The Ross Report

 Strangely enough, what Dr. Tyson is saying here is quite true...although to my ear it comes off sounding a touch pro-Republican.  While the end result is, as he says, that Republicans end up tending to be more funding-friendly to NASA and other types of high-profile/high-priority research, the motives tend to be different (I believe) from those who see the merits of such funding as being more than making the United States look great and/or powerful.  The gains are in helping to better our understanding of the universe and insodoing address the world's problems rather merely winning political capital either domestically or internaionally... 

Quote

YouTube - Who's More Pro-Science, Republicans or Democrats? - Neil deGrasse Tyson
  

I’ve said it here before: I think the cops have a tough job and they, like the rest of us are only human.  I think more often than not, people’s expectations are too high for police in general.  But I have to say there have been some collosal screw-ups in recent years that are unbecoming of a professional police force – and this is particularly true of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) which has managed to:

• Wrongfully charge and, despite ample exculpatory evidence, aid the conviction of several people of capital murders for which they were later proven innocent,
• use excessive force in dozens of cases, particularly cases involving tasers; nearly resulting in a ban on taser use (which in my view would have been both wrong and dangerous, since tasers can save lives when properly used), and most recently,
• be obsessed with convicting two uncooperative but largely innocent young men; Shawn Hennessey and Dennis Cheeseman following the shootings of four mounties by James Rozko.

Now we can all understand the RCMP – indeed, police everywhere in Canada and abroad – being particularly outraged by the Mayerthorpe killings.  The thirst by some for someone to be brought to justice – perhaps even a thirst, by a few officers, for revenge – would naturally be unquenchable; for no emotions, no rage, no anger would bring the downed mounties back.  Confronted with a pair of locals; one who was easily duped by under-cover investigators and coerced into a confession without counsel present, and the other who, given the experience of the former among other influences, both distrusted police and would lie or do whatever he thought necessary to move his life beyond the whole affair: well, confronted with these two, one might see there’d be nobody better to blame for what happened in the wake of the killer taking his own life.

• Full story: Alta. men jailed for deaths of 'Canadian heroes'

I’m writing about this tonight thanks to my finally catching a repeat of the CBC'’s Fifth Estate documentary entitled “Collateral Damage” wherein Shawn Hennessey and his wife give an in-depth interview that amounts to an epilogue of the whole Mayerthorpe affair.  The story they tell – that Shawn tells in particular – certainly seems very sincere and by no means is a unique account of police behaviour in high-profile cases.  The police complain that Hennessey’s defenders characterize he and his brother as “scape goats”, to which they respond that they came forward and confessed.  Yet the facts of the story make it clear to anyone accepting all but the narrowest definition of “confession” that the testimony was obtained in a context reminiscent of interrogations at Guantanamo Bay.  (Amazing the influence that facility has had on law enforcement methodology in the past few years.)

But I don’t see these guys as scape-goats at all.  They both made mistakes; mistakes which should have consequences.  Lying to police during an investigation – regardless how much distrust of them you have – is simply a dumb idea.  Hennessey said in light of all that’s happened he should have tackled Rozko the night he came to his house demanding his rifle, threatening he and his family with a pistol he’d brought along.  Or perhaps returned with the rifle Rozko demanded and simply shot him with it.  My answer to that: two more really dumb ideas.  Hennessey might well have been forced to surrender his rifle to Rozko, but that didn’t negate the possibility of involving the police afterward.  His wife answers that by saying Rozko had been arrested and released by police before; was known to be violent too.  What would stop him from coming back to take revenge on Hennessey or his family – perhaps while he was away at work – after Rozko was released following their complaining about his threats?  Perhaps nothing; but then again if the police can’t lock the guy up and he’s really that big a threat, there’s always the option of moving away or taking any of a number of other precautions to mitigate the likelihood Rozko would harrass or harm the Hennesseys further.  The main issue was that Rozko was a nutball and clearly being fiends with this guy who’d given over to threatening his family was itself a risky idea.  Moving away was probably the safest option at that point.

Of course, all this is 20/20 hindsight and there might still be other factors that aren’t generally known.  But once the shootings had happened, disclosure to the police should have been the obvious move.  I doubt wither Hennessey would agree with me on this point, but I am also of the view that we, as citizens, have certain duties and obligations which the law can rightfully penalize us for not observing.  One example would be a duty of care to our fellow citizens; which might involve keeping a walkway on our property ice-free lest a slippery surface cause injury.  Similarly, when a police officer investigating a murder requires our testimony, we have a duty to provide what testimony we can.  And that testimony can be done in the presence of a lawyer – which Hennessey surely should have been in touch with the second he hears about the shootings.  The lies that were told; whatever the motive, cost taxpayers by prolonging the investigations – not to mention the suffering of the mounties families.  (It bears mention Hennessey admits culpability for this and allowing Rozko to leave his house that dark night.)

But does all this amount to a conviction for manslaughter and 15 years prison?  Certainly not in light of what kinds of sentences some other manslaughter convictions yield.  But Hennessey’s motives for pleading guilty to manslaughter have to be called into question.  He’s so distrustful of police and “the system” in general, he worries that pleading not-guilty, regardless of the strength of his case, involves too much risk of a life sentence.  Admittedly, I’m no lawyer – but it seems purely incredible that the facts of this case could yield anything approaching 15 years!  And the story of the duped, naieve brother-in-law who got 12 years when he didn’t even have proper legal counsel until far too late….it’s hard to see how the RCMP can come away from this spectacle with any pretence of being an institution that enforces any rational notion of justice.

The Fifth Estate has started the process of righting this latest, obvious wrong.  I expect we’ll here more about this in the weeks ahead. But the bigger question has to be when do the police in this country finally start “getting it”?  When will the endless pursuit of nailing that next, big, high-profile case finally yield to bread-and-butter police work; to serve and protect the people of Canada without this preoccupation with glory and all the injustices that result from it?

Like a number of other Winnipegers who’ve moved “out east” to cities like Ottawa and Toronto (Québec cities are exempt as anyone who’s ever visited Montreal or Québec City will agree), I’ve noticed the people seem much more anxious or “up-tight” in general.  The humour of the general populace seems a bit less laid-back and even less fun-loving.  Certainly, there is a much more conservative attitude shared by people living in the region and, perhaps unexpectedly, they tend to resent the observation.

• CBC News: Coors pulls B.C. billboards mocking Toronto

So it’s not a huge surprise that when Coor’s Beer posted a bulletin board playing on this cultural perception (obviously by western Canadians), suddenly we had a widespread negative reaction from people in Toronto – one group even attempting to organize a boycott on Facebook!  And the irony of so obvious and predictable a response can’t help but bring a smile to non-Torontonians, and us westerners in particular, but – as with any generalization – there are many, many exceptions.  Perhaps more than enough to make Coor’s decision to take the ads down completely understandable….

CBC News: Canadian defends anti-Medicare ad

Shawna Holmes, a Canadian citizen, was successfully courted by a “well-funded” American lobbying group opposed to “socialized medicine”.

In particular, there was an advertisement featuring a Canadian woman who offered up a sound-bite concerning her brain tumour and how the lethargically-slow Canadian system would have waited until well past the day she was dropped into her grave before giving her the surgery she needed.  While certainly light on detail, it was, admittedly, hard to deny that, for some procedures, wait times in Canada can – from time to time - force people to purchase treatment in the United States.  Although there was no indication whether her situation really called for this or whether her situation was even particularly commonplace.

The ad sparked a flurry of debate in the United States, of course, and you would think the Canadian Government might be called upon to explain the situation to folks when media agencies like CNN started calling to get a response to the raging criticisms of the Canadian Medicare system.  Unbelievably, the Canadian Government “could not be reached for comment” and it fell to the opposition Liberal Party of Canada to put in appearances (specifically, former Health Minister Ujal Dosanjh") to set the record straight.

Unfortunately, these efforts haven’t met with very much success and Americans, as usual, are forming opinions based on gross distortions of the facts condensed into fear-mongering sound-bites voiced by a rich, disgruntled Canadian woman who apparently sold out her country’s image and helped a bunch of neocons further their radical right-wing, “anti-Commie” agenda in exchange for a few greenbacks.

At this juncture, if one is truly too pressed for time to research the issue properly, at least one can balance off the cheaply-bought Republican sound-bites by listening to what most Canadians will say about this story:

• Canadian Medicare is certainly not perfect.  While there are occasional wait times for some procedures in our universal system that can result in those with means seeking treatment in the U.S., at least we have a system we’re working to improve – one where nobody dies on the steps of our nation’s hospitals because they weren’t covered.
• Shawna Holmes, the Canadian woman from the Republican ad, apart from being the sort of person to sell out her nation’s image for personal gain, is also in a tiny minority concerning her preference for American-style, insurance-based coverage.  The vast majority of Canadians support the system we have.  And as a nation whose people overwhelmingly consider the United States our closest ally and friend in the world (even Republicans, with whom most of us differ on questions of political ideology), we would recommend in the strongest possible terms adoption of a similar kind of system in the United States.  In short, the good outweighs the harms.

