DanielKowbellBlogFlog

2012-02-14T20:21:00.003-05:00

“They Want Subways”: A Rob Ford Remix

2012-02-13T03:14:00.001-05:00

Amazing Videos of Earth at Night from Space

2012-02-07T22:05:00.001-05:00

HAND HOCKEY 1974 Season of Champions

2012-02-05T11:48:00.001-05:00

GO RUN Mr. Quiggly!

2012-02-03T02:41:00.001-05:00

Angelo Dundee was master of the ring

With the passing of boxing corner man Angelo Dundee, we continue to witness the closing of the once great era of boxing in the '70s and '80s. Dundee was to Muhammad Ali what McCartney was to Lennon, in a relationship that spanned the decades and helped make Ali the legend he is today.

Dundee was a maestro of the squared ring. He enabled and tutored the very best of his proteges like Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Dundee led an exemplary life in the world of a sport and time fraught with corrupt practices and outcomes.

He still was able to achieve the highest standards of his profession in the making of Ali king of the ring. Truly, this was a man like no other in the sport of boxing.

Daniel Kowbell
Mississauga, Ontario

2012-01-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

THE STRICKEN COSTA CONCORDIA CRUISE SHIP

Iceberg dead ahead!

Explain to me how with 21st Century technology this accident is even possible?

2012-01-13T12:23:00.002-05:00

Jimmy Fallon as Tim Tibow aka T Bowie

2012-01-12T22:15:00.001-05:00

Former NFL Kicker Morten Andersen

2012-01-11T17:01:00.001-05:00

'Doomsday clock' ticks closer to midnight

In a sign of pessimism about humanity's future, scientists today set the hands of the infamous "Doomsday Clock" forward one minute from two years ago. "It is now five minutes to midnight," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) director Kennette Benedict announced on Jan. 10 at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

That represents a symbolic step closer to doomsday, a change from the clock's previous mark of six minutes to midnight, set in January 2010.

The clock is a symbol of the threat of humanity's imminent destruction from nuclear or biological weapons, climate change and other human-caused disasters. In making their deliberations about how to update the clock's time, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists focused on the current state of nuclear arsenals around the globe, disastrous events such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and biosecurity issues such as the creation of an airborne H5N1 flu

2012-01-09T00:23:00.001-05:00

Broncos Stun Steelers With 29-23 Victory In OT

Tim Tebow, Broncos Shock The World By Beating Steelers

2012-01-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

Христос Раждається!

2012-01-07T13:00:00.001-05:00

Too lazy to get up

2012-01-06T22:55:00.003-05:00

(Click on image for better resolution)

2012-01-06T04:29:00.003-05:00

Hospital CEO worth every dime

National Post · Jan. 5, 2012 | Last Updated: Jan. 5, 2012 3:07 AM ET

Re: Hospital CEO Contracts Reveal Lucrative Perks, Jan. 4.

I take great exception to the news story concerning the perks and pay Ontario Hospital executives receive. Dr. Robert Bell when I first met him in 1994 was an up and coming oncologist and orthopedic surgeon at the old Princess Margaret location.

This was a doctor who had the intellect, desire and ambition to work at any of the most prestigious and renown hospitals on this continent and yet choose to stay in Canada and deliver his world class talents to the battle against cancer. After a 3yr odyssey through a health care system overburden with mediocrity in the medical profession to solve my own physical dilemma I was diagnosed by Dr. Bell in 1995 with a stage 1 malignant sarcoma in my left ankle and due to his knowledge and expertise I am still here in 2012.

What should be discussed in a story where readers are awestruck by sheer salary numbers is the question as to whether Canadians are willing to pay to keep the best doctors not simply in Ontario, but in the world at home. If you compare the U.S. equivalent of what CEOs salaries are in hospitals south of our border I believe you will find that Dr. Bell and many of the others listed in the National Post article have given us all the home town discount.

The lives Dr. Bell has saved are countless and he among many Canadian doctors has not followed the almighty dollar in their careers, but the Almighty reward of bringing the very best in health care to Ontarians.

Daniel Kowbell

2012-01-04T19:09:00.001-05:00

A Magnanimous Gift

Spencer told me this was game worn by Normie Ullman as a Leaf

Spencer said it was a hot item on Ebay

2012-01-04T00:12:00.002-05:00

Spencer brought over his pony for a visit-(click on picture for a better view)

2012-01-02T18:41:00.003-05:00

What do you give a Chicago Blackhawk fan for Christmas who has everything?

2012-01-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

911 calls to Ford’s home a sensitive issue

The Toronto Star has uncovered a litany of unprofessionalism and issues of character with Mayor Ford. The ongoing blight on the Mayors personal life must be held accountable when direct Police activity is required, this man is not immune to the pitfalls of human fragility and must be dealt with by both the media and the justice system accordingly.

There would be no hesitation in information gathered by the media from police services, whatsoever, if John Q. Public was at the center of repeated 911 calls of the domestic nature. Unfortunately we have only our own conclusions to consider when what should be accessible public information is blocked by the police themselves.

This is simply not the best way to keep your own house or the City of Toronto in order.

Daniel Kowbell

2012-01-01T10:48:00.000-05:00

Jesse Kline: Is Jack Layton responsible for the NDP’s poor performance?

Now that the tears have dried and the revisionism has begunto take place in regards to Jack Layton it is probably safe to be forthrightand say that the man who I’d long admired did in fact as National Post columnist JessieKline suggests sabotage his own party.

To suggest Mr. Layton had anythingbut just intent as he ran in last May’s election is not palatable to any whosupported and love Jack Layton both in life and in death however my ownfeelings are that he may have been disingenuous in his own belief of leadingthe NDP party into the next parliament and prepared little politically for theeventuality of his death.

The framework of the current NDP party bares littleif no resemblance to the hope and future that Mr. Layton promised us when he tookthe stage on that historic election night where he promised a juggernaut ofpolitical accountability but left us with a wisp of what should have been.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-12-28T16:42:00.001-05:00

Robert Pattinson is double bothered

2011-12-27T13:02:00.000-05:00

The Most Useful Gift I Received This Christmas

2011-12-24T08:59:00.001-05:00

2011-12-24T08:49:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas Spencer!!!

Christmas Graphics - Hot Comments

2011-12-23T19:39:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-23T13:11:00.000-05:00

Drunk woman falls underneath train at Barnsley station UK

2011-12-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

Wow! Look how my little brother helped me shovel our 200ft gravel driveway...good thing he now owns a snow blower! No wonder I'm walking on Titanium and Graphite!!!
(click on image for better resolution)

2011-12-21T03:28:00.001-05:00

2011-12-21T03:05:00.003-05:00

Maple Leaf Great Norm Ullman


I wish to thank my close personal and one of kind "Bestest Buddy" for creating this stellar homage to one of the greatest Leafs of all-time Normie Ullman, who in fact still is my favourite player to ever lace up for the Toronto Maple Leafs! Thanks Spencer *(click on image for a better resolution)*

2011-12-20T23:02:00.003-05:00

Five changes to stop the bleeding

1. James Reimer is not a number a #1 goalie, so go with all three, Reimer, Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens (whoever gets the hot hand you run with-carrying 7 defensemen makes no sense without a solid number one goalie.

2. You haven’t had a good penalty kill unit since coach Ron Wilson has been at the helm, fire him and bring in a new motivator as coach, Wilson has won a lot of games as a head coach, and however he has lost a lot of games as well.

