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My Personal Journal Page 30

April 29th,2008; Today it is a cold day with temperatures hovering around 3°C. While it did not snow in our area, it was cold enough that I had to temporally re-light the gas heater today until this cold system passes and we get back into warmer weather. I see in the news today that an Austrian woman has told police that she was held prisoner in a cellar for almost 24 years by her father, who repeatedly raped her and fathered at least six children with her. Austria police said in a statement that the 42-year-old woman, identified as Elisabeth F, who had been missing since August 29, 1984, was found by police in the town of Amstetten on Saturday evening following a tip-off. Stunned Austrians are still scandalized by a 2006 case involving a young girl, Kampusch, who was 10 years old when she was kidnapped in Vienna on her way to school in March 1998. She was held for the next 8 1/2 years by Wolfgang Priklopil, who largely confined her to a tiny underground dungeon in his home in a quiet Vienna suburb. Austrians had expressed disbelief that something similar could have happen. I dug deeper into this story and found out that the now 73-year-old father, Josef Fritzl, who is a Christian, had held his daughter Elisabeth, captive for 24 years and sexually abused her in a house located in an apartment block in Amstetten, Austria. Amstetten is a blue-collar town about 75 miles west of Vienna. Elisabeth had been sexually abused by her father since age 11. Elisabeth must have threatened her father that she was going to tell her mother what her father was doing to her, when her father had lured Elisabeth into the windowless cellar and locked her up where she was repeatedly raped and allegedly gave birth to at least six children. Three of Elisabeth's six children were apparently held captive in the cellar with their mother. Josef Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie, had told authorities that from time to time, 1993, 1994 and 1997, they would find a child left outside their home, and in each time, there was a note from their daughter Elisabeth, asking them to look after the child for her. At some point, according to police statements, Josef Fritzl had freed Elisabeth and two of her three children from the cellar, and told his wife that she had come back to them. But the third child, Kerstin, who had lived in the cellar, was found unconscious on April 19 at the grandparents' apartment, with a note from Elisabeth asking that she be taken care of. Kerstin was hospitalized and is in very serious condition. The alleged crimes was discovered when authorities launched a public appeal for Kerstin's mother to come forward so they could use her medical history to help diagnose the daughter's condition. After receiving a tip, police picked up Elisabeth and her father on Saturday. The Austria Press Agency reported that the surviving children are three boys and three girls, the youngest of whom is 5. The father gave the impression to people that his daughter had ran away from home and had joined some Christian cult-like community, in order to explain their daughters sudden disappearance.
Three men are dead after their boat capsized during a fishing trip in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. RCMP said one man survived Saturday's ordeal on Fougere Lake by swimming to shore. He told investigators that the group detected a leak in their aluminum boat early on. They brought it to shore, assessed the situation, then headed out on the water again. The boat started taking on water and soon after that, it took on a whole lot more water, at which time they had to abandon the boat. One of the men was able to successfully swim to shore and the other three, did not make it to shore. RCMP used a helicopter and dive team to search for the missing men. One body was found Saturday night near the shore, while the other two were later discovered in about eight metres of water in the middle of the lake. RCMP have not released the names of the victims, but said one is from Truro and the other two are from Pictou County. The men, all in their 20s, were supposed to be experienced fishermen who were comfortable on the water. From what the police were told, the men were fairly seasoned fishermen and they've done this a number of times, so even with the most experienced person, things can go really bad quickly. Personally, I would have to question how seasoned and experienced these young men were. When they had found the boat to have a leak and brought the boat to shore, and had assessed the situation, did they make any temporary repairs to the leaky boat? If they did, it is obvious that they had done a very poor job of it. Wooden boats tend to leak after being laid up all winter. At least until they plim-up, but not an aluminum boat. I find these men had used poor judgement going on the lake in a leaky aluminum boat, especially this time of the year. The water would be bitterly cold and hypothermia would quickly set in. The men did not seem to have worn life jackets during the capsize of the flooded aluminum boat. They must not have had any life jackets on, if the divers found two bodies in about eight metres of water in the middle of the lake. I think these young men were careless and gave little consideration to safety. In my opinion, it was a tragic loss of life that could have been prevented had care been given to safety.
