Got a beef with meat, tired of bad service from those that are paid good public or private money to protect your interests? This is the whistle blowing place to vent your rant and point of view to make them visible and accountable.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ontario natives rally against HST, demand meeting with Flaherty - Yahoo! Canada News
Posted using ShareThis
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Re: Fw: ontario spring pc agenda
; Tim Hudak Sets PC Caucus Priorities for Spring Session of the Legislature
> As the Ontario Legislature resumed this week, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak
> outlined the three key priorities that the Ontario PC Caucus will be
> focusing on during the spring session:
> * Fighting for more private sector jobs and a stronger economy.
> * Demanding more accountability from the McGuinty Government in the wake of
> their growing list of scandals and mismanagement.
> * Defending Ontario families currently struggling with a rising cost of
> living thanks to Dalton McGuinty's disastrous tax-and-spend policies.
> The Ontario PC Caucus will also use their time in the Legislature to ensure
> that the public receives the answers they deserve on Dalton McGuinty's
> health care scandals, fiscal mismanagement, $3 billion HST tax grab, and
> multibillion dollar sweetheart Samsung deal.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
do it please -dont study it , talk about it -just do it
A common sense and worthwhile throne speech - the hard part is to make it happen against the entrenched and vested special interest groups who are fattening at the public trough at everyone elses expense.
in reference to: Crime, MPs' pay on the agenda (IS IT THE RIGHT AGENDA?) - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA#postbox (view on Google Sidewiki)Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Laughable is correct
The tempest in the teapot - how is it possible to get input without communicating with those that have a stake in proceedings?
in reference to:"That's almost laughable," he said. "But let me tell you something: my parliamentary assistant Dave Levac is working very, very hard on promoting the Green Energy Act. He's very committed to promoting economic development in the region of Brant." Duguid at the act has helped attract 16,000 jobs to Ontario with its $7-billion investment, and predicted it will grow 50,000 jobs in green energy over the next three years."
- Levac's boss faces grilling (COMMENT ON THIS STORY) - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA (view on Google Sidewiki)
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
natural gas bill -green energy bill
If you have it ,if you control it you should use it,
Great idea - how about it Canada
"We send approximately $700 billion a year to nasty parts of the world for energy and about 70% of what we consume comes from elsewhere. In the meanwhile, we are the best in the world at extracting and moving natural gas and we have so much of it that we've run out of places to store it. HR 1835 would put an end to this madness and put hundreds of thousands of people to work immediately across the nation."
- A Riddle and a Rant The Reformed Broker (view on Google Sidewiki)
Fight the 13% tax grap scheduled for July 1 -
This is a taxgrab of major proportions . Maybe with your help it can be stopped. If anyone is selling their house do so before July 1,2010. Please pass it on and tip the balance
This is interesting and maddening regarding the HST. There is a legitimate petition at the end of the email for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to cancel the current plan to introduce HST on July 1st. Thomas.
Hello here is some information for your information and as a call for action
This summer (2010) the Ontario Government is set to put into force
its new harmonized GST/PST sales tax which will apply a 13% sales
tax to everything we purchase.
Things That Were Not Subject To The
Current 8% PST Will Be Now Taxed
As a result, things that were not previously taxed under the current
Ontario Provincial Sales Tax (PST) will be taxed at 8%.
The new 13% tax will therefore apply to things like your electric bill,
your gas bill, your water bill, condominium fees, insurance
premiums, and every other good and service you purchase. There are
almost no exemptions.
- 38% on the first $20,000
- 53% on the next $40,000
- 59.5% on every dollar over $60,000
OF ALL THE MONEY YOU WORKED HARD TO EARN, WHAT
PERCENTAGE ARE YOU REALLY KEEPING FOR YOUR OWN USE? ?25%? 20%?
10%?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH - FIGHT BACK
THIS HAS GOT TO STOP HERE OR WE WILL ALL SOON BE
WORKING FULL TIME FOR THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT IN ONTARIO.
DECLINING BECAUSE OF THE ENORMOUS TAX LOAD WE BEAR.
AS A RESULT, I URGE YOU TO TAKE THIS ISSUE
SERIOUSLY AND TO FILL IN AND SIGN THE PETITION.
AT www..unfairtaxgrab.com?AGAINST THE NEW HARMONIZED GST/PST TAX.
I WOULD ALSO ASK YOU TO SEND THIS E-MAIL ON TO
OTHERS THAT YOU KNOW AND ASK THEM TO DO THE SAME.
HARMONIZED 13% SALES TAX WILL BECOME A REALITY THIS SUMMER.
THANK YOU.and make a difference it is your money that you are protecting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thousands say "no" to the HST
Dalton McGuinty claims no one is complaining about his unfair tax grab.