3. Luke Schenn, Leafs can keep insisting but Schenn is at best a 5^th or 6^th in your top 6 defensemen (on a bad team), too slow, no mobility and no puck handling instinct whatsoever. Trade him or demote him. I don’t care that he just inked an expensive new contract and is a Brian Burke favourite.

4. Bump Jake Gardiner to forward and play him on a line with (current Marlie) Joe Colborne and Mikhail Grabovski at center. Both Kulemin and Macarthur don’t deserve the ice time of second-line forwards.

5. Philippe Dupuis! Who is this guy! And why does he take a regular shift night after night? A 104^th pick in the 4^th round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft? Are 6 goals last year with the Colorado Avalanche enough to make him a NHL regular-two words-Toronto Marlies!

Daniel Kowbell

2011-12-20T20:58:00.003-05:00

Pray for North Koreans,
not Kim Jong Il

The death of Kim Jong Il will not change the geopolitical risks of North Korea's nuclear program or the devastation and repression of the North Korean population. This dictator will not be missed by the civilized world ("North Korea's Kim Jong Il dies at 69").

I fear that the continued starvation and oppression of North Korea will simply be the status quo of a communist-held militaristic government with the succession of Kim's son Kim Jong Un.

In a world of ever-changing political landscapes, such as those we recently witnessed throughout 2011, North Korea continues to be mired in calamity and desperation.

Our thoughts and prayers should be with the people of North Korea and not with a dead despot.

Daniel Kowbell; Toronto

2011-12-20T20:22:00.001-05:00

Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)

2011-12-19T23:37:00.001-05:00

Lawyers: Bullet switched at trial of RFK's assassin

A bullet taken from the neck of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was switched at trial because it did not come from the gun of convicted assassin Sirhan Sirhan, his lawyers argue.

CAPTIONCalifornia Department of Corrections via AFP/Getty Images

The Associated Press says the claim comes in new documents filed with the California attorney general in a bid to overturn Sirhan's conviction for killing Kennedy in June 1968 after he won the state's Democratic primary.The lawyers allege that new audio tests on recordings show 13 bullets were fired from multiple guns, five more than Sirhan could have fired.Sirhan, 67, a Palestinian immigrant, was again denied parole in March. He denied having any memory of shooting Kennedy.

BLOG: RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan seeks parole for 13th time

2011-12-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

Farewell “Supreme Leader”

2011-12-18T23:49:00.000-05:00

2011-12-17T12:06:00.002-05:00

Winnipeg teen's 'Drummer Boy'

2011-12-14T09:18:00.016-05:00

Today’s letters: Is her freedom veiled?

Re: Facing Up To Canadian Values, Barbara Kay, Dec. 13.

Barbara Kay makes the same assumption that many of the female gender do when equating the removal of the niqab from a Muslim woman’s face with that of female equality in Canada. The decision to force Muslim women to remove their niqabs in order to receive Canadian citizenship will not ever deliver any rights, or equality to Muslim women.

That’s because Muslim women and their families have come to Canada not to assume a new identity but to have the opportunity to prosper and propagate, while maintaining the right of choice of who and what they wish to represent. The niqab is not a threat to our way of life, but restricting its wearing betrays our national bigotry.

The fundamental values of being a Canadian is to accept all religions to this country. This core value is being rocked — in the fear mongering age we live in — by ideas of what a Muslim represents.

Daniel Kowbell, Mississauga, Ont.

2011-12-12T22:47:00.002-05:00

Anger Builds Over Tower Design Resembling 9/11 Explosion

At right, an artistic rendering of two luxury buildings designed by MVRDV. They are connected by a "cloud" on the 27th floor. Some say the design is eerily similar to the disaster at the World Trade Center, left, on 9/11. (Peter C. Brandt/Getty Images; MVRDV/AP Photo)

A new building design created by Dutch architectural firm MVRDV is angering people who say the structure evokes the World Trade Center attack during 9/11.

The new luxury building, slated for completion in 2015 in Seoul, South Korea, will featured a “cloud” connecting two towers at the 27th floor.

But some say that The Cloud, which will feature a large connecting atrium, a wellness center, various pools, restaurants and cafes, looks far too similar to the explosion at the World Trade Center on 9/11 after two planes flew directly into the twin towers.

“A real media storm has started and we receive threatening emails and calls of angry people calling us al Qaeda lovers or worse,” the company posted on its Facebook page.

Hundreds of outraged commenters took to the company’s Facebook page, such as Lance Henley, who wrote, “It looks like the WTC exploding on impact, how could anyone be such a moron…if it goes up it’ll come down just as fast.”

But others suggested the comparison was far-fetched.

“Everyone should remember that the World doesn’t revolve around the US or 9/11. They have their own things going on to think about and worry about to honestly remember what the buildings looked like coming down and all that. Stop acting like the world revolves around the US,” wrote Ricky Arellano.

The Cloud was reportedly inspired by a drawing of two towers with a cloud covering the center of the skyscraper.

On their website, the company wrote, “MVRDV regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evokes regarding 9/11.”

“It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process. We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt, it was not our intention.”

2011-12-07T00:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Little Brother!!!

2011-12-03T12:39:00.006-05:00

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/1096456--subjugation-of-the-press

Subjugation of the press

Re: Why the Star plans to fight Ford’s boycott, Dec 1

Bravo to the Toronto Star for its pursuit to prevent the subjugation of the press and the rights of free speech. The attempts Mayor Rob Ford has made to exclude the Star from announcements by the mayor’s office is a tactic that smacks of childishness and a total lack of respect for the citizens of Toronto he claims to represent.

Ford’s administration thus far has used a variety of bullying tactics in his day-to-day management of Toronto and if allowed to continue will diminish the values and integrity of what the mayor’s chair should represent.

Daniel Kowbell, Mississauga

2011-12-02T07:51:00.004-05:00

All killers should be tried -

National Post · Dec. 2, 2011 | Last Updated: Dec. 2, 2011 3:10 AM ET

Re: A Very Sick Man, editorial, Nov. 30.

I disagree with this editorial's conclusion that the Anders Behring Breivik case should conclude without a trial. Although Breivik had an unthinkable and heinous motive for his murderous rampage, there was still a link of logic to the conclusion he had arrived at.

A trial could have had the possibility of bringing forth the geo-political trouble within the country of Norway and helped to identify the incubation of such extremist ideals that resulted in this tragedy. It seems a little too convenient to sweep this serial killer away from a public trial that could have helped shed more light on what finally triggered Breivik to kill in such a way.

This understanding could possibly prevent another callous act of violence in the future.

Daniel Kowbell, Mississauga, Ont.

2011-12-01T22:11:00.003-05:00

Crosby love-in hypocritical

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby received a penalty for elbowing Ottawa Senators' Nick Foligno Nov. 25 - but other players are afraid to make contact with Crosby, writes one reader.

Photograph by: Jason Cohn, Reuters, The Windsor Star

I'm getting a little tired of hearing about the "love-in" we're having with Pittsburgh Penguin captain Sidney Crosby.

The hypocrisy of how Sid the Kid has become Canada's sacred cow and therefore must not be touched or contacted by opposing players became abundantly evident Friday night, Nov. 25, when Crosby was allowed to elbow Ottawa Senators forward Nick Foligno in the head.