Yes, I know….I’m just one voice and who am I to speak for all of Canada?  Well, there are a few social forums out there where one can review the discourse.  The CBC News story covering this subject also offers a comments section where virtually all the replies will be from Canadians.  The above views should be reflected there to some degree.

And even if somehow the discourse didn’t immediately show that Canadians basically support the type of Medicare system we have, despite any problems – one fact remains undeniable: any time a political party has threatened to tamper with universal medical coverage conceptually in this country, it has amounted to the political equivalent of shooting oneself in the head with a large gun.  The ballot box has left no doubt on this issue in Canadian political history: and our Medicare system has been around for almost half a century now.

Rest assured, if Canada’s Medicare system was really as bad as the Republican’s say – even if it were 1/10th as bad as they make it out in their ads; it wouldn’t have survived as the leading social program for decades.

Aside from citing the seemingly obvious holes in the Republicans’ attack on the Obama Medicare plan, speaking for myself (although I know many of my countrymen feel the same way here too) – I can’t figure out why Americans seem to prefer the obviously dysfunctional medical system they’ve got to one like Canada’s.  It’s as if the word “socialized medicine” gets inserted into a sentence and suddenly Americans revert into a kind of McCarthyist cult that would rather commit mass-suicide than experience a universal coverage system with the prefix “social” used to describe it.

Maybe it’s just us being on this side of the 49th.  But, sadly, calling resistance to an Obama-style (universal coverage) plan “mass suicide” doesn’t appear to be at all far from the truth.

Review Mr. Justice Cunningham’s Ruling on the Defence motion to Acquit O’Brien on Influence Peddling Charges.

Click the video associated with this blog entry to drill into Cunningham’s ruling and how O’Brien might well have done himself in as early as his Ottawa Police interview back in April 2007. 

For related stories and links, visit:

• CBC News: Judge Refuses to Dismiss Charges
• CFRA News: Real Time Coverage of the O’Brien Trial
• CBC Ottawa:
  • Trial of Larry O’Brien
  • Ottawa Blog: Real Time O’Brien Trial
• MSN Video / CBC News: Criminal Code Controversy in O’Brien Trial
• Cunningham’s Ruling (.PDF)
• CBC Video: Ottawa Police Interview with O’Brien, April 2007

O’Brien Quotes from Video:

"[Kilrea] would have been my first target. It would be to try to get him out of the race.  Um-"

“And so....[Kilrea] just- If he had backed out; if he walked away; if he'd gone for a council seat; if he'd done anything like that, it would have been to my obvious to my best interest because he would have taken one- taken a fast step in the right direction."

Sometimes I gotta wonder what people use for brains.  I suppose according to this fellow, we might as well do away with elections in Canada because the government could be changed by means of an armed uprising.  And if such an uprising should fail; well, obviously the majority must want the government to remain unchanged.  Might is, after all, always right, isn’t it?

Even more incredible was the show’s host – whose name wasn’t announced during the time I was listening, unfortunately, seemed unwilling to challenge the caller’s facts or intone a peep of disagreement.  I’m starting to think CFRA takes this Conservative thing a little too far….the word isn’t supposed to mean preserving the status quo at the expense of hundreds or thousands of innocent lives.  Or so I’d thought, anyway.

Even were I willing to concede that the incumbent Iranian president (Ahmadinejad) actually won despite obvious evidence of fraud; no government that sanctions fraud, arrests journalists en masse, or is paranoid enough to blame “the west” in some kind of huge international conspiracy to control its destiny by agitating such a huge segment of its own population – to the point of becoming an enemy of the people it’s supposed to govern – no government of this sort can legitimately claim to represent the people, regardless of whether it or one of its candidates won an election.

And, for the record, I don’t believe for a moment that Ahmadinejad won the election.  A snowball staying frozen in hell would have a better chance; but the best thing Ahmadinejad could do at the moment is concede.  Frankly, I don’t think he’s either courageous or smart enough to do so – but this movement that’s started in Iran might prove to have more longevity than his own political career otherwise.  (Not that I’m all that hopeful he’ll emerge from any revolution with any kind of political voice.)

• Premier says apology punishment enough after Alberta MLA's comments

Speaking as an elector – and not one who, admittedly, tends to vote Liberal – I find this an extremely odd bit of reasoning.  While it’s certainly true that our political leadership has honed its collective expertise at managing appearances over the last several decades, why shouldn’t we hold that leadership responsible for making ignorant remarks when they’re made?  I really believe Conservative voters are understandably frustrated when yet another story of this sort breaks, but the solution isn’t stowing the cameras and microphones when someone like Mr. Elinski screws up.  It’s shining the spotlight on him – and, as Conservatives, making sure that others like him don’t end up representing you in the future if he stumbles and somehow reveals what twisted thoughts are really occupying his mind.  At the very least, such faux pas are “fair game” for the media to report on – for the simple reason Conservatives don’t raise this same complaint when a Liberal makes remarks of a controversial nature. 

Besides, muzzling the media really is more a game for regimes like the theocracy that’s clinging to power in Iran than Canada’s governing political party, isn’t it?

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For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Strangely, I didn’t visit the Help and Support Center, as directed at the bottom of the stack trace above.  Instead I tinkered with my .config file for about an hour before it dawned on me that the settings were actually correct and I should follow the instructions.

To summarize my visit to the Help and Support Center, there is an extremely obscure tool called HttpCfg.exe which is used on that platform I’m currently developing for – Windows Server 2003 (it’s netsh on Vista/Windows Server 2008, and less obscure).  It demands that you divine an arcane string to pass as parameters for your application, security context, etc.  Certainly, one could achieve the desired settings to make their HTTP-hosted service work…eventually.  But I was fortunate enough to spare myself another indefinite period of maddening trial-and-error by stumbling upon an extremely helpful blog article by one Paul Wheeler, a former Microsoft SDE who apparently did some WCF development for the company’s Connected Systems division.  In the article, Wheeler provides a tool for configuring local system HTTP settings with source code under Creative Commons (public license).  The tool offers other advantages over HttpCfg for this purpose and was a lucky find indeed!

I am still debating whether or not to push a lot harder to move my app to net.tcp.  The decision rests with the project’s technical architect; and I’m not he on this project.  But if you, like me, are stuck in a situation with HTTP – Wheeler’s HttpNamespaceManager is for you!

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff rises in the House of Commons to question the government earlier today.  Source: CBC News

Well, this has resulted in the pundits trotting out some very dismissive characterizations of Ignatieff – in sharp contrast with what they had to say about the man before.  Suddenly Ignatieff is now “weak”, “afraid” and “back-peddling”; words used to describe Ignatieff’s defeated predecessor Stéphane Dion.  Not that I thought this gang’s analysis of Dion was particularly on-target either, but just because Ignatieff didn’t up the drama by stating he’d bring down the government when he actually never said that he was about to seems a bit wild. No – a lot wild.

Ignatieff might be guilty of allowing expectations of an election call to soar.  He didn’t deny that forcing an election was one on a list of possibles he could have announced this morning.  And he’d said he wanted 300-something hours as a new minimum set for EI qualification, among other things.  But common sense sort of dictates that it was never actually going to be in his party’s interest to simply fail the government on its report card and state a non-confidence motion would be levelled at the first opportunity.  Canadians aren’t in an election mood, to say the least, having been through 4 in the past 7 years.  If an election call is to be had, the Liberals have to force it making it appear they’ve made every reasonable attempt to make Parliament work.

During today’s round of interviews, Ignatieff looked neither indecisive, weak or afraid.  He looked like a politician making an honest effort to get concessions from the government.  And he may not want an election – he says so if you ask him, and did several times today.  But “afraid”?  If so, he handles stress well enough one might think he’d been emotionally lobotomized.  So why the At Issue Panel found his responses as evidence of “back peddling” from an imagined threat to bring the government down is anyone’s guess.  They did latch on to him supposedly “ditching” the 300-plus hours reduction for EI as a requirement for their support, but I’m not sure I’ve either heard Ignatieff say it was a demand; compliance with which was a condition for Liberal confidence in the House or that it was even off the Liberal wish list.  Again, I have to wonder if I’m either watching or, more probably, in an episode of The Twilight Zone.  Maybe Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in here with me, since today he also complained that Ignatieff had delivered no actual demand, joking it was unusual to have an ultimatum phrased with no condition prior to “or else”.  Maybe Harper and the media are cobbling together separate facts to create these notions of demands, ultimatums and weak leadership.

Sill, if there’s anyone back-peddling here it’s the NDP, not that you’d hear anything about that from the media.  Thomas Mulcair, the lone NDPer from Québec elected in the Liberal stronghold of Outremont last election, amused the audience of CBC’s Politics with Don Newman today trying to explain how the party could claim to be making Parliament work while maintaining a policy of automatically voting against the government on all confidence motions, no matter what.  How is it the Liberals are always to blame for singularly breaking Parliament when the other two opposition parties get away with automatic ‘no’s on non-confidence motions?  If the Liberals adopted that policy, rest assured the media would be painting the Liberals as opportunists for defeating the government while riding high in the polls.  But not the NDP, not the Bloc Québecois.  They can do whatever they like without penalty.

