text:
Again, I remind the member to address the Chair.
The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona, a brief answer, please.
House of Commons Hansard #250 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-24.
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11:35 a.m.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes
Again, I remind the member to address the Chair.
The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona, a brief answer, please.
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11:35 a.m.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Madam Speaker, if the Liberals believe in a one-tier ministry, they should know that the structure of Global Affairs very clearly puts the Minister of Foreign Affairs above the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of International Development. It is clearly a hierarchical relationship. Those ministers report to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The idea that we are going to have a one-tier ministry after this is just absurd. If they believe in a one-tier ministry, they ought to address exactly what that means, whatever it is.
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11:35 a.m.
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, we do believe in it. We do believe that all ministers are equal and that is what this legislation is all about.
I have been here for the full debate, whether the introduction of the bill or the second reading followed by what took place at committee, the report stage, and now third reading. It seems that the longer the bill is discussed, the more the speaking points of the Conservatives and the NDP have converged, and have now become one in essence. The unholy alliance has united on this piece of legislation.
The opposition members talk about regional and gender issues. We could take a New Democrat speech and say this is a Conservative speech, and vice versa. It is encouraging to see the opposition members come together on important issues, but I would suggest this is not something they should be opposing. It is fairly straightforward legislation.
Some members on the opposition benches ask why we are debating this, why we do not just get through it and allow it to come to a vote. Then others want to debate it endlessly. Believe it or not, I suspect there might be some who might like to see the debate never end on this piece of legislation.
The opposition members try to say to the government this is all about gender equality. They say there are members in the chamber who have talked about gender equality. Yes, I too, in addressing this legislation talked about gender equality.
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11:35 a.m.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
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11:35 a.m.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
The member across the way heckled "why". Let us go back to the reason we have the legislation. The Prime Minister made a commitment that if a member sits at the cabinet table, all ministers will be equal. That means that a minister of small business, or democratic reform, or defence, whatever it might be, will each have an equal vote at the table. There is one vote for each member, and each member has the opportunity to be engaged around the cabinet table as equal peers. That is a positive thing.
Stephen Harper had 40 cabinet ministers, compared to 30 in this government. One of the arguments members raise is that we increased salaries for some of those ministers. Our cabinet is far smaller than the Harper government's, but sometimes the NDP use that Conservative line also.
If we look at what the legislation will do, there is only one conclusion that can be drawn. It will ensure that there is more flexibility not only for today's Prime Minister, but also for future prime ministers in making up a cabinet and recognizing one important component, that all ministers are equal.
Members across the way say that the Minister of Finance has a much bigger treasury to work with than the Minister of Small Business and Tourism. Therefore, they are not equal. It is true there is a difference in the bottom line dollar amount, but to assert they are not equal is wrong. I would argue that the minister responsible for small business and tourism is of critical importance to the Government of Canada. How many times do we hear members across the way ask questions about small businesses? We hear it a lot. That may be one of the top four or five questions asked.
As the government day in and day out fights to protect and expand the interests of Canada's middle class and those aspiring to be a part of it, we look to small businesses as the backbone of the economy and one of the driving forces of job creation.
Many government policies over the last couple of years have fed into supporting Canada's small businesses. The minister responsible for small business plays a critical role in developing good sound policies.
I and small businesses across Canada were delighted when we heard the formal announcement of the reduction of the small business tax to 9%, which is quite significant. It will contribute to the growth of the Canadian economy.
Members across the way say that the minister should not make as much money as the Minister of Democratic Institutions. They say that the minister responsible for small business is junior to the minister of democratic reform. Hogwash. That is what I say to the joint opposition, the unholy alliance of Conservatives and NDP members.
We recognize the importance of small businesses. More important, the Prime Minister understands and appreciates the importance of equality among the individuals who sit around the cabinet table. Only the opposition is giving the impression to Canadians that this is bad legislation. How can those members oppose equality?
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11:40 a.m.
An hon. member
It's not.
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11:40 a.m.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Madam Speaker, the member across the way says "It's not ". Those members need to read the bill.
The members want to talk about gender equality, so I will talk about gender equality and how the opposition has tied that into the legislation.
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11:40 a.m.
Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
You don't need to, Kevin. We only brought it up because you did.
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11:40 a.m.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Madam Speaker, the member for Elmwood—Transcona seems confused, so I would like to clarify it for the member. The reason why gender equality is often talked about in relation to the legislation is because of the opposition's attitude when cabinet ministers were appointed. The Prime Minister announced that all cabinet positions were equal, that all individuals who sat around the cabinet table were equal. He told us legislation would come forward on this.
For the very first time, a historic announcement was made which stated that our Liberal government had a gender equal cabinet. Not only did this historic announcement hit news wires in virtually every region of our country, but it went international. It was about time Canada had a Prime Minister who recognized the importance of a gender equal cabinet.
I heard many stories, some from my daughter, some from my constituents, about how wonderful it was that we had a feminist Prime Minister, a prime minister who made a strong statement while at the same time ensured we moved forward on an important file.
Members across the way, as well as the member for Elmwood—Transcona, might have laughed at these appointments but Canadians received them quite well.
The NDP and their friends in the Conservative Party could not come up with anything to criticize, but they wanted to be critical the appointment of the new cabinet. Therefore, they said that small business was not as important as democratic reform or other cabinet positions. They said that the position of Minister of Status of Women was not worthy of being recognized as an equal player sitting at the cabinet table. That was the best they could come up.
I have news for the opposition. When government does something of that nature, there is nothing wrong in saying that it is a good announcement. It would be advantageous for those members to recognize that when announcements of this nature are put into place, they acknowledge them for what they are. In this case, it was a positive historic announcement that would ensure gender parity in the national Government of Canada. It was a powerful announcement, and I think the majority of Canadians received it that way. Criticism is not necessary.
Let us look at what followed from that. This legislation would ensure that all cabinet ministers would be paid the same. However, that is not the only change being made by the legislation.
There is a change to the title of the infrastructure minister. We all know this government has a huge focus on Canada's infrastructure. For many years, the Harper government did very little in terms of real investment in infrastructure. The legislation that the NDP has been conned into supporting with the Conservative Party also makes a change to infrastructure. The title of Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs will be changed to Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.
There are two things worth noting. One is that the Prime Minister of Canada is taking on the responsibility of intergovernmental affairs. For years, as the Liberals sat in opposition, we saw the lack of effort by the Conservative government in reaching out and encouraging intergovernmental affairs. The Government of Canada at the time virtually ignored our partners and did not reach out or encourage anything to take place. In two years, there has been significant improvement in that area. One of them is the fact that the Prime Minister is going to lead on that front. We have realized tangible benefits by doing that. I will provide a couple of examples.
We can talk about the Canada pension plan. Workers today will contribute more toward a national program, which Canadians love. When they retire in the future, they will have more money. Why? Because we have a government today that worked with provinces and was able to achieve an agreement.
That is not the only thing. The former minister of health went to every province and territory, and an accord was reached. The previous accord, which was signed back in 2003 or 2004, lasted for 10 years but the Harper government did not renew it. If members ask their constituents, they will find that health care is the number one issue, at least from my perspective. People love our Canadian health care system. We now have a government that understands this and it has taken direct action to improve it. The accord has been renewed and more money is being put into health care. Why? Because we have made changes in this legislation that says the Prime Minister needs to play a stronger role, especially after the years of neglect by the Harper government.
A third example would be the price on carbon. The Prime Minister went to Paris where an international agreement was reached. He came back to Canada and worked with the provinces on a pan-Canadian price on carbon, to which the provinces agreed. Many governments around the world understand the need for that. Provinces understood the need for that. At the time, only the Conservative Party opposed it, and still opposes it today, which is most unfortunate.
I would encourage my New Democratic friends to stay away from the Conservatives on that issue. They do not want to fall into that trap.
The other component to that change in the legislation is the renaming of infrastructure. Now, through this legislation, we will have the minister responsible for infrastructure and communities. Two things come to mind there. First, is the historical amounts of money, the billions of dollars, that are going into Canada's infrastructure. Every region of our country will see a positive impact. This government recognizes that we need to invest in our country. We need to invest in our infrastructure. Doing that will assist our country in continuing to grow into the future. That is worthy of having the designation being about infrastructure and communities.
When I hear the argument from the other side about the regional agencies, I think about it and compare it to infrastructure. We will be spending literally hundreds of millions of dollars, going into billions of dollars, over the next few years. I am surprised members opposite do not ask why we do not have a regional whatever to ensure those regional concerns are dealt with through the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, after all, a lot of money will go into the communities.
I say that because I want to highlight the importance of individual members of Parliament. At least within the Liberal caucus, we have individuals who constantly lobby for regional interests for the area they represent. I am an advocate for the province of Manitoba. I love the province of Quebec. I am a nationalist first and foremost. I believe in a sense of equality for all regions of our country. However, I ensure, as much as I can, that Manitoba is well represented when it comes to infrastructure.
We pose the questions. When it comes to P.E.I., Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, we all get our fair share of infrastructure dollars. We can look at the numbers. I think Canadians will feel good knowing that every region is getting its fair share of infrastructure dollars. This will be in good part because we will have a minister who is responsible for that and that alone, building our country, ensuring the national interest is served.
I do not hear criticism coming from the opposition on that issue. However, when it comes to the regional economic development issue, the NDP has joined the Conservative forces to say that we need to have a bigger cabinet. After all, Harper had six additional ministers dealing with regional economic development, so we should also have those six regional ministers.
I hope Jagmeet Singh and the leader of the Conservative Party, when door-knocking in the next election, tell their constituents that they will increase the size of cabinet, by adding an additional six members with responsibilities in regional development. I look forward to having that debate with my colleague from Elmwood—Transcona. How will he defend why the western diversification fund did as poorly as it did, in particular why Winnipeg did poorly, while Harper was in government? If we look at the allotment of money and if we look at the minister responsible for western diversification at that time, Winnipeg did not do well. However, the member across the way will argue that this is the ideal situation. I disagree.
I believe that there is a national interest and that our member from Mississauga and the minister responsible for the development of our nation cares passionately about the national interest, and we will ensure that the appropriate expenditures are being done in the communities that need that support.
I appreciate the words, and I look forward to some questions.
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11:55 a.m.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Madam Speaker, I always enjoy listening to my colleague from Winnipeg North. His words are tremendously inspiring, particularly when he is wrong, because that gives me an opportunity to refute his statements.
