Real Talk!

It’s early days yet, but I believe that Bancroft’s Chris Drost is doing a wonderful job as “Downtown Revitalization Coordinator”.

The group has recently compiled the results of a Residents Survey and collected information that will be useful in creating an economically stronger community, better prepared to meet the needs of its local residents and visitors. (Details may be obtained by contacting chrisdrost@xplorenet.com)

Drost recently chaired a meeting, bringing together various groups in the region, in order to clarify their mandates and explore opportunities for cooperative relationships. Committed to the project, Drost has announced the next step: “The Design Phase” of the revitalization project and is encouraging public participation.

Statistics gathered from the Residents Survey have been pivotal in determining focus areas for workshops that will be held on: Tues Oct 14 (Maynooth) and Wed Oct 15 (Bancroft) and Thurs Oct 16 (Coe Hill).

While, studies prove that rural communities are crucial to sustainable future development, globally, planners in this area have faced pressure as protectors of natural resources and service providers for residents, while experiencing downsizing and downloading of the responsibilities and governmental support.

It is a difficult job, maintaining activities, caring for the infrastructure and resources of our community. There is a definite regional disparity in economic growth and prosperity between urban and rural centres.

Back in 1961, the feds created ARDA (the Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act)- in order to boost the depressed economic climate in forestry/agricultural areas. Over the years, it grew to include fisheries and included some other non-agricultural programs. They looked at the “worst first”, seeking the most depressed regions in order to institute their plan. Their focus included 18% of Canadians.

Unfortunately, the link between federal and regional programs was weak. Programs designed by urban bureaucrats had few local counterparts that were able to carry the plans forward. The programs were limited in their focus and underestimated needs in social structure of the communities involved. These programs targeted specific communities and failed to respond to the bigger picture.

Pierre Trudeau gave us DREE (the Department of Regional Economic Expansion). DREE abandoned the “worst first” criteria and, instead, focused on areas that were stronger and showed the most future potential. They created initiatives designed to encourage urban growth centres and industrialize others. Their focus grew to include 50% of Canadians.

Canada was divided into “designated areas” and “special areas”. Designated areas were those once thriving, but experiencing economic downturns. Special areas were those considered remote and lacking in basic infrastructure.

This, again, created obvious disparities and in 1973 it was decided that this was a problem far too complex for one federal department. Funding was changed and greater responsibility was handed down to provincial governments. The “special area” designation was eliminated. Provinces would now share the cost with the federal government, with greater federal support to the poorer provinces.

By 1982, DREE was disbanded and its functions were absorbed into the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce- that then became the Department of Regional and Industrial Expansion. At the same time, The Ministry of State for Economic Development became The Ministry of State for Economic and Regional Development.

Regional consideration became increasingly less significant.

Most provinces created regional planning committees and agencies through their planning acts- that largely serve an advisory role. Ontario divided the province into 10 economic development boards that were charged with creating their own plans.

Programs and plans were started with eager anticipation only to be discarded, abandoned because they were lacking a complete solution. Many believe it is because they did not address the unique social and geographical aspects in regional development- and the way that each unique region is intertwined with the next.

I spoke to Chris Drost about this, recently. I mentioned a town-hall style meeting that took place a number of years ago (maybe 15). Back then, some group/agency/committee in our town had engaged a planner with the purpose of revitalizing our downtown area. They were extremely proactive and came up with a fantastic plan…

It would have been lovely.

At that time, at a meeting, I voiced concern that the plan could be difficult to implement because there were a number of absentee landlords in the commercial section of town. I wondered if leases would allow changes to buildings and thought that the plan might incorporate concepts that would be cost prohibitive to merchants.

I wasn’t being pessimistic, I was trying to be realistic. I suggested we needed to find a designer that could suggest cost-effective ways to enhance the downtown sector, as a stepping-stone, moving toward the final plan. I received a lot of frowns.

That plan must be sitting on a shelf, somewhere.

When I first visited this precious little town, the natural beauty surrounding it overwhelmed me. Over the years, letters to the editor of our local newspapers have complained about the placement, style and colours of new buildings…

Complained about the placement of certain businesses….
Complained about the lack of new business…
Complained about the infrastructure in the business section…

& loads of other things…

and we have committees to beautify, improve, recruit, support, design….

& loads of other things…

The region has been the subject of reports identifying serious poverty and all of the socio-economic effects that accompany this condition. & it’s all true.

Historic fluctuations have occurred as mining, timber and other resource driven industries have come and gone… recent voices claim that our economy is largely tourist driven, seasonal and susceptible to weather, gas prices and other global economic crisis.

For years we have heard that this area was going to “boom”… and right now, we are experiencing, again, all the signs….

Many of our residents are cynical… but our volunteer pool is strong and relentless… we have a number of successful local committees and organizations that do a fine job...

sure, locals may be a little jaded… maybe we are being driven to apathy because, like most rural communities, we are constantly reminded that the socio-economic climate here is a huge obstacle… & the struggles here seem, at times, insurmountable…

Everyone I speak to wants to improve things & we are proud and we ARE a community… we are all good people and even the grumbling shows awareness… and consciousness.

