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Canada is a sweet country. It is like your retarded cousin you see at Thanksgiving and sort of pat him on the head. You know, he's nice but you don't take him seriously. That's Canada.

Thankfully there's still a sporting tournament which can't be bought by money/technology (see: Olympics, NFL, MLB etc).

In fact, Canada, who did sign the Kyoto protocol, has done a worse job curbing CO2 emissions than America has.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1 133995813921&call_pageid=968256290204&col=96835011 6795

Certainly:

Toronto Star:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1 149285034044&call_pageid=976163513378&col=96904886 3474

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1 149285034044&call_pageid=976163513378&col=96904886 3474 There you are guy. Electronic Surveillance, does a country good.

Well, some sites caught on, although you make a very good point. And Immersion isn't looking like the most friendly company either: "pay us patent extortion money or we'll make fun of you in stories that get posted to slashdot".

Moreover, I fully expect that the majority of the funding for this Canadian effort will come from Microsoft and Google. I expect that both companies will be (if they are not already) the prime backers of this effort if their management do honestly regret the previous censorship.

I expect nothing of Yahoo. Reporters without Borders declares, "Now we know Yahoo works regularly and efficiently with the Chinese police". If Buddhism has any validity, the managers (including the Yahoo chief, Jerry Yang) at Yahoo will be receiving their just karma in the next life.

"SILENT HILL worked for me because of the confidence and command of director Christophe Gans. I'm not familiar with the source material at all, so I'm not going to discuss it as an adaptation, except in the broadest terms. I can't tell you how faithful it is to the already-established mythology of the various SILENT HILL games, but I can tell you that there are certain touches in the way the film's put together that seem like a sly nod to the basic experience of gaming. ...

Roger Ebert seemed to find the film's explanations baffling even as he was impressed by it technically. I'm not sure why this would confuse anyone... basically it boils down to a vengeful spirit looking for payback against the town that did it harm... but I also think the answers are far less important than the way the questions are presented. For example... I have no idea what the fuck Pyramid Head is, or how he's connected to the Demon, or what purpose he serves aside from freaking my shit out, and frankly, I don't care. He's one of the most striking images I've seen in a horror film in recent memory, and both of his big scenes are exhilarating. If you're tired of teenagers in danger and you're tired of remakes of

coincidentally, this was in The Star today: Climate change expert muzzled
Federal scientist told not to speak about his novel
Government also axes 15 Kyoto research programs

That is why you pay for 911 service on every single phone, whether you want to or not--if calling 911 is even a consideration, it's probably a damn good idea to just do it.

I am responsible for my health and well being, not the government.

Oh, and what if the 911 operator doesn't feel like helping?

I did find the end amusing.

One solution that has been touted in the latest Apple tussle is to have McCartney join the board of Apple Computer, ensuring that Beatles tracks are available on iTunes.

Heh. Like Sir Paul really cares about any of this crap.

So he joins and agrees to sell the songs for the Apple price. So he doesn't and does the same.

Who really cares how or if The Beatles songs make it to iTunes. Or not.

OMG!!!!! OMG!!!!! BEATLES!!!! THEY ARE SOOOOO CUTE!!!!!! ALMOST AS CUTE AS PONIES!!!!! OMG!!! OMG!!!!

Sorry. It musta been a flashback of some sort. From ze war.

qz

Has anyone ever been able to give a rat cancer by blasting it with amplified cellphone-type radiation?

I'm pretty sure Apple Records is still doing a lot more business than most small-time indie labels

I doubt it. They seem to have lost all business acumen lately. As for Apple Corps it is missing out on one revenue stream by not allowing Beatles music to be sold on iTunes., as well as any revenue from allowing sampling from Beatles tracks.

Of course, there is one Beatles track on iTMS featuring one of the members of the Fab Four - the http://digital-lifestyles.info/display_page.asp?se ction=cm&id=2359>Paul McCartney / U2 version of "Sgt Pepper", so Apple music have already lost by allowing precedent. Since Apple Corps have also sued EMI (who only distributed all the music!), they have about as much sense as SCO, and deserve nothing (and that's without the /. anti-SCO meme).

No, it's not. Saul Zaentz owns the rights to producing any media based on LotR (movie, plays, video games, etc). He bought the rights in 1977. Here's an article.

