Free Republic

Canadian astronauts celebrate milestone Published Saturday July 18th, 2009 The Canadian Press LONGUEUIL, Que. - A bear hug in space between two Canadian astronauts marked a history-making moment as Julie Payette floated into the International Space Station and was greeted by fellow Canadian Bob Thirsk. It marked the first time two Canadian astronauts were in space together at the same time. Payette was a member of the seven-member crew of the space shuttle Endeavour who arrived at the space station Friday afternoon after five technical and weather-related delays. Thirsk was so excited about the Canadian rendezvous that he snapped pictures...

They wanted to carry guns, but one in five Canadian border guards have been flunking their shooting lessons. "Eventually, they will be armed. But not everyone is going to qualify," said Marie-Claire Coupal of Windsor, fourth national vice-president of the Customs and Excise Union, adding that the 20-per-cent failure rate applied across the board. Coupal said part of the reason 20 per cent of trainees have been flunking out is the relatively short firearm training period of three weeks, compared with 16 weeks for RCMP officers. Most of the failures were in the 25-metre shooting qualification requirement - a long...

Tim Hortons has launched a double-double of a lawsuit, seeking $105 million in damages from two of Canada's largest media companies and a popular Toronto radio talk-show host. The coffee chain giant filed a defamation suit against Standard Radio and CFRB talk-show host Bill Carroll, along with CanWest, which owns Global TV, alleging they falsely stated that Ottawa footed the bill for a franchise serving Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. "The false and defamatory statements respecting the establishment of a Tim Hortons franchise injured the plaintiffs' trade name, brand and commercial reputation," according to documents filed with the Superior Court of...

  On this, our nation's 139th birthday, we celebrate our pride of place as a rambunctious fledgling on the world stage, at least by demographic and historical standards. Our vast 10 million square kilometres, girded by three oceans and the most powerful nation on Earth, is populated by a mere 32 million people, most of them border dwellers and many of them newcomers themselves.   Yet, despite our youth, we are universally recognized as a diverse resolute country of admirable character, a land peopled with the descendants of native Indians, stoic pioneers, and new generations of grateful immigrants.   We're...

A newly released survey by MasterCard Canada's 2006 Priceless Index indicates that a majority of Canadians polled have selected beer as their most priceless national beverage and Celine Dion as their most priceless Canadian star. The Canadian flag is considered to be our most priceless symbol while regional divides differ on whether parkas or toques are the most distinctly Canadian clothing. Mastercard's Priceless Index is an annual national survey conducted to determine the symbols that are considered representative of Canadian patriotism. According to this year's survey: --one in three Canadians (33%) say the most priceless way to celebrate Canada Day...

Conference Semifinal Playoff Schedule NEW YORK - The Conference Semifinal round of the 2006 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs opens Friday, May 5, when the Ottawa Senators host the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks host the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference series between the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils and the Western Conference match-up between the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers start on Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7, respectively. National network television coverage of the Conference Semifinals is provided in the United States by NBC and OLN...

ur mission today, should you choose to accept, is to vigorously launch the Free Bob campaign -- to set loose what's left of a moose that is being held in captivity by enforcement officials within the ministry of natural resources. It may seem frivolous, but it is not. Frivolous is to concern ourselves with today's speech from the throne, with Iraq and Afghanistan, with the price of gas at the pumps, and with whether Pamela Anderson's near-baring of her puppies at the Junos will save a single seal. Those scenarios are out of our control. We are here today to...

Ephraim Hershkowitz The Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv has confirmed that a Canadian man is among three Jewish activists being detained by Israeli authorities. The three are suspected of planning attacks to disrupt Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Beginning in mid-August, Israel plans to remove more than 9,000 Jews from settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. Ephraim Hershkowitz, 22, who holds both Canadian and Israeli citizenship, was detained on Sunday after attending the funeral of a man described as an Israeli army deserter. The man had been beaten to death by a mob last week after killing four...