My question is quite simple. The hon. member said a few minutes ago that the Conservative Party of Canada would like to create six more cabinet positions to be responsible for each and every region in Canada. That is not exactly the reality. When we were in office, our minister had other responsibilities than this one. Let me give this example, a great example I might say. The former member for Lac-Saint-Jean, who was a senior cabinet minister in the Harper government, was also responsible for the Quebec area.
Would the member explain to me why he said something that was wrong a few minutes ago?
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Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Madam Speaker, I always appreciate the contributions from my colleague and friend across the way. At times, when we get into the heat of debate, we might at times refer to designations. Listening to members from the New Democratic Party and some of his own colleagues talking about the importance of these regional ministries and these regional representations, many would have inferred through the comments that they would need to have cabinet ministers who have that sole responsibility. I would attribute those comments toward this. Ultimately, as I said during my comments, I would welcome my opposition colleagues, both New Democrats and Conservatives, to go to the doors saying that we need to have regional ministers, period. Whether or not they choose to do that would be up to them. My best guess is that they will not.
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Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Winnipeg North for demonstrating for anybody listening at home who thought that I might have been unfairly partisan in my remarks the fundamental incoherence of the Liberal position when it comes to Bill C-24. We saw that very tail chasing that I was talking about earlier in my speech. I want to thank the member for putting that in evidence.
I want to say, with respect to some of his comments about the Prime Minister as the minister responsible for intergovernmental affairs particularly with respect to the health accord, that what was noticeable was first of all it is not an accord and it certainly was not a renewal of the old accord. It was a series of bilateral deals. To somehow pretend that prime ministerial leadership got it done when the premiers wrote him a letter asking to have a meeting about a health accord and he refused them and would not have that meeting, is totally egregious. Therefore, let the record show that this Prime Minister, who apparently, according to the member for Winnipeg North, is providing leadership on intergovernmental affairs, particularly health, would not have the meeting on a health accord requested by the premiers and instead sent his Minister of Health out to conclude a bunch of bilateral deals.
I also said in my remarks earlier that I hoped that the Liberals would back off of the argument that somehow only by having a minister for something is it possible to take issues seriously. We do take all sorts of issues seriously. We have a critic for housing. We have a critic for seniors. I think that is kind of a silly argument, and I have said as much. Given that the member for Winnipeg North seems quite committed to debasing us all by continuing on this line of argument, I have to put this question to him. Why is it that the Liberals do not have a minister for housing and for seniors if their position is that the only way to take something seriously is to have a minister for it and to give him or her a full ministerial salary and title? Why is it then that we do not have a separate minister for housing and for seniors? I do not get it.
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Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I suspect that we could probably easily identify 40 or 50 really important issues facing our nation. If the member opposite is arguing that in order to address each of those 40 or 50 issues we should create a cabinet position for it, then I would suggest that the member opposite is wrong.
The member referred to the issue of housing. It was just a couple of weeks ago that we had the minister responsible for housing stand up and share with Canadians a historical document on a national housing strategy that incorporates billions of dollars over the next 10 years. I would suggest that many New Democrats and people of all political stripes have recognized the value of this national housing program that is being brought forward. I suspect I will be afforded opportunities in the future to expand on that particular program, because it is an outstanding national housing strategy.
The point is that ministers are assigned many different issues, and they are quite capable and able to deal with them. What this proposed legislation would do is make all those who are classified as ministers equal as ministers when they sit around the cabinet table. They all have mandate letters and certain responsibilities and they should be treated equally, which is what this proposed legislation would do in most part.
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12:05 p.m.
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Mr. Speaker, before I ask my question, I would like to announce to the House that my wife and I became grandparents again this morning. My daughter Chantal and her husband Mathieu had a second child whom they have named Lucas, a little brother for my granddaughter Maëlle. I am very proud of that this morning.
My question to my colleague for Winnipeg North has to do with our government's decision to change the composition of cabinet, where we have amalgamated the responsibility of the regional development agencies with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Can the member please share how this would ensure strong representation in regions in this country?
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12:05 p.m.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all members of this House, I congratulate the member on being a grandfather again with the birth of his second grandchild.
On the member's question, I will read something very specific, because I think it is an important point related to the question. "Reporting through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development highlights the importance RDAs play in the regions and permits a more integrated and whole-of-government approach to economic development issues."
Our current minister, who is a very strong nationalist, understands the importance of his responsibilities not only for the region of Mississauga but, indeed, for the country as a whole. When we come to this chamber, we all love our own ridings to death. Having said that, I choose to believe that we all would ultimately do what is in the national interest, and this particular minister is second to none in wanting to do just that.
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12:05 p.m.
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my Liberal colleague a question, because the other member left.
If gender equality is the goal, we need to give men and women equal space.
I think the debate we are having today is somewhat meaningless. The Liberals would have us believe that they want gender equality, but they cannot seem to make up their minds over on the other side of the House. The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism said that this was meant to promote gender equality, although one of her colleagues said it has nothing to do with that.
I would like to know why the Liberal Party opposite is wasting our time with such a bill, when the Prime Minister himself refuses to make room for any of his ministers when he is here in the House answering all the questions.
I am a woman and I have always felt equal to men, and sometimes even superior to men, but that is another debate. I want to know why the Liberal Party introduced this bill, which is purely cosmetic. The Liberals cannot even agree on one explanation or one way of thinking about this.
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12:05 p.m.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, the bill is not about gender equality. It is about establishing that one tier of equal cabinet ministers when they sit at the table, as I talked about. That is really what it is about, along with the infrastructure reference I made in my speech.
All cabinet ministers in this government are equal. It elevated certain positions, such as small business and tourism into the same ranking as the minister of defence, or the minister of democratic reform. Those are all equal. That is a good thing. It is not about gender equality.
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12:10 p.m.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound.
Perhaps one day we will have just one word for each and every riding.
I am very pleased to rise today on Bill C-24. On behalf of all my colleagues, we will be opposing the bill because it is all wrong. I will say why, based on three elements.
First is the fact the Liberals want to cancel very important portfolios, especially ministries that are important for each and every region of Canada. Second, because they create new ministries for which there is no necessity. Third is the so-called debate about salary equality for women and men. That was the cosmetic debate, as was so well said by my colleague from Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix. She said a few minutes ago, this is a cosmetic bill, basically because this is the "selfie" bill.
I have three points to make on this issue.
First, the bill eliminates the positions of ministers responsible for regional economic development. The government is making a huge mistake in getting rid of these positions.
Let us think back to better times, all the way back to 1921, under the Right Hon. William Lyon MacKenzie King, when Quebec had a political lieutenant in cabinet, namely the Hon. Ernest Lapointe. Thereafter followed dozens of strong, influential men and women who were essential to our democratic process and who did a fine job of ensuring Quebec's prominent role within Canada and cabinet.
Obviously I am talking about Quebec because it is my home province, but the same could be said about the other regions of Canada as well. I would even quote people with whom I do not necessarily or naturally share the same philosophical outlook. For example, there is the Hon. Marc Lalonde who played a vital role within the cabinet of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau government and who ensured that Quebec was represented. From my perspective, it was not necessarily the right way, but Quebec was very actively represented under the Hon. Marc Lalonde.
The Liberal government has decided to get rid of economic development ministers for the regions. That is a mistake. First, I must mention that this bill was introduced after the fact. Members will recall the swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall and the pretty picture of these new ministers going to Rideau Hall, getting off the bus with the spouse, the kids, and everyone else. However, the reality is that, once again, it was about appearances and not substance, because they could have very well said right then what changes they were going to make. The changes were announced a little later.
Why is it important to keep regional ministers? With all due respect to the member from Mississauga, who is currently responsible for Canada's economic development, he is from Mississauga. That is not a shortcoming in and of itself. We realize that he knows every corner of the riding of Mississauga. I have no doubt about that. However, can he distinguish between Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke? Does he know the difference between Ajax and Flin Flon? Can he tell us exactly what is the difference between Victoria and Vancouver, and what subtle differences there are between Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles?
A person has to be from the area to understand those differences. That does not take anything away from who the member is as an individual, on the contrary. I am certain he does great work and that he knows his region like the back of his hand. However, that is the sticking point. He knows his region. Geographically speaking, our country is the second largest country in the world. Obviously, in our hearts it is the best in the world. However, the fact is that Alberta's reality is not the same as that of Atlantic Canada, and people in British Columbia have their own needs that are not the same as those of the people in Quebec. That does not make one region's needs any less important than another's.
That is why we need strong personalities in cabinet to advocate on behalf of the regions, people who know what is best for the region in question. In the past, Quebec was well served by people such as the Hon. Denis Lebel, the member for Lac-Saint-Jean, who provided strong leadership. The mayor of Quebec City, Régis Labeaume, can attest to that. About a year ago, he said, and I am quoting from memory, that when he had a problem, he called Denis and they talked and figured things out.
The Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of Economic Development do not have time to call each and every one of the mayors who have concerns. That is the job of the minister responsible for the region. We have been very well served in the past, and I am convinced that we would have been very well served by one of the ministers from Quebec.
Why get rid of this arrangement? All the power will end up in the hands of a single individual, who will naturally be biased towards his or her own province and region, or perhaps even his or her home town.
Need I remind the House that the government refused Bombardier's request for a handout of $1.3 billion of taxpayer money for the development of its C Series aircraft? It did eventually agree to a $135-million loan for the C Series, but also, surprise surprise, a loan of $200 million for the development of Global 7000. The C Series is manufactured in Mirabel. Does the House know where the Global 7000 is manufactured? Right near Mississauga, in the minister responsible for Canadian economic development's own backyard. There is no way this could be a coincidence. That is just one point I wanted to make about this. This is why it is important to have ministers responsible for regions who promote economic development and report to cabinet on behalf of their region, because they know what they are talking about.
I will move on to my second point. This bill turns five ministers of state into senior ministers and creates positions for three other ministers. However, we do not know exactly what they will be ministers of. I will call them phantom ministers to be polite, but others might say they are ministers of nothing. That is the wrong message to send. No one knows who the three positions created by this bill are for, or why they are being created, or what their portfolios will look like, but this bill wants to create them anyway. Come on. It is absurd.
The other thing this bill does is turn ministers of state into full or senior ministers. For what it is worth, this is where we see the ugly side of this selfie government, this image-obsessed government, this government that reacts to an image it does not like by changing course and forging ahead.
When the current cabinet was sworn in at Rideau Hall, the Prime Minister was quite proud to say that, for the first time in Canada's history, in 150 years of life in our beautiful and great country, we had a gender-balanced cabinet. He was asked why and said, "because it's 2015". Everyone thought that was just great, the crowd cheered.
