...There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said..."
(Matthew 28:2-6 NIV)
On the CTV national news last night, there was a "whistle-blower" segment dealing with the problems at Passport Canada. On January 23, 2007, passports became mandatory for Canadians wishing to travel by air to the U.S., and this requirement has resulted in a huge increase in the number of applications for passports, lengthy delays in processing, and other issues. During the segment, an assistant to an M.P. blamed the people who have been forced to cancel trips for not applying early enough. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay quite properly supported the Passport Canada employees who were struggling to keep up, and blamed the problems on the unprecedented demand for passports.
In our view, the blame for the debacle at Passport Canada falls on the management of the agency and on the planning, or more accurately, the lack of planning, for this requirement. Passport Canada is a Special Operating Agency of the federal government, which means that it must rely on passport fees for its funding, but also means that it is free to operate more like an entity in the private sector than a government department. In an SOA, the customer, not the bureaucracy, is supposed to come first.
There was more than enough lead-time to plan for this event. Data on the number of Canadians who travel to the U.S. and who would require a passport should have been readily available. An organization thinking "outside the box" would have found some way of managing or "levelling" the anticipated peak in demand. For example, the agency could have started an advertising program 18 months ago, encouraging people to apply for their passports early. (Apparently the travel industry's advice in this regard was ignored.) One way of "levelling" the demand would have been to ask people to apply in the month of their birth, and to offer some kind of inducement for doing so.
The agency's response to this challenge was more typical of a government department than an SOA -- hire more people and pay overtime to those already on the payroll. The lack of planning has also created another problem five years down the road, when all the passports issued during this peak period come up for renewal at the same time.
If you are still in the process of obtaining a passport -- and doing without your other identification while your application is being processed, and possibly worrying about a trip you have booked -- please be kind to the employees of Passport Canada. The fault lies with their managers, not with the people struggling with the backlog. If your passport is overdue, and you are unable to get an answer using the toll-free number, you can send an online enquiry. Passport Canada strives to respond to online enquiries within 48 hours and were still doing so when we contacted them in late January.
Since 9/11, it is likely that most people who have boarded an aircraft have had this question in the back of their minds. In the last few years, there have been a number of thwarted plots and other incidents involving commercial airlines. One of the most recent involves the bizarre behaviour of a number of individuals on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, which could have been a planned effort to test security measures on the aircraft.
Our most recent trip involved three flights going to our destination and three flights coming back. While we claim no expertise in this area, we came away impressed with the thoroughness of the screening and other security measures that we observed. We found security employees to be both courteous and efficient.
The reality is, however, that no one can guarantee our security with 100% certainty. But alternatives to flying such as driving long distances are not 100% safe either, especially at times of the year when storms are prevalent. Over the years, we have been caught up in a number of severe storms while travelling in the months of December, January and February.
Canadians have a tendency to rely on government for their security. Following 9/11, a protocol was established for the handling of hijackings when it appeared that the aircraft was to be used as a weapon against buildings or built-up areas. In this situation, the Prime Minister had the responsibility of giving the order to shoot the aircraft down. In classic Canadian fashion, the government's advice for passengers on a hijacked aircraft was to remain calm and orderly. We have never forgotten the article on this subject by Winnipeg Free Press columnist Fred Cleverley who said (paraphrasing), "Thanks, but we Canadians are not prepared to sit meekly in our seats waiting for Chretien to order a CF-18 to blow us out of the sky!".
Ultimately, we have to share in the responsibility for our safety. We can do this most effectively BEFORE boarding an aircraft. We can observe our fellow passengers and, if we are uncomfortable with flying with them for some reason, we can take action. If an individual or a group of passengers is behaving strangely, we can bring this to the attention of airline personnel and demand that the individual or group be removed from the flight. If necessary, we can enlist the support of other passengers. If we simply have a "bad feeling" about someone, we can ask to be changed to another flight (a change to another flight will, of course, involve a financial penalty). Fortunately, we have not encountered either of these situations in our travels.
Like many seasoned Manitobans, we find it necessary to migrate South most winters to thaw our frozen fingers and toes, and to avoid the onset of Cabin Fever or, even worse, Mad Trapper Malady. This year we did our thawing and avoiding in The Bahamas.
(Click on any image to view full-size.)
The Bahamas consists of hundreds of islands stretching over 600 miles from Florida to Haiti. More than 30 of the islands are inhabited. Columbus discovered the island chain in 1492, when he landed on San Salvador. The current population is approximately 330,000.
Prior to 1960, the Bahamian economy was marginal and many people left the islands. After some false starts, tourism emerged as the main driver of the economy and now accounts for 50% of GDP. The other primary industries are Offshore Banking (15% of GDP) and Construction (10%).
