Friday Post

Both Nexen and Petronas bids approved by the government:

Canadian authorities approved the acquisition of Nexen Inc by CNOOC Ltd and the purchase of Progress Energy by Petronas, easing months of anxiety over the fate of foreign investments in Canadian resources.

The rulings, which has been closely watched by investors and politicians alike, follow months of debate over how much of Canada's energy sector should be controlled by foreign oil companies.

The Canadian dollar firmed against the U.S. dollar after Reuters reported the CNOOC deal had been approved.

The government also said it would impose stricter conditions on investments by state-owned enterprises in the future, and that it would welcome non-controlling minority investments by such enterprises in Canadian firms.

CNOOC has offered $15.1 billion to buy Nexen, which has Alberta oil sands assets and offshore operations in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Nigeria.

In approving the deal, the Canadian government said CNOOC made significant commitments on transparency, employment and capital investments.

If anyone thinks that China will be open and transparent and NOT use Canadian oil for their purposes in Asia, there is a bridge out there for one to buy. Malaysia, it seems, is not much better.


Yes, let me know how that works out:

Canada joined the international community Thursday in warning of “serious consequences” if the Syrian government uses chemical weapons against rebel forces and civilians.

The warning came amid signs Russia may be backing off its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, and as a report emerged in France that some NATO members are preparing a military attack against Assad’s chemical-weapon stockpiles.

Asked about the French report of a Western strike, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Canada has been “actively talking” with its allies about Syria, but he would not confirm that an attack is in the works, or whether Canada would be involved....

Baird also reiterated calls for Russia and China to use what leverage they have “to prevent this serious crisis from entering a new disastrous phase.”

Who told the toothless UN that they would prevent military intervention in Syria whom they armed? China and Russia:

Using his annual news conference to draw lines in the sand on Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said veto-holding Security Council members Russia and China would stand firm against foreign intervention.

"We will insist - and we have an understanding with our Chinese colleagues that this is our common position - that these fundamental points be retained in any decision that may be taken by the U.N. Security Council," Lavrov said.

"If somebody intends to use force ... it will be on their conscience. They will not receive any authority from the Security Council," said Lavrov, who also emphasized that Russia and China oppose any sanctions against Syria.

Russia has been the most vocal supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a 10-month government crackdown that the United Nations says has killed more than 5,000 civilians, refusing to join calls for him to step down.

Russia joined China in October to veto a Western-backed resolution against Assad's government, saying the domestic opposition shared blame for the violence and that it would have opened the door for military action like NATO's Libya operation.

Israel, too, should withdraw from the UN:

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution on Monday by a vote of 174-6 that would require Israel to open its nuclear program to inspection “without further delay.” The only countries voting against it were the U.S., Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.  

And the animus toward Israel doesn’t stop there; the UN also wants to convene a meeting to ban nuclear weapons from the Middle East, which would leave Israel vastly outnumbered and essentially helpless against the Islamic hordes wishing to eradicate it.

The audacity the UN and the people it willingly supports possess. If this is not indicative of the UN's complicity to destroy the Israeli state it once welcomed in 1948, I don't know what is. There is no moral or practical reason why Israel or Canada should remain in this organisation.


Another earthquake in Japan:

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake shook the coast of Japan today, touching off a meter-high tsunami that hit in the same area as the devastating ten-meter waves from the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in March 2011.

The earthquake struck at 6:18 p.m. local time (3:18 a.m. EST), about 250 km east of Sendai, Japan. It happened along the boundary between the Pacific plate and the North America plate — in roughly the same location as the March 2011 quake — due to reverse faulting, as the western edge of the Pacific plate subducts (folds under) the western-most 'limb' of the North America plate. Japan's Earthquake Early Warning system (Kinkyū Jishin Sokuhō), which is one of the best systems in the world, allowed officials to issue a warning shortly before the quake was felt on-shore, affording the population some time to prepare.

Seventy-one years ago, Japan attacked the American base at Pearl Harbour. The Battle of Hong Kong took place on December 8th to Christmas Day, 1941. Four years later, militaristic Japan was crushed after two atomic bombs were dropped. Quite the short math equation given that it took ten years and a few nights sleep to kill bin Laden.

From the same people who are experts at covering up child abuse:

The lead-in to the video says, “A recent study showed that almost one in 10 high school students has been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend of girlfriend in the last 12 months.”

The link to the video bears the headline: “How to look your best the morning after.” It appears beside the picture of an obviously badly beaten young lady.