You proved him wrong this week. On Wednesday we sent out a
request asking you to send a message to the McGuinty Government
about the HST. Almost instantly our email box began to fill. By
the end of the day we received nearly 2,000 messages.
New Democrat Members of Provincial Parliament did their best to read
them into the record in the Legislature, but they simply ran out
of time. The good news is: there are more debates to come and
well be sending you details about how to keep up the fight
against this unfair tax grab.
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Canada Day update
Canada Day
The olympic spirit should prevail. All service clubs should be involved in making this a great celebration.
A public meeting is planned at knights hall on the 17th of march. Contact us for more information backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com.
"The city will run the show this year, Calnan said, and perhaps even in 2011. The city will put out a request for proposal to run the 2011 show, however, and the hope is that a service club may emerge to fill that role."
- Festivities relocated to Lions Park (COMMENT ON THIS STORY) - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA#postbox#postbox (view on Google Sidewiki)
Fwd: FW: 13% tax - on homes in Ontario!!!
This is interesting and maddening regarding the HST. There is a legitimate petition at the end of the email for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to cancel the current plan to introduce HST on July 1st.
Thomas.
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Friday, February 19, 2010
14 ways to reduce information overload
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Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Subscribe | FT.com
By Gideon Rachman
Published: January 11 2010 19:47 Last updated: January 11 2010 19:47"
Monday, January 04, 2010
The bloodsport election race begins in Brantford
Posted By MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
The returning office at city hall will be a busy place today when three mayoral candidates and some council contenders are expected to file their nomination papers on the first official day of the Oct. 25 municipal election campaign.
Coun. Mark Littell will file his papers for the mayor's race early in the morning, then hold a news conference and reception at his William Street home at 11:30 a.m.
"I'll be laying out some of my platform at that time," the first-term councillor said over the weekend.
"I'm optimistic for the city. I have a strong track record to show for my three years as a councillor, as well as previously in the private sector and leading several volunteer organizations."
Also expected to enter the mayor's race officially this morning is six-term Coun. John Sless.
"I'll just file my papers for now," he said. "My campaign will unfold shortly after that according to a laid-out plan."
Coun. James Calnan also confi rmed on the weekend that he's running for mayor . He expects to bring his papers to city hall today, too, with a formal campaign kickoff to follow shortly.
"We have a lot of issues that we need to either take up or finish in the next four years," he said.
"They include meeting the challenges of the new economy, changes in our population and the needs of the elderly. They will need bold new thinking, and I believe I'm the man for the job."
The three contenders are moving early because they can't raise or spend money on their campaigns until they have filed their papers.
Former councillor and builder Mike Quattrociocchi declared his intention to seek the top job months ago. But he said on the weekend that he would wait till March to file his papers and comment publicly.
Advertisement
"I'm going to finish my development on Grand River Avenue first," he said of a controversial housing division he has been building in stages.
It is widely speculated that Mayor Mike Hancock won't run again after two terms in the chair, but he is facing entreaties from several quarters -including among the ranks of council -to consider a third run.
"I'd like him to stay on because he's been a very good mayor, but we shouldn't push him because he deserves to take it easy if he wants after all his hard work over the years," Coun. Richard Carpenter said of Hancock who, by the end of this term, will have spent 22 years in office, including 15 as councillor.
"I think Mike has been one of the most honourable politicians I have ever met."
Hancock himself is sticking to his position that he will make up his mind and announce his intentions when he is ready.
Meanwhile, voters can expect a multitude of fresh advocacy voices, some return forays and more female candidates in the council seat races, in what is expected to be a hotly contested election, ward by ward.
Here's a quick roundup of the early candidates and touted contenders:
WARD 1
Seats in this ward could be keenly contested, because both incumbents will vacate them - Littell's due to his mayoral run, and Jennifer Kinneman's due to her decision not to run again.
"I have enjoyed this time, and I feel good about the groundwork that has been laid," Kinneman said.
But she came to the conclusion that it would not be possible to pursue a busy professional career, raise two small children and be a full-time councillor in what is still considered a part-time position, and do all three well.
"So I have decided with a heavy heart not to run again."
Mary Ellen Kaye, a teacher, environmental advocate and early champion of a waterfront master plan, says she will file her papers today.
"It's going to take a long time to knock on all the doors in my ward, so I need to get started early," said Kaye.
"When I first began years ago to advocate for things at city hall, I was looking for someone I could endorse in my ward, but it didn't happen. So I decided I'd have to run myself."
Larry Kings, a retired businessman and former two-term councillor, is also joining the ward race after finishing a stint as chairman of the city's police services board.
He said he expects to file his papers within the next week.