A report, which came to light on the website of the Federation of American Scientists, an organization that tracks the intelligence world and promotes government openness claims that recent leaps in miniaturization could allow for sophisticated micro-units with tiny transmitters with the capability of tracking and monitoring people or accuire data from various sources. I recall that I had mentioned this some years back when this kind of "High-Tec" technology was just beginning to be developed and it was not widely known to the average person. I recall saying that the technology will be there for these sorts of micro-units which can be embeded on anything, even under a person's skin. You can use these micro-units on people to track their movements, like pets, old age people in nursing homes, escaped prisoners, children, a spouse, or even mark a person for kidnapping or assassination. You can use these devices for clandestine means of acquiring secrets from Governments, employees, people travelling abroad or from anyone they choose to monitor. Copiers, shredders, ATM and bank machines can contain built-in scanners to copy data. Other common methods for using these sophisticated micro-units include placing these things with cameras and listening devices in any locations, in offices, hotel rooms or in privet homes for the purpose of eavesdropping on conversations or record people on videotape. These micro-units can even be made to control the population with imbedded pain devices attached to them, or even elimante people deemed not wanted in the new society. All this High-Tec technology gives the ability for the New World Order to fully manifest itself. Big Brother is watching you. Hummmm... Now where have I heard that before?
The USA government started depositing thousands of rebate checks in taxpayers bank accounts on Monday, earlier than originally scheduled, with the Bush administration hoping the payments will give a jump-start to a weak economy. I see that sharks are on a feeding frenzy in the USA now. Christian ministries are out on the prowl like sharks on a feeding frenzy, pleading to people to give that rebate windfall over to their ministries. They claim they need that money to prop-up their flagging ministries. Others claim that they need that money because of financial commitments they had made, even though they had not the funds to cover those debts. Then there are those who claim they need that money to buy new studio equipment, new cameras and the like, to boost their ministry. Yes, the sharks are indeed on a feeding frenzy in the USA now.
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April 30th,2008; This morning it is still cold with temperatures hovering around 0°C., which is expected to rise only to 6°C. I noticed that I had let slip comments about Christians once again. I really need to stop thinking about that apostate, perverted religion, for it only sours my demeanour. Well, we are at the end of April, and I resolve that from May onward, I will not put to mind any more thought on that apostate, perverted religion of Christianity and the stupid people who are gullible enough to believe in it. Instead, I decided to think on the Gasoline prices in Canada, which have recently hit record highs, are actually much lower than in many countries around the world. People in some parts of the world, like Amsterdam and Oslo, are paying nearly 3 times more than those in Canada. One of the factors in price disparities between countries and the cost of living in various places around the world, is that many European nations tax gasoline heavily, with taxes making up as much as 75 percent of the cost of a litre of gasoline. Of the top 15 countries with the highest gasoline prices, 13 are European. In addition, the survey showed that of the 65 countries, 13 had retail gasoline prices below 69 cents per litre, which Energy Détente considers a subsidized price for gasoline. Most of countries with the lowest gasoline prices are significant producers of crude oil. Canada registers much lower gasoline prices compared to European countries. Canada ranked 37th with an average price of $1.04 per litre and the U.S. was 45th at $0.81 cents per litre during the begining of 2008. Most of the countries above $1.75 per litre were European. On the price of gasoline, taxes accounted for more than 50% of the retail price per litre in 23 countries, mostly in Western Europe but also in Uganda, Slovenia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, South Korea and Brazil. Countries with very low gasoline prices, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Venezuela, and Egypt are selling gasoline below the price of world markets. Here are some of the prices of gasoline that people have to pay in their localities. All prices latest updat for April 2008.
Here in Haileybury, Ont. Canada, the price of gas is $1.26.7 a Litre.