Recently, a Bancroft newspaper article about the revitalization project said, “No matter how statistically valid the results of a survey may be, their real usefulness is determined by how the information is used. Reports that sit on a shelf are a waste of energy and money.”

Chris Drost is making her results as public as possible. She has invited the public to participate in steering this project. Determined to see the project move ahead, we spoke of ways to rally community spirit and reminisced about good old-fashioned barn raisings.

It can be done.

Bancroft will revitalize.

I’ve noticed a recent catch phrase “man up”. The implication is to step up and take responsibility. I think there may be an element of summoning courage, as well.

I think it should become the international creed.

I'd like to bring your attention to Pulitzer Prize winning author, Upton Sinclair. In 1906 his novel The Jungle, Sinclair exposed disgraceful conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry.

Although Sinclair’s book was meant to demonstrate the inhumane conditions of the worker within capitalism, the work contributed to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act.

And, speaking of meat inspection, how about Michael McCain, Chief Executive of Maple Leaf Foods?

McCain has displayed great integrity utilizing radio and television spots in which he takes responsibility for and personally apologizes to the families and victims from the outbreak of listeria connected to one of his plants.

"Tragically, our products have been linked to illness and loss of life. To those people who are ill, and to the families who have lost loved ones, I offer my deepest and sincerest sympathies. Words cannot begin to express our sadness for their pain." says McCain.

Maple Leaf Foods has undertaken a recall of about 200 products and closed a plant. Losses are estimated in the $20 million range. In their media campaign, Maple Leaf Foods has relieved the Canadian Food Inspection Agency of any responsibility.

& now, perhaps Maple Leaf’s explanation for the outbreak, brought with great courage and accountability, will inspire other ready-to-eat meat plants to disassemble their slicing equipment and perform an aggressive cleanings.

For a long while, Canadians have operated with an expectation that goods and services would be quality ensured. Which has translated into an apparent lack of ownership taken by the public at large.

Just recently, there have been warnings about toothpaste, pet foods, powdered milk formulas, plastics, faulty tires and countless other consumer products. & it isn’t really anything new… how about airline fires?

I read somewhere that the reason that long johns were originally dyed red is because cotton didn’t absorb the colour well and the red colouring provided proof that the underwear was the real deal- pure wool.

There have always been snake oil sales.

It’s just time to man up. Our safety should be of primary concern to all citzens, governments and goods & services suppliers.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency does about 3,000 food safety investigations annually. In 2007, the agency issued 50 public advisories in the first six months, alone.

The World Health Organization reports that food-borne disease is a growing problem and that unsafe food will cause illness in at least 2 billion people, this year.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has pledged to conduct a "broad" independent investigation into the listeriosis outbreak. Just what we need… the expense of bringing together a team of legal experts and judges to spend a year or two preparing a several-hundred paged document that will reiterate what we already know. People have died.

As of last Thursday, some 40-odd cases of lysteria have been linked to the Maple Leaf outbreak and the Public Health Agency of Canada says that 19 more are under investigation.

& we all agree it’s way too much…

but before we spend several million dollars investigating pre-packaged sandwiches, let’s think about it. It’s not just about luncheon meat. Listeria is part of the real world, it’s out there, all over the place and there will probably be future cases of listeriosis that may never reach the public’s attention.

& there are things, other than listeria that threaten our well-being.

It’s time to take action. It’s time to man up.

We need to insist: if something is vital to the health and safety of this planet, we need to act responsibly. We need to have geniune concern and we have got to value prevention. We need to think BEFORE things happen.

Noam Chomsky, esteemed American lecturer, activist, author, philosopher and linguist, has urged intellectuals to take responsibility and expose lies, analyze actions according to their causes, motives and hidden intentions.

Martin Heidegger, one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century, often pondered “truth”. He said, "We understand the 'is' we use in speaking," he claims, "although we do not comprehend it conceptually". Heidegger believed that western ideology embraced a forgetfulness of being.

Maybe.

One might think it’s obvious that environmental protection and social responsibility are important priorities for today’s global citizen.

But then,

…maybe we need to listen more closely to Upton Sinclair’s often quoted principle: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."

& what's even more scary…

An Ottawa Citizen article on September 11th, said:

“In an advisory issued last week to federally regulated plants, the agency advised them to disassemble and perform a "systematic and thorough aggressive cleaning and sanitation procedure" of all meat slicing equipment, including all internal parts. The directive came immediately after Maple Leaf Foods announced bacteria building up "deep inside" the slicing machines was likely to blame for the deadly outbreak.

But there are many more provincially registered plants in the country that aren't covered by CFIA rules, and they don't have to follow the directive. Provincial officials defend the patchwork inspection system, saying even though their systems are less prescriptive, operators are required to maintain sanitary conditions in their plant.

Christopher Kyte, head of the Food Processors of Canada, says the current situation -- a federal advisory with no teeth -- boosts the group's long-standing position that all domestic plants and imports should be held to the same inspection standards.

Provincially licensed meat plants are barred from interprovincial trade and sale to foreign markets. Federally registered plants follow a different inspection system that gives them access to out-of-province markets; they must follow even more rigid inspection protocols, including daily visits from a CFIA inspector, if they want to ship their products to the United States.

