Friday, July 31, 2009

Poetic justice!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!"

This woman is unbelieveable in her pursuit of justice. Leslie gives women hope for justice in matters of family affairs. The public should be more aware of "Deadbeat Dads/Spouses."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Anonymous:

Thank you for writing. The article to which you refer appeared in The Globe and Mail during April of this year.

It was about Leslie Westlock who lived a charmed life in a New York Fifth Avenue apartment until her executive husband suddenly walked out in 1995 taking most of the couple's cash. She subsequently moved to Toronto with her Mother doing odd jobs to survive while she tracked the movements of her ex around the world ultimately locating him in Burlington, Ontario.

He owes about $1.5 million in alimony and another $3.5 million in divorce payments. A Toronto private investigation company was so impressed with her efforts it hired her. Shows you there's poetic justice after all.

Sincerely,

Clare L. Pieuk

Anonymous?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post, "The Great Browkin is already looking for you Anonymous!"

Good for you Clare go get them. The law should not let these kind of people run arround threatening people who are trying to do good things for the public like you folks. May I suggest you go after the mastermind of those losers too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Anonymous:

Thank you for writing with the kind words. What Anonymous doesn't seem to realize is they've already left behind an electronic trail starting with their internet service provider number and a time.

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk

Don't mess with The Public Eye Anonymous!

The Public Eye

Good Day Folks:

Just noticed the following in the Comments Section of Truth To Power operated anonymously by a Canadian lawyer. Regarding its posting, "Manitoba Metis Federation, Inc. (MMF)" not wise, not wise at all Anonymous!

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anonymous said ...

fuckin racist pig......take a hike asshole who the fuck do you think you are atacking the Metis people like this FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

July 31, 2009 2:24 PM

The Great Browkin is already looking for you Anonymous!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post, "Return of The Public Eye!"
yah pieuk we know you fuckin hunky pig......we know your agenda loser FUCK YOU ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Anonymous:
Thank you for writing. We've been blogging now for about 9 years. As a non-Aboriginal writing about the Manitoba Metis Federation we've heard all this before and a lot worse. Your comments tell our readers much more about you than us.
Here's what we're going to do. Anonymous e-mail can be traced so we've called in The Great Browkin. They're an internet computer engineering/science genius whom we've never met in person only online. A while ago when we asked for a recent picture this is what they sent:

So you know. Not long ago a Canadian blog was hacked and Browkin was asked to work with the authorities to solve the case. As it turned out, is was a high school student in San Jose, California working from one of its computers. Once we've tracked you we'll contact MMF lawyer Murray Norman Trachtenberg to have him sue you for defamation. Not to worry, however, the Federation will pay your legal costs.
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk

Return of The Public Eye!

Truth To Power

Good Day readers:

During our daily review of websites and blogs we found the following item posted by The Public Eye an anonymous Canadian lawyer.

Since the original affidavit was filed with the Court in May of 2006 there have been a few changes:

(1) In November 2006 Vanessa Everton wrote President David Chartrand what amounted to a hear no evil, see no evil, say no evil and was removed as a Co-Defendant. The law prohibits us from printing her letter verbatim on the internet

(2) Darrel Deslauriers, Rosemarie McPherson, Bonnie McIntyre and Richard Delaronde have signed Notices of Discontinuance removing themselves as Plaintiffs.

Note: Winnipeg Regional Vice-President Ron Chartrand was the only Manitoba Metis Federation provincial Board of Director who did not agree to be a Plaintiff from the start.

Sincerely,

Clare L. Pieuk

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 July 2009
Manitoba Metis Federation Inc. (MMF)

The following affidavit has been slightly edited in terms of its original content (to remove an irrelevant reference to an attached exhibit).

File No. CI 05-01-41955

THE QUEEN'S BENCH WINNIPEG CENTRE

BETWEEN:

MANITOBA METIS FEDERATION INC., ANITA CAMPBELL, DAVID CHARTRAND, ELBERT CHARTRAND, RITA CULLEN, DARREL DESLAURIERS, JEAN DESROSIERS, WILLIAM FLETT, JOHN FLEURY, LAURA HYRICH, JULYDA LAGIMODIERE, JOYCE LANGAN, LEAH LAPLANTE, JUDY MAYER, ROSEMARIE McPHERSON, DARRYL MONTGOMERY, MARILEE NAULT, JACK PARK, CLAIRE RIDDLE and DENISE THOMAS,

Plaintiffs,

- and -

TERRY BELHUMEUR, CLARE L. PIEUK and VANESSA EVERTON

Defendants

AFFIDAVIT OF CLARE L. PIEUK

Sworn the 30th day of April, 2006

I, CLARE L. PIEUK, of the City of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, MAKE OATH AND SAY THAT:

1. I am one of the Defendants herein, and as such have personal knowledge of the matters hereinafter deposed to by me, except where same is indicated to be based upon information and belief, in which case I verily believe same to be true.

2. In or around June 2005, I attended with Kurt Penner, who was then and to my knowledge is presently the Special Assistant to the Minister of Aboriginal & Northern Affairs of the Province of Manitoba, and provided him with copies of certain internal documents from the Manitoba Metis Federation and affiliated corporation ("the MMF") which were originally provided me by persons who wish to remain anonymous ("the documents"). Immediately after I provided the documents to Mr. Penner, I was informed by Mr. Penner and do verily believe that he would be preparing what he described as a "briefing document" for reference by Mr. Oscar Lathlin, who was then and to my knowledge is presently the Minister of Aboriginal & Northern Affairs.

