Sun to set on post 9/11 police powers. · Saturday February 10, 2007 by colin newell
Canada is set to roll-back some of the police powers the Canadian government and courts granted post 9/11.
The Canadian Liberal party, currently in partnership with the NDP and Conservatives in a minority government, have withdrawn support for the controversial laws set to expire at the end of next week.
The former Liberal majority government, under then prime minister Jean Chretien, rushed the sweeping changes in the stressful weeks following 9/11, arguing law-enforcement needed better tools for dealing with the palpable threat of terror.
In response to concerns the new laws would trample civil liberties, the government of the day placed a sunset clause on the far-reaching legislation. Well, the day is almost upon us.
The current Conservative government (in minority) have tabled a motion to extend the provisions of the law for three years. Lacking Liberal, NDP and Bloc(French) support the bill will die on the vine.
This shift of thinking from the Liberal left has shocked many in the security industry, not surprisngly.
This claw-back of police powers puts Canada on a substantially more moderate track than World security partners, the U.S., Britain and Australia.
Canada’s security laws function thusly: A preventive arrest clause allows police to arrest suspects without warrant and detain them for upwards of 48 hours or more, without charge — if they (the police) suspect that the subjects of interest may do something or are thinking of doing something unlawful.
In the 5 years since the act has come into force, it has never been used. Yes neighbor, we Canadian’s are that law abiding. Although I have to admit, there have been times where I have had unlawful thoughts. You know: Will I pass the car ahead of me over a double-solid line?
Anyway, I think we are on the right track – but I can only speak for Canadians… not meaning to set any examples for anyone else, begging your pardon and all `eh.
Anna Nicole Smith dead at 39 · Thursday February 8, 2007 by colin newell
Reality TV star and former model Anna Nicole Smith was pronounced dead Thursday after being taken to a Florida hospital, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Smith, 39, collapsed at a south Florida hotel, according to news reports.
Love or hate celebrities, I cannot help but feel the loss of an interesting human being.
Anna Nicole had become a fixture on Entertainment Tonight, the prime-time gossip vid that has crept into our lives. Everybody shared the loss of her son and her never-ending battle with depression and grief.
And although she was a product of another World, totally foreign to my own, her raw and genuine humanity did show through the glamour and glitz.
So today I offer a toast to Anna Nicole.
You gave us something that the likes of Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson could never give us; a window in the painful reality that is the life of the celebrity.
You were real. And now you’re gone.
Happy journey Anna Nicole Smith!
Bonus: Bob Harris’s take on Anna Nicole in the news
Big Banks shrink staff to enhance obscene profit margins · Monday February 5, 2007 by colin newell
Bank of Montreal, Canada’s fourth- largest bank, plans to cut about 1,000 jobs, or almost 3 percent of its workforce, to reduce costs as profit growth slows.
I hate big banks.
The bank will post a one-time cost of C$88 million ($74.8 million) in the fiscal first quarter to cover the job cuts, the Toronto-based lender said today in a statement. Bank of Montreal reports earnings on March 1.
We owe it to our customers, our employees and our shareholders to have lean, efficient support functions, simplified processes, fewer layers and to eliminate duplication across our enterprise,’‘ Chief Executive Officer Anthony Comper said today in the statement. Comper, 61, is stepping down as CEO in March.
Right. I hate banks.
The job cuts would be the biggest by a Canadian lender since Royal Bank of Canada, the country’s biggest bank, eliminated 1,660 jobs in 2004. A year later, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, the No. 5 bank, cut 950 jobs.
Hate banks. hate banks.
Bank of Montreal will cut head office positions and fire support staff who don’t deal directly with customers in cities including Toronto, Montreal and Chicago, spokesman Ralph Marranca said in an interview. Most of the cuts will happen by November.
Reminds me of two experiences with the Bank of Montreal.
BMO closed a branch in the Okanagon region of B.C. and forced thousands of seniors to drive the extra 75 miles (one-way) to the remaining branch in the region.
When asked (by CBC radio), the regional manager of BMO said they closed the branch to better serve the seniors.
I hate banks.
I had a BMO account from the time I was 11 years old… 20+ years in the same location. I had over-draft protection on my account and all my retirement investments with them. When they closed my branch to serve me better, I got a collections notice within 5 days for the 250$ of over-draft on my account.
When the biddie manager of this soon-to-close branch asked why I was pulling all my investments, I replied…
To serve you better!
I hate banks. Hate ‘em.
Downsize me... [1]
Tech to the rescue · Friday February 2, 2007 by colin newell
I work as a technician at a local University. Sometimes I need to parachute into tense situations where technology has failed…
Yesterday I was sent me into a classroom (in session) with
specific instructions to cut into a cable
and replace the DC Plug with an Audio Plug.
Anyone with any electrical or electronics knowledge knows that cutting into anything live is usually a bad idea.
I advised my contact person that it was probably not a good idea
but I went anyway –
Off I went to a lecture in the Womens Studies faculty
...in full swing. Trust me. Facing 35 or 350 sets of eyes with the clear intention of solving a tech problem in less than 5 minutes is challenging at the best of time.
Sure enough, there was some kind of power cable on the top of the counter that I could not identify.
The room was near dark as the class was in progress
with the Video Data Projector on and about 3 or 4 people talking to a class of about 35 ladies.
As I fumbled around the a/v cabinet, I realised that this
cable on the counter top was indeed NOT an audio
cable. I had no idea what it was or what kind of voltage was waiting to bite my ass.
Annoyingly, every 2 minutes or so, someone in the group would
introject: WHEN the audio problem is solved, we
will continue with the AUDIO presentation…”
Within about 15 minutes I was able to find and isolate
the audio cable in question (it had been stuffed into the
tech cabinet and force plugged into the back of the DVD player
RCA input!) The class was back in business and I quietly excused myself to limit the interuption to the learning process.
I think in the future, under circumstances like these, I will put off these kind of re-wiring tasks til the classroom is illuminated and safely cleared out. It is just better for everyone. We used to do service to VDP’s while classes were in progress – but it is just too dangerous. The very thought of dropping a VDP 15 to 30 feet from the ceiling to the floor or onto the head of a student is just too much of a risk to take.
Anyway. I got the job done today.
Ironically, the classroom topic being discussed was
about how useless men are and how poorly they treat
women.
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose.
