Saudis appear to be using Canadian-made combat vehicles against Yemeni rebels

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is famous around the world for his humanity-loving & peace-loving stature & acts. But those are only words. When it comes to words, then this is Canada for you; selling weapons to those countries, which are proven to be habitual human-rights abusers. After all, what would you expect from selling $15 billions worth of weapons & Light-Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) to Saudi Arabia; that they use those vehicles to help Syrians or Iraqis or Yemenis?

Saudi Arabia gets correctly blamed for its bombing of Yemeni civilians but what about the "drug-dealer" who provided those "drugs" to the "drug-addict" in the first place? Canada & other G7 countries are developing or substantially supporting their economies through sales of weapons to the world, & especially to those countries, which are embroiled in wars in hot zones. But they don't get blamed for selling arms & weapons; users of those weapons get blamed for using those weapons.

This is the media for you. Canadian media & social media shows the face of Liberals & Trudeau to the world that shows how peace-loving & humanitarian Canadian government is, & they don't show how that same government is causing so much pain in the world, too.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/saudi-arms-used-against-yemeni-rebels-seem-to-match-canadian-lavs/article28846678/

Canadian-made armoured vehicles appear to be embroiled in Saudi Arabia's war against Yemeni-based Houthi rebels – caught up in cross-border hostilities that critics say should force Ottawa to reconsider a $15-billion deal to sell Riyadh more of these weapons.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis – who are aligned with Iran – has already been accused by a United Nations panel of major human-rights violations for what its report called "widespread and systematic" air-strike attacks on civilian targets. Along the Saudi-Yemen border, constant skirmishes pit Houthi fighters against Saudi ground forces such as the Saudi Arabian National Guard.

The Saudi Arabian National Guard, a buyer of many Canadian-made light armoured vehicles (LAVs) in the past decade, has published photos on its official Twitter account showing how in late 2015 it moved columns of combat vehicles to Najran, a southwestern Saudi town near the border with Yemen that is in the thick of the conflict.

A significant number of vehicles in the photos have the triangular front corners, the eight wheels and the headlamps fixed above these triangles that are familiar features in earlier LAV models made in Canada.

Neither the Liberal government nor LAV-maker General Dynamics Land Systems in London, Ont., would confirm these are Canadian machines.

But a retired Canadian general consulted by The Globe and Mail, who spoke on condition of anonymity, identified the LAVs being transported to Najran as fighting vehicles made by General Dynamics Land Systems. Stephen Priestley, a researcher with the Canadian American Strategic Review, a think tank that tracks defence spending, also identified the LAVs as Canadian-made.

Critics say having Canadian-made arms enmeshed in a conflict that has claimed more than 2,800 civilian lives should prompt Ottawa to rethink the recent $15-billion deal to sell hundreds or thousands more to the Saudis.

Canada's export control rules for weapons shipments are supposed to require Ottawa to restrict arms exports to countries such as Saudi Arabia, that have "poor human-rights records." Saudi Arabia, regularly ranked among the "worst of the worst" on human rights by Freedom House, qualifies for special scrutiny.

The same federal weapons export controls also say Canada should "closely control," or be very discriminating, about shipments to countries "that are involved in or under imminent threat of hostilities."

Foreign Affairs ... department refused comment Monday when pressed on whether it is concerned about the armoured vehicle shipments, saying it's bound to secrecy on anything to do with arms sales to the Saudis.

"In regards to your request, please see our response: For reasons of commercial confidentiality, specific contractual details cannot be shared," Tania Assaly, a spokeswoman for Global Affairs said in a prepared statement.

The Trudeau Liberals keep trying to dissociate themselves from the increasingly controversial deal. Last week, Mr. Dion argued his government merely inherited the contract and that cancelling it would cost taxpayers huge penalties. Pressed on this, Mr. Dion's department refused to provide details to back up the Foreign Minister's assertion, citing the need to keep the commercial pact with Riyadh secret.

General Dynamics Land Systems Canada of London, Ont., which employs about 2,100 people, did not respond to a request for comment about whether it is concerned about the LAVs caught up in the Saudi-Yemen conflict.

Ken Epps with the anti-war group Project Ploughshares, which tracks arms sales, said the Liberal government should rethink the latest $15-billion contract with Saudi Arabia. Ottawa, not General Dynamics Land Systems, is the prime contractor in this deal, which was also brokered by the federal government.

The Trudeau government still has power over the deal. It can suspend exports of these combat vehicles.

"Given a UN report accused the Saudis of war crimes because of their bombing of civilians, then clearly our concern must be that since they are involved in war crimes there, it should give the Canadian government additional pause in shipping these kind of weapons to them," Mr. Epps said.

The $15-billion Saudi LAV deal will provide Riyadh with weaponized armoured vehicles in what is the largest manufacturing export contract in Canadian history – but one that doesn't garner significant public support. A recent Nanos Research poll found nearly six out of 10 Canadians surveyed feel it is more important to ensure arms exports go only to countries "that respect human rights" than it is to sustain some 3,000 jobs by selling combat vehicles to Saudi Arabia.

A new report says Saudi Arabia was the second-largest arms importer in the world between 2011 and 2015 after India as Mideast countries upped weapons purchases significantly. Shipments to Saudi Arabia rose 275% in those years, by value, compared with the earlier 2006-10 period, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said.

At least one wartime footage video posted on YouTube on the Houthi-Saudi conflict also shows what appears to be a disabled Canadian-made LAV, presumably abandoned by Saudi troops as their enemies approached.

Mr. Priestley said this December, 2015, video, purported to be shot near the southern Saudi town of Al Raboah, shows a National Guard LAV-AG model, made in London, Ont., being looted by combatants.

Opinion on Canadian federal election result

Saw a few posts from people on my TL that today was a great day for Canada because of the new PM's swearing-in ceremony etc.
 
Really? The only reason I vote is that when I criticize a government, no one can say that since, you didn't vote, you lost your right to criticize. Although, I'm not a fan of Conservatives, deep in my heart, I already know NOTHING will change for the small guy.
 
Let me emphasize that point again (for slow people), NOTHING will change for the general public.