3. In or around June 2005, I attended with Corporal Tracy McGonigal with the Commercial Crimes Unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ("the RCMP") and showed her copies of the documents. I was informed by Corporal McGonigal and do verily believe that it was her intention to open a file on behalf of the RCMP in relation to a potential investigation of the MMF.

[. . . .]

5. On or around April 15, 2006, I telephoned Ms. Terri Klassen, who informed me that she was an Investigation and Control Officer with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada ("The Department"), which I verily believe to be true, and in my telephone conversation with her, I provided to her the name and telephone number of a certain person wishing to remain anonymous who is in possession of copies of the documents ("this person"). I was informed by Ms. Klassen, and do verily believe, that it was her intention to obtain the documents from this person, to review the documents, and to determine the feasibility of conducting an investigation of the MMF based on her review.

6. On or around April 18, 2006, I attended with Ms. Klassen and was informed by her, and do verily believe same to be true, that she and others within the Department have over an unspecified period of time harboured suspicions as to the veracity of certain information provided by the MMF to the Department, and further indicated that to date the Department has been unable to pursue an investigation due to the lack of evidence available.

7. I make this Affidavit bona fide and for no improper purpose or motive.

SWORN before me at the City of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, this 30th day of April, 2006.
_________________________________________
A Notary Public in and for the Province of Manitoba
___________________________
CLARE L. PIEUK

Want to score 100% on your next Rorschach test?

A Rorschach Cheat Sheet on Wikipedia?
By NOAM COHEN
Published: July 28, 2009
There are tests that have right answers, which are returned with a number on top in a red circle, and there are tests with open-ended questions, which provide insight into the test taker’s mind.
Psychologists say Wikipedia’s entry jeopardizes the Rorschach test’s usefulness. (Orlando/Three Lions/Getty Images)
In June, Dr. James Heilman posted all 10 plates on the site, along with research about the most popular responses to each.
The Rorschach test, a series of 10 inkblot plates created by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach for his book “Psychodiagnostik,” published in 1921, is clearly in the second category.
Yet in the last few months, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been engulfed in a furious debate involving psychologists who are angry that the 10 original Rorschach plates are reproduced online, along with common responses for each. For them, the Wikipedia page is the equivalent of posting an answer sheet to next year’s SAT.
They are pitted against the overwhelming majority of Wikipedia’s users, who share the site’s “free culture” ethos, which opposes the suppression of information that it is legal to publish. (Because the Rorschach plates were created nearly 90 years ago, they have lost their copyright protection in the United States.)
“The only winners seem to be those for whom this issue has become personal, and who see this as a game in which victory means having their way,” one Wikipedia poster named Faustian wrote on Monday, adding, “Just don’t pretend you are doing anything other than harming scientific research.”
What had been a simmering dispute over the reproduction of a single plate reached new heights in June when James Heilman, an emergency-room doctor from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, posted images of all 10 plates to the bottom of the article about the test, along with what research had found to be the most popular responses for each.
“I just wanted to raise the bar — whether one should keep a single image on Wikipedia seemed absurd to me, so I put all 10 up,” Dr. Heilman said in an interview. “The debate has exploded from there.”
Psychologists have registered with Wikipedia to argue that the site is jeopardizing one of the oldest continuously used psychological assessment tests.
While the plates have appeared on other Web sites, it was not until they showed up on the popular Wikipedia site that psychologists became concerned.
"The more test materials are promulgated widely, the more possibility there is to game it,” said Bruce L. Smith, a psychologist and president of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods, who has posted under the user name SPAdoc. He quickly added that he did not mean that a coached subject could fool the person giving the test into making the wrong diagnosis, but rather “render the results meaningless.”
To psychologists, to render the Rorschach test meaningless would be a particularly painful development because there has been so much research conducted — tens of thousands of papers, by Dr. Smith’s estimate — to try to link a patient’s responses to certain psychological conditions. Yes, new inkblots could be used, these advocates concede, but those blots would not have had the research — “the normative data,” in the language of researchers — that allows the answers to be put into a larger context.
And, more fundamentally, the psychologists object whenever diagnostic tools fall into the hands of amateurs who haven’t been trained to administer them. “Our ethics code that governs the behavior of psychologists talks about maintaining test security,” Steve J. Breckler, the executive director for science at the American Psychological Association, said in an interview. “We wouldn’t be in favor of putting the plates out where anyone can get hold of them.”
Alvin G. Burstein, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, wrote in an e-mail message that his preference was to have the images removed but that he did not think they would harm the psychological process.
“The process of making sense of one’s experience,” he wrote, “is gratifying. To take Rorschach’s test is to make sense of ambiguity in the context of someone who is interested in how you do that.”
Trudi Finger, a spokeswoman for Hogrefe & Huber Publishing, the German company that bought an early publisher of Hermann Rorschach’s book, said in an e-mail message last week: “We are assessing legal steps against Wikimedia,” referring to the foundation that runs the Wikipedia sites.
“It is therefore unbelievably reckless and even cynical of Wikipedia,” she said, “to on one hand point out the concerns and dangers voiced by recognized scientists and important professional associations and on the other hand — in the same article — publish the test material along with supposedly ‘expected responses.’ ”
Mike Godwin, the general counsel at Wikimedia, hardly sounded concerned, saying he “had to laugh a bit” at the legal and ethical arguments made in the statement from Hogrefe.
Hogrefe licenses a number of companies in the United States to sell the plates along with interpretative material. One such distributor, Western Psychological Services, sells the plates themselves for $110 and a larger kit for $185. Dr. Heilman, the man who originally posted the material, compared removing the plates to the Chinese government’s attempt to control information about the Tiananmen massacre. That is, it is mainly a dispute about control, he said.
“Restricting information for theoretical concerns is not what we are here to do,” Dr. Heilman said, adding that he was not impressed by the predictions of harm from those who sought to keep the Rorschach plates secret. “Show me the evidence,” he said. “I don’t care what a group of experts says.”
To illustrate his point, Dr. Heilman used the Snellen eye chart, which begins with a big letter E and is readily available on the Wikipedia site.
“If someone had previous knowledge of the eye chart,” he said, “you can go to the car people, and you could recount the chart from memory. You could get into an accident. Should we take it down from Wikipedia?”
And, Dr. Heilman added, “My dad fooled the doctor that way.”