However, a few days later, at closer inspection people began to realize that this gender-balanced cabinet was a bit lopsided. The fact that ministers of state do not have the same power, the same salary, or even the same responsibilities as the other ministers knocked this parity off balance a bit. Surprise, surprise, the five ministers of state were women. There was no parity there.
The ministers of state, whom we can politely refer to as junior ministers, were women only. The Liberals realized that that was not good for their image and decided to fix that. Instead of appointing women to important cabinet positions, the Liberals changed the ministerial titles. They sharpened their pencils and crossed out the word "state" to end up with just minister. Then there is the matter of equal pay for equal skills and equal responsibilities. Skills are subjective, but people should get equal pay for equal work.
Not to diminish anyone's work, but we know that ministers of state do not have the same responsibilities as full ministers. That has always been the case and remains so today. It is almost insulting to regular ministers, if we can call them that to distinguish from ministers of state. There is nothing wrong with being a minister of state. On the contrary, it is a privilege. Here, we are not ashamed because we are in opposition and not in government. Though we may be many, all 338 of us represent the public equally.
People see that everyone has their responsibilities and that a minister of state does not have the same responsibilities as a full minister. For the Liberals' image, it is not a good thing because, as it so happens, the five ministers of state are all women. Quick, let us rename the position before anyone notices. That is not the way to do it and it shows without a doubt that this government is literally obsessed with its image. As a result, the government makes ridiculous decisions.
Bill C-24 is a perfect example. It does away with regional ministers, it gets rid of the title of five ministers of state and replaces them with three phantom ministers. We are not too sure who this bill is for, what the whole point of it is or what it will look like in the end, but this government's image takes precedence above all else. That is why we are going to vote against this bill.
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12:20 p.m.
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for reminding Canadians of the many different ways the government has tried to defend the bill. I was thinking today, as I walked up to the House after the latest winter snowfall, of the different ways of looking at winter.
For example, Gilles Vigneault sang "Mon pays, ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver", which translates to "my country is not a country, it's winter". However, Robert Charlebois sang "L'hiver fret et blanc, fret et blanc comme un lavabo", which translates to "winter is cold and white, cold and white like a sink".
Those two very different visions of winter can be compared to the government, which first defended this bill as about gender equality, and then not about gender equality but something like Animal Farm, where all ministers are equal except some are more equal than others.
Could my colleague again address the flawed logic in the government's defence of this bill?
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12:20 p.m.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, I pay my respects to my colleague from Thornhill, who was a journalist like me. However, he was a journalist before I was born, so I will not repeat that publicly. Luckily, I have protection in here and can say whatever I want, and he cannot pursue me, but I will repeat it outside. I can assure everyone that I will not sing, as my colleague did a few minutes ago.
My colleague from Thornhill raises a very important point, namely, that we should all respect one another, men and women alike. There is no problem with someone being appointed minister of state. Just being here is an exceptional and extraordinary privilege, so anyone who can serve their country even further within cabinet should feel really good about that. In the past, I used to always like to say that I would have been happy to serve in the rafters of the House of Commons or the National Assembly. We are remarkably privileged.
Why remove the word "state" to secure the limousine and salary that goes along with the promotion? Because the Liberals realized that those five individuals were women. If anything, this is an insult to women, because the Liberals are actually changing course. Would they have done the same thing if it were five men?
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12:20 p.m.
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île dOrléans—Charlevoix, QC
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12:20 p.m.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
There we go, Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix has answered the question.
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12:20 p.m.
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I have a very specific question for my colleague across the way regarding, let us say, the Minister of Small Business and Tourism compared to the Minister of Democratic Institutions. I know that my friend across the way is very much involved with the economy, given the many economic questions he asks during question period. What does the legislation do to those two departments? In essence, it does one thing: it makes them equal. What we are saying is that the minister responsible for small business and tourism is equal to the minister responsible for democratic reform.
Does the member agree that should be the case?
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12:20 p.m.
Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, we all recognize that when ministers sit at the cabinet table they are all equal, and that is a real privilege. We are very honoured to be here in the House. Three years from now, if I am selected by my leader, I am sure I will be very pleased to serve as a cabinet minister.
Seriously, that is where decisions are made. What more is there than that? Being a minister is having to make decisions on one's file in one's department. When one runs a department of thousands of people like the defence department, Global Affairs, or the finance department, or all of those other departments, one is responsible to sign each and every decision taken. That is not the case for ministers of state. They are different. We are not talking about quality, but about responsibility. There should be equal pay for equal work and equal responsibility. In that case, there is a huge difference between a ministre d'État and a senior cabinet minister.
Salaries ActGovernment Orders
December 12th, 2017 / 12:25 p.m.
Larry Miller Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is a big task to fill the shoes of my colleague who just spoke. He obviously has a great grasp of the effects of this bill.
I am pleased to have the opportunity to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-24, an act to amend the Salaries Act. This bill has been touted by many members across the way as just a simple bill that must be passed as quickly as possible. They would like members of this House to believe that there is nothing controversial in this bill and that everyone should be on board. My hon. colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, even went so far as to say that this bill is indeed a simple and straightforward housekeeping bill. We all know it is more than that, and I respectfully disagree with that statement.
Bill C-24 is much more than a simple piece of housekeeping legislation. There are numerous changes in this bill that would have lasting impacts on a number of regions in Canada. Today, I would like to set the record straight. I would like to explain the concerns I have with this bill, as well as my concerns with the way the government has rushed this bill through the process by trying to make people believe that the bill simply contains housekeeping measures.
First, my major concern with this bill is that it would formally eliminate the positions of the six ministers for regional development agencies. As we know, the previous government maintained a system of six different development agencies, with a minister of state assigned to each. The agencies represented six unique regions of Canada and included one for Atlantic Canada, one for Quebec, one for the north, one for southern Ontario, one for northern Ontario, and one for western Canada. These agencies were tremendously successful in ensuring that regional economic interests were represented at the cabinet table.
The Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development website even states the following:
Canada's Regional Development Agencies help to address key economic challenges by providing regionally-tailored programs, services, knowledge and expertise that:
Build on regional and local economic assets and strengths;
Support business growth, productivity and innovation;
Help small- and medium-sized businesses effectively compete in the global marketplace;
Provide adjustment assistance in response to economic downturns and crises; and
Support communities.
Despite all of the important work that I just listed, the Prime Minister has stated that he believes that regional development agencies represent a bad kind of politics, whatever he means by that. I know that the Prime Minister and I disagree quite a bit when it comes to politics; that is not really a state secret. However, there is a difference between politics and governance, and I, for one, believe that having a regional economic development minister at the cabinet table fighting for his or her regions of interest is a very effective way to govern.
Rather than having individual ministers represent specific regions through the regional development agencies, the Prime Minister has opted to concentrate this power within one minister, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, a minister from Mississauga—Malton, a minister for everything. How can the Prime Minister honestly expect that a minister from the GTA will be able to effectively fight for Atlantic Canada, western Canada, the north, Quebec, and the list goes on?
We are already seeing that the Prime Minister's new system is not working. For example, just last fall, the government awarded $150,000 in funding that was earmarked for northern Ontario to a company based in, get this, southern Ontario, Mississauga—conveniently, I might add, in the riding of the minister for everything, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and member for Mississauga—Malton. When did it become part of northern Ontario? The Bruce Peninsula is a three-hour drive north of there, and we cannot even get it designated as part of northern Ontario. I think maybe the compass might have been a little faulty in the Prime Minister's Office.
Furthermore, in Atlantic Canada it has been reported that there has been a threefold increase in processing times at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, known as ACOA, since the Prime Minister put the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development in charge of the agency. Quite simply, the system is not working. It is pretty clear. I do not believe that the government has the right to give anyone lessons when it comes to the kind of work that our regional economic development agencies do for Canada. While these agencies work hard to deliver funding and ensure that businesses have what they need to succeed in their regions, the Liberal government calls business owners tax cheats, comes up with schemes to tax small businesses, and cannot seem to get any money out the door for important infrastructure projects.
For anyone in rural Canada, and I am one of those MPs who represents a large rural area, infrastructure is non-existent. It is just not there. Major transit projects—and I have nothing against those—get funding in the big cities, while rural Canada gets shafted again.
In fact, in rural Ontario in my riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, there is a certainty of feeling that we are being forgotten. Important projects are being left on the back burner while the government focuses solely on big city initiatives. FedDev Ontario, the federal economic development agency for southern Ontario, consistently worked to deliver important funding. By the way, the previous government filled that void and put FedDev in there, because there was nothing for southern Ontario before. With this government's inability to get infrastructure out the door, as I said, and now the elimination of FedDev, I am very concerned about what the passage of this bill would mean for rural infrastructure.
Another concern I have with this bill is in regard to the three ministerial positions that are created in the bill but not yet filled. Bill C-24 would create a total of eight new Liberal ministerial positions. In part, this is to accommodate the five minister of state roles that were filled after the 2015 election. However, there are three new positions created with no one to fill them. It really begs the question: Why create positions that are not needed, unless this government has a plan to fill these positions?
If it is the government's plan to fill these positions, I do have some suggestions. For example, let us put in an associate minister of finance. This would be very helpful. That way, the Minister of Finance could actually recuse himself from conversations about pension legislation that directly benefits his family company. We could also use a Minister of International Trade. My apologies, but with the bungling of NAFTA, the stalling TPP negotiations, and the embarrassing fiasco in China last week, I almost forgot that we already have one. Perhaps we could use a minister for rural affairs, instead of a minister of everything from Mississauga—Malton, though I'm not sure the government cares much about communities with a population less than 50,000. In fact, I am very positive about that. The government should be open and transparent and tell us what these mystery positions are all about.
Finally, I would like to conclude by stating that I am very concerned about the pace at which the government is moving on this legislation. I am told that, when the government operations committee studied this legislation, the only two witnesses were the government House leader and one professor. There is no partisanship there, is there? I have been involved and have chaired a number of committees over the years. I can say that having only two witnesses appear before any committee is simply unacceptable and it is certainly not the norm. In no way would it be possible for the committee to complete a full study of this bill or any bill.
Furthermore, I have learned that the topic of regional development agencies was not even discussed at the committee stage. What was the study about? This is unacceptable, and again shows that the government has no intentions of actually talking about this or consulting, whether it is through committee or the public. All they are about is trying to push this bill through as fast as possible.
With that, I am happy to take questions from my hon. colleagues. Before I do, I may not have another opportunity before we break for Christmas, so I would like to take a brief moment, Mr. Speaker, to wish you, your staff, and all my colleagues and members of this House a very merry Christmas and wish everyone all the best in the upcoming year.


