Mike Blair's Blog

Doritos Bold Electric

2010-03-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Rehab patients ditched, leading to relapses

2010-01-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

After recovering drug addicts arrived at the Clear Haven Centre in Montreal last Thursday, they were told of its closure. Within the hour, they were on the road to the airport, not rehabilitated, none with any plan for returning home. When they arrived at the airport, they were given $100, not enough for a plane ticket, but more than enough to buy drugs. One 26 year old went home after this ordeal and OD'd, and is currently in brain dead and will most likely be taken off of life support. His relatives say that "None of this would have happened if he hadn't been kicked out like that."
Only one thing can be said about this: What went wrong? A well-organized rehab program suddenly leaving their patients for dead can't be a normal thing. And then leaving them with nowhere left to turn and no support left to offer. These people came looking for a new lease on life and just looking like they had a chance to kick it, they were turfed without any home or support. Government needs to pay more attention to the places that need it before something like this happens again.

Article courtesy of The Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/750027--rehab-clinic-dumps-addicts-at-airport?bn=1

Belgian Woman receives windpipe transplant

2010-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Linda De Crooke has been living in pain for 21 years after a car accident smashed her windpipe. This week, she received the first ever windpipe transplant. The method included allowing her body to get used to the new tissue before she ever had the transplant; the donor windpipe was sewn into her forearm for 10 months before the transplant. The doctors who performed the surgery had performed similar procedures on cancer patients in the past, but this is the first successful operation of something this scale.
It sounds like something straight out of sci-fi, but something like this could be miraculous in curing diseases that previously were terminal. The idea of allowing your new tissue to grow in without transplantation is an ingenious idea, allowing people to find out if the tissue was right for them much earlier. Something like this could be a huge thing for medical advancement.

Article courtesy of The Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/750397--belgian-woman-thriving-after-windpipe-transplant?bn=1

Officer tickets speeding surgeon on way to emergency

2010-01-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

A police officer, who remains anonymous, stopped a speeding Dr. Michael Kutryk, who was called in on an emergency and had to be at the hospital to perform surgery on Jeffrey Halstrom, who had a massive heart attack Saturday. Dr. Kutryk, who was the on-call cardiologist at St. Michael's Hospital when he was forced to come in as soon as possible to operate on Mr. Halstrom, when he was stopped for speeding for going 65km/h in a 30 zone. The police argue that it 'Protected the safety of the residents,' and 'He would have been caught up a lot longer had he got in an accident.
When someone's life is on the line, time is definitely of the essence. The time the doctor spent held up by the police officer is more than enough time for a heart attack patient to slip away. A police officer should be able to determine an emergency situation, given the doctor's pleads to let him go, but not in this case. Because of the time Dr. Kutryk spent getting a ticket, Mr. Halstrom was given a 50% chance of recovery, when he could have been in a lot better condition. It's their job to protect the lives of the citizens of Ontario, so measures must be take to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Article courtesy of the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/749478--traffic-cop-holds-up-speeding-surgeon?bn=1

GPS Tracking Device New Security Innovation

2010-01-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

Ever have your car stolen while you're at work and not realize until you get off several hours later? Or have your child not come home on time and get worried about them? A new GPS tracking device called the Entourage PS allows you to track its location on a separate device, allowing you to know where your child is whenever you like or maintain your car's security. About the size of a television remote, it can fit tucked in a pocket of your backpack or under the seat of your car. It goes for around $350, but it's worth the price to ensure your young child's safety.
This is a brilliant idea that I don't know why it wasn't popular commercially before. If this gets big, they could start building these things right into cars, cell phones, plus many more electronic devices that are plagued by theft. But what really makes the deal is that it can track your child walking home from school, or from the playground, so that moms can supervise their small children without having to see them. With technology improving almost every several months, this could become a very popular advancement in security.
Article courtesy of the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/living/article/747783--using-a-gps-in-a-backpack-to-keep-a-child-safe?bn=1

Virginia couple crashes White House Party

2009-12-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Secret Service's security now has some doubt as to whether they are doing their job correctly after a Virginia couple crashed a White House dinner posing as delegates. Michaele and Tareq Salahi didn't look out of place posing as Indian representatives. Seems like a once in a lifetime thing, being able to make casual chatter with people like VP Joe Biden, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and even the likes of Katie Couric. The Salahis' attorney says that he sees no need for representation at the moment. Party crashing isn't a crime.

