Real Talk!

This morning, the Canadian Press released the findings of a recent Harris-Decima survey, confirming the majority of us are planning a summer vacation this year. Harris-Decima senior vice-president Jeff Walker says, "It's going to be the kind of vacation where you go to visit a cottage or friend's cottage or maybe a family's cottage, or maybe you go for a long weekend to a resort in whatever part of the country you live."

It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that visits to Algonquin Park are up 14%.

Located in the eastern section of Ontario about 2.5 hours from Ottawa, 4.5 hours from Montreal or 3.5 hours from Toronto- Highway 60 is the main corridor of Algonquin Park.

With over 7000 square kilometres of forests, maple hills, rocky ridges, thousands of rivers and more than 2000 fresh water lakes, Algonquin Park is the very essence of Ontario wilderness.

Archaeologists estimate the Algonquin First Nation peoples inhabited the area for some 8,000 years, prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century. Relying heavily on hunting, trapping and fishing for their food and would gather in the park area for fishing and socializing during the summer. In the late autumn, the group would separate into small hunting camps.

With the arrival of French and British colonists, the area grew into a flourishing market area and fur-bearing animals became quite a commodity. In the 17th century the waters of Algonquin Park served as the main fur trade route to the west.

Loyalist settlers began encroaching on Algonquin lands shortly after the American Revolution. In the coming years, the lumber industry began to move up the Ottawa valley and the native people were relegated to a string of reserves.

In 1893, Algonquin was established as the first provincial park in Ontario. The park was named a national historic site in 1992.

According to the Algonquin Park website: The Park is home to 53 species of mammals, 272 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles and amphibians, 54 species of fish, 1000+ species of plants, more than a thousand species of fungi and approximately 7000 species of insects.

During a typical trip, you may see beaver, mink, otter, eastern wolves, foxes, osprey, raccoons, birds and waterfowl- in addition to deer, bear and moose. You will almost be certain to see a moose in June, July or early August. Park visitors regularly see Moose standing or feeding along the roadsides.

Moose are year-round residents of Algonquin Park. Park Authorities estimate some three thousand moose call Algonquin Park home. In the summer, moose can be found feeding on aquatic vegetation in beaver ponds, rivers, and shallow areas of lakes. They love to graze.

Moose are about the size of a horse, with a long brownish-black head and snout, large ears, and a dewlap (or bell) hanging from the throat. Moose have legs that are about 200 centimetres long, humped shoulders, and a short stubby tail.

A male Moose weigh an average of 500 kilograms, and females average 425 kilograms. Moose eat 50 kilograms of green vegetation in one summer's day.

The Black Bear is Algonquin's second largest mammal, next to the Moose. Female Black Bears in Algonquin Park weigh between 45 and 70 kilograms. Males are usually larger, weighing between 70 and 150 kilograms.

Black Bears typically do not vocalize. The most common bear sounds are grunts, used when playing, and loud blowing, indicating the Black Bear is nervous or afraid. The Black Bear uses a resonant voice to exhibit strong emotions and most often used by cubs. Adults will use their resonant voice when they are in pain or are frightened.

When camping in bear country, which includes Algonquin Park, remember the three simple bear safety rules.

1. Never feed or approach a bear.
2. Store all your food and garbage in the trunk of your car (or suspended high up between two trees if you are camping in Algonquin's Interior).
3. Keep a clean campsite and pack out all garbage.

Many White-tailed Deer call the Park home, too. The best chances for seeing deer would be during the early morning, along Highway 60.

In the park, itself, the Visitor Centre is a must see. This world-class, interpretive facility depicts Algonquin's natural and human history through a series of exhibits, dioramas, and video presentation.

The ALGONQUIN ART CENTRE (at km 20) is open daily from June 20 to September 6 [10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.] and from September 7 to October 17 [10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.]. It features original artwork by world-renowned artists depicting Algonquin's rugged landscapes.

On most summer afternoons (no formal schedule), get up-close-and-personal with a Park Naturalist at the Visitor Centre (at km 43) as they discuss different natural or cultural history topics using mounted animal specimens, pelts, bones, artifacts, and other items. Naturalists may also be found, roving throughout the park and they’re enthusiastic about answering questions.

You’re bound to hear stories of Gertie Baskerville, a true woman of the wilderness, who lived alone- amongst the animals and birds of Algonquin Park for years. A year round resident from 1941 until 1969, Gertie became a seasonal resident (from early spring until the first snows) for another decade.

Living in a 20’ by 20’ three room cabin by the shores of South Teal Lake, with no more than a wood stove to keep the fall and winter chill away. The area had no electricity until the mid-1950’s. A great naturalist and an expert canoeist, Gertie thought nothing of paddling 10 miles, or more, a day. She knew all about the wildflowers, mushrooms and types of fungus on the trees.

There is also the romantic legend and mystery of Tom Thomson, the influential Canadian artist of the early 20th century, who first visited Algonquin Park in Ontario in 1912 with other members of the famous Group of Seven.

Taking up residence on Canoe Lake, in the park in 1914, Thomson worked on and off, as a fire fighter, ranger, and guide in Algonquin Park, but found that such work did not allow enough time for painting. During the next three years he produced many of his most famous works, including The Jack Pine, The West Wind and The Northern River.

Thomson disappeared at Canoe Lake on July 8, 1917- his body was discovered in the lake eight days later. The official cause of death was accidental drowning, but many still question this.

It has been said that Thomson’s body had fishing line wrapped around a leg- seventeen times and there were signs of a head injury (possibly post mortem). It may be that Thomson was murdered by his neighbour, Martin Blecher, Jr or that he fell and struck his head on a fire grate during a drunken brawl with the owner of Canoe Lake’s Mowat Lodge (allegedly over an money the man owed Thomson for canoes).

Rumours has it that Thomson needed money to purchase a new suit to marry Winnifred Trainor, whose parents had a cottage at Canoe Lake. Following his drowning, folk said that Winnifred, pregnant with Thomson's child, went away for a while, with her mother.

When she returned to Canoe Lake, Trainor never spoke about her relationship with Thomson- although her nephew, upon inheriting the estate, said it included more than a dozen small Thomson paintings and letters that confirm they had been engaged.

Others believe that Thomson suffered severe depression and drowned himself. He was buried at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park on July 17, 1917, without any of his family members having seen the body. Thomson’s older brother had the body exhumed and re-interred in the family plot beside the Leith Presbyterian Church on July 21.

There is a memorial for Thomson- at Canoe Lake, in Algonquin Park.

Visiting the interior portions of the park really isn’t for sissies- in fact; it’s best left to those with experience in canoeing and backcountry camping.

For more information:
Algonquin Provincial Park
Box 219
Whitney, Ontario
K0J 2M0
705-633-5572

Summer holiday tip: Include your children in planning of day trips. It may be a good time to have them help with packing lunches. Helping in the kitchen, over the summer, is a great way to keep kids thinking… reading and arithmetic- like fractions- all come into play!

I have been trying to blog for the past two days... but I couldn't settle on a topic...my mind has wandered from… well… if you been watching the news… you understand.

North Korea used the 59th anniversary of the start of the Korean war to step up threats against the US.

Jon and Kate announced their separation and eminent divorce.

Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Jacko have left us.

The Manitoba Propety Register is warning folks to beware of lending scams… probably a good idea for everyone to note… don’t sign any kind of agreement without running it past a trusted lawyer…

Hmmmmm.

Also in the news- Vancouver lawyer Martin Wirick was sentenced to seven years in prison for perpetrating the largest legal fraud in Canadian history.

In July 2002, Wirick confessed his part in the fraud and subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and two counts of forgery in 107 real estate transactions connected a real estate developer, client, a Mr. Tarsem Singh Gill.

The total value of the fraud- about $30 million (reportedly the B.C. Law Society has fully compensated all of the victims). Now, apparently, Wirick was simply the facilitator and simply following the instructions of Mr. Gill.

Hmmmm. I know that Realtors are to follow all LAWFUL instructions of their principal clients. Surely it’s the same for lawyers?

Gill has also been charged, however, he has pleaded not guilty and he is not cooperating with authorities. In fact, he’s still developing properties. His preliminary hearing has been set for March of next year.

Brings back memories of Brian Slobogian and Frank Biller- manipulators of the scam-ridden Eron Mortgage Corp. Slobogian was the president of Enron and Biller the vice-president and chief mortgage broker.

Regulators began scrutinizing the Enron accounting practices in 1996 and pulled their license in October of 1997. Charges of theft and fraud charges followed. The pair were charged with bilking $175 million, affecting some 3,500 mostly unsophisticated investors. It was, at the time, the biggest fraud in B.C. history. The two were tried in 2005.

The B.C. Securities Commission fined both Slobogian and Biller $300,000 each. Slobogian received a lifetime trading ban and Biller a 10-year ban. Both declared bankruptcy.

In 2005, Slobogian plead guilty and made a deal. He was sentenced to four concurrent six-year terms for theft counts and a three-year sentence for fraud (to be served at the same time). A few months later, Biller was sentenced to three years in prison, after pleading guilty to one charge of theft and four counts of fraud.

Then, there’s Vancouverite, Bryan Tickell, who (earlier this month) was sentenced to six years for fraud related to his dirty dealings of 2007. After falsifying his credentials on an application, Tickell was hired as a caseworker at the offices of the B.C. Public Guardian and Trustee’s Office. There, he defrauded an elderly client, who had been deemed mentally incompetent, paying $1 plus love and affection for her property and flipping it for $1 million. Tickell defrauded another elderly client, naming himself a 20% beneficiary in the man’s $1.3 million estate.

Tickell had to donate a DNA sample, through which he will be easier to connect to any future crimes he may commit.

Seems to be a trend.

There are other strange trends, too.

Howard K Stern, and doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich were charged back in the spring… for conspiracy to supply drugs to former Playboy playmate, Anna Nicole Smith, before she died of an overdose in 2007.

At that time, reports swirled about her estate- speculating that it may not be worth much — possibly as little as $100,000 and no more than $1 million. Horace Cooper, an assistant professor of law at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, said that Smith filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and had borrowed money. Apparently, she was banking on a settlement from the decade long battle she was having against the family of her late husband, J. Howard Marshall.

Dr Cyril Wecht, former president of the American Academy of Forensic Science, inteviewd by CNN today, said death from a prescription drug overdose was a major killer in America.

``This is something that is killing somebody every hour, if not every minute, in America, but we only come to learn about them when they involve Anna Nicole Smith or Heath Ledger

or Michael Jackson. But, everywhere in America somebody is taking two, three, four drugs.''

Yes, reports say that Michael Jackson's personal doctor is to be questioned (for a second time) by police. There are allegations that the singer was being fed a daily cocktail of painkillers that contributed to his death.

Actress-singer Liza Minnelli, told reporters yesterday "all hell would break loose" when the results of Jackson's autopsy are released.

& there’s a lot of talk about who left more debt, Ed McMahon or Jacko.

it's a sad sort of contest

Foreclosure problems started for Jackson, when in October of 2007, reports of possible foreclosure on Neverland Rand began to circulate. A spokesman for the singer claimed that it was simply a matter of some refinancing arrangements.

In Feb. of ’08, Jackson got word from trustee, Financial Title Company, that unless he paid off $24,525,906.61 by March 19, the property would go up for public auction. In May of ’08, the foreclosure action was circumvented when Colony Capital purchased the loan. At the time, Jackson was in default several months on the $24.5 million owed on Neverland. Finally, in November of ’08, Jackson transferred title to an investment company, saying he no longer felt at home in the ranch.

Jackson died, this week, in a rented Holmby Hills house... autopsy results await toxicology reports.

In June 2008, McMahon revealed he was fighting foreclosure after falling $644,000 behind on mortgage payments on $4.8 million in mortgage loans attached to his Beverly Hills home.

Also, in June 2008, the nypost.com reported that Farrah Fawcett was making millions off her battle with cancer, working out lucrative deals with Entertainment tonight and selling video footage.

Just a month prior, the Los Angeles Times had published an interview with Ms Fawcett in which she discussed the media frenzy over her health.

She told the Times she would have preferred to have kept details of her illness private. "It's much easier to go through something and deal with it without being under a microscope," she said.
I can’t even begin to imagine.

Diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, in May of this past year, NBC aired Farrah Fawcett’s self-narrated video diary “Farrah’s Story”. Filmed with the assistance of her long time partner, Ryan O’Neill and her closest friend, Alana Stewart, Fawcett shared details of her poignant battle, raising global awareness of the disease, the need for alternative approaches to treatment and questioned patients’ privacy rights.

Ms Fawcett left us, quietly and with dignity. A private funeral, at the “Cathedral of Our Lady of The Angels” is scheduled for the 30th.

One can’t begin to imagine what kind of memorial extravaganza will be planned by or for the King of Pop.

Oh, & yes, I twitter.

A California spacecraft, bound for deliberate doom inside a crater on the moon, launched on Thursday, June 18 @ 5:32pm Eastern Time. According to NASA, along with a lunar orbiter, LCROSS is searching for safe landing sites where humans might one day establish Earth's first colony.

On Tuesday, June 23, LCROSS executed what was called a “swingby” of the Moon-
“Passing 1,988 miles (3200 km) from the Moon. The flyby resulted in a gravity assist from the Moon which put LCROSS into its cruise Lunar Gravity Assist Lunar Return Orbit (LGALRO).”

According to NASA’s website:.

“LCROSS will travel to the Moon as a co-manifested payload aboard the launch vehicle for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). LRO is designed to map the lunar surface and characterize landing sites for future missions.”

“Projected Impact at the lunar South Pole: Oct 9, 11:30 UT (7:30 EDT, 4:30 PDT)”

“The identification of water is very important to the future of human activities on the Moon. LCROSS will excavate the permanently dark floor of one of the Moon’s polar craters with two heavy impactors in 2009 to test the theory that ancient ice lies buried there. The impact will eject material from the crater’s surface to create a plume that specialized instruments will be able to analyze for the presence of water (ice and vapor), hydrocarbons and hydrated materials.”