"We just feel that there should be one superior standard for all processing plants for shipping into Canada and shipping across Canada," Mr. Kyte said.

A spokeswoman for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture said the province is in the process of forwarding the advisory on cleaning the meat slicing equipment to the 221 provincially registered ready-to-eat meat plants, and is "encouraging" them to follow it.”

HOW ABOUT THAT?

As Realtors in this Province, we have the Real Estate Council of Ontario "Fostering confidence and upholding integrity in real estate transactions". The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) regulates the activity of trading in real estate in the public interest.

RECO also administers the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 and associated regulations on behalf of the provincial government.

There are all kinds of watchdog type agencies, independent organizations that investigate complaints from people who feel they have been unfairly or unreasonably treated.

Christopher Kyte was quoted as saying, "We just feel that there should be one superior standard..."

There should be no “just” about it!

There SHOULD be one superior standard for all processing plants for shipping into Canada and shipping across Canada

Am I the only person tired of agencies that have no bite?

1998 marked the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations.

An introductory comment to the declaration reads:

"THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction."

THAT WAS SIXTY EIGHT YEARS AGO, FOLKS.

On the anniversary, it was suggested that a Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities be adopted, as well.

The introduction to that declaration reads:

“Globalization of the world economy is matched by global problems, and global problems demand global solutions on the basis of ideas, values and norms respected by all cultures and societies.

Recognition of the equal and inalienable rights of all the people requires a foundation of freedom, justice and peace - but this also demands that rights and responsibilities be given equal importance to establish an ethical base so that all men and women can live peacefully together and fulfill their potential. A better social order both nationally and internationally cannot be achieved by laws, prescriptions and conventions alone, but needs a global ethic.

Human aspirations for progress can only be realized by agreed values and standards applying to all people and institutions at all times.”

The proposed Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities had the endorsement of the following individuals:

Helmut Schmidt (Honorary Chairman), Former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

Malcom Fraser (Chairman), Former Prime Minister of Australia

Andries A. M. van Agt, Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands

Anand Panyarachun, Former Prime Minister of Thailand

Oscar Arias Sanchez, Former President of Costa Rica

Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Jimmy Carter, Former President of the United States

Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, Former President of Mexico

Kurt Furgler, Former President of Switzerland

Valery Giscard d'Estaing, Former President of France

Felipe Gonzalez Marquez, Former Prime Minister of Spain

Kenneth Kaunda, Former President of Zambia

Lee Kuan Yew, Former Prime Minister of Singapore

Kiichi Miyazawa, Former Prime Minister of Japan

Misael Pastrana Borrero, Former President of Colombia

Shimon Peres, Former Prime Minister of Israel

Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, Former Prime Minister of Portugal

Jose Sarney, Former President of Brazil

Shin Hyon Hwak, Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea

Kalevi Sorsa, Former Prime Minister of Finland

Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Former Prime Minister of Canada

Ola Ullsten, Former Prime Minister of Sweden

George Vassiliou, Former President of Cyprus

Franz Vranitzky, Former President of Austria

Hmmmmmm.....

HOW ABOUT WE MAN UP AND START BY GROWING SOME TEETH?

Financial markets were reeling yesterday as fallout from subprime mortgages continued to wreak havoc in the United States.

The TSX fell more than 500 points, reacting to news of the Lehman bankruptcy in the U.S., AIG’s liquidity crisis and Merrill Lynch’s takeover.

Canada's 5-year bond soared on Monday- & in turn, its yield dropped 27 basis points (0.27%). There hasn’t been a yield drop like that in over 10 years. Historically, plunging bond yields are good news for mortgage rates.

To me, in the big picture, this seems a little insane… like some kind of insurance policy for Canada…but I guess wiser folks than I have things in hand.

The Bank of Canada issued a statement stating it was "closely monitoring global market developments" and that it would "provide liquidity as required to support the stability of the Canadian financial system and the functioning of financial markets."

Apparently, this responsible and measured approach by the Government is certain to ensure Canada’s housing market remains strong and to reduce the risk of a U.S.-style housing bubble developing.

HUH? Wait a minute…

Isn’t that just what the U.S. Federal Reserve is doing?

Sigh.

Isn’t it time we took it on the chin? How else can we dig out of this train wreck?

You might find some comfort in the fact that pretty well every economist in the country is certain that Canadian banks aren’t at risk because they are well financed and haven’t engaged in risky, subprime lending practices like the States.

At the root of the U.S. crisis, they say are simple household mortgages and the problem is that when house prices started to drop in ’07, lenders began offering subprime mortgage rates for a short period, with implemental increases after a year or two…

Unfortunately, rates when up, but home values did not and an extraordinary number of highly leveraged homeowners defaulted. The resulting glut of homes on the market (yes, the old laws of supply and demand) created an increased downward pressure on home prices…

and viola, more people began to default.

&

Mortgages weren’t the only security to falter… Mortgages were packaged into securities that were sold to investors, to raise more funds to lend. Things got really messed up when these newly created mortgage securities were repackaged into new and more complicated instruments- with names like collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and credit default swaps (CDSs)

"These were exotic financial instruments, and nobody really knows what they're worth," says BMO Capital Markets chief economist, Sherry Cooper. "And the markets are reluctant to trade them. And the problem with these products is they are not transparent, so they are hard to value."

