April 24 2009 by The Systemic Analyst.

Several news outlets are reporting the emergence of a new variant of swine influenza which has infected 130 people in Mexico, killing 20. As Bloomberg reports “Experts believe the so-called 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which may have killed as many as 50 million people, began when an avian flu virus jumped to people.”

For more information on the story click here.

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April 22 2009 by The Systemic Analyst.

CanWest, among others, is reporting “A senior RCMP officer issued a surprise apology Tuesday after a former Mountie spokesman said that he provided inaccurate information about the death of a Polish immigrant at the Vancouver International Airport.”

Why it has taken this long to admit some truth in a case that was videotaped is beyond us. We said at the time of the incident that the approach the force was taking would do nothing but tarnish an already battered reputation (see The RCMP Taser Case: How Not To Handle An Accidental Death.)

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April 20 2009 by The Systemic Analyst.

Senator Colin Kenny is right about one thing in his latest public commentary about the state of security in Canada: during a recession crime rates spike (see: United States Homicide Rates & Recessions, in A. Wanless, “Alternatively: Towards a Better System,” 2009). The Senator’s proposed measures to counter the likely rise in crime, however, aren’t quite as illuminating.

Putting more police on the beat isn’t going to fix the problem with crime because it doesn’t address the root causes for such activity; furthermore, increasing the ranks of law enforcement certainly won’t achieve any sort of immediate fix as training new officers (good ones anyway) takes time and then the question becomes what to do with the enlarged forces after the economy improves (if it does)? All of this is to say nothing of the rampant corruption in at least one of Canada’s larger police forces that will probably only worsen with the economy.

Beyond all of this, there is a simple problem with math in what the good senator is telling the public that is a bit misleading; in pointing out how many more officers the U.S. Coast Guard deploys in the Great Lakes, Senator Kenny neglects to note the considerable difference in population between Canada and the United States; granted, 14 RCMP officers isn’t all that many to patrol such a vast area, but Canada also doesn’t have the 300 million people its neighbour to the South does.

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April 19 2009 by The Systemic Analyst.

Michael Coren makes a good point; men and women are essentially different from one another. Of course, difference doesn’t preclude equality; what difference does is render men and women equally good at different things. While I agree with the underlying argument of Coren’s piece, I can see why many wouldn’t. A dialogue in the West does need to begin about the views that have become so entrenched we are afraid to publicly discuss whether such thinking is reasonable or even beneficial as a society; because of this viewpoint-internalization, however, most people will react defensively to even the gentlest questioning of the status quo; provocation and incautious use of the word “equality” might be one more reason the discussion is delayed.

“So Canada sacrifices another victim on the altar of equality.

Last week a young girl dressed up as a soldier died in the increasingly futile and pointless war in Afghanistan. She was 21 years old, had been in the country for two weeks on her first tour of duty and probably weighed a little over 100 pounds.

Please know that I mean no disrespect to Karine Blais or to her family and I grieve for her and them. But what on earth was she doing in such a place and in such a job?Look at the photograph of this beautiful girl. Look at the innocence, the gentleness, the grace. All of them precious aspects to the human character. So when I say that she was “dressed up as a soldier” I mean it as a compliment. I’ve known soldiers all of my life and I have an invincible respect for them. I’ve seen their courage, integrity and sheer decency.

I’ve also seen their capacity for controlled and righteous violence, which is absolutely essential for any fighting man. Yes, man. Because there are few if any women who have the skills required to serve as a front-line combat trooper.” Click here to read more.

Posted in Central Asia, Politics | No Comments »