And further,

“On March 5th, 1998, Lunar Prospector captured the public’s imagination by announcing the discovery of a signal for water ice at both of the lunar poles. The neutron spectrometer instrument onboard Lunar Prospector detected hydrogen, which is assumed to be in the form of water. The data indicated that a large quantity of water ice, possibly as much as 300 million metric tons, was mixed into the regolith at each pole. This was the first direct evidence of the presence of water ice at the Moon's frigid poles.

The mission ended on July 31, 1999 when Lunar Prospector was deliberately targeted to impact a permanently shadowed area of a crater near the lunar South Pole. It was hoped that the impact would release water vapor from the suspected ice deposits and that the plume would be detectable from Earth, but no plume was observed. However, the LCROSS mission will pick up where Lunar Prospector left off.”

One June 18, 2009 the San Francisco Chronicle reported: “In early October, the spacecraft will send a heavy rocket crashing into the moon's south polar region on a mission to find water that could support future crews bound for Mars. With its mission finished, the spacecraft itself then will die in its own final crash into the lunar surface."

And

“LCROSS will guide an empty Centaur rocket weighing two tons toward its target. The rocket will crash into the crater at 5,600 mph, creating a new crater - perhaps as large as 5 miles wide. The crash is scheduled to occur Oct. 9. Scientists on Earth expect the impact to blast out a huge cloud of dust, gas and vaporized water ice at least 6 miles high. The cloud will be clearly visible to astronomers at Earth-bound observatories and the Hubble Space Telescope's new planetary camera, allowing each to observe and collect data on its composition. “

Perhaps this is what The Goddard Space Flight Centre means by a
Surface Interrogation Technique?
http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/surfaceinterrogation.html

The Godard site lists 4 types of Surface Interrogation Techniques.

One being a “Mortar” and explained as follows:

“Mortar type probes deployed from central lander or descent craft can cover a larger area and perform short lived investigations of dark craters before freezing, using central craft as a data relay. Can use kinetic energy for depth penetration.

Hard landers/penetrators much less mature: RLEP Investigating current military hardened devices which would need different payload accommodations and navigational enhancements”

On June 19, 2009… the Seattle Exopolitics Examiner stated, “The planned October 9, 2009 bombing of the moon by a NASA orbiter that will bomb the moon with a 2-ton kinetic weapon to create a 5 mile wide deep crater as an alleged water-seeking and lunar colonization experiment, is contrary to space law prohibiting environmental modification of celestial bodies. “ and called for the project to be stopped, short of the “bombing”.

Speaking of “bombing”, The Associated Press headlined this morning, “NKorea vows nuke attack if provoked by US” and followed with “SEOUL, South Korea — Punching their fists into the air and shouting "Let's crush them!" some 100,000 North Koreans packed Pyongyang's main square Thursday for an anti-U.S. rally as the communist regime promised a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" for any American-led attack.”

And

“North Korean troops will respond to any sanctions or U.S. provocations with "an annihilating blow," one senior official vowed.”

Meantime, there will be “penumbral lunar eclipses” on the 7th of July and the 6th of August and a partial lunar eclipse on the 31st of Dec. The beginning and end of a penumbral eclipse is not visible to the eye. Shading cannot be detected until about 2/3 of the Moon's disk is immersed in the penumbra.

Eastern Canada and the USA will miss the eclipse entirely since the eclipse begins after moonset.

The eclipse that occurs on New Year's Eve is a minor one. It will be visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere.

Maybe the NASA blast in October will be visible from here… and we might get some early excitement courtesy of North Korea.

I wonder if the Nutwood Observatory is booked in October?

I thought the world had just recently gone crazy… but a couple of times, now, I’ve gone to the Google News Archives and searched… the results could be from today’s news!

March 23, 1899, More Fire Victims Found in ruins of NEW YORK Hotel fire

Jan 6, 1887 13 Bodies drawn from the ashes and debris of Ohio train wreck

January 16, 1892, Man, once a lawyer and respected citizen of Baltimore, but whom drink had dragged down to the level of a Bowery loafer, was found with his throat out from ear to ear

December 15, 1898, The list of victims of the disaster caused by the bursting of the huge gas tank swelled to six yesterday, the frightfully mutilated bodies of two more men and a boy were taken from the ruins

October 10, 1899, MURDER MYSTERY CLUES; Another Portion of a Human Leg Found TIED UP LIKE OTHER PIECES Woman Discovered It in an Ashbarrel Under the Stoop of a House

April 4, 1895, MURDERER; Confesses He Killed Woman After a Quarrel He Choked Her to Death

July 29, 1883, foolhardy attempt to swim the Whirlpool Rapids and Whirlpool of the Niagara River- body found nearly four miles below the treacherous maelstrom which he was so confident of passing with his life.

September 4, 1893, Alleged poisoner commits suicide in his cell in the county jail last night

December 11, 1893, Wednesday PARIS, Dec. 10 -- Auguste Vaillant, alias Marchal, a resident of the suburb, Choisyle-Roi, is the Anarchist who threw the bomb in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday.

March 28, 1895, KILLED HER, THEN HIMSELF; HIS FINGERS CLUTCHED A REVOLVER Her Apartment the Scene of the Tragedy -- No Cause Known for the Act -- Said that He Was in Love with Her.

Jun 28, 1897 LOWER PORTION OF BODY TAKEN FROM EAST RIVER RECOVERED. New York Murder Mystery Deepens--It Is Now Deemed Certain That the Man Was Killed--No Indications of the Dissecting Knife--Part of the Body Found on Land Eight Miles from Where the First Find Was Made.

March 22, 1892, SEVEN CHICAGO ALDERMEN INDICTED FOR BRIBERY

August 21, 1891, The dead body of one of the wealthiest citizens of Omaha, Neb., and an influential Director in the Linseed Oil Trust, was found this afternoon in his room at the Grand Pacific Hotel. The general supposition is that the death was that of a suicide.

August 18, 1890 FOUND DEAD IN HIS ROOM;BANKER, HANGS HIMSELF.

April 10, 1900 Capt. of First United States Artillery, found dead in his room at the Auditorium Annex late last night. There was a bullet wound in his right temple.

April 20, 1883 FOUND DEAD IN THE STREET.; THE DEATH OF CHARLES STROBEL PROBABLY CAUSED BY A FALL.

March 27, 1887 AN UNKNOWN WOMAN MEETS A FRIGHTFUL FATE. AFTER A DESPERATE STRUGGLE IN THE DARKNESS SHE FALLS BLEEDING FROM A DOZEN STABS WITH A KNIFE.

June 22, 1881 SKELETON FOUND IN A QUARRY IN GENESEE COUNTY.

December 7, 1891, SKULL FOUND

June 15, 1879 The Forty-second-street tragedy is still the sensation of the police and the public, and the chief actor in it is still as free, and apparently as safe from justice, as when woman's bruised and swollen body lay tied to the bedstead in her room.

August 31, 1895 body FOUND in the water off the lower end of South Beach, S.I.

September 14, 1878 the trial of Rev. Hayden charged with murder,filled with sensational details to-day

January 2, 1894 Fugitive Man Who Shot Fred Walters with the Help of Accomplices Yet Unnamed Tried to Swindle Two Insurance Companies Out of $50,000

May 11, 1893 body found floating in the Hudson River this morning, a bullet in his head, and his skull fractured.

November 15, 1878 the Stewart body-snatching case to make public the fact which it has known for several days that not only has the body been found but the perpetrators have been discovered.

January 17, 1898 Mutilated Body of 5 year old Missing Child Found in a Creek

June 4, 1896 Prof.Mott the only witness on the stand yesterday in the trial of a woman for the murder of her mother

November 3, 1899 ART STUDENT MURDERED found floating in Bay by a fisherman on Wednesday.

September 3, 1877, AT THE TURKISH HEAD-QUARTERS.; EXAMINATION OF RUSSIAN SPIES SINGULAR DOCUMENTS FOUND

December 30, 1888, THE MUTILATED BODY OF AN 8 YEAR OLD BOY FOUND IN BRADFORD.

October 12, 1884, HIDDEN UNDER A HAYMOW; GIRL'S BODY FOUND BUT THE MYSTERY NOT SOLVED.

July 26, 1886, MATTIE RANDELL AVENGED; HER MURDERER FOUND DANGLING TO A TREE.

Oct 13, 1900 Clues found to hiding place defaulting Elizabethport bank clerk

Nov 17, 1879 AN ADIRONDACK MYSTERY, SKELETON FOUND BY CREEK,

Nov 29, 1888 Trunks containing 1500 pounds of smuggled opium put into evidence.

Aug 13, 1876 BARBER PRONOUNCED GUILTY OF MURDERING A LITTLE GIRL 7 OR 8 YEARS OLD

December 30, 1893, DESERTED COOK MAY BE ALIVE; COLGATE'S NAME ON A LETTER FOUND IN A BOTTLE. Hunters Left Him to Die in the Snow in the Bitter Root Mountains

November 15, 1877 CLOSE OF THE TRIAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BANKRUPT SECURITY LIFE AND ANNUITY COMPANY

May 12, 1882 ASSASSINS NOT FOUND; A GROWING FEELING THAT THEY HAVE ESCAPED.

February 3, 1883, PEDDLER KILLED; FOUND MURDERED ON THE ROADSIDE.

Dec 15, 1890 COMPLICATIONS FOUND IN THE REPUBLICAN DILEMMA. THREE PROPOSITIONS TO GIVE FINANCIAL RELIEF -- THE FARMERS' ALLIANCE AND THE SILVER ADVOCATES DISTURB ALL CALCULATIONS.

August 9, 1886, THE TRUNK OF A MAN FOUND IN A BOX

July 29, 1885, SOUTH AMERICAN STATES FAVOR AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION AND A UNIFORM SILVER COINAGE. Judge Solon Thatcher, of Kansas, a member of the commission appointed to visit Mexico and South America in the interest of trade between those countries and the United States, arrived in Washington to-day from London and called upon the Secretary of State.

July 25, 1875 a broker doing business at No. 67 Wall street, was arraigned, charged

July 3, 1880 BODY, WITH SHATTERED HEAD, TAKEN FROM THE WELL

January 2, 1894 Whole Family Found Dead and Dying with Gas Stoves in Full Blast.

June 13, 1899, PARTS OF BODY RECOVERED; Man Found Dismembered at Bay Ridge Still Unidentified.

October 4, 1875 THREE BULLETS FOUND IN THE MURDERED WOMAN'S HEAD

June 6, 1887 MISSING 10 YEAR OLD CHILD IS FOUND AT LAST. BODY DISCOVERED IN THE SWAMPS NEAR RICHMOND CREEK, MUCH DISFIGURED.

August 4, 1881 BODY FOUND FLOATING IN THE RIVER

August 29, 1891, FILTH FOUND EVERYWHERE- DRAINAGES OF EVERY DESCRIPTION PERMITTED TO POLLUTE THE WATERS OF THE EAST, MIDDLE, AND WEST BRANCHES OF THE RIVER.

March 18, 1876, BODY FOUND NOT SATISFACTORILY IDENTIFIED

January 9, 1886 TRACES OF ARSENIC FOUND IN BODY

Jan 13, 1883 FRAGMENTS OF ABOUT 8 BODIES FOUND YESTERDAY

Dec 26, 1897 ONE BODY FOUND. Rumor of a Can of Oil Being Taken Into the Building.

Jan 10, 1884 DETECTIVES STILL FOLLOWING EVERY CLUE. MISSING MAN REPORTED IN SEVERAL PLACES, BUT THE FEARS OF HIS FRIENDS GROWING STRONGER.

May 7, 1880, BODY OF A WOMAN FOUND IN A PATCH OF WOODS- FRIGHTFULLY DISFIGURED

May 24, 1899 Unable to Trace the 20 month old Child That Was Kidnapped. THE MOTHER SERIOUSLY ILL

May 29, 1876, CHILD MURDERS.; TWO INFANTS FOUND STRANGLED IN A SWAMP

April 3, 1891, SHE CUT HER OWN THROAT; FOUND IN BED UNCONCIOUS. QUEER ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE OF A WELL-TO-DO BROOKLYN WIDOW

April 12, 1885, ex-President of the Marine Bank found guilty of misapplying its funds and making false entries on the books, with intent to defraud the bank and deceive the Bank Examiner.

March 23, 1890 Sheriff And Co-Defendants guilty of divorce conspiracy and murder

April 8, 1884 Man found dead in New-Brighton, Staten Island, authorities to warrant the conclusion that the death was the result of a duel

May 30, 1880 West Point Cadet Found Guilty of Self-Mutilation

December 9, 1884, The body of a newly-born male child, which had been murdered immediately after birth, was found at an early hour yesterday morning on the sidewalk in front of an open lot on the east side of Pleasant-avenue

September 17, 1894 DRIVEN MAD BY HEADACHES; A CLEVELAND BROKER FOUND DEAD

August 6, 1880, missing child who disappeared two weeks ago found with an insane woman 16 miles north

August 2, 1905, KIDNAPS CHILD FROM DIVORCED HUSBAND- Former wife takes daughter by Force and Flees.

November 30, 1906, CHILD WHO SLAYED INTRUDER IS ARRESTED TO-DAY.; Fires 4 Shots at Man Who Threatened Women in Her Home

September 10, 1911 KIDNAPPED CHILD SLAIN.; Body of Seven-Year-Old Girl, Taken from Her Bed, Found in Lake.

September 10, 1909 CHILD LURED AWAY AS CHUM LOOKS ON Was at Threshold of Parents' Home When Induced to Go with Stranger. KIDNAPPED, SAYS FATHER Playmate of Missing Girl Let Her Go, Thinking Abductor a Relative

February 19, 1889, NINETEEN BODIES FOUND; A TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE

January 23, 1892, GROSS MISMANAGEMENT FOUND-NEW-YORK LIFE'S OFFICERS TERRIBLY REBUKED.

March 23, 1883, CHILD aged 6 months and 14 days, who died on Wednesday is SAID TO HAVE BEEN POISONED.

February 24, 1885 DISMEMBERED ON THE RAILS.; PORTIONS OF THE BODY FOUND ON TWO DIFFERENT ROADS.

September 1, 1891, Two more bodies were found yesterday in the ruins of the Taylor Building on Park Place.