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Compaction equipment is used to compress and/or compact different types of materials at a work site. In construction sites different tools and machines are used for different purposes, such as waste around the work area is compacted and then disposed or loose soil around the work site is compacted before the start of the actual construction work.
While compaction equipment is mostly used to compress loose soil, but owing to a variety of compaction equipment available today, this equipment has found way in all types of construction activities, right from building roads to constructing industrial complexes. This equipment can compress loose soil, rocks, landfill debris, road surfaces and other materials to a particular density levels, so that the ground does not cave with use or over a period of time.
Types of Compaction Equipment
Here are some of the different types of compaction equipment that are used at construction sites.
- Wheeled Compactor: This is the largest type of compactor available on the market. It comes with steel wheels that have about 30 to 40 spikes. As the machine moves, each spike enters the earth. Each wheel has the ability to vibrate and this causes further compaction of the soil. This compactor is extremely heavy, more than 100,000 lbs and is used to compact landfill debris and loose top soil to prepare the soil surface for asphalt rock or concrete.
- Vibrating Road Roller: This type of compaction equipment is large and heavy-duty equipment. It usually weighs more than 35,000 to 45,000 lbs, based on the type of model you decide to buy. This compactor has round steel drum in front and is used to compact soil or smooth out asphalt and make it flat. The drum uses a force from 70 to 100 lbs per square inch at least. As the drum is fixed, the movement of the vehicle controls whether the drum moves to the right or left.
- Plate Compactor: This type of compactor is used for tight spaces and surface areas that are small, about 5,000 to 10,000 square feet. This is a walk-behind compaction equipment that comes with vibrating plate located at the bottom part of the machine. Generally, the machine weighs anywhere from 100 to 200 lbs and has the ability to compact soil until a depth of 12 inches. This compaction equipment usually is used to compact base rock present under surfaces that are paved with stone or asphalt. It can also be used to compact bricks to flatten surfaces and make them suitable for pedestrians and vehicles.
- Tamper: When light compaction is the need of the hour, a hand tamper is used. This type of compactor has wooden handle onto which a steel plate is attached. This plate is raised and dropped on the surface that has to be compacted or compressed. A tamper is perfect for compressing small irrigation canals and trenches, performing landscaping compaction or preparing soil for laying stones to make walkways.
If you are looking for a compactor, it is advisable to first determine what you will be using it for and then check out the different models and makes to find one that is best suited for your needs.