I hear they're paying the test pilot quite a lot. Here's a picture of his car.

socialism is not contrary to freedom. Socialism is in fact designed to be freedom, freedom from poverty and medical expenses as well as personal freedom.

As a Canadian, how free are you to get necessary but non-life threatening medical procedures without waiting?

[T]he percentage of the respondents in need of elective coronary bypass who had been waiting for more than three months was 0% in U.S., 18.2% in Sweden, 46.7% in Canada, and 88.9% in the United Kingdom" -- from an Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development study of waiting time for elective surgery in developed countries.

Look, I understand where your concerns are coming from, but in this case you're going off the deep end, because the fact of the matter is, the /. summary is wrong.

See http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971 358637177&c=Article&cid=1142031016503. In this case, the person who owns the web hosting service was generating the hate content. In addition, it wasn't the web hosting service which was fined -- it was the owner who was generating and posting the hate content onto his own service.

In other words, you're safe to run an online forum in Canada. If some ass-hat posts something in an attempt to incite hatred towards a group, you're not liable. If, however, you post that hate incitement, you are liable, regardless of the fact that you happen to own the web hosting service you're using.

Clearer? Good.

Yaz.

Whoa -- can everyone slow down for a second and take a look at the facts?

From http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971 358637177&c=Article&cid=1142031016503:

In a landmark decision, the tribunal ordered the men, one of whom ran the web-hosting service that carried the websites, to cease their hatemongering, levied penalties totalling $13,000 and awarded the complainant $5,000. It is believed to be the first time a Canadian Internet web-hosting service has been found liable for hate messages.

In essence, the /. summary is not telling the whole story. This isn't a case of some corporate ISP where some customer happened to be running a hate site getting fined. In this case the ISP owner was providing the content, and not just hosting it.

Additionally, it wasn;t the ISP that was fined -- it was the people who created the illegal content, one of whom happens to own the web service provider in question.

You can't just start an ISP in order to avoid hate speech laws. The /. summary is highly misleading in this case, so please get off your high-horses and take a look at the facts before starting yet another rant, okay?

Yaz.

...that is opening up a Tim Horton's in Kandahar. Canadian soldiers aren't over there to help keep the peace, they're slowly trying kill genetically-succeptable Afghanis with a coffee overdose!

Okay, that's a stretch, even for me. But honestly, what with the relationship between Canadians and the almighty Timmy's, it probably puts the soldiers more at risk than the average Afghani.

In fact, Toronto has by far the most popular public library system in North America:

from: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1 139007013815&call_pageid=968350130169&col=96948320 2845

"Lending out a record 30.4 million books, CDs and videos in 2005 -- a 5 per cent jump from the previous year -- the TPL now boasts a circulation that is a full third larger than its closest continental counterpart, Bryant says. "It's not that we're in the lead by a small margin," Bryant says. "The next busiest library system in the United States (in Queens, New York) is around 19 million items circulated."

RIM sues Handspring, Good

RIM wins patent, sues rival

and from Lawsuits In Motion files suit against Xerox:

Of course, it's all rather ironic given RIM's history of using the courts to challenge what it claims are other firms' attempts to cash in on its intellectual property. During the first quarter of its current fiscal year, the company - better known, perhaps, as Lawsuits In Motion - saw the cost of its litigation rise from $700,000 to $8.2 million.

RIM is currently suing NTP and Good Technology for alleged intellectual property violations. Last year, it pursued legal action against Palm and Handspring - both firms latter settled out of court. Microsoft and Symbian signed have signed licensing deals with the company.

"It turned out to be not good enough," RIM lawyer Henry Bunsow said outside court, adding he was "cautiously optimistic" a settlement could still be reached.

"They basically want it all. God bless RIM, they refuse to be extorted under these circumstances, which is why we're here."

So, the problem with Network neutrality is that it opens up the DSL and Cable providers up to competition for their other service, and that'a a big disincentive for them to roll it out.

So how is this handled in other countries? Do any other countries require network neutrality on the part of circuit providers (i.e., providers of raw pipes to the customer) or ISPs (who could be the same entity as the raw pipe provider, or could be somebody buying raw pipe capacity)? If so, how has that affected the rollout of broadband services?

Googling for

crtc "network neutrality"

found this Toronto Star piece by Michael Geist, which argues in favor of Canada adopting a policy requiring network neutrality (and says that one telco, Telus, brieftly blocked access by its customers to a Web site set up by a union with which it was having a dispute), so I presume there was, at least at that time, no regulatory requirement for network neutrality in Canada.