October 13, 1875, TWO ESSENTIAL LINKS OF EVIDENCE FOUND THE MURDERER'S WEAPON AND HIS HANDKERCHIEF

July 8, 1876, A LADY FOUND DEAD.; THE BODY SUBMERGED IN WATER

October 25, 1919, three-year-old N.J. boy who was kidnapped by an unknown woman from his home fourteen days ago seen in Ohio

December 28, 1900, Prominent Mason, Found Shot in the Head and Will Probably Die.

Apr 25, 1895 Additional Evidence in Murder Case BLOOD STAINS FOUND IN THE CHURCH.

September 26, 1888, trusted cashier for the law firm of Shipman, Barlow, Larocque Choate, committed suicide yesterday believed to have been insane

October 25, 1890, The body of a murdered man was found floating in a sack in an eddy in the river. There is every indication that another foul crime has been committed

March 6, 1896, ON TRIAL FOR MANSLAUGHTER.; The Mother of His Dead 9 month old son Testifies in His Favor.

July 10, 1886 YOUNG GIRL FOUND DYING WITH THREE WOUNDS IN HER HEAD.

March 1, 1879, WOMAN'S DISFIGURED BODY FOUND IN A TRUNK.

September 8, 1907 A thirteen months' old child was instantly killed early to-day in a shooting-the uncle of the child, has been committed to jail without bail charged with murder.

May 17, 1893 MAN DEAD; FOUND, IN THE HUDSON, A BULLET IN HIS HEAD.

September 20, 1897 Fragments of Plaster Cast Found Which May Have Inclosed the Murdered Man's Head. IN A POOL AT WOODSIDE A Little Girl Discovered Them in a Swamp.

January 19, 1898, DEPOSITED HER BABY.; An Arizona Woman Pledges a Child to Pay for Her Husband's Liquor.

February 16, 1892 NEW TYPHUS FEVER CASES; NINE MORE FOUND IN THIS CITY YESTERDAY.

December 24, 1882 Child 2 years old, dies from terrible burns about the face, neck, left arm.

December 20, 1884, The plates on which counterfeit ten-dollar silver certificates were printed,found,buried in the woods.

Aug 17, 1898 LUMPS OF ARSENIC ARE FOUND IN THE FATAL CHOCOLATE.

February 20, 1877 DEAD BODY FOUND OF YOUNG GIRL FOUND IN THE OLD QUARANTINE GROUNDS FULLY IDENTIFIED

May 2, 1885, STILL ANOTHER BODY FOUND IN A TRUNK. MAN STRANGLED AND SHIPPED TO PITTSBURG FROM CHICAGO

November 29, 1886, FOUND DEAD IN THE WOODS.; THE MYSTERIOUS FATE OF A YOUNG AND PRETTY ACTRESS.

August 9, 1882, UNIDENTIFIED BODY FOUND IN PLEASANT-AVENUE

December 29, 1895 STRANGE DEATH; Found Lying on the Area of Residence -- His Card in Her Pocketbook but He Denies that He Knew Her.

November 19, 1893, DRUGGIST'S FATAL MISTAKE.; A Brooklyn Child Dies in Great Agony as a Result of the Blunder.

October 19, 1894, GIRL FOUND DEAD IN A BATHHOUSE; CHLOROFORM AND THEN MAN SHOOTS HIMSELF.

December 3, 1900, MYSTERY IN A DROWNING Policeman’s body found floating in the East River

May 29, 1879, A WOMAN'S MYSTERIOUS DEATH.; SHE IS FOUND DEAD WITH FIVE GHASTLY WOUNDS ON HER BODY.

June 28, 1897, Portion of Man’s Body Found Saturday Picked Up in the Harlem Woods.

Jan 4, 1898 FIVE-YEAR-OLD BOY GIVEN WHISKY Remains Unconscious Over Fifty Hours

March 11, 1890 UNKNOWN WOMAN'S BODY IN AN ELDRIDGE-STREET COAL BIN

June 14, 1893, SAVINGS INSTITUTION UNDER EXAMINATION. FUNDS FOUND TO BE $70,800 SHORT.

May 30, 1875 SILK SMUGGLERS. THIRTY-THREE NEW INDICTMENTS FOUND

February 23, 1884 TRAGIC END; FOUND FLOATING IN THE WATER OF THE HUDSON.

February 22, 1898 MORE DIVERS ARE NEEDED.; Gen. Lee Says 143 Bodies Were Found and 100 More Are in the Wreck.

October 28, 1895, TWO BOMBS FOUND IN MADISON, WIS.; One in the Capitol Park and the Other in a Tailor's Premises.

January 20, 1881 a child 5-years and 4 months old, was found yesterday by a Police officer abandoned in an unoccupied room in tenement

Nov 21, 1901 MOTHER HELD AS CHILD'S SLAYER.
Estranged wife, involved with evil man, charged with murdering her child, 5-year, although she had claimed someone HAD STOLEN THE BABY

June 10, 1890 Abduction Case Suspended- Estranged Husband/Father kidnapped his own child- baby now returned to mother

November 15, 1934 unclad body of a child found yesterday in a shallow grave in the grounds of a hospital on the outskirts of the city was positively identified today as that of Dorothy Ann Distelhurst, who disappeared on Sept. 19 while on her way home from kindergarten.

Mar 20, 1909 Parents fail to recover kidnapped boy

Feb 23, 1929 Girl, Returned by Couple, Says Watchman Lured Her With Candy-Victim Coached in Stories; Motive for Abduction Remains Obscure

August 4, 1937 Kidnappers tore 2 1/2 year old boy, from the arms of his mother this afternoon

August 20, 1897 five-year-old abducted last Monday morning while playing in the vicinity of his home. Rescued from His Abductors in the Woods Near Albany. UNCLE UNDER ARREST.

October 12, 1920, 15 month old boy taken from his crib in second floor room of his home, man claims to have smothered him and tells police chief where he is buried but search proves unsuccessful.

Feb 2, 1918 Missing 3 year old girl may have been spotted with mystery woman- appeared drugged

April 3, 1927, 6 year old girl seized from foster parents after found burned and bruised, doctor certifies 11 contusions and 3 partly healed head wounds on the child’s body

Aug 16, 1952 Four insurance men testified today that the aunt accused of poisoning 2 year old had policies totaling $5,500 on the child when she died.

Aug 15, 1937 MAN CONFESSES RAPE MURDER OF 4 Year OLD CHILD-body found yesterday in a lonely marshland shack

December 28, 1900 CHILD RECOVERED.; Mother Gave Him Up When Run Down by the Police

December 4, 1914, WOMAN ON STAND.; Admits Advertising for a Child ;- Says It Was to Gratify a Whim.

May 28, 1913, FIND CHILD, BUT NOT HER GIRL ABDUCTOR

January 3, 1895, A Woman is being held was held on the charge of kidnapping her daughter

May 12, 1877 ABDUCTION OF A CHILD; SHE IS TAKEN AWAY BY A FEMALE RELATIVE

May 10, 1891 bold attempt to kidnap a child was made in this place this afternoon Several gypsy women have been through this region for two or three days- the abductor was stopped and the child returned to its parents

Aug 7, 1899 OFFICIAL MURDERS A 13 YEARS OLD GIRL- BEHEADED IN WASHINGTON

November 11, 1913 Deranged by Grief for Lost Baby, She Thought Kidnapped 3-Year Old Girl Was Her Daughter.

June 5, 1959 BOY, 15, ADMITS SEX SLAYING OF CHILD 3

May 19, 1935, GIRL, 8, VANISHES; ABDUCTION FEARED

Dec 26, 1949 CONFESSES HE SHOT CHILD TAVERN BANDIT AND PAL ADMIT 15 ROBBERIES Arm of Victim, 6, Is Shattered

May 17, 1889 EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GIRL LOCKED ALONE IN A ROOM EVERY DAY AND NIGHT.

August 26, 1923, women steal babies abnormal maternal instinct amounting to "mother mania" remains the principal explanation

March 30, 1914 PIG'S EYE GIVES SIGHT.; Transfer of Cornea from Animal to Child Proves Successful.

September 18, 1874 MURDERED CHILD FOUND IN A LUMBER-YARD.

January 16, 1871 THE STARVED CHILD.; An Unnatural Mother Verdict

January 14, 1861, Murder. A MAN CUTS THE THROAT OF HIS OWN CHILD AND SURRENDERS HIMSELF TO THE AUTHORITIES.

January 31, 1867, Clergyman who whipped his little boy to death was sentenced on Saturday to imprisonment in the State Prison at Auburn for four years and three months.

August 15, 1870, After weeks of ?? anguish, happiness is at last restored to the bereaved family, and the parents clear their little one in their arms. Two arrests have been made.

September 14, 1870 lad aged fifteen, who is afflicted with lameness, was arraigned on a charge of feloniously assaulting a girl two years old

November 12, 1865 Child Found in the Woods-particulars of the case show terrible suffering of a little child, or it may be an instance of cruel desertion by some inhuman parent, with a view of putting an end to her innocent offspring.

March 22, 1899 Three Year Old Boy abducted from Chicago found in Ohio

Jul 13, 1896 MOTHER DESERTS HER 4 YEAR OLD AGAIN

May 31, 1910, GIRL'S BODY FOUND IN A CISTERN; 8 year old’s mutilated and decomposed body under one of the parish houses of St. John's Roman Catholic Church.

YUP… I THINK THE WORLD HAS BEEN CRAZY FOR A LONG WHILE NOW!

The other day, while doing some research for my enormous family tree (I now have 10,303 people in it), I stumbled across the record of an incorporation that included my gr-gr-grandfather as a principal in the “Statutes of the Province of Quebec”. It was “An Act to incorporate "L'Union Nationale Francaise et de Refuge" and was “Assented to” on the 18th day of May, 1887.

The item was quite lengthy, as usual, outlining the purpose and the rules and all that stuff… but I was quite taken, in particular with the following words:

“Whereas Pierre Didier and Mederic Laurier, both contractors and Joseph Rivard, bailiff, all of the city of Montreal, have, by their petition, represented that in order to come to the assistance of needy Frenchmen they have founded an association called "L'Union Nationale Francaise et de Refuge," and in order to derive every benefit from such association, they require an act of incorporation; whereas they have prayed for the passing of an act for the purpose, and it is expedient to grant their prayer; “

I thought it was quite charming that “they have prayed for the passing of an act” and that Quebec could “grant their prayer”. I looked at some similar Acts from the 1880s in Ontario… in Ontario; they didn’t say anything about praying.

All of this got me to thinking about “wording” and legal language. The wording the clauses and conditions in an Agreement of Purchase and Sale is a difficult part of a Realtor’s job.

In today’s world, oral agreements are not sufficient- Buyers and Sellers need to have a precisely worded document to back up their agreement. Carefully worded clauses and conditions will ensure that contracting parties will have no differences in their interpretation of the text.

It’s also important to understand that any clauses added to the body (or white space) of an Offer will supersede anything in the pre-printed clauses of the form.

The manner in which something is expressed in words (the style of verbal expression, the phrasing, phraseology, wordage) may influence the success or failure of the Agreement. Poorly drafted contracts have the potential to confuse, disappoint, or worse, lead to a lawsuit.

Each property transaction has individual circumstances that make it unique. Agreements often require the inclusion of an unusual clause or condition and care must be taken to read all inferences and revise each clause to be certain there will be no misunderstanding in the intended meaning.

The parties, also, need to understand the distinction between conditions and warranties- the difference is very critical to the wording that should be used in the Agreement.

A condition is a requirement that is fundamental to the very existence of the offer. The failure or breach of condition may cancel the Agreement and usually will allow the buyer to have the full amount of their deposit back.

A warranty is a minor promise and if there is a breach of warranty, the Buyer cannot usually cancel the Agreement, but must complete the contract and then, sue for damages.

Any and all representations, warranties or agreement must be stated in the offer. Representations made prior to the offer and not forming part of the offer, either verbal or written, are unenforceable.

One of the most confusing phrases that frequently appears in a warranty is: The parties agree that this warranty shall survive and not merge upon completion but apply only to the state of the property existing at completion of this transaction.

When Contracts are exchanged the warranty will come into effect. When the transaction then continues to completion, the warranty will remain enforceable and will not become superseded by completion.

HUH?

The simple explanation of this clause is that whatever is being warranted (for example the refrigerator) is the responsibility of the Seller to maintain (and repair if necessary) up to the date of completion – meaning, the date the keys are exchanged… so the fridge has to be in good working order on the date of completion and the Seller, making the warranty or representation is liable after the closing is complete- if it turns out that the fridge isn’t working when the Buyer takes possession.

Survive means the condition continues to exist as a contract… However, one can’t expect the Sellers to continue to warranty something that they will not have control over after they’ve transferred the property- so the Buyer has only a reasonable time after closing to determine that the refrigerator is working.

Often, a warranty includes the phrase:

“The Seller represents and warrants, to the best of the Seller’s knowledge and belief that…”

This means that the Seller really does believe that what they are saying is accurate, given their knowledge and information about the property. If the Buyer were unsatisfied with the state of the fridge, at closing… the Buyer would have to prove that the Sellers had knowledge of the defect and had been lying when they made the warranty.

The parties of a contract need to remember, they should be working in good faith AND they are signing under seal- which means that they are providing evidence and assurance of their intent to carry out the promises they have made within the Agreement.

As usual, today started with coffee and email… then, on to research.
I pour over the news and the internet, searching for potential value enhancing acquisition opportunities for prospects.

I review new listings, mindful of these prospective Buyers, all with the same strategy: opportunistically investing in properties with the potential for significant capital appreciation.

They come out, in droves, during every economic downturn.

I research for Sellers, too. I look at trends, indicative of what’s happening in the broader housing market. The most pressing questions: What trends have been surfacing in the real estate market? Where is the housing market headed? How have current market conditions impacted the buying/selling process? What advice should be given to those entering the market for the first time?

Today’s big nugget:
In Toronto, the demand for homes priced at more than $1 million has been on the rise since January. In May, 273 homes were sold for more than $1 million each, compared to 258 sold in the same month one year earlier. That’s a difference of 6 per cent and it has set a record for the highest number of luxury home sales in the history of the Toronto Real Estate Board.

Ya, I’d say the rich are getting richer.

And then, I was derailed… (I suppose it’s not really that unusual- in fact, those are moments I relish)… when I noticed that the word snollygoster was showing up, twice, in today’s Google hot trends.