subset: commoncrawl


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Got an apetite for the ultimate braided look? Sophisticate's Hairstyle Guide can help you out! The issue currently on sale (the one with Jennifer Lawrence on the cover!) features two gorgeous looks with braids, including the one shown above. Be sure to pick up your copy for the whole step-by-step guide, including tons of how-to photos.
You'll look perfectly plaited!


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DIVA - GLOW WORM from Lily X. Wahrman on Vimeo.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Diva - 'Glow Worm'
Ex-members of LA-based psychedelic-dub-drone band Pocahaunted include Amanda Brown (of LA Vampires/Not Not Fun) and Bethany Cosentino (aka Best Coast). Diva Dompe now looks set to make her mark solo-wise: 'Glow Worm' is taken from her cassette The Glitter End, which Ariel Pink voted as his 3rd favourite album of last year and which is now getting a re-release. 'Glow Worm' is a hypnotic, warped and trippy tune that's very reminiscent of Brown's LA Vampires material, although this has a warmer tone to it, partly because of Dompe's beguiling vocals.
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Individual urn made of brass with brushed black and gold finish
~ Handmade
~ Size: H10 in
~ Volume: 202 in3
~ Access: screw cap on top~ Maintenance free~ Velvet case included~ Engraving plate not included
Parchment made of ready to engrave bronze sheets
~ Is placed in front of the urn.
Individual aluminum urn painted bronze with fine textured maroon base
~ Size: W5,88 x H10,13 x D5,88 in
~ Volume: 206 in3
Individual metal urn painted textured bronze
~ Size: H10,63 in
~ Volume: 202 in3
Individual urn made of #06 emperador brown marble
~ Size: W10 x H6 x D6 in
~ Volume: 213 in3
Made of glass ~ Diamond-cut etched pattern
~ Format: H10,5 in
~ Volume: 212 in3
Our high quality ornaments:
~ Format: W2,5 x H4 in
Our high quality ornaments and picture frames are made of polished metal and require no maintenance.
~ Format : W2,75 x H2,88 x D1,25 in
~ Stand-alone.
Our frames have a space for inserting a photo of the loved one, even if already installed on the urn.
~ Format: W2,13 x H2,5 in
~ Fixed on the urn.
~ Format: W1,25 x H2 in
Individual urn made of #38 laurentian green granite
~ Size: W5,25 x H9,5 x D9 in
~ Volume: 200 in3
Companion urn made of #07 botticino fiorito marble with golden light metal shell
~ Size: W10 x H8,75 x D8,5 in
~ Volume: 475 in3
Companion urn made of #38 laurentian green granite
~ Size: W10,5 x H9,25 x D9,5 in
~ Volume: 450 in3
Individual narrow urn made of bronze and stainless steel
~ Size: W6,72 x H8,78 x D3,5 in
~ Volume: 204 in3
Made of brass
~ Brushed finish
~ Size: H2,75 in
~ Volume: 3 in3
~ 14k gold plated on 925 sterling silver keepsake pendant and 18" rope chain
~ Size: L3/4 x H1/2 in
~ Volume: 1/2 in3
~ Top screw loading
~ Can be engraved with 3 lines of text, up to 8 letters per line.
925 sterling silver keepsake pendant and 18" rope chain.
~ Size: W1/4 x H1 in
~ Can be engraved with 3 lines of text, up to 6 letters per line
Innovative, simply select one of the sculptures below to customize the urn.The sculpture can be easily removed, allowing the family to bring home a keepsake of the loved one.
Individual urn made of #21 vermilion granite
~ Shown here with the "Roses" sculpture
~ Size: W5,13 x H9 x D10,25 in
~ Volume: 200 in3
Our high quality engraving plates are made of polished metal.
~ Format: for 7" high urn
Note: Shipping fees apply on orders of 10 ornaments or less when no urns are ordered.
~ Format: W2,5 x H2 in


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AuthorHugo Frieszo
CompanyDar Al-Handasah
LocationKuwait Middle East
Kuwait's GreenTech Corridor
The GreenTech Corridor in the western sub-region of Kuwait is a special development region set to create lasting change in the country and region by becoming a model and testing ground for sustainable development in a desert context.
Welcome to Kuwait's western sub-region (WSR): a landlocked, isolated, flat, barren desert landscape in excess of 3,000 km2 in area, 80 km from the nearest coastline and inhabited area, with practically no assets except three distinctive environmental conditions: the largest continuous land area in the country, the most exposed to the highest prevailing sun and wind intensities, and the lowest sand movement.
Dar Al-Handasah won the bid to undertake the physical development plan for the WSR on behalf of the Kuwait Municipality Master Plan Department in July 2012. The project was managed by the Planning & Urban Design Department at Dar, who employed almost all the engineering, planning and design skills within the firm, and was fortified by SSH, Dar's local partner in Kuwait. Dar worked with all the diverse stakeholders to achieve a bespoke Integrated Development Plan for the WSR. That plan is the Kuwait GreenTech Corridor.
Green business means business
Globally, green business is driving economic growth - and not just in a peripheral way. The greening of economies is a new engine of structural growth and a net job generator that is environmentally, socially and economically responsible. The green technology economy is one of the fastest growing sectors globally. China, for example, currently outspends the United States in green technology by a ratio of 4 to 1.
In Kuwait, green business is also receiving the government's stamp of approval. Until the WSR study was undertaken, the best sites to deliver the Kuwait Amiri target had not yet been determined. The Amiri decree states that, by 2030, 15% of all Kuwait's power needs should come from renewable sources.
Evaporative cooling technologies offer the most potential for a country like Kuwait. Using evaporation-cooled greenhouses and solar energy apparati, these technologies rely on seawater, pollution and sunlight to profitably produce clean energy, clean air, clean potable water, and food. They are also capable of producing biofuel constituents, salt and restorative green growth in the desert.
The WSR was chosen as the most promising site for a green hub. With its comparatively high amount of valuable land permitted for development, combined with the area's particular environmental characteristics, the WSR was found to offer the most appropriate sites for renewable green technologies related to clean energy, water and food production.
Settling on the vision for the WSR
Dar began by identifying some factors that the WSR could capitalize on. They zeroed in on manufacturing, industry, energy from the desert environment through specialization in renewables and green technologies, farming, animal husbandry, rural and urban investment housing communities, and managed access to the natural environment.
The ambitious development vision that naturally emerged as The WSR's three key development goals are therefore to:
- Provide sustainable sources of renewable energy (RE) with the aim of achieving energy security, in line with the Amiri decree (the more RE is used for domestic consumption, the more oil and gas can be sold for export income)
- Achieve food security (in combination with RE processes and abundant resources such as seawater and sun)
- Diversify the economy, creating jobs and new, balanced communities.
These goals will be achieved through a raft of potentially synergizing projects:
- RE generation (solar and wind)
- Seawater greenhouse food production (localized desalination through evaporative cooling)
- Green manufacturing (RE apparati and products)
- Ecologically responsive model settlements in the desert context (eco-towns/villages).
Uniting all these development opportunities is the GreenTech Corridor concept.
Connecting the dots .... The Green Grid of the GreenTech Corridor
GreenTech's prime innovation is that it generates clean energy, air, food, and water, within a single integrated spatial Green Grid Framework. The framework accommodates ecologically responsive land uses and economic activity, employment and lifestyles in model settlements in a desert context.
The WSR will become Kuwait's platform for green tech initiatives across all sectors of the economy. The WSR's physical development plan will entrench green growth and operating practices across all the proposed land uses and infrastructure provision.
Impact of the physical development plan for WSR
By relying on seawater technology, the Corridor will not only generate food and RE, but also provide an adequate context for eco-villages, simultaneously generating more jobs and diversifying the economy.
Projected development up to 2030
Jobs created : 150,000 approximately
Main population: 50,000 approximately
Labor population: 190,000 approximately
The main driver of development in the WSR will be green tech energy production in the form of renewable solar and wind energy parks. In turn, these will be supported by:
- Industrial uses whereby green technology products might be manufactured, such as solar and wind energy apparati
- Agriculture approaches adapted to synergize with renewable technologies and resources
- Model desert settlements that offer ecologically responsive services and lifestyles.
The Corridor will feed off the current As-Salmi Highway linking the Kuwait Metropolitan Area and As-Salmi border, the westernmost tip of Kuwait. The Corridor will be structured spatially by a proposed Green Grid that comes off the highway at various regular intervals. The Grid lines comprise palm grove avenues lending a desert-rural character to the WSR, which are in turn lined on both sides by continuous stretches of productive farms. These farms can be used productively across a range of sustainable activities, or farm franchises, including seawater greenhouses linked to the adjacent RE parks within the Grid.
This Green Grid will access and cover the disparate large tracts of land permitted for development by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). The Green Grid is robust and flexible enough to absorb development constraints such as the military shooting range site, KOC servitudes, power lines, and safeguarded aquifers. The Green Grid locates within its spatial framework all the RE parks, industrial estates, free trade zone, and farms supported by a hierarchy of ecologically responsive settlements comprising two anchor eco-towns along the As-Salmi Highway at Al-Naayim and As-Salmi border, and an even distribution of labor towns and villages.
Blazing a trail: The potential for transferability and up-scaling
The Kuwait GreenTech Corridor plan has the potential to be a model to other Gulf countries and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in general. While Abu Dhabi's high-profile Masdar City project first proposed sustainable urban living relying on RE sources and becoming a hub for clean-tech companies, this development, at 6 km2 in size, differs significantly in scale and scope from the integrated and diverse regional spatial strategy of the WSR spread over 3,000 km2.
The usefulness of the WSR model can be illustrated in the following way:
- The model is highly transferable under similar environmental conditions, and more so with similar compelling economic conditions that reach locally and regionally
- No other Middle Eastern country has planned or sought to pioneer a greentech initiative at this scale that generates clean energy, air, food, and water, within an integrated spatial green framework of ecologically responsive economic activity, land uses and rural/urban settlements
- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) pooling of resources can contribute to a wider cross-border regional green infrastructure network that can yield even further efficiencies, products and services.
The initial challenge for a vision of this kind comes from the limitations of the current institutional framework in Kuwait.
The second challenge is the almost unprecedented scale of the technically complex RE infrastructure, which is developing at such a rapid pace that last year's technology is already obsolete. What is more, GreenTech Corridor's infrastructure needs to meet the 15% target by 2030.
Thirdly, the project's success cannot depend on the public sector alone. Development in the WSR can only be achieved through a constructive engagement of the public sector with the private sector. Right now, the current public sector establishment cannot deliver the RE infrastructure by itself. It must consider a privatization effort to deliver the GreenTech Corridor, while still providing a necessary regulatory and investment-friendly role.
Closing thoughts
There are, indeed, challenges to overcome to deliver these ideas and achieve the WSR GreenTech Corridor. Yet, clearly, the planning for energy and food resource security, supported by ecologically responsive industrial activity and model desert development, remains a worthwhile pursuit to sustain Kuwait going forward. An added bonus is the capacity to sell more oil and gas for export income. The GreenTech Corridor will create a more diversified economy and bolster the main economy with a green one, including all its attendant benefits.
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Our Swashbucklin' Guide to Talk like a Pirate Day
Piratize your 'tude
Avast, mateys! Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The finest day on the whole calend-aarrrr to cast aside your land-lubbing ways and unleash your inner sea dog. We've got all the booty you need to celebrate the day with yer young scallywags. Kick up yer pegleg! 'Tis time to scrape the barnacles off yer Wednesday.
Mini glossary o' pirate speak
Pirates ain't the kindest lot. The real ones tend to spout some salty insults that would shock and appall most land-locked folk. Steer clear of the unclean jeers when you be teachin' yer young scallywags the pirate culture. Here are some fun phrases for your wee hearties who may take such words to heart. (Be forewarned: speakin' like a pirate all day may invite mockin' from those unworthy of their sea legs. Cast a blind eye, we reckon.)
Hello: Ahoy!
Yes: YARRR
What's up?: AVAST!
Friends: Hearties
Oh my gosh!: Shiver me timbers! (i.e., Shiver me timbers! That be the loveliest colourin' I've seen across th'whole seven seas.)
I concur: ARRR! (i.e., ARRR! 'Tis a pesky pain in the peg leg, that yappin' neighbors dog.)
Food: Grub (i.e., It be 6 o'clock, scallywags! Grub be on the table!)
Treasure: Booty / loot (i.e., Finish yer greens and be rewarded with Mr. Christie's sugary loot.)
Steal: Plunder (i.e., Mr. Christie don't much approve of gettin' his loot plundered.)
Helpful hints: Drop the "g" from all "ing" words (rowin', fishin', talkin', partyin') for optimal pirate swagger.
We also suggest referring to yourself in third person with a festive nickname. Simply insert a "Cap'n", "Shark Tooth", or "Long John" prefix. (Or hop on this pirate name generator.) You'll feel like a scurvy knave in no time.
If you can't think of any clever pirate quips, just squint your eyes and grit your teeth like you're plotting a salty scheme.
To get you started on your pirate speak, take a lesson from pirate guys Ol' Chumbucket and Cap'n Slappy. They explain the 5 As — Ahoy, Avast, Aye, Ai ai, and Arrrr.
Timber-shiverin' beats will help you get into the pirate groove. Yesterday we posted a selection of sweet sea chanteys to get you into the spirit, featuring the captains of pirate punk The Dropkick Murphys and Barry G. Blast these on yer rusty hornpipe!
Buckle down and read some pirate-inspired lyrics. These three are proud beauties.
The Pirate by Shel Silverstein
Oh, the blithery, blathery pirate
(His name, I believe, is Claude),
His manner is sullen and irate,
And his humor is vulgar and broad.
Pirate Story by Robert Louis Stevenson
Where shall we adventure, to-day that we're afloat,
Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat,
To Providence, or Babylon or off to Malabar?"
The Homesick Pirate by Joshua Seigal
There was a homesick pirate,
His name was Danny Dunn,
Last night in bed he made a wish –
He thought it would be fun
To hop aboard a pirate ship
Instead of going to school."
How does one party like a pirate? Aye, let us count the ways!
- Take a spin around the neighborhood in your bike / schooner to show off your pirate duds.
- Have a breadstick/ cardboard tube / pool noodle duel
- Set your Facebook language to pirate (account settings, language, edit, select English (pirate). Ye' be welcome.)
- Swab the deck. If there's ever a day you might be able to make sweeping appealing, it's today. Worth a try.
- Walk a sidewalk chalk plank.
- Make a tissue box marshmallow cannon.
- Be inspired by these cool families who have made their lives a little more adventurous with a homemade pirate sandbox and a pirate ship and air cannon.
Don't just talk the talk. Walk the walk. For starters, cover yourself and your kid with temporary tattoos. Full sleeves, ideally. Add a bandana tied around your head, an eye patch, hoop earrings, a ton of beaded necklaces and some eyeliner scruff drawn on the face à la Jack Sparrow. Anything with skull and crossbone imagery you can find in your closet? Today's the day to don it. Now you can really embody the pirate spirit.
Photos by seeareleem, bosque pescador, bill owen via Flickr.