Googling for

europe "network neutrality"

found other pieces by Michael Geist, which indicate that some European carriers are blocking VoIP traffic, so I assume there's no regulatory requirement for network neutrality in the countries in which they're doing that.

On the other hand, Googling for

france "network neutrality"

found a piece by Lawrence Lessig arguing that France and Japan offer better high-speed broadband than is available in the US (which might even be true in areas of comparable housing density) and required "strict unbundling", which Lessig describes as even more stringent than network neutrality.

However, it also found this blog item on the Progress and Freedom Foundation site, citing arguments before congress that a key point, at least in the case of France, was that "France operated in a monopoly environment".

So a quick Google found no obvious single conclusion about this issue. I'd be curious to see what people who aren't strong advocates of either position have to say about the raw(er) data.

Battle over RIM design exposes practice
Prompts calls for changes to U.S. law
Feb. 3, 2006. 01:00 AM
TIM HARPER
WASHINGTON BUREAU

ARLINGTON, Va.--They're known as trolls and they turn the predator-prey relationship in the business world on its head.

They are the weak who slay the mighty. Critics call them extortionists.

Their homes in office towers give them the sheen of legitimacy, but some do their work in dingy basements or garages and then slip their weapons into the back of cluttered drawers.

The ongoing BlackBerry battle between Waterloo-based Research In Motion and NTP Inc. of Arlington, Va., has focused new attention on the so-called "patent troll" in the U.S., and sparked calls for reforms to outdated American patent law.

The Canadian company has renewed the age-old American debate about entrepreneurial spirit as it hurtles toward a Feb. 24 showdown which could silence its hand-held service to millions of users in this country.

Legislators and lobbyists for the high-tech industry here define the patent troll as an individual or company holding a patent without any designs on marketing an idea. Instead they wait for another company to shed the sweat and take the risk, then jump out and claim patent infringement.

This is a fairly misleading headline/summary/article stub. In (numerous) interviews over the past week or so, Joss says in most of them that any future Firefly/Serenity-age would depend on the DVD sales being particularly big.

"It would depend on huge numbers from the DVD," writer/director Whedon allows. "Obviously, we are still shy of making our money back from the box office. But we are within shouting distance. Still, it would have to blow up pretty huge for a sequel to be called for.

"Mind you, stranger things have happened. And they do seem to happen to me. So it's not like I'm shutting the door." -- Toronto Star interview

"The, um, the movie is finished. And the story is told. The world is not finished. There's more to tell, but that's always the case with everything I do and whether I get the chance to tell [it] or not it is up to somebody else. So I made sure that this movie had completion and didn't feel like a glorified prequel. It's its own piece and it wraps everything up. I have a sense of closure that I never had, and I can walk away satisfied. But if somebody tells me not to walk away, I'll turn right back around." -- Comcast Movies interview

This EW article seems to take the stance that since Whedon is working on projects other than Firefly/Serenity and is taking a realistic view towards their finances, he clearly has abandoned them, despite the fact that his other projects have been in the pipe for some time.

Firefox? The particular application I have open at this very moment? Perhaps uninterestingly, I have exactly 17 tabs open right now, with no (noticeable) adverse consequenses. 18, if you don't include opening the parent link, of course. I am a somewhat-regular user of fark.com (not sure if I should admit that) which, by its nature, allows itself to opening MANY pages at once. If you would prefer, I can list every link I have open at this exact moment, for reference:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=170983&op=Repl y&threshold=1&commentsort=0&tid=95&mode=nested&pid =14243431 (which is this /. reply page)
http://mail.google.com/mail/
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/h c-11154432.apds.m0309.bc-ct--statdec11,0,3518180.s tory?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/12/11/nation al/a02121105_02.txt
http://www.pcomelet.com/articles1details.asp?NewsN um=40
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid =968163964505&cid=1134344411957&col=968705899037&c all_page=TS_World&call_pageid=968332188854&call_pa gepath=News/World
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/johnleo/20 05/12/12/178651.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AtXC1y50oxBO 7AL1gup9Q5.8vLYF?slug=ap-heat-vangundyresigns&prov =ap&type=lgns
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-12-12-brit ish-inferno_x.htm?csp=34
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051212/od_uk_nm/oukoe _uk_india_bangalore;_ylt=AosQuO8FvVJ0Vd3RebwSpmVva A8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051212/ap_on_el_pr/de mocrats_one_community;_ylt=AsioggEugZtPPwnu2ul_1Ii s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-
http://www.wfmy.com/watercooler/article.aspx?story id=53576
http://www.wytv.com/news/regional/2075952.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/132 7686.cms
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/technology/5517017 /detail.html?r

