Undersea Gardens Demolition, 2014

Shot on June 9, 2014 along Harbour Road opposite Point Hope Shipyard.

Two things in life are certain: U.S. taxation and that other thing

Here's a very strong and clear statement from the organization American Citizens Abroad on why the United States should switch from citizen-based taxation (CBT) to residence-based taxation (RBT). It was presented to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Hearing on July 22, 2014. The U.S. is only one of two countries in the world that practice CBT. The other country is Eritrea. http://americansabroad.org/files/8414/0732/2332/aca-statement-hearing-on-tax-reform.pdf

The end of Canadian sovereignty is in sight

Are you aware that ANY Canadian opening a new bank account at any of the major financial institutions will be asked invasive questions about their citizenship and sometimes their place of birth? This all thanks to the Harper government caving in to pressure from the United States and the banking industry as part of the United States Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). See this IRS site for details about this draconian legislation that makes a laughingstock of Canadian, not to mention other countries, sovereignty: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Corporations/Foreign-Account-Tax-Compliance-Act-FATCA 

The law imposes penalties on non-compliant financial institutions doing business in the United States. In order for this legislation to work, however, a little extra legal twist was needed, an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). Canada was I believe the last of the G-8 nations to sign an IGA on February 5, 2014 (http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/tax-policy/treaties/Documents/FATCA-Agreement-Canada-2-5-2014.pdf) and it was made official as part of the omnibus bill C-31 which received royal assent on June 19, 2014. 

Now you might think it bad for Canadians to be asked those questions or you might think them perfectly innocent, however, for anyone falling under the definition of a "U.S. person" (U.S. Internal Revenue Service terminology), which includes anyone who was born in the U.S., the tax consequences could be severe. Unless you can prove you're no longer a "U.S. person", you'll find your new bank account data heading out of country via the Canada Revenue Agency to the IRS. 

The Alliance for the Defence of Canadian Sovereignty (ADCS-ADSC: http://www.adcs-adsc.ca/) is planning a lawsuit against the Canadian government around the enactment of FATCA on Canadian soil through the IGA and is appealing for donations to fund the lawsuit through its own site and that of the Isaac Brock Society (http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/).

Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC releases special report, "A Failure to Archive"

Elizabeth Denham, the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC, released a special report on July 22, 2014 titled "A Failure to Archive: Recommendations to Modernize Government Records Management". The report deals with three issues:

1. the decade-old backlog of 30,000+ boxes of records awaiting transfer from government to the BC Archives, which is part of the Royal BC Museum, a Crown corporation. The RBCM established a fee of $454 for the transfer of a box, so government offices decided to warehouse the records which was less expensive. 
2. "the lack of a practical method for archiving government’s electronic records", especially on the part of the BC Archives, which "does not have the capability to accept or archive those records. This challenge has been addressed in other jurisdictions, but B.C. [the province] has yet to make any significant progress in managing the archiving of electronic records."
3. modernization of the legislative framework for records management.

You can download the PDF report at https://www.oipc.bc.ca/special-reports/ and a press release is available for downloading at https://www.oipc.bc.ca/news-releases/

RIP Cory Monteith

Shocked and saddened to read about the death of TV series "Glee"'s Cory Monteith in Vancouver (BC) where he had been staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

Bravo to the RCMP for thwarting a terrorist threat in Victoria

Good for the RCMP and other public security agencies in managing to thwart a terrorist threat in Victoria that would have seen pressure-cooker bombs like those used in the Boston Marathon explode on the grounds of the Parliament Buildings in Victoria on Canada Day (July 1) 2013. According to the CBC.ca article "Court records indicate Amanda Marie Korody, 30, and John Stewart Nuttall, 39, have each been charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity and possession of an explosive substance." Considering this was next door to where I used to work at the Royal BC Museum (BC Archives) and where friends and former colleagues still do, this was close to home. I do remember some colleagues being skeptical about the Buildings ever being a target following 9/11.

Now the real fun begins in the USA

Now that President Obama has been elected for a second term, another historic victory for the first Black President of the USA, the real fun begins. It was quite an exciting night for both candidates. Republican Party nominee Mitt Romney was very gracious in his speech conceding defeat. Wouldn't it be great if Obama offered him a seat in his cabinet? Looking at the way the Electoral College vote split across the country, it's pretty clear that Obama really has his work cut out for him, especially since the Republicans have retained control of the House of Representatives. So we'll see how much reaching across the aisles, rather than preaching and praying across the aisles there will be. The next big test of his presidency will be this fiscal cliff financial disaster.