To witness a headshot delivered by the poster boy for concussions in sport was a little hard to take and speaks volumes to the two-tiered justice system in the National Hockey League for its premium superstars and the rest of the league.

Now that Crosby has become the superstar in the plastic bubble, look for Sid to break all kinds of offensive records set by former NHL superstar Wayne Gretzky.

It's worth noting that Wayne himself seemed also an untouchable by the NHL and was allowed to roam free in his era like Crosby will most likely do now.

DANIEL KOWBELL, Toronto
© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

2011-11-29T21:48:00.013-05:00

It’s clear to me after reading in the Toronto Star of TTC chair Karen Stintz's evaluation that collectors haven't the necessary skill set to serve TTC customers she has inadvertently uncovered the true problem with customer service.

As a TTC Collector with over 27yrs serving Toronto I was the product of both an expensive and ever evolving training component within the TTC training department that resulted in the end product that sits behind the booth window and sells fare media.

Therefore the necessary skill set that Stintz alludes too as missing from the 350 women and men, who currently serve as collectors must simply be a factor of inadequate training techniques, can all 350 TTC Collectors be lacking Stintz’s skill set requirements of their own accord?

It should also be mentioned that regardless of Stintz assertions of collectors lacking public service skills that many of those same collectors have an outstanding record of customer service having received numerous awards of excellence and honours in this regard.

I understand that the way of the future for buying fare media will no doubt involve my own work environment changing however Karen Stintz should not denigrate an entire department of front-line TTC employees to achieve her agenda of implementing the Presto electronic service.

I think we should all question Karen Stintz’s knowledge of TTC training protocol before judging my own skill set and record of achievement as a TTC collector.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-11-24T22:35:00.007-05:00

Mullet family held over Amish haircut attacks

I found the headline in the Toronto Star (“Mullet family held over Amish haircut attacks”) somewhat confusing and possibly disingenuous since I myself have worn the mullet hairstyle for over 30yrs and was incensed by the notion that a family of the “Mullet-laden hairstyle had given the Amish the very same mullet as I, which in itself could be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

However, I then read the article, and my outrage has since been redirected.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-11-24T17:11:00.001-05:00

Nickelback responds to NFL Petition

Nickelback responds to NFL Petition from Nickelback

2011-11-24T01:22:00.000-05:00

Total Knee Replacement

Rehab Plus 7 Weeks

2011-11-20T12:26:00.003-05:00

Private views by a public figure

National Post · Nov. 18, 2011 | Last Updated: Nov. 18, 2011 4:09 AM ET

Re: Broadcaster Firing Tests Religious Freedom, Nov. 17.

On such a polarizing issue as the sanctity and definition of marriage, former Sportsnet announcer Damian Goddard should have been well aware of the danger of crossing the line into becoming an activist for traditional marriage.

Although Mr. Goddard's comments came outside of his Sportsnet duties, some television viewers will be reminded of his anti-gay marriage stance every time he comes on camera. He put his personal, moral beliefs before his professional commitments, and therefore he should not have been surprised by the outcome: job loss.

Daniel Kowbell, Mississauga, Ont.

2011-11-16T22:20:00.003-05:00

Collectors Division

( This is an e-mail I received tonight from our Executive Board Member John Wales )

Bad News

Two Collectors are now in the grievance procedure for very, very serious CRIMES

One was reading the “Coupler” that was delivered to the booth by T.T.C, 147 reported the collector.

One had a magazine on the counter as he was being relieved, he was not reading it, just packing up, report by management.

They both had things in common like over 25 years, perfect records.

T.T.C is still taking a very hard line. And don’t really care how good your record is they just seem to want place a financial burden on collectors. Please tell other collectors who don’t have e-mail.

AGAIN I AM WARNING YOU, DONT PUT YOUR SELF IN HARMS WAY. T.T.C WILL SHOW NO MERCY.

We have 147’s, chief supervisors who want nothing better than to report a collector to get brownie points.

2011-11-12T18:54:00.003-05:00

2011-11-09T20:02:00.008-05:00

Boxing loses a true warrior

Re: Former champ succumbs to cancer at 67, Nov. 8

Joe Frazier is a man forever linked to greatness, however in an unusual twist of fate the greatness of another boxing icon Muhammad Ali. In his own right Joe Frazier was the quintessential pugilist of his era to which Ali owes much of his own legendary success.

With his passing, Joe Frazier takes with him a magical moment in time when the heavyweight boxing scene was at the height of its allure and grandeur and we can all thank Smokin’ Joe for his contribution of blood, sweat and tears.

Boxing has lost a true warrior of this sport that won’t soon be forgotten.

Daniel Kowbell, Mississauga

2011-11-02T22:54:00.002-04:00

2011-10-30T15:57:00.001-04:00

Staples removed!

They promised me a straight scar...does that look straight to you?

2011-10-30T15:48:00.000-04:00

Rob Ford 911 Call: U.S. Pundit Keith Olbermann Dubs Toronto Mayor 'Worst Person In The World'

2011-10-19T00:13:00.002-04:00

Picked up my meds yesterday...Shoppers asked me if I'd liked them Super-Sized...I said no but I'd take the free syringe with all orders over a $$$$

2011-10-19T00:06:00.006-04:00

Awesome Way to Quit Your Job

2011-10-18T22:09:00.003-04:00

Our own Darkest Passenger
( Be forewarned of the violent nature of this video)

2011-10-16T14:19:00.001-04:00

2011-10-09T20:45:00.001-04:00

2011-09-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

A Voice without a Face

The train came to a grinding halt as it serviced Jane station and then without warning the ambient noise of the train came to a halt as power had been cut in the station. As I looked around the train it was almost tangible the feeling of consternation and frustration that came across the faces of our subway customers, the implication being of just another breakdown of the service due to the everyday stoppages over Plan Bs and service adjustments.

However as word spread throughout the train as to the cause of this power cut those same faces turned from aggravated frowns turned ashen with downright concern... a child was in the tunnel ahead of our eastbound train.

I was in the lead car and I with everyone else on that train could hear clearly the voice of a young boy sounding no more than 7 or 8yrs of age screaming “Hello” from the tunnel ahead. Within seconds the train crew had contacted Transit Control with Police and TTC Supervisory personal arriving in minutes. The police then entered the tunnel calling out to this child’s voice who readily answered them each time the police asked where he was, “I’m over here!” he yelled.

As the tension mounted the looks on our customer’s faces smiled knowingly that police would no doubt rescue this child from his perilous predicament. Minutes seemed like hours where finally the most unexpected outcome occurred. The police had found their child’s voice, 50 feet over that same subway tunnel, at street level where he had been yelling into an air vent.

And with that positive result, power was restored, and we all went back to our free papers and IPods.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-09-25T13:43:00.008-04:00

U.S. execution revenge, not justice

National Post · Sept. 23, 2011 | Last Updated: Sept. 23, 2011 5:05 AM ET

Re: U.S. Killer In High-Profile Case Executed, Sept. 22.

Reasonable doubt frees Casey Anthony and O.J. Simpson in their own sensational murder trials however a man who has had his execution stayed 3 times over the last 22 years is put to death in a confusing reversal of fortune where Troy Davis was put into the contradictory position of supposed justice whereby he was left to prove his innocence.