Price in Canadian Dollars Regular/Imperial Litres
United States $0.81 imperial
Hong Kong, China $6.25
Brussels, Belgium $6.16
Jerusalem, Israel $7.04
London, UK $5.96
Rome, Italy $5.80
Tokyo, Japan $5.25
Sao Paulo, Brazil $4.42
New Delhi, India $3.71
Sidney, Australia $3.42
Johannesburg, South Africa $3.39
Mexico City, Mexico $2.22
Buenos Aires, Argentina $2.09
In a few Latin America and Middle-East nations, such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, where oil is produced by a government-owned company, local gasoline prices are kept low as a benefit to the nation's citizens. Gasoline prices in these countries are; In Venezuela $0.03, Saudi Arabia $0.12, in Kuwait $0.21, and in Nigeria $0.59.
NOTE: U.S., Mexico and Japan use U.S. gallons (1 U.S.gallon = 3.785 litre). Other countries use imperial gallons (1 imperial gallon = 4.546 litre). The international yardstick used to measure crude oil is the barrel — even though it's impossible to actually buy one of these barrels. (Don't confuse a barrel with an oil drum. A barrel of oil contains about 159 litres. The price of oil is likely to hit 150 dollars (Canadian, US) a barrel by 2010 and soar to 225 dollars a barrel by 2012 as supply becomes increasingly tight.
This is the difference in the prices of gasoline between the free gouging market predatory Capitalist system and that of government-owned natural resources such as oil, and of nationally owned oil refineries. As gas and oil prices keep going up, Canadians would do well to rethink our national government policy on this issue.
I see there is one country that is planning to establish a gas free environment for their auto transportation. Israel's government has endorsed on Monday, the ambitious plan of a private entrepreneur, to install the world's first electric car network by 2011, with half a million recharging stations to crisscross the country. The initiative is the brainchild of Shai Agassi, 39, an Israeli-American. Supporters hailed the undertaking as a bold step in the battle against global warming and energy dependency. In a signing ceremony with the Renault-Nissan Alliance — with the slogan "Transportation without fuel, making peace between transportation and the environment" — Israel's leaders pledged to provide tax incentives to customers to make Israel's cars fuel-free.
I have often heard during the past years through our Canadian news media, that the majority of Muslims here in Canada are moderates. I really question those statements. Because among true Muslims, there are no moderates. You either believe what is written in the Koran, or you do not. In Canada, there are many Muslim groups who pass themselves off as being for peace and are moderates, but really have an agenda to dismantle Israel and derive money from this process to support "Palestinian” Arabs in the Gaza Strip and in Ramallah. While these so called moderate Muslim groups try to convey a message of peace, they are more likely supporters of Palestinian propagandist from Ramallah who spew out their diatribes against Israel. They claim that the First Jewish Temple was a myth and that it is questionable that the Jews even had lived in the Holy Land at all. Like the Christians and the PLO, they practice revisionist history as part of their standard propaganda. They speak at great length about the "Right of Return" which would allow a greater number of so called "Palestinian" Arabs to move inside Israel and outnumber the Jewish people as a means to dismantle the Jewish nation of Israel. The "Land for Peace" which President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pushing, has the same purpose.
I see in the news that parts of Quebec and New Brunswick are being flooded in low lying ground from the rising rivers. Fredericton's flood levels are expected to match or even surpass the worst flood to hit the New Brunswick capital in recorded history, as the St. John River seeps into the city. People have to evacuate their homes and business as water levels keep rising.
There are Canadian procrastinators who are trying to avoid the taxman's wrath by filing their income tax returns before midnight, the end of April deadline. Those filing on the Internet aren't having an easy time logging on. The online system appears to be overburdened, and there are reports that many people can't get onto the government's website at all. Canadians have got until midnight to file their income tax returns. If people don't owe the government money, they have a full week to file with the extension. A six-day reprieve was made for those experiencing delays with the online system to get their taxes done without facing a penalty. In the last couple of days, Revenue Canada was inundated with people trying to access their web site. Those who file late will face a five-per-cent penalty, which doubles to 10 per cent for those who have filed late numerous times. Those who owe money after April 30 will be charged one to two per cent interest every month. The netfile website itself is completely overloaded right now and people haven't been able to submit their tax returns over the past few days. These procrastinators blame the CRA and complain that they really need to get their act together. These people need to look at themselves in the mirror and tell the image they see there, to get their act together. These procrastinators wait until the last minute, it's not like they don't know when everything is due. Don't blame the CRA because these procrastinators all rush to file in the last few days of the deadline. They had since the 15th of February to file! The solution to the problem is don't wait until the last couple of days to file. Get your act together!