 
If Stephen Harper was such a bad guy that the whole country took a sigh of relief with the Liberals win, then why did people elect him back in 2011? And he had been the PM of Canada 5 years before that, too. So, the public already had a little taste of what Harper was all about. Did Harper hypnotized the public somehow in 2011? Heck, he isn't even a "hottie" like JT.
 
I remember seeing this same enthusiasm which I see for Justin Trudeau now, back in 2008, with the election win of Barack Obama. Heck, people all over the world were mesmerized with his win & there were so many hopes attached to his win. Well, we can see how much he actually achieved in his past 7 years of presidency. Except, the Affordable Healthcare Act, he has failed to achieve everything, from closing Guantanamo to controlling emissions to improving checks & balances on Wall Street.
 
Only reason Liberals won in Canada because the general public around the world only wants to keep changing political parties. Let's take a quick look at the tennis match of politics played in some countries around the world:

US: 8 years of Democratic rule (Clinton) is followed by 8 years of Republican (Bush Jr.) & then back to Democrats (Obama) & then back to Republicans (Bush Jr. II in 2016) & so on so forth.

Canada: Conservatives (Mulroney) followed by Liberals (Chretien / Paul) & then back to Conservatives (Harper) & now back with Liberals (Trudeau).

UK: They are little bit unpredictable. 18 years of Conservatives were followed by 13 years of Labour & then back to Conservatives (coming up to 6 years now).
 
Pakistan: PML-N & PPP play the match.

'Precarious employment' still rising in Toronto & Hamilton

Since, I've written some blog posts on employment situation in Toronto, I won't write a long post again, except, highlighting a few stats from this article.

- precarious employment includes people in temp & contract work, along with those with uncertain work schedules, irregular earnings, inconsistent hours of work or jobs without benefits, & also includes some self-employed people as precarious, only if they have irregular, unpredictable work

- almost half (44%) of adults in Toronto & Hamilton are in precarious employment

- once someone is in precarious employment, chances are high that they are going to be in trapped in it

- workers in precarious employment are almost twice as likely to report worse mental health than those in secure positions

- visible minorities are far more likely to be working in unstable jobs

- “Not only has work become less secure for racialized workers, but also the pay has actually decreased for them,” said Wayne Lewchuk, McMaster professor of labour studies & economics

- precarious employment has grown almost twice as fast as standard employment since 1997

- more men are landing in precarious employment, while white women are the only ones who are getting more secure employment & less precarious employment

- In Toronto, only 45.7% of respondents are now holding permanent full-time jobs with benefits

- 47% of Canadian firms in a recent Deloitte poll said they plan to increase the use of “contingent, outsourced, contract or part-time” workers in the next 3 to 5 years
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/jobs/precarious-employment-still-rising-in-toronto-and-hamilton/article24531959/

Precarious employment is becoming more prevalent in Canada’s largest city, a shift that is putting financial strain & emotional stress on households.

44% of adults in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area work in jobs that have some degree of insecurity, a study ... says. That share, which includes people working through temp agencies, freelancers & contract workers, is greater than the last time the survey was conducted in 2011, when it was 41%.

The new study is based on a survey of 4,193 people & produced by United Way Toronto & McMaster University.

The changing nature of work carries a broad impact. For many workers, unstable employment means less access to training & opportunities to get ahead, fewer benefits, more trouble managing finances & more anxiety. The effect spills into family & home life too, making it difficult to pay for school trips & plan any activities ... .

The study also looked at whether people are able to climb out of insecure employment. “One of the biggest ‘ah has’ for us was that no, in fact – if you are in precarious employment, there’s a very good chance you’re going to become trapped in it,” said Susan McIsaac, president & CEO of United Way Toronto. This is the case not just for those in low-income work, but “for many people in the middle class, this was a huge challenge in being able to maintain their middle-class status.”

Its definition includes people in temp & contract work, along with those with uncertain work schedules, irregular earnings, inconsistent hours of work or jobs without benefits. It counts some self-employed people as precarious, only if they have irregular, unpredictable work.

That’s the case for Anna Withrow. She has been largely self-employed since 2001, as a communications & marketing consultant, & says erratic earnings have wreaked havoc with her life.

“Cash flow has been the biggest crippling thing,” said Ms. Withrow, 45, who lives in Toronto. Her income has ranged from $24,000 to about $77,000, with no income at all in some months, & she has worked anywhere between 40 & 100 hours per week.

The impact has been both financial – a run-up in debts, making it difficult to pay the mortgage & finish renovations – & physical too, leading to acute stress, a less nutritious diet & weight gain. “If the right position came along, I would take it tomorrow.”

Workers in precarious jobs are almost twice as likely to report worse mental health than those in secure positions, the survey shows. Nearly half of them say they often don’t know their work schedules at least a week in advance. Scheduling uncertainty makes it hard to find child care.

Visible minorities are far more likely to be working in unstable jobs.

“Not only has work become less secure for racialized workers, but also the pay has actually decreased for them,” said Wayne Lewchuk, McMaster professor of labour studies and economics.

The study comes as the provincial government is reviewing its employment & labour laws, noting that non-standard work has grown almost twice as fast as standard employment since 1997.

By gender, a growing share of men are landing in precarious employment, he noted, likely a result of fewer factory jobs, while white women “are the only group in the study who saw an increase in secure employment & a decrease in precarious employment.”

The longer-term trend points to more insecure employment, said Prof. Lewchuk. “Each time there’s a recovery, the level of security is a little bit lower than the previous boom. I think this is because the competitive pressures are greater – firms are looking to cut costs … technology has changed, & there’s an infrastructure where they can go to temp agencies, & get not just unskilled workers, but they can get CEOs now.”

The results show almost six in 10 workers hold some form of secure employment — with 48% in permanent, full-time jobs that pay some benefits, & 8% permanent, part-time employees. This share has slightly fallen. Meanwhile, the portion of people in the least secure type of work, dubbed “precarious,” grew to 28.5% last year from 25.9% 3 years earlier.

In the city of Toronto, less than half, or 45.7%, of respondents are now holding permanent full-time jobs with benefits.