  Paul Jackson, Calgary Sun   "I will put competent judges on the bench who will strictly interpret the Constitution and will not legislate or use the bench to write social policy" -- U.S. President George W. Bush There is a huge battle shaping up in Washington that will dominate newspaper headlines and the airwaves and have average Americans following every thrust. It's the fight by U.S. President George W. Bush to get his nominee, John G. Roberts Jr., vetted by Republican and Democratic senators alike and his appointment to the Supreme Court of the U.S. confirmed. I tell my...

Stephen, Listen To Us Granted, we have, in the past, advised Conservative Leader Stephen Harper to stop listening to the media. But based on recent events, we have had a change of heart. Mr. Harper -- LISTEN TO US. Stop trying to be something you're not -- the Mel Lastman of federal politics. Stop dressing up in funny hats and outfits like this -- see photo, below -- and trying to be a gladhander. You've allowed Paul Martin's hatchet men to define you. They put out the word you were an "angry" guy and now you're running around trying to turn on...

Sat, July 9, 2005   Time for Alberta to exit, stage right? LINK BYFIELD A University of Alberta professor I know sent me a lengthy article he's trying to get published, entitled: "Let's get while the getting's good." In it, Leon Craig, professor emeritus of political science, lays out a case for Alberta to declare unilateral independence. And he lays it out well. Craig makes no bones about it.   Alberta, he says, should go it alone. Almost overnight, we would become one of the most prosperous nations in the world. But -- and this is his key point --...

By JOSE RODRIGUEZ   This space is generally reserved for cutting commentary, venomous verbiage and the odd shot of comic relief. Not today. Because even those of us lucky enough to be in the opinion industry (read: professional whiners) know a good thing when we see it.   It's Canada Day and despite the chronic criticisms that clacks from this keyboard all the other days of the year, today is a day to toast the Maple Leaf and raise a beer to Mother Canada. So bottoms up -- we have plenty to celebrate. If it wasn't for Canadians, the world...

Celebrations Felt Fake: Canada Day Looked Like A Liberal Campaign Ad   Mon, July 4, 2005By EZRA LEVANT Canada Day celebrations this year were worse than most years. Even in better times, the staged, paid-for public displays of official patriotism reeked of political correctness -- of government-chosen musical and dance acts, government stage direction, government funding, government bilingualism and larded with far too many government cabinet ministers inserting themselves into programs that are boring enough. In other words, they felt fake -- unlike Remembrance Day, for example, a holiday that retains its original meaning, if only by the continuing vigilance of our veterans. Canada's history is rarely...

Canadians are becoming even more negative about Americans, viewing them as "rude, greedy and violent," suggests a survey released yesterday. And while most Canadians agreed Americans are inventive and hardworking, less than half called them honest, said the Pew Research Center poll, which charted some minor improvements in a major global image problem that spiked after President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003. But the survey, conducted among nearly 17,000 people this spring in the U.S. and 15 other countries, suggested America remains "broadly disliked" in 10 of them and regard for Americans is going down, Pew director...

  Cheer up, Stephen Mon, June 20, 2005 Stephen Harper is turning out to be the Rodney Dangerfield of federal politics. No matter how good a job he does, he "can't get no respect." If you believe the news stories, Harper is apparently a cheerless and dour stick-in-the-mud who can't muster the necessary charisma to sell the Conservatives to voters. The Liberals, of course, delight in playing up the point, especially if it causes dissension and stress in the Conservative party, which, admittedly, is easy to do, considering the party was the result of a merger between the formerly...

  Canada: Not as boring as you think - Paul Whitney Mon, June 13, 2005The other day I read another newspaper story about how boring Canadians are - that Canadian society has taken all the rough edges off life and Canadians are dull, boring and unadventurous. As a proud, thrill-seeking Canadian, I immediately protested this accusation in a firm but polite manner and was about to organize an unbiased committee to discuss these claims in a non-confrontational, non-gender-specific and unbiased, manner. In spite of that, here's my opinion. There is plenty of adventure to be found within Canadian borders, as...