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The month of May is here and with it will bring beautiful flowers to bloom. As of this morning, it is -2°C with a few clouds. Not a very good start for spring weather. We can expect temperatures of 9°C by afternoon. By Friday and on to the weekend, daytime temperatures should hover around 12 to 15°C. A bit warmer, but nothing like the nice warm 20°C temperatures we briefly had last month. We won't get these kind of temperatures until the middle of May. Though I can recall when I was canoeing around the end of May, 2002 CE, in the North Bay area, which eventually led me up here to this area, I had experienced daytime temperatures of 3 to 9°C and nightime temperatures of -3 to 0°C. Hopefully, we will not get those kind of temperatures by the end of this month, this year. The three men who were involved in the killing of Paul Croutch, the homeless person, was sentenced today. Before being sentenced, Superior Court Judge Eugene Ewaschuk said the attack on the homeless man was "sadistic" and was carried out with military precision. The assault was one of the most vicious he's seen in his 42-year legal career. Paul Croutch was used as a punching bag and his head kicked, as if it were a soccer ball. The men were also sentenced for assault causing bodily harm for attacking Valerie Valen, a Good Samaritan who tried to stop the attack against Croutch. The first reservist,Corporal Jeffery Hall,24, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months. The second reservist,Privet Brian Degani,23, With credit for time already served, he recived an additional five years and six months sentence. The third reservist, Corporal Mountaz Ibrahim,25, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after he helped the killers flee the scene. He was sentenced to one year in jail. Canadian Forces spokesman said Thursday the trio were suspended shortly after their arrest and will soon be released from service. Given what had happened, the three men got off easy, considering that it was indeed a premeditated murder. When the men had left the armoury, they already had full intention to "get" a homeless person. According to a witness, one of the men had shouted; "All you crack heads, derelicts and bums don't belong here. This is our park. This gives us the right to do what we want. We can kill you." These men should have received a minimum of 25 years in prison. Just because these men happened to have been drinking, but were quite able to perform their dirty work with little difficulty while they claim to have been "intoxicated", was no excuse. A drunk driver could then claim that they were not in their right mind, after having severely injured or killed someone on the road, as an excuse for their defence. The only difference in this case, the killing of that homeless person, Paul Croutch, was that the men were out to "get" those derelicts and bums who don't belong in their society.
It is good to hear that Brenda Martin, a Canadian woman who spent more than two years in a Mexican jail, had arrived at an airport in southern Ontario on Thursday and was promptly whisked away into a Corrections Service of Canada van and taken to the Grand Valley Institute for Women, in nearby Kitchener. Several friends and supporters were at the airport to greet Martin as her plane touched down on home soil. Her lawyer, Guillermo Cruz Rico, said Martin will be eligible for parole and could be free in a couple of months. Martin was falsely convicted of money laundering by a Mexican judge last week and sentenced to five years in prison in Mexico without parole, as well as a fine. The Mexican court would not let Brenda Martin go until what amounted as a bribe of 35,800 pesos, or around $3,500 was paid. Martin can apply for parole immediately upon arrival at a Canadian facility, as she has already served one-third of her sentence, counting time served before the verdict. Maybe when Brenda Martin gets free, she can do something, like maybe bring a civil lawsuit in our Canadian courts, against Mexican officials for a wrongful conviction.
