourism industry, for such royalty to enter our land and in multiple places with not much attention like the Northwest Territories and P.E.I is a great honour. I think the Harper's made a great decision accepting the invitation as mostly anyone would. This is a once in a life time opportunity and the Harper's should cherish this moment. It also gives more advertisement of Canada not just in the Commonwealth but in the entire world since there is major attention on the United Kingdom. Two question though? Why is Kanye West invited? To add the modern touch of music in a world audience? And how come the British Kingdom will never fall and always be in the entire world's "favour," but other countries like in Europe or the Middle-East have lost their monarchies? This may be a little off topic but it was something that really came in my head. Anyway moments should always be cherished and you must always look on the positive side of life.   

Link and Photo:
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20110309/harper-accepts-royal-wedding-invitation-110309/

Cautions Uprise from Hormone Injection Diet

         Hormones like hCG are injected into people in order for them to loose weight; this is a fad currently trending since the 1970 despite the doctors concerns. In order to properly inject people must eat or inject a pregnancy hormone; human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, in combination with an ultra low-calorie diet.The hormone suppresses your appetite by making you think you are pregnant; it stores the burned fat in places like the upper arms, thighs and belly. Diane Gariepy of Edmonton recommends the diet as it helped her reduce the amount of insulin and lost 40 pounds; her doctor supports the hCG diet; you have to follow it with 500 calories of eating a day. Dr. Tom Ransom said there are risks such as headaches, depression, acne, hair loss, breast tenderness and in more rare cases, blood clots which can be fatal if they travel to the lungs. The slight increase of blood pressure and cholesterol supports the inquiry that hCG causes cardiovascular problems; according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Out of 14 trials 12 have resulted in no weigh-loss benefit.


          I think that using a hormone to loose weight is a very unusual and cheating form of way to accomplish a task. This is the same as using steroids like Barry Bonds to hit so many home runs in one season despite his great skills. I mean he has all the talent to do as much as he did with steroids; it was pointless of him to use it. This is the same thing for this human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), you are using a cheat to help you loose weight and like steroids there are side effects and some that have not yet been discovered. Tasks in life can be accomplished with time and effort but to cheat seems very unethical. A person can put at least an hour of exercise a day and research proper nutrition and discipline in order to loose some weight. Not just that there are other methods than injecting a hormone, like specific diets and exercises that can all be found online or by your doctor. This really brings up the question, do people have patience these days? And why is cheating being such a big factor currently? These days everyone feels indifferent and do not care of what is right and what is wrong. The answer is...there is no right or wrong answer its up to what a human being thinks is right and wrong; that is the true answer. Anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it.    

Link and Picture:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/03/09/hcg-diet-hormone.html

Rafsanjani Looses Position

         President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is going to replace former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Rafsanjani (president from 1989-1997). This is starting create questions around Ahmadinejad from eliminating opposition. Rafsanjani was more in favour of of Mir Hussein Musavi, another political leader. The Assembly of Experts (religious groups that lead Iran's political direction) had a vote to fire Mr. Rafsanjani. Press TV showed that 63 members of the 86-member assembly voted to replace him for Ayatollah Mohammed Reza Mahdavi Kani. In the West Rafsanjani is considered moderate pragmatic compared to the rest of the Iranian politicians. Luckily for Rafsanjani he still has a position on the assembly but not chairmen anymore; he is head of the Expediency Council which mediates lawmakers and the Guardian Council. The Assembly has really emphasized its growth since the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Rafsanjani's children have been arrested due to abrupt protests. Mehdi Hashemi, his son, head of a subway project in Tehran has quit his job.


      I do not really like talking about such subjects as it is a risk. My true feelings for such a case is indifferent. We know that all these people had helped create the revolution and if one gets angry in the other the public sees the true message. That would be they all work for each other and if one of them gets fired it is probably because they want relatively, new, young people with more future superioriority, in order to maintain the Islamic regime. The feeling is indifferent because we all know what has happened to the country. And interestingly enough his children have a different last name; potentially to disguise it so other people can not find out if their son or daughter is related to such dictators and for secure purposes. This raises the question of human identity. Do you really know the person you hear on the news about, your best friend, your family? Its always good to get to know people wherever they are from because you will never find out the truth. It may be hard but the puzzle pieces are all there. Who even knows if Press TV is saying the right information (controlled by government).

Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/world/middleeast/09iran.html?_r=1&hp  

Photo:
http://www.payvand.com/news/10/sep/1134.html

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Remote Control War

    Robots that kill in movies have not come to far from the future. The question is how will the robots not only change warfare but mankind itself. In Indiana Springs, Nevada a group of ordinary men go to war to fight insurgents in Afghanistan and on boarders of Pakistan, luckily they are remote control warriors. In other words people go to a station in Indiana Springs and control robots to kill their enemy across boarders for war purposes. Since the war in Iraq there has been an increase of 7000 wars robots in air and 12,000 robots on ground used in combat, 43 other countries like Canada also use these remote controlled machines. The robots save soldiers lives but the problem is robots can become autonomous with lethal weapons. The question is if robots are killing human beings is it ethical and what are the new rules of engagements?  Other question will rise in the future...what will robots do in the future when they can decide on there own? Western countries have the upper hand in this case but other countries will start developing soon enough. Robots are future suicide bombers? No body on your side is killed but opposing casualties are?

     War has always been between two or more opposing countries sending out casualties to protect and serve for their country. I have never been a big fan of war to begin with...I appreciate the tradition and what we learn from it but taking it to a whole other level is transforming the definition of ethics. I don't think it is right to send out robots to fight in war in order to protect your own people and eliminate the opposition. In some cases these robots have not only killed the enemy but the poor civilians around them. I actually watched the documentary on this Remote Control War and Jody Williams a Noble Peace Prize Winner claimed that it was not ethical to have controlled machines similar to video games in order to kill others. I agree with her because it isn't fair and god knows how many innocent people will be killed. I think soon enough there will be autonomous robots that will soon kill any person in there way. My final opinion is that the robots used for carrying wounded soldiers like the "The Bear" and those robots used for going over land mines and finding trip wires is very useful. In this sense it is ethical since it is saving soldiers lives and not killing other people. We don't need robot planes or machines to kill others cause if we continue this path, who knows what world wide war could come ahead of us?    
 






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