eBayers beware the taxman cometh!

Ottawa demands eBay sellers pay tax
Canada Revenue Agency can now use personal information to determine whether sellers have reported their online income

Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn speaks to reporters at a news conference in Montreal Wedenesday, April 8, 2009.
Ottawa — The Canadian Press
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The federal government says online income is taxable and has warned Internet entrepreneurs who use eBay (EBAY-Q 21.33-0.33-1.52%) and other web-based sales venues that they must pay up or face prosecution.
“Taxpayers should know that the tax laws that apply to traditional commerce apply in the same way to electronic commerce, like eBay selling,” Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said in a statement Thursday.
“I strongly encourage eBay sellers and, for that matter, any taxpayer who has not already done so, to correct their tax affairs as soon as possible to avoid penalties or prosecution.”
The tax agency says it will begin auditing eBay sellers at summer's end after receiving detailed information from the online sales outlet.
The CRA will continue to vigorously enforce the provisions of tax laws to ensure that all Canadians pay their taxes, thus ensuring a level playing field for taxpayers who comply with Canada's tax laws.
In a September 2007 decision, the Federal Court of Canada ordered eBay Canada Inc. to provide the Canada Revenue Agency with the names of its high-volume sellers, their contact information and their sales records.
Noting that its records are kept outside the country by its parent company, eBay appealed the decision. The appeal was rejected in April.
The tax man can now use personal information to determine if the sellers have duly reported their online income.
An sign outside eBay headquarters in San Jose, California

“If the CRA determines that an individual or a business did not comply with the tax laws, the CRA will take any necessary action,” warns the release from Revenue Canada.
“In addition to paying any outstanding taxes plus interest, consequences may include penalties, as well as legal actions that could result in fines and other imposed sanctions.”
Revenue Canada says it will not prosecute or penalize those who voluntarily correct or disclose tax information before an audit or other compliance action is initiated.
The so-called Voluntary Disclosures Program garnered attention when a federal inquiry learned in May that under provisions Revenue Canada has since abandoned, former prime minister Brian Mulroney paid taxes on only half the $225,000 he says he received from German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber.
Mr. Mulroney declared the income six years after he was paid.
The agency says it will begin contacting eBay sellers “to ensure that they have filed all required returns and accurately represented the full scope of their business income.
“ In addition to paying any outstanding taxes plus interest, consequences may include penalties, as well as legal actions that could result in fines and other imposed sanctions.”
“If necessary, it will conduct an in-depth audit to ensure that all taxpayers and businesses pay their taxes,” the agency said Thursday.
“The CRA will continue to vigorously enforce the provisions of tax laws to ensure that all Canadians pay their taxes, thus ensuring a level playing field for taxpayers who comply with Canada's tax laws.”
Canadians spend about $5-billion online a year. EBay is by far the largest electronic marketplace, accounting for about a quarter of total sales. The company says the site was visited by nearly 11 million Canadians last August.
Revenue Canada said in court filings it is targeting people who qualified for eBay's PowerSeller program in 2004 and 2005.
Only top eBay sellers qualify for the program and its benefits, including prioritized customer service, special promotions and sales tips.
Court documents say there are five PowerSeller levels ranging from Bronze, requiring $1,000 a month in sales, to Titanium, requiring sales of more than $150,000 a month.
The company does not release the number of PowerSellers but court files say it keeps detailed computer records on each member.
Revenue Canada defended its actions by arguing in court that it has the power to ensure tax laws are followed and it offered assurance the information will be kept confidential.
“The Canadian income tax system is a self-assessing system,” the agency said in one of its filings. “Its integrity is dependent on the minister's broad power to verify compliance with the Act.”

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Men, do we have a deal on hi-tech knickers for you!

Floating in space, and not worrying about odor or fire damage. (Newscom)
In space, no one can complain about your month-old underwear
By Matthew Shaer
July 30, 2009
At least one space mystery has now been solved.
What kind of underwear do astronauts take up into the great unknown? Hanes? American Apparel? Perhaps something in a more athletic fit, like Body Armor? Try again. According to astronaut Koichi Wakata, who is returning to earth from months at the International Space Station, he’s been sporting a brand new pair of J-Ware briefs. For the last few weeks.
Straight. Without changing.
But don’t worry. These aren’t any ol’ normal kind of underwear. These are high-tech briefs, designed by a team in Japan to be odor-free.
“I haven’t talked about this underwear to my crew members,” Wakata told The Associated Press, reportedly drawing a big laugh from his colleagues. “But I wore them for about a month, and my station crew members never complained for about a month, so I think the experiment went fine.”
Wakata, who is due back on planet Earth on Friday, said the antistatic, flame-retardant underwear made his life in space very comfortable. The J-Wear line is designed by textile experts at the Women’s University in Tokyo, and is said to be made of anti-bacterial, water-absorbent, odor-eliminating material.
“We’ll see the results after landing,” Wakata said.
We change our underwear every day so follow us on Twitter, @CSMHorizonsBlog.