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May 3rd,2008; This morning it is raining. The rest of the day we have a mix of drizzle and rain. But at least it is far warmer than previous days. With all the talk about food aid to countries in recent news stories, I can not help reflect that Canada had been contributing to the world food aid program's for as long as I can remember. Over the span of all those years of giving large sums of money to those countries in need of it, how come we have seen so little improvement in the reduction of the constant food crises in those countries? Lately, our Government had announced that it would be contributing an additional $50 million for food aid, hot on the heels of the World Food Program's request for $755 million in extra aid in response to rising food prices. The extra $50 million represents a 28 per cent increase over the previous year's food aid contribution. Before we start saving the world, once again, why aren't we asking for an accounting of where these countries are spending that food aid money? Don't get me wrong, I don't like seeing starving people, but what, if anything, are there own governments doing to mitigate these horrible circumstances? Where is the accountability to their own people, and to the world? Too often we find out that little of that food aid is going to the people who really need it, and ending up into corrupt pockets.
Speaking about food aid, there have been much talk about making ethanol from food grains is really a good thing. Most people blame the rising cost of food in the production of ethanol. The making of ethanol from food grains no doubt do contribute to higher food prices, but it is not the only factor. Brazil and the United States lead the industrial world in global ethanol production, accounting together for 70% of the world's production. In 2006 Brazil produced 16.3 billion liters (4.3 billion U.S. liquid gallons), which represents 33.3% of the world's ethanol production. This production is predicted to reach at least 26.4 billion litres (6.97 billion U.S. liquid gallons) for 2008. America uses mainly corn kernels, for their production of ethanol. Brazil uses sugar cane, mainly bagasse (cane-waste) for their production of ethanol. I just wonder why in Canada, ethanol can not be made from non-food sources. Can not our scientist find a non-food plant or grain to make ethanol? A non food plant or grain that is high in starch or sugar? They use starch and convert it to sugar so that it can be fermented into ethanol. Right now, ethanol is made mostly from sugar cane, wheat or corn. Maybe our scientist can engineer a genetically altered hybrid type of non-food plant, like from a sugar cane, mixed with a common wild plant, like the milkweed plant that is common in Canada to make ethanol, it would allow the continued production of wheat or corn for food use, and give farmers another source of cash crop to add to their overall income. By the way, farmers can use a bit of aid in the form of eliminating the land tax on farms, and give our Canadian farmers some sort of fuel tax break, like fuel benefit cards, to reduce their cost of fuel that is being used in the production of food. After all, farmers are the backbone of our rural communities and they are the one's who provide the food that goes on our tables across this nation. We need to stand behind our farmers so they can succeed and continue to strengthen our economy and help build opportunities in our rural areas.
Speaking of farms, the number of farms in Ontario declined sharply between 1996 and 2001. The 2001 Census of Agriculture counted 59,728 farms in Ontario, an 11.5% decline during the past five years. This was slightly higher than the 10.7% decrease at the national level. The number of farms in Ontario has decreased 27.6% from 82,448 in 1981. This is probably mostly due to the fact that the older farmers are dying off and the younger crowd had left the farm to pursue other goals. Recently, a lot of farms went bankrupt due to their economic situation. A farm is an agricultural operation that produces an agricultural product intended for sale.
A Montreal mother was charged with first degree murder in son's death. Louise Desnoyers, 48, is standing trial for the death of her eight-year-old son. Vermont District Court Judge Michael Kupersmith said the 50-year-old Montreal woman, Louise Desnoyers will be confined to the Vermont State Hospital because she is incompetent to stand trial. She had allegedly tried to kill herself after she had drowned her son in Lake Champlain on Aug. 15. 2006. This type of murder, where a mother will kill her children has happened too often in Canada in the past few years. There was Frances Elaine Campione who was accused of the unthinkable. She's the 31-year-old Barrie mother who police say murdered her two young children in a fourth floor Coulter St. apartment building on October 4th, 2006. The youngest victim was just a year old. Her older sister was only three. The accused apparently had dialled 911 after the murders and police arrived shortly afterwards.
