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Showing posts from January, 2014

Canadian Parliament - Prime Minister's Too Powerful?

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PM Harper PM Diefenbaker PM Trudeau   Canadian Parliament Rather than becoming more like a system of presidential executive authority, this situation has left Canadian PM's  in a position more akin to historical monarchs. The evolution of Westminster democracy in Canada is very much a story about the struggle to wrestle power away from the Crown and shift it to Parliament, and specifically the House of Commons, our primary democratic legislators and check on unfettered prime ministerial power. The ability of PM's to retain and use these Crown powers, alongside other powers over MPs and the House of Commons, is resulting in a situation where PM's have the power to make decisions, partisan and otherwise, that limit or negate Parliament’s role as a guardian for accountability in our democratic system. For more than a decade, huge controversies have swirled around arbitrary decisions by the PM's  about the opera

Executive Powers

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      Former President Bill Clinton won strong approval ratings in his final years, in large part because of those rising incomes. But while Clinton's policies may have played a role in that economic growth, luck played the larger share. Much the same was true for President Ronald Reagan. Both presidents experienced short, sharp recessions early on and enjoyed the upswing of the business cycle later. The same could yet prove true for Obama if the economy continues to improve. But if it does not, he at least appears to have grown more philosophical about the limits he faces.      

Major Oil Pipeline - West To East

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TransCanada Corp. announced that it will push ahead with a major oil pipeline linking Western Canada with refineries and export terminals in the east, marking a significant step forward for Canada’s goal to tap new export markets. The Energy East line would not be completed until 2017 into Quebec, and 2018 to Saint John, meaning rejection of the Keystone XL plan or failure to move forward with North Gateway could leave producers increasingly relying on rail over the medium term. **************************************** The Energy East pipeline would deliver some 850,000 barrels of crude a day from Western Canada to Quebec and New Brunswick, serving the three refineries in the two provinces. The pipeline labelled a “nation builder” by New Brunswick Premier David Alward – has been endorsed by provincial and federal politicians.

"BestBuy" Canada - Galaxy Tab3

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Answering a few inquires for the Samsung Tab3. Here is the "BestBuy" Canada price. You may get it a few bucks cheaper on line but then you may be faced with shipping costs of around $10-$12 Canadian.

Which Auto Would You Drive IF ?????

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 Venezuela — Gasoline is so dirt-cheap in this country that the comparison undervalues dirt. Or, for that matter, almost any other element Venezuelan drivers can think of."It's cheaper than water," said one motorist, pointing out that bottled water costs far more. Venezuela sits atop the world's largest oil reserves, and its government sets the price of premium gasoline at about 5 cents a gallon . U.S.  about $3.30 per gallon. Canadian price per gallon about $5.60 depending where you live.   Maria Osorio owns a small,fuel-efficient hatchback, the extra mileage is nice but she has another reason for preferring a modest car.I have an SUV at home, but I'm too afraid to take it out because I might get carjacked, she said, explaining that she has been robbed at gunpoint five times in the past two years.   The government says it won't raise public transportation prices. Not even Hugo Chavez, who died in March after 14 years in power, dared to mess

More on Samsung Galaxy Tab3

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  Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate. Gould wrote and drew the strip until 1977. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab3

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Not a Cell Phone But it Does Just About Everything Else   The thin 8-incher is just 7.4mm with minimum bezel, and sports a display panel with 1280 x 800 resolution, clocking it at 189 ppi pixel density. The chipset is clocked at 1.5 GHz, aided by the unorthodox 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 or 32 GB of internal storage plus a microSD slot for more. There are also a 5 MP rear camera and 1.3 MP front-facing unit, while a 4450 mAh battery backs it all up. It has "Voice recognition" Will also run "Open Office" so any Windows files you have created will screen. Free APPS from Google and Samsung.  The Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch (yep, that's the original name) is running Android 4.2, and there will be a version with broadband 3G and LTE connectivity as well. All for $130.00 at BestBuy, even the young salesperson had one.

