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OTTAWA -- The federal government is evacuating Canadians from Haiti and may institute a humanitarian immigration program to allow hundreds or thousands of Haitians into Canada. The first 100 Canadians evacuated from Haiti by this country's military are en route to Montreal via the Dominican Republic and are scheduled to arrive at 11:30 p.m. ET Thursday at Trudeau airport.

"Over the next few days, we hope to evacuate as many Canadians as possible," Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Thursday.

The evacuations were announced at a news conference along with the government's program to match individual Canadian donations to registered charities providing relief to earthquake victims in Haiti. Funds, which will be allocated to Canadian and international relief organizations already established in Haiti, will be matched up to a total of $50-million, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda announced.

"Many Canadians are deeply concerned about the suffering and loss of life as a result of this catastrophe in Haiti," Ms. Oda said in a written announcement. "Canadian citizens have shown time and again their generosity with countries in urgent need, and our government is prepared to match their contributions dollar for dollar". [ ... let the politicians match it dollar for dollar]

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was examining the possibility of easing immigration rules to allow Haitians into Canada, where more than 100,000 Haitians live, many in Montreal. Mr. Cannon said Quebec is looking into what it can do under its immigration program, suggesting the two governments would work together. No decision had been made as of Thursday morning. The first group of what could be hundreds of Canadians air lifted out by Canadian Forces in coming days were travelling via the Dominican Republic.

About 6,000 Canadians live in Haiti, about 700 are registered at the embassy in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and more than 100 have taken shelter in tents at the embassy compound. They have food, water and power supplied by generators. Mr. Cannon said the evacuations, in which injured and children are given priority, will continue "as long as there is a requirement to be able to do it."

The situation would ease when commercial flights are operating again after the U.S. military restores full service at the airport at Port-au-Prince.

"The first wave of evacuees has arrived in the Dominican Republic with approximately 100 Canadians on-board, and will continue on to Montreal to arrive late this evening," Mr. Cannon said. "They will be arriving on the Hercules aircraft that travelled to Haiti yesterday. Over the next few days, we hope to evacuate as many Canadians as possible as we continue our operations in Haiti."

The new initiatives were announced as the first component of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), the Canadian military disaster operation, was en route to Haiti, carrying water purification equipment and other vital assistance.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said two ships, HMCS Halifax and HMCS Athabascan carrying a Sea King helicopter, were expected to leave Halifax on Thursday and would take four to five days to arrive with relief supplies. A C-17 transport aircraft, carrying a Griffon helicopter, was scheduled to head out from Trenton, Ont., Thursday.
Mr. MacKay said Canada is creating a "substantial footprint" in Haiti with its quick relief efforts.

Source : http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2441263

[Fans Group Red Card For World Cup Stab Vests]

Fans Group Red Card For World Cup Stab Vests

Stab vests sporting the England flag are being sold to fans bound for the World Cup - sparking claims the company behind them is cashing in on fears of South Africa's crime rate. It is claimed the £50 vests, which carry the cross of St George, will protect fans from stabs, cuts, slashes and blows from sharp-edged or spiked weapons. [ ... and I thought this was 2010 ... people still believing that a cross can save you from a knife]

But the Football Supporters Federation said wearing a stab vest at what should be a carnival of football was in bad taste and "smacked of panic" at South Africa's notoriously high crime rate. Spokesman Malcolm Clarke said it worked closely with the authorities and the Football Association to give fans security advice.

"Part of that advice will not include buying a stab vest," he said. "This will just panic people and introduce a degree of tension. They are not exactly going to endear fans to the host nation and we would advise them not to buy these things". The vests are being sold online by Protektorvest.com, a London-registered firm run by businessmen Sascha Cutura and Arno van Rooyen and can display the flag of a fan's choosing.

Mr Cutura said the vests were a model widely used by police forces in Africa and met European safety standards. He said he was disappointed people thought they were trying to induce fear in fans going to South Africa.

"The only thing we we want to do for the security conscious fan is come up with a solution and spread the message about knife crime," he said. "We feel the stab vests are a form of insurance in that if something happens you are covered."
Mr Cutura said there had been a lot of interest from around the world, especially the United States. "We are both football fans ourselves. We certainly don't want to offend South Africa but the risk is there," he added.

Source : http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100114/tuk-fans-group-red-card-for-world-cup-st-45dbed5.html

[[ ... how about barriers in White countries ?]]

Israel's government has approved plans for the construction of a barrier along its border with Egypt in a bid to keep out illegal migrants and militants. [ ... how about barriers in White countries ?] It will be built along two parts of the border - near the Red Sea city of Eilat and on the edge of the Gaza Strip. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision was taken to secure Israel's Jewish and democratic character, but that refugees would still be allowed to seek entry.

