Qui peut encore en douter? Le gouvernement libéral de Jean Charest est bel et bien corrompu.

Le récent scandale sur les contrats octroyés de façon plus que douteuse dans le domaine municipal nous avait mis la puce à l’oreille et le refus des libéraux au pouvoir de mettre sur pied une commission d’enquête publique sur ce dossier a alimenté l’idée qu’eux-aussi avaient des squelettes dans le placard.

Le rapport du vérificateur général, Renaud Lachance, déposé mercredi dernier vient de confirmer que le gouvernement libéral est loin d’avoir pattes blanches dans l’attribution des contrats de travaux d’infrastructures routières au niveau provincial.

Et l’on peut dire que la situation est encore pire que celle dévoilée dans le monde municipal, car cette fois-ci, le scandale implique un ancien ministre, David Whissell, dont la compagnie (ABC Rive-Nord) dans laquelle il est actionnaire a reçu deux fois plus de contrats gouvernementaux sans appel d’offre pendant sa présence au cabinet exécutif du premier-ministre.

Mais l’évaluation du vérificateur général ne s’arrête pas là : il a noté plus d’anomalies dans le processus d’obtention des contrats du ministère des transports.  En fait, un tiers de ces contrats, d’une valeur de 1 milliard$, n’aurait pas été alloué selon une procédure irréprochable car les motifs de situation d’urgence évoqués ne s’appliquaient pas.  En somme, dans les 2/3 des cas, les travaux ont pris 6 mois avant de débuter.

Comme si ce n’était pas assez, monsieur Lachance soulève de sérieuses interrogations sur une apparente collusion des entrepreneurs en déneigement qui aurait sciemment fait gonfler les prix des soumissions.  Pourtant, dès 2004, de nombreux indices pointaient en cette direction et le Ministère des Transports n’a pas daigné en informer la Sureté du Québec.

Il y a aussi la question des dépassements de coûts en travaux routiers.  Dans près de la moitié des 29 contrats étudiés, « l’envergure des dépassements était telle qu’il y a lieu de s’interroger», résume monsieur Lachance.  Cela n’est pas sans rappeler les données fournies par un reportage d’Enquête à Radio-Canada traitant de collusion qui relatait que les coûts de construction routière au Québec étaient de 42% plus élevés que la moyenne des provinces canadiennes.

Un autre dossier épineux : celui des partenariats publics-privés dans la construction des centres hospitaliers universitaires comme le CHUM. Le vérificateur général conclut que le gouvernement libéral a opté pour les PPP avec un fort préjugé idéologique favorable en réfutant des études qui démontraient les nombreux désavantages financiers et logistiques de cette formule.  Le gouvernement libéral avait peut-être quelques amis à gratifier en mettant sur pied la construction des CHU avec des partenaires privés… même si cela s’était avéré plus dispendieux pour les contribuables québécois.

L’équipe libérale est depuis trop longtemps au pouvoir.  Les graines de la corruption commencent à germer et la puanteur de la décomposition éthique remonte jusqu’aux nez des citoyens.

Le trafic d’influence a maintenant atteint un niveau digne de l’époque duplessiste : une collusion entre entrepreneurs pour faire hausser les prix côtoie une infiltration des gens d’affaires dans le cabinet du premier-ministre et cela sans que le gouvernement y voit un problème ou déclenche des enquêtes publiques pour laver la réputation de l’État. 

Tout ce parfum de scandale nous remémore les beaux jours du règne des conservateurs de Brian Mulroney au fédéral dont monsieur Charest faisait partie en tant que ministre. Périodiquement, les médias déterraient des affaires louches dont les plus célèbres furent le scandale Oerlikon et les conflits d’intérêts de Stevens Sinclair.

Une vérité demeure en politique : la droite au pouvoir (conservateurs ou libéraux) est toujours plus encline à générer des scandales de corruption car son financement politique et ses membres sont issus presque uniquement des classes d’affaires ou des milieux élitistes. 

Avec un tel mélange explosif entremêlant intérêts politiques et commerciaux, il n’est pas surprenant que les gouvernements de droite se fassent autant « pogner les culotes à terre »… comme notre présent gouvernement libéral (source).

À lire:

Collusion dans la construction et mœurs politiques

La machine à magouille des libéraux

Corrompu un jour, corrompu toujours

La pointe de l’iceberg

Le blogue de l’édito
http://blogues.cyberpresse.ca/edito/?p=2100#comment-46994
CHUM en PPP : on veut la vérité!

Bon matin Mme Krol

J’avoue que j’ai renoncé depuis longtemps à suivre les nouvelles concernant le CHUM et les PPP mais que les révélations sur l’imposture comptable à l’origine de ces “machins” ravive non mon intérêt mais mon dégoût et mon cynisme.

