The new Google Chrome beta is now available for download. First impressions are pretty impressive. Launch is VERY fast. Very minimal on the bars, borders etc, which leaves a lot more actual display space. The "Most Visited" page is an interesting concept. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops.
I like what I see so far. For the truly geek, check out Google's comic for what went into the design of the browser.
Much has been made the last several days of the vandalism and damage that happened in Guelph last week. Various lawn signs and homes were defaced with spray paint and most chillingly, numerous vehicles had their brake lines cut. All the houses targeted had Liberal party lawnsigns supporting local candidate Frank Valeriote. One of the homes hit belongs to the riding's former MP Frank Maine. These latest incidents are further escalation of the vandalism that has been going on lately, including the burning of candidate's lawn signs.
The acts are dangerous and unlawful. Hopefully those responsible will be quickly caught. The fear and uncertainty these acts have created is unacceptable.
There's been no lack of finger-pointing going on related to these events. You can see examples here (in the comments), here (in the comments) and last but not least, here, which certainly wins the award for the most over the top post, although Red Tory comes in a close second for his juvenile offering.
Earlier this week, the pigs & the city of guelph issued an ultimatium to us, leave your home or face a violent eviction. We have been living on abandoned prison land for the past year & when the pigs come to enforce the eviction Monday August 25th, We will all be left homeless & the connection with the land we have been building will be severed.
The reason they are evicting us is because we began laying the foundation for a permanent structure. We dared to dream of living outside of the realms of a money driven economy. They see it as an attack on the basic foundation of the state & their response is proof that they wont let anyone challenge the rigid social & economic structure. We are all outlaws to this society.
Our struggle does not end with the eviction of the squat. It is much larger than a parcel of land. Our struggle is against development & sprawl. Our struggle is against this colonial police state. Our struggle is fundamentally against civilization & all it's systematic distruction.
If you see yourself with in this conflict, take pre-emptive action & realize your desires.
Attack Capital
Take squats
Do whatever the fuck you want
i admire your spirit, commitment and courage you have displayed especially in the last little while. i am an activist and have been active for the last three and half years fighting botch policies and the destruction of our world by the elite. The police and arrests are nothing new to me and after the first time its not that bad.
drop me a email guys that is at least password protected and i can tell you a bit more about me. I have been down with a friend on a number of occasions to support alot of your causes. thats all i will say here
Rock on
sol
Sunrise
Many of these events may seem unrelated until you look at the website for the Guelph Union of Tenants and Supporters or GUTS. From their "What is GUTS?" page.
GUTS believes that real change comes from the grassroots level. We cannot wait for people with power to act because it's not in their interest to redistribute power and wealth. We recognize that asking nicely does not always get the goods. Society's law is not ours–it exists to maintain inequality and power over people. We are not bound by this law. When it is necessary, we use disruption as a tactic for getting the needs of our communities met. We don't rule out asking politely when it is strategic but we recognize that to make any real change, we must take what we need. We want to create and share power. We work to oppose racism, sexism, homophobia, police, and governments.
GUTS recognizes that this land was stolen from its original inhabitants. We know that ' Canada ' exists because of historical and ongoing violence and genocide. We work to support the efforts of Native people to resist the ongoing colonization of their land. We stand in solidarity with Native people in their struggle for sovereignty and self-determination.
Ontario Bill 68 passed by the Mike Harris government in 1998 is "An Act to incorporate Legal Aid Ontario and to create the framework for the provision of legal aid services in Ontario, to amend the Legal Aid Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts". Is it a stretch to think that this is what the C-68 was referring to in the various acts of vandalism? I don't think so. Are these acts targeted not at the Federal Liberals but the Provincial Government of Dalton McGuinty to protest a lack of Legal Aid for people in Ontario?
The victim this time was Linamar Corp., Guelph's largest employer, which makes it an inviting target to extreme leftists with too much time on their hands. One of the ostensible reasons for Monday's vandalism at Linamar's head office was to protest injured workers, but the real reason was Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz's involvement in the North American Competitiveness Council, a working group of the continental Security and Prosperity Partnership.
With the three key members of that partnership -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon -- meeting in Montebello, Que., next Monday and Tuesday, anti-capitalist groups are gearing up for their usual protests.
We have little doubt that the so-called anarchists who damaged Linamar are extremely small in number -- for all we know, they could or a handful or less -- and readers may well ask why the media is according them so much attention.
There's some merit to that point. But this wasn't an isolated incident -- it was the third act of politically motivated vandalism since April (Guelph Police, MP Brenda Chamberlain and the Guelph Armoury were the earlier targets) -- and follow a string such hooliganism in Guelph in the past year or so.
The notion that these latest acts have been carried out by supporters of (insert name of party here) are simply ridiculous. The people doing this are extremists and criminals, not rational participants involved in a democratic process.
The current conservative.ca website is down with this placeholder pic in place.
I was expecting this to happen tonight. With the election all but certain, this was probably the best time to launch. The site has been down several times over the last week or so, so I'm assuming they've been getting everything ready for a while.
Education & Canadian politics — Where commentary & opinion intersect.
Sandy brings a thoughtful and knowledgeable presence to the net. I enjoy reading her blog and her contributions at Jack's NewsWatch. Make sure you bookmark her other site - Harper Government Accomplishments - you're bound to have a use for it in the near future.
For those that haven't seen the new Conservative Party ad as yet. If you have a YouTube account, make sure you log in and Favourite the video. This will help the video's ranking and ensure more views. For campaigns with a YouTube account, add yourself as a subscriber to the CPCPCC page. If you have a Facebook page, you can add the videos using the YouTube box.
