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Friday 15 July 2011
Russian neo-nazis get 10 to life for hate killings
that included decapitating one of their own gang
Sentences declared as right wing group allies with Russia’s third biggest political party
The St. Petersburg Times
13 July 2011 MOSCOW — A Russian court on Monday handed down sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison to 12 members of the country’s most vicious neo-Nazi gang convicted of 27 hate killings, which included a videotaped decapitation of one of their own gang members and other crimes. — 931 words.Three Georgian photographers go to trial September 1
as Russian military intelligence spies — one confessed
The St. Petersburg Times
Tripoli warns of food and water shortages as U.S.
'Humanitarian' bombing war proceeds against Libya
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Women of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) in the civic-military parade to mark the bicentenary July 5.
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Today Venezuelans are celebrating 200 years of independence with formal ceremonies and cultural events around the country, as well as a giant civic-military parade in Caracas.
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![]() True North Perspective publishes in
the best traditions of Canadian journalism
If you think it's too radical, please read
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Wisdom is a result of a happy marriage between intelligence and experience.
© Carl Dow, Editor and Publisher, True North Perspective
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When Hi Tech replaces critical thinking
it sucks investigative journalism into crime
To practice in the best traditions of investigative journalism requires intelligence, imagination, and long hours of hard work. Only the toughest in the field subscribe to it because they know that in the end they are all too often unlikely to find a place (radio, television, or print) to publish their hard won success if it runs against the interests as perceived by those who own the industry.
Thanks be to the open doors of the internet, at least to those on the internet whose only vested interest is in the truth.
Those at the low end of the journalism talent stick, with the connivance of their publishers and their editors, turn their second-rate talent on the weak and the helpless.
And I include among the latter description such as Prince Charles whose cell phone was hacked (we used to call it tapped) and he was outed as the Prince Who Would be a Tampon. I include the prince among the weak and the helpless because he's not very bright; just polished to the best degree possible by those who are employed to make the best of bad bargains.
But to include as targets for hacking and bribing the survivors of the immoral and criminally justified wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is reprehensible even for the bottom feeders at The News of the World. — 907 words.
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"News is what (certain) people want to keep hidden. Everything else is just publicity."
-- PBS journalist Bill Moyers.
Your support makes it possible for True North to clear the fog of "publicity" and keep you informed on what's really happening in the world today. Please send your donation to:
Carl Dow, True North, Station E, P.O. Box 4814, Ottawa ON Canada K1S 5H9.
Or use our new Paypal system! Just click the secure link below —
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Melting ice caps open up Arctic for 'white gold rush'
As rising temperatures expose more land for exploration, prospectors are rushing to the far north in the hope of carving out a new mineral frontier

4 July 2011 — The crumpled figure in seat 22 on the Air Greenland flight from Ilulissat to Kangerlussuaq was no Indiana Jones. But Dennis Thomas, a miningengineer viewing gold and diamond prospects in the Arctic, was happy to play up the part. "I've been shot at and involved in all sorts of other scrapes," the 62-year-old said as the plane cruised at 11,000 ft.
Thomas had spent 30 years scouring Latin America, the Far East and most other points around the globe, but this was his first time in Greenland. And it will not be his last.
The spotlight is on the news media
Crime in London with News of the World
Harper's gag rule that backfires in Ottawa
14 July 2011 — The hasty termination of the News of the World in England has swung the spotlight onto the role of the news media.
The timing couldn’t be better.
Dare to be silly! Dare to have fun! (It's good for you)
“A laugh is a smile that bursts” Mary H. Waldrip
Alberte Villeneuve-Sinclair is the author of The Neglected Garden and two French novels. Visit her website to learn more www.albertevilleneuve.ca.