L’incompétence crasse alliée à la bonne conscience béate de nos dirigeants politiques est à hurler: qu’on songe seulement aux révélations sur les magouilles de l’administration municipale, à celle des contrats du ministère des transports ou l’incurie du gouvernement fédéral dans le dossier afghan…

Comment avons-nous pu tomber si bas? Où sont les “Grands Commis de l’État”? Peut-on nommer ne serait-ce qu’un seul politicien avec l’envergure d’un chef d’État? Méritons-nous vraiment ce ramas d’incapables, d’irresponsables, de minables et d’empotés?

Le projet de construire un Hôpital Universitaire n’est quand même pas aussi complexe que d’envoyer une mission sur la planète Mars (un bon endroit en passant pour exiler les carriéristes politiques de la Loya Jirga de Qc city!).

D’abord pourquoi deux hôpitaux? Dès le départ le souhait d’en construire deux sous des prétextes linguistiques fallacieux aurait dû nous mettre la puce à l’oreille. Pas un gros contrat avec de juteux bénéfices: deux! (Rien de trop beau, rien de trop cher.)

Ensuite l’idée même de partenariat privé-public, notion qui allait dans le sens des la mode politique du moment (la même “tendance” sur laquelle surfait l’ADQ qui pontifiait sur la “droite” façon de gérer nos affaires publiques et qui vient de démontrer ce que ça donne avec sa propre organisation.) On parlait même de “réingénierie” de l’État, mot beaucoup plus chic que “couper dans l’gras” ou celui de la “restructuration” des années 80 (Tu “sacres” la moitié du personnel à la porte et l’autre moitié fait la job en double pour le même prix: aussi simple que 0 + MBA = Maudit Baveux Agréé.)

Enfin toute la question du tripotage de la comptabilité publique qui ne respecte pas une norme reconnue mais suit des “accommodements” qui conduiraient n’importe quel administrateur de compagnie directement en prison pour 130 ans.

Pourquoi construire un Hôpital Universitaire puisque le Québec au complet est devenu un gigantesque asile de fous, il n’y manque qu’un modeste investissement en entonnoirs, couvre-chef recommandé pour les personnes à risque… (11 millions: comme pour les les vaccins H1N1).

Refaire les calculs suggérez-vous? Non, cela suffit. D’abord ils ne savent manifestement pas compter et ensuite, il faut que les politiciens répondent de leurs actes des récentes années, parce que voyez-vous, en plus d’une rage montante, s’accumule aussi une batterie de questions pour et sur nos «Karzaï» nationaux, la bande de politiciens de carrière grassouillets dont on voit la même face depuis 30 ans. Pis là Madame Krol, la «Cabane à Midas, chu tanné d’y voir la face!» [Robert Charlebois].

Bonne journée.

–
Claude LaFrenière [climenole]: [{p ٧ ¬p}W{p ۸ ¬p}]
Profil & Contact: http://www.google.com/profiles/climenole

Salmon run is in full swing on Stoney Creek. Both coho and chum salmon have been spotted, with numbers running roughly around 3 chum and 6-8 coho. All the volunteers are enjoying being in and around the creek frequently. The dog-off leash status of Stoney Creek continues to frustrate, but as we tell dog walkers, dog’s are not the biggest problem facing Stoney Creek’s salmon; still, they are significant enough to curtail (ahahaha, no pun intended). Here’s photos of creek life:

[Campbell River Mirror Nov 18, 09]

Earlier this year a note to anglers sent out from the Nimmo Bay Fishing Resort seemed overly optimistic.

“Salmon of all kinds in large numbers – a great year to go fishing!” it read.

Yet, that is exactly what happened as North Island and mainland inlet rivers saw large returns of chum, coho and chinook salmon; many having their best showing in more than a decade.

Pink salmon numbers were up sharply in almost every river on the south coast: the Quatse, Nimpkish, Campbell, Nanaimo, Puntledge and the Fraser to name only a few.

This is good news. But why such healthy returns this year?

The truth is, no one knows. Some have pointed to optimal conditions in the ocean when these tiny salmon out-migrated and others have pointed to management of salmon farms.

What we do know is that this year’s adult pink salmon out-migrated as juveniles during the spring of 2008.

As many may be aware, Marine Harvest Canada, in collaboration with several B.C. environmental groups had proposed a coordinated area management plan (CAMP) associated with our operations in the Broughton Archipelago.

The CAMP includes a number of elements including annual alternating migration corridors, a cap on total area production and science-based monitoring. To simplify: one corridor has no farmed fish while the corridor next to it holds first year farmed fish during the out migration season March 1 to June 30.

