In the News

Canada, France and Scotland have all been covered in the news here on the same day. First off though, a few days ago they mentioned we had a new Governor-General in Canada. Wow, they know more here than in Red Deer, Alberta. Secondly, Canada makes it in the news when there is any sporting event of note, i.e. Men's and Women's Rogers Cup Tennis, Formula One, World Aquatic Championships etc. But here is a sampling of the headlines a couple of days ago: "Global Impact of Bird Flu Could Be Disastrous", "Royal Bank of Scotland Buys Stake in Bank of China", "Woman Slits Throat of French Priest". The first story is from a Bank of Montreal Nesbitt Burns report assessing the potential worldwide catastrophe (worse than SARS and outpacing 1919) if Bird Flu continues to pick up speed. The Royal Bank of S is one of the world's largest apparently and is looking for a piece of the action in this hot economy. The priest assassinated in France by a mentally ill Romanian was founder of Taize. I believe I saw Frere Roger many moons ago when I was there. Also in the news (getting under George Bush's skin perhaps) are the ongoing joint military exercises between Russia and China. I'm heading to the seaside in Shandong where they are taking place to-morrow. Now, if only we could find a nice secluded beach like Omaha or Juno or..... (get the picture)?