Most tourist activity occurs in the northern half of the island chain, on New Providence and Grand Bahama. The attractions on New Providence include the capital, Nassau, and recent developments on the adjoining Paradise Island. The port at Nassau can accommodate four of the world's largest cruise ships at one time. Some of the outlying islands like Eleuthra and Great Exuma offer some of the most beautiful beaches, shorelines and cruising waters in the world.
The second most-visited island is Grand Bahama, which we visited. Freeport was originally planned as an industrial centre, and was developed based on an agreement between the Bahamas Government and a private group, the Grand Bahama Port Authority. Industrial developments include a man-made port, a shipyard specializing in cruise-ship maintenance, and trans-shipment facilities. The agreement was amended in 1960 to include tourism development. Most of the recent tourism development has taken place at Port Lucaya, just east of Freeport. Grand Bahama was hard hit by the hurricanes of 2004 and damage from the storms is still evident.
The following pictures are of the awesome 'Our Lucaya' development at Port Lucaya. It includes the Sheraton and Westin hotels, a shopping centre and casino. Our Lucaya was developed by the Hutchison Whampoa group, out of Hong Kong.
Here are some pictures of the casino, Port Lucaya Marketplace and the port itself:
As fellow Commonwealth members, it is not surprising that there are many historical ties between The Bahamas and Canada. Canadian businesses have long been active in the Bahamas. For example, E. P. Taylor (of Carling Breweries) drained the swampland and created the Lyford Cay community west of Nassau, and the Port Lucaya Marketplace was financed by a Canadian businessman. The Royal Bank is a major player in the Bahamas banking community, and CIBC and Scotiabank are active there as well. Many Bahamian professionals received their advanced degrees in Canada, and a large number of Canadians own vacation properties in The Bahamas.
The following pictures are evidence of the Canadian presence on Grand Bahama:
Getting around Freeport and Port Lucaya is not a problem and a car really isn't necessary. This is a good thing because, in The Bahamas, they drive on the left side of the road! We found crossing the street to be a bit hazardous because we were always checking for traffic in the wrong direction. Taxis are available but there is no reason to take one unless you have luggage or wish to tour the island.
The bus service consists of privately-owned vans, each seating up to eight passengers. There are established bus stops but no fixed routes or schedules. Because drivers compete for riders, they are happy to pick you up between bus stops and even from the wrong side of the road if you are lost or confused! We never had to wait more than a few minutes for a bus. With a fare of only $1, there is no need for any other transportation. If you show up at a bus stop with a load of groceries, the drivers will generally take you right to your front door (which, of course, you acknowledge with a tip).
One of the most attractive things about The Bahamas is its people and their culture. Bahamian society is very traditional and they have retained many positive aspects from their past relationship with Britain. In general, we found Bahamians to be polite, honest and helpful. We did not hear any profanity or see any graffiti the entire time we were there.
By all appearances, Bahamians are very happy -- in a group, they are usually laughing, and when alone, they can often be found singing aloud to themselves. The local people are also well-dressed (putting some of us tourists to shame) and schoolchildren wear uniforms which vary by school.
From our reading of the local newspaper, it appears that the Bahamian people and their leaders are very clear about who they are and the values they wish to protect. They are very concerned about protecting their society as a whole and especially their children. The only time we came across the word "tolerance" was in connection with their zero-tolerance policy on drugs -- for simple possession of marijuana, one can expect a hefty fine and possibly significant jail time.
While incomes are low and the cost of living is high (because nearly everything is imported), Bahamians have NO income tax or sales taxes to contend with. Health care is provided by the government at little or no cost to those in need. People who are employed are expected to have employer-sponsored health insurance or to have arranged for their own private health coverage.
Immigration is a sensitive issue in The Bahamas. In general, only Bahamian citizens are allowed to work. Work permits are granted to expatriates for the provision of services not available in The Bahamas but, in these cases, expatriates are also expected to train local people to ultimately provide these services.
Applications for permanent residency must be supported with character references. While we were there, the Minister of Immigration was forced to resign over questions about how Anna Nicole Smith gained permanent resident status shortly before her death.
With its advantages of political stability (The Bahamas achieved full independence from Great Britain in 1973, but has actually been a democracy since 1729), rule of law, respect for private property, sophisticated government, modern infrastructure, low tax regime and proximity to U.S. markets, The Bahamas is currently a magnet for international investment, especially in the tourism sector. Currently, there are 149 projects underway or planned for The Bahamas, totalling some $18.8 billion. On New Providence, further large projects are planned for Paradise Island. On Grand Bahama, the Versailles sur Mer development alone will bring a mind-boggling $4.9 billion of investment to the island!
Getting to Grand Bahama is easy. You can fly to Miami and then take an American Eagle turboprop to Freeport. Those with more time can fly to Fort Lauderdale and then take the Discovery Cruise Lines six-hour cruise to Freeport.