To monitor the effectiveness of this plan, sea lice data from active farms and wild salmon in both the fallowed and stocked corridors will be collected and analyzed by fisheries scientist, Dr. Crawford Revie and his team of researchers.

In order for CAMP to be fully implemented, various farms in the area require important, time limited amendments to their license.

Should the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands take the necessary steps to ensure CAMP be fully implemented, monitoring will continue through 2014 providing a multi-year data set.

Recent letters to the editor have suggested that this fallow route was made available in 2008 – at the time when this year’s adult pink salmon went to sea.

We feel it necessary to correct those statements – the plan was not implemented in 2008.

While we are all excited to see wild salmon return in such high numbers this year, we also recognize the public concern about how our operations may affect our oceans.

We will continue to manage our farms to minimize or eliminate these potential risks, which includes the goal of full implementation of CAMP.

We will continue to keep you updated as to this progress.

Clare Backman, RPBio
Marine Harvest Canada

Lower Mainland / Fraser Valley Rivers

Vedder Chilliwack… Fishing in the V/C is as good as we’ve seen in nearly a decade. The recent rains have changed things a bit but that shouldn’t keep anyone away. The big springs, coho and chum are running very strong on all areas of the river system. Anglers are experiencing unbelieveable days with some beautiful chome hatchery coho being landed. Gear anglers using roe, wool and spinners are doing very well. For swinging flies we suggest muddlers, egg sucking leeches, and christmas trees (green or blue) for coho, and purple patters for the chum. We’ve really loaded up on salmon flies so be sure to drop in on your way.

Norrish (Suicied) Creek… Fishing exceptionally well for coho. Chums are c&r only.

Stave… The Stave is certainly not disappointing. Coho and chum are coming up in fantastic numbers. Their are opportunities for both gear and fly anglers alike.

Harrison… Superb!!! Salmon runs are phenominal and cutthroat on the fly has seen 21+ inchers in recent days. Our RFT Fish Outs will be focusing the next few weeks on this system. Come join us!

Fraser… The main stem of the Fraser has been providing outstanding salmon and sturgeon opportunities. Usually the fortgotten sister when things heat up on the tributaries, the Fraser should not be discounted by any means. Pegleg is poor right now while most of the other bars are fishing very very well.

Little Campbell… Fishing very well for coho and springs.

Skagit… An amazing year for the Skagit. Lots of big bullies were brought in for photo opportunities. This is still an option for fly fisherman looking to get one last fix before the system closes midnight October 31st. The bullies are fond of big food items so large leeches, wooly buggers and rolled muddlers are good options. Bows will still take dries, emergers and a swung caddis.

Lower Mainland / Fraser Valley Lakes

The cooler Fall weather really opens up some local opportunities as the holiday crowd have departed and anglers can move in.

For urban opportunities check out Mill, Green Timbers, and Lafarge. Mill has been fishing really well on black micro leeches and chironomids.

Some valley lakes worth checking out include Rolley, Allouette, Grace, Wolf, Mike, Buntzen, Ross, Kawkawa and Jones.

For gear you can’t really go wrong with wedding bands and worms. Take the kids out to a dock and jig with a grub – lots of fun!

BC Interior

Morgan has been fishing really, with Tunkwa and Logan also providing some good Fall fishing. On the fly micro leeches (olive, and black/red) , K-marts, pumpkin heads, and scuds. For gear hot shots and quick fish are doing well.

Mid-October has come around rather quick, and the boats are gearing up to go out Sunday to participate in the fall fishing season in Puget Sound. Our first opening is Sunday from 5pm to 9am in Area 10, which is the body of water right around Seattle. It’s a relatively quick season in relation to the summer, and usually lasts about a month.

During the fall season, we harvest Keta, or Chum salmon. While some people have a negative stigma towards this species of salmon, we make believers out of people every year who are willing to try something new. 99% of the stigma is word-of-mouth from people who have caught these fish in the rivers, after their flesh has lost its resiliency and color. When the fish are still bright they truly are a different animal. In fact, many of our regulars who have sworn they only eat Sockeye and King now buy our frozen Keta as a result of trying these fish fresh in the fall!

The first fresh salmon of the fall will be available for the last Columbia City market next Wednesday from 3-7PM, and we should have fish for the weekend markets through the end of October and into the first couple weeks in November. Pete is planning on mainly fishing the area 10 openings, which are twice a week, while Jonah may run up to Possession Sound and fish 4-5 days per week, depending on how the fishing is going. I’ll keep you updated as we start fishing.

Are You A Chum?

There is a new place where everybody meets just to plug away, say what’s up or to make a comment to an interesting update and this place is called WordPress Chums.  Check it out.  I would say check us out but it isn’t a blog for just a few of us.  This blog is for anybody who wants to take part.  If you become a regular your blog’s rss feed will probably end up in the sidebar.  Hope to see you soon.

