http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008_docs/HPV_vaccine.pdf
The breakthrough GARDASIL HPV vaccine has been touted as a wide success... but what do we really know about this expensive vaccine?
It claims to prevent cervical cancer by preventing infections known to be linked. Of course, there are already moral concerns: such infectious diseases are spread through sexual activity; why are we vaccinating 11 year old girls against this, when the vaccine has no proven long-term effects?
Also, there are more than 90 known strains of HPV; can this one vaccine really combat all of them? As it turns out, it only prevents four. These other strains can also cause cervical cancer; so really, how effective can it be against cervical cancer? The testing process used only tested for immune response; not cervical cancer. They are making claims they cannot back up.
What I find most concerning is that school boards are declining to provide parents with this sort of pertinent information. The link at the top of this entry is a warning pamphlet that was not allowed to be distributed in schools without given reason. All pamphlets I personally have seen appear to be biased in favour of the vaccine; I had questions about its long-term effects and side effects that were not addressed.
Did you know that there have been 21 deaths linked to this very vaccine? And countless other reports of adverse side effects and hospitalizations?
In this case and in any other areas, I urge you to ensure that you are informed on ALL aspects of an issue. This is scary; we are not being voluntarily informed of what they want to put into our bodies. Please read the article that alterted me on this issue:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/dec/08121208.html
The list at the bottom of the article gives a thorough overview of the main concerns.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Bus Strike
All of Ottawa's OC Transpo workers just went on strike.
Let me give you some context:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in the winter, in the snow and ice, when traffic is already the stuff of nightmares. Christmas shopping season.
Oh. Joy.
The main issue in this strike is scheduling. Under the planned budget, the city believes it can save a lot of money if it controls driver's scheduling. Previously, the drivers have been allowed the priviledge of scheduling themselves, but there were two main issues with this system.
The first is that it was possible for a driver to work for less than eight hours a day while still recieving the full day's pay. I don't understand how this happened, so I'm not going to go on and pretend I do. However, this was a fairly common situation.
The second issue is that some drivers were scheduled shifts with as little as four hours in between. This is problematic if the first shift ended at two in the morning, and they were back behind the wheel by six. In fact, this becomes a safety concern; how alert can a driver in this circumstance be? Again, I'm not understanding how this happened...
Whatever the case, there does not appear to be any ending in sight. I don't know the figure of how many people relied on OC Transpo, but I can guarantee that it was high.
I am not a regular bus traveler, but now I don't even have the option, and it has affected me. traffic is terrible. Yesterday it took me three and a half hours to get to school; usually I can get there in 45 minutes.
I don't know the guy, but from radio clips I can't say I'm terribly impressed with Alain Mercier, the union representative. Things are at a standstill and everyone is getting frustrated.
Can't any sort of management be carried out effectively in this country?
Let me give you some context:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in the winter, in the snow and ice, when traffic is already the stuff of nightmares. Christmas shopping season.
Oh. Joy.
The main issue in this strike is scheduling. Under the planned budget, the city believes it can save a lot of money if it controls driver's scheduling. Previously, the drivers have been allowed the priviledge of scheduling themselves, but there were two main issues with this system.
The first is that it was possible for a driver to work for less than eight hours a day while still recieving the full day's pay. I don't understand how this happened, so I'm not going to go on and pretend I do. However, this was a fairly common situation.
The second issue is that some drivers were scheduled shifts with as little as four hours in between. This is problematic if the first shift ended at two in the morning, and they were back behind the wheel by six. In fact, this becomes a safety concern; how alert can a driver in this circumstance be? Again, I'm not understanding how this happened...
Whatever the case, there does not appear to be any ending in sight. I don't know the figure of how many people relied on OC Transpo, but I can guarantee that it was high.
I am not a regular bus traveler, but now I don't even have the option, and it has affected me. traffic is terrible. Yesterday it took me three and a half hours to get to school; usually I can get there in 45 minutes.
I don't know the guy, but from radio clips I can't say I'm terribly impressed with Alain Mercier, the union representative. Things are at a standstill and everyone is getting frustrated.
Can't any sort of management be carried out effectively in this country?
Saturday, December 6, 2008
The Governor General: More Than We Thought
I have been considering taking Journalism in university next year, and I must say, in light of recent political events, it doesn't seem like a bad idea. If Michaëlle Jean can work her way up to being the sole person with the most power in Canada, why not me?
We often make fun of the position of Governor General for having no other purpose than that of a figurehead. Michaëlle Jean was probably pleased with her career; getting to host expensive parties and take trips around the world. Now, this former journalist and anchor for Radio-Canada and CBC Newsworld has to decide the fate of our country.
Thus far, she has prorogued Parliament until January 26th of 2009, but really, this has probably only put off the coalition issue. Now that the Liberals+Bloc+NDP have thrown themselves in this far, I doubt they'll just back off. I respect her choice, however; hasty decisions are rarely solid, and this way the people have more chance to make our views known.
