Is Google Security aware of this?

The following is an email I sent to Google this week. As you can see, I have been trying to get their Security Division's attention in relation to a piece of spam going around claiming to be from the Google security team itself. Google appears to be uninterested as I have not received an automated response with a ticket code in relation to this case. I am putting the email statement up on my blog, not the actual spam message itself because that would be a violation of terms of service for a blogger. Hopefully someone from Google will read this and get back to me by email at msdogfood@hotmail.com. Also, anyone else who has received this email can get back to me at the same address to compare notes. Everyone should read my email statement to Google Security below.


Hello Are you aware there is a spam email going around with the following subject line: "Subject: Security Code Number: GUK/4532345G"? The content of the message is that I was winner of some prize from Google. I know you don't do contests like that and the reason why I am emailing you at the Security Division is due to the subject line. The good news is that at least the Hotmail spam filter recognized this as a piece of spam. I have the entire raw message including all of the header data and would be happy to send it to you if you require it. You can reach me at: msdogfood@hotmail.com Best regards

The Liberals are taking the Harper government to task over its handling of the swine-flu vaccine, saying delays have cost lives.

Flu vaccine delay has cost lives: Liberals

OTTAWA — The Liberals are taking the Harper government to task over its handling of the swine-flu vaccine, saying delays have cost lives.
Liberal MP Bob Rae asked Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq if she realized that people have died - and will die - because of delays in ordering and rolling out the vaccine.
"Does she not understand that these delays have cost, and will cost, lives?" Rae said Thursday.
Industry Minister Tony Clement answered the first two questions for Aglukkaq, telling the House of Commons that six million doses of vaccine will be delivered by Friday.
"By the end of next week, there will be an additional three million doses for a total of nine million doses for Canadians," Clement said.
But later, Rae again accused the Tories of foot-dragging on the vaccine.
"There are people who, unfortunately, have succumbed to the disease," he said.
"I think it's a reasonable thing to say that if they'd had the vaccine, it's quite possible their lives could have been saved."
So far, 89 people have died from the H1N1 virus and more than 1,600 have been hospitalized.
Thousands of Canadians have already been vaccinated since Aglukkaq approved a new H1N1 vaccine late last week - after other countries had begun vaccinations.
But there have been long lineups, confusion and frustration across the country as people rush to get the vaccine.
Overwhelming demand for the swine-flu shot had the only two vaccination clinics operating in Toronto turning away people early Thursday afternoon.
Thousands of people lined up - some as early as 6 a.m. - to get the vaccine, which forced road closures near a clinic west of the city.
Public health officials have asked that only those deemed to be in high-risk categories - including adults with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, and healthy children six months to under five years old - get vaccinated this week.
But some lower-risk Canadians are trying to jump the queue for fear they'll catch the H1N1 virus before they get the flu shot.
Children's hospitals in Toronto and Ottawa have been swamped recently as worried parents bring in their children over swine-flu concerns.
Those fears may have been stoked by the recent deaths of two Ontario children from the H1N1 virus.
Evan Frustaglio, a 13-year-old hockey player from Toronto, died Monday after falling sick on the weekend. And 10-year-old Vanetia Warner of Cornwall died Saturday after she was ill for several days.
On Wednesday, Toronto Public Health said Mount Sinai Hospital was dealing with a minor outbreak of H1N1, with one patient and two staff ill.

Get Peter Mansbridge a chair

A day ago, the national broadcaster of Canada, known as the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) relaunched it's news and information channel formerly known as Newsworld. I like the new format and the graphics and of course the sets. The one thing I don't like on the set is the fact that during the afternoon news shift and the prime time nightly news program known as The National, there are no on set chairs. So, the anchor/presenter is standing along with the interviewee, if there is one. This can get tiring after a while. I witnessed this last night while I was watching Peter Mansbridge do a 1 hour show. About half way through, he started shifting his weight from left foot to right foot. No one is used to standing for that length of time to deliver the news. It's simply not done. He needs a chair. They all do. I know of at least one anchor that uses a chair and that is Mark Kelly. So why is Mark Kelly allowed to use the chair? The lack of chairs is the only thing I have found about the new format that I don't like.

Sweden's Lutheran Church decided Thursday to allow gay marriages in its places of worship.