Spirit Quest
Summer time ... and the camping is easy

15 July 2011 — It's cottage season, for some, but not for us. Many years ago, shortly after we were married, my spouse announced that we are not cottage people, “We are going to buy a tent.”
Another reason my spouse gave me for not owning a cottage was that she was in no mood to spend all summer hosting even friends. She knew whereof she spoke inasmuch as her parents owned a cottage at Cavendish in P.E.I. — 820 words.
From the Desk of Shannon Lee Mannion, Contributing Editor
Addressing the politics of Women's Rights
New Women's Party would redefine
the political process for all Canadians

A CTV star reporter let's it all hang out
(In case you missed it, we bring you the entire statement by CTV journalist Kai Nagata. It's worth printing and reading later by the lake. Meanwhile, please find below the intro and three excerpts.)
By Kai Nagata
8 July 2011 — Until Thursday, I was CTV’s Quebec City Bureau Chief, based at the National Assembly, mostly covering politics. It’s a fascinating beat - the most interesting provincial legislature in Canada, and the stories coming out of there lately have been huge. The near-implosion of the Parti Quebecois has kept the press gallery hopping well into summer. If you’re not from Quebec, it’s hard to explain the place the National Assembly holds in the popular imagination – but suffice to say that within francophone journalistic circles it carries more prestige than Parliament Hill. I had the privilege to be working next to several of the sharpest reporters in the country.
I was a full-time employee making good money, with comprehensive benefits and retirement options (I was even lucky enough to be hired before Bell bought CTV and began clawing back some of those expensive perks.) It was what I would qualify as a “great job,” especially for a 24-year old. Many of you told me how proud you were of my quick climb. But there was a growing gap between the reporter I played on TV, and the person I really am and want to become. I reached my breaking point suddenly, although when I look back now, the signposts were clear.
Three excerpts:
Barbie and Ken win over talent
Pit Lamping in Parkdale
Frances Sedgwick's keen eye and ear for the human condition reveals the heart and soul of Parkdale in southwest Toronto, one of the country's most turbulent urban areas where the best traditions of human kindness prevail against powerful forces that would grind them down. True North Perspective proudly presents a column by writer Frances Sedgwick. Her critical observation combined with a tender sense of humour will provide you with something to think about ... and something to talk about.

On my way home tonight I decided to check out one of my streets that has an interesting assortment of old houses, some of which are run down but many have been well maintained. All are interesting to look at.
It is encouraging to see the owners trying to maintain the original character of these old homes.
One particular house I always like to check has a circular sidewalk leading to the entrance. — 488 words.
Julian Assange may have to wait 21 days
before high court rules on his extradition
Julian Assange extradition appeal hearing – day two live coverage
13 July 2011 LONDON England — Robert Booth at the high court and Paul Owen at the Guardian office bring you full coverage of the second day of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's battle to avoid being sent to Sweden to face rape and sexual assault allegations
The high court has reserved judgment on whether Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face sex crime allegations. A judgment is not expected for at least three weeks.
Money and Markets
Crisis of ideology, crisis of imagination
Financial markets and right-wing economist have the problem exactly backwards and are speeding us all quickly along the road to catastrophe

New religion no strain for Austrian drivers' licence authorities
'Pastafarian' permitted to don collander for licence photo
BBC News