This should stoke the election speculation fires pretty good. The Governor General will now be remaining in Canada instead of attending the Paralympic Games in China. Canada will now be represented by Lieutenant Governor David Onley of Ontario.
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to Represent Canada at the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Honour the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, will represent Canada at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, to be held on September 6, 2008.
The Lieutenant Governor will travel to China instead of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada.
Obtuse: # S: (adj) dense, dim, dull, dumb, obtuse, slow (slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity) "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students"
Stop in and visit one of the better Laurel and Hardy routines to be found in the Canadian political blogosphere.
If I ever stop laughing I might even think they were serious.
Unite4Change- NDP Note: despite the brazen attempt to mimic Obama, this is a very-cool and well executed Facebook app. The bar has certainly been raised in online politics in Canada. (H/T Pundit's Guide)
Talking Local - ScaleDown.ca - a shameless plug for a Windsor blog that's fast becoming one of the best local blogs in Canada. (PS. if you know what's good for you, don't talk about stucco there!)
The Taliban's Big Lie - Toronto Star - to those scratching their heads over this editorial, I suggest reading the Euston Manifesto (introduced to me be Windsor Blogger Out of the Driver's Seat). I tried posting about the Manifesto in the comments on this article, but for some reason, my comment hasn't been approved. (H/T Siscoe.ca)
I was talking with the owner Sam when he said - "Hey - it's the Fonz!". I thought he was joking or simply referring to a customer with that nickname. When I turned around it was actually Henry Winkler. He replied - "Yes I am". A very nice, quiet and personable guy.
I met him in Guelph almost thirty years ago when he was filming An American Christmas Carol. He was cool then and still is today.
Thankfully, Culture.ca is one of the projects that was axed in the latest round of cuts. I blogged about this one back in January of this year. $3.8 million dollars to create some kind of Canadian Culture version of what Google, Yahoo and all the others do far better for free.
By: Eric Shackleton, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Statistics Canada reported Tuesday wholesale sales were up two per cent to $45.2 billion in June, the fifth increase in six months. They were up 1.5 per cent in May and 1.6 per cent in April.
Craig Alexander, deputy chief economist at TD Bank Financial Group, called the increase "significant," noting they were still up a "solid" one per cent even after stripping out price effects.
Economic growth looks likely to come in at about 0.8 per cent on an annualized basis in the second quarter, he added, after contracting slightly during the first quarter.
June's increase was largely a result of higher demand for automotive products, where wholesale sales were up 0.4 per cent, said Statistics Canada. Sales in the automotive products sector increased 10.6 per cent in June to $7.8 billion, after declines in five of the previous six months.
Six of the seven wholesale sectors reported higher sales in June, the only decline coming in the "other products" sector.
Just released on the Elections Canada website, the Don Valley by-election has been called for September 22nd. That should help ramp up the election fever another couple of notches.
Al MacDermid and Mike Brock have created a fantastic live weekly show. In it's second season, they have also begun streaming live using UStream. They've invested in some good quality hardware that produces excellent sound quality and allows for call-in guests and live callers. The show features various guests as well as discussion on current politics and general news events.
Al and Mike are leading the way in Canadian politics, showcasing what can be done with new media. For those that enjoyed and miss Political Staples' Bloggers Hotstove, Al and Mike have stepped up with a solid product that's well worth listening to. The show is on a two-week hiatus, which should give everyone enough time to listen to some back episodes and get caught up before the next show. Originally airing on Thursday's at 8pm, the show recently moved to Wednesdays at 8pm (eastern).
Last week saw word of several Liberal candidates dropping out. I caught a post on Langley Politics dot com that led me to Public Eye, who seem to have the most up-to date list of Liberals dropping out of the running for the next election. As far as I can tell, this is the list as it stands:
Egmont: Robert Morrisey (resigned August 2008) Regina: Garry Oledzki (resigned August 2008) Skeena-Bulkely Valley: Corinna Morhart (resigned 2007?) Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission Rani Bellwood (resigned) replaced by Parissa Aujla (resigned August 12, 2008) Okanagan-Shuswap Buffy Baumbrough (resigned June 13, 2008) Langley: Jake Gray resigned (resigned July 14, 2008)
If there's any place that selling a Carbon Tax is going to be tough, it's BC, where they already have their own. Carbon Tax on top of Carbon Tax is going to be a tough sell at the doors in British Columbia.
John Tory on Politics Live, UStreamTV with Stephen Taylor. There are some technical difficulties in the first part of the interview, but it eventually clears up. This is a great new initiative by Stephen Taylor. Congratulations to John Tory for embracing this approach. Trying out new technologies like UStream may be painful at times in the beginning, but the long term benefits are well worth it. The potential of these new services, especially for politics, are boundless.
Nice plug in the interview for both Gloria Kovach, currently in a by-election in Guelph and for Stephen Harper. Webcam chat at Ustream
If there's one thing this government has failed to live up to it's a commitment to reduce spending. In Canada there's this perception that once funding is established for a program, it must continue for life.
More money for healthcare, more money for the environment, more money for housing, more money for aboriginal programs, more money for defence, more money for corporate welfare, more money for cities, more money for infrastructure, more money for...
The demands go on and on.
We're long overdue for a rationalization of programs and a reduction in spending. Focus on the needs, not the wants.
One thing I think the government should do though, is increase the tax deduction for charitable donations. Political tax credits are generous, charitable organizations should be afforded the same opportunities.
Controversial, sometimes funny and always fighting the fight. Some people might not consider the tent big enough for Gerry, I think that's a mistake. You might not always agree with him, but his principled brand of conservatism is essential to the debate.
The current conservative.ca website is down with this placeholder pic in place. 
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Notice the nice backdrop behind McGuinty at yesterdays announcement in Cambridge? .jpg)