This murder by state goes a long way to proving the inconsistencies and arbitrary way in which the judicial system chooses to deal with the death penalty statue in the U.S. States where it is used. The death penalty would appear in Troy Davis’s case have more to do with a revenge factor rather than punishment for the crime at hand.

This abhorrent lack of respect for the values of human life simply compounds the tragic events in this case that brought about the death of police officer Mark MacPhail since the insurmountable evidence to the contrary that Troy Davis may have in fact never committed the murder.

Was Troy Davis’s death the result of due process in the U.S. legal system or a runaway bureaucratic nightmare that simply handicapped an already imperfect overburdened and callous system of law that found it simpler to push forward then to question mans own ineptitude in judging others morally?

Daniel Kowbell

2011-09-23T20:30:00.002-04:00

TTC Toronto We've Got A Good Thing Going 1987

2011-09-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

The Better Way

2011-09-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

TTC Archives

2011-09-18T16:11:00.001-04:00

Mayweather KO's Ortiz With the Patented Arnfield Sucker Punch

2011-09-05T11:32:00.001-04:00

Twin Tower Cameos from Dan Meth on Vimeo.

2011-08-25T13:52:00.005-04:00

GEORGE HARRISON:

Living In The Material World

‘WHILE HIS GUITAR GENTLY SLEEPS’
Newsweek
The accolades and the tears will flow for George Harrison, who was not just a member of the greatest musical group most of us will ever hear, but also a man who helped define a decade (“Something in the Way He Moved Us,” Transition, Dec. 10). His grasp of spiritualism will ultimately comfort those who loved both him and his music. We may have lost an icon, but heaven has just been graced with one consummate musician and extraordinary human being.
Daniel Kowbell
Toronto, Canada
Posted by Duncanidaho66 at Tuesday, December 20, 2005

2011-08-23T04:29:00.000-04:00

2011-08-23T04:08:00.009-04:00

Follow his light

By Daniel Kowbell, Ottawa Citizen August 23, 2011

Jack Layton's political fight on behalf of all Canadians is not finished but only begun.

The man, his spirit, his drive to succeed is still alive; his dream for the NDP he loved so much will long inspire those that take up his battle to give all Canadians a fair and just federal government.

Layton is an iconic Canadian for the ages and as the great Dr. Martin Luther King once said: "And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land."

This was a man who dreamed an impossible dream, however the light of that dream still burns brightly in the NDP party he cherished, with much hope for the future, and Layton's yet-fulfilled destiny.

Daniel Kowbell,

Mississauga
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

2011-08-22T01:07:00.003-04:00

2011-08-22T01:06:00.001-04:00

2011-08-20T23:47:00.004-04:00

First responders not invited to Sept. 11 event

It’s inconceivable to me how you cannot have invited first responders of 9/11 to the 10th-anniversary of this horrific event.

Without doubt the family members of the World Trade Center victims must be the first and foremost consideration of attendance at the 9/11 National Memorial however to deny those firefighters, police officers, and civilian volunteers who risked everything that day is sacrilegious oversight that is inexcusable.

All who were involved with the rescue effort that ignominious day in history will tell you that they feel every bit the pain of loss and empathy that encompasses a family-like belonging to all that transpired Sept. 11th.

The first responders to Ground Zero mourn not as a separate entity, but mourn as one family, the family of New York, the family of the United States, and the family of those who risked more than could ever been asked of them.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-08-20T23:35:00.005-04:00

Hundreds attend funeral for NHLer Rick Rypien

METRO CANADA

Published: August 17, 2011 5:15 a.m.

Last modified: August 17, 2011 1:51 a.m.

Rick Rypien. What is going on with the recent untimely death of athletes? NHL Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien, 27 years old, found dead Monday has followed closely on the heels of Rangers forward Derek Boogard’s passing this past spring.

However for basic sports fanatics across the board in the last few months we’ve been witness to the unexpected deaths across the sporting community. Former New York Yankee pitcher Hideki Irabu committed suicide at 42, Olympic speed skier Jeret “Speedy” Peterson also killed himself a few weeks ago and joined the macabre list that included former NFL Chicago Bear’s Dave Duerson who shot himself last winter.

This is an ever growing list of tragedies that only touch the surface of what appears to be a excessive list beyond the names mentioned here that have died premature deaths from an assortment of medical mysteries and fatal misadventure. This has become a trend in the sporting world that demands investigation and cannot be brushed aside.

Daniel Kowbell, Mississauga

2011-08-18T02:24:00.003-04:00

Remember Spence how you boasted when your favourite band hit number one on the Chum Charts!

2011-08-16T19:47:00.011-04:00

Politicians are not role models

(Don't ever question me!)

National Post · Aug. 16, 2011 | Last Updated: Aug. 16, 2011 3:03 AM ET

Re: Whatever, I'll Do What I Want, letter to the editor, Aug. 12.

Letter-writer Marcia Rutman is correct in questioning letter-writer Daniel Kowbell's ("Viva La Revolución," letter to the editor, Aug. 10) absurd assertion that government cutting so-called "necessary" services are the root cause of the recent riots in the U.K.

It looked to me as Vancouver did a couple of months ago - as just a simple case of carnage by young, hooded, cowardly and violent thugs who feel entitled to do and steal whatever they want. Now it seems that many U.K. observers are using the excuse that these riots in Britain were inevitable because of the high youth unemployment rate. I think what Britain needs now can be summed up in two words: Iron Lady. Bring back Margaret Thatcher.

David Honigsberg, Toronto.

2011-08-15T17:22:00.000-04:00

Boy Makes 'Impossible' Hockey Shot, May Not Get $50K Prize

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

2011-08-14T00:07:00.004-04:00

Countdown to Retirement

2011-08-11T11:24:00.005-04:00

TTC seeks art consultant for LRT line

The public doesn’t want a LRT line that looks pretty, they would like one that is efficient and built at minimalist prices. The consternation of the public and TTC employees will continue to simmer with each new and unexpected expenditure that is seemingly more unnecessary then the last.

I love art, I love art in the AGO and the Louvre in Paris, however the appreciation for art on the walls of the new LRT line will eventually only be a viewed through the impressionist anti-culture vision of vandals who will see to it that scratchitti is what will be reflected in the art lovers eyes of Toronto’s TTC fare paying public.

This city could easily facilitate a home grown art consultant who in their spare time would be happy to take on the task of coordinating and overseeing art supplied for this new rail line simply for the notoriety it would give him or her. I believe Canadian artist Mendelson Joe might be free.

Daniel Kowbell
( Its worth noting that within hours of this headline appearing in the Toronto Star the Province moved to pull this job posting however what is still disturbing is how TTC spokesman Brad Ross and company defended and promoted this to be a wonderful idea to spend taxpayers money. )

2011-08-10T04:21:00.004-04:00

Riots ablaze, violence continues in London

Posted by Letters editor

ELIZABETH DALZIEL / Associated Press

A British policeman walks along a deserted street in the Clapham area of London, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, in the aftermath of riots across the city.

Turning away from the root cause

Editor, The Times:

We should not be shocked nor surprised at the current ongoing rampage of London riots [“Violence plagues London as unrest spreads,” page one, Aug. 9].

However, we continue to look away from the obvious root cause that has assaulted our young men and women and taken away their future.

The current economic downturn has only stimulated the ever-growing division between the haves and the have-nots. Europe’s financial backslide in their union has begun to spread throughout the globe and the instances of violent dissension in London are simply the first wave of the insidious cataclysm that has reached the shore of Great Britain.