A funny long word, snollygoster was brought to us by the United States in the nineteenth century. The word is thought to have connections to German “schnelle geister” which means “quick spirit”, a snollygoster may be a mythical being that lives inside the body and steals all nutrition from the food you eat, leaving you hungry.

In earlier times, snollygoster was used to describe a mythical monster (half bird & half snake) that was said to swoop down, principally attacking chickens and small children. The story of snollygosters (the bird sort) is alleged to have started in Maryland, as a clever hoax, intended to keep the ex-slaves from going out to vote.

Other various (none of them particularly nice) definitions include:

crooked and flamboyant

One who is guided by personal advantage rather than by consistent, respectable principles

One who uses unprincipled or immoral methods

A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician

A shrewd person not guided by principles

a rotten person who is driven by greed and self-interest

terrible storms that hit the eastern seaboard

A fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles, and who, whenever he wins, gets there by the sheer force of monumental talknophical assumnacy

I stopped there… not wanting to explore or try to explain Talknophical Assumnacy.

Back to more serious matters….

A report from the Bank of Canada says household finances remain "reasonably healthy”. And most markets claim that prices, have for the most part, leveled off this year.

And… further to my recent blog about Gen X’ers: “The younger generation, whether they can afford it or not, go out and buy", a cottage area sales representative with RE/MAX reports, "They want it now."

Other reports confirm it's the more modestly priced properties that are in the greatest demand. Second-tier cottages, in particular, have seen an upswing in popularity due to affordability and supply. (second-tier meaning not directly on the water). Seasonal cottages are more sought after, as well… and for the same reasons.

The 2009 Royal LePage Recreational Property Report (a nationwide survey of Canadian attitudes towards recreational property and a market analysis of recreational property prices, trends and activity in selected leisure markets across the country)was released yesterday.

According to the poll:

The three most important features of a recreational property are peace and quiet (58 per cent), access to utilities (50 per cent) and four-season use (39 per cent).

Other highly rated features include access to boating and fishing (23%), proximity to amenities (18%), ecologically friendly or "green" sites (17%) and year-round activities and sunsets tied with 16%.

Rounding out the top 10 were docks (15%) and deep water (9%)

Nine out of ten Ontarians love the cottage life.

Two-thirds(68 per cent) think a cottage is a good investment. More than half are willing to make financial or lifestyle changes to own a recreational property, including making a cottage their primary residence (17 per cent), renting out their cottage (15 per cent) and purchasing with family and friends (13 per cent).

“To pursue their dream of buying a recreational property,
55 per cent of Canadians would be willing to make compromises with regards to their financial or lifestyle choices, such as purchasing a property with family and friends, renting out their cottage, making a cottage their primary residence, buying a fixer-upper, or moving into a smaller principal home in the city.”

RLP says “Recreational properties still considered a safe long-term investment.” … and that most consumers believe that owning a recreational property is “the ultimate, no-hassle 'staycation' and one that presents an opportunity to invest while they enjoy."

Last year “staycation” became the buzzword as budgets tightened and plans to travel were curtailed by gas prices and soaring airfares. This year, staycations are being seriously planned, filled with activities exploring and enjoying the things people don’t normally have time to do.

& this all fits into the greater Haliburton, Bancroft, Barry’s Bay areas. After all, we have a cultural paradise right here, in our own backyards.

Some historians credit Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (1698-1759) as the pioneer of genetics. Through his study of biology, Maupertuis suggested that parts of both mother and father contributed to the character of their offspring.

Other historians point to Augustinian monk, Gregor Mendel, and his study of pea plants, published in 1866, outlining what has become known as Mendelian Inheritance. In fact, Mendel defined a concept that he described as an allele, which was the fundamental unit of heredity- practically synonymous with the term gene. Allele now means a more specific variant of a particular gene.

In 1868, Charles Darwin presented the “pangenesis” hypothesis in his 1868 work “The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication”. In theory, pangenesis holds that body cells shed gemmules, which collect in the reproductive organs prior to fertilization. In later years, Darwin elaborated further on this model, focusing on the transmission and the development of inherited characteristics.

Sir Francis Galton in 1883, drew upon the recent work of his half-cousin Charles Darwin, being the first to formulate a social philosophy around “the study of all agencies under human control which can improve or impair the racial quality of future generations…”

Galton believed that since many human societies sought to protect the underprivileged and weak, those societies were at odds with the natural selection responsible for extinction of the weakest. Galton urged changing social policies in order society be saved from a "reversion towards mediocrity".

First outlining his theory in the 1865 article "Hereditary Talent and Character," Galton elaborated further in his 1869 book Hereditary Genius in which he claimed that the less intelligent were more fertile than the more intelligent of his time. Galton did not propose any selection methods; rather, he hoped a solution would be found if social mores changed in a way that encouraged people to see the importance of breeding.

Galton first used the word eugenic in his 1883 Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development and, in 1904, he clarified the definition as "the science which deals with all influences that improve the inborn qualities of a race; also with those that develop them to the utmost advantage."

As a social movement, eugenics had reached its pinnacle of popularity by the early decades of the 20th century. The scientific movement began to unravel in the 1930’s when eugenics were used as justification for the racial policies of Nazi Germany, causing a backlash in the public and among some scientists and thinkers- raising new questions and concerns about the ethical and moral application of eugenics.

While, in the broader sense, eugenics can be described as the study of "improving human genetic qualities." Curing disease, for instance, by eliminating the genetic predisposition. In other circles, the term “eugenics” is used to refer to everything from prenatal care to forced sterilization, even euthanasia and present-day reprogenetics, preemptive abortions and designer babies.

Some scientists, believing that eugenics deal with perceived beneficial and/or detrimental genetic traits suggest that defining what improvements are desired or beneficial may have cultural deviation, argue that the matter cannot be determined objectively (e.g., by empirical, scientific inquiry). For instance, in some ancient societies, forms of infanticide were acceptable.

Civilizations, such as Rome, Athens and Sparta, practiced infanticide through exposure as a form of phenotypic selection. In Sparta, newborns were inspected by the city's elders, who decided the fate of the infant. If the child was deemed incapable of living, it was usually exposed to the Apothetae near the Taygetus mountain. It was more common for boys than girls to be killed this way in Sparta. Trials for babies included bathing them in wine and exposing them to the elements. Only the strongest survived and procreated.

Early Roman law decreed that deformed infants must be put to death. Patriarchs in Roman society were given the right to "discard" undesirable infants at their discretion, often resulting in drowning in the Tiber River. The practice of open infanticide in the ancient world did not subside until the Christianization of the Roman empire.

Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler, tested genetic theories through infamous experimentation on live human beings. The Nazis attempted to produce and maintain a “pure” race of Germans, utilizing programs of “racial hygiene”.

During their regime, the Nazis forcibly sterilized hundreds of thousands of people, characterized by them as mentally and/or physically unfit. It is estimated that the Nazi eugenics program sterilized some 400,000 people, between 1934 and 1937.

The second largest known eugenics program, created by social democrats in Sweden, continued until 1975. The goal of the program was to decrease the number of deviant offspring. It targeted the mentally ill.

If a family member was considered deviant, a full out investigation was conducted on the family and because it was thought to be easier to persuade a woman to be sterilized, the procedure was conducted more frequently them, despite it being simpler to perform the operation on men.

From inception of the “Sterilzation Act of 1934” until 1975, Sweden sterilized more than 62,000 people. In 1999, the Swedish authorities began offering modest compensation to those victims who had never consented to the procedures- provided they requested compensation.

In the U.S., eugenics can be traced to 1896, when many states enforced laws to prohibit marriage and force sterilization of the mentally ill in order to prevent the "passing" of mental illness to the next generation. Some states sterilized "imbeciles" for much of the 20th century.

The most significant era of eugenic sterilization was between 1907 and 1963, when over 64,000 individuals were forcibly sterilized under eugenic legislation in the United States.

A “Eugenics Record Office” was opened in 1910 at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. It remained a center for eugenics and human heredity research for the first half of the twentieth century.

In Canada, the Sexual Sterilization Act of Alberta was enacted in 1928, focusing the movement on the sterilization of mentally deficient individuals, as determined by the Alberta Eugenics Board through i.q. testing. The practice unfairly categorized immigrants who were new to the English language, resulting in lowered i.q. scores and countless sterilizations. The Act was repealed in 1972.

Most countries have, at some time or other, enacted some form of Eugenic policy that has been disrupted by the common criticism that such policy, inevitably, leads to unethical practice- implying, somehow, that concern about genes will result in genocide.

The Mid 40s through the 60s, may be categorized as “The DNA Era”, while the 70’s moved into the science of genomics. Scientists produced fine-scale genetic mapping and began to determine DNA sequences.

In the 1980s, biological engineering became the focus of big science. The potential benefits of genetic engineering were considered limitless. Scientists were able to develop hardy, disease- and weather-resistant food sources, eradicate deadly diseases, and modify some life forms.

Conservatives and fundamentalists argued form, the natural and normal, while scientists proved that the natural and normal could be altered and manipulated. Hybrid research went into overdrive, attempting to select hybrid combinations that would increase value to growers, processors and end-users.

Harvard University was granted the first patent on a genetically engineered organism (1988): in this case, said to facilitate medical research, it was a mouse susceptible to cancer.

The lines between technology and biology began to merge.

During the 1980s, The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) genetically modified traditional basmati rice to produce a hybrid they called Pusa Basmati-1 or PB1. PB1 has doubled crop yields.

Difficulty in differentiating genuine basmati led to the development of a protocol through which exporters of basmati rice use 'purity certificates' based on DNA tests.

RiceTec (a Texas Based firm) won a patent (U.S. Patent No. 5,663,484) on "basmati rice lines and grains in 1997, effectively securing lines of basmati and basmati-like rice and ways of analyzing that rice.

This created international outrage and a strain on diplomatic relations between Indai and the U.S. There were allegations of biopiracy.

Biropiracy? This is a practice, by means of patents, through which some body obtains legal rights over indigenous knowledge - particularly indigenous biomedical knowledge - without compensation to the indigenous groups who originally developed such knowledge.

RiceTec lost most of the claims of the patent, including, most importantly, the right to call their rice lines "basmati." This was considered a huge victory for Indian farmers who could have faced enormous economic losses from the patent.

In the 90s the Monsanto company developed a gene for herbicide resistance. Engineers had isolated and then altered the gene that produces the Bt-toxin, and inserted it, using a gene gun (particle bombardment), into the DNA of the cotton plant.

By 1996, Monsanto announced plans to “Save the world through genetic engineering”. Promising a golden future that would reduce in-process waste from manufacturing and turn fields into factories that would produce everything from lifesaving drugs to insect-resistant crops, Monsanto’s technology was going to reduce environmental impact, decrease poverty and help the world.

The other variety was Roundup Ready® cotton. It contained another bacterial gene that enabled the plant to survive an otherwise toxic dose of Monsanto’s Roundup® herbicide.

The patent on Roundup’s main active ingredient, glyphosate, was set to expire in 2000, the company was planning to sell Roundup Ready seeds, bundled with their Roundup herbicide and by doing so, effectively, extend their brand’s dominance in the herbicide market.

Monsanto was feeding the cotton plants used in its test plots to cattle.

The problem is, particle bombardment can cause unpredictable changes and mutations in DNA, which can result in new types of proteins. & some of these proteins may be toxic. Rogue proteins might possibly lead to mad cow or some other prion-type diseases.

& now every cell of their Bt cotton produced a toxic protein.

Short for “proteinaceous infectious particles,” prions are improperly folded proteins, which cause other healthy proteins to also become misfolded. Over time, these cause holes in the brain, severe dysfunction and death.

Prions survive cooking and are believed to be transmittable to humans who eat meat from infected “mad” cows. The disease may incubate undetected for about 2 to 8 years in cows and up to 30 years in humans. Unknown proteins, including prions, might even effect humans who consume the cow’s milk.

Genetically Modified (GM) crops routinely create unintended proteins, alter existing protein levels or even change the components and shape of the protein that is created by the inserted gene.

Transgenic seeds are now patented and controlled by at least six multinational companies (Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Dow, Bayer, BASF). Montsanto now genetically engineers seeds that produce a toxin to ward off insects. reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

In some circles, Monsanto practices are known as "Terminator Technology" because the seeds have been genetically-engineered so that when the crops are harvested, all new seeds from these crops are sterile.

Traditionally, for thousands of years, farmers have saved the seeds from their crops to replant them the following year. Most farmers cannot afford to buy new seeds every year, so collecting and replanting seeds became a crucial part of the agricultural cycle.

"Millions of years of biological history will be lost if transgenic seeds are allowed to be planted in the Mexican milpa”, warned Dr. Ignacio Chapela, a University of California-Berkeley biologist.

Still, Big Biotech with Monsanto went forward with plans to replace those millions of years with seeds like the Terminator, which goes sterile after one growing cycle, and obligates farmers (who have signed binding contracts with Monsanto) to buy more. A process tagged "bio-slavery

Corn means nutrition and livelihood in Mexico and it also the culture and religion. Maize came from the gods and the Aztecs and Mayas nourished those gods with sacrificial victims to keep it coming.

The transnational attack on corn stirs passions and paranoia amongst the descendants of Mexico's first peoples.

In 2001, Mexico’s Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources confirmed fears of genetic contamination of Mexican native corn varieties. Since then, farmers have also been found liable for "gene drift" or cross-pollination contamination from neighboring GM fields.

Monsanto is currently suing more than 450 farmers in the United States and Canada for saving patented Monsanto seeds.

Our language has come to include phrasess like “gene drift" and new words, like “Bioprospecting” (a term applied in attempt to create a more positive light on a process commonly used by those responsible for the commercialization of traditional medicine).

Then there’s “biohybrid technology”- touted as a promising, new field of modern biotechnology. Combining biosensor development, nanotechnology and microelectronic chips. Biochips and microarrays are expected to revolutionize high-throughput multi-parametric protein and DNA/RNA analysis.

Through the binding of specific oligonucleotides or antibody-like aptamer molecules, complete labs can be functionalized on a single chip, which can be designed to specific requirements. Scientists and biotech companies are currently exploring new and exciting applications in pharmaceutical research, medical diagnosis, food analysis and gene technology.