WARD 2
Sless's mayoral run will create one open seat, but the other incumbent, Coun. Vince Bucci, has confirmed that he is running again for a fifth term.
"I enjoy being on council and I believe I have a good record advocating on behalf of my constituents," he said. "I believe I'm making a contribution and council needs some members with experience."
Richard Wright, a businessman and lecturer, is known to be contemplating a second run in the ward, after a first unsuccessful one in the 2006 election. But he has not made a formal decision.
WARD 3
Both incumbent councillors, Greg Martin and Dan McCreary, will seek reelection.
"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on brownfields, the landfill gas power generation project and in keeping city finances under control," said Martin, chairman of the finance committee.
"The biggest challenge ahead of us is fixing the financial mess this council has created," said McCreary. "We need to learn the meaning of the word 'No.'"
A strong challenge could come from Debi Dignan-Rumble, an administrator of numerous social agencies over the years, including her current position as program co-ordinator of the Adult Recreation Therapy Centre.
With her terms on the police services board and the community advisory committee on disability issues ending this year, "my plate is clearing, but I'm not fully decided yet," she said.
"I'm closer than I was a few months ago."
WARD 4
Calnan's decision to run for mayor will create an opening in one seat.
Former councillor Dave Wrobel says he will attempt a return and will file his papers this week. He earlier served for one complete term and most of another until he was forced to resign in 2006 for health reasons.
"I believe there's an opportunity to bring grace, integrity and teamwork back to the council table," he said.
Meanwhile, five-term incumbent Carpenter says he wants to run again.
"I enjoy working for my constituents," he said. "I'm one of those councillors who still believes my job is to work for them. If they'll have me again, I'll be happy to serve."
WARD 5
Coun. Marguerite Ceschi-Smith will seek a sixth term in her seat, rather than take up calls from many quarters to run for mayor.
"I am gratified to have received so many calls and offers of support, but I believe I should continue to concentrate my efforts on the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield project and the waterfront master plan we're working on," she said. "Both are so important to the future of our community."
Coun. John Bradford has not announced whether he will run for a second term. He was unavailable for comment.
Political columnist and political affairs broadcaster Tim Philp acknowledges that he has been under "intense pressure" for some time to run for council in Ward 5, where he ran unsuccessfully in the 2000 election.
"I'm happy with what I'm doing as a columnist," he said. "I believe that I play a positive role in the community in my present position, but at this point I have not made a decision."
Monday, December 28, 2009
Economic Outlook: How retail fared
Good economic news!
I thought you'd be interested in this story from arcamax.com.
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Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
interesting
Bacteria used to power simple machines
ARGONNE, Ill. (UPI) -- U.S. Department of Energy scientists say they've used common bacteria to power simple machines, providing insight for creating bio-inspired energy production.
The researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University said they discovered bacteria can turn microgears when suspended in a solution.
"The gears are a million times more massive than the bacteria," said physicist Igor Aronson, who led the study. "The ability to harness and control the power of bacterial motions is an important requirement for further development of hybrid biomechanical systems driven by microorganisms."
The scientists discovered the aerobic bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, appear to swim around the solution randomly, but occasionally the organisms will collide with the spokes of the gear and begin turning it in a definite direction. The researchers then added a few hundred bacteria which worked together to turn the gear.
When multiple gears are placed in the solution with the spokes connected, the bacteria will begin turning both gears in opposite directions and it will cause the gears to rotate in synchrony for a long time, the scientists said.
"Our discovery demonstrates how microscopic swimming agents, such as bacteria or man-made nanorobots, in combination with hard materials can constitute a 'smart material' which can dynamically alter its microstructures, repair damage or power microdevices," Aronson said.
The research is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
Greed protection law
7:03 PM, December 9
Analyst Bruce Harting at Barclays Capital said an estimated 20 percent reduction in revenue from fees will be more than offset by declining credit costs and stable margins, USA Today reported Wednesday."
Greed protection law
7:03 PM, December 9
Analyst Bruce Harting at Barclays Capital said an estimated 20 percent reduction in revenue from fees will be more than offset by declining credit costs and stable margins, USA Today reported Wednesday."
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Merry CHRISTmas
Have a great holiday by giving of yourself in the spirit of Christ. Help others in need and you will gain true and needed satisfaction.
The rank commercialism -where 40% of total sales are made in one month -loses the original meaning of Christmas . Give of yourself not things please and get back to the original family tradition of good charity and cheer.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Satire -the government spending morass explained scientifically
Governmentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton like particles called peons. Since Gv has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Gv causes one reaction to take over four days to complete, when it would normally take less than a second!
Gv has a normal half-life of 4 years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.
This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Gv is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass.