Louis Reinhart has five days to live before he is injected with the lethal cocktail.  Louis Reinhart has been given permission to tell the world his side of the story.

     The story which was not allowed to be told in court.

    The Fort Pierce Sentinel has agreed to send a reporter to interview Reinhart. However, Reinhart has been very specific as to which reporter he will agree to talk to.

    Her name is Mandy McQuaid. She is a rookie reporter. This is her first job and she is stuck in the obit section of the paper. Even though the Editor is not happy about Reinhart’s request, he sends Mandy to conduct the interview.

    Reinhart has his own agenda. He believes he was justified in his quest for retribution and he wants to share it with the world. Not only does he want to share it with the world, but it is very important that he share it with Mandy.

   As Reinhart draws Mandy into his web of lies, and narcissistic behavior one wonders where the next bend in the road leads. What surprise, what evil will pop out to shock and amaze even the most seasoned reader.

We, students are fond of making friends to anyone; friends from various places with diverse personalities. But in school, we have our buddies who help us in educational matters-our teachers.
Teachers are lifelines of any academic institution with different packages. They are usually categorized according to the type of teachings to the students; first, “Ghost/Absentee teacher”. Most of us love them because we rarely see them in school. They are always either late or absent from their classes. But miraculously, majority of their students pass. These teachers are not fond of giving quizzes but the disadvantage is we have the lesser chance to redeem ourselves to the entire semester. My advice is, if you have this kind of teacher, better do a self-study! Always prepare for his surprise. They will scare you like ghost in her midterm and final examinations because of the items which have never been discussed in the class. That’s because they’re gone half the entire semester. Second is, “The Cool Teacher”. These are fresh graduate teachers with the same line of thinking with their students. They become our buddies outside the school but it has also his limitations inside the classroom. Leave the jokes outside. Third we have “The Dartboard Teacher”. These are teachers who are fond of giving quizzes and recitations. They have been absent and always on time in the class. When it comes to recitation, no matter how hard you’ve studied for it, you’ll go crazy! Now, here comes the release of grades. You become dumbfounded because your grades seem just “dartboard” because you don’t know how it was computed. Beware of Dartboard Teachers! Fourth, “Inspirational Teacher”. If you have this kind of teacher, dude you’re lucky! Not everyone can meet this kind of teachers who are experts in their field and institutionalized. They spout wisdom when they speak. You’ll surely love this kind of teacher. How would you identify an inspirational teacher? They usually have a good reputation among other batches and you know one when you meet one. They become more than just a teacher. After the semester, they will become your mentor and friend for the rest of your life. Fifth, “The Terror Teacher”. This kind of teacher is everyone’s nightmare! They are super strict with the attendance and proper use of school uniforms. Yes, unfortunately we still have this kind of teacher in our college. They are the type of teacher who will make you turn around and run opposite direction. But don’t be suck up! Of all things, terror teachers hates student pet. Just do your job as student and you will have a pleasant teacher-student relationship. At least, it will not be forever. Secretly, everyone loves and thanks terror teacher by the time we graduate because he instills in us discipline we badly needed to survive college. And lastly,” The Bookworm Teacher”. From the label itself, this teacher is known to have memorized the book that he has been using for a decade since they started teaching. So, if you encounter this kind of teacher, you can lead notes or old test papers from the passé batches. (hehehe…)Surely the examination questions are just being recycled. But if you want to maximize your learning experience with this teacher, do some extra reading. It’s better to have other references in this progressing world of ours.

Friend

A chum, a pal, a confidant, an ally, an intimate acquaintance- these are just few of the meanings we can come up with when we think about the word friend. They come in different names, faces, shapes and sizes, colors and location. And who says we can only make friends with our own specie? Not to mention man’s best friend. No matter how we define it, a friend always sits close to our hearts. Come to think about it, we are not alone in this planet. And who would forget E.T?

They say it is hard to find a real friend.  They come and they go. We meet them today, they are gone the next. Some only last a year, others a month, but most of them are long forgotten. The chance of finding a needle in stack of hay is far more greater than it is of landing in the door of a true friend.

I remember my own friend when I was 7. We were neighbors and I was 3 years her senior. We were inseparable then until I went for college in another city, and she has to stay to finish her High School. To cut the story short, our communications was put to a halt; letters never came.  We never get the chance to come to a point wherein we can say that we are BFF. It just died out so to speak. 

In different stages in our lives we meet a lot of people we call friends, but only few of them we can claim they are the one. That is, if they feel the same way you do to them.