One need only look to the prospects of any of our young graduates here in Canada who enter an already sizable downturn in the job markets they hoped to specialize in. The fact is that the youth of today have fewer prospects in realizing the dream of social and economic stability. Any government that simply reacts to economic shortfalls by cutting the basic needs of the people they represent, fails to see the long-range, dire consequences of such actions.

We can look away from the London riots and convince ourselves that this is not our own reality. However, in the coming years the price of government ignorance will surely be played out on our own newscasts with the same violent acts on our own streets.

— Daniel Kowbell, Toronto

2011-08-08T13:54:00.002-04:00

UFC president awards a $70,000 bonus because he hated a fighter’s short

2011-08-07T22:45:00.004-04:00

Reading signs would help...Mel Gibson did

TTC Subway RANT from Natalie Torres on Vimeo.

The TTC did this because they needed to complete some much needed track replacement. If they did not do this the aging tracks were at risk of cracking which could cause a major disaster on the TTC. You should be thanking them for doing this.

Also, you should have known about this. The closures were reported extensively by the media, full page ads were placed in popular newspapers like Metro and 24H, several huge posters were put up in all stations near entrances, they were announced on the TTC's TV monitors and the TTC made announcements about this on the public address system about every minute. How you did not know this escapes me

2011-08-07T19:52:00.000-04:00

Transit Union President Bob Kinnear takes on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

2011-08-03T08:24:00.003-04:00

Opinion Editorial

Africa's horror, Canada's help

No one with an once of humanity can turn a blind eye to the plight of famine in Africa however how can we as a cash strapped nation ignore the blunder of wasted relief efforts for over 15 years in Somalia?

Without clarity as to how donations will reach the starving we are no more ahead of the rebels who control the roads that take sustenance to the needy then when the United States government failed in its own humanitarian efforts in 1993 and were subsequently driven out of Somalia a year later.

You can play the pious guilt card on all Canadians to contribute to the relief effort for Africa as we sip our cool drinks in the summer sun but our hard earned income needs reassurance and proof that the dollars donated don’t simply contribute to some warlord sipping his own cool drink in the hot sun of famine rather than feeding the hungry.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-08-01T20:44:00.000-04:00

2011-07-31T13:58:00.001-04:00

2011-07-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

2011-07-26T08:29:00.006-04:00

A Tragedy in Norway

A mass murder in Norway has rocked the consciousness of the world and where do we turn for answers? The trusted boogeyman of Islamic extremists cannot be used to quell our fears of a rational excuse for this inane violence.

So we must once more look into ourselves and the core values of what constitutes the way of life that we have worked so hard to achieve in the false hopes of what a free and democratic way of life brings as its rewards.

This may appear at face value to the work of a lone gunman, the proverbial madman if you will, however home-grown terrorism and its route causes speaks to a issue that is more deeply problematic to prevent than those created by the post 9/11 phenomenon.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-07-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

2011-07-24T02:26:00.018-04:00

15 Rock Stars Who Died at 27 Years Old

Posted by Garin Pirnia
Comments

Between 1969-1971, the world lost four unrivaled musicians when Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix all died either by the hand of heroin or another substance. This coincidental phenomenon generated the name 27 Club, which chronicles the untimely death of musicians like Kurt Cobain and Robert Johnson who died at the apex of their nascent careers. These harrowing tales spotlight lives taken too soon, but the legacies they leave behind will burn forever.

Kurt Cobain
Suicide
Nirvana frontman Cobain rallied a generation with his 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' anthem and ushered in a new wave of rebellious teens during the Seattle grunge era in the early '90s. With sophomore record 'Nevermind' in 1991, Cobain changed the shape of the music industry and left an indelible mark on music history. His tumultuous relationships with fame, wife Courtney Love and heroin addiction culminated in his shocking suicide by self-inflicted gun wound, but over a decade later, Cobain's still revered as one of the most gifted voices of the 20th century.

Timeless Track: 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'
Kurt Cobain
WireImage

Janis Joplin
Overdose (October 4, 1970)
Hippie Joplin grew up in Texas but moved to San Francisco and joined the band Big Brother and the Holding Company in the '60s. Despite her truncated life, she managed to record classics 'Me and Bobby McGee', 'Mercedes Benz', 'Piece of My Heart' and four albums with her backing bands. Heavily into drugs, she went through periods of getting clean but inevitably succumbed to heroin addiction when she died at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Los Angeles of a heroin overdose. Joplin paved the way for women in rock music and leaves behind her distinct blues/psychedelic rock vocals.

Timeless Track: 'Mercedes Benz'
Janis Joplin
Redferns / Getty Images

Jimi Hendrix
Overdose (September 18, 1970)
Considered to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time, in seven years Hendrix birthed 'Purple Haze', 'Foxy Lady', a headlining performance at Woodstock, a cover of Dylan's 'All Along the Watchtower', the wah-wah pedal, started the trend of rock stars smashing guitars onstage and released three albums while alive (there's been several posthumous releases). Hendrix died a couple of weeks before Joplin in 1970 at his girlfriend's flat in London of an alleged sleeping pill overdose, asphyxiated on vomit. The Jimi Hendrix Experience's 'Are You Experienced' remains a seminal display of bluesy, distorted guitar riffs that's been emulated by infinite musicians.
Timeless Track: 'Foxy Lady'
Jimi Hendrix
Getty Images

Robert Johnson
Murder (August 16, 1938)
Considered to be one of the best guitarists of all time and an early purveyor of rock 'n' roll, Delta bluesman Johnson influenced everyone from Eric Clapton to the Stones. The details of his biography are fuzzy, but according to myth he made a deal with the devil at a crossroad in Mississippi in exchange for learning how to deftly play guitar. Known to be a ladies man, one night Johnson flirted with a married woman at a dance and allegedly the jealous husband slipped poison into a bottle of whiskey that Johnson drank. He leaves behind blues staples 'Love in Vain' and 'Sweet Home Chicago.'
Timeless Track: 'Love in Vain'
Robert Johnson
Getty Images

Jim Morrison
Uncertain (July 3, 1971)
Through six records, iconic photographs and singles like 'Light My Fire' and 'People Are Strange,' the L.A-based Jim Morrison made his band the Doors a household name. A heavy drug abuser, the poet broke on through to the other side when he died in a bathtub at his apartment in Paris, but others speculate he overdosed at a Parisian club prior and then was dumped into his tub. Other theories state he died of heart failure or as his death certificate reads, "natural causes." Since an autopsy wasn't performed, his death remains a bit of a mystery. Ironically, three years later his girlfriend would also die of a heroin overdose at the age of 27.
Timeless Track: 'Light My Fire'
Jim Morrison
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

D. Boon
Car accident (December 23, 1985)
Dennes Boon formed the influential punk band Minutemen with Mike Watt in 1980. Unlike a lot of punk bands during that time, Boon didn't employ distortion with his guitar but instead pumped up the treble. While riding in the back of a van in Arizona, the van ran off the road and the seatbeltless Boon was thrown out of the back door and killed. Through four records, Boon exemplified a new breed of punk rock and would influence paeans of punksters for decades to come. After Boon's demise, Minutemen disbanded but Watt has since dedicated every project he's worked on to his friend Boon.