A debate has emerged over precarious employment – how it’s defined & what the long-term trends are. One analysis, by Toronto-Dominion Bank in March, found precarious employment levels in Canada are higher than before the recession, though they’re currently declining. It said this type of work often tracks business cycles, & that precarious employment will remain “elevated” over the next 2 years.

A 2013 paper by the Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity found a growing number of workers in Toronto are employed in temporary, part-time, low-paying positions in routine-service industries.

Almost half, or 47%, of Canadian firms in a recent Deloitte poll said they plan to increase the use of “contingent, outsourced, contract or part-time” workers in the next 3 to 5 years, a strategy the consulting firm says helps give firms the ability to scale up or down as business needs fluctuate.

In a global report ..., the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development said workers on temp contracts in Canada have “particularly low annual earnings” & that the annual median earnings of the self employed are also “considerably lower” compared with salaried workers.

...

The paper recommends a range of measures, including the need for ensuring all workers have access to skills & work training, to developing – & sharing – the business case for secure employment. At the federal level, it called for better labour market information & for updating employment insurance rules to better fit with today’s jobs market.

Living paycheque to paycheque a reality for thousands in Toronto

This is the ugly reality of Canada. 1.5 Million Torontonians earning almost $38,000 a year, which puts the family under the social class of "poor". And that's when several of these people earning this wage are university educated from a Canadian university. People in other countries think that residents of Canada must be rolling in cash.

Since, when I became unemployed, people are constantly telling me that this is the new reality & just take any job which is paying even $30K. What those completely ignoramuses don't realize that once you get in that tier of temporary & contract work force, earning $30K-$40K without any benefits, you are forever stuck in that tier. Life would be a little hard, not to say the least, even for myself; forget saving anything for kids' futures. That's when I have an MBA from a reputable university & 7 years of work experience.

Besides, what readers may not focus on the fact that the guy in this article is a native resident of Canada (read: white guy). The question arises then that what about all those legal immigrants & "people of colour" who may not even have "relevant work experiences" or Canadian education? They are in even worse positions (of course, depending upon which area of work we are talking about, e.g. computer-related work is still good enough).

People from developing countries think that since, Canada is a developed country, there will be lots of money to be made there. Bearing that false misconception, they move their whole family to Canada, & that's when they realize what an ignoramus they have been up until that time.

Now, such economic & financial problems might be considered temporary problems, & usually, the hope is that eventually, the economy will improve, labour market will improve, & everyone will be happy all around. The problem with that thinking is that what it is ignoring the fact that that economic improvement depends a lot on several factors; for instance, size of country's economy, government's tax policies, domestic consumption, foreign trade treaties, domestic industries (types, sizes, diversification) etc.

Canadian economy is very heavily dependent on only one industry; fossil fuels. And even then, that industry is localized in one geographical area of the country. Then what is the rest of the country should do? Wait for a handout from Alberta & Saskatchewan? Everyone relocate their whole families in those provinces (not an easy thing to do for every family)? Go back to university & shell out another $ 50,000 for another degree in oil & gas?

Canadian government, on the other hand, is more focused on spending taxpayer dollars on Kurds & the war against ISIS in Iraq & Syria, while Canadians are making the rounds to their local food banks to satisfy their hunger for basic food. Manufacturing sector is dwindling & moving to Mexico, thanks to Mexico's foreign trade treaties with several countries around the world. Canadian government can't help the country with favourable tax policies since the country doesn't have that much money (as per the government).

But, no worries, for the rich business & political elites. Their billion, million dollar wealth & 6-figure incomes are completely safe. Why do they care for small time citizens who dutifully paid taxes & now get their food from local food banks. Hey, I thought that only happened in corrupt "developing" countries. (sarcasm)

This is the ugly reality of living in a developed country.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/19/living-paycheque-to-paycheque-a-reality-for-thousands-in-toronto.html

Every time Eric Pinsonneault visits the grocery store, it’s a nail-biter for the single father of 3 kids, all under the age of 10.

He pushes his cart down the aisle, silently hoping to find a sale, or at the very least price tags that haven’t risen too much since his last visit.

Most of the time that doesn’t happen, & so he gets inventive — price matching, only serving the family meat 3 times a week, & cooking dishes that rely on cheaper staples such as rice & pasta.

“My income is so low, it makes everything that much harder,” says Pinsonneault, who lives on $38,000 a year, just above minimum wage.

That places him among the 1.5 million Torontonians making less than $21 an hour & in a smaller group earning under $18.52 — the figure recently reported as the necessary hourly wage to meet the needs of 2 parents working full-time while raising 2 children.

These low earners are part of a growing class plagued by skyrocketing housing prices, astronomical child-care rates & a broadening sense of poverty that puts a strain on shelters, food banks & welfare organizations.

Pinsonneault, a 30-year-old who calls himself “poor,” never expected to join that category when he was fresh out of university, comfortably living in a three-bedroom Chatham house that cost him $700 a month.

That was before he had 3 kids, went through a divorce, lost a job in a brutal downsizing & moved to Toronto.

Now, the administrative co-ordinator for a local start-up finds himself watching bills grow, wondering how he will cobble together enough cash to pay them off. Recently, he had to borrow from family to cover his credit card expenses, & just before that, he accepted his children’s school’s offer to pay their agenda fees.

“There is always something else,” he says. “I just got hit for a field trip for $20.”

Meanwhile, he says, his kids are getting older, needing more food & feeling pressure from peers to wear name-brand clothing & own all the latest Apple gadgets. The family can’t afford a landline or cable TV, so fancy clothing or an iPad are out of the question, says Pinsonneault. The same goes for trips to the movies or nights out.

To make up for it, Pinsonneault treats the family to breakfast at Sunset Grill once a month. Other times, he will shell out $15 on 3 $5 pizzas, giving the family enough food for lunch & two fun dinners.

“(My kids) understand that it’s only my money & that we are poor,” he says. “I try to give them as much as I can, but it’s hard.”

...

After tucking them into bed one evening, he told the Star, “I’m struggling, but emotionally, as a parent, I am bogged down knowing that they don’t get everything. That’s the hardest part.”

One day, he envisions things could be more manageable — he’ll move up in the fast-growing company he works for &, perhaps, the government will listen to collective pleas for lower child care & housing costs & a higher minimum wage.