* San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth research and "nonvolcanic" tremors.
* Earth is potentially out of new farm land.
* New insights into the rate of ozone recovery.
* Southeast Asia faces another danger of a large tsunami in the next few decades
* Cassino spots icy plumes on Saturn

Read this article
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&c=Article&c id=1132960211791

in his neighbor country Pakistan, quake victims struggle to survive
Yeah, He's spending his money the best way!

The alternate reality that the reporter is that they are pretty much trumpetting the Press Release by Taanta Gupta at Rogers. Check out this thread on DSLReports Toronto Star Article (original is subscription only) which their reporter pretty much did the exact same thing. And the guy at The Star is normally pretty good...

Toronto has one going on at 2pm *today*!

I think I'll be staying inside this afternoon...

The Toronto Star had an article the other day that puts another twist on the bird - dinosaur evolutionary path.
From the article :

A new study out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is attempting to stick a fork in the popular paleontological theory -- explored at a major Royal Ontario Museum exhibition this past summer -- that modern birds represent "living" dinosaurs in our midst.

Unless you don't think The Toronto Star is major.

I just RTFA at http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1 117404907739&call_pageid=968350072197&col=96904886 3851&DPL=IvsNDS%2F7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes (as linked in another post), and indeed, the rules are essentially the same as the US DNC list. I don't remember if the US one exempts charities, however, I think it does.

However, that said, the one here in the US is quite effective.

It appears (from Google's cache) that his article was just summarizing this Toronto Star article.

This blog post makes it pretty clear that the American Red Cross is rather iffy in terms of its effectiveness, and certainly in terms of its ability to forward contributions to those most in need. The kicker is this Toronto Star article indicating that about 40% of the money raised following 9/11 went to administrative overhead or non-9/11 projects. Even though that means the majority of the money went towards relief, it raises substantial questions as to whether the ARC is a trustworthy charity, or merely a vehicle for its own self-perpetuation.

It's also the "will of the people" to speed and end up killing people and getting into car accidents, but we keep those speed limit signs firmly in place regardless because we know it's right.

except it isn't. Studies in Europe have found that street signs and traffic lights do more to distract people from what is happening on the road than they do to stop accidents. Take away all the street signs and traffic lights and people actually start paying attention to what is happening on the road and drive more safely.

"Canada sent condolences to the victims and offered help.

Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan said she told Michael Chertoff, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, that Canada was ready to provide assistance if needed."

from
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1 125397185530&call_pageid=968332188492&col=96879397 2154&t=TS_Home&DPL=IvsNDS%2F7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes

Canada.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1 125397185530&call_pageid=968332188492&col=96879397 2154&t=TS_Home&DPL=IvsNDS%2F7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes

Funded by Dr Chirinjeev Kathuria, they see the secret to success as a modernised liquid oxygen/alcohol rocket motor based on the German V2, which proved its reliability in over 3,000 past flights (more history via that web page). The company uses the Canadian Arrow Space Centre.

There is a picture in the Toronto Star article (Note that the Toronto Star requires a login/pass, so use login: slashdot@slashdot.org password: slashdot)

As another Canadian recently returned to Canada, I can tell you why they're fighting over it -- however stupid the whole notion is.

We are fighting with the Danish over this to enforce our sovereignty. Unfortunately, like private arena disputes over copyright, failure to exert sovereignty means you effectively cede control over an area. Lose it if you don't use it, more or less.

We actually have a First Nations military unit dedicated to looking after our interests in remote northern communities.

You can read an entertaining article about the Canadian Rangers here.

This also threatens trade and travel because the time will be out of sync with Europe and Canada.

The Toronto Star has a more in depth look at the issues.

Support or oppose the DST change for REAL reasons.

Here in Canada, the change is being presented as something the Americans are ramming down our throats. Seriously: here's the Toronto Star coverage.

What kind of a country is this where you can get a knee-jerk reaction against anything by calling it "American-style"? (I'll tell you: it's the kind of country that, 138 years later, still prints their colonial ruler's face on their money.)