Is it just me or does this ring any bells about a certain boy in a balloon? Just another couple trying to get their ten minutes of fame, this time as party crashers for, of anything, a White House party. While they weren't on the guest list and shouldn't have got in, mistakes do happen. But you can't be too careful after you've jest elected the first ever African-American President. Let's just be thankful that it was some wannabe-delegates couple and not someone potentially worse.

Article courtesy of the Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/white-house-dinner-crashers-enjoy-a-good-party-lawyer-says/article1377905/

407 bills can collect interest without notification for up to 15 years

2009-11-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

407 users of the GTA were surprised in the mail by bills from the 407 totaling up to several thousand dollars; around 15 years of interest that they were completely unaware of. The 407 charges an annual interest of about 26% year, so bills can amount to thousands completely out of the blue. The invoice that the 407 sends out states on the back, "Commence agreement to commence proceedings to collect payment... up to 15 years after said trip is made." Litigation lawyer Alan Heisey said it was 'absolutely absurd' for the 407 to say that its customers voided their rights by using their service.

Gotta love the 407, trying to squeeze every last penny they can get out of their paying customers. First those weird transmitter things that nobody knows how they save money, now this. It is outrageous that they would charge such a high interest rate on a toll highway; couple that with letting interest pile up as much as possible before finally foreclosing; telling people years after the fact that they have an outstanding payment without ever notifying them between then and when they actually used the highway. I think that not only will the 407 run into some litigation, but they may also see a drastic decrease in use, due to the general public not wanting to be cheated out of their hard earned money to save a few minutes in their commute.

Article courtesy of Toronto Star: http://www.wheels.ca/Consumer%20News/article/783262

Supreme Court to hear convicted serial murderer Robert Pickton's appeal

2009-11-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

In 2007, Robert Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Two years later, he is back with an appeal. Robert Pickton was convicted of the killing of six prostitutes almost 25 years after the fact and was believed to have killed about 20 more people. Pickton and his attorney are appealing to get a new trial in the spring, on the grounds that Pickton may not have acted alone. The court of appeals rejected his case by a 2-1 vote, but the judge said the jury's instructions constituted a miscarriage of justice and could have ordered a new trial.

In my opinion, this man should be offered no mercy. Convicted murder of six, thought to have murdered over 20 more, whether he acted alone or with another person shouldn't be relevant. That they have the proof that this man killed six people should be enough that he should never see the light of day again. If he did have a partner, it should have showed up in the investigation; it's not as if 26 murders could be completely without evidence (then again, it has happened before). Either way, no man who kills another intentionally should ever deserve anything more than to be locked away for the rest of his life.

Article courtesy of the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/731143--supreme-court-to-hear-pickton-s-appeal?bn=1

Batch of H1N1 Vaccines recalled for severe reactions

2009-11-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

GlaxoSmithCline Inc. the company responsible for producing Canada's order of H1N1 vaccinations, as recalled a batch of vaccines after much higher than normal reactions were reported, some of them being serious anaphylaxis reactions. The statistics showed that the ratio of severe reactions increased to one in 20,000, compared to the normal ratio for this vaccine at one in 100,000. Thankfully, the vaccine was only supplied to two clinics: The Pearth Health Unit and the Renfrew Health Unit.

Obviously mistakes have been made, but more caution needs to be taken in this situation. Some people have very serious medical conditions that can be sparked by very small things. The H1N1 Vaccine is something that every Canadian needs to get, but there is always a risk it could set off something much worse. When something like this happens, it is because there is something in the vaccine that nobody realized was there, such as trace amounts of other drugs not necessary for immunization. To fix this problem, precautions must be made to ensure that the recipient is getting vaccine and nothing but. If there are dangerous drugs in some of these vaccines, we could have another problem on our hands.

Article courtesy of The Toronto Star: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/swineflu/article/728601--batch-of-h1n1-vaccine-recalled-for-severe-reactions?bn=1

Family with overworked children bans homework

2009-11-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Sherri and Tom Milley, two Calgary lawyers, were exhausted from the overbearing amount of homework that their children were receiving on a daily basis. Some of the assignments these children were forced to do included their Third grade daughter Brittany building a paper mache playground, complete with moving parts, and their Grade 4 son Jay told to cut out $1 million dollars worth of goods from a consumer catalog. After two years of battling with the school board to change the homework policy, they have finally come to a conclusion: the Milleys' children will never have to do homework again.