The DPJ and the decision of whether to continue building Yanba Dam (八ツ場ダム) has been up to a lot of debate. Yanba Dam is a huge multi-purpose dam that cuts through the Agatsuma River (吾妻川). Proponents say the dam needs to be built for irrigation, water supply, electricity generation, flood control and the cost would be high if it were to pull out. Opponents say the dam will destroy the environment, overflow the infamous hot springs (don’t mess with the Japanese on hot springs!), force about 1100 residents to relocate, money will flow into non-local bureaucrats and the costs will be high. In any case, if there is there is going to be one, the purpose of making a dam should be very well-articulated — cuz there are some shitty ones out there. Specifically, what will they do for the salmon runs?

Dam It Japan

Japan is of course famous for being dam happy. The country contains 2675 dams and that is good for number 4 on the list. This isn’t too surprising given the love for public works projects, their large economy and the government’s disregard for the environment. What is surprising is the number of dams given the small area of the country:

Top 7 countries wrt # of dams
Country / Dams per km² x10⁵ / # of Dams / Area (km²)

1. Korea / 76.75 / 765 / 99,678
2. Japan / 70.78 / 2675 / 377,930
3. Spain / 23.64 / 1196 / 505,992
4. China / 22.82 / ~22000 / 9,639,688
5. India / 13.05 / 4291 / 3,287,263
6. U.S. / 6.83 / 6575 / 9,629,091
7. Canada / 0.79 / 793 / 9,984,670

Japan has a threefold higher dam per area rate than the next one on the list.  South Korea has even a higher rate, which presumably doesn’t include the huge one that restricts the flow of North Korean runs.

One of the reasons dams are so often needed in short intervals is because of the weird spiky geography. In addition, water storage is difficult; the combined water storage capacity of Japan’s dams is actually less than that of Hoover Dam.

Blocking Salmons’ Arterial

In terms of salmon, Japan accounts for about a third of the wild harvest in the Pacific Rim (British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Russia, etc.). However, even though Japan has a lot of rivers, 98% of them that contain salmon are dammed (ibid.). We see courtesy of Dam Maps how crowded the rivers are:

0624 is Yanba Dam

Dam construction (along with other factors) can block salmon migration and spawning in a multitude of ways:

Dam construction not only blocks the passage of the migration, but it impacts the flow regime of the river. Slight changes in the river temperature, turbidity, flow velocity and riverbed habitat make it difficult for the salmon to spawn. The actual dam effects on the magnitude of the declines in the population is however disputed. A nice animation of the population of the Columbia River salmon is presented here as dams get built. The general summary is that the dams initially did a very bad job maintaining survival rates of the salmon causing a huge drop in its population, but more recent renovations in the fish passaging, overfishing policies, stock enhancement programs (i.e. hatcheries) and other stuff has made the situation better.

Hatching its way

Japan of course experienced declines in their salmon as initial dams weren’t given any ecological consideration (only economic ones). The declines were responded with building massive amount of hatcheries (a natural response). Now Japan has 378 hatcheries as opposed to 191 from British Columbia, 3 from South Korea and 148 from Idaho, California, Oregon and Washington combined. Information on Japan’s wild salmon is scarce, and one of the reasons is that most of the salmon are now of hatchery origin (e.g. 95% of chum are hatchery). See map below for its distribution:

So basically, Japan has replaced most of its wild salmon with hatchery salmon over the course of a few decades. Compared to Canada and West Coast United States, Japan has a “hatchery-based management” on their salmon instead of an “ecosystem-based management“ (pdf). This is in part because of the economic success of certain stock-enhancement programs (Hokkaido chum).

Keep in mind there are of course exist many unsuccessful hatchery programs (probably more common) and those are the ones that hide information pertaining to its program. Since hatcheries are businesses, documents produced that explain the merits and demerits of hatchery programs are often partisan.

Any business has its fails and successes. If the hatchery business is successful, we have many jobs for the community. No one can the difference between the taste of wild salmon and hatchery salmon anyways — so who gives?

Some demerits for having a higher proportion of hatchery fish vs. wild fish:

1. lack of diversity: genetically homogeneous hatchery fish has a higher risk of getting wiped out by a chance event
2. decline of fitness: hatchery salmon are not as adept at adjusting to the changing environment (e.g. global warming)
3. water pollution: hatchery fish are reared in nasty waters that is comprised of their own poop
4. pollution within the fish: many fish feed have high amounts of PCBs and other toxins
5. diseases: hatchery fish can be reared resistant to sea lice, where wild fish are not
6. crowding out: if hatchery fish are replacing wild fish instead of supplanting it, why do it?
7. wasteful: salmon are carnivores; hatcheries often give fish meal and fish oil as feed (by certain calculations, one pound of farmed salmon = three pounds of wild fish)
8. bland taste: if you eat it enough, you’ll notice the difference

Basically, a good environment is good for the wild salmon and wild salmon is good for the environment. Moreover, instead of using hatcheries, prepping the environment to make it suitable for the salmon may be more beneficial.  Considering all the environmental, societal and economic consequences, if a dam + hatchery combo is to be built, how can it be made so salmon management is “ecosystem-based?”

part 2 will talk about dams comparisons of Japan and other countries — and features that make it “passable.”

part 3 will talk about dam effect on cultural and lifestyle issues (recreational fishing, etc.).