It should be obvious by now that we were greatly impressed with The Bahamas. So much so, that we will shortly be confirming our arrangements for next year!
Update on March 12, 2007 -- See article Scientists threatened for 'climate denial'. (via PTBC)
We had the opportunity yesterday of hearing Dr. Timothy Ball, formerly a historical climatologist at the University of Winnipeg, speak at a lunch meeting organized by Winnipeg's Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Dr. Ball's talk drew a crowd of 200 business people and students to the Winnipeg Convention Centre. We were impressed with the quality of his presentation and enjoyed his blend of science, common sense and good humour.
Dr. Ball started off by explaining why the term global "warming" heard everywhere in the media until recently was suddenly changed to global "climate change". The original term is no longer useful to environmentalists because the earth has recently been in a cooling trend!
Here are the main points of Dr. Ball's message:
1) The science behind climate change is highly questionable. It is based on long-term projections generated by computer models which are, in turn, based on limited data. The source data is limited in both quantity and scope, as many important factors driving climate change are not taken into account.
2) The entire climate change debate has become highly politicized. Certain groups in society (e.g. Suzuki & Co.) have seized on this issue as a means of imposing their view of how the world should be run on the rest of society. As Michael Crichton also pointed out in his book State of Fear, if the general public is kept in a perpetual state of uncertainty and fear, they are more amenable to government intervention and control over their lives.
3) Much of the scientific community has also become highly politicized, and Dr. Ball provided several examples of how the pursuit of truth has taken second-place to reinforcing current orthodoxy and seeking government grants. Several examples were given showing selective use of available data.
4) Focusing on CO2 as the driver of climate change is like "focusing on one of the wheel nuts holding on the left-rear wheel when your car won't go, while ignoring the contributions of the engine (the sun) and the transmission (water vapour)". Compared to water vapour, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is very small and the amount attributable to human activity even smaller.
5) Our climate is always changing and will continue to change. Climate change is driven by a complex interaction involving many factors, notably between solar radiation, the earth's orbit around the sun, and the tilt of the earth's axis, each of which changes on a regular cycle. In the medium-term, the earth will either warm up or cool down -- if we expend all of our resources on global warming, what will we do if we are faced with the much more serious scenario of global cooling?
6) Dr. Ball discussed several inconsistencies or "smoking guns" in climate change theory. The most important is the Medieval Warming Period (MWP). Environmental activists claim that global warming is due to industrialization and other human activity. Why then did the earth experience a significant warming period when there was no industry and little other carbon-based activity? ("The Vikings weren't driving Volvos.") Dr. Ball also presented evidence of attempts by certain scientists to minimize or eliminate the significance of the MWP through selective use of data.
7) Anything Canada does in the area of CO2 reduction will be insignificant in the global context. The biggest CO2 generators, China and India, have no intention of restraining their economies -- in fact, China plans to build a large number of coal-burning generating plants in the next ten years.
8) Climatologists and other scientists who are not on the climate change bandwagon are finding it very tough going, as Suzuki & Co. "have the moral high ground" and their views are "amplified by the media". Dr. Ball is currently working on an article criticizing Al Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth and said that "there are errors on every page". He mentioned and refuted a number of points made in Gore's book. Dr. Ball remains optimistic that the "truth will eventually come out", especially if the earth's cooling trend continues.
Dr. Ball concluded his presentation on a positive note, saying that the "earth is in good shape, people are healthier and living longer than ever, the polar bears are doing fine, so we must be doing something right".
We are long-time supporters of the Frontier Centre and we encourage others to get involved. There are several upcoming lunch meetings including one on February 8 featuring John Carpay of the Canadian Constitution Federation speaking on 'The Chaoulli Decision: A Revolution in Access to Private Health Insurance?'.
I attended a funeral yesterday. And, like the last few funerals I attended, I returned home both saddened and frustrated.
At the funeral of a Christian believer, we have the hope and promise of what is yet to come. We have a concrete and substantial basis for believing that we will eventually be reunited with that person in Heaven, along with other members of God's family. This is why there is often a bit of a celebratory mood at a Christian funeral -- God has called one of his children home!
At a secular funeral, hope is replaced by despair. Other than comforting the bereaved and sharing memories of the deceased -- both important and valuable in their own rights -- there is really nothing to say.
For non-believers, there is no reason to believe that the deceased is "at peace" or "in a better place". In fact, there is no basis for believing that the deceased will have any future existence or consciousness at all. That's it, The End.
For Christian believers, though, the situation is even more distressing, because we have a concrete and substantial basis for believing that the deceased will have a future existence and consciousness. God is loving and compassionate, but also just. Above all, God respects free will. If the deceased has lived a life during which he or she has been indifferent or hostile to God, then the natural consequence is eternal separation from God in "hell". Hell is not some kind of cosmic torture chamber filled with fire and brimstone -- the references to fire in the Bible are only imagery for God's judgement -- but hell does involve "sorrow from the final, ultimate, unending banishment from God, his kingdom, and the good life for which we were created in the first place. People in hell will deeply grieve all they've lost". (1)
There is, however, one exception to the above, and that is for children. Few things in life are more painful than losing a child, but the grief is offset somewhat by the knowledge that children are assured of their places in Heaven.