Luckiest children alive aside, homework, in my opinion, is acceptable to an extent, but doing something as pointless as creating a working paper mache playground is ridiculous. The amount of homework some children and high school students alike is unbearable. Not to say that every single student has their work cut out for them, I'm just elaborating that homework has to have a point to it for students to learn anything from it, and that too much homework defeats the purpose entirely, not to mention taking up children's social time, and overworking them to the point of insanity. Homework in most cases needs to be thought over to make it do the intended task: help the children graduate.

Article courtesy of the Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/family-and-relationships/how-one-family-won-the-battle-to-ban-homework/article1367357/

A halloween idea gone very wrong

2009-11-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Four university students donned blackface makeup and tracksuits for their costume idea this Halloween to become the Jamaican bobsled team from the 1993 film "Cool Runnings." Their satire was found humorous by some, but others were offended by it. So much that the University of Toronto's Black Students Committee demanded an apology from the students who organized the party. These students' costumes weren't the only ones that sparked awareness. An Illegal Alien costume was pulled off the auctions on eBay after an immigrants rights group demanded it taken down.

While it is a sad story that racism is still an issue, it is stupid that people would take such offense to a simple Halloween costume. Now, the Illegal Alien costume I can understand, but five guys dressing up like Jamaican bobsledders is something else. The way the students portray Jamaicans, and even black people in general is not offensive and even funny to say the least. There was never any intention to offend, these guys just wanted to have a costume that would be remembered. Not to say that people should be allowed to wear anything they want just because its Halloween, I'm just saying that people should try to chill out a little and learn to laugh about these kind of things.

Article courtesy of the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/724659--how-a-halloween-getup-went-badly-wrong?bn=1

New copyright law could cut families off from internet

2009-11-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Canadian officials are working to create a bill that could ban entire families from internet for a year if anyone on their network is suspected of illegal downloading. Under the worldwide rules of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), internet providers like Bell and Rogers would be forced to stop any illegal downloads on their servers and hand over the names of suspected offenders, as well as restricting identity blockers. The new bill would enforce a three-strike policy for downloading illegal data such as pirated music and movie files, and if three strikes were accumulated, the offender(s) could be banned from their internet for 12 months and have to pay a fine.

While copyright protection is definitely an issue, I think this new law is just government officials being too lazy to punish one and just punish many innocent along with the guilty parties. This could become a problem in home internet servers, where children would download bit torrent movies and music, or even in the workplace, where entire offices could be shut off of internet. The blocking of identity software, while leaving piracy offenders with nowhere to hide, it would also leave anyone with personal information on their computers in danger of identity theft. All in all, I don't see these new policies faring well with the general public.

Article courtesy of the Montreal Gazette: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/copyright%20could%20families%20year/2190230/story.html

Fake H1N1 Remedies are popping up all over the internet

2009-11-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

As the H1N1 pandemic climbs, a number of people across the world wide web have thought to make money off of the illness that has everybody climbing all over each other to get their shot. Some 'home remedies' include topical gels, masks, body wash, and other 'air solvent products'. Other homeopathic remedies have been advertised by less-mainstream health organizations in Toronto and Ottawa. There have even been remedies on the internet saying you can ward off Swine Flu with onions, of all things. Even Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies have been said to ward off the disease.

This scandal is comparable to the war profiteering of the first and second world wars. People out there come up with a plan to rip off people who just want protection from an illness that has now become a global pandemic. None of the remedies advertised on the internet have been proven to work, so the best thing to do to prevent yourself from getting H1N1 is to just get your shot and be hygienic (wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, etc.) Not only are these false remedies a scam, in my opinion these people should be charged with fraud. They are giving the people they scam a false sense of hope, and taking their hard-earned money in the process.

Article courtesy of The Toronto Star: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/swineflu/article/720794--cocoa-krispies-won-t-save-you-from-h1n1?bn=1

New ticket system shrinks Toronto H1N1 clinic lineups

2009-11-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

A new ticket system has been introduced in Toronto H1N1 Clinics to make getting your shot a little more manageable. Approximately 200 people went in this morning to a Toronto clinic and got tickets for 1:00 PM appointments to get their shots. The system works like this: you went into the clinic, get asked a few questions, and your medical history is also reviewed to determine eligibility to get a sooner appointment. If you were a parent or caregiver, you could come in alone and get multiple tickets if necessary. This system obviously is not without its flaws. People who are deemed not in a high-risk scenario are told to come back at a later date to get their appointment. Some people in this low risk category are elderly citizens, some who despite having chronic heart conditions and diabetes, are turned down.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, this is the kind of system that makes no need for line-holders, allowing people to get their flu shot while still going about their daily lives. As for the low-risk rejects, obviously a new system will have flaws, and hopefully they can get their shot as soon as possible to avoid a serious problem, but with this new system, the clinics can immunize 200 people an hour, which is much more efficient than the previous system. Hopefully everything goes as planned, and within a month most of Toronto will be H1N1 free.