The best reason to not call an election is to ensure that infrastructure funding continues uninterrupted over the summer months. If the media can still be believed, apparently an election might jeopardize some of that money – and with the economy doing badly, it’s funding badly needed in Canada’s industrial heartland – where the Liberals are polling well at the moment.  But if there is an election, hopefully my countrymen (and women) are able to see through this blame-the-Liberals game.  Because if Parliament fails, all the parties have dirt on their hands – no matter what Ignatieff and his Liberals do this week.

Hon. Peter Milliken presides over the House of Commons following an extremely combative Question Period, earlier this afternoon…

Like most folks, I missed the actual live video feed at work today (must concentrate on tasks at-hand).  However, I was able to review today’s footage on CPAC (Canada’s version of C-SPAN) and was quite astonished at what I saw.  Admittedly, Question Period is your basic circus most of the time.  But today was exceptional.

Question Period excerpts, June 9, 2009; including questions asked of Natural Resources Minister, Lisa Raitt (Minister responsible for AECL), courtesy of CBC News.

Failing the ability to review the video feed, you might also consider examining Hansard – which is the transcript of proceedings for all business transacted on the floor of the House.  Everything that is said and made part of the official record is there (including a transcript of today’s Question Period debate, focussed on Raitt and the isotope crisis); a valuable resource for political junkies trying to find quotable quotes or, as in this case, to simply see how nutty things can get in Question Period.

I’m still laying bets that Raitt’s days as a member of the Conservative cabinet are numbered after so many screw-ups in so short a period.  But as one pundit today said, “If you’re the government you’ve got to appear 100%…not 40% or 75%…behind your Minister.”  Hopefully, that’s all that’s behind this otherwise absurd defence of Raitt and her bunging of the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) portfolio.

hether it’s the Ontario Liberals appointing an apparently greedy, corrupt and/or person of dubious competence to Ontario’s eHealth Medical Records Agency, or tonight’s bombshell on the federal Conservative’s Natural Resources Minister, Lisa Raitt making extremely ill-conceived comments about her colleagues in taped discourse; this has been a bad week for politicians.  Heck, it’s been a bad month, and it’s only the 8thof June!

First we have Sarah Kramer, CEO of eHealth Ontario being fired – by mutual consent of the eHealth board and the Ontario government – because of numerous spending irregularities.  Consultants were paid large sums for watching documentary videos and chatting on the Toronto subway.  Of course, there was the mitigating factor that some of the consultants were either known personally by Kramer or her husband.  And it was far more common for contracts to go untendered prior to being awarded.  None of the consultants seem to have been doing work related to advancing the mission of eHealth – which is to design and implement a provincial health records system by 2015.

Contrasted with another failed government technology project, the federal firearms registry, this is a vastly more complex project.  Yet despite Kramer’s past experience serving as CIO of Cancer Care Ontario, there’s no public evidence (I could find) she’s ever led a technology effort of this scale.  And whatever medical records experience she might have gained there would surely be inadequate to meet the challenges at eHealth.

So why are unqualified people being asked to lead government technology projects?  I speculate that the incompetent leadership, unsure how to proceed, deliver little but decide to work the levers of newfound power turning into these gigantic money-pits.  Perhaps believing that because technology implies complexity and lots of subject matter auditors won’t understand, they can get away with lax standards managing expenses or even giveaways to friends.  Such conduct might even suggest there’s a little truth in the matter – and that such practices are common elsewhere in government.

Too cynical a view?  Well to be honest, I thought I was being a little cynical having these suspicions – until our next story broke, thanks to due diligence by a Halifax Chronicle Herald reporter, based in Ottawa, went back over some material collecting dust in his office since January to find the latest torpedo to hit the Conservative cabinet:

• Raitt 'ready to roll dice' on 'sexy' isotope crisis - Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Stephen Maher is to be congratulated heartily for bringing us this rare glimpse of thinking within the Conservative cabinet.  Tapes were left behind in the Ottawa press gallery and somehow ended up in Maher’s hands.  Raitt’s assistant, Jasmine MacDonnell – already in the spotlight for getting fired thanks to leaving behind sensitive documents concerning the Chalk River nuclear reactor (embroiled in a medical isotope scandal) – was told about the tapes back in January, but never picked them up from Maher.  Maher finally decided to examine the contents of the tapes, and was set to publish his story on Friday until MacDonnell filed for an injunction to prevent publication.  A Nova Scotia Superior Court Judge dismissed her motion earlier this afternoon.

Where’s the story of incompetence here?  Well, it’s hard to distinguish, frankly.  I don’t think MacDonnell is entirely to blame for merely leaving a wake of sensitive material wherever she went (although there’s some truth in that notion), but the Natural Resources Minister doesn’t seem to have been particularly concerned about these items, until it was far too late.  And it’s not as if Raitt was lacking systems to track these items – especially the Chalk River file.  Someone asserted today that the tape was made without her knowledge, which seems incredible.  And, even if true, and she didn’t know about the recording or the tape or its being misplaced; she still was the one responsible for hiring MacDonnell and putting her in a position to do so much damage.

Yet the real incompetence of this leader wasn’t in the particular mishaps leading to today’s story.  It was she herself stating how she thought of her colleagues and, more importantly, how she regarded the Chalk River matter – as something that money could fix.  She was prepared, according to the tape, to do nothing about the problems of Chalk River and wait for money to fix the problem and then perhaps even take credit for it later!

It will forever amaze me how we, as a people, can vote such personalities into elected office.  That no matter how much scrutiny we expose our politicians to, there’s always enough disbelief, ideology and marketing gloss to cover up the inadequacies of our leaders and let them mis-spend or simply take all our money, compromise critical aspects of our health care system through technical or professional incompetence, and even destroy confidence in democracy; something for which we have ourselves partly to blame.  Of course, I believe it possible to fix the system.  But, as with anything, it will take our collective will to put greater emphasis on seeing our money spent properly.  In the Ontario case, the eHealth fiasco is actually the second time this agency is facing overhaul – but the result might be success on the third attempt.

As a closing note to this story: the CBC promises more to come on the eHealth file as they continue processing various tips filed from named and anonymous sources so, stay tuned!

• Minister grilled, aide resigns after secret documents left at news bureau

And my question here, echoed on blogs and in news columns every which way you look: why is this happening again?

Ministers, like any senior management, need to carry sensitive documents about with them from time to time.  Indeed, they are legally responsible for such documents; it’s one of their core responsibilities as Ministers of the Crown.  And they’re not unique in having this responsibility.  Even a lowly consultant working in the Ministry of Justice (not the same portfolio as was the subject of this story – which was Environment) is responsible for ensuring the documents and any software materials I may have in my possession are secure and accounted for.  In many respects, maintaining security on software is harder than hardcopy documentation because one is vulnerable to copies being made potentially without one’s knowledge.  I would say that were I to simply lose a document or leave software files vulnerable to duplication on a public network that I should be held to account for such oversight.  Although there is, particularly in my case, a certain motive to protect soft and hardcopy files merely by virtue of personal professionalism; holding someone individually accountable for materials which contain sensitive information is the final means by which the Government of Canada can offer its citizens some assurance such information is being handled responsibly.

So if federal employees are rightly held to such a standard, why should the Minister be any different?

We hear today through various media outlets that Environment Minister (and Minister Responsible for Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. [AECL]) Lisa Raitt was not the one who left the documents in question in the CTV news room.  Apparently, it was a 26-year-old political aide (believed to be Jasmine Macdonald), who has since resigned herself.  But these documents sat at the CTV bureau for a full week before the broadcaster itself finally called the Minister’s office to say they had them.  I simply can’t – in my most sunny, optimistic and forgiving mood – imagine why the AECL Minister would leave sensitive documents about the Chalk River nuclear reactor at CTV for a full week without wondering where they went?  After all, they are supposed to have systems to monitor these documents at all times.  Did those systems work?  Or, in the more likely case they did, why did the Minister’s staff not advise her they were missing (assuming they didn’t)?

Yes, it’s hard (really, really hard) to not consider the worst-case scenario here and, if the Minister is to keep her job, don’t we, the electorate, deserve some kind of explanation beyond “I offered my resignation,”.

I think the CBC is being far too forgiving – treating Canadian secrets as somehow undeserving of serious attention.  You’d think Canada didn’t have any real secrets – despite the fact we’re talking about nuclear secrets here.  Indeed, there are some folks who would consider that kind of information somewhat valuable, even if the CBC or the Conservative Party of Canada don’t.

I couldn’t resist adding my own reaction to the comments – risking having my name being associated with a view that might elicit vigorous disagreement.  Admittedly, I do sometimes worry that a colleague, employer or potential client might disagree with my libertarian perspective or draw conclusions about me from them which could well be untrue.  (In a fashion similar to a proponent of free-speech being mistaken for a sexual deviant after being caught defending a pornography vendor across the street from a high school.)  But sometimes it’s important one announce their beliefs lest we, as a society (and democracy), mistakenly conclude that voices are silent because nobody agrees with us, or those who disagree with us feel justified in stifling our civil rights because our seemingly low numbers make our beliefs insignificant.