Katrina Effert, 20, was found guilty of murdering her newborn baby and throwing the body over a neighbour's fence. Two expert witnesses testified that the young Alberta mother suffered from a "disturbed mind" after secretly giving birth on April 14, 2005 in the basement of her parent's home.
Xuan Peng, 34: Faces a second-degree murder charge for the bathtub drowning of her four-year-old autistic daughter. On July 12, 2004, David Chen, father of Jia Jia (Scarlet) Chen, found his daughter submerged in a bathtub in his Toronto home.
Melissa Blair Audy, 23: Charged with second-degree murder in the death of her three-year-old daughter Venecia Shanelle Audy in Bowsman, in western Manitoba. Police said they were told the girl fell down the stairs in front of her home.
Charlie Rae Lincoln, 20: Charged in Vancouver in July for the second-degree murder of her toddler daughter, two-and-a-half-year-old Hope. She died of an apparent stabbing in the coastal B.C. community of Bella Bella.
Treena Claire Hannigan, 33: Police believe she drugged her four-year-old son Davin Riley Hannigan on April 6, 2005, at a downtown Moncton hotel, then smothered him. She then jumped to her death from a fifth-floor window.
Sivananthi Elango, 30: Charged with first-degree murder in March after she was discovered in the bathtub of the family's upscale Markham, Ont., home with the bodies of two-year-old Renu and three-month-old Movlika.
Shirley Turner, 42: Drowned herself and her 13-month-old son Zachary Turner when she walked into the ocean near Conception Bay South, Nfld., on Aug. 18, 2003. She was facing extradition to the U.S. to stand trial for the 2001 murder of Andrew Bagby, Zachary's father.
On April 27th/2008, Israel's Ex-Chief Sephardi rabbi, Mordechai Eliyahu, was rushed to Sha'arei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem after falling ill with a heart attack. At around 2:00 A.M., MDA medical crews were summoned to Eliyahu's home in Jerusalem after the rabbi complained of serious shortness of breath and strong chest pains. Medics also observed symptoms suggesting Eliyahu's lungs were swelling with excessive fluids. Eliyahu served as chief rabbi of Israel between 1983 and 1993, before he had served as the chief rabbi of Beersheba for four years, and had been elected to the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem, a position he continued to hold during his term as chief rabbi of Israel and through the present. Former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu was the person who had said that Bush was "a man who believes in the Bible". The (Christian) bible, that is. He had also warned U.S. President George W. Bush in a circular against "activity that would harm Israel. That the Jewish people will remember forever all those who do it harm." He had quoted that warning from a biblical passage. The condition of former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem is recovering from a bypass operation to his doctors satisfaction. The rabbi's condition is "good" and that he is recovering and would be released from the intensive care unit.
On the lighter side... A Calgary family who were unpacking in their new northwest home had an unexpected guest slithering in their basement. Two firefighters responded to the 911 call and used a clamp tool, normally utilized to pick up discarded drug addicts needles, to capture the snake. They placed the snake in a pillowcase and took it to a nearby pet store for identification. The snake turned out to be a non-poisonous albino milk snake, which is common in the Calgary area.
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May 4th,2008; This morning it is overcast, and is threatening to rain again. I see that the Jewish people are celebrating Israel's 60th birthday across the country during their Independence Day. They will no doubt be lighting up Israel's skies on Wednesday, the eve of Independence Day. The Jewish people will have huge displays of light, music, lasers and special effects that evening. The events of the 60th year of Independence are due to continue throughout 2008 and into 2009. Hummmm, I recall the remarks made by Ex-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on the Occasion of the Signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles on the 13th day of September 1993, which will echo over the din of the celebrations..... Yitzhak Rabin had stated that he wanted to open a new chapter in the sad book of the Jewish lives, together a chapter of mutual recognition, of good neighbourliness, of mutual respect, of understanding. We hope to embark on a new era in the history of the Middle East. Today, here in Washington, at the White House, we will begin a new reckoning in relations between peoples, between parents tired of war, between children who will not know war. President of the United States, Ladies and Gentlemen, Our inner strength, our high moral values, have been derived for thousands of years from the Book of Books, in one of which, Koheleth, we read; "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace". We know what the Palestinians answer was to that declaration. They started to kill Jews with suicide bombs, shot at Jews by sniper fire whenever possible, fired Kassam rockets into Israel from that day onward, which etched the faces of Jewish people with torment and fear. A time of peace was not meant to be, then or now. When will the Israeli people ever learn?