Does anyone know of a list of business blogs in Canada? I haven't been able to find many Canadian companies that blog. All I can find is a Toronto Star article that glosses over the subject and some Globe and Mail pieces about how US firms are blogging. I'm interested in corporate blogs, as opposed to the one-person consultancy. There are tons of blogs run by freelancers and consultants, even in Canada.

Toronto Star (some soul sucking required). In the dead tree version it was on page A3 with a mention on the front page.

Not in America. In China, Malaysia, and Singapore, however, there literally are vendors in the streets selling illegal CDs of this and dozens of other expensive software products for five bucks.

Here in Markham, Ontario, Canada, there literally are vendors in malls selling illegal CDs and DVDs.

There are 2 malls which are pretty much asian malls, Pacific Mall and Times Square. My buddy who has a modded ps2 used to buy ps2 games from a store in Times Square for $10 (CDN) each (obviously illegal copies). I was amazed that an actual store could get away with this.

Just in the Toronto Star paper today, there was an article about $800,000 worth of pirated DVDs being seized at Pacific Mall. (Requires login, use slashdot@slashdot.org password: slashdot)

Here's an old article dated February 16, 2001, where 62,000 "optical discs" were recovered from stores in Markham. If you look at the names of the four accused, they are all asian. I have nothing against asians, my best friend is asian. It just seems that around here, there are ALOT of stores masquerading as legal businesses, that are run by (and primarly serve) asians. I'm surprised they stay open as long as they do without getting caught.

Another article about Pacific Mall here

Funny "Ad" for Pacific Mall

Full text from above "Ad":

You say you want a DVD player that plays discs from Europe, Asia and every other continent? Well, you won't find one at Future Shop but there are countless on offer at Pacific Mall - the largest Asian mall in North America. That's right, most DVD players you find at the major retailers are deliberately set to reject DVDs that were not purchased in North America. So if you buy a DVD on a trip to England or France, there's a very good chance you're not going to be able to play it on that Wal-Mart special or that expensive Sony player either. You need what's called a "region-free" DVD player. Pacific Mall has got them and guess what, they don't cost any more than the deliberately limited ones do. In fact, you might even save a few bucks.

Ok, so where is this Pacific Mall? Is it hard to get to? Naw, it's easy. From York, just go east along Steeles until you reach Kennedy - and there you are. The gadget Mecca of Toronto awaits you. Want a 1GB memory card for your camera for under $100? You'll find it here. How about a 100-in-1 Game Boy Advance cartridge that somehow packs 100 games that you would normally have to buy individually into one cartridge? Yeah, you can find it here. How cool is that? Instead of schlepping around a box full of games with you, you can just carry one little compact Game Boy Advance SP with one cartridge neatly tucked into it, and that's it.

Oh yeah, and you'll save some money. Actually, you save quite a bit of money. This is so amazing that it should be illegal! Actually, it probably is. But I'll leave that between you and your conscience.

So, any other quasi-legal ways I can save money? Well yeah! DVDs are so cheap at Pacific Mall that you might be left wondering just how they do it. But again, this is something between you and your student loan officer. Or let's say you'd like to unlock your phone so that you can switch from one company to another and keep the same phone. That can be arranged at Pacific Mall. Or perhaps you're more of a do-it-yourselfer. Well then, you might be interested in certain cables and software which allow you to connect your cell phone to your PC to unlock it, and perform many other interesting functions as well. I now have a new mode on my Nokia cell phone called "Field Test" which

I am writing to you, a fellow Canadian to clarify on your statement of music downloading being morally wrong. As a 15 year old computer analyst and repair technician and programmer. I have my have been keeping track of such things like: TCPA, MPAA, RIAA, and the DMCA and I am against each organization myself. I am an advocate of free open source software, the right to online privacy, etc. I am aware of my rights and what is wrong, and what is wrong, and currently as you know, music downloading is legal (for now) in Canada.

In regards to the article '/Heritage minister pledges anti-downloading law'/ [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pa gename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid= 1112612464877%5D and a recent Slashdot posting, you seem to believe that though music downloading is in fact legal, it is morally wrong. If I am incorrect, please correct me, however, if not, I disagree with you. I do not believe it is morally wrong, in fact many well known musicians support Peer 2 Peer and music downloading, and their claim is any exposure is good for an artist.