• B.C. pot grower won't forfeit house, Supreme Court rules

The following is my response to the story linked above…

“LOL - the "just say no" crowd again feigns its shock at how unpopular their views are when exposed to the public.  Presumptuously, they contend it must mean that because those of us who disagree must just not know any better.  Some even cite their rehab experience (where they're ritually indoctrinated with "just say no" dogma in tandem with other treatment) as being ironclad evidence that all drugs are all bad all the time and in every case.

Of course, it doesn't ever occur to this sanctimonious bunch that there might be some of us who’ve used drugs - have used for many years, and didn't have that same experience.  We must be either lying or a statistical anomaly - because drugs are always harmful, and there's no such thing as moderation.  And don't cite alcohol or tobacco - they're not drugs.  Not really, anyway - they're much "weaker" than real drugs.

Okay, an overdose of sarcasm there.  Sorry about that, but it's hard to understand how people can be so rigidly wed to ideas that can't withstand the test of evidence staring ya right in the face almost daily.  It's particularly hard when the consequences of a more enlightened attitude toward recreational drug use could so richly benefit our society and improve the lives of those who've had their lives destroyed not by drugs, but ignorant, unfair laws around drugs.  Laws that, unlike any other, ignore individual liberty under the guise of protecting society from being overrun by potheads or other supposed "addicts".

Unfortunately, my rant here will do little good.  All I can do is urge any readers to treat drugs as any other topic about which they are unlearned: if empirical evidence isn't an option, then read, chat, ask questions and above all think critically.  DON'T JUST SAY NO!”

— Story comments, “B.C pot grower won’t forfeit house,” (CBC News, 29/05/2009), by Ross Holder writing as ross613.

Not much has happened in the past several months in the “war on drugs” file.  Well, Canada doesn’t really have a “war on drugs” (thank God), but every so often the Conservative government makes noises about strengthening already hefty police powers or increasing jail time so that there’s less room for real criminals like murderers, rapists, thieves and child pornographers.  For some reason, those crimes don’t offer as many opportunities to attract the glare of television cameras.  Anyway, this case will stir things up a bit and we’ll follow with updates to this story as they arise.

Canadian Governor-General Michaëlle Jean samples her way into the sights of the international animal-rights movement by taking a bite of seal meat during a visit to Rankin Inlet, NU today.

In the end, I decided to cut down my meat consumption (“minimizing harm” like a good little utilitarian) and completely avoid consumption of animal products that exhibited signs of self-awareness or intelligence.  Admittedly, this is sentience as I judge it and one could ask: who am I to judge?  But there’s the price of having a moral choice, I suppose.

I have argued (with some success, I think) and continue to believe that arguing that all animal life is automatically deserving or even collectively better off being given the same right to life awarded human beings.  Certainly, I believe most animals are to some extent self-aware, and many have evolved nervous systems capable of performing tasks that are interesting – even remarkable.  Some few, including whales, dolphins, most species of primate and certain domesticated species are even, I would argue, conscious – and deserve both legal protections rivalling human beings and being spared cullings for mass human consumption.  But these species are more the exception rather than the rule.

Under no circumstances does this mean that my view justifies (in my mind) just any treatment for animals that don’t quite reach the same bar as dolphins or the like.  Take seals for example; cute, cuddly creatures – certainly possessing a talent for tugging on the heartstrings of carnivores and vegetarians alike.  But they aren’t necessarily sentient and there are people who survive on seal products for their own sustenance.  We would all agree that seals deserve humane termination and over the years much has been done to ensure that seal hunts meet with certain standards, although one obviously can’t claim every kill is humane – for a variety of reasons.  Yet despite such measures, undertaken to specifically address the concerns of those who might shy away from products obtained “inhumanely” otherwise, groups ideologically opposed to the consumption of animals have turned seals into their poster-child.  The objection of these groups is not grounded in concern for the seals specifically – rather in a more general objection about humans consuming animal products.  But you won’t see any cute, cuddly cows in the literature these folks can often be found handing out on street-corners in cities around the world.

What bugs me most about such so-called animal advocacy groups isn’t the massive hypocrisy inherent in a decades-old campaign that leverages the pleasing aesthetics of one creature to disguise a much larger agenda they know the majority of human beings would never agree with.  It’s the dogma upon which their membership seems to thrive lacking not only an even cursory examination of the moral questions involved, but the more practical realities of the wonton economic damage and repeated tales of hardship caused by their manipulation of the public using images of furry creatures, spare cash donated by rich celebrity do-gooders seeking to maintain a youthful, positive image, and virtually unchecked disinformation.  So you can imagine my reaction to the news today about Canada’s Governor General being embroiled in a supposed scandal over eating seal heart meat!

• Governor General's seal snack sparks controversy

Their latest attack as a result of this innocent indulgence on her part: Canada’s Maple Syrup industry.  Because, as we all know, those who harvest maple syrup from trees are launching fleets of ships to hunt every seal on Earth to extinction…  These animaniacs ought to be ashamed of themselves, not that the typically sanctimonious lot that leads this rabble could spare a collective clue what the word ‘shame’ means!  And just to clarify this point – I’m talking here about a movement that is unrepentantly intolerant of the rights of individuals to decide what they consume and any notions of national sovereignty, international law, and last – but far from least – aboriginal culture.  (In the above-cited story, the spokesperson for the Human Society International Canada cited the decision of Europeans to ban seal products as somehow binding on Canadians.  The EU is certainly at liberty to take such action – and Canada is equally at liberty not to, last I checked.)

The proverbial icing on the cake where the Governor-General is concerned came from across the pond.  It seems her Majesty, the Queen’s agents are concerned about how her Canadian representative is behaving.  And here I’d thought the confusion about Canada’s status as an independent nation (versus a British colony) was resolved some time ago.  Maybe news about that hasn’t yet circulated through the British education system (renowned for its efficiency) to all her Majesty’s subjects – or at least to her personal staff.  But ya know, I think all that need be said here is that if the Queen can sport objectionable clothing in support of Britain’s tenuous grasp of fashion, Canada’s Governor-General can eat seal meat in support of Canada’s legitimate, legal and quite ethical seal hunt.

And I defy the animal rights movement to produce a coherent argument showing how the Governor-General, maple syrup or I have got it all wrong.  I don’t invite comment ignorant of what those arguments might be — quite the contrary.  But I’ll wager their membership - even those who’ve had the fortitude to read my rant through to the end - are.

P.S. A special note here about Dr. Schafer.  As his bio on Wikipedia indicates, he’s an extremely accomplished scholar with few peers and it was a genuine privilege and highlight in my college experience to be counted among his students.  As the man singularly responsible for sparking my interest in Philosophy (studies in logic and legal philosophy in particular), I’ll be ever-grateful. That said, the views I’ve expressed herein are entirely my own and should not be assumed to be those of Dr. Schafer or anyone else.  Admittedly, there are a number of places where I’m confident he’d disagree with me vigorously.  And that too would do credit to the debate at hand since little has been offered by those who are otherwise ready to damage livelihoods, economies and even the cause of animal rights without apparent, rational principle to stand upon.

Author Walter Kirn, chatting on with Steve Colbert on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report”, May 19, 2009.  Kirn believes that “higher education” is overrated and that society places too much emphasis on the brand name colleges rather than more useful soft skills that would ground the nation’s leadership alongside the every-day American.

uch like utopia, the word meritocracy derives a meaning from an inherently unachievable concept – or at least one immeasurable in absolute terms.  Yet the guest on last night’s Colbert Report, an author named Walter Kirn (who’s just finished writing “Lost in the Meritocracy”), judges the leadership of his country – the United States of America – as having deviated from some collective notion of meritocracy.  His is a commentary that expresses apparent shock that graduates of America’s noted institutions of higher learning (like Princeton, Harvard and even MIT) aren’t always the over-achieving elite that most Americans assume them to be.  He goes on to cite specific examples from the Bush administration – including ex-President Bush, himself – as lacking the mettle to govern even a mediocre National League baseball team properly, much less the most powerful nation on Earth.

Speaking as an alumnus of a Canadian institute of higher learning, I can sympathize with some of Kirn is saying.  But in Kirn we have another example of what I don’t like about the Colbert Report; the occasional mediocrity of Colbert’s guests.

Kirn isn’t saying anything radical or new here, of course.  That Universities (or Colleges as they’re known in the U.S.) don’t include world geography, or internal combustion engine repair in every curriculum is hardly breaking news.  That such institutions often judge students by metrics that are entirely subjective and that society, in turn, pays the degrees and the system of academic awards too much respect too often scarcely qualifies as an epiphany to anyone in the audience.  While it might well speak to certain deficiencies in the American education system that there’s barely an American alive who could correctly answer that Ottawa is the capital city of Canada or that Iran is adjacent to Iraq on a map when asked, it doesn’t suddenly mean that graduates of MIT are no more technically savvy in their chosen disciplines than Mr. Kirn or other average Americans off the street.  Nor does it mean that the knowledge acquired by economics majors at these or other ivy-league schools is entirely worthless, simply because the decision-makers failed to prevent this past year’s economic meltdown.  Kirn is only doing what his fellow armchair economists and pundits on Fox are doing: generalizing and over-simplifying a complex problem using incomplete data brokered largely by television in a vain effort to first believe and then express understanding they simply don’t have.  Conversely, it should surprise anyone that I can truthfully say I personally know a major of political economy who wrote a thesis a few years back wherein she correctly predicted much of the calamity confronting us in the markets today.  And she wasn’t entirely alone in her analysis either, I might add.