But even then, he says, “I never put my hopes up high. It’s one day at a time.”

Canada's support of Israel is dangerous

A great post from Robert Fisk.

This order of "you cannot criticize Israel", which the current government of Canada intends to enact, is nothing short of a dictatorial rule. Where's that freedom of speech & democracy, which Canadian governments, past & present, so much shout about all over the world?

Even if the government doesn't enact this law, it has already expanded the meaning of hate crime in Canada. So any vague reference towards criticism of a Canadian ally will definitely irk the government & the activist(s) can face jail time.

What happened to that peaceful, non-violent way of protesting against something wrong? When Mandela was imprisoned for decades by South African apartheid government, the Western governments were up in arms. Mandela was celebrated around the world for standing up against the South African apartheid regime until it gave in to his demands of granting freedom to South Africa. Western political & business leaders love to quote Gandhi that how he got India free from British colonialists without the use of violence. But nobody in the Western hemisphere says anything when Canadian government comes up with such a dictatorial law to love Israel.

Mr. Fisk ended the piece with a great advice for the Canadian, & in general, Western government leaders, that "boycotting a state for its crimes is a non-violent but potentially powerful way to express moral outrage at a time when political statements ... fail to represent the anger of voters or have any effect on a state that ignores international law. If you take that away, then the Boston bomber, now facing the execution chamber, can say that his was the only way." Criticizing a government is a peaceful way to express outrage. The other option for an activist is violence.

As I always say in my blog posts that democracy in the West, & all over the world, is a smoke-&-mirror game. It doesn't actually exist. Governments are run by career politicians who earn millions & give the ignorant public the illusion of "choosing" their leaders, even though, it has already been decided, long before the first ballot has cast, who will be the reigning king of the kingdom.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-canadas-support-of-israel-is-dangerous-10256597.html

I’ve never been keen on boycotts. The one against Italy for invading Abyssinia didn’t work. Nor did the arms blockade on Spain. I’m still not sure that boycotting South Africa really brought down apartheid. I rather suspect that the old racists simply realised they were hopelessly outnumbered by the blacks of South Africa & that the game was up.

And I’m still unconvinced that boycotting Israel, even though it frightens the right-wing crazies in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, will achieve a two-state solution, human rights for Palestinians, etc. I’m free to refuse to buy products from Jewish colonies in occupied Arab land (I do not buy them), but, when I visit Israel, I stay at the King David Hotel in west Jerusalem, visit the Tel Aviv gallery of art & buy Israeli-published books. Some Israeli academics support a boycott of their own country. They may be right in doing so.

But in Canada – & I had to literally rub my eyes when I read this – the totally pro-Israeli Conservative government of Stephen Harper intends to list the boycotting of Israel as a “hate crime”. This is not only ludicrous, stupid, pointless & racist because it assumes that anyone opposed to Israel’s vicious & iniquitous policies of land-grabbing in the West Bank is an anti-Semite, but it is also anti-democratic. Those who believe in non-violence have always espoused boycott movements on the grounds that economic pressure rather than bombs is a moral way of putting pressure on a country that violates international law.

Yet Harper, who would surely be elected to the Knesset if he were an Israeli, went so far as to suggest on a recent visit to Jerusalem that merely to criticise Israel can be a form of anti-Semitism. The newly retired Canadian Foreign minister John Baird ... has described Canada’s Boycott Israel movement as “the new face of anti-Semitism”. In January, he actually signed an official agreement with Israel to fight the Boycott Israel organisation, known locally as the BDS (Boycott, Divest & Sanction) group. Steven Blaney, who rejoices in the title of Canada’s “Minister of Public Safety”, says that boycotts of Israel cannot be separated from anti-Semitic hate speech & the recent attacks against Jews in France.

This is preposterous. If I decline to buy Israeli-produced oranges at a British supermarket, this doesn’t make me a Nazi murderer. To criticise Israel doesn’t turn Canadians into Jew-haters. A number of liberal Jewish groups have protested against Harper’s proposed extension of existing ‘hate laws’ – far too many Jewish organisations have praised it – on the grounds that it assumes that all Jews support Israel or approve of its actions. And since Jews are also members of boycott-Israel groups, Harper’s expanded definition of the law would have to put Jews on trial in Canada for anti-Semitism.

Cloaked as usual in the kind of Blairite (& Cameronite) clichés that all law-&-order politicians adopt, Canadians are told that their government will show “zero tolerance” towards groups advocating a boycott of Israel. Of course, we show “zero tolerance” on the streets towards theft, mugging & gangland thuggery. But “zero tolerance” against those who wish to boycott a nation whose army slaughtered more than 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza last year, more than half of them civilians? Really? It was significant, I thought, that, after the killing of a Canadian soldier outside the Ottawa parliament by a Muslim last year & a murderous attack on Canadian servicemen, Harper publicised the message of condolence he had received from Netanyahu, as if the commiserations of a man who ordered the bombardment of Gaza were something to be proud of.

The dark little catch in all this is that last year Canada changed its definition of hate speech to include statements made against “national origin”, not just race & religion. Thus statements or speeches critical of Israel – like a number of public lectures I have given in Canada – may now be classed as statements against Jews (even though Jews are often among the organisers of my own speaking engagements in America). And, in due course, editorials in papers such as the Toronto Star can be deemed anti-Semitic & thus worthy of being denounced as a “hate-crime”.

This extended definition of 'hate crime' will put a lot of civil society groups under the cosh. The United Church of Canada & Canadian Quakers could find themselves in court & judges, however much they personally recoiled from Israel’s abuse of Palestinians, would have to abide by this outrageous piece of legislation & exercise “zero tolerance” against the free speech of those who condemn war crimes by Israel in the Middle East.

It is worth remembering that tens of thousands of Jews throughout the world, & especially in America & Poland, called for a boycott of Nazi Germany in 1933 for the very anti-Semitic acts that led directly to the Holocaust. American diplomats were critical, lest it provoked Hitler to even crueller deeds. But they didn’t threaten the protesters with “zero tolerance” of “hate crimes” because of the “national origin” of the Germans they proposed to boycott.