Article courtesy of The Toronto Star & Healthzone.ca: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/swineflu/article/719685--ticket-system-shrinks-flu-clinic-lineups?bn=1

New wristband policy in Ottawa H1N1 Clinics

2009-11-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

A new wristband policy has been enacted in all Ottawa H1N1 immunization clinics. It states that anyone who wishes to get their flu shot must get a wristband, and cannot take it off anywhere but the clinic. The reason behind this policy is to prevent fraud, as people have advertised on the internet that they would be willing to stand in 3+ hour lines for someone else to get their flu shot for a fee.

Of course people do not want to wait hours in line to get a flu shot, even if it can prevent them from getting H1N1 and potentially save their life, but this could become a serious issue. In a city as big as Ottawa, clinics are lined up so that some people have to wait upwards of four hours to get their shot. People who offer a service like this cheat honest people out of getting their shot. This policy was a good idea to enact, but I think something still should be done to make clinics more efficient in giving out the vaccine, so that even if this service was allowed, it would not be as much of a service to employ.

Article courtesy of The Ottawa Citizen: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/wristband%20policy%20counter%20fraud%20H1N1%20clinics/2172325/story.html

13 year old in Mississauga dies of H1N1

2009-10-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Evan Frustaglio, 13, died this morning after experiencing flu-like symptoms on the weekend. Toronto Public Health confirmed that he had died of complications of the H1N1 Virus. When he was at a hockey game for the GTHL Mississauga North Stars, he began experiencing flu-like symptoms. His mother took him to a walk-in clinic, who told him it was a sign of the season. They told him to just stay in bed for at least 24 hours, and take some tylenol. Less than 24 hours later, he was dead. "It gave us a false sense of security," says his father, "I would have taken him to the hospital."

This case of H1N1 is not only special because it is so close to home, but it also demonstrates what an issue this really is. Less than 24 hours after experiencing symptoms of the swine flu, a young boy died from the complications. While other precautions definitely should have been taken, it shows how much of a problem this epidemic really is. Evan was in close contact with all of the other boys on his hockey team before his death, two of which have been quarantined. More action must be taken by the Toronto Public Health to prevent more cases like Evan's popping up all over the province.

Article courtesy of the Toronto Star: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/swineflu/article/716657--teen-died-of-h1n1-health-officials-say?bn=1

Balloon Boy Bursts Dad's Bubble

2009-10-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Heenes, the family of the boy that caused all the melodrama and false panic a week ago got what they wanted: some TV face time and some awareness of their existence. That plus a variety of charges, including Federal charges that could result in 6 years in prison and a $500,000 dollar fine. When asked why they put their family through this, along with young Falcon getting sick on camera, they said that, "We did this for a Reality TV Show." Mission accomplished: You got some screen time and made yourselves the country's official media scapegoat. Congratulations.

The Heenes were stupid enough to put their family's integrity on the line and completely ruin their son's reputation for the purpose of trying to become famous. They certainly accomplished that. Now people will remember them as those stupid people who ruined their reputation to get a little TV time. Why did they decide to try this stupid trick to gain a little bit of popularity? Why did they ruin their son's reputation for their own good? Maybe they are attention starved, maybe they were trying to get rich quick, maybe they were just selfish parents. Any way you see it, it was a publicity stunt that probably shouldn't have ever lifted off.

Article courtesy of the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/712162--dimanno-balloon-boy-bursts-dad-s-bubble

Video of Police Brutality at Western causes Uproar

2009-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

A video was posted on Youtube of U of Western campus police attempting to arrest a violent individual on campus and visibly punching and hitting the offender caused some question at the University as to whether the amount of force they used was actually necessary. Irnes Zeljkovic, 22, had been involved in a number of violent confrontations during the day, had barricaded himself in a student's 7th floor dorm and when police arrived to confront him, he started punching the responding officers and then fled. The video shows a half dozen police officers punching Irnes and yelling very audibly to stop resisting, all while trying to handcuff him. He was charged with assault of an officer, resisting arrest and mischief under $5000.