Editorial Reviews Product Description Marion Lewis Reinhart, an androgynous serial killer, has five days to live before he is put to death by lethal injection. Due to the severity and mysterious nature of his crimes, he has been given permission to tell the world his side of the story. Not the story told in court, the real story. Reinhart has his own agenda. He believes he was justified in his quest for terrible retribution and he wants to share his truth. His web of lies, twisted facts, and narcissistic story telling hides a truth more shocking than any of his murders. ——————————————————————————– Product Details Format: Kindle Edition File Size: 201 KB Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited Publisher: Kerlak Publishing; 1st,Unabridged edition edition (October 1, 2008) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services Language: English ASIN: B00267SWG4 Average Customer Review: 5 Reviews 5 star: (5) 4 star: (0) 3 star: (0) 2 star: (0) 1 star: (0) › See all 5 customer reviews… 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,672 in Kindle Store (See Bestsellers in Kindle Store) Popular in this category: (What’s this?)

 #23 in Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Graphic Novels & Manga > Graphic Novels > Mystery Would you like to give feedback on images?

Product Details

Yvonne Mason’s Brilliant Insanity has been nominated in USA Book News for best book cover under Mystery and Suspense. Brilliant Insanity published by Kerlak Publishing was released in the fall of 2008. It is the story of a serial killer in Fort Pierce, Florida who is sitting on death row and wants to talk about why he did what he did how he feels he is the victim. This books takes the reader into the mind of the serial killer as it is told in first person. It makes the reader see the crimes in first person and holds the reader spell bound as he tells his tale to a rookie journalist who has no idea who she was chosen over the more seasoned ones.

    The journey into the crimes and the last days of the killer is one that puts the reader on the edge of their seat from the first sentence to the last – making the reader turn the page with abandon.

     Brillinat Insanity can be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Ms. Mason’s online store at http://thebookattic.ecrater.com  if purchased from her she will mail it to you signed.

   This is a book that will be enjoyed by those who enjoy a good mystery, crime and murder fiction.

Ben oui c’était trop beau!

Hier j’ai chatté avec Kayak, oui et bon comme dans ma vie rien n’est jamais simple, ben devinez ????  Il me dit : “J’ai quelque-chose à te dire… mais j’aimerais plus te le dire en personne”….   et il me rajoute : “J’ai peur, j’ai peur que tu ne veuilles plus me voir !”  Bon c’est quoi ça ?!?….  C’est sûr que c’est mal me connaître de me dire un truc comme ça et de se dire que je vais attendre… Je lui demande s’il est malade, c’est possible….. s’il a une maladie incurable… Il persiste : “Non non  je ne veux pas te le dire, j’ai peur, tu ne voudras plus me parler”… Là j’ai peur, quand un gars te dit sans t’avoir vu avant ta première rencontre, qu’il a peur de te perdre, ça doit être gros… Là je me dis : “il a un troisième enfant, il a fait un meurtre”… bref tout y passe.  Là je lui explique que je suis très compréhensif… c’est vrai…. bon y’a de la curiosité…. Bref, j’ai eu ma réponse cibole… Il m’a dit de quoi il s’agissait….

Devinez, le gars parfait, bonne situation, romantique, sexy, intelligent, qui est cute qui est intérressé etc…. Célibataire…. ouin Célibataire, bon le disque Madonna saute là !   Célibataire….. Hé oui dans le mille…. ciboire… il me dit qu’il a un chum , bon ça fait juste 4 mois…mais qu’il va le laisser…. Là je lui explique mon désarroi, “là je crois que je vais en baver”, je lui ai dit d’ailleurs…..