Canada, land of heritage cultureless opportunities

Vancouver Sun journalist Stephen Hume has written a scathing piece, "Moving historic artifacts to Quebec 'stupid, insensitive'" about Prime Minister Harper's Conservative government's insensitive and economically unjustified cut to the National Archival Development Program and the warehousing of countless artifacts from their local communities to a warehouse in Gatineau, Quebec.

J.L. Granatstein in Globe & Mail on Library and Archives Canada's decimation

Historian J.L. Granatstein has written a most excellent rant against the ongoing decimation of Library and Archives Canada under the direction of the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, whom it seems, would rather carry out the wishes of his politician master the Hon. James Moore rather than do the honourable thing and resign. Take a look at Granatstein's indictment of the radical changes at LAC in the Globe & Mail (June 12, 2012) titled "Who will preserve the past for future generations?" Sadly, one of the cuts Granatstein missed was the elimination of the National Archival Development Program (NADP). Granatstein is the author of Who Killed Canadian History?, so perhaps a sequel might be Who Killed the Library and Archives Canada?

LinkedIn security breach (June 7, 2012), change your password

In case you have not heard or been informed, as I was not, LinkedIn.com has had a security breach and 6.4 million member passwords were stolen. The theft was publicized on Thursday, June 7, 2012. As of June 10, 2012, all LinkedIn has done is to post a notice on its site that you should reset your password. In my case, the site remembered I was logged in from a previous visit and did not automatically log me out. I'm not sure whether that's a plus or a minus.

Society of American Archivists opposes the desecrecation of the Canadian archival system by Harper's government

Quoting (with some corrections) from the e-mail submitted to ARCAN-L on May 11, 2012:

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, 2011-2012 President of the Society of American Archivists, has issued a letter to the Hon. James Moore, opposing the April 30 decision by Library and Archives Canada to eliminate the National Archival Development Program and [by extension] the Canadian Council of Archives.

The full letter is available online and can be found at

http://files.archivists.org/advocacy/Moore_NADPandCCA_051112.pdf .

More Times-Colonist coverage of Prime Minister Harper's attack on Canada's heritage sector

Eric Sager of the University of Victoria's History Department wrote a scatching denunciation in the May 11, 2012 issue of the Victoria Times-Colonist of Primer Minister Harper's government's attack on the Canadian heritage sector from downsizing of the Library and Archives Canada to the elimination of the National Archival Development Program (NADP) to the gutting of Parks Canada which maintains federal heritage sites.

His blistering attack is titled "Harperizing Canada's history and heritage". When the government celebrates the bicentennial of the War of 1812 to the tune of $28 million, but cuts the 26-year NADP funding of $1.7 million that has helped archives across Canada, the optics, as they say, do not look good. The cuts to Library and Archives Canada are equally serious. It's like taking the teachers out of the education system, the librarians out of libraries, the curators out of museums, oh wait, they're next.

Heritage Minister James Moore's weak defense of these cuts in relation to Library and Archives Canada that more effort will be expended on digitization is simply not practical in the face of the staffing loss. Furthermore, while self-service might work fine at Home Depot or Safeway (my experience with both is staff are still needed) and airport terminals, you can't compare a retail experience to a research experience where expert staff have deep knowledge of a subject, whether it's library publications or archival records.

Other Canadian archives are already experimenting with the kind of service LAC now offers where archivists are only available on call or by appointment. Yet some of these archives have not yet told their researchers through their Web site what they can expect when they arrive, that the long-standing practice of staffing a reference desk with an archivist is no more. If you walked into the Toronto Public Library and were told you had to make an appointment to see a reference librarian, what would you think? Welcome to Self-Service Canada!

CBC Radio interviews with CCA Chair on NADP cut

A couple of CBC Radio interviews today, May 7, 2012, with Lara Wilson, Chair, Canadian Council of Archives, about the federal government's elimination of the vitally important National Archival Development Program. Self-disclosure: I'm employed on contract funded in large part through NADP. The work I do on behalf of the Archives Association of BC reaches across Canada and around the world. The first is scheduled for "All Points West" at 4:10 pm PDST. You can listen live online via a link on the program's Web page at http://www.cbc.ca/allpointswest/. The second is scheduled for "As It Happens" tonight. This was a pre-recorded interview per Lara's e-mails to the ARCAN-L mailing list. This program starts at 6:30 pm PDST. You can listen live online via a link on the program's Web page at http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/.