In the end, of course, it’s quite simple. Boycotting a state for its crimes is a non-violent but potentially powerful way to express moral outrage at a time when political statements – or cowardly governments like that of Stephen Harper – fail to represent the anger of voters or have any effect on a state that ignores international law. If you take that away, then the Boston bomber, now facing the execution chamber, can say that his was the only way.

That $75 Million in ads you paid for

Millions are being spent on self-promotion & self-advertisement by Canadian government, but nobody sees this before complaining that taxpayer money is always misappropriated in only the corrupt "developing" countries. "Developed" countries are seemingly all free of corruption & clean. Remember that what you see externally in developed countries is completely different to what is actually happening inside.

Social services are being cut, education budget is being reduced, health budget is constantly decreasing ... all because of not enough of taxpayers' money being in the governments' coffers to spend on the taxpayers' welfare, but there's definitely enough for self-promotion & advertising how great the government is doing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/that-75-million-in-ads-you-paid-for/article23824771/

What is the proper word? Is it brazen? Shameless? Unprincipled? Immoral? Choose the word that you think best suits the Harper government’s unprecedented use of public money for self-promotion.
 
Let’s not be precious, of course. Other federal governments have promoted themselves using what the Harper government jokingly calls “hard-working taxpayers’ ” money. None, however, has done it so openly, lavishly, frequently & unashamedly.
 
With just six months between the budget & October’s federal election, the sluice gate of advertising spending will be open wide. The money will come from taxpayers & from the party itself.
 
Recently, the government had to report the amount it spent on advertising. It was $75-million a year for 2013-14, up from $69-million the previous year. This being an election year, the figure will likely be higher still. We already know that the government has allocated $7.5-million for spending to tout the budget’s virtues.
 
That means anyone who watches the forthcoming Stanley Cup playoffs can expect a deluge of advertising, because the government prefers to use hard-working taxpayers’ money in the most expensive time slots: hockey playoffs, Super Bowl, Academy Awards.
 
The explanation given for this spending is shameless, the kind of explanation that gives politicians a bad name everywhere as systematic liars. We need to spend the money, the government says, in order to explain how taxpayers’ money is being spent. Yet anyone who has watched the Harper government’s advertisements knows they are there for promotion, not information.
 
They use government websites, too. Check out the Fisheries and Oceans one, for example. There, you will find advertisements for the government’s recent announcement of millions of spending for harbours & ports across the country.
 
Recently, the Conservative Party sent an urgent letter to its supporters asking for money. After the budget, it said, the party needs money to promote the document’s low-tax, pro-growth policies in the face of what the letter described as the “Liberal” media that always deforms Conservative accomplishments.
 
The letter conceded briefly that there were a few pro-Conservative voices in the media, but insisted the bulk of the media is systematically hostile. This media-baiting is typical of all Conservative cash appeals: The party is surrounded on all sides by enemies, elites & hostile media voices. Only if supporters give generously can the party’s message be communicated.
 
Which is ridiculous, of course, since the Liberal media argument flies in the face of AM talk radio, the Sun Media chain (whose leader, Paul Godfrey, is a strident pro-Conservative voice), the National Post, plenty of private television & many other columnists & editorialists across the country. But “them against us” is a proven money-earner for the Conservatives, so they will stick with it.
 
Before the election writ is issued, parties can spend what they want of their own money. Since the Conservatives have more of it than the Liberals & New Democrats, they will spend this advantage & marry it with the government advertising.
 
The use of public money to promote the government has been much commented upon, usually negatively. But the Conservatives don’t care about such criticism, believing that their supporters like seeing & hearing positive things about the government. They also believe that many Canadians don’t know where the money comes from for the ads, or they don’t care, having been conditioned to think that all politicians will do just about anything to get re-elected.
 
Who can blame voters for being cynical?

"Mad Man" by Steve Nease

"Mad Man" - Steve Nease, Oakville, ON, Canada

Siege limits options for Gaza's chronically ill

A good article showing what ill Gazans have to live through in the enclosed & occupied land.
 
There was a good Canadian-produced 2012 movie, "Inch'Allah," showing how a Canadian doctor sees the life on the Israeli side of the border & in the Palestinian territories. The movie starts with a Palestinian girl blowing herself up in an Israeli city. Now, we all know the Western newspapers always telling the world how suicide bombers killed so many innocent Israeli civilians. That's what the movie showed. But, the movie didn't stop there. It went back & then showed all the events which led to that specific suicide bombing.

In one of the scenes near the end, which really tested the sympathy of Canadian doctor, it is shown that how a pregnant Palestinian woman, who recently got the news that her husband has been sentenced to 20 years in an Israeli prison, is trying to get to a hospital where she can deliver her first child (& who will be the only thing she has any hope to live for, since her husband is now jailed for 2 decades), but the Israeli military is not letting her through. The Canadian doctor, who by the way, is a Canadian non-Muslim woman, is pleading with the Israeli military to let her through right away. She also has her doctor colleague, who is also her supervisor, & who is shown to be a European non-Muslim. Both are pleading as that pregnant girl is losing a lot of blood & needs to be hospitalized right away.

Of course, as you can imagine, that young woman gives birth in the car, steps away from the hospital. By the way, that hospital was not even across from a checkpoint. Israeli military just felt like closing access to that hospital that day. Anyway, as soon as baby is delivered, that Canadian woman cuts the umbilical cord & runs towards the military closure so to plead them, so they can let her through with the newborn. But, unfortunately, the newborn dies in her arms. That's the scene that any person, who is not biased towards Israel & watches it with an objective eye, will cry.

You can imagine what that young Palestinian woman has to live for, at that moment? What she has left to live for at that moment? Husband is imprisoned, rightly or wrongly. Her first newborn dies right after birth. Does she has anything to live for?

So, if she doesn't have anything to live for now, then what do you think she will do?

What people forget that nobody likes to die in this world. Everyone wants to live as long for as they can. But everyone also wants to live freely with his/her loved ones. Killing yourself requires a lot of courage & anger. It's not easy to blow yourself up. Heck, Islam strictly forbade Muslims from committing suicides. There is no reward for blowing yourself up.