The key element missing from Kirn’s invective on The Colbert Report (and, I’ll wager, is also missing from his book) is what, exactly, ought to be done about his complaint.  Again, speaking from first-hand experience, I can tell you it would be rather difficult to eliminate all of the subjective metrics from the grading systems used in judging your average paper in Legal Philosophy.  Indeed, it would be hard to eliminate subjective grading from the average examination in Object-Oriented Programming theory – a technical discipline, most would agree.  For that matter, what exactly is the merit in the meritocracy Kirn is vacillating about?  Because, in the end, it’s going to be very difficult to measure success here, given that meritocracy itself is as achievable as it is different for everyone.

Kirn’s book might be entertaining.  It might even give some kind of insight into the Homeresque perspective of the average middle-aged American; or at least those in the demographic who are alike disgruntled about their Princeton experience.  Beyond this, I’m at a total loss not only to understand what Mr. Kirn might contribute to the discussion concerning contemporary U.S. economic and political leadership, but also of the 9½ minutes I spent watching Colbert’s interview with him.

And I desperately wish I could get it back.

Maybe I should simply stick to Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show and quit while I’m ahead from now on…

• MSN QnA Beta is closing on May 21st - Windows Live

QnA.live.com was Microsoft’s answer to Yahoo’s Answers service – a sort of generic questions-and-answers forum site where users could get answers on questions on any topic that comes to mind, although in cases where other forums were more devoted to the purpose of answering questions on specific issues (e.g.. technology questions) the asker would be referred to those specific forums by topic moderators.

In any event, Microsoft has decided the beta is over.  And, in this case, has decided to simply shut down the service without apparent cause.  Several possibilities occur:

• Microsoft is worried about QnA distracting focus on support issues from the aforementioned devoted technical forums (e.g.. MSDN and TechNet forums)
• Another as-yet unannounced product release will address demand for this type of service (unlikely)
• Microsoft’s talks with Yahoo may be bearing additional fruit in the near future – perhaps procurement of certain web properties, like Yahoo! Answers

There may be other scenarios which didn’t occur to me, of course.  But I could scarcely imagine one that would make QnA’s closure a sensible act.  At minimum, QnA didn’t seem to be drawing fewer visitors than say, I dunno, the msn.com homepage.  Maybe this is one of the reasons Microsoft’s Internet division has consistently underperformed all the others year after year.

Whatever views Microsoft’s most ardent critics espouse, most will concede the company is results-oriented.  And, sooner or later, MSN and the Internet division need to join the rest of the company posting results in the black.  At the very least, it doesn’t seem likely there’d be too much damage disclosing any intention to continue the QnA service in another form notwithstanding the absence of such a plan.  Left with taking the QnA closure notice at face value, one can only draw the conclusion that MSN is some ways away from figuring out how to convert red ink to black.  That’s unfortunate; both for QnA and its growing user base.

When rumours of the new movie possibly compromising the Star Trek franchise first surface, I’d thought it might be due to the cast acting out-of-character, or maybe the film being some cheesy cliché.  Rumours about a changed ship had surfaced to; would the Enterprise look too different from the original to be believed?  But the franchise has been damaged in ways far more fundamental by this new film: the destruction of Vulcan effectively eliminates all that has gone before and become known as history in the Star Trek universe.  The intention here seems to be to renew the franchise by replacing it with something different.  And while it may well be that the franchise needed renewal, I can’t agree that such a fundamental alteration of the underlying plot is the best way to go about it.

Without Vulcan, Federation history will be altered considerably.  With Vulcan civilization reduced to a colony of 10,000 survivors, scientific contributions of the species are effectively eliminated.  Vulcan diplomacy won’t play a role in the Federation for at least several centuries – well beyond the time of any of the past Star Trek series.  And then there’s the issue of why the future Federation introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise didn’t intervene to protect the timeline.  Vulcan isn’t supposed to be gone!  Where was the temporal prime directive when Vulcan needed it?

The only hope for the franchise that remains is that in some future movie the disaster that was launched this past weekend is somehow corrected.  It is sci-fi, after all.  Spock’s been dead before – and if you can resurrect a dead character, why not a dead civilization too?

Oh there was one cheesy bit that did leave an impalatable after-taste:  “red matter”?  Please!  Did imagination die with Vulcan?  J. J. Abrahms  did achieve the goal he laid out in one interview: he left the audience for wanting more; if only to fix this tragic mistake.

• Some satisfied, others outraged with verdict for immigrant's death - CNN.com

…and you realize that there is a reason that, as Canadians, we sometimes feel a touch paternalistic – maybe even sanctimonious - toward our American cousins.

Outraged indeed!

Hewlett-Packard support agents claim that they sell 64-bit PCs, but will only support 32-bit Windows…. ”Correct me if I’m wrong, but as this is a 64-bit machine, how is it that HP would sell me such hardware without offering software to support it – particularly given the fact that both the support site and sales literature indicate that Windows Vista 64-bit is supported for this machine?  The fact I originally purchased the machine with the 32-bit OS installed shouldn’t be relevant as to whether 64-bit Vista ought to work – again – especially since support is clearly offered for Vista x64!!!”

So what provoked me this time?  Well, it has been my observation that when I do a job people almost universally expect it done well.  They have a right to – I’m paid good money to provide programming services, and if I make a mistake, usually there are consequences that can disrupt business pretty dramatically, which ultimately cost more money.  So, in fairness, I expect people I pay for products or services to live up to the standards they set for themselves too; i.e. if a computer is advertised as being a 64-bit machine, I expect Windows Vista x64 editions to work fine.  And if they don’t, that the vendor will ensure someone will help me out until the problem is solved.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) Inc. didn’t do that today.  And they haven’t been doing it now for over a week.  Below is a transcript of an effort I made to acquire drivers for my HP Pavilion a6318f desktop PC.  It was sold with Windows Vista x86 (32-bit) edition, but last week I started trying to upgrade it to the x64 (64-bit) edition of the same operating system.  Would love to see some comments (obviously, I’m hunting for sympathy here, but I’ll take it all, so long as it’s constructive) following a read of the transcript:

From: Ross Holder [ross.holder@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 02, 2009 12:19 AM
To: 'PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM'
Subject: RE: RE: Re: RE: HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support

Please see my comments in-line and highlighted below.  I am extremely puzzled by the difficulty in getting support for this, so please make an attempt at offering a thorough explanation in response to my specific questions.  (The detail I’m looking for has been lacking in prior responses.)

Gratefully,

ross holder |
home: xxx.xxx.xxxx | cell: xxx.xxx.xxxx| office: xxx.xxx.xxxx
ross.holder@gmail.com | http://ross613.spaces.live.com
xxx-345 Clarence St. | Ottawa, ON (Canada) | K1N 5R5

P Before printing this, think about the environment|Avant d'imprimer ceci, pensez à l'environnement

From: PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM [mailto:PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM]
Sent: Friday, May 01, 2009 11:13 PM
To: ross.holder@gmail.com
Subject: RE: RE: Re: RE: HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support

Hello Ross,

Thank you for writing back to HP Total Care.

Ross, I understand from your email that you are unable to find the drivers for your DVD RW drive after upgrading from Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows Vista 64 bit.

[*** Ross inline:] Correct me if I’m wrong, but as this is a 64-bit machine, how is it that HP would sell me such hardware without offering software to support it – particularly given the fact that both the support site and sales literature indicate that Windows Vista 64-bit is supported for this machine?  The fact I originally purchased the machine with the 32-bit OS installed shouldn’t be relevant as to whether 64-bit Vista ought to work – again – especially since support is clearly offered for Vista x64!!!

I appreciate you searching for the drivers separately, but I insist that you must have drivers available if you offer Vista x64 as a possible configuration for this machine.  Do you not have drivers available at HP to support your own hardware?  At the very least, could you not simply take cdrom.sys, cdrom.inf and any other necessary files from an installed instance of Windows Vista x64 to help me resolve this issue???

I greatly appreciate that you have forwarded your concerns and given me a chance to assist you with this issue. Please be assured that we are here to assist you and resolving your issue is of primary importance to us.

HP does not recommend changing or upgrading the Operating System (OS) to a retail version, as it might lead to missing device drivers which need to be downloaded separately from third party websites, and our support will be limited after such a change. HP and Compaq's warranty and support cover only the original pre-installed operating system and software.