Timeless Track: 'Corona'
D. Boon
Marty Lyon

Pigpen
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage (March 8, 1973)
Ronald "Pigpen" McKernan was a founding member of celebrated jam band the Grateful Dead playing everything from the organ to the harmonica. Despite the druggy nature of the band, Pigpen eschewed drugs for his vice of alcohol. Years of imbibing led him to experience symptoms of biliary cirrhosis (liver disease). Shackled with the ailment, Pigpen quit touring and made his final appearance with the Dead at the Hollywood Bowl in '72. A few months later, he was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at his home in Corte Madera, California. His tombstone reads, "Pigpen was and is now forever one of the Grateful Dead."
Timeless Track: 'Turn on Your Lovelight'
Pigpen
Redferns / Getty Images

Kristen Pfaff
Overdose (June 16, 1994)
Pfaff moved from Minneapolis to Seattle when she joined Hole to record 'Live Through This.' Since heroin was the drug of choice in the city, it was soon after moving there that she became hooked. She entered rehab for addiction in 1993, then took a hiatus from Hole a year later to tour with her other band, Janitor Joe. The night before she was suppose to move back to Minneapolis to focus on Joe, she relapsed and died of a heroin overdose in her bathroom -- two months after her close friend Cobain had died.

Timeless Track: 'Doll Parts'
Kristen Pfaff
Getty Images

Mia Zapata
Murder (July 7, 1993)
Zapata formed her punk group the Gits at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1986 then moved the band to Seattle in 1989 to capitalize on the fledging music scene there. Later heralded as a pioneer in female punk, Zapata and the band released one album and were on the verge of breaking out with a sophomore record when the unspeakable happened. While heading home from a bar one night, she was ambushed by an unknown man who raped and killed her. Several years after her death, the police finally caught her assailant, Jesus Mezquia. Zapata's legacy continued when admirer Joan Jett reformed the Gits under the name Evil Stig (the Gits backwards) and held benefit concerts to raise money for her murder investigation.

Timeless Track: 'Spear and Magic Helmet'
Mia Zapata
Jackie Ransier
Brian Jones
Drowning (July 3, 1969)
One of the founders of the most acclaimed groups of all time, Brian Jones considered himself to be the lead member of the Rolling Stones but was really a multi-instrumentalist who lent his mastering of the slide guitar, marimba and sitar to many of the group's hit songs. Battling health issues and alienation, Jones left the band in 1969 and was replaced by Mick Taylor. An avid LSD and alcohol user, Jones had been arrested a couple of times for drug possession. Jones was found in his swimming pool having supposedly drowned because he was under the influence. The coroner pronounced it "death by misadventure," but other reports suggest his builder murdered him.
Timeless Track: 'The Last Time'
Brian Jones

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
Pete Ham
Suicide (April 24, 1975)
The lead singer of Welsh group Badfinger, Pete Ham, had an early predilection for the power ballad in the early '70s. The band generated several hits when they signed to the Beatles' Apple label, but eventually financial and management issues overtook Ham leaving him broke and panicked. After attempting to communicate with his "soulless bastard" of a manager, Stan Polley, to no avail, Ham hanged himself in his England home three days before his 28th birthday and abandoned a pregnant girlfriend who he couldn't support anymore. Ham's girlfriend gave birth to their daughter three months later.
Timeless Track: 'Without You'
Pete Ham
Getty Images

Richey James Edwards
Uncertain (Unknown)
Inspired by his own battles with depression, drug and alcohol abuse and self-mutilation, Maniac Street Preachers guitarist and songwriter Edwards wrote tortured lyrics about his life. On the day he was supposed to fly with a bandmate to the U.S., Edwards disappeared and was never seen nor heard from again (some speculate he jumped off a bridge). Not wanting to accept he was truly gone, it took Edwards' family until 2008 to declare him deceased. MSP continued on as a trio and released the 2009 album 'Journal for Plague Lovers' containing songs Edwards had written.

Timeless Track: 'She Is Suffering'
Richey James Edwards
Getty Images

Jeremy Michael Ward
Overdose (May 25, 2003)
Ward started out in the band De Facto with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, both of whom would form the experimental group Mars Volta. Ward acted as a sound technician, guitarist and vocal operator and contributed many of the sounds on Volta's first and best-selling record, 'De-Loused in the Comatorium.' Like other members of the group, Ward had a penchant for heroin. While touring in support of the album with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ward died of an overdose in his Los Angeles home. Ward's death shook his bandmates so much that they all quit doing drugs.

Timeless Track: 'Drunkship of Lanterns'
Jeremy Michael Ward
Music Over

Chris Bell
Car accident (December 27, 1978)
Chris Bell contributed songwriting and guitar skills to Memphis act Big Star's debut record, #1 Record in 1972 before splitting with the group and going solo with his 'I Am the Cosmos' album. Friends with lead singer Alex Chilton, it was Bell who recruited Chilton to join the quartet that went on to release some of the most iconic songs of the '70s. Bell was plagued with depression, used heroin and felt surpassed by Chilton, but it was an accidental car crash that claimed Bell's life. One night when driving home from his father's restaurant in Memphis, Bell lost control of his car, hit a pole and died instantly. His funeral was held the next day on Chilton's birthday.
Timeless Track: 'Thirteen'
Chris Bell
Getty Images

David Alexander
Alcoholism (February 10, 1975)
Michiganians Iggy Pop and the Stooges guided the wave of punk rock in the late '60s and early '70s with their self-titled debut and subsequent Fun House and Raw Power albums. The Stooges bassist, David Alexander, wrote a lot of the Stooges seminal tracks including 'Little Doll' and 'Dirt' but was fired from the group in 1970 because he was too drunk to play the Goose Lake International Music Fest in Michigan. Zander's excessive drinking resulted in pancreatitis and pulmonary edema, where heavy fluid accumulated in his lungs.

Timeless Track: 'Little Doll'
Dave Alexander
Getty Images

2011-07-23T09:37:00.004-04:00

Suspect in Norway attacks bought 6 tons of fertilizer

2011-07-23T07:28:00.002-04:00

‘I will assure you that services will not be cut, guaranteed’

The cutbacks proposed by the final consultant’s report verge on insane and are impracticable to the point where rather than save the city money will actually cost Toronto more money in the jobs that will be lost. How can a city that never sleeps in terms of the job market consider cutting the TTC Blue Night service?

The Bloor-Danforth and Yonge lines after subways are closed carry heavy throughout the night and all interconnecting Blue Night service is instrumental in covering the many multitude of jobs locations that occur as the rest of Toronto sleeps. It’s preposterous to reduce Library service levels that already is quite limited and will eventually eliminate the “footprint of libraries” to the carbon footprint of where libraries once stood.

The suggestion of one-officer patrols to cut cost would eventually cost lives where our police force is concerned and betrays this consultation format used by the Ford-led municipality as one that would coldly and unrealistically bludgeon the quality of life for all citizens that work and live in Toronto to the point where living there will become a hardship for all.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-07-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

D-backs fan's classy move

2011-07-21T12:34:00.000-04:00

2011-07-21T08:50:00.003-04:00

TTC union gone wild!

These are indeed the dog days of summer and one has to look no further then Sue-Ann Levy who has thrown Sun readers a bone with her column (TTC union gone wild!, July 19). The column which purports to spin the ATU Local 113 budget for 2010 into a news breaking extravaganza of spending gone wild by our union leadership is nothing more than void-filling column on a slow news day for the Sun.