Mr Alm said the sieve was a requirement of his religion, pastafarianism.
Later a police spokesman explained that the licence was issued because Mr Alm's face was fully visible in the photo.
"The photo was not approved on religious grounds. The only criterion for photos in driving licence applications is that the whole face must be visible," said Manfred Reinthaler, a police spokesman in Vienna. — 467 words.
'Give us the tools and we'll finish the job'
— Winston Churchill
Let's say that news throughout human time has been free. Take that time when Ugh Wayne went over to the cave of Mugh Payne with news that the chief of his group had broken a leg while chasing his laughing wife around the fire. That news was given freely and received as such with much knowing smiles and smirks to say nothing of grunts of approval or disapproval. — 688 words.
Clone wars: Obama administration's 'wars' are
pilotless drones dropping bombs the world over
12 July 2011 — The Global War on Terror (or GWOT in acronym-crazed Washington) was the bastard spawn of the disorientation and soaring hubris of the days after the 9/11 attacks, which set afire the delusional geopolitical dreams of Bush, Cheney, their top national security officials, and their neocon supporters.
10 July 2011, NEW YORK, NY — Sandra Rawline's hair turned grey when she was in her early 20s. She stuck with it, proudly displaying her shoulder-length locks with their natural silver streaks. "This is who I am," she said.
13 July 2011 — A recent settlement in the United States prohibits the manufacturer of Nivea skin cream from claiming one of its products can significantly reduce body size, but the cream continues to be sold using similar claims in Canada.For a long life, skip the salt, have a banana
12 July 2011 CHICAGO — Put down the salt shakers. Eating too much salt and too little potassium can increase the risk of death, U.S. government researchers said on Monday.|
Not convinced? Visit snopes.com for the full story.
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The Glass Teat
A little bit of Wales comes to America
Geoffrey Dow will be watching Torchwood: Miracle Day all summer long. You can read his introductory essay at Ed-Rex.com.
15 July 2011 — There's no secret to the MacGuffin behind Torchwood: Miracle Day. All of a sudden, the world over, nobody dies. That doesn't mean they don't get hurt or sick or (in one especially gruesome case) exploded and burned to a crisp by the bombs he's strapped to his own chest) — it just means they don't die.
A Big Idea for a summer science fiction series, and show-runner (and screen-writer) Russell T Davies seems determined to play up its implications even as he spends his shiny new American budget to blow things up as he's never blown them up before.
Interview: Marc L. Moskowitz
Taiwan's funeral strippers dance for a dead crowd
9 July 2011 — Should you meet your demise in Taiwan, a funerary option open to you is the Electric Flower Car (EFC), a wheeled, neon-lit platform upon which pulchritudinous women strip down to their skivvies for the benefit of audiences...both living and deceased.
We spoke with University of South Carolina anthropologist Marc L. Moskowitz about this practice, which is detailed in his recent documentary Dancing for the Dead: Funeral Strippers in Taiwan. Moskowitz told us about the societal role of EFC entertainers, who often perform their titillating trade in front of the bereaved family and neighborhood passers-by.
In your experience, how common would you say it is for strippers to entertain at funerals? — 1,542 words.
An eclectic collection of short stories that will stir your sense of humour, warm your heart, outrage your sense of justice, and chill your extra sensory faculties in the spirit of Stephen King. The final short story, the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna is a ground-breaking love story.
The series begins with Deo Volente (God Willing). Followed by The Quintessence of Mr. Flynn, Sharing Lies, Flying High, The Richest Bitch in the County or Ginny I Hardly Knows Ya, One Lift Too Many, The Model A Ford, the out-of-body chiller, Room For One Only and O Ernie! ... What Have They Done To You! The series closes with the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna, a groundbreaking love story. All stories may also be found in the True North Perspective Archives.
You can count on the True North Team While publishers are cutting back and that includes in-house editors Outside editors of the True North Team are rescuing writers from oblivion. We handle fiction and memoirs and full-length books Manuscript editing to ghost writing Everything to put the best face on your work to publishers and the reading public For a free consultation please don't hesitate to contact carl.dow@truenorthperspective.com or Carl Dow at 613-233-6225 Always looking forward ... |
Note from the heart of the empire

You can count on the True North Team While publishers are cutting back and that includes in-house editors Outside editors of the True North Team are rescuing writers from oblivion. We handle fiction and memoirs and full-length books Manuscript editing to ghost writing Everything to put the best face on your work to publishers and the reading public For a free consultation please don't hesitate to contact carl.dow@truenorthperspective.com or Carl Dow at 613-233-6225 Always looking forward ... |
Note from the heart of the empire