[*** Ross inline:] I understand this concern – which is what is prompting my inquiry to you now.  The missing drivers are obviously a legitimate concern, since I’m missing a set of drivers  for the CD/DVD-ROM at the moment; and asking you to provide them.  Clearly, you do have a set of compatible drivers in your software library since the OEM Vista x64 edition ships with them.  In my view, it would be really, really silly – to the point of being dishonest – to offer 64-bit hardware and claim that your OEM version of Vista, and ONLY your OEM version of Vista will work with your hardware.  Surely HP can do better than that!

I searched for the specified driver in the HP Website and found no drivers for the device listed under the 64-bit Vista Operating System.

The drive has the drivers only meant for the 32-bit Vista Operating System the computer was shipped in with.

If you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.

For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit our Web site
at:
http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare

Sincerely,

Shane J

HP Total Care

***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***

{ticketno:[8024557696]}

***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***

Our advice is strictly limited to the question(s) asked and is based on the information provided to us.  HP does not assume any responsibility or liability for the advice given and shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the use of this information.  Always back up your data.
For more information, including technical information updates, please visit our Web site at http://www.hp.com/support.
HP does not require you to sendany financial data in your reply to this email.  As a prudent reminder, do not insert credit card details or other financial information in any e-mail replies.
Original Text

From:	ross.holder@gmail.com
To:	PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM
CC:
Sent:	05/02/09 02:32:08
Subject:	RE: Re: RE: HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support

Okay, we need to try this once again.....

I am aware of the existence of Windows Update, HP Support and other pertinent websites.  As the previous discourse on this trouble ticket indicates, I am having trouble finding drivers for the TSSTCorp H653N CD/DVD-ROM which will allow Windows Vista x64 setup to operate correctly.  There is a prompt asking specifically for these drivers, which are not on Windows Update, not on HP Support’s website nor anywhere else I’ve tried.  I am not interested in the firmware upgrade – I simply want the 64-bit drivers for the TSSTCorp H653N CD/DVD-ROM, which you should have.

Please read the above carefully, and understand that I am not looking for anything else – no URLs to other websites nor other information which can’t help me in this situation.  (I am sure you’ll agree if you think carefully, you’ll realize that telling me to goto Windows Update to get 64-bit drivers while using a 32-bit version of Windows Vista is not going to help since Windows Update automatically detects the system you are currently using, and as I am in the process of setting up the x64 version of Vista, Windows Update would only detect the 32-bit Vista edition...which I’m using.  Not to mention, using the URL you provided while using Windows Vista will only result in you being given a message to use Vista’s Windows Update utility from Control Panel – thus making visiting Windows Update via the URL a totally unproductive exercise.)

The best, most direct way to assist me is to simply provide me with the requested drivers or direct me to a website known to have a copy of compatible, 64-bit drivers available.

Thank-you for careful attention to my request and the background to this issue.

ross holder |
home: xxx.xxx.xxxx| cell: xxx.xxx.xxxx| office: xxx.xxx.xxxx
ross.holder@gmail.com | http://ross613.spaces.live.com
xxx-345 Clarence St. | Ottawa, ON (Canada) | K1N 5R5

P Before printing this, think about the environment|Avant d'imprimer ceci, pensez à l'environnement

From: PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM [mailto:PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM]
Sent: Friday, May 01, 2009 7:40 PM
To: ross.holder@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Re: RE: HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support

Hello Ross,

Thank you for writing back to HP Total Care.

Ross, I understand from your email that you are unable to find the drivers for your DVD RW drive after upgrading from Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows Vista 64 bit.

Please note that if the DVD RW was shipped with the computer, you can go to the web link provided below and get the updated driver for the same.

www.windowsupdate.com

Note: The above-mentioned URL will take you to a non-HP Web site. HP does not control and is not responsible for information outside of the HP Web site.

Orelse you need to contact Samsung for further assistance. 

We appreciate your valuable time in troubleshooting this issue.

If you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.

For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit our Web site
at:
http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare

Sincerely,

Morgan T.

HP Total Care

***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***

{ticketno:[8024557696]}

***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***

Our advice is strictly limited to the question(s) asked and is based on the information provided to us.  HP does not assume any responsibility or liability for the advice given and shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection withthe use of this information.  Always back up your data.
For more information, including technical information updates, please visit our Web site at http://www.hp.com/support.
HP does not require you to send any financial data in your reply to this email.  As a prudent reminder, do not insert credit card details or other financial information in any e-mail replies.
Original Text

From:	ross.holder@gmail.com
To:	PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@mail.support.hp.com
CC:
Sent:	05/01/09 23:15:36
Subject:	Re: RE: HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support