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Error in Goshen budget article
In the May 30 edition of The Register Citizen, a story incorrectly stated that the Goshen fund balance was nearly $10.7 million, when in fact that was the town's budget amount. The actual fund balance, going into the budget proposal, was $1,491,000.
Also, due to the effect of the town's recent revaluation on property values, taxpayers will only be affected by a roughly 1.4 mill increase to their taxes, or $1,640 for a property assessed at $100,000, rather than $1,920 as previously reported.


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Pest Control Service
A pest free environment will keep you at ease, In your home and your office. Our trained technicians will come out and evaluate and diagnose your pest. Through proper treatments you will know that your pest problem is being taken care of. Green Acre offers Pest Conrol services in the following Utah cities and surround areas:
- Provo
- Orem
- Lehi
- Draper
- West Valley
- Salt Lake City
- Park City
- Layton


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Say It To My FacebookMarch 29, 2008
So you've certainly heard of Facebook and you may even have a profile of your own. But why?
Let's be honest with each other. You use Facebook to brag. You post pictures of yourself on vacation. You update your job history so you look like an important player and you ask everyone you've ever met to be your friend. If you don't see them quarterly or you don't talk to them in person every few months, why do you want to "friend" them?
It's not because you care. It's because you want everyone who has ever known you to realize how cool you are now and what cool things you've been up to. It's because you stood in front of a rock star last summer or posed with attractive people who's names you don't know during spring break. And hell, the more people are friends with you, the cooler you are. I bet you haven't spoken to 75% of your "friends" in at least a year. I also bet you look at other people's profiles just to compare your life progress to the kid's you met in high school, college or the guy across the office.
Do you miss the good old days bad enough to reacquire cliques and gossip on walls and show off pictures like you were trading your wallet-sized class photos back in the late 80's?
Wait… you do have a Facebook account? Sweet, because we want to be your friend.


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I decided to look at the X chromosomes of my parents and for my brother of course as that is his only X chromosome and from our mother. My father has only one X chromosome and my brother's results do not show any information presumably for my father's X chromosome since only a Y is passed to a male child with my sister and I receiving an X chromosome from our father which he received from his mother and therein lies the mystery. Why do my sister and I not have the exact same results since the X does not recombine? I had to think this one through. My brother's result is the X chromosome that results from the recombination of our mother's two X chromosomes hence he has no effect on how we look at our father's X chromosome.
As I work my way down there are occasional spots where the X chromosome which my brother received does not allow for the result that my sister and I have received so at that point it becomes either TT or CT / CC or AC / GG or AG etc. So what does this actually mean and does it then become useful to phase the X chromosome. When one looks at the chromosome browser one would think that the three of us matched exactly but a half/match gives the same result as a full/match. If there are two results for some snps on the helix then presumably one of them is switched off so that it is not expressed. I think I am beginning to understand x transmission and why males suffer more from x transmitted diseases because they do not have a second x chromosome to switch off particular snps that are recessive and perhaps unhealthy. I must admit to finding all of this very intriguing. I had a great deal of interest in DNA when I attended University in the 60s but it was still a new field and not yet down into undergraduate courses in a way that I would have found it more fascinating that Honours Chemistry which I did study. For the most part what we received, my sister, and I follows through quite logically although looking through as I now am I can see that in the first 50 snps there are seven either/or in my mother's results or 14% difference between the X chromosome which we inherited and the one that my brother inherited and we roughly share that difference 50/50.
The Xchromosome is also interesting because it lets us look at particular matches that we may have.
I have nine pages of X matches (90) at FT DNA my sister has 13 pages (130) and my brother has only 3 matches which includes his two sisters and one individual that I can not place. The match has a fairly extensive tree and I can find a couple of lines that might be interesting but the X chromosome is our mother's lines and the Dorset that comes up is on our Father's side. My brother does not share this match with us and it actually includes two sets of surnames and two single surnames with just one that has a tree (but just because they match this singleton match does not mean that they match my brother necessarily). This is actually his first match outside the family so is rather interesting. The tree shows a family with deep Virginia/North Carolina roots and then moving west from there as far as Texas. He is said to be a 4th-distant cousin. To look at X matches for a male the restriction is always towards the female, so our mother and her paternal grandmother and her mother/maternal grandparents but excluding the male line further back each time so always following the female portion plus the husband of the female at each level. That means I am looking at Grace Gray whose family lines were from Bewcastle, Cumberland and Etton/Holme on the Wolds East Riding of Yorkshire; I am looking at Ellen Rosina Buller whose father was born in Birmingham and his mother born at Lichfield with the father from Rugeley Staffordshire and the mother from Ashby de la Zouch Leicestershire and Ellen's mother who is my mystery lady born at Birmingham of parents possibly Thomas Taylor and Ellen Roberts whose lineage both stretches back one more generation at Birmingham and then unknown for Taylor and Warwickshire/Shropshire for the Roberts lines moving back. So a fifth cousin I am looking at 4x great grandparents and comparing that with a chart of ancestry that dates back into early colonial Virginia without any known debarkation point for the emigrant ancestor is virtually impossible. But it is interesting none the less to see that there is only one individual who matches my brother other than his sisters on the X chromosome. That tells me that not very many have tested in these lines but the potential is now there for them to do so as Ancestry moves into the British Isles.
One of my strongest X matches (3rd to 5th cousin with 60.32 cM shared) other than my siblings is with someone whose father's paternal grandmother came directly from Ireland born circa 1850. Anna Foster born 1850 Ireland and the daughter of Robert Foster. She is rather interesting because Anna would have received from her father Robert his only X chromosome passed directly to him from his mother and unaltered in this exchange. Anna then would have passed to her daughter in this case this X chromosome from her father and the one she received from her mother and the two would recombine to form a new X chromosome along with the X chromosome which she received from her father who again received it as passed from his mother whose family tree goes back into Yorkshire and Ireland (an interesting combination). Her mother's side is principally from Ohio/Missouri and before that Virginia. American ancestry is quite fascinating with the variety of ancestral locations to be found in their lines. Comparing her to other known lines she shares almost the same on the X chromosome as another match said to be 2nd to 4th cousin. On Chromosome 11 I have three people with known Irish ancestry who share DNA at almost the same location. Makes you wonder if this is a special block inherited by a number of Irish families. But the largest parts that I share with each of these four individuals including the one I am discussing are on different chromosomes. I need to have more people test that are known to me but that is really difficult given that we have no first cousins, few second cousins and half second cousins but many many third cousins that I do not personally know.
I shall continue working on the phasing of the X chromosomes with somewhat more knowledge than before I think. Discussion even with oneself can be quite beneficial if properly channelled! My living memory has been most beneficial to me and on occasion from comments received has proven to be handy to others which was a side product that I never anticipated when I started my blog in 2008.