An eclectic collection of short stories that will stir your sense of humour, warm your heart, outrage your sense of justice, and chill your extra sensory faculties in the spirit of Stephen King. The final short story, the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna is a ground-breaking love story.
The series begins with Deo Volente (God Willing). Followed by The Quintessence of Mr. Flynn, Sharing Lies, Flying High, The Richest Bitch in the Country or Ginny I Hardly Knows Ya, One Lift Too Many, The Model A Ford, the out-of-body chiller, Room For One Only and O Ernie! ... What Have They Done To You! The series closes with the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna, a groundbreaking love story. All stories may also be found in the True North Perspective Archives.
An eclectic collection of short stories that will stir your sense of humour, warm your heart, outrage your sense of justice, and chill your extra sensory faculties in the spirit of Stephen King. The final short story, the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna is a ground-breaking love story.
The series begins with Deo Volente (God Willing). Followed by The Quintessence of Mr. Flynn, Sharing Lies, Flying High, The Richest Bitch in the Country or Ginny I Hardly Knows Ya, One Lift Too Many, The Model A Ford, the out-of-body chiller, Room For One Only and O Ernie! ... What Have They Done To You! The series closes with the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna, a groundbreaking love story. All stories may also be found in the True North Perspective Archives.
An eclectic collection of short stories that will stir your sense of humour, warm your heart, outrage your sense of justice, and chill your extra sensory faculties in the spirit of Stephen King. The final short story, the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna is a ground-breaking love story.
The series begins with Deo Volente (God Willing). Followed by The Quintessence of Mr. Flynn, Sharing Lies, Flying High, The Richest Bitch in the Country or Ginny I Hardly Knows Ya, One Lift Too Many, The Model A Ford, the out-of-body chiller, Room For One Only and O Ernie! ... What Have They Done To You! The series closes with the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna, a groundbreaking love story. All stories may also be found in the True North Perspective Archives.
An eclectic collection of short stories that will stir your sense of humour, warm your heart, outrage your sense of justice, and chill your extra sensory faculties in the spirit of Stephen King. The final short story, the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna is a ground-breaking love story.
The series begins with Deo Volente (God Willing). Followed by The Quintessence of Mr. Flynn, Sharing Lies, Flying High, The Richest Bitch in the Country or Ginny I Hardly Knows Ya, One Lift Too Many, The Model A Ford, the out-of-body chiller, Room For One Only and O Ernie! ... What Have They Done To You! The series closes with the collection's namesake, The Old Man's Last Sauna, a groundbreaking love story. All stories may also be found in the True North Perspective Archives.
Ottawa writers hit their stride producing quality
and bestsellers in books, short stories and poetry
(Be sure to read the award winning short story below, Ball Hockey and Other Blood Sports, by Mel Massey. International Commercial lawyer who retired recently to nurture his enthusiasm for creative writing among other projects.)
There is a joyful creative spirit generating in Ottawa, Canada's capital, as hard-working writers reveal intelligence, imagination, humour, and wisdom.
Leading the sales pack so far is Randy Ray, journalist and publicist, whose books provide, in a light but insightful way, facts and figures as to how Canada became a country and how it works. His books, in collaberation with Mark Kearney of London, Ontario, have sold more than 50,000 copies. Not bad when one considers that in Canada a bestseller mark is 5,000 copies. — 324 words.
Ottawa writers hit their stride producing quality
and bestsellers in books, short stories and poetry
(Be sure to read the award winning short story below, Ball Hockey and Other Blood Sports, by Mel Massey. International Commercial lawyer who retired recently to nurture his enthusiasm for creative writing among other projects.)
There is a joyful creative spirit generating in Ottawa, Canada's capital, as hard-working writers reveal intelligence, imagination, humour, and wisdom.
Leading the sales pack so far is Randy Ray, journalist and publicist, whose books provide, in a light but insightful way, facts and figures as to how Canada became a country and how it works. His books, in collaberation with Mark Kearney of London, Ontario, have sold more than 50,000 copies. Not bad when one considers that in Canada a bestseller mark is 5,000 copies. — 324 words





Should you meet your demise in Taiwan, a funerary option open to you is the Electric Flower Car (EFC), a wheeled, neon-lit platform upon which pulchritudinous women strip down to their skivvies for the benefit of audiences...both living and deceased.