"So what was worth, say, 60 cents on the dollar is now worth 20 cents on the dollar," she said. "And if there is no bid, it's not worth anything - even though some day it may be."

Hmmmm, the U.S. problem has probably been developing for the last five years or more.

Cooper says they need the market to figure out the value of the securities and how much companies holding them are worth. And until that happens "there are going to be further bank failures and there is going to be continued disruption. The longer this goes on, the more nervous the market becomes about it.”

BUT here, in the Great White North "koo-roo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo"…

Canadian Real Estate Association President, Calvin Lindberg, reminds us that the Canadian housing market is "stable". He says that in 2007, nearly 300,000 individuals or families bought a home for the first time.

"The Canadian market fundamentals are still solid, and mortgage rates are still at near record low levels," he says. "The challenge is for sellers to price their home to meet the local market realities, and for buyers to realize there is no real estate bubble that will burst and send prices to new lows."

"There are and there will be difficulties in the world economy, (but) at the same time Canada is not in the same situation as the United States," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on the campaign trail yesterday.

“The housing, government and financial sectors all have solid economic fundamentals, as does the Canadian economy,” says Harper.

Harper also announced a proposed tax credit for first-time homebuyers that would be “phased” in over four years, over the course of a Conservative government mandate.

He said that closing costs often mean people "have to choose between going beyond your budget or postponing your dream” adding that, "It will make home ownership more affordable, and it will help to create jobs."

The proposed tax credit will apply to fees things like land transfer taxes, inspection fees, appraisal fees, and legal fees- a list of eligible costs would be drafted after consultation with realtors, consumer groups, provinces and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The experts seem to agree, if real estate values begin to fall in Canada- it will only be because of growing uncertainty and tighter money.

Ya think?

A study, released earlier this month, by Tsur Somerville (professor at the Sauder School of Business, University of BC) found that housing prices in some Canadian cities were overpriced. Places like Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal would have to drop as much as 20 per cent to be in balance. The study showed that only Toronto and Edmonton house prices were not overvalued in the first half of 2008.

"The boom in the housing markets may be over, but just because homes are overpriced doesn't mean the market will plunge to equilibrium", Sommerville said.

"Toronto housing prices are not out of line because they have not had the explosive growth of other cities," says Sommerville. "Some cities look way out of line when you run the numbers, but Toronto is bang on."

"This report underscores the current shift in the Canadian housing market as the tone of activity moves slightly closer to a buyer's market," said Millan Mulraine, economist at TD Securities.

Ah… there it is again… I’ve heard that term a lot lately: BUYER’S Market

& that means only one thing… Five years from now, you don’t want to regret not taking the plunge. It’s time to buy property! RIGHT NOW.

For a while now, you Ontario Buyers have been playing “wait and see”…but the jig is up!

Don’t forget… over the next decade, more 1947-1964 baby boom move into retirement age, more folks will be leaving the workforce and moving away from urban living centres. Rural, retirement, property is likely to be even more “in demand”.

Now here’s the hot tip of the week… if you are planning to borrow, ie/ obtain a mortgage… you need to understand that lenders are being cautious. That’s not a bad thing. But…

Borrowing buyers must prepare. You need to talk to your lender BEFORE YOU BUY. Talk to a lender you know and trust… or one that is recommended by someone you know and trust. Lending institutions are constantly changing their practices and criteria…

& don’t get fooled by being “pre-qualified” by a lender. Pre-qualification is not an exact science and it isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get your financing. More than ever, you will need to give your mortgage lender time to process your application.

Being “pre-qualified” means spending a few minutes on the phone with a lender who will ask you a few questions and give you a ballpark for your budget. The way to make the strongest and safest offer today is to get "pre-approved".

Pre-approval means all pertinent personal information has been checked and verified by the lender. You are actually APPROVED for the loan and the only loose end is that property you choose will have to be approved, too. This usually means simply obtaining an appraisal on the property.

All-in-all, the borrowing process may anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It depends on your situation.

Isn't it nice to be reminded that every cloud has a silver lining?

Bill Clinton recently said “People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power."

Our power. Hmmm... I had to revisit the history of the U.S. powerbase.

Written about 1917 by William Tyler Page (of Friendship Heights, Maryland) an essay entered into a nation-wide contest became the “American Creed”

”I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the People, by the People, for the People; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; A democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many Sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of Freedom, Equality, Justice, and Humanity for which American Patriots sacrificed their Lives and Fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to Love it; to Support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to Respect its Flag; and to defend it against all enemies.”

Not that long ago, Seymour Martin Lipset, one of America’s most distinguished sociologists, has said of the United States: "It is the most religious, optimistic, patriotic, rights-oriented, and individualistic. With respect to crime, it still has the highest rates; with respect to incarceration, it has the most people locked up in jail. . . . It also has close to the lowest percentage of the eligible electorate voting, but the highest rate of participation in voluntary organizations. . . . It is the leader in upward mobility into professional and other high-status and elite occupations, but the least egalitarian among developed nations with respect to income distribution, at the bottom as a provider of welfare benefits, the lowest in savings, the least taxed, close to the top in terms of commitment to work rather than leisure."