Five months after they became legal in the country, Sweden's Lutheran Church decided Thursday to allow gay marriages in its places of worship.
Nearly 70 percent of the 250 members of the Church of Sweden's synod voted to allow same-sex couples to marry in its congregations from November 1 and adopted a marriage rite for gay weddings, the church said in a statement. The Church of Sweden, which was the state church until 2000, had backed the parliament's adoption of the gay marriage law, which took effect on May 1. But it deferred its synod's decision on church weddings until now. Sweden, already a pioneer in giving same-sex couples the right to adopt children, becomes one of the first countries in the world to allow gays to marry in a major Church. Around three in four Swedes are members of the Lutheran Church. The country's largest gay rights group, RFSL, welcomed the protestant church's decision. "RFSL congratulates the Church of Sweden for its decision, your homosexual and bisexual members will finally be able to feel a little more welcome within society," it said in a statement. But the group was disappointed that ministers can refuse to celebrate a gay marriage. In such cases, the Church should find another priest for the ceremony. The country's smaller Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches said they were disappointed by the Lutherans' decision. "It is with sadness that we learn about the decision by the synod of the Church of Sweden," Fredrik Emanuelson, a leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and Orthodox church senior official Misha Jaksic said in a joint statement. "In our churches and communities, we will not unite homosexual couples since it is in complete contradiction with the tradition of the church and our vision of creation," they said.

Jason Kenney a, racist??

10/23/09

"I plead guilty, I'm a racist." -- Jason Kenney
#fullpost{display:inline;}
Jason Kenney confronted and disrupted in MontrealOctober 23, 2009 -- Migrant justice activists and organizers, with their McGill allies, confronted and disrupted Jason Kenney -- Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism -- before and during a closed function with Conservative McGill.At least 50 protesters, in an action called by No One Is Illegal-Montreal, were able to surround Kenney in the Arts Building as he tried to enter the private event. For about one-minute, Kenney was asked about the report in today’s Toronto Star that a Mexican woman, who twice tried to apply for refugee status to Canada, was found murdered in Mexico (article is linked below). Kenney brushed off the question and didn’t answer.Kenney was also asked explicitly about his party’s blocking of a refugee appeals division, and again he didn’t answer.When Kenney was told by a member of No One Is Illegal that his policies scapegoat migrants and pander to racists, Kenney replied (with a hint of sarcasm): “I plead guilty, I’m a racist.” At that point, Kenney’s handlers and security pushed through protesters to get Kenney inside the venue.For the next hour and more, protesters chanted and made noise to disrupt the event from outside. The protest was partially a teach-in as demonstrators gave speeches about Kenney’s track-record, highlighting in particular:- the murder in Mexico of Grise, a woman who twice tried to claim refugee status in Canada but was refused- the Conservatives continued refusal to implement a refugee appeals division;- the recent treatment of Sri Lankan migrants who are currently detained in British Columbia;- Kenney’s introduction of visas for Mexicans and Czechs while falsely misrepresenting their refugee claims as bogus;- Kenney’s role in US-style mass raids on migrant workers in Ontario this past April;- Kenney’s unapologetic defense of Israeli war crimes in Gaza and Lebanon;- Kenney’s attack on free speech by preventing the entry of George Galloway into Canada;- Kenney’s involvement in cutting the funding of the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF);- Kenney’s proposed changes to the status of migrant workers, which makes their situation more precarious;- the trend under Kenney and the Conservatives to push migrants into temporary worker categories;- Kenney's defense of Conservative policies justifying rendition to torture and security certificates;
- the lifting of the moratorium on deportations to Burundi, Rwanda and Liberia, while making it harder for other migrants to make refugee claims;- Kenney’s record of comments that pander to racists, by inaccurately portraying migrants as abusive of the immigration and refugee system.- and more (!).Members of Solidarity Across Borders, active in support work with local migrants facing removal, also spoke to the day-to-day reality of deportation and detention in Montreal, citing examples of local individuals and families fighting for status, in defiance of removal orders.At one point, two members of Conservative McGill – Gregory Harris and Derek Beigleman -- began chanting “We love Kenney, we love Kenney.” Protesters stayed silent for at least a minute, and then asked the Conservatives about their view on the murder of Grise, as well as Conservative immigration and refugee policies that allowed the tragedy to happen. The two Conservatives laughed throughout the narration of Grise’s deportation and eventual death.During the picket, protesters also spoke in solidarity with No One Is Illegal Vancouver’s picket today demanding the release of Sri Lankan migrants who are currently detained after arriving in Canada last Sunday, as well as this evening’s migrant justice assembly by No One Is Illegal-Toronto.No borders, no nations, stop the deportations!-- No One Is Illegal-Montreal---------The Toronto Star article about the murder of Grise is linked HERE.A quick selection of photos of the picket (not including, unfortunately, the surrounding of Kenney by protesters before he entered the venue) is available HERE.