And I stress once again that it is important to make our opinions heard. How to contact the governor General:
You can write her. No postage necessary; the salutation is Excellency.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A1
And for more information on Her Excellency the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean and her background, check out http://www.gg.ca/gg/bio/index_e.asp
We often make fun of the position of Governor General for having no other purpose than that of a figurehead. Michaëlle Jean was probably pleased with her career; getting to host expensive parties and take trips around the world. Now, this former journalist and anchor for Radio-Canada and CBC Newsworld has to decide the fate of our country.
Thus far, she has prorogued Parliament until January 26th of 2009, but really, this has probably only put off the coalition issue. Now that the Liberals+Bloc+NDP have thrown themselves in this far, I doubt they'll just back off. I respect her choice, however; hasty decisions are rarely solid, and this way the people have more chance to make our views known.
And I stress once again that it is important to make our opinions heard. How to contact the governor General:
You can write her. No postage necessary; the salutation is Excellency.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A1
And for more information on Her Excellency the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean and her background, check out http://www.gg.ca/gg/bio/index_e.asp
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Canadian Politics Finally Get Interesting
To everyone who watched the exciting unfolding of the American election and considered the laughable tameness of our own system of government... Your drama has arrived.
Less than two months ago, we elected a Conservative minority government with Stephen Harper as Prime Minister. Under a global recession (and by the way, Canada is suffering much less than many other countries so far), our chosen Prime Minister decided to cut tax funding to political parties. Seems like a good plan to me. I don't want to pay for their annoying signs.
But of course, the Liberals felt this much more than the Conservatives (who mainly rely on other sources for funding). Upset, they threw a fit. Stephan Dion (wait a second... I thought he was supposed to be gone by now?) is making plans to form a coalition government... with the Bloc and the NDP. There are rumours of granting the Bloc veto power; in my opinion, a BAD PLAN.
I have so many issues with this it's hard to organize them all. Firstly, regardless of who the coalition consists of, this is Canada. Last I checked, I was fairly confident that we were a democracy. We get to vote and pick our own leaders. A coalition government really just sounds like a bunch of people who did not earn enough votes to get power ganging up and taking over.
People who voted for the Liberals did not know they were also voting for separatists and our lovely orange friends. This was not what we voted for. Canada made itself clear, and this seems extremely underhanded to me.
The Liberals are airing commercials saying that the Conservatives have "blown it." What? How did I miss that? It must have been bad, it takes talent to "blow it" for an entire country in less than two months. (Yes, I realize Mr. Harper has been in power for longer than that, however, in my reasoning, the "blowing" of "it" must have happened since the last election, since I trust Canadians would not re-elect him if he had, in fact, "blown it" before then.)
We are in a global recession. Some even fear it could get as bad as the Great Depression. Now is not the time for petty power struggles, which are not being played for the good of the people (the entire purpose of government!). We already picked our government. To the proposed coalition I say this:
You lost. Deal with it. It's a minority government, so you still get some say, which is more consolation prize than you'd get if this were the US. Respect the choice Canada made in an open and democratic election. Frankly, you are behaving like children. Stupid ones, too.
This is not going to help the economy any. If you want your government to represent you, make your views known! Email the Governor General! Plague your MP! Go to the protests!
This is OUR country.
Less than two months ago, we elected a Conservative minority government with Stephen Harper as Prime Minister. Under a global recession (and by the way, Canada is suffering much less than many other countries so far), our chosen Prime Minister decided to cut tax funding to political parties. Seems like a good plan to me. I don't want to pay for their annoying signs.
But of course, the Liberals felt this much more than the Conservatives (who mainly rely on other sources for funding). Upset, they threw a fit. Stephan Dion (wait a second... I thought he was supposed to be gone by now?) is making plans to form a coalition government... with the Bloc and the NDP. There are rumours of granting the Bloc veto power; in my opinion, a BAD PLAN.
I have so many issues with this it's hard to organize them all. Firstly, regardless of who the coalition consists of, this is Canada. Last I checked, I was fairly confident that we were a democracy. We get to vote and pick our own leaders. A coalition government really just sounds like a bunch of people who did not earn enough votes to get power ganging up and taking over.
People who voted for the Liberals did not know they were also voting for separatists and our lovely orange friends. This was not what we voted for. Canada made itself clear, and this seems extremely underhanded to me.
The Liberals are airing commercials saying that the Conservatives have "blown it." What? How did I miss that? It must have been bad, it takes talent to "blow it" for an entire country in less than two months. (Yes, I realize Mr. Harper has been in power for longer than that, however, in my reasoning, the "blowing" of "it" must have happened since the last election, since I trust Canadians would not re-elect him if he had, in fact, "blown it" before then.)
We are in a global recession. Some even fear it could get as bad as the Great Depression. Now is not the time for petty power struggles, which are not being played for the good of the people (the entire purpose of government!). We already picked our government. To the proposed coalition I say this:
You lost. Deal with it. It's a minority government, so you still get some say, which is more consolation prize than you'd get if this were the US. Respect the choice Canada made in an open and democratic election. Frankly, you are behaving like children. Stupid ones, too.
This is not going to help the economy any. If you want your government to represent you, make your views known! Email the Governor General! Plague your MP! Go to the protests!
This is OUR country.
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