While the suspect clearly needed to be restrained, the question is whether police really needed to use the kind of force they did. A single student could not be much of a threat to 6 or 7 police officers all trying to restrain him, so however violent the suspect was, it probably still shouldn't have escalated to what it eventually became. He was unarmed, so unless he was much stronger than the officers, which is highly unlikely, the officers should not have used violence to restrain him.

The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17mj553jzhM

The article courtesy of The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/youtube-video-sparks-uproar-at-western/article1324695/

Old man evicted on dubious principles dies

2009-10-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

Al Gosling came home to his bachelor apartment to find that the locks have been changed, and that he was no longer a tenant. He slept under the stairs of the building he called his home for a week until he was picked up by a shelter. It was there that it was thought that he got an infection, which led him to a clinic, then a hospital bed, and then finally a grave. He was 82. Would he have died like this had he not been evicted by the TCHC? And what of the other tenants in his building that also had special needs? Would they meet a similar fate?

According to the TCHC, Al had failed to fill out his annual declaration of income that was required if your rent was geared toward income. Was is truly fair of the TCHC to evict an elderly citizen with special needs on something as simple as failing to declare income? The truth is, that if many people are responsible for a problem, nobody is responsible. And nothing is solved by kicking an old man out onto the street. The TCHC should have taken action instead of allowing Al to be kicked out to review the situation and see if something other than the usual course of action must be done. If nothing is done, thousands of other potential Al Goslings could be kicked out of their homes every month, and all potentially reach a similar fate.

Article Courtesy of The Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/709181--one-old-man-died-shame-on-us

Housing Sales Eclipse Precrisis Level

2009-10-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Existing home sales haven't just recovered this year, TD Bank says that they are better now than they were before going into recession. After declining by nearly a third in the second half of last year, the seasonally adjusted level of sales has skyrocketed, climbing 61 percent since August. Most of the incredible gain in the housing market can be explained by the increasing demand for homes since the recession.

I think this was bound to happen since the recession started. As Newton once said: "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction," and this can be applied here. When the housing market plunged, it was due to banks foreclosing on adjustable rate mortgages early to help pay off debts. When millions of people lost their homes, demand dropped, and stayed there for a very long time. As the recession ended, demand has increased yet again. It was inevitable that demand would increase once again. Article courtesy of the Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/housing-sales-eclipse-precrisis-level/article1315179/

Ignatieff faces test of leadership

2009-10-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff took direct control of his party in Quebec after his lieutenant restarted fighting after he quit over interference with 'Toronto Advisers.' "The message said by recent events is this: If you want to have what you want in Quebec, all you have to do is short-circuit the party's Quebec authorities in Toronto." says Montreal MP Dennis Coderre, who resigned because of Ignatieff's reversal of the choice of candidate in the riding of Outrement.

Ignatieff has, to say the least, been a pretty controversial figure at the head of the Liberal party, and I think now is the chance to redeem himself should he take it. As the leader, he can control the actions of the party, which could either bring him to power or drive the Liberals into the ground. if he wants to get himself a good reputation, he should take the opportunity while he has it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/wounded-ignatieff-faces-test-of-leadership/article1304791/

House of Commons in for another political roller coaster ride

2009-09-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Parliament returns from a one week break today, and is in store for another political roller coaster ride. The government is set to introduce another budget implementation bill, as well as debate on Bill C-50, the Employment Insurance Benefit Increases Bill. A potential opposition day for the Liberals could be Thursday or Friday, setting the stage for a government defeat. A non-confidence motion would be introduced purely for optics, so that the Liberals don't look as weak as they did under the leadership of Stephane Dion.

The Liberals have a lot of work to do and a lot of voters to win over if they want to pull the plug on the 4oth Parliament, but a spike in popularity on Thursday or Friday would certainly help. On other debates, America definitely needs to be able to manage its budget; it has been duly noted how easily it is to slip back into recession since the economy has recovered up to this point.

David Miller says he will not be running for re-election

2009-09-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

David Miller walked away from his dream job today, three years early, and with his vision from the past incomplete. His popularity has hit rock bottom, his competitors are nipping at his heels, and he has an unclear political future. Miller says he was leaving to spend more time with his family. "If I were to run again it would be about my own success, and not the Toronto I love," says Miller. His candidacy will cease in November of 2010 when he will leave and a new mayor of Toronto will be crowned.