Taser him officer - taser!

Oh yeah hear the one about .....?

Good Day Readers:
Economists are notorious for their lack of humour. Our favorite?
Economist: A recession is when you don't have a belt. A depression is when you don't have a pair of pants.
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORK THERAPY
JULY 29, 2009
Did You Hear the One About the Recession?
Work Therapy columnist Kayleen Schaefer on the right way to use gallows humor at work
By KAYLEEN SCHAEFER

With so much bad news in the workplace, gallows humor is making a comeback.

Even President Obama used it recently. In a March "60 Minutes" interview, he chuckled when discussing the dire state of parts of the economy. "I just want to say that the only thing less popular than putting money into banks is putting money into the auto industry," he said with a laugh, the AP reported.

Interviewer Steve Kroft asked how that laughter might be perceived, given the economy's troubles. "There's got to be a little gallows humor to get you through the day," Mr. Obama said.

It may seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste, to find humor in such dark times. Some co-workers may disprove. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress.

"Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it's not," says James M. Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.

Psychologists say that just because you're laughing doesn't mean you're wasting time. You're actually making yourself—and those around you—better employees. Occasional teasing and banter among colleagues, particularly if it revolves around things associated with the job, can boost creativity, departmental cohesiveness and performance, they say.

"There are a lot of stressors out there," says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist and corporate consultant with the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning in Chicago. "Humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult."

This is as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be motivating people—not mocking them. "Anything that would lift morale in terms of the company would be good humor," says Thierry Guedj, a professor of business and psychology at Boston University. "Before you say or do anything, think about, 'How is this helping my employees' morale?'" Unlike when Michael Scott makes jokes on "The Office" ("He gets people demotivated," Dr. Guedj says), you want to boost the staff's confidence and increase its solidarity.

You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don't make observations that are aggressive, sarcastic or alienating. "Avoid anything that stereotypes people," Dr. Guedj says. Most obviously, he says, don't make comments about people's ethnicity, physical appearance, sexual preference or faith. An easy check for what to do or say in murkier territory: If you have any doubt it's appropriate, don't go through with it.

Or take aim at the one person you know won't be offended: Yourself. "If there's going to be a butt to a joke or story, it should be you," Mr. Dunkelblau says. For example, if you're a marketing manager reviewing a failed campaign you authorized, begin with a line like, "The guy who signed off on this deal might just be looking for work next week." That's gallows-humor gold.

"People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves too," Mr. Jones says. "And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself."

Write to Kayleen Schaefer at worktherapy@wsj.com

Well that's reassuring to know!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

This is your life Gord Timmerman!

Good Day Readers:

Had a request recently from Gord Timmerman to add us to his Facebook page to which we agreed. It's been about 15 years since we've seen him but were always impressed with his technical and mechanical abilities - at that time he was restoring a vintage camero. The fact he now has a renovation/construction company comes as no surprise given his skills set.
For those who remember, This is your life! was a radio and television show from 1952-1961 which aired again on NBC in 1972. Host Ralph Edwards would introduce a guest then read from his "red book" a biography of that person's life. Voices could be heard off stage from those who had played a part like ghosts from the past. Sometimes they were recognized other times not.

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk

P.S. Talk about social networking of another type. Had a telephone message from someone recently we used to work with in Ottawa. Hadn't seen hide nor hair of them in about 28 years.

Bernie, what goes around comes around - eventually!

Madoff: Can't believe fraud lasted so long
Reuters
Published: Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Disgraced Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff leaves U.S. Federal Court after a hearing on March 10, 2009 in New York.
LOS ANGELES -- Bernard Madoff, the financier convicted for Wall Street's biggest investment fraud, was surprised his $65 billion Ponzi scheme was not uncovered sooner, he said in his first interview since entering prison.
Madoff, the disgraced 71-year-old Wall Streeter who drew 150 years' prison time for the fraud, expressed remorse and talked candidly to a pair of lawyers suing him on behalf of investors, according to news reports of their jailhouse meeting on Tuesday.
San Francisco attorneys Joseph Cotchett and Nancy Fineman met with Madoff at the North Carolina prison where he was taken two weeks ago after pleading guilty, the Associated Press and ABC News reported on Tuesday.
"There were several times that I met with the SEC and thought 'they got me,'" Madoff told Cotchett and Fineman, according to abc news.com.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is now conducting an in-depth review of how they missed the fraud, drawing intense criticism. The results of their investigation are expected to be released in weeks.
Cotchett and Fineman represent about a dozen investors who lost money in Madoff's decades-long scheme, an unprecedented global scam for which Madoff eventually pleaded guilty to laundering, securities fraud and perjury.
"It was an extraordinary visit. He was very candid, very open, and answered every one of our questions," Cotchett said of the 4-1/2-hour meeting.
He was "very remorseful" but looked healthy and appeared to be working out, Cotchett told the news outlets.
"I think he's not too happy to be where he is but he's certainly not complaining," said Cotchett, who set up the interview through Madoff's attorneys.
The visiting attorneys said they planned to use what they learned at the meeting in a lawsuit to be filed this week in Manhattan against Madoff and his brother, Peter Madoff, who acted as chief compliance officer, and potentially officers at some of the feeder funds that worked with Madoff, according to the reports.
Madoff said he believed securities investigators had found all the money that could have been recovered, Cotchett said in the news reports.
"But it might be in many different venues, and by that I mean I don't think that Bernie knows where all the money is" because some was paid out to feeder funds, Cotchett said.
Madoff agreed to speak with Cotchett after the lawyer threatened to sue his wife, Ruth, abc news.com reported.
"He cares about Ruth," Cotchett said.

