Lucy Goosey
Lucy Goosey's JournalCanadian embassy in Washington evacuated over suspicious package
Source: CTV
The Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C. has been evacuated after a suspicious package was found in the mailroom Friday morning.
Embassy spokesperson Chris Plunkett told CTV News the building was evacuated, and the 400 and 600 blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue were closed as a precaution.
About 325 people work at the embassy, which is located between the White House and Capitol Hill.
Plunkett said the atmosphere is calm while embassy staff await news from the Secret Service.
More to come...
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/canadian-embassy-in-washington-evacuated-over-suspicious-package-1.1011790#ixzz2APwOS8xT
Massive car bomb explodes in Beirut
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Lebanon's state-run news agency says a massive blast in east Beirut was caused by a car bomb and that there are casualties.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw bloodied people being helped into ambulances and heavy damage to what appeared to be residential buildings in the mostly Christian Achrafieh neighbourhood.
The motive behind Friday's blast was not immediately clear.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/10/19/lebanon-beirut-large-explosion.html
(Canada) Conservatives table next big budget implementation bill
-The age of retirement for new federal workers will rise to 65 from the current 60 years.
-The age at which MPs can collect their full pension will rise from 55 to 65, with an option to collect earlier if they take reduced benefits.
-Increased contributions for MPs will be phased in by 2017.
The precise date for MP pension changes is Jan. 1, 2016. There will be no change to the current eligibility for MP pensions of six years of service.
I wish they weren't pretending that things like raising the retirement age for federal workers is going to save a tonne of money. They are obviously doing it more for ideological reasons than for cost savings. Of course, I wish the Cons wouldn't do most of what they do, so I'm not shocked to be opposed to this, too.
If they had any integrity, they would be raising the MP pension eligibility to more than 6 years, but they don't, so they're not.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/10/18/pol-omnibus-budget-implementation-bill-part-two.html
Kenney seeks power to bar people from entering Canada for ‘public-policy considerations’
Um, holy fuck, y'all. This is quite the power grab.
“That’s really the sort of criteria we’re looking at,” he said. “We’re not looking at some broad, generalized power to prevent the admission of people to Canada whose political opinions we disagree with.”
In fact, his own office has done just that in the past. Federal Court of Canada Justice Richard Mosley ruled in 2010 that Mr. Kenney’s political staffers arranged to bar controversial British MP George Galloway from entering Canada in 2009 because they did not like his political views.
Border officials rushed an assessment that Mr. Galloway was inadmissible on national-security grounds because he had brought aid to Gaza, where Hamas, listed as a terror entity, was in power. But Justice Mosley found the decision had more to do with “antipathy to his political views” than national security.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/kenney-seeks-power-to-bar-people-from-entering-canada-for-public-policy-considerations/article4617304/
Tory minister's campaign spending records raise questions - airline wrote off $18,000 in flights
Documents in Penashue's Elections Canada file show he and his campaign racked up $24,711 in flights during the 2011 election campaign, but an airline in his riding wrote off most of that amount under an agreement that appears to have been made months after the election was over.
The cost of the flights that were written off would have put Penashue well over his spending limit. CBC News has previously reported that Penashue's campaign spending records show he was already nearly $4,000 over his limit.
It also appears Penashue still owes $15,000 plus interest on a loan provided by Innu Development Limited Partnership, a company run by two Innu communities to develop business partnerships. Penashue's brother-in-law, Paul Rich, was the CEO of IDLP before he stepped down after the community expressed outrage that Rich made more than $1 million in salary over two years.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/10/16/pol-peter-penashue-election-spending.html
My heavens, a conservative playing fast and loose with election law?! I'm shocked! SHOCKED, I tell you!
Canadian Auto Workers, CEP vote in favour of super-union
Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union vote in favour of super-union: Move will create the country’s largest private-sector union, representing 300,000 workers across 20 economic sectors
Unions represent some 30 per cent of the Canadian workforce, according to the CAW, well above levels in the United States.
A 16-member committee of representatives from both unions unanimously urged the organizations to formally merge by 2013.
Key players have said the two groups must join forces in order to ensure protection for existing members and inject some life back into the national labour movement.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Canadian+Auto+Workers+vote+favour+super+union/7391467/story.html#ixzz29Obrpm54
'Mansplaining' Paul Ryan - Funny!
From http://mansplainingryan.tumblr.com/ where there are many, many more funny takes on this - I knew these shots of Ryan would spawn a million memes!
FWIW, Ryan is completely wrong about Canadian corporate tax...
The 15% tax rate is FEDERAL TAX ONLY - each province has an additional tax, and those range from 10% to 16%. No corporation is paying only 15%.
Israel's Netanyahu calls early elections
Source: The Globe and Mail
Israel's prime minister on Tuesday ordered new parliamentary elections in early 2013, roughly eight months ahead of schedule, setting the stage for a lightening quick campaign that will likely win him re-election.
For nearly four years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presided over a conservative coalition that has proven stable in a country where governments rarely serve out a full term. Re-election could grant him a fresh mandate to continue his tough stance toward Iran's suspect nuclear program, put the already deadlocked peace process with the Palestinians further into deep freeze and complicate relations with the U.S. if President Barack Obama is re-elected.
In a nationally televised address, Mr. Netanyahu said he was forced to call the snap polls after his coalition could not agree on a budget.
Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/israels-netanyahu-calls-early-elections/article4598474/
Romney campaign moves staff out of Pennsylvania to help GOTV in Ohio
By contrast, President Obama's campaign has 45 offices in Pennsylvania, and 120 in Ohio.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57528733/romney-campaign-moves-staff-out-of-pennsylvania/
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Member since: Thu Jan 17, 2008, 01:27 PM
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