Archivists’ On to Ottawa Trek, May 28, 2012

Here is the announcement, in English followed by French, from the ARCAN-L mailing list on May 3, 2012 about the Archivists' On to Ottawa Trek taking place on May 28, 2012 at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario to protest Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Government's attack on the archival community through the elmination of the National Archival Development Program and deep staffing and service cuts to the Library and Archives Canada. Your written and recorded hertiage is now definitely an endangered species in the Canadian cultural landscape: On April 30, 2012, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) eliminated the National Archival Development Program (NADP), a $1.7 million contribution program administered for the LAC by the non-profit Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) and distributed to 13 provincial and territorial archives councils to support archival activities locally. Through these councils, NADP funding is on the ground in our 10 provinces and 3 territories, ensuring that Canada’s history is preserved in local communities. Canada’s archival councils provide support to archives and archivists so that they may better serve all Canadians. The NADP was a vital component of LAC’s legislated responsibility to foster preservation, promotion and access to Canada’s documentary heritage. As stated in the Act: 7. The objects of the Library and Archives of Canada are… (b) to make that heritage known to Canadians and to anyone with an interest in Canada and to facilitate access to it;… (f) to support the development of the library and archival communities. 8. (1) The Librarian and Archivist may do anything that is conducive to the attainment of the objects of the Library and Archives of Canada, including (i) provide professional, technical and financial support to those involved in the preservation and promotion of the documentary heritage and in providing access to it; The elimination of the NADP will result in the collapse of 11 of the 13 provincial and territorial archives councils, councils that support the day-to-day functioning of archives across the country. Many of these councils were forced to suspend operations immediately. Archival institutions that invested precious resources into the preparation of NADP funding applications were forced to suspend projects that had already been approved by the CCA. Countless jobs will now go unfilled.Consequently, archives’ mandate to make government transparent, to make information available to citizens, and to preserve records of Canadian culture and society will be greatly diminished. In addition, the federal government has sent more than 500 surplus notices to Library and Archives Canada, which will ultimately have its staff reduced by 20%. LAC has also cancelled its Inter-Library Loan program; cut reference staff; imposed a "new service model" that requires the public to make an appointment for reference requests; cut library cataloguers by a third; and cut private archivists and media specialists by 35%, which means not only that significant Canadian heritage will not be acquired, but that researchers will not be able to talk to experts who knew their fields as these experts simply won't exist any more. At the same time, the government unilaterally shut down libraries in the Transport, Immigration, and Public Works departments. The effect of these cuts and closures are absolutely devastating and amount to nothing less than a merciless attack upon the archives community and those who depend on access to archives for their work and study. But these attacks are not isolated; the Conservative government has systematically targeted organizations and institutions that collect, preserve, analyze, and make available information for Canadian citizens. Statistics Canada was previously the target of Tory assaults, as was the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut. Statistics Canada was forced to abandon the mandatory long-form census, which was vital for distributing government resources on an equitable basis, while PEARL research was instrumental in collecting data related to global warming. Furthermore, in a time of supposed austerity the Conservative government has allocated an additional $8 million dollars for the Canadian Revenue Agency to target registered charities engaged in political activities. As archivists, we say “Enough!” We will not allow the federal government and senior management of LAC to compromise, assault, and destroy the Canadian archival network and the heritage that it preserves and makes available. We will not allow ideologues to tear apart the work of generations of archivists. We will not allow archives to fall prey to one-sided cultural wars. We will fight back. On May 28, join us in the Archivists’ On to Ottawa Trek. Like our forebears in the 1935 On to Ottawa Trek who protested government mismanagement during the Great Depression, angry archivists and our allies from coast to coast will descend on Ottawa and other locations across the country on May 28 and we will be heard. For more information, check out: http://archiviststrek2012.tumblr.com/ Twitter:@ArchivistsTrek Facebook: Fight the Budget Cuts to the Library and Archives Canada Archivistes, en marche vers Ottawa – 28 mai Mission Le 30 avril 2012, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada (BAC) a éliminé le Programme national de développement des archives (PNDA), un