"The shortest allegedly defamatory statement in history?"

Defamation lawsuit for US tweeter
A tenant who used the micro-blogging service Twitter to complain about mould in her Chicago apartment is being sued.
Twitter allows users to post status updates in 140 characters or less
Horizon Group Management filed a lawsuit that has accused Amanda Bonnen of defaming the company with her tweet.
She sent out a message that said, "Who said sleeping in a mouldy apartment was bad for you?
Horizon really thinks it's okay."
The statements are obviously false, and it's our intention to prove that," said Horizon's Jeffrey Michael.
Mr. Michael, whose family has run the company for the last quarter of a century, told the Chicago Sun-Times that while Ms Bonnen recently moved out, he never had a conversation about the post and never asked her to take it down.
"We're a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organisation," Mr. Michael told the paper.
In a press statement the company later apologised for its "tongue in cheek comments" and stated that "no mould was ever found in her (Ms Bonnen's) unit and was one of several that experienced an overnight leak during roof repairs in late March 2009.
"Ultimately, all tenant grievances were quickly and amicably resolved, except Ms Bonnen's," said the statement.
Horizon has claimed the tweet was "published throughout the world" and has severely damaged its good name.
The company's lawsuit is seeking damages of $50,000 (£30,900) for the tweet that was posted in May.
Ms Bonnen, who had just 20 followers on Twitter at the time, has been unavailable to comment on the lawsuit. Her Twitter account has now been deleted.
"Free speech"
The blogosphere has been very vocal about the lawsuit.
Marian Wang of ChicagoNow.com asked "What IS a tweet anyway? Is it really considered publishing? Is it a conversation between friends in a public forum, like the electronic version of a coffee shop, where you can gripe privately but have your gripes overheard?"
The issue of the lawsuit was a major topic of discussion among users
Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog wondered if what Ms Bonnen tweeted was "the shortest allegedly defamatory statement in history?"
"There should be a television game show, we think, in which contestants vie to see who can defame someone, an audience member in fewer words. ("I can defame that man in seven words Alex!")" wrote the Journal's Ashby Jones.
Other bloggers commented that by initiating a lawsuit, Horizon has given the issue the oxygen of publicity.
"If the public didn't read Amanda Bonnen's Twitter feed before, they will now, thanks to a defamation lawsuit brought against her by Horizon Group Management in Chicago," said Meg Marco of the Consumerist.com.
The social media blog Mashable agreed.
"We're pretty sure Horizon Realty lost a lot more than $50,000 from this Twitter backlash," said associate editor Ben Parr.
On Twitter the comments have ranged from "Oh shizzles!! Amanda Bonnen's page got deleted!!
And I was going to follow her" to "I wanna FOLLOW Amanda Bonnen" and from "Twitter is free speech and that should be protected" to "We should donate a dollar to Amanda Bonnen for each tweet on this."

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Making the rounds of Facebook!

Good Day Readers:
Recently we've been contacted by individuals (four) asking to add our name to their Facebook page. The latest is Shawn Liska a Red River College student from a few years ago. Wrote pretty good term research papers as we recall.
Shawn Gitch Liska
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Shaun Gitch Liska added you as a friend on Factbook...
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2009 7:48 pm
To: Clare Lawyence Pieuk pieuk@shaw.ca
Shawn added you as a friend on Facebook. We need to confirm that you know Shawn in order for you to be friends on Facebook.

To confirm this friend request, follow the link below:
Thanks,
The Facebook Team

"Dear loyal subjects, you are all now under arrest!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warden reads the Riot Act to inmates
Night of unrest at Ontario prison cues recitation
Megan O'Toole, National Post
Published: Thursday, July 23, 2009

Before a prison uprising at Ontario's Warkworth Institution was quelled yesterday morning, officials did something that seemed like it belonged in another era. Over the prison's loudspeaker system, at about 6 a.m., as more than 200 inmates refused to return to their cells, the warden read aloud The Riot Act.

"I've been here for 32 years and this is the first time we've had an incident like this," said Ann Anderson, the jail's assistant warden of management services -- nor, she said, has she ever heard the Riot Act invoked in her lengthy career.

The Riot Act, which can be traced back to English statutes, is so dated, and so rarely used, that dozens of law professors across the country contacted yesterday admitted having little or no knowledge of its particulars.

The Act, which is embedded in the Criminal Code under section 67, states: "Her Majesty the Queen charges and commands all persons being assembled immediately to disperse and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business on the pain of being guilty of an offence for which, on conviction, they may be sentenced to imprisonment for life."

The last line is a throwback to Canada's colonial roots: "God save the Queen."

When 12 or more people assemble in a riot, authorities can then read the Riot Act to them.

It says any rioters who fail to disperse within 30 minutes are guilty of an indictable offence and liable to a term of life imprisonment.

That means all 211 prisoners at Warkworth could face life sentences, since none began to disperse until hours after the Act was read over the loudspeaker, Ms. Anderson said, though such sentences are not likely to be imposed.

David Paciocco, with the University of Ottawa's law faculty, noted he has not read the provision "in a long, long time," but said it was incorporated into the Criminal Code when that document was passed for the first time in 1893.