And

“Various seemingly contradictory aspects of American society are intimately related. The lack of respect for authority, anti-elitism, and populism contribute to higher crime rates, school indiscipline, and low electoral turnouts. The emphasis on achievement, on meritocracy, is also tied to higher levels of deviant behavior and less support for the underprivileged."

Peter Berkowitz (a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, teacher at George Mason University School of Law, served as an advisor to the Giuliani 2008 campaign) was quoted in a 2007 article, in the New York Post, “The history of Americanism begins in early 17th-century England with the Puritans. In order to practice their faith freely, these devout men and women boarded rickety boats, braved a hazardous 3,000-mile journey on the open seas, landed in a New World and strove to set up model self-governing communities that they hoped would serve as a light to all the nations.”

Interesting side note: Yesterday morning, I reviewed the Declaration of Independence. As a Canadian, I didn’t study it in school. I was surprised at the number of accusations made against King George that were included in the document, in the form of a list.

I dunno... okay, sure- I think that the North American identity is changing. We have flourished in our culture of multi-culture, up ‘til now. Both the United States and Canada have a huge dispersion of people, language and diversity that has been fostered since the 1600’s, when immigrants first set foot on our soil.

& while I think that’s exactly what the founders of our countries sought… things have grown exponentially and something isn’t working right now.

Some might call it “diaspora cultural development”- “diaspora” meaning: the forced or voluntary dispersal of any population sharing common ethnic identity to leave their settled territory, and become residents in areas often far removed from their homeland.

Historically, colonizing migrations were not considered indefinitely as diasporas; over very long periods, migrants would assimilate into the settled area so completely that it became their new homeland.

Maybe it was because they couldn’t maintain the umbilicus. If you consider that the first noted “migration period” was between 500 AD and 900 Ad when slavic tribes resettled in Eastern Europe- it would have been difficult for those people to maintain contact and a connection with their original homelands.

So, for a couple or three centuries now, our scholars and politicians have been influenced by the constant influx of new citizens- some legal and some not. Various groups of these refugees, migrants, exiles etc, play a part in the process that shapes our country. & now we have instant communication with their homeland of origin.

Positively, these people have power-diplomatically. They make contributions to our understanding of other cultures and help enable a unified movement toward peace and reconciliation and provide humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict.

Negatively, they may be able to secure resources that fuel conflicts, providing a network that may facilitate the transfer of money and arms to terrorist groups. American political scientist, Samuel Huntington, warns about a transnationalist threat to American unity. He suggests that persistent kin-country loyalty runs much deeper than assimilationists might admit.

Wikipedia says: “Huntington is credited with coining the phrase Davos Man, referring to global elites who ‘have little need for national loyalty, view national boundaries as obstacles that thankfully are vanishing, and see national governments as residues from the past whose only useful function is to facilitate the elite's global operations’. The phrase refers to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where leaders of the global economy meet.”

Oh boy. You really have to visit the World Economic Forum site: http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm

I really like the part about 2008 “What is the Programme” the site says “A series of boardroom-style discussions with eminent business leaders and policy-makers will examine “going global” from different regional and industry perspectives. A select group of CEOs from the most respected corporations have also been invited as “Mentors” to engage future global industry leaders and deepen their understanding and commitment to “corporate global citizenship”.

Ah, corporate global citizenship. It’s all starting to make sense now.

& by the way. Huntingdon has also warned that he sees a trend toward the “de-Westernalization of the United States” which he says means “de-Americanization in the democratic sense”. He cites the fact that the U.S. does not compel naturalizing citizens to prove they have renounced their country of origin as leaving space for multiple loyalties…

and furthermore, Huntington believes that if the pillars of the American identity, as formed by its European heritage, are further eroded- the United States might find itself on “the ash heap of history”.

& don’t get me started again, about the politicizing of the Olympics… and moreso, don’t get me going about the people who were grumping because some athletes were competing for their country of origin, even though they grew up someplace else.

The argument is that athletic triumph on the world stage should galvanize the people and build national pride.

OKAY. I thought the Olympics were supposed to honour the althetes rather than their country of origin or their residence... but I forgot it's just the sponsors who are corporate global citizens.

In July, the folks from CERN working on the Large Hadron Collider posted a rap video on YouTube. The video features anonymous, dancing, lab-coated and hard-hatted workers inside the facility. It’s easy to find on a YouTube search, “Hadron Collider” and you’re sure to tap your toe along to this quirky, light-hearted info insight…

Quark rap… hmmm… I really don’t know what to think. I’ve mentioned before, that, for me, this whole LHC thing has comic book overtones. Now, to discover a rap video… I’m really disturbed. You gotta see it to believe it. It’s a bit like calling upon the power of “anti-matter”… For me, it’s sort of on the same wavelength as toy store Ouija Boards.

Is it safe? Is it something we fear, simply because we don’t understand it? Jeepers, those CERN workers sure look happy and fear-free.

I’ve heard people that figure it must be okay, because it’s happening in Switzerland… HUH?

Switzerland has been considered “neutral” since about 1515 but it wasn’t formally recognized until 1815 (after the Napoleonic Wars & the last time they were at war) and the country we know today, really didn’t form until the mid 1800s.

Bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein and Austria, Switzerland is home of many international organizations (Red Cross, The U.N., the World Trade Organization). The country is multlingual with four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romash.

I learned a lot about Switzerland (particularly the Alps region) while researching my family tree.

Occupied, throughout the centuries by various of its neighbouring countries, the Alps region has a rich and colourful history. While there may have been some bitter carry-overs, it appears that the area has stabilized and unified. One of the five goals of Swiss foreign policy is to achieve the peaceful coexistence of all nations.

The Swiss foreign affairs website identifies the education, research, technology and space sectors as “essential cornerstones of prosperity and the efficient operation of a modern society.” http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/topics/scien.html

Sounds like a pretty safe place for some good, old atom-slamming fun…. Doesn’t it?

A lot of people aren’t so sure.

A 16-year-old girl from Madhya Pradesh, India killed herself, afraid of the repercussions from the atom smashing experiments CERN is conducting on the French-Swiss border. Her father said that she was certain the world was going to end on September 10th.

Wow.

I can remember being a little worried about headline predictions of the end, when I was a kid- but not enough to drink pesticide.

This morning I did a “google” on past predictions of end times… I particularly liked the stuff on http://www.bible.ca/pre-date-setters.htm , http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/rapture.html and http://www.abhota.info/end1.htm .

These websites chronicle some 200+ previous predictions of “the end”. None of these pages had rap tunes.

In the 70s, my gang spent a lot of time waiting for California to break away and sink into the ocean.

& some things never change…

Even today, popular thinking today is full of relentless "endism," forecasting the death of everything- the web, mass media, governments, health care, education… you name it. In essence: the end of the world as we know it.

The world as I know it needs to make some radical changes… so there are days that I look forward with much anticipation to that stuff…

Who’s in charge of this madhouse?

Who’s steering this barge?

Oh, there are theories. Like Bilderbergs and Banksters… but nobody knows all of the details of these networks… there are a lot of assumptions… and some, are sure to be incorrect.

In February ’08, the U.S. launched a missile from a location near Hawaii, off a Navy ship, engaging the 1000 pound fuel tank of a wayward satellite some 130 miles away, in space. They claim they did a better job than China- in January ’07, the Chinese used a land-based missile to break up a 2200 pound satellite, orbiting 528 miles out, above the Earth.

But that’s nothing! In 1989, a U.S. jet fighter took down an American satellite, firing a modified air-to-air missile into space, from an altitude of 80,000 feet.

Ya? My dad’s bigger than your dad.

The LHC is a circular tunnel 27 km around, bisected by the Franco-Swiss border. Over 100-billion protons will traverse its pathways at near-light speed, guided by some 9,300 superconducting magnets, each weighing several tons and chilled to temperatures colder than deep space. At four points in the tunnels, the counter-revolving protons are to smash into one another at a rate of nearly one billion per second.

This extraordinary feat of engineering will accelerate two streams of protons to within 0.999999991 per cent of the speed of light, so that they complete 11,125 27km laps in a single second. The two streams will collide, at four points, with the energy of two aircraft carriers sailing into each other at 11 knots.

Two beams about 2mm wide (small enough to pass through the 0 on a 20p piece) around the 27km loop at temperatures of 1.9 kelvin – just above absolute zero. These beams will then be accelerated in opposite directions almost to the speed of light, and made to collide head-on 600 million times a second.

The LHC’s detectors should be calibrated by the end of the year and the collisions will then be ramped up to their maximum energy of 14TeV, generating the conditions that prevailed fractions of a second after the Big Bang.

Can anybody translate for me??

The Large Halon Collider is said to be the most ambitious and expensive civilian science experiment in history. I’ve seen estimates that 20, 40, 60, 80 or 111 nations have been involved in designing, building and testing the equipment. It’s said that Britain has a leading role and the U.S. has invested about $531 million of their dollars, in construction of the European device.

I guess the civilian part means taxpayers.

& what’s it all about? Where does it lead?

CERN says there are advantages in playing a leading role in such a major international project. CERN says that building the LHC has created new expertise, knowledge and technology which will have near-term medical, industrial and consumer uses.

Ummm… am I going to have a home proton smasher anytime soon?

And there'll be longer-term benefits in the training of top-notch scientists and engineers.

Remember HAARP? Started in 1993, the project is proposed to last for a period of twenty years. The project is jointly funded by the United States Air Force, the Navy, the University of Alaska and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) was an investigation project to "understand, simulate and control ionospheric processes that might alter the performance of communication and surveillance systems.

The objectives of the HAARP project became the subject of controversy in the mid-1990s, following claims that the technology could be expanded into use as a weapon.

I hear “HAARP” and have visions most angelic. A weapon, ya think? Just because its funding comes from the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Research Laboratory… no need to be cynical.

HMMMM… now, the handle “collider” just reeks of negativity.

The acronym "LHC" is so much lighter! & Thank goodness there's a happy, snappy, rap LHC video to watch- it straightens the whole thing out.

& if that isn't enough, visit:

http://www.hasthelhcdestroyedtheearth.com/

The island of Galveston was almost destroyed on September 8th, 1900 by a hurricane that killed some 8000 people and left $30-$40 million in damages.

This is still considered one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.