I am not excusing suicide bombers from killing other innocent civilians, but what I am trying to say is that we, very easily, forget to ask what & why a person will blow themselves up. We, right away, start blaming religions & people, & start labelling them with such choice words, as "barbarians" & "uncivilized". Everyone loves life. But when a person has taken everything away from him/her & feel he/she has nothing to live for, & has no control whatsoever over his/her life, he/she will try to regain a modicum of control by blowing him/herself up.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/03/siege-limits-options-gaza-chronically-ill-150324065840920.html

Residents of the Gaza Strip are facing tighter restrictions on obtaining medical care outside of the besieged coastal enclave, according to a recent monthly report issued by the World Health Organisation's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office.
 
According to the report, the closure of the Rafah border with Egypt has "virtually eliminated access to specialised medical treatments outside of Gaza for private patients", while 20% of patients applying for permits to travel through Israel's Erez checkpoint for medical care last month were not approved.
 
Ashraf Alkdra, a spokesman for Gaza's health ministry, said restrictions on these border crossings have exacerbated the health conditions of Gazans living with chronic illness. "Increasingly, we are unable to provide them treatment," he said.
 
In 2006, after Hamas won elections & took power in Gaza, Israel imposed a strict embargo on the densely populated Palestinian territory. This embargo, coupled with 3 Israeli wars on Gaza since 2009, has affected the lives of everyone in Gaza. But those suffering from chronic illness face an added layer of hardship.
 
Dr. Akihiro Seita, the health department director of the United Nations Relief & Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), told Al Jazeera that chronic illnesses "are highly prevalent in Gaza", & that continued restrictions on the movement of Gaza's population worsen public health problems.
 
Given Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's recent electoral victory, & Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi labelling Hamas a terrorist organisation, it seems likely that Gaza's borders will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
 
Fikr Shaltoot, Medical Aid Palestine's director of programmes in the Gaza Strip, concurred with Seita, explaining that the closed borders have severe consequences for those living with chronic illness.
 
"If the crossings were open, including the Rafah crossing, some medicine would be donated through international Arab organisations," Shaltoot said. "Also, [Palestinians] would have purchased Egyptian medication at a lower cost."
 
Drugs coming from Israel are far more expensive than what used to come through Rafah, she said, adding that their delivery also takes longer.
 
Speaking from a doctor's clinic near Khan Younis, Aisha Aborjela, a 57-year-old mother of four, told Al Jazeera that her hypertension & Type 2 diabetes cause her great difficulty in everyday life.
 
Her husband makes "barely enough" to provide for their family, despite workdays that last up to 14 hours, & Aborjela maintains the household in his absence.
 
"I am on my feet from sunrise to sunset," she told Al Jazeera. "The diabetes causes me to become very tired. There are times when I can't see, & I'm always hungry," Aborjela said, citing common symptoms of the chronic illness.
 
The United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA) provides free medication for Gaza's refugees, who account for 1.2 of the more than 1.5 million people living there.
 
Although this has helped Aborjela, the living conditions in Gaza can lead to additional health problems: For example, the stress she experienced during the past 3 wars caused her blood pressure to rise for extended periods, which can lead to heart disease, a condition common in her family.
 
"During the last war, I was trapped inside Dr Qdeih's clinic for weeks. We were being bombed, & I was so worried about my family, I couldn't eat or sleep," Aborjela recalled. "Now, I worry that if I have heart problems, I won't be able to leave Gaza [for treatment]."
 
Gaza's long blackouts - there are 18 hours of scheduled electrical outages a day, due to lack of energy supplies & infrastructure damaged by Israeli bombings - also have major effects on public health, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
 
Ibrahim Arjela, 22, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last summer, during Israel's Operation Protective Edge offensive on Gaza. The insulin he must take daily to treat his condition requires constant refrigeration, stored between 2.2 & 7.8 degrees Celsius, for it to retain its effectiveness over long periods.
 
"When it's too hot, or too cold, it's useless. My electricity goes out for nearly 9 hours every day, so when it's hot outside I can't keep it cool. When it's cold, it doesn't stay warm enough," Arjela complained, adding that he often has to travel to the UNRWA centre in Gaza City to replace spoiled insulin, as temperatures in Gaza were uncharacteristically harsh this past winter, with 5 children reportedly dying as a result of cold & lack of shelter.
 
Compounding Gaza's public health problems is its food crisis, caused by years of siege. The price of chicken rose from 10 NIS ($2.83 US) to 15 NIS ($4.24 US) in August 2014, & both farmers & fishermen suffer from Israeli military attacks, making it difficult for Gazans to find fresh vegetables or fish.
 
Diabetics are advised to eat lean meats, fish & vegetables; & to stay away from foods high in carbohydrates, such as bread & rice, which are staples of the Palestinian diet.
 
But Seita, the UNRWA health department director, said the siege causes "people with diabetes to have no choice but unhealthy diet, e.g. they can only eat bread as it [is] subsidised".
 
Nevertheless, Arjela is hopeful that he will be able to adjust to the reality faced by him & other Gazans suffering from chronic illness. "I've got to work with what I've got. I'll figure it out," he concluded optimistically.

If Stephen Harper is serious about criminalizing 'barbaric cultural practices', ...

Robert Fisk always hits the nail on the head. Another great op-ed piece on Canadian Bill S-7, "Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act." This act apparently makes all those things illegal which are already illegal in Canada, anyways; forced marriages, honour killings, polygamy, & family violence.

Apparently, Harper government has lots of time on its hand to bring useless acts & make useless, inefficient, redundant, & ineffective laws. Primary reason is the fear mongering to the max (because we all know which minority this act is targeting.).

Conservatives' party motto for this upcoming 2015 federal election is: "Run for your life, Canadians. Sky is falling. Muslims are coming to get you. Muslims will take over Canada & ruin your life."
 
I always wonder about the mental health of Canadians who so wholeheartedly support Conservatives on the federal & provincial levels.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/if-stephen-harper-is-serious-about-criminalising-barbaric-cultural-practices-then-he-should-arrest-himself-for-even-suggesting-it-10126055.html 

Is Stephen Harper off his rocker? Forget his trip to Jerusalem last year when the Canadian prime minister said that criticism of Israel was a “mask” for anti-Semitism.
 