Patrick:
Thank you. Further research has revealed that I need to get the TSSTCorp
H653N CD/DVD-ROM (RW) driver as well. In fact, it is actually this driver
which apparently lets setup detect the CD-ROM correctly - and it is required
for setup to work properly also. It seems that the drivers were either
included with the original HP image for 32-bit Vista, but drivers are not
included for 64-bit Vista. Rumour has it that they do exist, so I'm hoping
you folks can point me in the right direction by providing a link to
TSSTCopr H653N drivers that will prove compatible with Vista Ultimate x64
edition.
Thanks again for your prompt assistance!
Sincerely,
ross holder | [The Ross Report]
home: xxx.xxx.xxxx  | cell:xxx.xxx.xxxx | office:xxx.xxx.xxxx
ross.holder@gmail.com | http://ross613.spaces.live.com
xxx-345 Clarence St. | Ottawa, ON (Canada) | K1N 5R5
P Before printing this, think about the environment|Avant d'imprimer ceci,
pensez à l'environnement
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2009/4/30 <PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@mail.support.hp.com>
> Top of Form
>
> Hello Ross,
>
> Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.
>
> By reading your Email I understand you want to install Windows Vista 64 BIT
> on to your HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC and you need 64 BIT Drivers to
> complete the setup.
>
> Ross, I am giving a link to download the 64 BIT Drivers for your System.
>
> http://driverscollection.com/?file_cid=40909790922c329b052a52ee364
>
> *Note:* The above-mentioned URL will take you to a non-HP Web site. HP
> does not control and is not responsible for information outside of the HP
> Web site.
>
> *Note:* Clicking on the URL may display an error. If the error occurs
> please copy and paste the URL in the address bar of the browser.
>
> Ross, the drivers are for the GeForce 6150SE nForce 430which is the Chipset
> on your motherboard .
>
> This should resolve the issue. If you need further assistance, please
> reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.
>
> For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running,
> please visit our Web site
> at:
> http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Patrick R
>
> HP Total Care
>
>
>
> ***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***
>
> {ticketno:[8024557696]}
>
> ***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***
>
> Bottom of Form
>
> Our advice is strictly limited to the question(s) asked and is based on the
> information provided to us. HP does not assume any responsibility or
> liability for the advice given and shall not be liable for any direct,
> indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with
> the use of this information. Always back up your data.
> For more information, including technical information updates, please visit
> our Web site at http://www.hp.com/support.
> HP does not require you to sendany financial data in your reply to this
> email. As a prudent reminder, do not insert credit card details or other
> financial information in any e-mail replies.
>
>
> Original Text
>
> *From:*
>
> ross.holder@gmail.com
>
> *To:*
>
> PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM
>
> *CC:*
>
>
>
> *Sent:*
>
> 04/30/09 23:53:09
>
> *Subject:*
>
> RE: HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support
>
>
>
> I very much appreciate your prompt reply. I have just a few more questions
> related to this issue for you. Please find my questions in-line below
> (marked by highlighted text, to make understanding the context of my
> remaining questions clearer).
>
>
>
>
>
> *ross holder | * <http://ross613.spaces.live.com/>
>
> home: xxx.xxx.xxxx | cell: xxx.xxx.xxxx | office: xxx.xxx.xxxxx
>
> ross.holder@gmail.com | http://ross613.spaces.live.com
>
> xxx-345 Clarence St. | Ottawa, ON (Canada) | K1N 5R5
>
> *P **Before printing this, think about the environment|Avant d'imprimer
> ceci, pensez à l'environnement*
>
>
>
> *From:* PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM [mailto:
> PAVILION_SUPPORT_EN@MAIL.SUPPORT.HP.COM]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:42 PM
> *To:* ross.holder@gmail.com
> *Subject:* RE: HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support
>
>
>
> Hello Ross,
>
> Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.
>
> From your email, I understand that you would like to install Windows Vista
> 64 Bit Operating System in your PC in second Partition, at Setup, Windows
> Vista does not detect the Drivers for Hard Drive (SATA), and Internal
> Components (Chipset, LAN and Modem etc) pre-installed by HP and listed in
> C:\HP\Drivers folder.
>
> *[*** Ross inline:] This is correct. I would only add that regardless of
> where I place the drivers, setup lets you specify their location if it can’t
> find them. And I have tried placing drivers in D:\HP\Drivers (since the
> partition in question is D:, not C:) and in other paths – and specified
> those particular paths using the setup UI when prompted – all to no avail.
> *
>
>
>
> I apologize, but, we are not trained on dealing with installation of Retail
> version of Windows Vista 64 Bit OS.
>
> *[*** Ross inline:] That does strike me as a little odd, given that the
> hardware is clearly 64-bit, and this is – after all – an HP product.
> Fortunately, I don’t think that’s a serious issue. To be sure I’m using the
> correct drivers, it would be helpful if I could obtain the original 64-bit
> motherboard drivers. The download site seems to offer an update – but not
> the original drivers. I understand it may well be that there’s no
> distinction between the 32-bit and 64-bit drivers or that the latter are not
> available. In which case, I would still very much like to get the original
> 32-bit drivers for the motherboard. The update offered by the product
> support web site is insufficient for my needs here.*
>
> * *
>
> *Additionally, I would like to obtain separate drivers (again, 64-bit, if
> possible) for the hard drive which came with my PC. It’s not clear to me
> that the support web site is offering the original drivers – again, it
> appears to be a firmware update for the hard drive rather than merely the
> drivers.*
>
> * *
>
> *Can you provide a download URL for these items? To recap, I’m looking
> for:*
>
> · Original HP Pavilion motherboard driver(s);
>
> o 64-bit edition (if available)
>
> o 32-bit edition
>
> · Original Athlon x64 CPU driver(s) (if applicable):
>
> o 64-bit edition (if available)
>
> o 32-bit edition
>
> · Original hard drive drivers (for the hardware that shipped with
> my PC);
>
> o 64-bit edition (if available)
>
> o 32-bit edition
>
>
>
>
>
> However, you may refer to the URL given below to get complete information
> on installing Windows Vista 64 Bit OS in Dual Boot Configuration.
>
>
>
>
> http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00815955&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en
>
>
>
> *[*** Ross inline:] I appreciate your providing this URL, but it’s of
> little use to me since I’ve already successfully configured the partition
> space I need and am very familiar with the Windows installation process.*
>
> Note : Clicking on the URL may display an error. If the error occurs,
> please copy and paste the URL in the address bar of the browser.
>
> Though it is for Windows XP and Windows Vista, it works in configuring two
> Windows Vista systems in Dual Boot Setup.
>
> This should resolvethe issue. If you need further assistance, please
> reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.
>
> *[*** Ross inline:] Respectfully, I don’t think you understood the issue
> if you believe this advice would “resolve” my problem. To be clear; the
> issue is one of Setup not detecting hardware properly – not a failure
> setting up a partition. Again, the partition space has been successfully
> configured and setup runs normally otherwise. Setup simply can’t find the
> drivers when trying to install Windows Vista Ultimate (x64). I believe
> obtaining the missing drivers will resolve the issue, so will you please
> make them available to me today?*
>
> *And by way of further clarification – I understand you folks aren’t
> trained with supporting the 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. Although I
> could certainly use assistance provided by someone with relevant expertise,
> I can manage on my own properly equipped so I’m not specifically asking or
> expecting support with the installation process. I just need drivers –
> unless you feel there is something else I’m doing which could be causing
> setup to not recognize either the hardware or drivers on my system.*
>
> *Thank you!*
>
> For information on keepingyour HP and Compaq products up and running,
> please visit our Web site
> at:
> http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Nathan B
>
> HP Total Care
>
> ***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***
>
> {ticketno:[8024557696]}
>
> ***Do Not Delete Service Ticket Number***
>
> Our advice is strictly limited to thequestion(s) asked and is based on the
> information provided to us. HP does not assume any responsibility or
> liability for the advice given and shall not be liable for any direct,
> indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with
> the use of this information. Always back up your data.
> For more information, including technical information updates, please visit
> our Web site at http://www.hp.com/support.
> HP does not require you to send any financial data in your reply to this
> email. As a prudent reminder, do not insert credit card details or other
> financial information in any e-mail replies.
>
>
> Original Text
>
> *From:*
>
> ross.holder@gmail.com
>
> *To:*
>
> HP Support
>
> *CC:*
>
>
>
> *Sent:*
>
> 04/30/09 01:53:31
>
> *Subject:*
>
> HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC e-mail support
>
>
>
> hp e-mail support
> Webform submittal date/time : 30 April 2009 01:52:26 UTC
> language_code : en
> language : English
> Country of Residence : Canada
> product_line : 6J
> product_oid : 3645446
> product_name : HP Pavilion a6318f Desktop PC
> part_number : GX769AAR,GX769AA
> purchase month : 8
> purchase year : 2008
> problem area : installation and setup
> serial number : 3CL80201FN
> operating system : Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64
>
> Is your computer unable to work with accessory products? Please select all
> that apply. :
> printer
> scanner
> digital camera
> CD/DVD/floppy disk drive
> multimedia games
> accessories (i.e. Joystick)
>
> What type and brand of CD/DVD media do you use? : TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-H653N
> SCSI CdRom Device
> Was the CD/DVD writer drive built into the computer when you purchased it?
> : yes
> Can you hear sound from the connected speakers? : yes
> Does the display on the music center appear to be working properly? : yes
> Have you connected the music center to your TV, DVD or music system? : no
> problem description : During execution of 64-bit Vista Ultimate setup (i.e.
> booting into the Windows pre-installation environment, called WinPE), setup
> runs successfully until clicking on the "Install NOW" button, following
> which point a dialogue appears claiming hard disk drivers could not be
> located. Acknowledging the dialogue provides an opportunity to specify a
> location for drivers, but placing the HP drivers in a folder doesn't seem to
> work - setup can't see the drivers in the specifiedfolder.
>
> Additional background concerning this issue was posted in an article I
> wrote to Microsoft TechNet:
>
>
> http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistasetup/thread/edff2815-173d-4bbc-b0ec-c4accb8700cb
>
> NOTE: I am what you might call an "expert user". I am currently a senior
> software developer with proficiency in programming with the .NET framework.
> Until recently I worked for Microsoft Corp. working on the Commerce Server
> 2009 product. (I've since taken a position with the Government of Canada.)
> troubleshooting : Attempts were made to locate drivers for both the hard
> drives, R/W CD/DVD-ROM and motherboard. These drivers were placed in a
> folder and specified at the setup prompt when the dialogue indicating
> drivers could not be located appeared. None of these efforts had any effect.
>
> setting changes : I have continued to successfully use 32-bit Windows, but
> very much would like to take full advantage of my HP Pavilion desktop system
> by installing 64-bit Windows Vista.
> tech skill : Advanced
> first name : Ross
> last name : Holder
> phone : (xxx) xxx-xxxx
> email : ross.holder@gmail.com
> form url : $emailformprotocol://
> h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/email?product=3645446&lc=en&cc=ca&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=ca
> form country : Canada
>
>
>

And as is obvious, the messages are ordered in reverse-chronological order.  So there has been no additional discourse with HP since Thursday.  Again, comments are welcome – but of even greater value to me would be a solution, in the form of drivers or a URL pointing me in the right direction.

Whatever solution is eventually arrived at, I will be sure to post it here (as is my habit) – assuming one is found.

Additional threads have been started on both HP’s public Desktop PCs support forum and on Microsoft’s TechNet forums, under Windows Vista Setup.  Additional background and details concerning this issue can be found there.

Thanks!

“Morse code uses a standardized sequence of short and long elements to represent the letters, numerals, punctuation and special characters of a given message...The speed of Morse code is measured in words per minute (WPM) or characters per minute, while fixed-length data forms of telecommunication transmission are usually measured in baud or bps. Originally created for Samuel F. B. Morse's electric telegraph in the early 1840s, Morse code was also extensively used for early radio communication beginning in the 1890s. For the first half of the twentieth century, the majority of high-speed international communication was conducted in Morse code, using telegraph lines, undersea cables, and radio circuits. However, the variable length of the Morse characters made it hard to adapt to automated circuits, so for most electronic communication it has been replaced by machine readable formats, such as Baudot code and ASCII. “

          — Source: Wikipedia.org

Lotsa familiar terms in that article, for those of us who work in the information technology field.  Baudot and ASCII, in particular.  Although the article doesn’t explicitly say so, I’ve long-suspected the term “baud”, used to refer to a modem’s speed (i.e. “baud rate”) was a direct reference to Baudot code.

So maybe Google has it right – and there should be a special day set aside for a man who influenced the world so radically.

Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security; sees a history of terrorists entering the United States from Canada, despite any substantial evidence. (Photo source: Wikipedia Commons)

• Canada-U.S. border should remain tight: Homeland Security chief

Napolitano gave a short interview on the CBC News channel (called CBC Newsworld) tonight during tonight’s airing of The National.  During the segment, Napolitano couldn’t seem to keep her facts straight, remarking that there’d been problems with terrorists entering the United States across the border from Canada – including the 9/11 terrorists and alluding to other cases, despite there only having been 1 publicly-known case, in which Canadian authorities made U.S. authorities aware of the individual in question (an incident culminating in the suspect’s eventual arrest).  When the reporter (Neil Macdonald) raised these points, she responded saying she might not be aware of every individual case, but that she was sure cases of terrorists entering the U.S. from Canada did exist and the U.S. Congress had made a decision to treat Canada’s border exactly the same as Mexico’s.

“The law doesn’t differentiate….Canada is not Mexico,” she conceded. “Nonetheless to the extent terrorists have come into our country – it has been the Canadian border – [and] again, every country is entitled to have a border…  It’s part of sovereignty.”