In July of 1909, Velasco was walloped, killing 41 people and causing some $12 million dollars of damage. August 1915, a hurricane hit Galveston , killing 375 people, destroying crops and leaving $56 million dollars in damages.

In August of 1916, a hurricane hit Corpus Christie, killing 20 and leaving $1.6 million dollars of damage.On September 14, 1919, a hurricane hit just south of Corpus Christie, it left 284 dead and $20.3 million in damage.

August 13, 1932, Velasco was hit again, 40 were killed and damage was about $7.5 million.
In September of 1933, a hurricane lashed Brownsville, killing 40 and causing $16.9 million in damages.

In September of 1961, Hurricane Carla smacked Port-O’Connor/Galveston/Houston killing 34 and causing a whopping $300 million in damage.

In August of 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed Galveston/Houston killing 21 and leaving $2 billion in damage.

Hurricane Rita smashed the Texas/Louisiana border in September of 2005, killing 100 (many during evacuation) and damage was estimated at $4.7 billion.

This morning, the U.S. National Weather Service warned residents of Galveston Island (off the Texas coast) that they faced “certain death” from flooding if they remained in their small homes.

Hurricane Ike is expected to cause flooding from 15-22 feet above sea level and this will completely cover most buildings on the island.

Right now, Ike is about 500 miles across and rated a Category 2, with winds about 105 miles per hour at the center. Warnings have also been issued for the coastline areas from Corpus Christi to Morgan City, Louisiana.

Ike is expected to make landfall late today and will likely be a Category 3 hurricane, with winds up to 130 miles per hour. Tornados are possible.

We need to say a prayer for Texas.

& for the fully loaded 584-foot-long petroleum coke carrier, with 22 crewmembers on board, that’s stranded without power near the path of Hurricane Ike, because it’s too dangerous for the U.S. Coast Guard to respond right now.

Closer to home, yesterday, the city of Ottawa admitted to dumping nearly a billion litres of raw sewage into the Ottawa River in 2006. YUCK… they said it was caused by faulty equipment…

but I do believe there are smaller centers who dump waste, knowingly, into watercourses.

Oh… I must make an LHC update:
Hackers broke into the systems during the start-up of the experiment! Claiming to be an organization of some 2600, they identified themselves as the Greek Security Team and warned scientists “don’t mess with us”.

Ummm, scientists at CERN said the hackers were one step away from being able to mess with their systems… but everything is great now and they’re moving rapidly ahead with their atom smashing technology.

This sounds like some kind of comic book story… but it isn’t, kids… it’s happening NOW.

& something else….

Is it me or does the name of Palestinian President “Mahmoud Abbas” remind you of Nostradamus' Third Anti-Christ: Mabus ? Some people thought Mabus might be Suddam Hussein: Mabus (sudaM). I just love puzzles and riddles.

Which reminds me… now both Canada and the U.S. are in the throes of election…

I’m glad I live in the forest.

Here it is again, the date that stings our hearts and reminds us of the innocent people who perished and were injured in the unthinkable tragedy that unfolded in the year 2001.

Everyone knows what is meant, by those two, simple words: Nine-eleven. & there’s nothing SIMPLE about it.

Even now, as I type… I feel my throat go tight and my mind fills and empties, over and over. I falter between thoughts of those killed and those who survived and the families, living with a big, empty, quiet hole, now.

Sometimes, I think of the brave men and women who went into those buildings, knowing…. and the ones who rushed the cockpit of that plane… and those who sifted through the rubble and wreckage, hopefully searching…

And the children… the ones who saw it, the ones who lost loved ones, the ones in the buildings and airplanes, the ones unborn…

It’s almost too much for me to bear and yet, what right have I?

I care.

I write about Tsunami Alerts: even today, two powerful earthquakes have struck northeastern Indonesia and Hokkaido (Japan’s northern island). 6.6 and 7.2 magnitudes have been recorded. A warning was issued for a possible tsunami.

& Yesterday, I wrote about the inaugural run of the Alpine proton particle cannon…

it was actually a very gentle beginning to what will eventually become a super, colossal atom-smashing, proton hurtling experiment.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is said to operate like a humongous, ultra-charged billiard cue that violently thrusts bunches of protons into other protons, smashing them into particles…

Scientists with the “European Organization for Nuclear Research” (somehow called CERN), established in 1954, believe they will be able to recreate the natural phenomena of cosmic rays and study them better.

Veteran research scientist, Professor Otto Rossler (often called the father of Chaos theory) worries that dreaded micro black holes created by the LHC will have the earth for lunch.

& Dissenters worry that exploding hadrons might ram bizarre sub-atomic bits in all directions… but CERN has a whole webpage dedicated to reassuring us.

See :
http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/en/LHC/Safety-en.html

American, Walter L Wagner has created a non-profit organization (Citizens Against the Large Hadron Collider) that is using legal action to attempt to prevent the operation of LHC until more safety tests are conducted.

See: http://www.lhcdefense.com/index.php

Speaking of the legal world:

Yesterday, Canada’s first “community court” opened in Vancouver. The court has teams of social workers, drug counsellors and other professionals standing by in triage teams. The idea is to have people take responsibility for their crimes and provide immediate support for the offenders.