"I'm not suggesting it's never used, but it's not something that's customarily used," Mr. Paciocco said.

The Criminal Code dictates that the Riot Act can either be read word for word, or something "to the like effect."

"All the essential components of the caution have to be included," Mr. Paciocco said -- meaning if a warden wants to leave out the final salute to the Queen, that would not invalidate the proclamation.

The riot left one inmate dead of a suspected drug overdose and sent 13 inmates to hospital, nine of a suspected drug overdose, and four with unrelated medical conditions.

The reason for the spontaneous uprising at Warkworth remained a mystery yesterday as prison officials confirmed the inmates had not made any demands, nor had they attempted to escape the prison's perimeter.

Asinine indeed!

The Public Eye has left a new comment on your post, "I didn't do it - please no wet towel and black rubber hose!"

The source of this photo I'm going to leave to you and your resourceful readers. Partly because I value independent thought, partly because I am not sure myself (this picture is the one that consistently came up on repeated Google searches).

As for the broader metaphor in the choice of this photo - and there is one, one that makes this ideal for your involvement in this asinine lawsuit - I do have my own thoughts, however, but won't share them at this time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Truth To Power

Dear Public Eye:

Thank you for writing with the explanation. We couldn't agree with you more in describing the taxpayer funded Manitoba Metis Federation's lawsuit against the now defunct www.CyberSmokeSignals.com as "asinine." What an incredible waste of good public money at a time when our province's Metis citizens need more and better social programs.

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk

Thought your iPhone was secure? Think again!




Jonathon Zdziarski, an iPhone developer who teaches courses on recoverning data from mobile devices, says even the latest iPhone software is surprisingly vulnerable to remote attacks (Newscom)

Video: How long would it take a hacker to extract data from your iPhone?
By Matthew Shaer | July 24, 2009

Depends on who you ask.

Apple, for instance, has touted its best-selling mobile phone as exceptionally secure. The device comes equipped with password protection software, and users can turn on a “Find MyiPhone” tool, in case the handset is ever lost. At the 26th Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple even unveiled an emergency feature that can remotely delete data from the phone.

But one prominent hacker has announced that he could crack open an iPhone in under two minutes, using only a few bits of freeware downloaded from the Web. According to Wired, Jonathan Zdziarski, an iPhone developer who teaches courses on recovering data from mobile devices, says even the latest iPhone software is surprisingly vulnerable to remote attacks.

“It is kind of like storing all your secret messages right next to the secret decoder ring,” Zdziarski told Wired’s Brian X. Chen. “I don’t think any of us [developers] have ever seen encryption implemented so poorly before, which is why it’s hard to describe why it’s such a big threat to security.”

Zdziarski’s comments come not long after Apple unveiled a campaign pushing the iPhone as an solid choice for businesses. “With secure access to corporate networks, thousands of third-party business applications, and an enterprise developer program for in-house apps, iPhone 3GS is ready to go to work,” reads an advertisement on Apple’s homepage.

Apple has yet to release a statement on Zdziarski’s allegations. Still, many critics voiced dismay that the iPhone could apparently be cracked open so quickly.

“[I]f I had my powerpoints and investors’ balance sheets on a device proven to have a, shall we say, porous perimeter, I’d reassess — not that I’d ever keep my critical information on any current phone, with the possible exception of the President’s,” Devin Coldewey wrote on CrunchGear.

This is not the first time a hacker has claimed to have hacked into an iPhone. Speaking at the SyScan Conference in Singapore earlier this month, Charlie Miller said a coding loophole made it possible for attackers to remotely install and run unsigned software on the iPhone.

Want to see how it’s done? In the video above, Zdziarski breaks past the iPhone’s security controls.

Got an iPhone? Talk to us here or on Twitter@CSMHorizonsBlog.

Vote for Dolly Buster everyone!

Porn star suffers from electoral dysfunction
Published: 24 July 2009

The former porn star known as Dolly Buster is asking the German city of Wesel not to vote for her this week after accidentally registering as a candidate for upcoming city council elections.

The 39-year-old, whose given name is Nora Baumberger, was informed of her candidacy while driving through a rain storm on the autobahn on Thursday.

When she received the news, Baumberger said she “almost drove into the guard rail from shock.”

“I’ve been nominated by a group whose name I’ve never even heard of,” she said, adding that the scandal could ruin her reputation after spending several years trying to establish herself as a serious artist. “I’m really irritated,” she added.

On Thursday Baumberger’s name appeared on Wesel’s online candidate list, run by a local independent voting alliance called the UWW, as a candidate for the Obrighoven-Lackhausen district. Her husband and porn producer Dino Baumberger was also listed as a city council candidate in the area near Düsseldorf.

The pair apparently had a misunderstanding with the head of the UWW, Baumberger’s husband said.

“She told me that the UWW needed members. I wanted to do her a favour,” he said, adding that he and his wife had unwittingly signed a form that was actually an application for candidacy.

“That was dumb,” his wife said.

Despite running for a European Union parliament seat in 2004, the Czech-born erotic star said she tried to withdraw their candidacy. The city told her withdrawal is no longer allowed.

“I wouldn’t vote for me, I don’t stand for their policies,” she said, adding that the UWW couldn’t be a serious party if they’ve misused famous people’s names.

UWW spokesperson Jürgen Oelmüller said that the situation was a misunderstanding, saying the group asked family and friends to run for local positions to get their party into all of the voting districts. The Baumbergers were not on this list, he said.