Stephen Harper on the Israel-Lebanon conflict &

Israel-Lebanon conflict
Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
At the outset of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, Harper defended publicly Israel's "right to defend itself," and described the invasion of Lebanon as a "measured" response, feeling that Hezbollah and Hamas's release of Israeli prisoners would be the key to ending the conflict.[31] Many Arab-Canadians criticized Harper's description of the response as "measured".[citation needed] On July 17, 2006, Harper noted that the situation had deteriorated since his initial comments, but that it was difficult for Israel to fight "non-governmental forces" embedded in the civilian population. Harper reiterated his earlier support for Israel and called on both sides to show restraint and minimize civilian casualties.
The Canadian government made arrangements to evacuate about 30,000 Canadians, mainly of Lebanese descent, from Lebanon after hostilities broke out. The response was criticized as slow and inefficient.[32] On July 17, a group of protesters, primarily expatriate Lebanese, protested Israeli aggression in front of the Israeli consulate in Montreal; further protests took place July 22 in localities across Canada.[33]
Despite criticisms, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay joined Harper in reiterating support for Israel's position and urging restraint while calling for a ceasefire. Speaking of the situation in both Lebanon and Gaza on July 18, Harper told reporters, "We all want to encourage not just a ceasefire, but a resolution. And a resolution will only be achieved when everyone gets to the table and everyone admits...recognition of each other," referring to the refusal of Hezbollah and Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist. Harper laid the blame for the civilian deaths on both sides at the feet of Hezbollah. "Hezbollah's objective is violence," Harper asserted, "Hezbollah believes that through violence it can create, it can bring about the destruction of Israel. Violence will not bring about the destruction of Israel... and inevitably the result of the violence will be the deaths primarily of innocent people.".[34]
[edit] The War in Afghanistan
In early 2006, the Conservative government proposed a motion to extend the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan by at least two years. In May 2006 the House of Commons passed a motion, after a short six-hour debate, to extend the mission until 2009 by a slim 149-145 majority.[35] The Harper government reinstituted a policy of lowering the national flag at military installations such as Department of National Defence headquarters only, drawing criticism that the government was showing a lack of respect for the soldiers.[36]
In a televised speech on September 11, 2006, five years after the attacks in New York and Washington D.C, Harper linked the events of that day with the current mission in Afghanistan, and encouraged continued support for Canada's military efforts against the Taliban.[37] During another speech this time at the United Nations Assembly in New York on September 21, he asked the organization for help and mentioned that the crisis "is a test of the world body's relevance" and being the UN's most important test and mission for it.[38]
[edit] Environment


[edit] The War in Afghanistan
In early 2006, the Conservative government proposed a motion to extend the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan by at least two years. In May 2006 the House of Commons passed a motion, after a short six-hour debate, to extend the mission until 2009 by a slim 149-145 majority.[35] The Harper government reinstituted a policy of lowering the national flag at military installations such as Department of National Defence headquarters only, drawing criticism that the government was showing a lack of respect for the soldiers.[36]
In a televised speech on September 11, 2006, five years after the attacks in New York and Washington D.C, Harper linked the events of that day with the current mission in Afghanistan, and encouraged continued support for Canada's military efforts against the Taliban.[37] During another speech this time at the United Nations Assembly in New York on September 21, he asked the organization for help and mentioned that the crisis "is a test of the world body's relevance" and being the UN's most important test and mission for it.[38]

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has denied accusations his government's use of stimulus money has favoured Tory ridings.

Tory ridings get more stimulus money: CBC study
Last Updated: Thursday, October 22, 2009 8:44 PM ET Comments140Recommend107
CBC News
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has denied accusations his government's use of stimulus money has favoured Tory ridings. (CBC)
Conservative ridings are getting more economic stimulus money than ridings held by opposition members of Parliament, a CBC News analysis suggests.
According to the analysis of the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, Conservative ridings have received about 60 per cent of the funding, compared with 40 per cent for opposition ridings.
For example, the Saskatchewan riding of Liberal House Leader Ralph Goodale, who has been a vocal critic of the stimulus spending, has received about $4.8 million. But the Conservative riding next door received about $6.5 million.
Crunching the numbers in a sample of other ridings across the country shows a similar pattern.
The minority government Conservatives have been defending themselves all week against allegations they are favouring Tory ridings with stimulus spending.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said nearly half of the projects are in opposition ridings — and the largest projects are in such ridings, he added.
But Peter Donolo of the Strategic Council polling firm said the Tories' record is much better than it used to be.
“There’s this long tradition in Canada, a time-honoured tradition in Canada, of opposition roads not being paved and government-controlled roads being paved. That goes back decades.”
But Donolo, a former communications director for former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien, said it's a dangerous game to play for political gain.
"It's probably more than offset by the bad odour, the bad optics that come from a government looking like it's playing politics with public money at a time like this,” he said.
Chrétien was known to dish out government money to Liberal-held ridings. But Donolo said the problem for Harper is that he promised to do things differently.