PM Ready to Pay Arar.. Reports

PM Harper will announce today a settlement reached with Maher Arar for the Government role of his torture on the hands of the Syrian Authorities. The package reportedly includes more than $10 millions for Mr. Arar and $ 2 millions for legal fees and an apology. Mr. Arar sued the Government for the sufferings, and violation of his rights, after the inquiry concluded that he was innocent and was not involved in any terrorist act or membership in any terrorists organization. Mr. Arar was Deported by the U.S. authorities upon his stopover in the U.S. on return trip to Canada. The Inquiry held the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) of supplying the U.S. intelligence that labeled him as an Islamic Terrorist. The U.S. has claimed that their intelligence on Mr. Arar was gathered independent from the RCMP. The reason behind Mr. Arar deportation to his Native Syria was that the U.S. hoping to extract information from him would rather have the Syrians do it Via Torture, which by Law can not be done in the Good Old U.S.A. (Outsourcing).

But despite Justice O’ Connor findings that Mr. Arar was an innocent Victim of Canadian, U.S. and Syrian Government Action, so far only our Government has owned that responsibility and true to the Arrogance of Her Super Power, U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins told Ottawa this week to butt out of America’s Affair, albeit politely...

Read for more details: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/175180

Blogging, What's in it for me. Tagged by Verns

This week Entry will be different from all the Rest, because Verns, that beautiful Verns from my Neighbour to the South ( South of Iloilo) Tagged me about Things that Happen as the consequence of Blogging.

1. Since started Blogging a few months ago, I would say 7 months, I also put a corresponding pounder on myself. That may have been caused by staying inactive for long intervals in front of P.C. instead of doing some exercise while munching and everything. Crumbs all over..

2. From the onset, I was able to learn how to use the internet and was able to penetrate the firewall and hacked on my niece Blogsite (until she found out) and learned of her more than she told and I thought she told me everything, not even some stuff she wanted, because my sister don’t want her to put me in the Dog House (bankrupt). I end up getting her a laptop, a digicam and a plasma t.v. and that before she can qualify for her license. Bibs, you may have to work for your own car.

3. Learned how to use the Spell Check feature of the Program that comes with the bundle called word perfect to check on my spelling sometimes, but managed still to post many comments and entries with multiply spelling "bobos ", never mind the grammar, that one commenter in PCIJ spent her whole comments criticizing my deficiency of the English Language, even as I informed her that I lived and worked in an English Speaking Society longer than her 21 years of life. She just passed the Nursing Lisensure Exams, so she said.

4. Blogging made me re-acquaint with my fellow Filipinos mostly from my Native Philippines, which before Blogging, I was only able to interact during my short visit every so often and mostly within my Family and Friends. Now, I am able to interchange not only ideas and share some thoughts with just every one, young and not so old, uncles and aunties and some grandmas and grandpas like me (my brothers grandchildren call me Lolo). And help keep me going, facing the realities of living away from most of the people I care most, but also thanks to the Internet and the Phones, and the chat and the email, I can feel and see their faces all the time..

5. Blogging made me realized that I can compose more than a paragraph of thoughts and ideas and sometimes a long and boring rants against the Politicians, that everyone agree are the favourite subjects of just every One in Two bloggers. It is like going back decades ago, when we communicate with our family, our friends and even to our no-good political leaders with a carefully written and re-written letters, but now it is much easier and faster and some intelligent non-human to correct and re-write our letters and with the click of something that was even smarter than the real living "mouse", is sent faster than the first class mail.


There you go, my first Meme, courtesy of Verns, so I’m not tagging anyone, but free to tell us what blogging did or has it made significant impacts or has made any positive or negative changes on your lives? Now don’t be shy...

WANTED: For Fraud in Canada and in the Philippines..

Have you seen this Woman? Report sightings to your nearest Police Authorities. A Canada Wide Warrant was issued for the arrest of Janice Del Rosario and her Husband Kaye for fraud and failure to appear for deportation to the Philippines after their Refugee Claims had been denied.

The Frauds whose victims are acquintances were skimmed of their millions in an old Pyramid Schemes. The couples have warrant of arrest issued outstanding for the same crimes in the Philippines, when they landed in Canada as visitors and claimed Refugee Status but was denied and ordered deported, but during the period of appeal and final order remained in Toronto Area working on their scams victimizing scores of vast some of money.

For details you may go to: http://www.thestar.com/article/170972


On the lighter side, we finally having the feel of winter here in Toronto. Today, we are getting freezing rain and light flurries and temperature in the milder low of -2 to -7 C and is still high seasonal, but there is a forecast of l5 cm. of snow within 24 hours. Driving is slippery and walking is dangerous with the combination of icing and snow. Time to bring out the toques, the boots, and the mittens and shovels and don't forget to fill up your windshield washers. Global Warming and all, this is still the North, cold and freezing and a long winter...