Nora Baumberger needs a majority vote to gain a council seat for her district, something she said she doubts will occur.

“The people should just not vote for me!” she said.

After retiring from porn films, Baumberger made a name for herself working as a producer, director, actress, author and painter.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

"Look everybody I'm on camera while robbing this store!"

Police: Attempted holdup broadcast over store intercom
July 25, 2009
By Gregg Morrison
Police say the suspect had a gun concealed in a folded newspaper.
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- A clerk's quick flip of a switch foiled a robbery Friday at an Office Depot store in downtown Chicago, police say.

A man wearing a light blue button-down shirt and dark slacks entered the store carrying a gun concealed in a folded newspaper, police said.

He approached one of the store's cash registers and demanded the contents of the safe, police said. The clerk refused but immediately turned on the public address system so that other customers could hear what was going on.

Hearing his threat broadcast throughout the store, the man fled.

He later robbed a nearby Fannie May candy store at gunpoint, police said, and fled that store in a white taxi. Authorities said the robber, a man between ages 30 and 40, was still at large.

No injuries were reported in either robbery.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Photograph of the day!

BlackBerry use is welcome in the White House but forget about Twitter. (Robert Trippett/Rapport Syndication)

What no twitter at the White House?


Here's the video courtesy of YouTube and CSPAN:


In Obama’s White House, Twitter is banned
By Matthew Shaer July 24, 2009

“They’re going to have to pry it from my hands.” That was President Barack Obama, back in January, waxing poetic on his BlackBerry. But apparently not all tech fads are created equal.

Today, Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, revealed that Twitter, the popular social networking site, is blocked on all White House computers. “I’m on camera enough that people have a decent sense of what I’m doing minus Twitter,” Gibbs told CSPAN.

Fair enough. But if it’s true that Twitter is banned in the White House, then who is operating the official White House Twitter feed? Conspiracy theorists, begin theorizing.

Don't worry, we're still on Twitter, @CSMHorizonsBlog

Facebook in reverse - small world!

Good Day Readers:

We received the following e-mail from Judith Cameron and, of course, immediately gave our permission to add us to her Facebook page. You don't say no to people of this calibre!

Although we've never met the lady we hold her in very high regard. While associated with the now defunct www.CyberSmokeSignals.com a few years ago, we received an anonymous e-mail from one of Judith's clients at the Riverton, Manitoba Indian & Metis Friendship Centre praising her for the superb work she was doing.

For a longtime she has been very active as a community volunteer being one of a handfull recognized by Premier Doer for her outstanding contribution. To Judith we say, "Thank you and keep up the great work!"

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Judith Cameron added you as a friend on Facebook...
From:
Facebook <
notification+heddg1i1@facebookmail.com>
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2009 9:30 pm
To:
Clare Lawrence Pieuk ,pieuk@shaw.ca>

Judith added you as a friend on Facebook. We need to confirm that you know Judith in order for you to be friends on Facebook.

To confirm this friend request, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?reqs.php&mid=d30bd6G3224d1d5G23db9cbG2

Thanks,
The Facebook Team
__________________________________________________
This message was intended for pieuk@shaw.ca. Want to control which emails you receive from Facebook? Go to:

http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?notifications&md=ZnJpZW5kO2Zyb209NzI3MzkxOT
cwO3RvPTg0MTI3MzgxMw
==&mid=d30bd6G3224d1d5G23db9cbG2

Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304

Friday, July 24, 2009

"I didn't do it - please no wet towel and black rubber hose!"

Good Day Readers:
The Public Eye has posted the following item on their site. We'd like to assure you we're not the blindfolded individual being interrogated in the photograph nor do we recognize the other two "gentleman." However, they do not appear to be Manitoba Metis Federation President David Chartrand
or longtime MMF taxpayer financed minimum $250 hourly lawyer Murray Norman Trachtenberg.
www.ptlaw.mb.ca
TPE has done it to us again with another of their metaphoric photographs. Anyone recognize the individuals in the picture and the name of the movie? Please don't leave us hanging like this Public Eye!
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 July 2009
Manitoba Lawyer Murray Trachtenberg and "MMF et al"

POSNER & TRACHTENBERG
Barristers, Solicitors & Notaries Public
710-491 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E4
Fax: (204) 944-8878

Gerald S. Posner
Manitoba & Ontario Bars

Murray N. Trachtenberg, B.A., LL.B.
_____________________________
Direct Line: (204) 940-9602
e-mail: mtrachtenberg@ptlaw.mb.ca

May 1, 2006

Mr. Clare L. Pieuk
2 - 371 Des Meurons Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2H 2N6

Dear Mr. Pieuk:

Re: MMF et al vs. Clare L. Pieuk et al
Queen's Bench File No. CI 05-01-41955

My File No. 2003-20

This is further to our attendance this morning before Madam Justice McCawley and in accordance with the order she has pronounced. She has directed that you and Mr. Belhumeur identify the name or names of any individual who provided you with copies of any internal documents of the various corporations listed in the Amended Notice of Motion including but not limited to the Manitoba Metis Federation Inc.

She has also ordered that you provide those names forthwith.

At the conclusion of this mornings hearing, I asked you when you were going to be able to comply with that part of the order. You did not give me a definitive answer.

This will constitute a further request that you comply with the order and provide me with those names forthwith.

Yours truly,
MURRAY N. TRACHTENBERG
MNT/lec
_______________________________
An Association of Independent Lawyers

"What are you doing?"

Nooner has left a new comment on your post, "Twitter: word-of-mouth on steroids!"