Postal Delivery Canada - USA

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Postal Delivery Canada - USA But the problem is, with all of their declining revenue and their inability really to continue delivering the mail right now, they're sort of strangled by that requirement. And so they've been pushing to get that changed, or at least reformulate it, and, at the same time, get some more flexibility, be able to raise prices beyond the rate of inflation, potentially end Saturday mail delivery.   USA delivery,like Canada, cut back even a few weekdays. And, yes, put some more of cluster boxes, as they're called, in newer communities, new residential communities that would require people to come to one central location to pick up their mail. That does happen in some communities of the United States, but much less frequently as is going on up in Canada.

Those Air Miles Valuation

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 How much is a mile worth? A frequent flyer mile is generally worth between one and two cents . There are a number of ways of arriving at the one- to two-cent valuation. For instance, airlines sell miles to program partners and others at that rate when promoting sales of their products and services. Or, if you assume that the revenue from a ticket averages $400, and you can redeem 25,000 miles for it, then the value of the miles on that trip is 1.6 cents, which is in the middle of the range. Notice, however, that the value of a mile relates directly to the dollar value of the ticket for which you're redeeming the miles. If you redeem 25,000 miles for a ticket you would have purchased for $89, the value of the miles you will have used is 0.36 cents per mile. However, if you use the same miles to procure a ticket priced at $2,000, then the value of your miles increases to 8 cents per mile. So, when redeeming your miles for an award ticket, consider the value of those miles

Do you suffer from acid reflux?

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Dr Oz: Acid Reflux Symptoms Do you suffer from acid reflux? If so, you are not alone since about 1 million people suffer from the uncomfortable condition. Dr. Oz says you might even be taking medication for acid reflux, but new research shows they could be secretly causing you more harm than good while putting your long-term health at risk. Dr Oz: Acid Reflux Natural Remedies Dr. Oz says the signs of acid reflux include a burning pain from the stomach to your throat, sour taste in your mouth, hoarseness, and chronic cough. These symptoms strike many people on a daily basis, but he has the natural non-medication solutions to help ease your discomfort once and for all. Dr Oz: Acid Reflux Natural Remedies + Licorice Supplement Review Dr Oz says a Licorice Supplement is a natural way to ease the burning pain caused by acid reflux. Melatonin is a common sleep aid, but in this case it helps to ease your acid reflux when taken properly. Take 3 MG 2 hours before bed for a minimu

Canada and China

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State firms accounted for the majority of Chinese oil and gas investments in Canada, said Chan. Since 2007, Chinese state enterprises have bought C$119 billion of Canadian oil and gas assets. Since 2011, Chinese oil majors had invested C$27 billion in energy companies in the Canadian province of Alberta, said Gary Mar, the Alberta representative in Asia. Canada had the world's third-largest crude oil reserves behind Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, which had the biggest, said Mar. "There is still Chinese interest in Canadian oil and gas [assets], but they are looking at the regulations. From our point of view, we want that investment," said Mar. It’s not exactly news that Canada ranks among the world's top five energy producers. Currently, it is the third largest gas producer and holds the third-largest proven oil reserves. What is new, however, is that Canada for the first time last year became the top destination for Chinese investments abroad, beating ou

China's Takeover Remember This Is A Communist Country

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Chinese Supremacy This article, aimed at a US audience, gives a scary insight into China's growing economic power. A Little Known Reality. June 8, 2013. Source: Michael Snyder, Guest Post In future China will employ millions of American workers and dominate thousands of small communities all Over the United States. Chinese acquisition of U.S. Businesses set a new all-time record last year, and it is On pace to shatter that record this year. The Smithfield Foods acquisition is an example.  Smithfield Foods is the largest pork producer and processor In the world.  It has facilities in 26 U.S. States and it employs tens of thousands of Americans.  It directly owns  460 farms and has contracts with approximately 2,100 others.  But now a Chinese company has bought it for $ 4.7 billion, and that means that the Chinese will now be the most important employer in dozens of rural Communities all over America Thanks in part to our massive