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Money is no problem if you are connected
Exactly how the swine flu story will play out remains to be seen, but there is one business sector that may secretly be hoping for the worst -- vaccine manufacturers, that are more than $1 billion richer, a number that will soar far higher if, in fact, the winter outbreak is as bad as many fear.
Halo-worthy as vaccine makers may seem, the truth is that Big Pharma is motivated by more than a desire to save humankind, given the enormous profit potential from a successful vaccine. New blockbuster products and manufacturer-friendly legislation have combined to make the global vaccine market even larger and more lucrative than ever. In fact, the vaccine market is growing even faster than the market for regular pharmaceutical drugs, bringing in as much as $20 billion or more, by some estimates. That's because the markup on vaccines is larger than on pharmaceutical drugs, making them especially profitable. However, as the use of vaccines has expanded exponentially in recent years, so have concerns regarding their safety and efficacy.
Vaccine Risks
Vaccines have enabled us to take major steps forward in public health, virtually eradicating devastating diseases, such as polio and smallpox, says Larry Sasich, PharmD, MPH, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy in Erie, Pennsylvania. But vaccines are drugs, he points out, and all drugs carry some risks. Though rare, vaccines have been known to cause seizures, brain damage and even death.
In the early 1980s, consumers deluged manufacturers with lawsuits, most especially parents whose children had suffered complications after inoculation with the problematic DTP vaccine (immunization against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, or whooping cough). Fearing the public health consequences if vaccine makers responded by reducing production or pulling out of the market altogether, the federal government passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 to shield manufacturers from liability.
Legislated Protection from Liability
The 1986 act created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which protected vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits and set compensation standards for people injured by their products. For example, compensation for vaccine-related deaths is limited to $250,000 -- a fraction of what might be awarded by a jury in a civil trial if, say, a child had a fatal vaccine reaction. In truth, this amount of money is like pocket change to drug companies, and they aren't even the ones who must pay up -- the federal government writes the check. This protection may help get important vaccines to market faster, but it doesn't do much to ensure safety, because vaccine manufacturers are shielded from consequences for products that turn out to be problematic or even dangerous.
Also, vaccines are genetically engineered and competitors are forbidden by law from duplicating them. This gives manufacturers a virtual monopoly on their products. Since they never have to face competition, biologic-based vaccines continue to generate big profits for years and years and years.
Gardasil: A Cautionary Tale
Protecting manufacturers this way puts consumers at risk. In 2006, for example, despite sparse data to support its safety and effectiveness, Merck introduced and aggressively marketed Gardasil, a new vaccine designed to protect girls and young women from cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Among their questionable marketing tactics, the firm gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in "grants" to medical associations to develop educational materials promoting the vaccine. Even worse, Merck made substantial campaign contributions to state legislators -- as it lobbied them to make Gardasil mandatory for girls attending public schools.
Yet, this vaccine doesn't vanquish a deadly disease such as polio or smallpox. Rather it protects against four viruses that comprise 70% of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer -- and even if they've received the vaccine, women still require regular screening for the disease. While study results published in the August 2009 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) note that Gardasil has a safety record in line with that of other vaccines, serious complications (including an increased risk for potentially fatal blood clots) have been reported. Gardasil is also painful and painfully expensive. The three-shot series costs $400 to $1,000, which is only sometimes covered by insurance, and last year brought in $1.4 billion in sales for Merck... amazing, given that there's no evidence yet how long immunity will even last or whether booster shots will prove necessary. Thus far, the vaccine has been successful in preventing HPV infections that precede cervical cancer, but since this type of cancer takes years to develop, only time will tell whether Gardasil protects against cervical cancer itself.
Moving Forward: The Debate Continues
Even in the face of a pandemic, it remains impossible to reach a consensus regarding vaccines and whether they should be mandatory. Consumer advocates argue for greater regulation and higher standards (e.g., for new vaccines and other drugs, medical devices and procedures), while industry insists that government should keep its hands off. As for the vaccine shield protecting Big Pharma from liability, some legislators talk of getting rid of it while others say it should be strengthened.
Dr. Sasich told me that he personally believes that vaccines have the potential to do enormous good for society and that the vaccine shield enables science and technology to move forward faster and more efficiently. While I agree that many immunizations save lives, I am skeptical about some of the more recent entries into the vaccination arena, such as Gardasil. Perhaps manufacturers need a stick as well as a carrot -- financial responsibility for failures as well as windfall profits for success -- to motivate them to ensure that vaccines are safe, necessary and effective before introducing them on a large-scale basis to the American public, much less making them mandatory.
Source(s):
Larry Sasich, PharmD, MPH, pharmacist and assistant professor of pharmacy practice, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy, Erie, PA.
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