Ignore his utter failure to bring home to Canada al-Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy, whose retrial was staged by the Egyptian government to give him the chance to leave for his country of adoption. Cast aside Harper’s Blair-like contention that the Islamist murders of Canadian soldiers had nothing – absolutely zilch – to do with his decision to send Canada’s F-18 jets against Isis.
 
Now Harper, the man with the choir-boy good looks whose pro-Israeli policies might win him a seat in the Knesset, is about to push a truly eccentric piece of legislation through parliament in Ottawa. It’s called – and I urge readers to repeat the words lest they think it’s already April Fool’s Day – the “Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act”. Yup, when I first read the phrase “Barbaric Cultural Practices Act”, I felt sure it was a joke, a line from the “Big Bang Theory” or a Channel 4 mockudrama about Nigel Farage’s first premiership.
 
Nope. It’s all real. But let me quickly explain that the “Barbaric Cultural Practices” in question are polygamy, “gender-based” family violence, “honour-killing” & forcing children under 16 to leave Canada for marriages abroad. I’ve no problem with legislation against this, of course. Nor have most Canadians.
 
I’m also against illegally invading foreign countries, colonising other people’s land, “waterboarding” & bombing wedding parties, or firing drone missiles into Waziristan villages. But these aren’t quite the “barbaric cultural practices” Mr. Harper has in mind.
 
What’s odd about the “barbarism” he’s thinking about ... is that these “practices” are already forbidden by Canadian law.
 
Polygamy is illegal in Canada – although Mormon polygamists in British Columbia appear strangely untouched by the new legislation – & Canadians were a bit non-plussed to learn from their government last week that there are “hundreds” of polygamists in their country. As for “honour-killing”, murder is murder is murder, in Canada as in Britain & in the US & in almost every other country in the world.
 
No, the catch is that this unique legislation ... is that it doesn’t come from Canada’s perfectly capable minister of justice Peter MacKay, but from the Canadian minister of – you guessed it – Citizenship & Immigration. Now isn’t that odd?
 
The chap in charge of Canada’s immigration policies is Christopher Alexander, who is himself a pretty “cultured” politician, a McGill & Balliol man, a former Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan, where there’s plenty of polygamy & “honour-killing” & child marriage, &, well, let’s not go into Afghan government corruption, Afghan police torture, drones & the rest.
 
Because in truth, the new Canadian legislation is about foreigners or – more to the point – Muslims. Hence the BC Mormons have nothing to worry about. Because the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act (Bill S-7) – let us keep repeating this weird name – is playing what Toronto Star columnist Thomas Walkom calls the “foreign barbarian card”.

It foregrounds not crime per se but crime specifically associated with Muslims - hence the Canadian government’s legislative gloss that the act is against barbaric “traditions”. And Muslims, as we know, have for centuries been famous in Western song & legend for harems, multiple wives & disrespect for women.
 
There are indeed plenty of things wrong with Muslim societies. I’ve written extensively in The Independent about the scourge of “honour killings” – the slaughter of young women for refusing arranged marriages or adultery or who were merely rumoured to have behaved “immorally” (like calling a man on a mobile phone) in Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, “Palestine”, Jordan & Egypt.
 
We’ll forget for a moment that NGOs also told me that per head of population, “honour-killing” may be practised even more widely among Egyptian & Jordanian Christian communities. For the Christians, be sure, are not among Christopher Alexander’s targets.
 
It’s odd too, that “barbaric” is part of the Isis vocabulary for foreigners who bomb predominantly Muslim countries – America’s bombing of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Yemen & Libya come to mind over the past 42 years – & collude with the occupation & theft of land from Arab Muslims by the very same country whose critics are in danger of being called “anti-Semitic” by Stephen Harper.
 
And you can be sure that this same prime minister, in his outrage at the barbaric practices of Isis – & Canadian Muslims – will understandably now be avoiding all talk of a little scandal that must be bothering him quite a bit in private: the Turkish accusation that a Syrian intelligence operative who allegedly helped 3 British girls cross into Isis-held Syria was also working for Canadian intelligence employees. According to Turkey, these agents operated from the Canadian embassy in Amman – where the Canadian ambassador was handpicked by the aforementioned Stephen Harper after being the prime minister’s top bodyguard in Ottawa.
 
Now I’m not going to take the side of the Turkish police – they deported me from their country in 1991 after I found Turkish troops stealing blankets & food from Iraqi refugees. But their computer records reportedly show that the supposed spy for Canada, a certain Mr Rashed, entered Turkey 33 times on a Syrian passport & had also travelled to Canada.
 
The man does not work for CSIS, Canada’s spy outfit, according to Ottawa government “sources”. But officially, CSIS, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ... & Harper’s office have all refused to comment. The Ottawa Citizen has been highlighting another new bit of Harper legislation, Bill C-44 this time, which would allow Canadian judges to authorise CSIS activities abroad “to investigate a threat to the security” of Canada, “without regard to any other law, including that of any foreign state...”

Plenty to think about there. But no, it’s those pesky Canadian Muslims – or Muslim residents of Canada – who are the guilty ones, those who engage in “barbaric cultural practices”. It certainly says an awful lot about Harper’s Canadian political cultural practices.

Job market quality in decline with lower wages & higher self-employment

This article is one in many, saying the same thing that the quality of jobs keeps decreasing all over Canada, & in fact, all over North America & Europe. When the recession started back in 2008, nobody was expecting that the recession will continue on for 7 years & still continuing on. That recession structurally changed the mindset of employers & their hiring practices.

In the meanwhile, the general public kept & still keep upgrading their skills, especially their educational skills, to the point that now the Canadian public has a surplus of designated accountants, MBAs, Masters, engineers, & other professionals. Technology is also doing its fair bit in removing those jobs which require the repetitive kind of work or even easier work, e.g. bookkeeping (quite a few cloud-based services are available for self-employed people to do their own bookkeeping, & hence, bookkeeping profession is going into oblivion).

So, as Benjamin Tal says, a section of the public, especially the "employer" section now has choices in hiring for whatever position they want to fill. Since, they are receiving hundreds of resumes for every position, they are making the criteria harder or just relying on networking, which creates its own set of hurdles for job seekers.