May 10, 2005 EDITORIAL: Martin's empty promises Time for a reality check on Prime Minister Paul Martin's magical mystery tour designed to save his hide with our cash. Fact is, Martin can't guarantee any of the multi-billion dollar promises he's made recently in hopes of staving off an election until next winter. That includes his deal with NDP Leader Jack Layton to boost social spending by $4.6 billion over two years and with Premier Dalton McGuinty to hike federal spending in Ontario by $5.7 billion over five. Contrary to the bafflegab of Toronto Mayor David Miller last week, there...

…while watching out for cattle guards They don't do the red carpet down here — their boots would just mess it up. But when George W. Bush has a new world leader over to the ranch, there are certain niceties to be observed. So, the Red Bull gift shop has the Canadian Holy Bears — complete with biblical passage (Psalms 72:8: "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth") and "God Bless Canada" tag — on its shelves and a yet-to-be-unwrapped Canadian flag ready to hang from its window....

If you were paying close attention, you probably noticed the administration appeared to be caught a bit off-guard on this. The following may explain why.

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 300 employees and has the following statistics: 30 have been accused of spousal abuse. 9 have been arrested for fraud, 14 have been accused of writing bad cheques. 95 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses. 4 have done time for assault. 55 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit. 12 have been arrested on drug related charges. 4 have been arrested for shoplifting. 16 are currently defendants in lawsuits. 62 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year. Can you...

U.P. sticker still a hit after 20 years Published Tuesday, December 7, 2004 1:03:45 PM Central Time The Associated Press MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) -- Since their inception 20 years ago, "Say Yah to Da U.P., Eh!" bumper stickers have been sold in the thousands and are seen from Los Angeles to New York. Creator Jack Bowers said the idea came from a spoof of the state's 1982 "Say Yes to Michigan" campaign. "The Kerry/Edwards and Bush/Cheney stickers will be gone long before our sticker," said Bowers, a 58-year-old Marquette resident. "I mean, what other bumper sticker has lasted this long?"...

NELSON, B.C. - A community in the B.C. Interior has become a flashpoint for American anger over its plans to honour draft dodgers and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War. The City of Nelson had announced earlier this month it would erect a bronze monument and hold a two-day festival in July 2006 in tribute to the war resisters. Then the FOX-TV network picked up the story, sparking widespread indignation across the U.S. Dr. Juergen Dankwort was a Vietnam-era conscientious objector who came to Canada, and he says the people of Nelson should stand firm on...

OTTAWA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - It was damned bastards last year, "idiots" this year. Canadian Member of Parliament Carolyn Parrish had said she hated "damned Americans" and called them bastards in the run-up to the Iraq war. She found a new moniker, idiots, on Wednesday in discussing the planned U.S. missile defense system. "We are not joining the coalition of the idiots. We are joining the coalition of the wise," the Liberal legislator told a small group of demonstrators.

Judge found dead mouse in beer A US judge is seeking compensation after finding the body of a dead mouse in a bottle of beer. Judge Randy Anglen says he screamed and screamed when he saw the mouse - after finishing the bottle. Anglen, a judge in Hollister, Missouri, drank the bottle of Miller Lite at home one night after finishing work, reports the News-Leader. He drained the last bit into the sink, so he could put the bottle in his recycling bin, but heard a 'plop' as he put the bottle on his worktop. When he peered into it,...

Toronto, ONT – According to the latest Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll released today, three quarters of Canadians (74%, up 3 points from 71% in December 2003) believe that Canada made the right decision by not going to war with Iraq.

Holy whah! Some Yoopers fear colorful dialect may be fading By JOHN FLESHER The Associated Press 2/21/2004, 7:50 a.m. ET HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) — Dan Junttila is a proud Yooper. So proud that he teaches a course at the local middle school on the history and culture of his beloved Upper Peninsula. So he would mourn if one of the most notable characteristics of da U.P. — dat colorful way of talkin' dey got up dere — were to fade away, eh? Holy whah! "I love the dialect," says the 51-year-old Junttila, born and bred in the western U.P.'s mining...