Top-level research groups have formed in the fields of biosensor research; bioanalysis and molecular biology are focusing on the development of DNA-chips for medical diagnosis (humans, animals), biochips for proteomics and biosensor-chips for health care applications.

No wonder we're so confused.

Psychic Reports are in: Expect A Super-Charged Summer Solstice and Cancer New Moon, June 20-22, 2009

Solstice comes to us from the Latin “sol” or sun and “sistit” or stands. For several days before and after each solstice the sun appears to stand still in the sky, i.e., its noontime elevation does not seem to change from day to day.

In the Northern Hemisphere the longest day and shortest night of the year occur on this date, marking the beginning of summer.

The beginning of Summer (when the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer) arrives the day before the first Cancer new Moon this year. The first of 2 new Moons in Cancer falls within the 3-day-long solar standstill of Summer Solstice and the Moon takes position, closest to Earth.

The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light. The solstice was also a time to wish for love: young men who succeeded in jumping over solstice bonfires were said to be going to find their true love in the coming year. This is, perhaps, the most enduring of modern ties with Summer Solstice. The Druid’s celebrated summer solstice as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth" and today, this translates into the belief in of good fortune, for a June wedding.

Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires and couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump. Livestock was driven through the fire to be purified.

Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers.

Word is out, by the end of this week, the psychic atmosphere will be particularly energetic. You see, 2009 equals 11. Eleven is a master number that is not reduced to its lowest product and this is said to stand as an indication of potential transcendence during the period in question. An "11" year is about mercy, generosity and service.

The solstice chart pits the individual against the powers of the state, or more accurately the powers of the state that remain hidden from view. Intentions for the future are a key ingredient. Setting clear, strong goals that are best for the common good are important now. Each of us can do our part.

As we struggle to find a balance between constancy and chaos the tension can be felt on a personal level and observed globally as social/political events unfold. Pluto exemplifies the expression “the truth will out”. Yes, it seems it will be time for the world to “come clean”.

The Summer Solstice is energetically like a magnified Full Moon. Psychics predict that this year we’ll have a double whammy as the Full Moon and Summer Solstice facilitates the union of the opposites within our own being, bringing us into deeper self-love and the genuine capacity to love others. But that’s not the half of it….

Be forewarned… the strongest energy influencing this season and new Moon; is the planet Pluto, the inexorable Lord of Change. Apparently, Pluto is telling us to reclaim the sovereignty of our minds, lives and let go of our fears. We must release outer expressions of security and refuse to accept dominating attempts to undermine us. There is something fated and fateful about the planetary chart, a set-up for the unfolding of a story over the next three months.

The Solstice, this year, marks a great time to cut through old patterns and move clearly into the here-and-now… but before we do anything, we must take a moment to remember to act with and from love for both the planet and for future generations. This practice will create an observable energy shift. Whatever fears we may have had in relation to that action will, then, dissipate.

This is the beginning of a world that will nurture a global paradigm of healing.

We will turn our energy of worry into creativity.

A full moon eclipse occurs on July 7th, 2009 will precipitate the elimination of old systems. The days of the “good old boys clubs” will be over. New and inventive solutions will emerge- full disclosure and consensus will be the order of the day. Secretive agendas will implode and with them, patriarchy, capitalistic nation-states and corporations.

The total solar eclipse coming July 21st, 2009 is expected to expose shadow governments and rid us of the old constraints of power for the elite. One forecaster predicts that the solar eclipse has a serious effect on the FED: “…the chart of the Federal Reserve, a privately owned and operated banking system. The powers behind the visible are being pressured to change drastically soon. With Mercury involved communications and commerce, trade and all the infrastructures of how things are moved about will be impacted.”

From every corner, astrologists predict that we should clear ourselves from the shadowy elements that block our way and that, after the July 21st solar eclipse: a refreshed, revolutionary spirit will emerge with a resounding commitment ‘for the people and by the people’. We will nurture that which is important and rediscover the importance of family and home and renew our cultural structure with a new vision of collective life.

............Mon Jun 15, 3:50 PM TORONTO (Reuters)
"In the short space of about 18 months, the housing market has gone full circle from a sellers' market, to a flat-out buyers' market, and back to a sellers' market," says Doug Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.............

I’ve decided to take a rest from ranting about shadow governance and global distress… I’ve been thinking about how uncertainty of the future is what leads many of us to a new direction of personal discovery and alternative thinking.

Sometimes, we decide to buy or sell property, because we need a change in our lives. Our homes, are our oasis of comfort and also an imprint, our signature, if you will.

These days, there are some subtle differences in the sort of change that is being sought. Words like sustainable, green, organic, efficient, environmental, conservation, renewable… etc. have permeated our language.

What once was considered a trendy ideological concept of “eco-friendly” has become a core belief and responsibility.

As David Suzuki tells us, “Individual actions may seem small, but together they can change the world.”

Often, we reach for simplicity as a refuge from a rough and stormy economy… and going “green” is often the most simplistic. Homeowners are looking to improve their home’s efficiency AND make a contribution by reducing their carbon footprint.

It’s estimated that 40% of a typical family’s budget is spent on keeping their home at a comfortable temperature.

During the heating season, the first line of defense is to inspect the house thoroughly. Check it, from the attic to the basement… weatherproofing (reducing leakage & increasing insulation) will help reduce fuel consumption (and bills).

When it comes to cooling a house, the combination of ceiling fans, floor fans and a dehumidifier can save you from energy hogging air conditioners. Remember, though, fans cool people and not the spaces- they should be turned off, when nobody’s in the room.

On extra hot days, close the windows, blinds and drapes during the day and open everything up at night (when the air is cooler). & try to get some cross-ventilation by strategically opening windows and doors that are opposite each other.

Insulation is a friend, too. If you didn’t do an inspection of your home last winter, check it now- from the attic to the basement.

90% of the electricity used by traditional incandescent light bulbs is lost in heat. This doesn’t do us any good in the summer, when we’re trying to stay cool. Compact fluorescent light bulbs produce 75% less heat and use about 75% less energy than the standard incandescent ones.

Create shade. Use umbrellas, awnings or plant a deciduous tree. Yup, planted around the house a deciduous tree is a visual treat, it absorbs carbon dioxide AND its shade will cool you in the summer. & the leaves come off, giving the sunlight more access to warm you- in the winter.

Think about your guests, too. A lot of people have sensitivity to chemicals. Use natural cleaning products, such as: 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water for glass cleaning- it’s also pretty good for deodorizing. Lemon juice is excellent, too.

Mix either lemon juice or vinegar with good old baking soda to make your own scrub cleanser. A mixture of 1 cup of olive oil and ½ cup lemon juice creates a fabulous wood polish.

The social climate is affecting our design trends, too. While it is too late, for most, to start at square one- we can incorporate natural elements into our living spaces.

These days, people are looking for more water and fire in their garden and yard spaces. Waterfalls, fireplaces, fire pits and rocks are increasingly popular. People strive, also, to incorporate some unexpected design surprises. Indoor waterfalls, for instance, have a feel-good quality and are a visual treat.

Colour trends are another telling barometer of our current social climate. Forecasters predict blasts of colour, taken from an earthen palate of organics like fruit, plants, vegetables and, even, soil.

Reclaimed bricks, recycled glass beads and candlelight wall finishes are more and more readily available. Wall sculpture finishes from recycled magazines, newspapers and natural clay give us texture and depth. Faux suede and metallic finishes are being mixed into our homescape, too- the colours just seem to make a home feel healthier.

Keep these principles in mind and make some positive changes... they will appeal to prospective Buyers, too!

After blogging the day before yesterday, about North Korea… who are “daring” the United States to stop them from playing with Nukes… and then, yesterday, blogging on Globalization… I decided to investigate the mainstream coverage of the “New World Order”… this was a bit like opening Pandora’s box.

NEW WORLD definetly sounds global... AND I should like to note: North Korea’s strongest allies are Russia and China.

A Modern Ghana dot com article by Desmond Ayim-Aboagye (Ph.D.) June 13th, describes his vision of “…Power being transferred from the individual nations to the World Community…” and “The transformation of the earth that will bring peace and “immeasurable happiness to all people in certain parts of the globe.”

Certain parts? Okay… this might be a translation issue… I’ll press on…

He also says:“…the TIME IS RIPE FOR GENUINE AND AUTHENTIC PEACE in the world.” and “In the New World Order, the laws guiding the Super Powers shall be clearly stipulated and be made open to the public"

There are many who believe that the alchemy and rituals of the occult masters—Illuminatists, Masons, Bonesmen, Bilderbergers and Bohemians—have combined to harmonize completely within recent U.S. foreign and domestic policies- their goal to change the world through supplanting secular government with an authoritarian theocracy AND FURTHER, that it is their mandate to do so, while being open about it.

Ayim-Aboagye goes on, "The New Theory shall change the world and make the world a better place to live and raise our children. It shall make different people on this planet to respect each other as it brings justice and equality to the fore in the human consciousness. It is true that certain people and even leaders of the world shall make several attempts to maintain the old order or disrupt this emerging order, but this will be temporary, as the time is ripe for genuine peace with the motivation from a power from above. What will happen is going to happen; and there shall be no course to be afraid, because we are not alone in this world.”

Combining the mission of the Church with political aspirations is said to be a scheme concocted by sinister forces to defer the Church from its true power while enriching insincere bureaucrats. Others refer to an extension of old politics under an ideological cover.

Politics, money, religion…. hmmmm

Five-time United States Senator from Arizona and Republican Presidential nominee in 1964, Barry Goldwater foresaw the union of politics and religion as a catalyst for global government. In writing of the efforts of behind-the-scenes groups including international bankers to bring about a New World Order, he said it would occur through consolidating “the four centers of power—political, monetary, intellectual and ecclesiastical.”

President George H.W. Bush in his January 29, 1991 address to Congress on the State of the Union, said “What is at stake is more than one small country [Kuwait], it is a big idea—a New World Order, where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind…. Such is a world worthy of our struggle, and worthy of our children’s future…. the long-held promise of a New World Order…”

On January 1, 2009, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former head of state of the USSR, said the global clamor for change and the election of Barack Obama was the catalyst that might finally convince the world of the need for global government: ”we are finally beginning to understand the important of global governance.”

On January 5, 2009, the call for a New World Order was, again, referred to- by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange) when a reporter for CNBC asked Kissinger what he thought Barack Obama’s first actions as President should be in light of the global financial crises. He answered, “I think that his task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period, when really a New World Order can be created.”

A CHINA DAILY article on May 18, 2009, stated, “The extant world economic order took shape after World War II and helped create what the West calls the "golden period". The US and European countries have nevertheless used their traditional hold on the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to steer globalization to suit their needs. Plus, the inherent weaknesses of the existing world order have resulted in the marginalization of some countries or regions, giving rise to terrorism, extremism and other violent movements that pose a big threat to global security and economic development. "

The article also touches on the G20 countries that account for 85 percent of the global GDP, and suggests that their meetings should be more representational. Seeing that the G20 includes countries still developing, there is concern that the half-day agenda of meetings give a member countries less than 10 minutes to put their points across and that is far from enough to reach a consensual stance on any issue.

Speaking at a conference in Montreal, Canada’s finance deputy for the G7leading industrial countries (Tiff Macklem), said the new world order that is taking shape will include a bigger role for the G20, which includes China and India, even after the current financial crisis is resolved. “Canada, as G7 chair next year, will work to ensure that”, he said.

"Looking to 2010, we will ensure close co-ordination with the G20," Macklem said. "If we're to meet the challenges of tomorrow, this spirit of co-operation needs to continue."

Some respected American leaders have warned us not to let the world bankers have license, men like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson, who felt the worst mistake of his presidency was sanctioning the Federal Reserve.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad The former Malaysian Prime Minister at an international forum in South Korea May 2009, said the world still believes in killing people to solve problems and scientists were busy developing newer and more efficient ways of killing people.

“In envisioning the new world order, I wish I can be optimistic. Unfortunately I cannot. We are really still a primitive people…”

The editors of Foreign Policy Magazine, recently printed an article that said,“Awareness of the Earth's vulnerability is growing, but perhaps not fast enough to combat environmental decline. And in the new field of bioengineering, scientists are steadily perfecting technologies that may forever alter what it means to be human."

Most exciting to the editors was how the elite will direct human evolution in the future.

"We can now program life," announced Juan Enriquez, managing director of Excel Medical Ventures. "Several months ago, researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute and Synthetic Genomics took a mycoplasma cell and inserted long strands of DNA into it, making the cell an entirely different species.”

GULP

In May 2009, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus. In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the two declared that Iran and Syria were leading a dramatic transformation in the region, as part of a new world order which would replace the old world order that the U.S. has led since the end of World War II.

There are countless works on the intertwined nature of global business interactions, corporate complicity in the World War II- American assistance to Nazi Germany.

Most begin with the Bank of International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland and how the bank became controlled by confidants of Hitler- its original purpose of disbursing reparations from Germany following World War I and how it was subverted into a mechanism for funneling money into Nazi coffers, with the help of willing American counterparts.

By exploring the financial connections between New York’s Chase Bank and Nazis in Paris, one can argue that Chase set up branches in Vichy France with the specific purpose of doing business with the Third Reich. Although there were some American officials (such as Treasury Secretary Henry Morganthau) who became aware of such dealings and tried to stop them through their various offices, involvement of heavy industry included Standard Oil of New Jersey, General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Company, IBM and other iconic giants.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, literary essayist, epistemologist and author of best-selling finance book “The Black Swan” says “We should not trust these bankers; look at their track record,” Taleb said. “They know we’re going to bail them out. They hold us as hostages” and “the only way to stop the process is for the government to own those banks, tell them what to do.”

Back in 1933.- American President Franklin Roosevelt said: "The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the larger centers has owned the Government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson.

He was referring, of course, to Jackson’s struggle against the Bank of the United States. Jackson supported an "agricultural republic" and felt the Bank (authorized for a twenty year period during James Madison's tenure in 1816) improved the fortunes of an "elite circle" of commercial and industrial entrepreneurs at the expense of farmers and laborers.