One of these criteria are now employers requiring years of related work experience & university-level education even for an entry-level job. Since, the employers have choices, they are also "bullying" their employees by giving far more work to one employee & making employees feel that they better do what they are given, at the measly salary they are getting, because they are replaceable & there will always be someone who is willing to do their work for the same amount of money.

On top of that, as per one of the reports shown on CBC's National in April 2015, that Canada is creating a lot of positions, but they are mostly part-time & contracts (as this article also says). Why? Because, employers save on paying for benefits, & they still get their work done.

So, the whole lifestyle of the public is on a downhill slope. Incomes are falling. Benefits are decreasing. Hours of work are increasing. Productivity is rising. Competition for a fewer & fewer office jobs are decreasing. Thanks to free trade deals, like NAFTA & TPP, manufacturing will keep flowing out of labour-expensive, developed countries to cheaper-labour developing countries. Not all people can become MBAs & become managers in a decreasing number of companies or not all people can become entrepreneurs, either.

Result: Immigrants who are skilled & mobile will move out of the country (Canada, US, UK, Europe) to wherever they find better opportunities in terms of salary, career advancement, raising a family etc ... essentially, brain drain. People who are not mobile or not skilled have no choice but to stay put & endure whatever conditions they are given. But that has a limit. Eventually, those people will rebel & then, there will be chaos & destruction, as we can see, what's been happening in Greece.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/job-quality-in-canada-sinks-to-all-time-low-cibc-index-shows/article23303996

The Canadian economy continues to create jobs at a fairly steady pace, but questions are mounting over the quality of those new positions.

Several reports have concluded that the country’s job market is not as strong as it looks & now a study from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce paints an even worse picture. According to the bank’s analysis, job quality has fallen to its lowest level in more than 2 decades. A CIBC index that measures 25 years worth of data on part-time versus full-time work, paid versus self-employment & compensation trends, has fallen to its lowest level on record.

The Bank of Canada’s new measure of labour market indicators also showed “slack” in the jobs market & it has noted “ongoing labour market challenges” such as a low participation rate among core-aged Canadians. Another report from the Toronto-Dominion Bank last month pointed to more weakness than the unemployment rate suggests.

The trend has implications for the broader economy. A lack of hours along with a prevalence of lower-wage jobs & self-employment underscore why many households are having difficulty shoring up savings & why consumer spending may taper off this year.

As household finances get squeezed, the risk is that debt – already near record levels – could grow further, leaving people more vulnerable to any type of economic shock. “After every recession, [job quality] goes down, but it doesn’t fully catch up. So there is almost a permanent loss every time that there is a shock,” said Benjamin Tal, CIBC’s deputy chief economist. This is why the decline in employment quality “is more structural than cyclical.”

One notable shift is that a smaller portion of the labour market now has higher bargaining power, or high-paying jobs, while a larger segment has lower bargaining power, he said. “This is the main reason why the income gap is rising, which I believe is the number one economic, social issue facing the country in this decade.”

The CIBC index tracks 3 components, all of which are showing a deterioration. The first indicated that the number of part-time positions has risen “much faster” than that of full-time jobs since the 1980s. (Over the past year, though, some of this has reversed as full-time jobs rose faster). Self-employment is another measure, as economists tend to view it as less stable &, on average, lower paying than salaried employment. The number of self-employed workers has been on a “steeper incline” over the past 25 years, & in the past year grew 4 times faster than the number of paid employees, the CIBC report said.
 
On compensation, the bank said low-paying full-time jobs have risen faster than mid-paying jobs over much of the past 2 decades, which in turn have risen more quickly than high-paying jobs. And in the past year “the job-creation gap between low- & high-paying jobs has widened,” with low-wage full-time paid positions rising at twice the pace of high-paying jobs.
 
The retail sector, which tends to be much lower-paying, is the largest source of employment by sector in Canada. It’s also a industry that may soon start to see job losses as Target ... & other retailers such as Sony, Smart Set & Mexx close shop amid fierce competition.
 
Definitions of job quality – & what constitutes “precarious” work – vary. Wilfred Laurier University economics professor Tammy Schirle cautioned against relying too heavily on assumptions that part-time work is necessarily of poorer quality than full-time employment.
 
Dr. Schirle noted that employers who offer flexible work schedules are often praised for accommodating work-life balance for families.

“We rally behind startups, innovators & the ambitious small-business owner, & then say the work they’ve created for themselves is substandard?” she said in an interview Thursday. “Part-time & self-employment often reflect poor-quality jobs, as does much of full-time employment, but that is not always the case. They are certainly important indicators of what is happening in our labour market, but I’m reluctant to use these as key indicators of job quality.”

It has been a difficult stretch for some job seekers. Going from laid off, to underemployed, to contract work, Richard Vanderbeek, 24, is now looking for a job – again. It’s something he has done 4 times in less than 3 years. He wants to start a career in customer service, but can’t seem to get his foot in the door.

“I’ve found that even customer-service jobs, some of them would require university programs & they’re still only offering minimum wage to start,” said Mr. Vanderbeek, who lives in Toronto. “Even with the amount of schooling you have to have to get it, there’s still no real incentive through pay.”

While finding work has been difficult, finding work that pays enough, offers enough hours to offset the cost of living & provides advancement opportunities has been next to impossible. After leaving culinary school unfinished, Mr. Vanderbeek worked at a delicatessen & then a butcher. The deli downsized & eliminated his position, & after 6 months with the butcher, he knew he had to make a change.

“I realized that my max earnings I could make was essentially $14 an hour,” Mr. Vanderbeek said. “I had to move on in order to find something that could pay me a little more down the line.”

Federal Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre responded to the CIBC report’s findings with a statement that said Canada’s job creation record is one of the strongest in the Group of Seven.

“Given the ongoing uncertainty in the global economy, it is important that our government continue to keep taxes low for families & job creators,” he said.
 
Mr. Tal, at CIBC, says the situation shows a mismatch in the labour market, where “we have many educated people are compromising on contract jobs, on self-employment jobs, low-paying jobs because they don’t have the skill-set that those high-paying jobs need. And that’s why their bargaining power isn’t as powerful.”
 
“We do need the young people to be a bit more practical about what they do, in terms of field of studies.”