<p>OTTAWA — Jean Chretien (search) said he was proud of his decade in office as Canada's (search) often combative prime minister prepared to give way Friday to Paul Martin (search), a conservative former finance minister who has pledged to seek smoother ties with the United States despite strains over Iraq.</p>

'I don't know who taught him to fly, but they didn't tell him to check the gas'. A 25-year-old man is facing several charges after his plane, reported stolen from an airfield in Maine, crashed into a Montérégie field yesterday morning. The man, a Livingston, Me., resident, suffered only minor injuries in the accident. He had been flying a Cessna without a pilot's licence or flight training, said Constable Manon Gaignard of the Sûreté du Québec. For unknown reasons, the man left a private airport, near Turner, Me., about 6:30 a.m., running out of gas three hours later above St....

OTTAWA (CP) - Some of the first patients to smoke Health Canada's government-approved marijuana say it's "disgusting" and want their money back. "It's totally unsuitable for human consumption," said Jim Wakeford, 58, an AIDS patient in Gibsons, B.C. "It gave me a slight buzziness for about three to five minutes, and that was it. I got no other effect from it." Barrie Dalley, a 52-year-old Toronto man who uses marijuana to combat the nausea associated with AIDS, said the Health Canada dope actually made him sick to his stomach. "I threw up," Dalley said Monday. "It made me nauseous because...

Subscript only at Fox. I usually don't post such, but this one was to good to pass up, IMO. Plus Chretien thrice-changed explanation for the blackout.

Ontario won't enforce gun registry law Sterling calls it 'badly flawed' Says Ottawa should prosecute CAROLINE MALLAN AND RICHARD BRENNAN QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU Ontario is refusing to prosecute anyone who fails to register a rifle or shotgun because it's a dumb law, Attorney-General Norm Sterling said yesterday. Ontario joins Nova Scotia and three Western provinces in refusing to have anything to do with the federal gun registration law that so far has cost more than $1 billion. Sterling told reporters if Ottawa wants to prosecute the "misdirected" law, then it should fall to federal prosecutors. "They should take the responsibility...

A question: Which sports broadcast drew the largest American television audience on Easter Sunday? A PGA Tour special on CBS or an Arena Football League game on NBC?The answer: Neither. A one-hour NBC telecast, tape delayed by a week, of the world curling championships earned a 1.2 rating (about 1.2 million U.S. households). That was higher than arena football (.9) and the PGA special (1). "Easter Sunday is always a tough day to get an audience," said Jon Miller, vice-president of programming for NBC Sports. "But curling did well. I was impressed."The curling show, which featured three Canadian broadcasters,...

Canadian Briefs The Associated Press 3/19/03 8:51 PM Liberal members of parliament warned to toe Chretien line, support more gun registry spending OTTAWA (AP) -- Liberal members of parliament are facing a double-barreled warning they could be kicked out of caucus, or even forced into an unwanted general election, if they try to deny further funding to the controversial federal gun registry. Party sources say Prime Minister Jean Chretien made it clear at a caucus meeting Wednesday that he expects backbenchers to toe the line when the House of Commons votes next week on whether to approve another $59 million...

A prominent criminologist has slammed a claim from Industry Minister Allan Rock that the controversial gun registry will save 1,240 lives in a decade. Mr. Rock -- who introduced the registry when he was justice minister seven years ago -- spent much of last week defending the program and its billion-dollar cost overrun revealed last week by Auditor-General Sheila Fraser. At one point, he said the registry had saved 300 lives a year. In Vancouver last Friday, he repeated the claim that the registry has had a direct impact on the number of gun-related deaths in Canada. "You have to...

Kerb-crawlers to avoid court if they pick up used condoms Men caught picking up prostitutes in Canada can avoid going to court by clearing the streets of condoms and needles. Police in Calgary say members of the cleaning crew will have to wear orange overalls so they stand out easily. Vice squad officers came up with the idea after consultation with residents. The Calgary Sun says the job of clearing up condoms and needles usually falls to local firefighters. Officials from Corrections Canada will train the clear-up crews how to handle needles safely. Staff Sergeant Dean Young, of Calgary vice...