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relaces is a valid word in this word list. For a definition, see the external dictionary links below.
The word "relaces" uses 7 letters: A C E E L R S.
Direct anagrams of relaces:
cereals rescale sclerae
Words formed by adding one letter before or after relaces (in bold), or to aceelrs in any order:
d - declares rescaled h - leachers m - reclames n - cleaners cleanser recleans o - escarole p - percales replaces r - clearers s - careless rescales t - clearest treacles v - cervelas cleavers
Shorter words found within relaces:
ace aces acre acres ae al ale alec alecs alee ales als ar arc arcs are ares arles ars arse as car care cares carl carle carles carls cars carse case cease cee cees cel cels cere cereal ceres clear clears crease creel creels ear earl earls ears ease easel eel eels el els else er era eras erase ere ers es escar la lac lace lacer lacers laces lacs lar laree larees lares lars las lase laser lea lear lears leas lease leaser lee leer leers lees race races rale rales ras rase re real reales reals rec recs ree reel reels rees relace res resale reseal sac sae sal sale saree scale scaler scar scare sclera scree sea seal sealer sear sec see seel seer sel ser sera serac seral sere
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Dozens of supporters gathered in Venice on Monday night to protest the weekend arrest of a 20-year-old skateboarder, who claims LAPD officers used unnecessary force against him which resulted in a concussion and fractures in his nose and cheekbone.
Update, Aug. 21: Arrested Skateboarder Hires Trayvon Martin's Lawyer
Chanting "No justice, no peace," and "Crooked cops gotta go," some protesters carried skateboards while others held signs denouncing what they called police brutality and racial profiling.
"You could be the next vicim," said one demonstrator. "You're not safe in your own neighborhood."
LAPD has launched an internal investigation into the arrest of Ronald Weekley Jr., who is going into his sophomore year at Xavier University in New Orleans. Weekley says he was riding his skateboard in front of his home near Sunset Boulevard and 6th Street on Saturday afternoon when he was tackled and pinned down by LAPD officers.
The tussle was caught on cellphone video, which shows at least four officers on top of Weekley, one of whom lands what appears to be a punch on the student's face.
"It was hard to hear him calling out for us while getting hit in the face and no one was here to help him," said Cheyenne Weekley, Ronald's sister. "He was pummeled by the police."
LAPD officials say Weekley was riding his skateboard on the wrong side of the road.
"He was approached because the officers wanted to discuss his traffic violation with him," said Cmdr. Andrew Smith with LAPD.
"I'm not sure if they wanted to warn him verbally or cite him for that traffic violation, but our officers write hundreds of traffic violations, citations every day in the city of Los Angeles. This was just another one of them."
The 20 year old was arrested on suspicion of interfering and for three unrelated outstanding misdemeanor warrants, police said.
LAPD would not comment on the video and asked the public to reserve judgement until an investigation is complete. The Chief of Police, the LAPD Independent Inspector General, the Police Commission and the LAPD Internal Affairs Division are all handling the case, Smith said.
A crowd witnessed the confrontation. A woman can be heard on the video telling the officers to "step back." She seems to reference a recent spate of fatal police shootings in Anaheim that sparked weeks of violent protests in that city.
"I know this ain't Orange County, but, you know, we're just trying to make sure you don't kill him," the woman said.
The responding officers are part of a special LAPD violent crime taskforce that patrols Venice on the weekends, in part because of high instances of burglaries in the area and the increased traffic to the popular tourist spot, officials said.
Weekley's sister gives LAPD credit for reducing crime in the area, but says the incident with her brother has changed her perception.
"Things have gotten better," she said. "They've gotten people off the streets that need to be off the streets but, like I said, what they did on Saturday to my brother was a step back.
"At this point now, do you trust the police, or are you afraid that they're going to attack you whenever they feel need to?"
Weekley was home from the hospital and jail on Monday night, consulting with lawyers and contemplating a court date in about three weeks.
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Asian Reading Room (Area Studies, Asian Division, Library of Congress)
30 Sep 2010
Library of Congress, Washington, DC, USA.
"From an 1869 presentation of 933 volumes to the United States by the Emperor of China, the collections of the Asian Division have grown to represent one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian language materials in the world. Housed in the John Adams Building, the collections of the Division include most subject fields, covering an area ranging from the South Asian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to China, Japan, and Korea. Complementing these collections are important materials on Asia in other areas of the Library. These include legal materials, films, manuscripts, maps, music, and photographs maintained in other Divisions. In addition, extensive Western language materials on Asia are housed in the general collection and are available by request in either the Asian Reading Room or the Main Reading Room. [...]
The Asian Reading Room is the primary public access point for researchers seeking to use the Asian collections of the Library of Congress in the many languages of Asia. The reading room covers the area from the South Asian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. With over 2.8 million books, periodicals and newspapers, a large number of manuscripts, and electronic media, the collections are the most comprehensive sources of Asian language materials outside of Asia. Area Specialists and Reference Librarians provide in-depth reference assistance on questions concerning Asia. Western language materials about Asia are part of the general collection but can be requested in either the Asian Reading Room or the Main Reading Room."
Site contents:
* General Information (About the Reading Room, Asian Division Teams and their Collections (# China/Mongolia Team, # Christianity in China, # Japan Team, # Korea Team, # South Asia Team, # Southeast Asia Team), Search Our Catalogs, LC Calendar of Events, Asian Division Friends Society, Webcasts of Past Asian Events);
* Using the Reading Room (Library of Congress Security, Research Orientation to LC, About the Visitor's Center, Copies (Photoduplication), Interlibrary Loan, Policy Access to Rare Materials);
* Digital Projects (Korean Bibliography, Soviet-Korean Bibliography, Philippine Bibliography, Naxi [Naxi people,Yunnan, SW China] Manuscript Collection);
* Databases (LC Subscription Databases, Chinese e-resources, Japanese e-resources, Korean e-resources, Korean Serial Database);
* Publications (Annotated catalog on Robert Morrison, Asian Collections 2007 Illustrated Guide, A World of Books, Indonesian Bibliography, Romanization Tables);
* Ask a Librarian;
* Find [= Search] in (Asian Reading Room Pages, Researchers Web Pages, All Library of Congress Pages).
URL http://www.loc.gov/rr/asian/
Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.loc.gov/rr/asian/
Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at--coombs.anu.edu.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]:
Study / Online Guide / Corporate Info.
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library/museum - NGO - other]:
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]:
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000
- under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: No statistics is available
Please note that the above details were correct on the day of their publication. To suggest an update, please email the site's editor at email@example.com


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"Curds and whey" refers to the lumps and liquid that are found in cottage cheese. When "Miss Muffet" was eating her curds and whey in the nursery rhyme, she was actually eating watery cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese is made from skim milk through the process of adding a chemical known as rennin, which is an enzyme found in the stomach of calves and is also found in rennet. When rennin is added to the skim milk, some of the proteins clump together, creating the curds in the cottage cheese. The remaining liquid, the whey, is simply the left-over skim milk protein that refused to clump, and it is often drained off, leaving the curds.