Speaking about Israel, according to the latest news, USA President Bush is venturing to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt again in May to try to speed up the Mideast peace process and celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary. White House press secretary Dana Perino said all of the issues entwined in the Mideast peace process are "dynamic and fluid," and that Bush's visit is aimed at pushing them in the right direction. "We're going to have to push them faster than they've been going," she said. Bush will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and speak to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, which will be a first for Bush. In Saudi Arabia, Bush will meet with King Abdullah. And in Egypt, Bush will visit Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The core issues remain the final borders of a Palestinian state, the fate of Jerusalem, disputed Israeli settlements, refugees, water and the future relations between the two states. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had attended a Palestinian donors' conference that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had hosted in London on May 2nd, for a ministerial meeting of the quartet, which includes the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. After that, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wound up a weekend trip to Israel to spur Israeli-Palestinian talks with a one-on-one meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Monday morning, and Olmert was scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later in the day. An Olmert aide said no public statement was expected after his meeting with Rice, who at a news conference with Abbas on Sunday demanded that Israel do more to ease life for Palestinians in the West Bank by removing roadblocks. Facing Palestinian frustration at the pace of the negotiations, Rice made unusually direct remarks on Sunday about the consequences of Israeli construction and roadblocks in the West Bank. Palestinian claims that Israel is deliberately expanding Jewish settlements on land the Palestinians want for a state, and have dampened hopes for a peace deal before President Bush leaves office in January.
It is true what Premier Dalton McGuinty said on April 30th, 2008 that the province can't afford to be so "generous" when it's bearing the brunt of the slowdown caused by soaring energy prices, a high dollar and a slumping U.S. economy, in reference to Canada's equalization plan. Premier Dalton McGuinty said Ontario sends the federal government $20 to $21 billion a year, which is far more than it gets back in transfers and services, which is clearly unfair to Ontario taxpayers. Ontario has helped every province in Canada at one point in time or another through the equalization payments it had made over the years. Canada's equalization program was instituted to help poorer provinces. Now when Ontario is feeling the crunch and is struggling with its current economic slowdown, it is "perverse" that Ontario is expected to provide far too much of its revenue to the federal coffers which fund the equalization program. Premier Dalton McGuinty is right to ask Ottawa to revisit the new formula adopted by the federal Conservative government last year, because it just isn't working properly. A TD Bank report was released, which warned that Ontario could slip into a have-not status by 2010, and may well qualify for equalization payments. Equalization payments is a federal wealth-sharing program that provides funds to poorer provinces to ensure they can provide basic government services at a level comparable to wealthier provinces, but McGuinty complains some provenices continue to receive equalization payments when they are doing better than Ontario. Premier Dalton McGuinty is only asking Ottawa to let Ontario forgo its equalization payments it makes to Ottawa. At the present time, the system is totally unfair, given the present circumstance Ontario finds itself in.
