Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

[Paul Beckwith]

We just had an earthquake in Ottawa; it hit the U. of O. about 1:50 pm. I heard a rumble that got louder and then actually could see the walls shutter for a second or two; then it stopped. I would guess a 4 or so?

[Paul Beckwith]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/earthqu...688/story.html

Magnitude 5.7 centred in Val des Bois, Quebec. From GoogleMaps this place is about 60 km north of Ottawa.

[Paul Beckwith]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...hake/2010xwa7/

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...a7.php#details

[Emil Smilovici]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

Yet another proof of Climate changing.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

Yet another proof of Climate changing.

or Quebec beginning to separate...

[Vlad Dobrich]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

I felt it in downtown T.O. at 1:40 or so.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

We just had an earthquake in Ottawa; it hit the U. of O. about 1:50 pm. I heard a rumble that got louder and then actually could see the walls shutter for a second or two; then it stopped. I would guess a 4 or so?

Maybe it will wake up the politicians. A fake lake and canoe's or Kayaks beside Lake Ontario. A Gazebo in the middle of nowhere. Muskoka chairs (you can charge more for wooden lawn chairs if you give them a fancy name).

I'm glad you can afford all this.

I phoned my Liberal MPP this morning and expressed my views on the HST.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

I phoned my Liberal MPP this morning and expressed my views on the HST.

I've never had the feeling that doing that would make even the slightest difference. I once (naively!) thought that elected officials should make decisions based on the majority view in their constituency... now it seems clear that party politics and agendas or even an elected official's *personal* views are more important.

However: did you tear up your $330 cheque in protest?

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

However: did you tear up your $330 cheque in protest?

I didn't get a cheque. Probably I'll put it toward my next few haircuts they will now be taxing if it ever comes.

Elected officials want to get re-elected. They don't like to hear people who have supported them for years will be voting for the party which has the best chance of beating them.

Remember how quiet it got the last couple of years of Bob Rae's term? People stopped complaining and simply waited for the election to bounce his government. It's starting to look like Deja Vu all over again.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

I didn't get a cheque. Probably I'll put it toward my next few haircuts they will now be taxing if it ever comes.

Elected officials want to get re-elected. They don't like to hear people who have supported them for years will be voting for the party which has the best chance of beating them.

Remember how quiet it got the last couple of years of Bob Rae's term? People stopped complaining and simply waited for the election to bounce his government. It's starting to look like Deja Vu all over again.

Toay I lost patience waiting for my HST cheque/(bank deposit). Two other people I know also didn't receive theirs yet either. So I finally looked at the website they put up for the HST info.

I discovered that if your income tax return was assessed after May 10, 2010 then you're supposed to wait 4-8 weeks to get the cheque. If the assessment was before May 10 then you would have been bribed with your own money (err, sent the cheque) almost at once.

I mailed the Feds my income tax return April 21. They assessed it May 17.

Here's the link:

http://ontario.ca/taxchange

[Tim Bouma]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

The earthquake is Ottawa's fault.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

The earthquake is Ottawa's fault.

Earthquakes supposedly will happen more often as the time of the supposed end draws near. Imperceptible quakes happen all the time, but they don't really count.

[Bob Armstrong]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

Hi Tim:

Don't you mean " Harper's " fault?

Bob

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

I once (naively!) thought that elected officials should make decisions based on the majority view in their constituency... now it seems clear that party politics and agendas or even an elected official's *personal* views are more important.

Democracy has been described as 'the tyranny of the majority'. There's a saying, though, that democracy is more than two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner :). Minority interests should not always lose, but they should not win as often as they do.

On the one hand politicians should listen to constituents. On the other they should lead even if their stance is unpopular at the time. However following party politics and agendas, or even personal views, is not necessarily leading.

Political science doesn't seem to be taught in high schools. Nor even civics, nowadays.

It takes more money than ever to run for office, and politicians are generally sneered at and have to engage in much (dirty) rough and tumble.

I find democracy confusing, even if the politicians didn't stink and even if I knew all the issues and all the facts.

It's the worst system there is, except for all the rest, to paraphrase Churchill.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Earthquake in Ottawa June 23, around 1:50 pm

I discovered that if your income tax return was assessed after May 10, 2010 then you're supposed to wait 4-8 weeks to get the cheque. If the assessment was before May 10 then you would have been bribed with your own money (err, sent the cheque) almost at once.

That's a relief. The cheque is in the mail. :)

It will be interesting to see if McGuinty is rewarded for the HST in the same manner Mulroney was rewarded for the GST.