Elite Circle of commercial and industrial entrepreneurs…. Sounds almost like The Bilderberg group, a cabal of some 130 elites (for example, Daimler Chrysler’s Jurgens Schrempp, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, and “Rockefeller frontman Henry Kissinger").
They meet annually, by invitation only and secretly.

New world order activists believe the aims of this group to be nefarious, that they plot to “implement world policies.”

The Bilderberg met in secret,most recently, in Greece...

(I find that interesting because we need go no further than Greek philosophy to find the roots of very strategy of those who would impress upon us the value of a New World Order- after all, Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry- however, I digress)

… In Greece, the world’s most powerful individuals came together to discuss the pressing issues of today, and to chart a course for the next year. The main topic of discussion at this years meeting was the global financial crisis.

This came as no surprise to those who are suspicious of the Bildgerberg agenda… they cite the list of conference attendees and claim it included many of the primary architects of the crisis, as well as those poised to “solve” it.

Even when “Fed” Chairman Ben Bernanke gave a commencement address for the Boston College School of Law Class of 2009, last week, he spoke about, “… the inherent unpredictability of our individual lives and how one might go about dealing with that reality.”

In the mid-80’s, ex-KGB agent and defector Yuri Bezmenov, spoke about a process that is legitimate and open, known as ideological subversion. He said, “Only about 15 percent of [the KGBs] time, money and manpower was spent on espionage as such. The other 85 percent was a slow process [of] … ideological subversion or active measures … or psychological warfare. What it basically means is to change the perception of reality of every American to such an extent that in spite of the abundance of information no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interest of defending themselves….”

He was describing the art of giving people new goals and ideals that seem appealing but will have the long term effect of weakening and confusing the society. The goal of this process? To change the perception of reality.

Consisting of 4 steps, the process includes Stage 1 — Demoralization, Stage 2 — Destabilization, Stage 3 — Crisis and Stage 4 — Normalization.

According to Bezmenov, the American educational system has indoctrinated many students with Communist ideology – under the guise of feminism, peace studies, various ethnic studies or general “social science.” To counteract this, we need a new educational program that inculcates common sense and patriotism, teaching the value of a unique American cause – in opposition to socialism.

A recent article in the Russian Pravda outlines how the Americans have been manipulated:

“First, the population was “dumbed” down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture. Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches... were for the most part little more than Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more than happy to sell out their souls and flock. The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. ... His spending and money printing has been record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world.....
These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen…”

From every direction, parties have used the media to build and maintain a public perception of opposing positions on certain issues, while building consensus on issues that are critical to their vision of necessary and needed social change.

Few have explained the Communist-Capitalist partnership better than Alexandr Solzhenitsyn- In his 1976 book, Warning to the West, he tells us that:

"...there also exists another alliance - at first glance a strange one, a surprising one - but if you think about it, in fact, one which is well-grounded and easy to understand.... [This] is the alliance between our Communist leaders and your capitalists."

and in his 1976. "Communism: A Legacy of Terror"

"...a concentration of world evil, of hatred for humanity is taking place and it is fully determined to destroy your society."

CONFUSED? I think that's the point.

Bank of Canada Governor, Mark Carney, at the Conférence de Montréal, indicated that the Bank of Canada has no plans to adjust its rates until at least June of next year, as it attempts to keep inflation below two per cent.

Carney spoke at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal, on June 11th, underscoring the conference theme: "Adapting to a New World Order”. He noted that globalized product, capital, and labour markets lie at the heart of the New World Order.

(did I just hear NEW WORLD ORDER?)

Carney outlined four key priorities that central banks, along with other public agencies, must promote in order to prepare the necessary market infrastructure and responsible policy that will sustain renewed globalization.

“First, transparency should be increased so that risk can be identified more effectively and priced more efficiently…”

“Second, core funding markets should be made more efficient and less susceptible to extreme price movements…”

“Third, macroprudential regulations must be enacted to help smooth the credit cycle. A prominent example could be a new bank capital regime…”

“Fourth, all countries must accept their responsibilities for promoting an open, flexible, and resilient international monetary system…”

Carney concluded his speech, “…with a few words on the impact of this rebalancing for Canada. It appears likely that the global economy is entering a period of lower potential growth. The substantial capital misallocation and financial excesses of the boom years will take years to work off.”

And, “With our domestic and international partners, the Bank is working actively to build more resilient markets and to create an open, global financial system. Success is not assured….”

HMMmmmmmm

So… who are these domestic and international partners?

The Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) is a joint effort between Canadian financial institutions, Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).

Last month, The Business Development Bank of Canada announced a new private sector growth capital fund,that will provide financing to Canadian technology growth companies and fills a significant void in the Canadian market for growth capital.

The general partner of the fund is Tandem Expansion, co-founded by two of Canada's most experienced venture capital/private equity investors, Charles Sirois and Brent Belzberg. Mr. Sirois, who was recently appointed Chairman ofCIB C, founded Telesystem in 1984, which has since invested more than $1billion in venture opportunities of all stages through its various funds. Mr.Belzberg is the Founder and Senior Managing Partner of TorQuest, one of Canada's leading private equity firms with more than $700 million in private equity capital under management.

The BDC, will invest $75 million of funds that were provided by
the Government of Canada, allocated in the 2008 budget. There are also preliminary commitments from a number of institutional and private investors and the Tandem Expansion Fund is expecting a first close of $300 million this summer.

Meanwhile, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty held a press conference after the meeting in southern Italy of finance ministers from the G8 leading industrialized countries, today. Flaherty said that his European counterparts have agreed to carry out the stress tests, aimed at assessing the financial resilience of their banks. Stress tests, apparently, involve more than 150 regulatory officials poring over the books.

The benchmarks outlined in these stress tests:

The SCAP capital buffer for each [bank] is sized to achieve a Tier 1 risk-based ratio of at least 6% and a Tier 1 Common risk-based ratio of at least 4% at the end of 2010, under a more adverse macroeconomic scenario than is currently anticipated.

"There is an agreement that stress tests are important and they will be carried out," Flaherty said in the press conference. "There is some disagreement on the way that stress test results should be reported. But there is a commitment to do stress testing."

Does anyone else remember the January budget… errrr… I mean the “Action Plan” and the $200-billion “Extraordinary Financing Framework”? That would be the Bay Street bailout package that included $50-billion set aside to purchase mortgages from banks and lenders. It was a sort of amalgamation/combination of previous programs .

Budget measures also enhanced the powers of the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corp., allowing the CDIC to establish a “bridge bank” that would step in to maintain financial stability in the case of a possible bank failure.

On May 8th, Flaherty introduced us to the Canadian Secured Credit Facility (CSCF). “Our government has taken a broad and comprehensive approach to ensuring access to credit and financing through the Extraordinary Financing Framework announced in Canada's Economic Action Plan,” said Minister Flaherty. “The CSCF is a critical component of the Extraordinary Financing Framework, which identifies a key gap in the credit market and helps to address it.”

In his address at the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce meeting of G20 partners,Flaherty discussed the current “synchronized global recession.” His speech mentioned … G20, G7, G8… The IMF, The World Bank, APEC… the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions….

All of these groups, these teams… and what about “the Economic Advisory Council to the Minister of Finance” or the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)? Who are these people?
I need a program that names the players!

G5: consists of five of the world's leading industrialized countries: France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Meetings include the 5 relevent finance ministers, central bank governors and finance ministry deputies and the Managing Director of the IMF. Their meetings were kept private until Sept. 1985. By 1989 the meetings were largely replaced by G7 meetings.

G7: includes France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States meet several times a year and is not to be confused with the G8, which is the annual meeting of the heads of government of the aforementioned nations, plus Russia.

The G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors endorsed the report in February 1999, including its recommendation to establish a Financial Stability Forum (FSF). The objectives of the FSF include improvements in the functioning of financial markets, and the reduction of systemic risk through enhanced information exchange and international cooperation among the authorities responsible for maintaining financial stability.

G10: France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with Switzerland playing a minor role. It is a group of 10 countries that participate in the “General Arrangements to Borrow (GAB)” and the New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB).

The GAB enables the IMF to borrow specified amounts of currencies from (now) 11 industrial countries (or their central banks), under certain circumstances, at market-related rates of interest. The NAB is a set of credit arrangements between the IMF and 26 members and institutions.

G10 governors usually meet every second month at the Bank for International Settlements. (BIS) The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), European Commission, IMF, and OECD are international organizations that officially observe of the activities of the G-10.

The BIS is based in Switzerland, it was established by the Hague agreements of 1930. The main players were the Governor of the Bank of England and his German counterpart (who later became Adolf Hitler’s finance minister). The BIS was to make monetary policy more predictable and transparent among its 55 member central banks.

As a result of allegations that the BIS had helped the Germans loot assets from occupied countries during World War II, the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference recommended the "liquidation of the Bank for International Settlements at the earliest possible moment”. In April of 1945 the British and Harry S. Truman stopped the dissolution of the BIS.

The BIS was originally owned by both the governments and private individuals, since the United States and France had decided to sell some of their shares to private investors. BIS shares traded on stock markets, which made the bank a unique organization: an international organization (in the technical sense of public international law), yet with private shareholders.

As of March 31, 2007, the BIS had estimated total assets of U.S. $409.15 billion (based on the dollar/SDR exchange rate at that time).That total included some 150 tons of fine gold.

The BIS provides the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision with its twelve-member secretariat. It is comprised of senior representatives of bank supervisory authorities and central banks from the G-10 countries. The BIS meets about four times a year. The purpose of the committee is to encourage convergence toward common approaches and standards.

The IMFC (International Monetary and Financial Committee) has the responsibility of advising, and reporting to, the Board of Governors on matters relating to the Board of Governors' functions in supervising the management and adaptation of the international monetary and financial system, reviewing developments in global liquidity and the transfer of resources to developing countries. There are 24 members who are governors of the Fund, ministers, or others of comparable rank.

There are representatives from Egypt, Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Gabon, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Joint Ministerial Committee of the Boards of Governors of the Bank and Fund on the Transfer of Real Resources to Developing Countries, better known as the Development Committee, was established in October 1974 to advise the Boards of Governors of the IMF and World Bank on critical development issues and on the financial resources required to promote economic development in developing countries.

It has 42 members, consisting of 26 senior representatives of national authorities responsible for financial stability in 11 significant international financial centers (in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States); six senior representatives of four international financial institutions (Bank for International Settlements, IMF, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the World Bank); seven senior representatives of three international regulatory and supervisory bodies (Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, International Organization of Securities Commissions, and International Association of Insurance Supervisors); a representative each of two committees of central bank experts (Committee on the Global Financial System and Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems); a representative of the European Central Bank and the Chairman.

The G15 was originally established in 1989, it is now 18 members. Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaice, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Iran.

The G-20 is made up of the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries:Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

G-24, is a chapter of the G-77, was established in 1971 to coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issues and to ensure that their interests were adequately represented in negotiations on international monetary matters. The group, which is officially called the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development, is not an organ of the IMF, but the IMF provides secretariat services for the Group.

G77 was established on June 15, 1964, by the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries" issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. It was formed to articulate and promote the collective economic interests of its members and to strengthen their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues in the United Nations system. The membership of the G-77 has expanded to 130 member countries, but the original name has been retained because of its historical significance.

The Paris Club is an informal group of official creditors, industrial countries in most cases, that seeks solutions for debtor nations facing payment difficulties.

The London Club is an informal group of commercial banks that join together to negotiate their claims against a sovereign debtor
G-30 is a private, nonprofit, international body composed of senior persons from the private and public sectors, and academia. Its purpose is to deepen understanding of international economic and financial issues, to explore the international repercussions of policy decisions, and to examine policy options for key issues. Foundations, banks, corporations, central banks, and private individuals fund the G-30.

There used to be a Group of 33, too… it consisted of the finance ministers and central bank governors of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Confused?

I haven’t even started on the The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. Created in 1913 by the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act (signed by Woodrow Wilson), it is a quasi-public and quasi-private (government entity with private components) banking system[1] that comprises (1) the presidentially appointed Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C.; (2) the Federal Open Market Committee; (3) twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks located in major cities throughout the nation acting as fiscal agents for the U.S. Treasury, each with its own nine-member board of directors; (4) numerous other private U.S. member banks, which subscribe to required amounts of non-transferable stock in their regional Federal Reserve Banks; and (5) various advisory councils.

It would be so much easier, just to say "Uncle".

This morning I read the North Korean response to the recent UN resolution that gives authority to all countries to stop and search North Korean ships for weapons. It seems to be quite a threat...

so, immediately,

I spent a great deal of time, researching and reviewing the history of North Korea's weapon potential that has been a source of controversy for decades.

And then, in fairness, I did some research on the culture and history of North Korea, including possible vacation travel...

Here is what I discovered:

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) occupies the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula, covering an area of 120,540 square kilometres (46,541 sq mi). North Korea shares land borders with People's Republic of China and Russia to the north, and borders South Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

By nature, North Korea is secretive and closed. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has officially acknowledged the widespread human rights violations that regularly occur in North Korea. The UN’s Human Rights Resolution 2005/11 states:

“Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, public executions, extra judicial and arbitrary detention, the absence of due process and the rule of law, imposition of the death penalty for political reasons, the existence of a large number of prison camps and the extensive use of forced labour;

Sanctions on citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea who have been repatriated from abroad, such as treating their departure as treason leading to punishments of internment, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or the death penalty; All-pervasive and severe restrictions on the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association and on access of everyone to information, and limitations imposed on every person who wishes to move freely within the country and travel abroad;

Continued violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, in particular the trafficking of women for prostitution or forced marriage, ethnically motivated forced abortions, including by labour inducing injection or natural delivery, as well as infanticide of children of repatriated mothers, including in police detention centres and labour training camps.”

The government distributes all radio and television sets; citizens are forbidden to alter them to make it possible to receive broadcasts from other nations. (You don’t want to know the punishment for violating this regulation)

There are numerous civic organizations but all of them appear to be operated by the government.

The state forcibly drafts girls as young as 14 years to work in the so-called kippŭmjo that includes prostitution teams.

People diagnosed with autism and other related disorders are often persecuted

There are public executions of people, including officials convicted of drug trafficking and embezzlement.