The membership of Local 113 is kept up to date and are made well aware of the cost of representing our large union. If you were to compare the salary of our leadership to that of TTC management you’d quickly realize what a bargain President Kinnear and company are. As Bob Kinnear alluded to in Ms. Levy’s column much of the cost overrun can be attributed to the media and incurred because of this assault on our members.

It might be an idea for Local 113 to bill Sue-Ann and the Sun for the part they played in our deficit.

Daniel Kowbell
ATU Local 113

2011-07-21T08:47:00.003-04:00

TTC union gone wild!

TTC’s local reps blew the budget in 2010

By Sue-Ann Levy ,Toronto Sun

Flush with nearly $7.3 million in dues from their 10,000-plus members last year, the TTC union brass used more than $1.5 million of that cash fighting to keep the transit system public and battling the public backlash from photos of employees sleeping on the job.

According to the 2010 audited financial statements of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, obtained by the Toronto Sun, a princely sum of $704,840 was spent by the union on an anti-privatization ad campaign that rolled out last Sept. 20 and ran until the Oct. 25 election.

Fronted by the Public Transit Coalition — an umbrella group consisting of the environmental lobby and other pro-union types — the campaign was funded entirely by ATU Local 113, no doubt to advocate against the overhaul four of the five key mayoralty candidates threatened to make to the embattled TTC.

The statements also show ATU Local 113 brass plunked $678,006 into three separate Town Hall meetings held last spring in an effort to offset months of negative publicity surrounding sleeping collectors and operators pictured on their cellphones while driving or leaving their crowded vehicles to get money from an ATM.

ATU Local 113 president Bob Kinnear and his execs used $316,455 of their revenues (more than five times what was spent in 2009) for a media campaign, which included a series of press conferences, mostly to yell at journalists for publicizing pictures of TTC employees not doing their jobs.

While the union’s coffers and its’ filled-to-the-brim war chest — totalling more than $5 million — are not directly subsidized by taxpayers, the financials provide interesting insights into how ATU Local 113 operates and what the union considers financial priorities.

There are 16 board members — including controversial president Kinnear — elected to three-year terms. The union pays all 16 — each making at least $100,000 — directly for their salaries, benefits and any overtime worked on weekends.

The 16 also get car allowances valued at more than $125,000 in total.

The union’s nearly 60 shop stewards, who continue to work for the TTC, got extra honoraria totalling $287,342 for their duties. A dinner and dance costing $41,922 was also held in their honour last year.

Despite the 3% increase in revenue from member dues between 2009 and 2010, ATU Local 113 ended 2010 with a $538,708 deficit.

Reached Monday, Kinnear refused comment about the deficit saying he wouldn’t get into the “specifics” of the financial statement.

He said the fact I have the statement shows how “transparent” they are in giving it to their members.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to legitimize our expenditures to the Toronto Sun,” Kinnear said.

He said he can “pretty much guess” who provided me with the statement, adding he didn’t understand why some of his members felt the need to do so.

Nevertheless, he told me the amount spent on the media campaign is justifiable considering he has to keep responding to “dozens and dozens of reporters on frivolous incidents” like the allegation last week of a TTC operator urinating against the wall of the Runnymede subway station.

“There’s a cost incurred with that,” he said, claiming they are doing far more to be proactive with the media these days.

He conceded their automobile allowances are raised by members. But he said their jobs are 24/7 and it’s “not practical” for his board — who have the same free Metropasses all TTC employees get — to use transit as their “only means of transportation.

“With the cutbacks to transit, it just unfortunately isn’t the quickest way at times,” he said.

He added as a result of their three Town Hall meetings — on which they spent $678,006 — the union is participating in more community events such as the one he did in Coun. Ana Bailao’s ward last Saturday.

“We are reaching out to the public ... continuing to have dialogue with them,” he said, noting a number of the people he met told him he was not at all a scary guy.

“I’m one of the nicest guys you’ll meet.”

2011-07-19T18:49:00.004-04:00

World Air Traffic

Click on expand to get a better view

2011-07-18T23:10:00.002-04:00

UAE’s Awana Diab attempts insane penalty kick (and it works)

2011-07-17T16:07:00.002-04:00

What is Canada’s legacy in Afghanistan?

Was Canada’s war in Afghanistan worth it? You tell me; we lost 157 soldiers mostly killed by roadside bombs, Ottawa spent somewhere around 11 billion dollars to eradicate an enemy that hid in the mountains and rarely showed themselves, this mission solidified our unity with the United States in going to war with an impoverished Muslim country that now puts Canada on the map as aggressors in that part of the world, without sounding cavalier about the question I’d say that the answer is a resounding NO.

The years spent in Afghanistan will not require revisionist historical thinking decades from now due to the simplistic nature of the aims of the highly moralistic and politically inspired Canadian Government that yearned for a seat not only on the world stage but the NATO Defense Council as well.

Unfortunately now is probably not the time for such a harsh condemnation of our years in Afghanistan due the very nature of the withdrawal which follows with ad nauseam the history of Afghanistan’s many seemingly invincible conquerors that were previously beaten back and down the very road that Canada now humbly withdraws on.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-07-16T23:11:00.006-04:00

Since 9/11: A new world order

There is no doubt that the distraction Toronto Star reporter Olivia Ward alludes to in her piece (Since 9/11: A new world order) took the United States to the brink of financial collapse after September 11 in its quest to eradicate terrorism from key political areas in the world however their response could not be faulted.

In the ‘imperial overstretch,’” that was required by the U.S. to demonstrate that it was and still is the only super power left on this globe regardless of the mounting Chinese coffers of U.S. greenback debt the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan engaged and identified the one obstacle that will ultimately challenge all democratic nations of this world, the misrepresentation of the Muslim faith.

The United States well may have made many military and political strategic mistakes but as of September 11 2001 were the only nation in a position to answer the challenge that shook not only themselves but all free thinking people of this planet. Regardless of the Muslim backlash throughout the last ten years over the United States quest to bring back safety and security to its people the religious divide between what constitutes democracy in the Muslim nations of this world and its Christian brothers was as wide as the Grand Canyon long before the New World Order of today.

Analysts of geopolitical events worldwide may see the United States in a dramatic spiral to a less impactful country on the world stage however their ideals and aura as a nation will always put them center stage when needed most.

Daniel Kowbell

2011-07-16T12:26:00.001-04:00

Since 9/11: A new world order

Published On Sat Jul 16 2011

By Olivia Ward Foreign Affairs Reporter

The traffic from London’s Heathrow Airport was as stagnant as the air in the slow-moving minicab. But the driver’s opinions flowed freely.

The slight, sad-faced man, a former Pakistani pilot, gripped the wheel grimly as he wrestled the car across the city.

The world was unfair, its inequalities shocking.

The United States was the new Roman Empire, the Muslim world a poodle, cringing at its feet.

And, as the cab heaved to my door, the final salvo.

“That will soon change,” he said. “Something very, very enormous is about to happen. You’ll be hearing about it everywhere. The whole world will know. Believe me, it will change everything.”

That was September 10, 2001: the last day of the world as we knew it.

A decade has passed and the cab driver’s curse has come true in ways few could have predicted.

A superpower’s pedestal has cracked and the tremors have shaken half the world. Petty tyrants were toppled and a new order of uncertainty arrived in countries where peace and prosperity once seemed guaranteed.