A few references as you can see, exposure is good! I will agree with you on the fact that, yes, many artists despise Peer 2 Peer, but my opinion stands like this. I download a music CD, I listen to the album to determine whether it is what I want or not [sometimes 10 second samples of the song from Amazon does not quite cut it] and if it is in fact an album I like, I go and buy the album to support the artist. This is where P2P really makes an impact, whether you agree or not, I will continue to download CD's because I personally do not want to waste my hard earned money (and at 15, it is hard earned) on a CD I may end up disliking.

But what do I know, I'm just a kid.

well at least in Ontario, we're slowly being offered the choice of 'naked' DSL.

Bell Canada, one of the biggest DSL providers under their Sympatico brand (and also the largest local phone service) is slowly making the naked DSL service an option. It's just become available since March 31 2005 and apparently they are doing a "quiet launch" (i.e. only removing local phone service if the customer requests it.) Of course they aren't advertising it because they probably don't want many of their DSL subscribers to drop their local phone service en mass. As a consumer I'm glad to see this happen as I'm sick of paying an extra $30 a month for a local telephone line that I barely use just so that I can get DSL service (I mostly use my cell phone).

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pag ename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Artic le&cid=1110150624470

I'll say to start that the supposed smear tactics weren't targeted at you or even Schnieder, and they are pretty close to direct quotes. The only purpose was to illustrate the duplicity of people (all people not just Clinton and Schnieder), and that when people are caught in a wrongdoing the first thing they tend to do is backpedal "What I really meant was..." It's human nature and I don't condemn Scnieder for doing it, my only point is that I don't consider it a defense he said what he said. (And looked at the right way you could consider this paragraph in a similar light).

I say all this because while I may not agree with your position you've been reasonable and civil, if, in my opinion, deluded. While I'm perfectly happy to be wallowing in the mud as required, my intention was not to bring this particular conversation there. Though all this has gone my curiosity is piqued. Why so verbose about such a comment. While there has been a fair bit of controversy over it within certain circles, I wouldn't consider it of any interest to someone not focused on the subject, and the way you've continued this leads me to suspect ulterior motives. And certainly not worthy of such a long semantics argument. though I will put that aside and continue on ignoring the thought.

So anyways, onward.

While I will agree your comments about debate, and being influenced by outside sources, and it can only be reduced, not eliminated. This is true about just about everything.

What you say we disagree about is the level of misbalance. I would agree that we disagree about this. At the same time I'll defend my position to the end, because it's so grossly obvious.

On the one side we have the business interests, and those that are supposedly on their side, and more importantly, accused of being in their pocket. I've still seen little evidence to prove massive funding (later link will show one "egregious" study showed 5% funding by the American Petroleum institute). I could argue the chicken and egg are they funded to prove something, or do business end up funding those who aren't out to put them out of business, business is hardly going to give money to people whose expressed goal is to put them out of business. That comes back to my comment, don't argue their funding, argue the science, show me where it's wrong.

On the other side we have the environmentalists groups. What is Greenpeace but a PR company. Granted they have different motivation, but they are a still nothing but a PR group, and they spend all of their money and promoting what science they think promotes their cause (minus of course what they use for other things like picketing Japanese whale boats). But other than publicity they don't have any other goal, and that is to include research. But is it chump change?

Not a GW group, but in the news today Last year, the IFAW raised $77.5 million U.S

200 Budget for Greenpeace In 2000, the total budget for. all Greenpeace organizations, including Greenpeace International, was $143 million

So while I admit that the above money is minor compared to the total worth of the likes of Mobil, it far exceeds Mobil's PR budget as you discussed it and far exceeds the sum that you mentioned with GCC in the anti-Kyoto campaign. And remember that all of the environmentalist budgets goes towards PR. More importantly, they receive plenty of PR for free, and I beg you to show me where the amount of media coverage on the Big Warming side exceeds that of the skeptic side. Head on over to Junkscience any particular day, where he reviews the news of the day (most without commentary) Pro GW articles outnumber anti about 6 to 1 at minimum.

Continued.

Michael Geist comes out every once in a while with a "The Sky is Falling!" piece about how government is trying to super-regulate the Internet in Canada or some other country.

It's sensationalist crap for the purpose of selling impressions on the websites he writes for.

The hairbrained proposals that some lobbyists are putting forth in Canada are real, but there's little danger of any of them being taken seriously and he knows that.