Je lui exprime ma très grande crainte… Il essaie de me rassurer, mais mon coeur lui…. je vous dis pas la très grande crainte que j’ai là….,

j’ai déjà eu un chum, pendant un an, tout était cool, pour apprendre qu’il avait un chum, c’étais mon Finlandais… Pis un moment donné il m’dit qu’il va faire venir un très très très bon ami et me demandait s’il pouvait venir rester 2 semaines à l’appartement, je lui avait dit que tes amis sont mes amis…. Ben cibole, il n’avait dit ni à moi ni à lui qu’il jouait un double jeu.  Je comprenais pas pourquoi le visiteur était distant pis pas mal et avait des drôles de réactions quand je donnais des bisous d’affection à MON Finlandais…. Ben j’ai compris un peu plus tard quand le chat est sorti du sac ou plutôt rentré… pis que je l’ai pogné dans le même lit durant le jour, bon la sieste avec l’Ami, je comprends les différences culturelles, mais là quand les couvertures lèvent vite vite vite, ben, on voit que la différence de “cul”ture est pas trop présente voire absente…

Bref, je reviens à Kayak man, là je suis déçu,  il me dit qu’il a peur et me demande si je viens toujours demain soir…. là j’ai peur les tous petits…. Je sens que je vais en arracher… que je cherche le trouble… Il me dit que cela fait juste 4 mois, qu’il est exclusif, que le gars embrasse pas bien, qu’ils sont différents… Bref la totale… Je lui explique que j’ai peur que dans 4 mois, il se dise que j’embrasse pas bien, que nous sommes différents, qu’il se cherche une autre Vilaine…. Il essaie de me rassurer, mais moi seul peux le faire et là j’avoue que je ne trouve pas ce qu’il faut pour faire confiance…

Bref, c’est mal me connaître de se dire que je vais pas aller le voir… j’suis comme ça, j’aime la fatalité… Alors je vais y aller et voir s’il est vraiment intéressé…. Nous convenons qu’il n’y aurait pas de sexe aussi longtemps que le chum, le sien, soit de retour et qu’il termine sa relation (j’ai l’impression de vivre le scénario de ma chum Miss V. qui était tombée en amour et qui avait un chum et a dû terminer la relation, à la différence que là  c’est moi qui suis le cocu avant d’être en relation….)

Oui je vais y aller et je vais vous dire ce qui en retourne.. Le gars c’est possible qu’il soit honnête il m’a même proposé d’attendre qu’il ait mis fin à sa relation avant de se voir… J’ai trop hâte de le voir. ça fait 12 ans que ce gars là m’intéresse et c’est pas un obstacle comme ça qui va m’arrêter…. Bon je vous raconte la suite très bientôt… J’vous dis qu’on est loin d’un scénario de Miss. V, là!

A++

Canada’s biggest networks could not make it any clearer. They are cynical, money-grubbing entities that are not worth giving the time of day let alone the millions they are trying to squeeze from television viewers in Canada.

Let’s look back at how the last few months have played out. First CTV and Canwest/Global cry poor and beg the federal government through the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) to force the cable and satellite companies to pay them for their signal. They claim this is so they can save local television. Let’s leave aside the fact that their buying spree of local TV stations followed by their cutting them to the bone have been a primary cause of the failure of local TV. The networks shamelessly produced commercials and invited the public to their stations to explain why local television was in danger of disappearing. These fine upstanding TV moguls told us they want the opportunity to save their local stations and the only way that could happen was to charge all Canadians a few bucks for their services.

The CRTC then caves in to the demands of the millionaire owners. A new levy of 1.5% is to be added to your cable or satellite bill which is supposed to go towards local television production. Problem solved.

Not so fast. While waiting for word from the feds about the bailout the networks got busy. Victoria, B.C. and Red Deer, Alberta will see their stations closed. CTV sold its Brandon, Manitoba station and Canwest/Global sold CHCH in Hamilton and CJNT in Montreal. But hey, you say, they got money. Not enough it seems. The networks still want to charge for their programming even though their last pretense, saving local television, has gone by the wayside along with five local stations.

This whole situation is just plain crazy. The networks bought up every available station in Canada. CTV bought the CHUM/CITY group with all its “A” Channels across the country and specialty stations. Canwest/Global bought CHCH and Alliance Atlantis with a large roster of cable and satellite channels. This came years after CTV bought a bunch of small over-the-air stations from Victoria to Northern Ontario and Canwest/Global opened stations in Montreal and the Maritimes. The networks created a huge debt load they can’t sustain. Add in the recession and their troubles mounted. They screwed up. Their eyes were bigger than their stomachs as my mother would say when I wanted too much food at dinner. The CRTC knows this. The feds know this. So why are we contemplating bailing them out, now especially, when they have abandoned the reason for the bailout, local TV?

Here’s my take. If Canwest/Global is serious about operating a television empire in Canada they should immediately sell or shut down The National Post. It barely exists anyways after the staff slashing that has gone on for over two years. You don’t save a newspaper by providing less and less news on its pages. It is an empty shell. Further, it’s time to sell off the foreign assets like Channel 10 in Australia. Why should Canadians pay to support failure and foreign ventures? Canwest/Global has some excellent assets in its stable of cable networks. They could get all the money they need by picking two or three of their cable stations and selling them to Rogers or Astral Media. Save yourself before you ask me to save you. Finally, I would demand that Canwest/Global become serious producers of Canadian content. When I worked there they never lived up to their CRTC license agreements and they constantly cheated on the money they claimed they spent on Canadian content.