programme d’aide financière de 1,7 million de dollars administré, sous la responsabilité de BAC, par le Conseil canadien des archives (CCA), organisme sans but lucratif. Ce programme répartit ces sommes d’argent entre 13 conseils provinciaux et territoriaux d’archives afin de soutenir les activités archivistiques sur une base locale. Par l’entremise de ces conseils, le financement du PNDA touche directement les 10 provinces et les 3 territoires canadiens et veille à ce que l'histoire du Canada soit préservée dans les communautés locales. Ces conseils d'archives du Canada visent à fournir un soutien aux services d’archives et aux archivistes afin qu'ils puissent mieux servir tous les Canadiens. Le PNDA était un élément essentiel de la responsabilité légale de BAC afin de favoriser la préservation, la promotion et l'accès au patrimoine documentaire du Canada. Tel qu’indiqué dans la Loi: 7. Bibliothèque et Archives du Canada a pour mission : b) de faire connaître ce patrimoine aux Canadiens et à quiconque s’intéresse au Canada, et de le rendre accessible; f) d’appuyer les milieux des archives et des bibliothèques. 8. (1) L’administrateur général peut prendre toute mesure qui concourt à la réalisation de la mission de Bibliothèque et Archives du Canada et, notamment : i) apporter un appui professionnel, technique et financier aux milieux chargés de promouvoir et de préserver le patrimoine documentaire et d’assurer l’accès à celui-ci; L'élimination du PNDA se traduira par l’abolition de 11 des 13 conseils provinciaux et territoriaux d'archives ; ces conseils assurent le fonctionnement quotidien des services d’archives à travers le pays. Nombre de ces conseils ont déjà été contraints de suspendre leurs opérations. Les institutions d'archives qui ont investi des ressources importantes dans la préparation de demandes de financement du PNDA ont été contraintes de suspendre leurs projets qui avaient déjà été approuvés par le CCA. De nombreux emplois ne pourront donc être comblés. Par conséquent, le mandat des services d’archives visant à assurer la transparence du gouvernement et à rendre l'information disponible aux citoyens, ainsi qu’à préserver les documents de la culture et la société canadiennes, sera grandement diminué. En outre, le gouvernement fédéral a envoyé plus de 500 avis de postes excédentaires à Bibliothèque et Archives Canada ; par conséquent, son personnel sera réduit de 20%. BAC a également annulé son programme de prêt entre bibliothèques, le personnel de la référence a été coupé sous les auspices d’un «nouveau modèle de service» qui exige que le public prenne un rendez-vous pour toute demande de référence. BAC a aussi coupé les catalogueurs d’un tiers, alors que les archivistes des secteurs privés et les spécialistes des médias connaissent des coupes de 35 % ; cela signifie non seulement qu’une part significative du patrimoine canadien ne sera pas acquise, mais aussi que les chercheurs ne seront pas en mesure de rencontrer les experts qui connaissaient leurs domaines de spécialisation, car ces experts n’existeront tout simplement plus. Du même souffle, le gouvernement a unilatéralement fermé les bibliothèques dans les domaines du transport, de l'immigration et des travaux publics. L'effet de ces coupures et de ces fermetures est absolument dévastateur et constitue rien de moins qu'une attaque aveugle aux acquis de la communauté des archives et à ceux qui dépendent de l'accès aux archives pour leur travail et leurs recherches. Mais ces attaques ne sont pas isolées; le gouvernement conservateur a systématiquement pris pour cible les organisations et les institutions qui recueillent, conservent, analysent et rendent l'information disponible aux citoyens canadiens. Statistique Canada a été la cible d'agressions des conservateurs, comme fut le Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) à Eureka, au Nunavut. Statistique Canada a été forcé d'abandonner le formulaire long obligatoire du recensement, ce qui était essentiel à la distribution des ressources du gouvernement sur une base équitable, tandis que la recherche PEARL contribuait à la collecte de données liées au réchauffement climatique. En outre, dans ces périodes d'austérité, le gouvernement conservateur a alloué un montant de 8 $ millions de dollars supplémentaire à l'Agence du revenu du Canada pour cibler les organismes de bienfaisance enregistrés engagés dans des activités politiques. Comme archivistes, nous disons: «Assez, c’est assez !». Nous ne permettrons pas que le gouvernement fédéral et les cadres supérieurs de BAC compromettent, attaquent et détruisent le réseau canadien des archives et le patrimoine que BAC et les autres institutions d’archives de ce réseau conservent et mettent à la disposition des Canadiens. Nous ne permettrons pas que des idéologues puissent détruire le travail de générations d'archivistes. Nous ne permettrons pas que les archives paient seules le prix de guerres culturelles. Nous allons nous battre. Le 28 mai prochain, joignez-vous à nous pour cette manifestation : Archivistes, en marche vers Ottawa. Comme nos prédécesseurs qui, lors de la Marche sur Ottawa de 1935, ont protesté contre la mauvaise gestion du gouvernement pendant la Grande Dépression, nous, archivistes en colère, et nos alliés, d'un océan à l'autre, allons descendre à Ottawa et d'autres endroits à travers le pays ce 28 mai, et nous serons entendus. http://archiviststrek2012.tumblr.com/ Twitter:@ArchivistsTrek Facebook: Fight the Budget Cuts to the Library and Archives Canada