Today, the echoes of the 9/11 cataclysm have grown fainter. The buzz in the streets and offices is not of terrorist threats, but fear of a rebounding recession, one that has been stalking us since the global economic meltdown of 2008.

A decade after 9/11, the world has moved on. The global community is pulled by many strings and no one knows how strong or fragile they might be, or in what direction they will be jerked.

The New World Order is not what it was on that day before 9/11, when a sole superpower was the colossus on the global horizon.

Now, while the U.S. sags and Europe slides, China flexes its muscles. India follows on its heels with Brazil and Russia alongside. The nuclear club is expanding, and with it uncharted global influence. A multipolar world looms with more opportunity than certainty.

But the journey to 2011 can also be traced back to the blackened ruins of the twin towers on the day the geopolitical earth moved.

“There’s a contemporary feeling of things being out of control,” says sociologist Frank Furedi of University of Kent, author of The Politics of Fear.

“It’s an unravelling of security in a terrorist century, beginning with the World Trade Center, but going off into other things. Sept. 11 stands out as a marker, but its meaning has changed 10 years on. We’re left with a more divided, less confident public life.”

When Al Qaeda sent its deadly arrows into the heart of America, it was striking at a country that seemed invulnerable. The United States had seen off the mighty Soviet Union, coaxed reluctant allies into line, intimidated foes and dominated the economic, military and political landscape.

Suddenly it felt besieged, wounded and alone. It had been caught unawares, not by a hostile state but a ragtag band of cave-dwellers.

For the presidency of George W. Bush it was a galvanizing moment. His second term had begun with little interest in the Middle East and Central Asia. Now attention focused on the region like a laser beam.

“It was a dramatic shift,” says international affairs professor Stephen Walt of Harvard University. “Suddenly people in the administration were convinced it was a potentially grave threat to American interests and it was time to clean house.”

The housecleaning began with Afghanistan, where the Taliban was swept from power with head-spinning speed. And the hawks close to Bush were emboldened to carry out plans that had gained little traction until the Al Qaeda attacks.

“The neo-conservatives who were on record before the election urging an American effort to overthrow Saddam Hussein were handed an opportunity to put the plan into action,” said Walt.

The Iraq war distracted from Afghanistan, where UN officials called in vain for more troops to guard against a resurgent Taliban. Even as Washington toppled Saddam it was losing its way in both countries, which were fertile grounds for new insurgency and terrorist recruitment.

“The most important fact of Sept. 11 was to spur a very dramatic increase in the footprint of the American empire, contributing to a very serious case of ‘imperial overstretch,’” says Peter Beinart of the New America Foundation, author of The Icarus Syndrome.

To carry out both wars, American resources were stretched to the snapping point, setting the stage for long-term economic as well as military and political difficulties.

“In adding up the quantifiable costs of the war it is hard not to come up with a number in excess of $3 trillion,” said Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, co-authors of The Three Trillion Dollar War.

“The huge deficits to finance the war will have their toll in the long run. They help crowd out private investments that would have stimulated the economy far more than the war expenditures,” they wrote in The Guardian. “With 40 per cent of the funds borrowed from abroad, Americans will be sending interest payments abroad — lowering living standards at home.”

Bogged down in two wars, America was also embattled on the home front. After the launch of the “war on terror” in 2001, some 1,271 government bodies and nearly 2,000 private contractors were dedicated to working on counterterrorism, according to a Washington Post survey. More than 850,000 people — the population of Edmonton — were given high-level security clearance.

As terrorist attacks on Britain, Spain and India horrified Americans, and fear of another Al Qaeda assault mounted, there was little opposition to the expansion of homeland security, or the erosion of civil liberties that accompanied it.

More serious was the blowback overseas.

As the number of Muslims detained, deported in “rendition” programs and imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay without internationally accepted rights increased, the initial sympathy for America turned to anger and anxiety in the Muslim world.

Images of prisoners shackled, abused and humiliated in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison turned many against the United States.

By 2006, the number of people in Arab countries who favoured the U.S. reached a low for that decade, says pollster James Zogby, who heads the Arab American Institute and does regular surveys of the Arab world.

“It was a combination of Iraq seeming out of control, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and the Palestinian issue, which was still unsolved. They sucked the life out of the relationship with the U.S.,” he said.

When Bush set out to “reconfigure” the Middle East by displacing Saddam, his advisers saw the Holy Grail of a peaceful, Israel-and-America-friendly region in sight. By defeating one of the major tyrants, they reckoned, smaller ones would fall into line — or just fall.

“The grand scheme didn’t pan out,” says Walt. “The neo-conservatives didn’t understand there is a difference between overthrowing and recreating a government. Instead of putting friendly people in power, and putting Iran on notice, we have a situation where Iran’s influence in Iraq and the region is greater than before.”

Shiite, Persian Iran had been isolated in a mainly Sunni Arab neighbourhood. But, says Vali Nasr of Tufts University in Foreign Affairs, “by liberating and empowering Iraq’s Shiite majority, the Bush administration helped to launch a broad Shiite revival that will upset the sectarian balance in Iraq and the Middle East for years to come.”

While the Iraq war strengthened Iran’s hand in Iraq, its influence also solidified in Lebanon through Israel’s enemies Hamas and Hezbollah, now leading the Lebanese government.

But a realignment of power was also taking shape in Afghanistan, where Iran expanded its influence through donations to the government, and rising economic star India played a growing role in reconstruction — unsettling historic foe Pakistan.

“The extent of Indian involvement is a real problem for Pakistan,” says Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at University of Bradford. “It’s always seen Afghanistan as its line of defence against its primary enemy. And the Indians see Pakistan as a potential haven for terrorism, while looking over their shoulder at China.”

China, meanwhile, was gaining ground as the U.S.’s Iraq invasion alienated both friends and enemies. The chequebook diplomacy of the rapidly rising power was winning new allies.

Now its foreign investment is vast and its growth spectacular, even while the West is mired in economic angst. It has overtaken Japan as the world’s second biggest economy, although experts disagree on whether it can match the U.S.’s world stature within this century.

For many that is the new narrative of the post-9/11 world, and one that will resonate for decades to come.

“The tragedy of 9/11 was that so many people came to believe the real struggle was against jihadist militants,” says Beinart. “That distracted us from the more profound struggle — not against the losers of the international system, the fanatical ideologues — but people who are succeeding in challenging the notions that America is the most successful political and economic model around.”

2011-07-15T00:48:00.003-04:00

Urinating worker allegation is false: TTC union boss

The media appear relentless in this TMZ-styled gonzo journalism that reports any and all controversial encounters with TTC operators and collectors. I long ago realized that having the acronym TTC on the front page of a major daily would attract circulation due to the undeniable importance of our transit system to the city we serve however recent events reported are simply gotcha-journalism.

Whether a TTC worker preformed the tasteless act of public urination is not something that needs to be played out in the media alongside such other unworthy press items such as Princess Kate’s skirt caught in the cross-winds. Can I expect at some point to tune in to commentator Nancy Grace or Entertainment Tonight weighing out the evidence of a DNA match from this driver and the resulting wall of stained evidence?

Or at some point do our major print media outlets in Canada backslide into a, News of the World fiasco that brought down a 167 year old publication. I say to all concerned let’s keep both our mouths and slacks zipped and report the news that matters and is fit to print.

Daniel Kowbell