In recent years, thousands of migrants have crossed into Israel via Egypt. At least 17 migrants, mostly African, have been killed since May by Egyptian police, who say they are trying to stop people trafficking. Eritrea is the most common country of origin for people trying to cross illegally from Egypt to Israel, followed by Ethiopia and Sudan.

On Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said he had approved the construction of sections of barrier that would block the main infiltration routes along the 266km (166-mile) frontier, and the installation of advanced surveillance equipment. The project is set to cost $270m and take two years to complete.

"I took the decision to close Israel's southern border to infiltrators and terrorists. This is a strategic decision to secure Israel's Jewish and democratic character," the prime ministers said in a statement. Mr Netanyahu said Israel would "remain open to refugees" from conflict zones, but added : "We cannot let tens of thousands of illegal workers infiltrate into Israel through the southern border and inundate our country with illegal aliens". [ ... but its ok for this to happen in White countries]

Egyptian security sources said Israel had not informed them of its plans, but that they would not object so long as the barrier was built on Israeli soil. Israel has also been building a controversial barrier in and around the occupied West Bank in recent years. It says it is needed to defend Israeli citizens from attacks by militants. Palestinians, however, consider it a land grab.

In 2004, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an advisory ruling that the barrier was illegal and should be removed. [ ... but nothing happened] Egypt is meanwhile building an underground barrier along its border with Gaza to stem the smuggling of weapons through tunnels.

Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8451085.stm

Film director Oliver Stone came under criticism last night for branding Hitler a 'scapegoat' and praising Stalin. He made the comments about the dictators while promoting his new television documentary series on 20th century America. The controversial series entitled Oliver Stone's Secret History of America is an attempt to redress what he believes is a biased version of history taught in American schools.

One show that focuses entirely on a more positive side of Hitler - whose Nazi regime was responsible for the extermination of 6million Jews - is purported to be the most shocking episode.

Speaking about the 10-hour series, to be shown on US television, at a critics' screening in California, Stone said : 'We can't judge people as only 'bad' or 'good'. [Hitler] is the product of a series of actions. It's cause and effect. People in America don't know the connection between World War I and World War II. Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and it's been used cheaply.'

'Stalin has a complete other story. Not to paint him as a hero, but to tell a more factual representation. He fought the German war machine more than any person'. He added : 'I've been able to walk in Stalin's shoes and Hitler's shoes, to understand their point of view. You cannot approach history unless you have empathy for the person you may hate'. Protesters in the US have already left negative comments on online forums against his series.

Orphia Nay wrote while the interview was being broadcast : 'Ohhhhhh, this is not going to end well'. Another added : 'Again, another 'blame America first' person. If he/they hate it, just leave it. We'll all have a party and help you pack. You won't even have a full body scan'.

Apart from placing Stalin 'in context', the three-times Academy Award winner for best director has also focused on Chinese Communist dictator Chairman Mao, 1950s anti-communist senator Joseph McCarthy and President Truman's dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945.

It is not the first time that Stone, 63, has courted controversy through his work. His 1990 film JFK, implied that President Lydon Johnson played a part in President Kennedy's assassination along with the CIA, Army, the Mafia and Cuban exiles.
After writing the screenplay for Midnight Express, the author of the autobiographical novel Billy Hayes attacked the film saying it portrayed Turks in a negative light and he had made many Turkish friends while he was in prison in Istanbul. A series of gruesome murders were put down to his 1994 Natural Born Killers in which a young couple carry out a gruesome killing spree. Even before the release of W, about the presidency of George W Bush, many right-wing bloggers in the US had condemned his film.

Source : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242195/Oliver-Stone-causes-outrage-suggests-Hitler-scapegoat-says-understands-Stalins-point-view.html

[Alfred Wetzler]

Alfred Wetzler

Alfred was 24 when he was sent to the death camp of Auschwitz. Alfred managed to survive for 2 years without being deathed - and so did 7000 other jews - not a good record for a death camp. But the evil Nazi's did break his arm. And dislocate his foot. And break his head. And had their dogs bite him.

Then Alfred and Walter Rosenberg hid in a woodpile for 4 days. Then they crawled under a hole in the fence. Death camps were well known for having holes in their fences that remained undiscovered for 4 days.

Then they walked through the woods for 11 days. They gave Churchill the label of a can of Zyklon B, which conclusively proved that Jews were being killed with bug spray. So Churchill bombed Hungary. Alfred was responsible for saving 120,000 Jews.

So Alfred wrote his story, but he was such a hero, that he wrote under the psuedonym of Josef Lanyk. Because jews are well known for their modesty. Walter Rosenberg also changed his name, to Rudolph Vrba.

Source : http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/escape-from-auschwitz-told-for-first-time-in-english-454456.html