Perhaps this will relieve some of the backlog in the judicial system.

Also in Vancouver, yesterday, a black bear swam across a river, climbed onto a dock and then jumped into a boat to attack a fisherman. Every time I hear one of these stories, I wonder why this happened… there’s got to be something more to this.

The New York Times announced that U.S. President Bush “secretly approved orders in July” allowing commandoes to raid targets in Pakistan. Surprised?

A caregiver working for an “assisted-living facility” organized a bus excursion for some Alzheimer’s patients who wanted to see the Anthony house. (This would be the suburban home of the family of Caylee Anthony who has been missing for several weeks, under suspicious circumstances). Now, this does surprise me.

& now, about Ontario Real Estate…

Economists predict a soft landing for the Canadian Real Estate Market… they cite over pricing in some of the major cities and overheated western markets like Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Apparently, even these markets should correct within the next six months.

The CIBC World Markets senior economists said “slowdowns” in Ontario and Quebec are related to economic weakness, not overpricing of the market. The Wall Street Journal says that while the U.S. real estate market is in the doldrums, sales in Canada are expected to rive over 5% this year.

Housing starts in Ontario are up almost 20 per cent this year, say CMHC analysts but rising mortgage rates and a down-turning economy will likely reduce demand in the coming moths.

We’ve seen some pretty radical changes in the lending practices for mortgages. Buyers should see their lender before they look at making an investment in Real Estate. There is no one-size-fits-all solution any more.

The world spins topsy & gas prices go bump in the night while the U.S. candidates take jabs at each other with quips about lipstick.

There are people who don’t understand that the Georgia in conflict isn’t in North America.

I’ve got friends and family with loyal and long-term employment histories, finding they’re in the midst of changeovers, takeovers and job loss. People are getting their heads cut off on the Greyhound and attacked with hammers on the subway, while they nap.

Yesterday afternoon, a dead man tumbled out of a moving, champagne coloured Lexus on the 401,near Keele Street, in Toronto. The day before, a teenager was shot while standing at a bus stop.

Also yesterday, there was an announcement from the Toronto District (Public) School Board and the Toronto District Catholic Board that Toronto Police Officers will be in 27 high schools in Toronto, beginning next week.

In Edmonton, yesterday, an 81-year-old granny was charged with assaulting a police office. On Monday, a young girl from Hinton, Alberta (289 kms West of Edmonton)
Escaped the clutches of a would-be abductor by jumping out of his moving vehicle.

Today in Geneva, multinational scientists tested the Large Hadron Collider. What’s that, you ask? It’s a gigantic particle accelerator that has been set up in a 5-billion-dollar, 17-mile long tunnel, nearly 330’ underground. Hopes are that the collider will provide information that will give us new insight into the most fundamental aspects of matter.

In fact, they think that this little baby is going to give us the secret of the Higgs boson.

WHA?

Wikipedia says: “The Higgs boson or BEH Mechanism, popularised as the "God Particle", is a hypothetical massive scalar elementary particle predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics; and is the only Standard Model particle not yet observed.”

Now, don’t you feel better?

A 6.1 magnatude quake hit in the epicenter town of Bandar-e-Khamir- Iran today.
The death count has risen to 120 and an unknown number of people remain unaccounted for in the landslides that swept through Central China on Monday.

A report today says the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is pointing fingers at meat-eating peoples for greenhouse emissions. Apparently, worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions — while, all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. I wonder if they included military vehicles.

They did say that the average person in the industrialized world eats more than 176 lb. of meat annually and about 66 lb. per person by the average resident of the developing world.

Ottawa's third suspected case of listeriosis was announced on Monday. The case has been associated with the recent listeriosis crisis to sweep the country.

The American Society for Microbiology has released a report on an observational study of hand-washing habits. Their findings indicate that 90% of women wash their hands after using a public washroom, only 75% of men wash their hands.

Yesterday, Asif Ali Zardari was sworn in as Pakistan’s new President. He took the oath of office, with a portrait of his assassinated wife Benazir Bhutto on one side and a picture of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan's first elected leader) on the other.

Hurricane Ike, currently swirling in the Gulf of Mexico, has been upgraded to a category-2 storm with 85| mile-per-hour-plus winds. Ike has left much damage in the Caribbean and toppled buildings in Cuba. Ike is expected to pick up speed and slam the mid-Texas coast, on Saturday.

San Antonio, Texas has announced plans to harvest methane gas from human waste and convert it to a clean-burning fuel. Apparently, residents of San Antonio produce more than 140,000 tons of bio-solids each year.

Two vans were needed to remove the 20,000+letters a Scottish postman had hidden in his home in Germany- he said he didn’t have enough time to deliver the mail. This past year he was given excessive homework from his night school courses.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile, today, about 63 miles east of Iquique and in the area of large copper mines.

At least 3 million people have been displaced since the Kosi River burst through a dam in Nepal three weeks ago. Health concerns are grave. Some 250,000 acres of farmland remain submerged in the region that stretches through India, into Bangladesh.

Estimates say that some 60,000 people have taken refuge at temporary camps in Haiti, after the recent hurricane. Conditions are said to be desperate.

In Bancroft, today. So far, so good.