If CTV wants to prove it is serious about its commitment to Canadian programming and to Canada it too will have to produce and invest in more than the odd Canadian drama and comedy and schedule the Canadian shows in time slots that are not dead zones opposite Canwest/Global’s few winners. CTV too has plenty of assets that they could sell to tide them over the recessionary hump. Did we need a TSN2 at a time when CTV says they have no money?

I’m probably wasting my time and energy because of the political power the networks command. I cannot see any way they will not get their money from us. The CRTC wimps and the toady politicians will cave to their demands. But has anyone thought about the long term affects of the large increases in the cost of cable and satellite? Will you continue to buy History Channel and Discovery Kids if you need to save a few bucks because of the rising cost of cable? Is MTV Canada and CTV News Channel still worth having when you can’t afford the satellite TV cost increases? Are CTV and Canwest/Global actually hurting their own bottom lines with this irrational demand for new payments for their network signals?

So far I have seen no sign of intelligent life at Canwest/Global since Izzy Asper died and left the company in the hands of his kids. At CTV I have seen a company that has managed to lose money while running seven of the top ten shows in Canada, a feat worthy of public ridicule. This is what we are being asked to prop up, greedy owners who have mismanaged a license to print money in the good times and are now paying the price in the bad times. Only they don’t want to pay the price, they want us to.

Brilliant Insanity has now made it to number 14 on Amazon Kindle under mystery. This book was written at the time Silent Scream was being researched. It is a killer book – Once again amazing things are happening.

Yesterday, at 7:30am I got a text from an eccentric, enigmatic and all round decent, doctor friend from the Toon. The text said:

Put on a jacket and tie, I’ve taken the liberty of booking us in for a spot of dinner at a Gentleman’s club.

I have to say I panicked, what does one wear to such clubs? This is both fantastically exciting and dress codedly nightmarish all at the same time. Thankfully I am the less than proud owner of an M&S ‘non-iron’ shirt, without which I would have been exceedingly late for work. So I threw that on over a pair of grey slacks, dug out a suitably inoffensive tie and set to work trying on my small selection of Sports Jackets. (I’m not sure whether this means I qualify for a ‘TIM’ award [Toff in the Making], but I don’t think I’m there yet.)

All day I wondered if I would get called out as a fraud because I wasn’t in brogues, and my fears weren’t alleviated by a colleague at work who said that her boyfriend had been formally castigated at The East India Club for going to the loo without a jacket. I responded by saying that I had no idea where we were going and that I’m sure the rules are different depending on the club.

I eventually heard mid afternoon, that we were going to The East India Club. Oh.

But I needn’t have worried, upon arrival at 16 St James’ Square I sauntered in to the lobby of this grand establishment and as soon as I had steadied myself, the role enveloped me. I was now a publicly educated banker in the city and to dine in such an environment was a common recurrence. What jolly fun.

After a momentary sojourn into the Library, and a quick note to ‘Mumsy and PooPoo’, utilising the complimentary embossed letterhead, Barnes and I retired for a spot of dinner. And what a dinner it was, as was discussed over the arrival of our main course (Roast Lamb with Chips, Dauphinoise Potatoes [yes both], Broccoli and Mint Sauce), the portion sizes were clearly the result of a disgruntled gent requesting that they stop faffing around with pompous nouvelle cuisine and started serving a good sized English plate full. The top and tails of the meal included a very fine Tomato Soup (served Hot or Cold) and the most enormous bowl of Strawberries and Chantilly Cream. I felt like Winston Churchill you could have put me on my side and rolled me home.

A cracking evening and a hilarious window into how the other half live.

Find below Barnes reading a grossly inappropriate news publication in the Library…

… and me writing the aforementioned note to the soon to be totally bewildered parents.

What ho, chaps.

by Amy

by steph

Dường như không có gì là không thể làm giả được: từ tiền, rượu, điện thoại, quần áo, cho đến tờ báo và thậm chí là xe Ferraris.

Một chiếc điện thoại thật (trái) và giả được đưa ra tại Hội nghị cấp cao về hàng giả và cướp biển ở Brussels.

Phan Anh

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Nguồn: viencanh.com Chùm ảnh: “Muôn hình vạn dạng” đồ giả

This is my chum’s blog about tea, if you like it, you’ll like this.

Mr Tea Geek, I also happen to think you are quite funny, quite funny indeed, but also intellectual and historical as well. You are more than just a good chortle.

Mmmm, cup of tea.