Magic Statistics

The Globe and Mail has “uncovered” thousands of chilling internet messages written by wives of leading figures among those arrested on terrorism charges in the Toronto area.

When it came time to write up the premarital agreement between Zakaria Amara and Nada Farooq, Ms. Farooq briefly considered adding a clause that would allow her to ask for a divorce.

She said that Mr. Amara (now accused of being a leader of the alleged terror plot that led to the arrests of 17 Muslim men early this month) had to aspire to take part in jihad.

"[And] if he ever refuses a clear opportunity to leave for jihad, then i want the choice of divorce," she wrote in one of more than 6,000 Internet postings uncovered by The Globe and Mail.

Ms Farooq is a real piece of work.  She hates just about everybody: Jews, homosexuals, Canada and Canadians, most other Muslims.  On the other hand, she finds jihad, terrorism, and the Taliban commendable.

Read the whole thing. 

A 75-year-old grandmother from Saltspring Island, BC (why am I not surprised?), has had a brainstorm: She’s decided to journey to Canada’s frozen hinterlands of Yukon and Northwest Territories to “wake the world up to the realities of global warming”.

“Wake the world up”?  Anyone who hasn’t heard about the climate-change controversy by now must be comatose.

She’s heard that our ice caps are melting and wants to see for herself, but she’s not going to the right areas.

[S]he will drive up to Prince Rupert and then take a ferry to Skagway, Alaska. From there she will drive to Whitehorse and eventually fly to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT.

Canada’s polar ice caps are actually located a great distance north and east of Tuk.  Try Baffin Island, Devon Island, and Ellesmere Island, Nunavut.  Check the map at the bottom of this post.

At a time when growing shortages of nurses are evident around the world comes this startling news from the United Kingdom: There aren’t enough jobs for nurses fresh out of university.

Thousands of newly qualified nurses and other health professionals will be without jobs by the time they graduate this year, the BBC has learned.

A survey of 20 universities suggested that more than 80% of nurses qualifying this summer have yet to find a job, compared to 30% this time last year.

Some trusts have imposed recruitment freezes because of mounting deficits.

One London institution reported that only a quarter of students who graduated in May have been able to find work as nurses.

Similarly “dire” employment prospects face new graduates of such medical specialties as midwifery, community nursing, physiotherapy, and radiography.  It is feared that news of poor job prospects will discourage future enrollments in nursing and medical technology programs.  A nurses’ trade union official laid into the government.

"Student nurses are frustrated, angry and disillusioned because of the difficulties they face finding jobs as deficits bite.

"It is clear that the Department of Health has failed to forward plan, or we would not be in this dire situation.

"What a waste of taxpayers money. It takes around £50,000 to train a nurse and to see this money wasted is a disgrace.

"The current shortage of jobs is being fuelled by financial deficits in the NHS, and student nurses are paying the price.

"There is an overall shortage of nurses across the NHS, these cut backs are a short-term, short-sighted solution."

I have a solution for unemployed UK nursing graduates: Come to Canada.  We urgently need nurses here, and we’re hiring—right now!  My local hospital is always looking for qualified nurses, and I’m sure they’d be happy to discuss assistance with relocation expenses.  This page lists current openings for nurses and medical technologists and specialists.  Check it out!

The London Telegraph webpage where the article is posted affords a good chuckle.  I’ve posted it below.  (Click on image for larger view.)  In the column of Google ads to the right of the story are found ads from three job placement services looking for—you guessed it—nurses.  If there are any job-seeking UK nursing graduates reading this, please click on the middle link first.

Previous related posts:

• Health care’s problem not lack of funding but lack of personnel
• US wants more nurses
• BC nurses negotiate big pay raise

British mothers perceive the Labour government's policies as anti-family, according to a survey of over 1700 mothers of young children.

The majority of mothers think families are "under threat" because the Government appears to favour single mothers and working parents above family life at home.

A survey into 21st century family living found that six out of 10 mothers thought the Government "doesn't like traditional families".
 . . .
Three quarters of working mothers say they would reduce their working hours if they could, and nine out of 10 said that if a mother was married and wanted to stay at home, her tax allowance should be added on to her husband's - so allowing more women the option to be stay-at-home mothers.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt now admits her recent comment suggesting that all women should work outside the home was away over the top "probably" went too far.

"Probably"?  She still isn’t sure about that?  Reality check: Unless she and the rest of the Labour Party reverse their anti-family policies and tone down the "ditch the kids in nursery and get back to your real work" rhetoric, they could pay the price at the next general election.

Typically for media reports, only minimal information is provided on survey methodology:

The research by First magazine, among 1,736 mothers whose average age was 37 . . .

Internet searches did not unearth any more information about this survey.

Previous related posts:

• Tony Blair's favourite think tank turns against daycare
• Sisterhood is powerful

You just have to visit Goonhilly satellite station, Lizard peninsula, Cornwall, to access the service.

An internet cafe offering connections 50 times faster than typical broadband services has opened in Cornwall.

Computers at Goonhilly satellite station, on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, are connected to BT's global internet protocol network.

That means users can download data at speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps).

It is thought to be the first time such high speeds have been seen at a UK internet cafe.

The service will be free to visitors.

Users could download in 15 minutes a file that would take over 5 hours using regular broadband service.  Having 61 satellite dishes on site helps.

How long before someone uses Goonhilly's internet cafe to download bootlegged movies?

Canadian Immigration Minister Monte Solberg has taken steps to bar an extemist British imam from entering our country to speak at a Muslim youth conference on Friday.

Sheikh Riyadh ul-Haq, a prominent cleric in England who has been accused of publicly vilifying Jews and Hindus, among other groups, was slated to be the keynote speaker for the weekend Youth Tarbiyah conference, sponsored by the Islamic Foundation of Toronto.

Sources told CTV News that Immigration Minister Monte Solberg informed immigration officials that ul Haq should not be allowed into the country because of his extreme views.

The cleric has been accused of making inflammatory comments about Jews, Hindus and moderate Muslims, as well as gay, bisexual and transsexual people.

Ul Haq was recently called into the Canadian High Commission in London and was told he would not be admissible to Canada on grounds that his views could incite hatred and violence.

Groups representing Canadian Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and homosexuals, appealed to the federal government to prevent ul Haq's entry.

Tarek Fatah of the Muslim Canadian Congress said he does not want to see fellow Muslims coming to Canada to spew hate under the banner of Islam.

Ul Haq has visited Canada on four previous occasions, but immigration officials have become more vigilant since the recent arrest of 17 Muslims on terrorism-related charges.

via Judeoscope, which has more about ul Haq here.

UPDATE (1 Jul.): Keeping this jihadist out of our country was perhaps a pyrrhic victory: He's now set to speak at the conference via video link from England.

via Dust My Broom. 

The collect for today, the Feast Day of Saint Peter the Apostle, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:

O Almighty God, who by thy Son Jesus Christ didst give to thy Apostle Saint Peter many excellent gifts, and commandedst him earnestly to feed thy flock; Make, we beseech thee, all Bishops and Pastors diligently to preach thy holy Word, and the people obediently to follow the same, that they may receive the crown of everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Epistle: Acts 12:1-11
The Gospel: St Matthew 16:13-19