In October 2007, a South Pyongan province factory chief convicted of making international phone calls from 13 phones he installed in his factory basement was executed by firing squad in front of a crowd of 150,000 people in a stadium.

Usually citizens cannot freely travel around the country or go abroad.

Forced resettlement of citizens and families, especially as punishment for political reasons, is said to be routine.

All media is strictly controlled by the government.

North Korea is said to have abducted many foreign nationals and the South Korean government claim that 486 South Koreans, mostly fishermen, are believed to have been abducted since the end of the Korean War.

Crime levels are practically zero, at least to tourists on a strictly controlled tour.

Foreigners who visit the country are generally strictly monitored and forbidden to enter certain locations. Tourist travel to North Korea is only possible as part of a guided tour. Independent travel is not permitted.

Tour groups are warned that any trouble they cause as a tourist will likely be blamed on their tour guide's inability to control you, and he or she will bear the brunt of the penalties.

Ordinary North Koreans are forbidden to interact with any visitor without authorization from the government.

No one is permitted to take photos of anything military, including personnel, or to take photos that would show the DPRK in a bad light.

Citizens of South Korea are normally not permitted to visit North Korea except the special tourism zone in Kumgang and now on tours to Kaesong.

Babies born with physical defects are rapidly put to death and buried.

Disabled people are allegedly "rounded up" and sent to "special camps."

Drinking water is untreated and there are reports of foreigners being hospitalized in the DPRK after drinking the water.

Prison conditions include regular torture. Pregnant female prisoners are forced to have abortions and in some cases babies were killed upon birth in prisons.

WARNING: Under no circumstances whatsoever are you to say something that could be perceived as an insult to Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-Il, Juche, or the North Korean people or government. One tour guide stated that they do not even say the name of the "great father" out of respect. You and your guide are likely to face serious trouble, although your guide will bear the worst of it. Assume at all times that you will be under constant surveillance throughout your trip.

Authorities have imprisoned thousands of individuals alleged to be dissidents or saboteurs.

According to a U.S. Department of State report "Methods of torture and other abuse reportedly included severe beatings; electric shock; prolonged periods of exposure to the elements; humiliations such as public nakedness; confinement for up to several weeks in small "punishment cells" in which prisoners were unable to stand upright or lie down; being forced to kneel or sit immobilized for long periods; being hung by the wrists; being forced to stand up and sit down to the point of collapse; and forcing mothers recently repatriated from China to watch the infanticide of their newborn infants. Defectors continued to report that many prisoners died from torture, disease, starvation, exposure to the elements, or a combination of these causes.”

The administration in North Korea maintains that it does not do any of these things.

UPDATE: note about the comment I received...

I'm not sure why your friend would think that you, particularly, would like it there... do you know which part of Korea your friend meant?

Unless you live with your head in a bag, you know that The World Health Organization declared a global flu pandemic Thursday, raising the alert to its highest level because H1N1 has now spread to 74 countries, infected at least 28,774 people and caused 144 deaths-10.4 percent of which have occurred in New York City.

The speed of the swine flu expansion from country to country is cited as the alarm that spurred the declaration. Not so much the number of reported deaths, it's the number of countries that seems to be the concern.

An article in ScienceDaily (June 4, 2009) said — Scientists around the world are accelerating their efforts to develop a vaccine against the H1N1 influenza virus (Swine flu) reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN).

"It can take five or six months to come up with an entirely novel influenza vaccine," says John Sterling, Editor in Chief of GEN. "There is a great deal of hope that biotech and pharma companies might be able to have something ready sooner."

Okay, now, the U.S. says it has spent a billion dollars on vaccine "production" and I am reasonably sure that I've been hearing about research into this H1N1 vaccine since April... which means September or October, right? Apparently, not.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that nobody knows whether the newly commissioned vaccine will pass critical scientific testing and the first bird flu vaccine developed three years ago did not initially meet expectations.

They also tell us that once a vaccine passes clinical tests, government officials will decide to whom it should be made available and whether it should be included in the Strategic National Stockpile, the cache of medications and supplies used in national emergencies.

There are lots of people who tell us that the flu vaccine can actually weaken the immune system and make you more predisposed to the illness, too.

Flu shots are apparently loaded with toxic chemicals including mercury and aluminum. Dr. Boyd Haley, Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky, has done extensive research in the area of mercury toxicity and the brain. Haley’s research has established a likely connection between mercury toxicity and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, one of the world's leading immunogeneticists, states the chances of getting Alzheimer's disease is 10 times higher if an individual has five consecutive shots than if they have one, two or no shots. About one out of every 1 million people vaccinated may develop Guillain-Barre syndrome—a neurological disorder—as a complication from the flu shot.

The Grassy Knoll Institute (among other whistle-blowing/conspiracy advocates) have a whole whack of scenarios that go back to the "Big Brother is watching syndrome". Many believe that a New World Order is preparing to cull the herd... reducing the stress on our environment and economy by eliminating a great number of the population.

A semi-anonymous submission made by "volcanoman" on April 29, 2009, said: "Progressives already support Eugenics through abortion to eliminate the less intelligent, less wealthy, potential future criminal, and financial burdens to the collective."

A post on October 11, 2007 aptly titled "Flu Shot Conspiracy"
warns us: "After several scenario’s discussed, the consensus was a nation wide flu shot every October. This way, millions of citizens would gladly line up and get the shot not knowing that they were actually getting their very own unique tracking chip that would stay forever in their body. You would have your very own UPC code implant."

and "Part two of the conspiracy is a mind control agent also injected into your body through the guise of a flu shot. Again, the Government would like us to be all good little citizens and with the implant and the help of the media, could control our moods, desires, wants, and needs."

and "One would think that the easiest way to infect the population is through a fake flu shot. Who’s to say that the fluid being injected into your body is not tainted with a deadly disease designed to lay dormant in your body for a 90 day period so symptoms would not appear until millions have been infected."

Back on October 9, 2004, "The Light Party" asked, "When the major manufacturers of flu vaccine get together with the CDC in a closed door summit with the sole purpose of figuring out how to stick 185 million doses of a questionable vaccine into a population in which less than 1,000 people a year die, what should we call it?"

and warned

"There will be another pandemic of the flu, and thousands will die. The CDC should concentrate on finding ways to lower the spread, working alternatives to vaccines, and ways to minimizing the severity of the flu, rather than pumping out fake numbers, creating an aura of fear and hysteria, and shilling for profits to huge pharma companies."

Alex Jones, on the PrisonPlanet dot com site (Sunday, April 26, 2009) wrote, "The latest bioterrorism attack by the New World Order is likely a beta test. Yes, it is a bioterrorism attack. It was a hybrid strain created from human, swine, and bird flu from North America, Europe, and Asia. It was created in a laboratory. This doesn’t happen in nature.

Baxter was caught shipping a weaponized avian bird flu mixed strain in their vaccines last month in Europe. Again, this is proof that this deadly virus was created in a laboratory because they did exactly that last month. Bayer was caught shipping HIV in their drugs in the 80s. Both of these events are published in mainstream newspapers. You can use Google like everyone else to find them."

In 1994, The Royal College of General Practitioners in the U.K. accused drug companies of inventing fictitious diseases or exaggerating the severity of symptoms in order to boost drug sales. It's being called 'disease mongering' and the college explains that pharmaceutical companies are taking the National Health Service to the brink of collapse by hyping both these diseases and the assortment of prescription drugs used to treat their symptoms.

The diseases named by the college as being over-hyped include hypertension, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, anxiety and clinical depression. The college says that these diseases are inappropriately treated with drugs and that many of the physicians prescribing such drugs have financial ties with the pharmaceutical companies.

In response, a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical industry in the U.K. is said to have replied, 'The Royal College of General Practitioners is suffering from argumentative disease and we have a drug for that.'

BBC Online- April 2006 announced "Pharmaceutical firms are inventing diseases to sell more drugs, researchers have warned."

In 1984, John Braithwaite wrote a book about Corporate crime in the pharmaceutical industry. This is what he had to say,

"There are three types of principled people in the pharmaceutical industry. First, there are those who directly participate in company activities which do public harm, but who sincerely believe the company propaganda which tells them that they are contributing to the improvement of community health.

Second, there are people who perceive the company to be engaging in certain socially harmful practices and fight tooth and nail within the organization to stop those practices.

Third, there are people who have no direct contact with socially harmful corporate practices. The job they do within the organization produces social benefits, and they do that job with integrity and dedication.

Most of the principled people in pharmaceutical companies are in the last category."

Lots of people think Pharmaceutical companies sponsor diseases and promote them to prescribers and consumers.

To be sure, a lot of money can be made from healthy people who believe they are sick.

I guess I subscribe to "folk medicine"... passed down through generations- AND Pfeiffer's Law (Dr Carl C. Pfeiffer, MD, PhD) "For every drug that benefits a patient, there is a natural substance that can achieve the same effect."

So far so good.

Thank you to visitor (hnde77) for the response to yesterday’s blog (about the current real estate market). The visitor's comment turned me on to the term "Generation Jones". Having been born in 1958, it appears that I am a “Joneser”.

Social commentator, writer and cultural historian, Jonathan Pontell, identified the existence of a lost generation between the Baby Boomers and Generation X, for which he coined the term, “Generation Jones”.

It's thought, that for teens in the 1970s the concept of "jonesing" (then, a common slang term) is, perhaps, a key to that generation's collective personality traits. Jonesers were given huge expectations as children in the optimistic 1960s, and then confronted with a different reality as they came of age in the pessimistic 1970s.

I've written about this sort of thing before... the way I wore out the 45 "I am Woman" by Helen Reddy... and the way I watched the Women's movement fizzle... and the painful cynicism that has since set in.

We were given huge expectations growing up during the height of postwar optimism, and then not many of them were met. "There’s a lot of yearning in this generation. The word ‘commitment’ was used a great deal during our childhood. So in a sense we feel owed," Pontell explains.

Authors and speakers, William Strauss and Neil Howe, have written a number of books in which they identify a pattern in Anglo-American generations.

They have a different set of labels for each generation:
Lost Generation (1883–1900) Greatest Generation (1901–1924) Silent Generation (1925–1942) Baby Boomer (1943–1960) Generation X (1961–1981) Millennial Generation (1982–2001) Generation Z (2001–)

Strauss and Howe also classify every generation into one of four archetypes ( Prophet, Nomad, Hero, and Artist) which sort of explain the function, motivation and course of each- and is also thought to give us some insight into how that generation will affect current and future history.

Still, I keep thinking about Generation Jones. It explains an awful lot!

"We have very firmly ingrained B.S. detectors. When people try to bullshit us or exaggerate claims, it turns off Jonesers. You have to go out of your way to be real, or at least to seem like you’re being real."

Oh man, this stuff really speaks to me... I chose "get real" as my domain name... this blog is "real talk"... I have a low tolerance for b.s.!

I found these quotes online and they resonated:

Generation Jones people had to work harder while thinking out of the box and the result was computers, cell phones, digital media and the internet.

Older Generation Jones members tend to be more conservative in their politics. Yet the group as a whole is known for being volatile when it comes to politics. They’re more likely to vote for a candidate out of their political party if they want change.

The generation came of age watching the slow sellout between the love fest of the '60s and the money grab of the '80s

In one article by Jonathan Puntell he says, “Generation Jones is clearing its throat. Its voice will be heard.” And “For Boomers, the legacy of the 1960s is ideology, but for Jonesers it is idealism. That spirit of the sixties is far from dead; its seeds were planted in us as children then, and are flowering now. We're not late Boomers; we are late bloomers.”

And what about “ZOOMERS”?

"The population bubble that was the youth market 30 years ago is, today, the market I've defined as Zoomers," says Moses Znaimer (co-founder and creative force behind, among other things, Citytv, MuchMusic and Bravo!). "They were the dominant generation then…they remain the dominant generation now. Zoomers are a growing, vibrant and affluent community. They look at the world with optimism; they are engaged and aspire to enrich their lives and the lives of their communities."

Statistically, they say, Zoomers encompass both the Baby Boomers (in Canada, ages 44 to 62) and those older. It's a vast group – 14.5 million, accounting for 44 per cent of the population, and controlling more than 77 per cent of all Canadian wealth.

Obviously, generational identity goes deeper than popular culture. It touches on shared experiences, expectations and attitudes. I suppose, in a general way, it helps people define themselves.

Regardless of the labels, I am convinced that the disposition of a parent (and/or parents) affects the offspring… and, similarly, the disposition of a culture affects the member of that society… and the disposition of the planet affects the culture… and the kneebone connects to the thigh bone.

Where do you belong?

Lets look at it this way:

Generational preferences:

Generation X

Lollapalooza
Challenger
Nose Ring
Drive-bys
Persian Gulf War
Details
"Boxers or Briefs?"
Microsoft
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
"Reality Bites"
Tom Green
OJ Walks
Seattle
"The Simpsons"
Kevin Smith
Jesse Ventura
Ecstasy
Classic Coke

Baby Boomers

Woodstock
Sputnik
Peace Symbol Necklace
Drive-ins
Viet Nam War
Rolling Stone
Anti-War Protests
IBM
"All You Need is Love"
"The Graduate"
Tom Hayden
Drink OJ
San Francisco
The Cleavers
Oliver Stone
JFK
LSD
Coke

Generation Jones

Live Aid
Apollo
Mood Ring
Drive-thrus
"Star Wars"
George
No Nukes Campaign
Apple
"Born to Run"
"St. Elmo’s Fire"
Tom Hanks
OJ Runs
Austin
"The Brady Bunch"
Quentin Tarantino
Jimmy Carter
Grass
New Coke
(From: Jonathan Pontell, GenerationJones.com)

I know where I feel comfortable!

The Canadian Real Estate Association says that the rebound in home sales and prices this spring is much better than expected. It seems the recession has not stalled the demand or reduced prices for property.

Sure, sales to “baby-boomers” have decreased… but Generation X-ers (those born between 1965 and 1980) is on the climb!

Executive Vice-President and regional director for Ontario-Atlantic Canada, Michael Polzler, calls Gen X-ers the next wave of recreational owners in Canada. In a recent interview, Polzler said, “After being priced out of most markets for the better half of the last decade, Gen X purchasers now have the financial wherewithal to buy recreational product at virtually every price point. Gen X is ideally positioned to pick up any slack in recreational-property markets caused by softer demand from baby boomers and retirees. They are driving the market right now, and that's not something we've seen in the past”.