MacDonald raised the little problem concerning the story about terrorists coming into the U.S. from Canada being a myth, and Napolitano seemed caught completely off-guard.  It was as-if she’d become so used to repeating the same fiction being exchanged on Capitol Hill with protectionist senators and being directly contradicted like this make her ill-prepared to stand by her comment, because she’d never really thought to challenge the myth!

“Well, again, I’m not privileged to say everything that has occurred.  I can’t talk about that.  I can talk about the future.  The borders are going to be equipped with greater technology…it’s not going to be back and forth across the border as if there’s no border anymore.”

          — Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, in an interview with CBC News.

Of course, the facts don’t support this “perception”, but Napolitano doesn’t seem the sort to let the facts get in the way of raising an iron curtain between itself and its ranking ally both in this hemisphere and the world.  This woman hasn’t a clue what the situation is on the Canada / U.S. border, yet appears to have been making it her business to inconvenience millions of people who traverse the border annually by implementing all kinds of new policies.  Policies which have, I believe, a political agenda – one related to punishing Canadian trade, which southern American states have historically regarded as competitive.  Northern American states have been resisting these policies since many rely on trade with Canada; but there’s not enough support at the moment to stop these ill-advised moves.  Indeed, it seems it won’t be long before the formerly largest undefended border in the world is redecorated with barb-wire fencing, concrete watch-towers bristling with spotlights and packs of guard dogs to net all those squads al-Qaeda operatives sneaking into the land of the free and the brave nightly.

Obama could be planting the needs of conflict with Canada, which may be thanks in part to a remarkably stupid move by agents of Canada’s Conservative Party during the U.S. presidential race.  If that’s even part of the reason for the new anti-Canada element within the administration, it' truly is unfortunate.  The friendship Canada and the United States of America have enjoyed for nearly two centuries – a friendship that has been described as “unlike any other in the world” - could be coming to an end with these measures.  Ironically, it’s not a victory for those who want to secure the U.S. against terrorism – the cited rationale.  It’s a victory for al-Qaeda; since it means that U.S. trusts Canada less (or at least its border with Canada less, which is much the same thing) directly because these measures are one of the consequences of 9/11.

What a shame!  And what a shame that few in the U.S. are going to notice — at least not right away….

ell, the outcome was expected – not that it makes swallowing this bitter pill any easier.  The Swedish court capitulated entirely to pressure from special interests and found in favour of the cabal of media gangsters, bolstering its quest to erode privacy rights and ignore even the pretence that people on the Internet have a right to exchange data using whatever protocol they choose.

• Pirate Bay defendants found guilty | Digital Media - CNET News

Of course, the ruling has not had the impact of shutting down thepiratebay.org – not yet.  And its operators who are all away from Sweden at the moment claim they will appeal and eventually prevail in their litigations.  Of course, it remains to be seen what strategy they have in mind that will achieve this seemingly daunting goal.  The number of avenues available to these so-called pirates are fewer every day as the RIAA and MPAA continue to press their well-funded lobbying and litigation advantage.

Stay tuned – more to come on this story today, I’m sure….

+

“…the most sophisticated, comprehensive solution for Facebook API development that exists…– Visual Studio blows it and anything else that anyone would develop under the heading of freeware out of the water!”

But why?

Well, obviously hooking students and youth in general on Microsoft products would be one obvious angle.  When these folks grow up and get jobs and need to consider or make decisions about technology, Microsoft will be familiar territory.  And then there’s that other reason – Microsoft could be feeling out Facebook for eventual partnership and alliance; boosting its overall inventory of web properties considerably by having the largest and most successful social networking site in existence in their pocket (and pocketbook too, whenever FB starts making money).

• Facebook Development Kit

But as a programmer myself, I’m intrigued with the tools Microsoft’s created.  Almost as interesting; Visual Studio Express isn’t all you need – there’s an extra download you need to get from Microsoft’s open source software (OSS) website, called CodePlex.  Because it’s OSS, you, competitors and anyone else who can download Facebook.NET (as it’s called) can look “under the hood” to see how it all works.  Oh, and naturally, Facebook.NET will work with the full, commercial versions of Visual Studio 2008.

Belligerents' Strength (Current Conflict, 2001-Present) United States 54,515   Taliban 8,500 United Kingdom 8,300   al-Qaeda 2,000 Germany 3,465   Haqani Militia 1,000 France 2,780   Hezbi Islami 1,000 Canada 2,830   Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) 7,500 Afghanistan 82,780   Meshud Militia 30,000 NATO & Other Alliance Nations 14,800           TOTALS: 169,470       50,000

• willing to commit acts of aggression and terrorism at home and abroad in the name of imposing their own narrow view of how people should live, in the name of God (this includes killing in the name of God, which is as definitively hypocritical as one can get),
• which has committed atrocities, violating virtually every article of the UN Charter of Human Rights, including enlisting child soldiers, murdering humanitarian aid workers (including those identified as UN-affiliated), complete disregard for international conventions of warfare (including the Geneva convention) and giving official sanction to rape, and
• whose nations of justice are a tragic farce, include imposing Sharia law and brutal penalties for convicted felons – including dismemberment of one sort or another and, everyone’s favourite: decapitation.

I think most of us want peace - even so-called "hawks" like me. The debate has been over what the best route to take to get there. As I’ve stated before - the Taliban have pretty much closed the book on meaningful negotiation. It's their way or suicide bombings. I mean; if you've got a supply of drones brainwashed into thinking God is really going to reward them with eternal bliss and paradise if they kill themselves and take as many infidels with 'em as they can, what possible incentive could you offer such a regime to negotiate?

Even worse, winning in Afghanistan isn't enough (for the Taliban). Since it was the base for the 9/11 attacks, apparently if the Taliban win, they'll continue sponsoring such terrorism to pursue their own twisted, evil form of manifest destiny without end!  Their philosophy appears to be that of we’re wrong, they’re right and they’ll continue to attack and kill us until either we’re all dead or they are, period.
If pulling our troops out only results in the conflict spreading all over the world to the point where civil liberties in the free nations of the world are gradually eroded to boost security by well-meaning neocons until our own aspirations of liberty and happiness are reduced to a dim memory amid the clamour of terrorist attacks, I can’t see how the argument favouring our bringing our troops home can make any sense.  It seems clear all this will achieve is an escalating death toll somewhat higher than the 117 lost in the 4 or so years we've been in Afghanistan.  Except the war won’t be in Afghanistan anymore, it’ll be in Europe, in North America – and even here in Canada.

Canadians, indeed everyone outside of Afghanistan needs to remember, the superficial effect of withdrawing troops ending the conflict could quite easily be little more than a short-lived fantasy.  Basically, I’m arguing for a just war – it’s a tough pill to swallow.  But, to me, it really is starting to look as if it’s either that or living in a nightmarish dystopia with indentured, veiled, chronically-victimized females who’d sooner live in  Margaret Atwood’s fictional Gilead than the misogynistic theocracy envisioned by the Taliban as God’s will.

But I’ll ever try to remain an “enlightened” hawk – and remain vigilant for signs I’m happily wrong.  I can say with unrestrained candour that I’m not interested in having our troops deployed into a combat zone indefinitely.  The basic goals of the allies in Afghanistan – helping to establish a regime that both respects basic justice and some form of democracy while maintaining a military that yields to a constitutional authority – is, I think, the right idea.  And I still argue, as I have for as long as I can remember, that there are certain rights human beings have which if systemically threatened or disrespected, justify the intervention of other nations representing the interests of humanity – regardless of what other interests may compete for consideration in a conflict (which there always are).

• Can Sweden make the charges stick against The Pirate Bay?

“Although I've written prolifically on this subject - both on my personal blog (http://ross613.spaces.live.com) and elsewhere, I've never said what I believe lies at the root of the 'ethical pirate's' motives for downloading stuff online: it's simply that movie & record companies have stubbornly refused to make content available to us the way we want it; which is online.

And what do I mean by 'ethical pirate'? That's the name I give someone who copies copyrighted material, principally for their own use but patently not for profit or material gain, for themselves or any other entity be it personal or corporate. Such an individual is concerned and even supports the principal behind copyright, but takes issue when the same laws that are supposed to protect owners of intellectual property (because it injects value into ideas and ensures credit is given where it's due) are instead twisted into a hammer to beat down college students living on a shoestring budget so media aristocracy can preserve the outdated business model that made them stinking rich.

It's not that copyright isn't being infringed upon (although to say by whom will certainly start a lively debate of its own), and that this isn't wrong at some level. But only a fool would try to argue that there's some greater justice being realized by the MPAA, RIAA et al pursing these lawsuits when they could have avoided digging themselves into this mess by choosing just one among the many alternatives which existed to leverage new technology in bringing music and movies to a public clamoring for entertainment in the 1990s. And why should the public pay for a mistake THEY made (as the historical record accounts)?

Is the 'ethical pirate' really to blame? The case can & is being made to the contrary!”

     — Article comments, CBC News “In-Depth”