Art Gallery of Ontario just landed a $50M Treasure.

Toronto real estate developer Murray Frum donated Bernini’s 1650 sculpture Corpus, valued at $50 million, to the Art Gallery of Ontario.

After two years of intrigue, poker-faced negotiating and scholarly sleuthing, the Art Gallery of Ontario has landed a spectacular prize: a full-length, life-size crucifixion sculpture by the Italian Old Master Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

The Sculpture, called Corpus by Bernini, considered the Greatest Sculpture of 17th Century is valued at $50 millions at current market, was a gift from the Frum family of Toronto, who already donated 80 pieces of primitive African sculptures to AGO.
For full articles on this subject go to:
http://www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/169997

A reprint from thestar.com below, has proven that anonymous tips on crimes (on progress, committed or in planning stages) really work without inconviencing the tipsters and putting their safety in compromise by identifying or revealing their identities.

January 11, 2007 -John DuncansonStaff reporter

When Crime Stoppers was launched more than 20 years ago, people were suspicious of the police promise not to reveal a tipster's identity or make them testify.
Today, whether it's a call from a payphone or home phone to the now familiar number, 416-222-TIPS, people may still be skeptical but the phone lines are always busy.
"It's a constant sell," said Det. Larry Straver, co-ordinator of the Toronto Crime Stoppers program. "Sometimes we spend 10 minutes just talking about the program before we get into the information."

The three things tipsters are told is that they will not be recorded – Crime Stoppers' phones don't have call display – and they won't have to testify.
There are rewards, too. Each month, Crime Stoppers approves between $4,000 and $6,000 for tipsters.

Police have readily accepted the tipline as part of the investigative process that officers often rely on when trying to solve crimes, especially tough ones like homicides. The program took in 6,876 tips last year that led to the clearing of 616 cases. Police made 530 arrests and laid 2,994 charges. Officers also recovered $3.3 million in property and more than $23 million in drugs last year. The figures were released yesterday as police and politicians kicked off Crime Stoppers Month at a ceremony at Toronto police headquarters.

Since its introduction in 1984, police said they have made more than 8,000 arrests and cleared almost 13,000 cases based on caller's tips. In 2007, the program is going to expand into TV ads aimed at generating even more tips.

Canada's Chief Electoral Officer Resigns..

Jean Pierre Kingsley, Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer (head of Election Canada) announced his resignation effective February 17,2006 (should be February 17, 2007), after Seventeen Years of Service. Now speculations abound of why he resigned and the oppositions alleged that the government pressured the Chief to resign, and the Government of PM Harper countered that the Chief has the Security of Tenure up to age 65 and can only be removed by the votes of Commons and the Senate. And JP Kingsley himself, can only say that he submitted his resignation in good faith and was accepted in good faith.

Before I go any further, quite a few Canadians of even a lot of us never ever heard of have known the Man behind Election Canada. Just one single thing that JP Kingsley among the many modernizations and reforms he had introduced and implemented is the Permanent Voters List. As voters, each one might have noticed that whenever we moved from one address to another, house to another house, or from one province to another province, we will be quite surprised that we don’t necessarily have to re-register again as our names were updated automatically in the voters list as we move.

Another modernization was the simplification of registration of voters. That Canada, taking in as many as 200,000 plus citizens every year ( assuming most of the 300,000 immigrants decided to become citizens), that as soon as they are sworn in, they are at the same time registered and added in the Permanent Voters List, and also registration forms are included upon applying for drivers license and other government forms. And also the automation of election votes counting that in a matter of an hour or few hours after the official polls closing the contest results are already available to the public and the press, thereby making our process one of the most transparent and the cleanest among the democracies. The Most notable are the limitations of contributions, election expenses and the strict enforcement of all election rules and laws to make election of public office accessible to most citizens, regardless of one's financial status.

Whatever the reasons behind Mr. Kingsley resignation, as many would like to see him pursue his professional interest in International sphere, it will be quite hard to replicate his accomplishments during his 17 years of tenure of unquestionable honesty and integrity and during those years was able to help the U.N. and other International Organization in Electoral Reforms and Monitoring Election in other countries.

We can only wish that he still would be the Chief and continue with his works, especially on the Senate Reforms as proposed now and the appointment of Election Return Officer for every Riding or District which under the New Accountability Act was given under the Authority of the Chief Electoral Officer as had been requested by Mr. Kingsley and granted.

The person who will succeed JP Kingsley will have Big shoes to fill, but as always, we all will be surprised how our expectations are always exceeded by our men and women who are our public servants.. We wish JP Kingsley success in his private career and we thank him for a Job-Well-Done..