That's really the tops!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Nooner:
Thank you for writing. The posting to which you're referring was a recent article which appeared in the New York Times. It concerned a small businessman in San Franscisco who was able to use his Twitter account to reach 5,400 followers to tell them the location of his intinerant creme brulee cart and flavours of the day.
From the simple question, "What are you doing?" has emerged practical applications in business, science and medicine new uses for which are literally being discovered every day.
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk

"But My Lady I'm innocent because ....." - Zap!

Nice legs mayor!

Twitter: word-of-mouth on steroids!

Mom-and-Pop Operators Turn to Social Media
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER
Published: July 22, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — Three weeks after Curtis Kimball opened his crème brûlée cart in San Francisco, he noticed a stranger among the friends in line for his desserts. How had the man discovered the cart? He had read about it on Twitter.
Curtis Kimball, owner of a crème brûlée cart in San Francisco, uses Twitter to drive his customers to his changing location. (Peter DaSilva for The New York Times)

For Mr. Kimball, who conceded that he “hadn’t really understood the purpose of Twitter,” the beauty of digital word-of-mouth marketing was immediately clear. He signed up for an account and has more than 5,400 followers who wait for him to post the current location of his itinerant cart and list the flavors of the day, like lavender and orange creamsicle.

“I would love to say that I just had a really good idea and strategy, but Twitter has been pretty essential to my success,” he said. He has quit his day job as a carpenter to keep up with the demand.

Much has been made of how big companies like Dell, Starbucks and Comcast use Twitter to promote their products and answer customers’ questions. But today, small businesses outnumber the big ones on the free microblogging service, and in many ways, Twitter is an even more useful tool for them.

For many mom-and-pop shops with no ad budget, Twitter has become their sole means of marketing. It is far easier to set up and update a Twitter account than to maintain a Web page. And because small-business owners tend to work at the cash register, not in a cubicle in the marketing department, Twitter’s intimacy suits them well.

“We think of these social media tools as being in the realm of the sophisticated, multiplatform marketers like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, but a lot of these supersmall businesses are gravitating toward them because they are accessible, free and very simple,” said Greg Sterling, an analyst who studies the Internet’s influence on shopping and local businesses.

Small businesses typically get more than half of their customers through word of mouth, he said, and Twitter is the digital manifestation of that. Twitter users broadcast messages of up to 140 characters in length, and the culture of the service encourages people to spread news to friends in their own network.

Umi, a sushi restaurant in San Francisco, sometimes gets five new customers a night who learned about it on Twitter, said Shamus Booth, a co-owner.

He twitters about the fresh fish of the night — “The O-Toro (bluefin tuna belly) tonight is some of the most rich and buttery tuna I’ve had,” he recently wrote — and offers free seaweed salads to people who mention Twitter.

Twitter is not just for businesses that want to lure customers with mouth-watering descriptions of food. For Cynthia Sutton-Stolle, the co-owner of Silver Barn Antiques in tiny Columbus, Tex., Twitter has been a way to find both suppliers and customers nationwide.

Since she joined Twitter in February, she has connected with people making lamps and candles that she subsequently ordered for her shop and has sold a few thousand dollars of merchandise to people outside Columbus, including to a woman in New Jersey shopping for graduation gifts.

“We don’t even have our Web site done, and we weren’t even trying to start an e-commerce business,” Ms. Sutton-Stolle said. “Twitter has been a real valuable tool because it’s made us national instead of a little-bitty store in a little-bitty town.”

Scott Seaman of Blowing Rock, N.C., also uses Twitter to expand his customer base beyond his town of about 1,500 residents. Mr. Seaman is a partner at Christopher’s Wine and Cheese shop and owns a bed and breakfast in town. He sets up searches on TweetDeck, a Web application that helps people manage their Twitter messages, to start conversations with people talking about his town or the mountain nearby. One person he met on Twitter booked a room at his inn, and a woman in Dallas ordered sake from his shop.

The extra traffic has come despite his rarely pitching his own businesses on Twitter. “To me, that’s a turn-off,” he said. Instead of marketing to customers, small-business owners should use the same persona they have offline, he advised. “Be the small shopkeeper down the street that everyone knows by name.”

Chris Mann, the owner of Woodhouse Day Spa in Cincinnati, twitters about discounts for massages and manicures every Tuesday. Twitter beats e-mail promotions because he can send tweets from his phone in a meeting and “every single business sends out an e-mail,” he said.

Even if a shop’s customers are not on Twitter, the service can be useful for entrepreneurs, said Becky McCray, who runs a liquor store and cattle ranch in Oklahoma and publishes a blog called Small Biz Survival.

In towns like hers, with only 5,000 people, small-business owners can feel isolated, she said. But on Twitter, she has learned business tax tips from an accountant, marketing tips from a consultant in Tennessee and start-up tips from the founder of several tech companies.

Anamitra Banerji, who manages commercial products at Twitter, said that when he joined the company from Yahoo in March, “I thought this was a place where large businesses were. What I’m finding more and more, to my surprise every single day, is business of all kinds.”

Twitter, which does not yet make money, is now concentrating on teaching businesses how they can join and use it, Mr. Banerji said, and the company plans to publish case studies. He is also developing products that Twitter can sell to businesses of all sizes this year, including features to verify businesses’ accounts and analyze traffic to their Twitter profiles.

According to Mr. Banerji, small-business owners like Twitter because they can talk directly to customers in a way that they were able to do only in person before. “We’re finding the emotional distance between businesses and their customers is shortening quite a bit,” he said.