The funeral ceremonies I attended recently, all for non-believers, involved both Christian and secular elements. This approach is perfectly acceptable as long as it is made clear that the future benefits of Christianity are available only to those who have accepted Christ and have attempted to live their lives accordingly. To imply otherwise is both wrong and dangerous -- it may make the bereaved feel better for the duration of the funeral and for a time afterward, but creates the very real possibility that they might live out the rest of their lives based on a lie.
This is the hard truth about Christianity, a truth which many people find offensive and upsetting. If, in spite of the substantial body of evidence I alluded to earlier, Christianity turned out to be untrue, then hoping for something further after death would be pointless and our brief lifetime on this planet is all there is. If, however, Christianity is true, then a secular funeral represents a tragedy greater than even the bereaved can know.
(1) J. P. Moreland, Ph.D., quoted in: Lee Strobel, The Case For Faith (Zondervan, 2000), 174-175.
This past weekend, we came across a storage box containing about a dozen "floppy" disks or "diskettes". These diskettes were for our very first computer, the fondly-remembered Apple IIc.
As near as we can tell, our Apple IIc was purchased in 1984 (yes, 22 years ago!). With the matching monitor and Apple ImageWriter dot-matrix printer, the total cost was approximately $2,400. There was no hard-drive, and to start the computer, you carefully inserted the "start-up" diskette into the drive, closed the latch on the drive door, and switched the power on. Once the computer had booted up, you replaced the start-up diskette with a program diskette. Each diskette held a whopping 140 KB of data.
The AppleWorks software "suite" (word processor, spreadsheet and database) was fun to use and surprisingly capable. The word processor and ImageWriter printer were capable of turning out quite presentable documents. The spreadsheet was OK but was soon replaced by the excellent SuperCalc 3a program, which also provided graphing capability. We even did some programming using Micol BASIC, which foreshadowed our later career in computer programming.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Apple IIc and it was in use for nearly ten years, after which it was donated to a local non-profit organization.
What a difference twenty years has made! With their amazing user interfaces, our home computers now serve as portals to the Web and its various communities; and as "media managers", manipulating vast quantities of text, graphic, image, audio and video data. We receive updates automatically, and even download "agents" to check and fix our software and settings.
As for our lowly 140 KB diskettes, they are currently sitting beside a DVD/CD Rewritable Drive capable of storing a mind-boggling 8.5 GB on a single disk.
Fond memories, yes, but we won't be going back to what we started with any time soon!
On September 25, 2006 federal finance minister Jim Flaherty announced the government's plan to cut $1 billion in spending over the next two years. One of the most welcome cuts was the elimination of the Court Challenges Program (CCP).
The CCP was created in 1978 to assist citizens and groups in bringing "important linguistic challenges to the attention of the courts". Following the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982, the role of the CCP was expanded to include "challenges to federal legislation, policies, and practices related to equality rights under Section 15 of the Charter".
In its zeal to assist "equality-seeking" groups, the CCP itself has come to represent a gross injustice to Canadians. In effect, the program provides public funds to selected activist groups so that these groups can bypass Parliament and use the courts to impose their vision of society on Canadians. Canadians who do not share this vision must use their own funds to intervene in the court proceedings. And, because the CCP is structured as a Corporation and its arrangements with client-groups are protected by lawyer-client privilege, the CCP is not subject to reviews by the Auditor-General or the requirements of the Access To Information Act.
Clearly, in the CCP's view, some Canadians are more equal than others.
It is interesting to note that in February 1992, the federal government cancelled the CCP as part of a deficit reduction effort. One of the reasons given at that time was that "Since the Program had made it possible to establish a substantial body of case law, it was no longer needed".
We applaud the government's decision to finally end this "hangover" from the Trudeau era. In doing so, the government has recognized the interests of the largest "equality-seeking" group of all: the Canadian taxpayer.
Sources:
CTV
Canadian Heritage
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Fraser Forum (PDF)
This picture shows what is needed to get high-speed internet in our part of rural Manitoba (click on image to view full-size). The communications device on top of the mast communicates with another unit on a tower about 1.5 miles away. Our internet service provider rents space on existing towers in the Eastern and Interlake regions of the province.
This is our first experience with DSL and we are thrilled with it. Uploading pictures to Typepad is no longer a life-or-death proposition (i.e. Will I live long enough to view this picture on the Net?). With DSL, uploading a picture file takes only a few seconds and we can listen to internet radio (Last.fm) at the same time! Life is good.