I think that Miller certainly has been in over his head in the last several years. For surprisingly winning the election in 2003, he certainly could never have seen this coming. He got in over his head in problems and made some bad decisions, but how he handled the 29 day municipal strike is probably what put the icing on the cake. I think that having a fresh face in office in 2010 would do good for the city and the time off will certainly help Miller in the future

Ignatieff has 'put absolutely nothing on the table' say Liberal insiders

2009-09-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

The Liberals have criticized the Conservatives for their decisions in the past, even going so far as to continue a campaign for voting against them. But if the Conservatives are as bad as they say they are, why are they still getting votes? "He's put absolutely nothing on the table. It's just empty rhetoric." said a top Liberal who supported Ignatieff in both leadership campaigns. "If he goes into election with nothing substantive to put on the table, it's going to be a massacre."

I think that the Liberals definitely need to say something more about what they will do if they are elected, instead of continually criticizing the Conservatives. Even if the Conservatives are doing as bad a they sound, the Liberals haven't said they would be doing anything better than them. The public will not vote someone they know nothing about to lead them. The continuance of a campaign against the Conservatives, even teamed with NDP and Bloc Quebecois, would be useless without something to give to the people other than telling them what they already know.

Courtesy to The Hill Times for article: http://www.thehilltimes.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=2009/september/21/ignatieff/&c=2

Bill breathes new life on Obama health care reform

2009-09-17T07:59:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama's plan to stop families paying fortunes for required medical assistance and overly expensive health insurance has finally gained some momentum since the debate begun. It marked a critical turning point in the attempt to re-structure America's failing health care plan. As of now, the USA is the only major industrialized nation without a solid health care plan, leaving 50 million people (which, by the way, is about 1/6 of the American population) without access to medical help that they need. The bill would make major changes to America's $2.5 Trillion health care system, including the requirement that all individuals buy health insurance or pay a fine. It also outlaws Insurance companies charging more when someone becomes seriously ill, or default on payments altogether.

This is finally exactly what America needs to fix it's health care system. 50 million is a huge number of people that can't get health care, and this is the correct way to go to allow more freedom to the system. Before this, insurance companies were greedy. President Obama mentioned in one of his speeches on health care reform a woman who needed surgery to remove a double breast cancer, but her insurance defaulted because she didn't say when applying that she had a case of acne. This is definitely a major step forward for America's health care system.

Military Chief Says More Troops Needed for Afghanistan War

2009-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, told Congress on Tuesday that more troops and more time would be needed for success in Afghanistan. The dialogue given at a morning hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee faced growing skepticism from members of Obama's party. Senator Carl Levin insisted that efforts to better equip and train the American troops and Afghani Security Forces should precede the deployment of any more American forces other than that already deployed by the Obama administration.

I agree with Senator Levin on this matter, that the forces that America already has in Afghanistan should be better equipped before more are sent in. The allies America has already made in Afghanistan need to be better equipped to deal with the violence going on there every day. One of the major reasons that Americans are still in Afghanistan is to help the Police and armed forces there get the citizens of Afghanistan to a safer place. Better training the existing soldiers to deal with cert ain situations would help prevent further deaths of American and Afghani armed forces.

Toronto granted $200M from Ottawa

2009-09-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Toronto Mayor David Miller announced publicly with federal ministers John Baird and Jim Flaherty that the City of Toronto would be granted $200 Million to help stimulate the economy. The projects will preserve or create almost an estimated 7000 jobs.The money will go toward over 500 projects across the city, including:

Eliminating lead from the water supply, replacing aging water mains
Build & improve trails and paths in city parks
Improve transit system to Pape, Dufferin, Warden, and Victoria Park stations
Repairing Steeles Ave.
Repairs in Hospitals, Police stations, and other civic buildings

I think that this use of federal money is a much better than using it in a stimulus plan, which only helps in stimulating a certain industry with hopes that it triggers a country-wide rise. This plan instead helps the entire city of Toronto, employing thousands of people in order to fix Toronto's problems, stimulating the economy while at the same time helping make Toronto a better place to live. However, they could improve on this by also granting the provincial governments of all of the other provinces a similar amount, or sharing one sum across several less developed provinces, in order to finance Canada as a whole instead of only financing one large city.

Article courtesy of The Toronto Star: http://thestar.com/news/gta/article/694225