The 2009 RE/MAX Recreational Property Report highlighting sales, pricing, trends and developments in 50 Canadian markets noted a generational shift in 74 per cent of markets surveyed. Gen-Xers are snapping up affordably priced properties in high-demand areas such as Bancroft, Honey Harbour, Orillia and the West Kawarthas.

There's no question that it's a buyers market right now,” Mr. Polzler said “Sellers have to be more realistic in pricing their properties than in previous years. But in no way are we seeing fire sales. Prices were down in January, as they traditionally are. But right now, we are seeing improvement in most places.”

The report found demand from Generation X has nearly doubled over one year ago. Seventy-four per cent of markets surveyed this year reported a marked trend toward thirty-something buyers.

While the combination of inclement weather and a global recession clearly dampened sales activity at the start of the year, now many areas are experiencing a definite upswing as traditional “cottage season” gets underway.

"Much of the activity in the marketplace today has to do with the mindset of this particular generation," according to Elton Ash, Regional Executive Vice President, RE/MAX of Western Canada. "More important than the investment aspect is the commitment to lifestyle. The purchase of a waterfront home or a condominium is more than a simple transaction to Gen X purchasers - owning a recreational property underscores their dedication to family and balance."

"While buyer's market conditions exist virtually across the board, sellers of recreational properties from coast-to-coast are clearly content to wait out the storm," says Polzler. "They are in no hurry to unload their product. Many have held on to their properties for generations - they're fully-owned yet underutilized, which has prompted some aging owners to list them for sale."

The report also found that while low-ball offers are on the rise, very few meet with success. Through tough negotiations with multiple sign backs, Buyers who are serious tend to find out the hard way that Sellers are serious too. As a result, the sales-to-list ratio remains relatively high in most recreational property markets across the country.

"The prospect of greater stability down the road is creating cautious optimism in the marketplace," says Ash. "Purchasers are seeking to buy quality product, whether it be situated on lakes, rivers, or ponds, before values start to once-again edge up.

Demand for recreational property will always be more volatile, because it's a luxury… but residential sales in our market area remain brisk. Lower interest rates and comfortable prices have brought first-time Buyers into buying mode and there are signs of a broader recovery beginning & experienced Realtors are effective at finding innovative means of structuring offers in order to comfortably accommodate both Buyers and Sellers.

A record-breaking number of homes were sold in Ottawa last month, up 3.9 per cent from May 2008, and for more money. The Ottawa Real Estate Board said 1,969 residential properties were sold in May, compared to 1,896 a year ago. The May figure is a 19-per-cent increase from a month ago. There are more sales reported across the greater Toronto area, as well. The Toronto Real Estate Board reports their market is hot again… & many of these folks are selling their digs in the city and heading for our beautiful hills.

There’s some conjecture that this is, in part, due to the steady publicity being given to the “Revitalization” plan for Bancroft’s town core. (see: http://www.downtownbancroft.com/wp-content/uploads/januaryhandout.pdf or http://www.downtownbancroft.com/wp-content/uploads/revitalization.pdf for an overview.)

Some believe that people are seeking a quieter, cleaner life style and others point to the increasing demographic of retirees…

The Buyers that I’ve recently met are an eclectic group. All very nice, interesting people who I’d be pleased to have as neighbours… and they all comment that our area is as beautiful as any they’ve visited AND less congested.

Most of them think that property in the area is priced more attractively, too.

The Toronto Star, today, reports on an April “open house” held by a Brampton Realtor. During the “open house” a mother and two sons came to the door, posing as potential buyers. The older of the two children hung-out with the Realtor while Mom and the younger child toured the home.

Later that day, the Sellers called frantically… a number of small items (including a Wii system) had been stolen.

The article goes on to explain that the 36-year-old woman has been charged with theft from open houses that were held at seven different homes in April and May of this year. She is facing six counts of “Theft under $5,000” and one count of “Theft over $5,000” and possession of property obtained by crime.

Yesterday’s Globe and Mail stated that while at open houses, the family would pocket jewelry, laptops, cameras and other small electrical goods. All tolled, they are suspected of stealing goods worth somewhere between $15,000 and $18,000. The criminal cannot be named, as this would identify the minor children involved.

Peel Officers have recovered a quantity of stolen items, however, some is still unmatched to the rightful owner- giving police reason to believe that there are more victims, as well.

Investigators say homes in Mississauga, Halton region and Toronto may have been targeted.

“For anyone who is staging a house, we highly recommend that anything of high value that is easily concealed, be locked away,” said Constable Valade of Peel Regional Police (as quoted in the National Post yesterday) “You have to balance staging your home so that a perspective buyer will want to buy it but at the same time, you have to be mindful that there are people out there committing thefts. You have to harden yourself against being a victim.”

Open House thieves don’t wear masks, they look like nice people and they are very polite. They blend in.

Alarm clocks, Hummel figurines, glassware, wine, jewelry, furniture, leather jackets, Cuisinart machines, cheque books, area rugs, antiques, handbags, cameras, art, laptops, toiletries, floral arrangements, books, luggage, cell phones, towels, ipods, crystal, firearms, pharmaceuticals, dvds, liquor, cds, furs, credit card receipts, key-chains… if it isn’t nailed down, there’s a potential for it to go missing… while items are usually smaller, easier to conceal, I have heard of some extreme cases in which thieves have made off with nice door- knobs, fixtures, mattresses and pets, too.

Apparently, medications are the most significant target these days…
& Realtors report having their open house signs and sign holders stolen from the neighbourhood during open houses more often recently, as well.

Earlier this year, ABC television hired actors to be thieves during an open house. I am happy to report that, during ABC’s experiment, every “real” visitor to the open house tried to stop the thieves, even though they were defending a stranger's home.

Many real estate experts agree that it is not, at all; likely they will find a real buyer from an open house. Most sales are made to people who are using an agent and request a private showing.

Most of us are honest and open House theft is rare… but it is part of the reason I don’t go for them.

On May 21, 2009 and article in the UK Guardian entitled “'Turbines wind up my goats'” said that, “After three years of intrigue and confusion, not to mention a death toll of 400, the great Penghu archipelago goat mystery may finally have been solved.”

Eight turbines were installed on the archipelago of the windy island chain in the Taiwan strait. Officials investigating the unexplained deaths of numerous animals believe that the introduction of noisy wind turbines could have induced terminal insomnia, exhausting them- to death.

A spokesman for Taipower said the firm doubted the goats had died from the noise but suggested, if the turbines were proven accountable for the deaths, the company might help the farmer with moving costs.

Council of Agriculture inspection official Lu Ming-tseng said, “If noise at night can keep people awake, then it could also keep the goats awake, and when the wind kicks up it makes a louder noise.”

Jack Steinberger, one of the world's leading scientists, a 1968 Nobel Prize winner in physics and director of CERN's particle-physics laboratory recently addressed the Royal Society in London saying, “Wind is not the future.” Further, Steinberger stated that Europe should cancel its big wind plans and that solar energy is the future.

1976 Nobel Prize winner in physics, professor Burton Richter of Stanford University, agreed that solar energy is a promising new technology.

Also, last week, TREC Windpower Co-operative and Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc. who jointly own the turbine at Exhibition Place, in Toronto- received approval from the board of governors at Exhibition Place to lease land for two more turbines. They are to be located on the north side of Lake Shore Blvd. W. – one opposite Ontario Place, the other at the site's western tip. Apparently the decision is awaiting Toronto Hydro’s final approval.

Lambton, Ontario resident, Ann Towell is a member of Wind Concerns Ontario, a coalition of 29 community organizations protesting industrial wind farms. Towell points to reports from residents located near wind farms who suffer from headaches, sleep disturbances and depression and others, who report constant vibrations in their homes and a loss of cognitive abilities due to lack of sleep.

Scientists have only begun studying the phenomenon. Some early findings suggest that wind turbines create a high intensity, low frequency sound that may affect the body. The sound can cause vibrations in the inner ear that may lead to vibro-acoustic disease- the symptoms: dizziness, nausea and sleep disturbances.

The American Wind Energy Association published a report last week, stating that sales of small wind turbines (big enough to serve a single home or office building), under 100 kilowatts, were up 78 percent last year, although there was a sharp drop-off toward the end of last year and beginning of this. Sales are expected to climb, due to a stimulus act passed earlier this year, in the U.S., gives people who buy a small wind turbine a tax credit on the installation, addressing the challenge of the upfront costs of installation, which can be several thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, the United States has become the largest harvester of wind energy in the world and engineers at Purdue University and Sandia National Laboratories are involved in an effort to develop a more cost effective, reliable, efficient turbine system. Douglas Adams, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of Purdue's Center for Systems Integrity says, “The aim is to operate the generator and the turbine in the most efficient way, but this is difficult because wind speeds fluctuate," adding “…wind turbine towers can be 200 feet tall or more, so it is very expensive to service and repair damaged components."

Purdue and Sandia have applied for a provisional patent on a technique that uses a trio of sensors installed into turbine blades, the sensors will collect data that will provide key information in developing better blades. A Sandia spokesman said, “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we believe the payoff will be great. Our goal is to provide the electric utility industry with a reliable and efficient product. We are laying the groundwork for the wind turbine of the future.”

Northeast of Calgary, FPLE Canadian Wind plans to construct 54 wind turbines. Diane Moran, who represents one of three families appealing the wind farm proposal, cites studies that indicate the turbines cause sleep disorders. Josie Hernandez, a spokeswoman from FLPE Company, described most of the research on wind farms and its connection to adverse health effects as not credible.

Hernandez said the company hasn't heard of any concerns regarding health from people living in areas around its 8,200 turbines across the continent.

Ottawa lawyer, Joshua Moon, spoke at a meeting of the Ontario Municipal Board, last week. Moon represents a renewable energy entrepeneur who wants to install a small turbine in his Ottawa yard but is facing resistance from neighbouring property owners. Moon said the turbine would be comparable to a flagpole in terms of its noise and appearance. Turbines will eventually be as common a sight as utility poles in Ontario but there has to be a first one in a residential neighbourhood, Moon explained.

In October 2008, CTV reported on the environmentally friendly alternative energy source and the debilitating health problems associated with turbines. Residents who live near wind farms complain the turbines cause crippling headaches, nose bleeds, constant ringing in the ears and other complaints. Helen and Bill Fraser, who initially supported a wind farm in Melancthon, Ont that was located next to their property, said Helen developed headaches, body aches and trouble sleeping. Their dog began wetting the floor at night.

Ernie Marshall at first supported the wind farm that was placed near his home near Goderich, Ont. However, he also says that once the turbines got rolling, his health began to suffer, too. "I had problems with my heart, with my eyes, my digestive system," Marshall told CTV News. "It traumatizes your whole body."

"We know there have been complaints about health impacts of wind turbines," says Sean Whittaker of the Canadian Wind Energy Association. "On the other hand, we know there are some 10,000 turbines installed across North America and complaints have been relatively few. There's been research done on this and to date, that research has come to a fairly solid conclusion that wind turbines do not have an adverse impact on human health."

Dr. Nina Pierpont, a pediatrician in upstate New York, has interviewed dozens of people who live near windmills in Canada, the United States and Europe. Her new book, "Wind Turbine Syndrome," documents the litany of health problems experienced by some people who have wind farms near their homes.

Dr. Pierpont believes that with the growth of wind farms near residential areas, Wind Turbine Syndrome "likely will become an industrial plague."

Dr. Robert McMurtry of the University of Western Ontario says "Depending on your distance you'll have 30, 40, 50 per cent of people who are troubled, but not 100 per cent."

Supporters of Wind technology suggest that those opposed to wind technology are relatively small in number, compared to those who (perhaps more quietly) support Wind power in Ontario.

Last Tuesday, Ontario Energy and Infrastructure Minister, George Smitherman (also Ontario’s deputy premier), was promoting Ontario’s new Green Energy and Green Economy Act, saying it will make the province more prosperous. “We think the Green Energy Act can create some 50,000 jobs”, he said and added, ““We passed a law, and the law does not create an opportunity for municipalities to resist these projects just because they may have a concern. The Green Energy Act creates strong motivation to enhance renewable energy projects in the province of Ontario.”

Smitherman’s message: evidently, resistance is not an option.

Still, opposition groups are becoming increasingly vocal. High-profile environmentalists have fought vigorously against wind farms, including Robert F. Kennedy Junior. Kennedy has been criticized by Greenpeace, for opposing the development of a farm off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass.- mostly for aesthetic reasons.

Carmen Krogh, a retired Alberta pharmacist currently living in Cormac, Ontario is conducting a survey of people living near wind turbines. Krogh fell ill while vacationing near a wind turbine complex in 2005. She suffered intense headache, queasiness, dizziness and "It was like my heart was trying to beat to the time of the blades, “ she said.

Dr. Michael A. Nissenbaum, a radiologist at the Northern Maine Medical Center, recently presented a report to the Maine Medical Association. In the report, results of 15 interviews of people who lived near a wind farm in Mars Hill, Maine described many experiencing sleep disturbances, headaches, dizziness, weight changes, possible increases in blood pressure, and increased prescription medication use after the turbines were turned on.

Barbara Ashbee and Denis Lormand, a retired couple who live near a wind farm outside Shelburne, Ont., about 75 kilometres northwest of Toronto, said the turbines caused a loud whooshing sound throughout their home. "You can't sleep properly, you can't do your work properly … you even lose desire to do the normal, everyday things," stated Ashbee.

Geoff Leventhall, an Ontario consultant who provides analysis and advice concerning noise, vibrations and acoustics, said low-frequency wind turbine noise is below the limit of human hearing.

I have only the experience of the local flakeboard company (now closed) and some residents did complain of hearing an annoying noise associated with its operation… oddly enough, some of their neighbours couldn’t understand what they were talking about.

Personally, some flourescent lighting gives off a noise that drives me around the bend… it’s actually kept me out of some retail establishments.

I don’t know anything about goat’s hearing… or the other creatures, like bats and birds, that are often cited as being victimized by the sound of wind turbines… but I’m sure, like humans, there is likely some degree of variation!