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May 6th,2008; This morning it is 0°C, clear skies with a 10km/h wind from the NW. We are expecting temperatures to rise to 12°C this afternoon with some scattered showers by late evening. I see that oil has once again risen to an all-time high. It seems that Oil futures will use any excuse, such as oil supply disruptions or potential threats to supply in Iran, Nigeria and Iraq, and the U.S. dollar's recent decline, to drive up the price for oil. According to New York mercantile exchange trading, oil has hit yet another all-time high, near $121 US a barrel on worries about threats to supply and a weakening of the U.S. dollar. Light, sweet crude rose on the New York Mercantile Exchange system. the price of oil is 50 cents higher than Monday's record close. The worst of the flooding on the St. John River in New Brunswick appears to be over. About 100 homes in the surrounding area have been damaged by flooding, and officials have warned residents that the water may not recede for a few days. On local news, OPP constable Rob Clouston is reminding people that with spring, be prepared for bears wandering about in search of food after a long winter's hibernation. In the Temiskaming area police report that several bears have been spotted and advise the public to take certain precautions. The best way to reduce bear problems around your home is by taking some prevention measures by removing what might attract them to your home. Store your garbage in steel or airtight containers, remove all hummingbird feeders if there are bears in the area. Do not leave pet food outdoors. Clean outdoor grills after each use and rinse containers before disposal or recycling. When bears come around your property it may start off as being a nuisance and if this is the case you need to call the Ministry of Natural Resources at the bear wise program number at 1-866-514-2327. The bear can pose a threat very quickly and when this occurs you need to contact your local police for immediate assistance or the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122. People who use taxicabs in Kirkland Lake will have to shell out more for their rides. A delegation represent all three local cab companies made a presentation on Monday to the Kirkland Lake Police Services Board asking for an increase because of increases in the price of gasoline and insurance. Kirkland Lake Gold is now mining from two levels in the new South Mine Complex. As well the company reports very high-grade gold intersections in a section of the mine west of the SMC. Kirkland Lake Gold chief Exploration Geologist Stewart Carmichael, commented: "Drill hole 50-915 returned 10.99 ounces gold per ton or 377 grams per tonne over an estimated 2.88 feet true width located 1,200 feet west of the SMC and shows good alignment with the existing geometry of the SMC. He added: "It's still too early to draw any conclusions to the size of this discovery, however, this intersection is well outside the current known extent of the SMC proves there is considerable potential for expansion of the SMC along strike." The province has come through with infrastructure funding for the townships of Armstrong and Evanturel to help them get ready for the 2009 International Plowing Match (IPM) and Rural Expo. Ontario is investing over $1.5 million this year in municipal road repairs in the Townships of Armstrong ($1,364,000) and Evanturel ($185,000), MPP David Ramsay announced on Friday. This one-time grant he said will be used for the repairing and resurfacing of Poupore Road and Gravel Road and to upgrade the ditches and culverts on Mini Farm Road, Hilliardton Road and Dairy Lane. These road repairs will improve road safety and reduce congestion for 70,000 visitors that organizers expect will attend the 2009 Plowing Match," said Transportation Minister Jim Bradley.
I recall that I had made mention that the United Nations had schools for PA Arabs (Palestinians) in Gaza. Well, right on the heels of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recent visit to Israel, who had claimed that current Israeli concessions to the PA Arabs (Palestinians) are not enough. Reuters News has come out with a report that a UN worker has turned out to be a Hamas terrorists. When an IAF air strike was made against PA Arab (Palestinian) terrorists, one of the terrorist that was killed, turns out to have been living a double life. By day, he was a respected headmaster and science teacher at a United Nations school, but during the night, Palestinian Awad al-Qiq built rockets for the Islamic Jihad. This news agency report has no doubt "embarrassed" the U.N. agency which has long rebuffed Israeli accusations that it has aided and abetted guerrillas fighting the Jewish state. A UN spokesman for UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, which runs the Palestinian school in which Qiq taught, had told Reuters News that it was looking into the matter. Though Qiq's family, students, colleagues, and U.N. officials denied knowledge of Qiq's work with explosives, or any militant links at all, despite a profusion of Islamic Jihad posters at his home. Hamas terrorists hailed him as a martyr who had led the Islamic Jihad's bomb-making unit. They fired a barrage of Kassam rockets into Israel in response to his death. While US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is sympathetic to these Palestinian terrorist while she and G.W. Bush, are proven to be two-faced when it comes to their claim of being at war against terrorist! What hypocrisy and shame one finds with these two people who are representing the American people! Is it any wonder why countries around the world dislike and mistrust the USA? Our own Canadian Government should take note of that, and should not be so quick to give aid or support these PA Arabs (Palestinians) and their terrorists organizations.

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