text: Here is the scoop. I dropped my phone, broke the digitizer, and successfully replaced it. Ultimately, somehow, I managed to "knick" the ribbon that connects the digitizer to the screen and other hardware. I no longer have screen control, though I have keyboard control. Is there any way to connect a mouse to the Droid 4 to open the unlock screen so I can back up my information before I get a replacement through insurance? I would prefer to wipe my phone before it goes of to get refurbished somewhere, but if buying a lapdock is my only option, I think I will just pull my sd card and call it a day. Thanks in advance for any help. *EDIT 08/25 The last time I used my phone before breaking it, I set the usb interface to "Charge Only". I cannot access my files via usb. After installing ADB, I still have no access as the sd cards are not recognized by Windows


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Sunday, May 8, 2011
Elizabeth's photographs
Your mom sent me your pictures from your trip to California soon after you got back. I'm not sure why it took me so long to look at them but today I found the time. It's amazing to see the world through the eyes of any six year old but even more amazing when looking at the world through YOUR eyes. It's not just that the pictures are great ( and they ARE) it's that I get a chance to see what you see and to know a little bit more about what catches YOUR eye in this great big world. Clearly you love animals and the outdoors and your pictures from the zoo and of all of the plants show this. You love colour and you love motion as well. This picture of the peacock is amazing and I can't wait to enter it in the Fall Fair next year. You are amazing!
Posted by Live Each Day at 9:38 PM
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944-8815/437 Rush St.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Price range: appetizers, $2.25-$6.50;
entrees, $5.25-$14.50; dessert, $1.25-$1.50. Dinner of soup, salad, pasta or veal entree, dessert, glass of wine, tax and tip: $13-$17 per person. Credit cards: American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club. Reservations: Yes.
Within a block of each other on Rush Street two old Chicago favorites have settled into some stereotyped roles.
For many newspaper folk and advertising sorts, Riccardo means the palette-shaped, art-filled bar, the mandatory afterhours watering hole. Except for an occasional order of pizza bread, most seldom seek non-alcoholic sustenance.
The Corona means the Back Room. It`s a poorly kept secret that the Back Room`s food is the same quality as the dining room`s but the prices are cheaper. Just enter from Illinois Street or through the Corona bar.
Both Riccardo and the Corona, however, do present fairly good sit-down, white tablecloth dinners.
Eating in the dining room at Riccardo is like sitting in the eye of a storm. Although there`s likely turmoil in the adjoining bar, the two main floor dining rooms are quiet, punctuated only by a roving trio of musicians. Like the bar, impressive artwork provides the color. Service was particularly attentive on recent visits.
There`s good reason why the pizza bread sneaks into the bar: it`s good stuff. Unlike lesser versions, it actually has meat on top, the mozzarella cheese strings like a good quality cheese should, and the cheese topping remains soft even after cooling a bit. It`s a much more appealing appetizer than the similarly priced antipasto, a small plate starring one slice of mortadella, two slices of salami and provolone, some hot peppers, anchovies and pimiento.
The menu at Riccardo is quite extensive, and includes nine veal and 13 pasta dishes. The veal piccante on one visit was fairly tender and nicely spirited with lemon, anchovies and capers, a good enough version of a standard dish. The veal marsala on another visit was tough and suffered from a too-floury coating; a good shake of rosemary in the sauce helped but didn`t save the dish.
Better than the veal was a chicken saltimbocca, a style usually reserved for veal. The presentation with a slice of prosciutto and mushroom sauce worked well with the white chicken meat, which remained fairly juicy. Vegetables were an afterthought: a pile of frozen green beans and large peas, with little samples of waterlogged cauliflower and zucchini.
Fettuccine is a fine dish here: a huge plate of pasta with a nice balance of cheese and cream so that the cheese doesn`t glop and the sauce doesn`t run. A few nips of prosciutto are untraditional but nice. Even better is an equally large serving of fettuccine carbonara, heady with the aroma of bacon and prosciutto and sharing the same just-clinging cream and cheese sauce. These pastas cost as much as the veal, but are likely better bets.
Dinners come with a standard iceberg salad, fresh bread, coffee and a choice of two easy-down soups: a light minestrone or a creamier egg-lemon soup, not as tart and appealing as some Greektown varieties, but okay.
Be careful with the bowl of extra parmesan cheese, however. On one visit the grated cheese was well past its prime, probably suffering from too long on the side tables. If it doesn`t smell fresh and a little pungent, ask for another.
Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 4 p.m.- 11 p.m. Sat.; closed Sun. Price range: appetizers, $1.50- $6.50; entrees, $5-$13.75; desserts, $1.25-$2.50. Dinner of appetizer, salad, pasta or veal entree, dessert, glass of wine, tax and tip: $14-$24 per person. Credit cards: American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa. Reservations: Yes.
Although the adjoining Back Room has good prices, the main dining room in the Corona sets a pleasant mood of old Chicago with its slightly scarred wooden walls, high ceilings and fussy, full-length curtains.
The menu is a la carte and has the usual veal and chicken Italian specials but only five regular pastas, which is odd considering the current consumer interest in such carbohydrates.
One simple appetizer of anchovy canapes was fine: crustless white bread, spread with butter, anchovies and pimientos. There`s no real challenge here for the kitchen, but the salty nibbles pair nicely with a glass of wine for a sure-bet beginning.
The more complicated appetizer assortment plate didn`t fare as well. The canned taste hadn`t been rinsed away from the artichoke hearts before they were covered with what seemed to be a gummy version of choron sauce. The breaded shrimp, fresh shrimp, an oyster, cherrystone and prosciutto on the same plate were okay, but the provolone slices were stale and the stuffed clams had been overcooked to an unappetizing color and taste.
Among the entrees, the standard chicken vesuvio came swimming in a sauce highly scented with garlic and oregano. However, the meat itself didn`t share the same fine flavors. The accompanying potatoes were soft as if frozen, overcooked or simply soaked.
The bracciole is described as rolled beef stuffed with parmesan cheese, prosciutto and sage. It was a visually attractive piece of meat when cut, but the flavor of prosciutto didn`t appear and the cheese seemed concentrated only in the very center of the dry roll.
A daily special veal-stuffed tortelloni with pesto sauce fared better. The pasta was very nice and done al dente, although the veal was fairly tasteless and the pesto lacked kick. Garlic would have helped. A side of stewed tomatoes comes with a little fennel on top for interest.
Butt steak was decent, a thick portion nicely presented. And on the way out, a corona cigar from the glass case will set you back $1.


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Almost everyone familiar with Hong Kong films knows the names Andrew Lau, Andy Lau, and Tony Leung. Andrew Lau is known for his prolific director skills, and Andy Lau and Tony Leung for their successful acting careers. Andy Lau has starred in many blockbuster hits including 2004's best film, "House of Flying Daggers".
"Infernal Affairs", is a collaboration by all 3 men mentioned above. Other cast members include Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Kelly Chen, Sammi Cheng, Edison Chen, and Shawn Yue. The Chinese title refers to the ultimate level of hell in Buddhism, literally means "The Non-Stop Way".
The English title, while similarly having connotations of Dante's Inferno, is a play on words on internal affairs.
"Infernal Affairs" isn't a masterpiece by any means, but at the time of its release, it stood head and shoulders above all others in its class, making it an international sensation.
The film is about a cat and mouse game between a cop working as a mole in a criminal organization and a criminal working as a mole in the police department, and both men's attempts to uncover the identity of the other.
The film opens with a novel premise. Sam (Eric Tsang), a rising criminal kingpin, assembles together a group of young men from his gang; the men have no criminal records, and thus are still untainted by their gang affiliation. Sam has come to the realization that trying to beat the system is a losing battle, and hatches a plan to send his clean cut young men to the police academy, where they will infiltrate it, rise up the ranks, and become his informants. Things don't quite work out as Sam expected, and only Ming (Andy Lau) makes it into the police academy.
We also...


text: Hi guys, I just signed up to this forum , Forum looks full of info and was looking forward to searching through. how ever somthing is wrong with this site, and i have got other friends to check also. But 1. site is very very very slow. 2. Somthing on this site is killing my cpu usage !! with 1 single tab open my quad core cpu is hovring about 44% if i open 4 or 5 tabs of this forum 100% now this is the only site that i have this problem with. i can open 20 tabs of other sites and forums and no problems. so is there a setting to reduce the load this site pulls ? how does every one put up with it ? I really want to look around on here but its almost to difficult with the way its running. any help would be great thansk Tim


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Today's featured author is Christopher Gardner. His book, "The Pursuit of Happyness", looks at his own personal journey from homelessness to prosperity. "The Pursuit of Happyness" in currently in production as a major motion picture starring Will Smith.
Hard Knock Radio – June 7, 2006
this episode is no longer available