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Archive for November, 2008

Sunday Hymn: “Lo! He comes with clouds descending”

November 30th, 2008 | Comments Off

This morning’s recessional hymn on the First Sunday in Advent at Christ Church, Windsor. Hymn #60 in The Book of Common Praise (1938), official hymn book for the whole of The Church of England in Canada (later Anglican Church of Canada). Lo! he comes, with clouds descending, Once for favoured sinners slain; Thousand thousand saints [...]

The First Sunday in Advent

November 30th, 2008 | Comments Off

The collect for today, the 1st Sunday in Advent, from the 1962 Canadian  Book of Common Prayer: Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to [...]

Saudi’s first all-girl rock band cannot perform in public

November 26th, 2008 | 1 Comment

It’s not easy being an all-girl rock band in Saudi Arabia. Not only are women oppressed but rock music is also forbidden. They cannot perform in public. They cannot pose for album cover photographs. Even their jam sessions are secret, for fear of offending the religious authorities in this ultraconservative kingdom. But the members of [...]

Keith Martin: The ball is in Parliament’s court

November 26th, 2008 | 2 Comments

Commenting in today’s National Post on the significance of the Moon Report, Liberal MP Keith Martin says it’s time for Parliament to act on free speech. While Prof. Moon’s report is excellent, the actual power to implement his recommendations, or any others that relate to the CHRA, resides not with the commission but with Parliament. [...]

Global warming predictions overestimated

November 26th, 2008 | 3 Comments

Empirical observations throw doubt on the accuracy of climate models. A detailed analysis of black carbon — the residue of burned organic matter — in computer climate models suggests that those models may be overestimating global warming predictions. […] As a result of global warming, soils are expected to release more carbon dioxide, the major [...]

Where free speech is at stake, the boat must be rocked

November 25th, 2008 | 1 Comment

Saudi billionaire and banker to the Saudi royal family Khalid bin Mahfouz took a serious dislike to Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld’s book Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed — and How to Stop It. Even though Dr Ehrenfeldt is American and her book was published by an American firm, he decided to sue her for libel [...]

China pans new Guns N’ Roses album

November 25th, 2008 | 1 Comment

The long-delayed Gun N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy has finally been released. China is not amused. A newspaper published by China’s ruling Communist Party is blasting the latest Guns N’ Roses album as an attack on the Chinese nation. […] In an article Monday headlined “American band releases album venomously attacking China,” the Global Times [...]

Human Rights Act has devalued human rights

November 25th, 2008 | 1 Comment

So says British Conservative MP Nick Herbert. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert said the controversial act, brought in by Labour, has had the opposite effect of its intentions by devaluing human rights and led to “distorted prioirities” [sic]. He said the result has been to devalue the very language of rights by associating serious violations [...]

Shocker: Moon recommends Section 13 be repealed

November 24th, 2008 | 4 Comments

The Canadian Human Rights Commission has released Prof Richard Moon’s report on Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act and the regulation of hate speech on the internet. I have only read his conclusion but, based solely on that, we can say that the report is not what was expected. This is the full [...]

What do animals symbolise?

November 24th, 2008 | 1 Comment

Traditional Animal Symbolism ostrich……………..stupidity; timidity ox…………………patience; strength parrot…………….verbosity; insolence peacock……………..pomposity; pride pelican……………….sacrifice; Christ pig………………..obstinacy; dirtiness pigeon……………………cowardice rabbit……………………..fecundity raven………………..ill-luck; violence serpent………………….wisdom; sin sheep………………timidity; stupidity sparrow………………..lasciviousness spider………………………cunning stag………………………cuckoldry swallow………..fair-weather friendship swan………………………….grace swine………………..filthiness; greed tiger……………………….ferocity toad………………..work; death; lust tortoise……………………..chastity unicorn……………spirituality; Christ vulture……………………….rapine wolf………………….cruelty; ferocity worm……………..cringing; lowliness Source: Page-A-Day Online Calendar

British diplomats helped 400 people facing possible forced marriage

November 24th, 2008 | 1 Comment

The UK Government is focusing more attention on the long-standing scandal that hundreds of British teenagers—and even pre-teens—are forced to marry against their will. Most cases involve families originally from Pakistan or Bangladesh. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband discloses that his country’s diplomats have intervened hundreds of times in potential forced marriage situations. So far [...]

Controversy over court accreditation of journalists

November 23rd, 2008 | 1 Comment

In 2005 and 2006, Nova Scotia’s judiciary set out guidelines for accreditation of media seeking access to many provincial courts.  At a recent conference on “A Free Press and an Independent Judiciary” held in Halifax, journalists, lawyers, and journalism professors roundly denounced the concept and process of media accreditation. Dean Jobb, Assistant Professor of Journalism, [...]

Malaysian state hires pensioners to blog

November 23rd, 2008 | 1 Comment

Authorities in the Malaysian state of Pahang are so upset by “slanderous comments” on the internet that the government has hired three pensioners to write respectful blog posts. The Pahang Government has appointed three pensioners as bloggers to thwart slanderous comments and allegations posted on the Internet. State Information, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman [...]

Keith Martin: A Liberal MP who defends liberty

November 23rd, 2008 | 1 Comment

MP Keith Martin (Lib – Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca) has introduced two private member’s motions to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and rein in the increasingly obnoxious Canadian Human Rights Commission. These latest motions replace and expand motion M-446, which Dr Martin introduced in the previous Parliament. Ezra Levant has more information. Here’s the exact [...]

Sunday Hymn: “Amazing Grace”

November 23rd, 2008 | Comments Off

This hymn was sing during Morning Prayer at Christ Church, Windsor, while a special collection was taken for the work of the Council of the North. We sang all six of John Newton’s original verses as well as the later additional verse from an unknown hand. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a [...]