Canada tough on crime and criminals, not on foreign criminals

There's a story circulating about a quite famous personage who used to live in Canada. He gave up his Canadian citizenship in order to enjoy the privilege and honor of being part of the British government which had been denied him by a former Prime Minister of a Liberal government. His business dealings in the United States eventually saw him convicted of fraud and he spent time in prison there. His wife is a Canadian media personality and lives in Toronto. Today Canada has a new business-friendly government that claims it's tough on crime and criminals, especially foreign criminals. So how is it that this individual was granted a one-year residency permit? Why would Canada want to admit into the country a man who spent time in prison and who is not even a Canadian? In Section 36 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, only the Minister can make an exception to allowing a convicted criminal into Canada, so it's kind of odd that the Minister responsible for immigration is blaming his officials and claiming protection under the federal privacy act for not disclosing details. I think this would be a case where the public interest should be satisfied and I suspect the federal privacy act has an exception to that effect. After all, this individual is not a Canadian and he is a convicted criminal. Canadians have a right to know why he's being allowed into Canada.

Surf's up in Hawaiian high schools

The State of Hawaii has sanctioned a plan to offer competitive surfing (on the water, not the Web) as an extramural sport to all its public high school students (about 50,000 throughout the 46 public high schools) by the spring of 2013. The plan's being paid for by private money. It's about time I say, though I wonder how they'll handle the liability issue as when a surfer is hurt. When I attended Leeward Community College in the late 1960s I took bowling as my required physical education course and the taxpayers supported that.

Here's a Google News link to online stories about this.

Source: Times Colonist (Victoria), October 8, 2011

Thanks for the Apple Steve

Another genius who died too young. My first personal computer was an Apple. So thanks for the Apple Steve. You gave a lot to the world, from computers to animated cartoons and all they spun off. I was very excited by your NeXT computer and know you found a way to bring that vision back in the Apple Company you revitalized. We will miss you.

BC HST Referendum success for the Yes side

The Yes side meant scrapping the HST and returning to the PST/GST system. According to Elections BC,

The final results are:

% of valid votes voting Yes	54.73%
% of valid votes voting No	45.27%

At a news conference on August 26, 2011 after Elections BC announced the referendum results, BC Finance Minister Kevin Falcon announced that the former PST permanent exemptions would return in about 18 months time when the PST is reinstated. The PST rate will also be set at 7%, which is what it was before BC's HST fiasco.

Uploaded "Farewell, Atlantis" to SoundCloud and the Internet Archive

"Farewell, Atlantis" is my 3-minute chillout tribute to 30 years of the United States space shuttle program. It's composed of royalty-free music loops sourced from Prime Loops' "Babylon Beats" and Bunker 8 Digital Labs' Downtempo Darkness Trilogy from Sounds To Sample. The vocal commentary was converted from the MP4 videocast (vodcast) on NASA's site (http://www.nasa.gov/mp4/573224main_ksc_072111_sts135_landing_pod.mp4).

I've enabled downloading for the complete MP3 (encoded at 192 kbits/s) on my SoundCloud account and in the Internet Archive Community Audio section.

"Carrall Street, when it was wood", about rare Bailey & Neelands photos at Vancouver Sun

"Carrall Street, when it was wood" (April 2, 2011)

This is an article by John Mackie about a couple of rare Bailey & Neelands photos he found in the Vancouver Sun's morgue. He quotes a BC historic photo expert by the name of David Mattison.