NATO Secretary General with the Prime Minister of Latvia 🇱🇻 Evika Siliņa...27 SEP 2023

NATO Secretary General with the Prime Minister of Canada 🇨🇦 Justin Trudeau 26 AUG 2022

Jan Lisiecki – Chopin: Nocturne Op. 62, No. 2 in E major 'Lento' - Meistersaal,Berlin

Ukraine:Ecumencial Patriarchate Delegation Meets with President Poroshenko,Delivers Letter

A delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople met with President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine in Kiev on 27 July 2018.The delegation was attending the 1030th anniversary celebrations of the baptism of Kievan Rus,ancient predecessor of the modern Ukrainian state,in 988.Representing the First Holy See of the Orthodox Church were His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France;His Eminence Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon and the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (Ecumenical Patriarchate);and His Grace Bishop Ilarion of Edmonton and the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (Ecumenical Patriarchate).
At the meeting,Bishop Ilarion read a letter from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to President Poroshenko,in which the Patriarch stated:
Recognising the high responsibility of the First Holy See Church of Constantinople,which never ceased,and did not reconcile to illegal and non-canonical situations that shocked the natural functioning of the Orthodox Church - during these crucial times,it took the initiative to restore the unity of the Orthodox believers of Ukraine,with the ultimate goal of granting autocephaly (independence) to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.*
By way of context,His All-Holiness recalled:
The newly baptised nation came under the spiritual guidance,unrestrained care and church cover of the Church of Constantinople through the creation of the Metropolis of Kiyiv and All Rus,which became the 60th Metropolis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.*
For his part,President Poroshenko noted that:
This is an historical moment for Ukraine and the Ukrainian Church,to return to the fold of the Mother Church.*
Additionally,Metropolitan Emmanuel made a strong statement of support for autocephaly:
We are proud to be here today to celebrate this anniversary,which is at a very important moment,since the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has paved the way for a new era.The Mother Church already passed the ruling on April 20 of this year - namely,to begin the procedure for achieving the ultimate goal:to provide autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.*
The Ecumenical Patriarchate cannot remain blind and deaf to the appeals that have been repeated for more than a quarter of a century.Sons of the Ukrainian Church and its leaders have the right to their place among the Churches.*
We are sure that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is on your side.You will not be orphaned,because the Mother Church will find a way to become involved in your progress,your success,your growth in the faith of Christ.*
Analysis:It could not be plainer that autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is desired by the Ecumenical Patriarchate,yet the timing remains a complete mystery.Many observers thought this anniversary would be the occasion for the issuance of a tomos of autocephaly.

Air Sovereignty in High Arctic Tested by US,Canadian Forces in NORAD Exercise

The Canadian Armed Forces and US Air National Guard are deploying and conducting air sovereignty operations in the far north and high Arctic during NORAD Exercise VIGILANT SHIELD 17,the bi-national organisation says.This is to demonstrate their joint capacity to detect,identify and meet possible threats in some of the Earth's most austere regions.Aircraft and personnel from the two countries will operate and support each other successfully at multiple forward operating locations,a key goal of VIGILANT SHIELD 17,according to Major Tristan McKee,Canadian Detachment Commander in Yellowknife,Northwest Territories.*
Those deployed to Yellowknife,NT are the F-15 Eagles and personnel of 142nd Fighter Wing,US Air National Guard,Portland,Oregon,with Canadian personnel and equipment primarily from 4 Wing Cold Lake,Alberta.The annual drills are a forum for NORAD to practice deploying to a variety of locations across vast distances,yet still support and achieve a complex set of missions and objectives.Other locations of the exercise include 5 Wing Goose Bay,Inuvik,Northwest Territories and Canadian Forces Station Alert,Nunavut.VIGILANT SHIELD 17 runs from 17-21 October 2016.*
Among the deployed assets in the drills are:CF-18 Hornet;CH-149 Cormorant;CC-130H Hercules;F-15 Eagle;F-22 Raptor;E-3 Sentry;KC-135 (USAF) Stratotanker with hundreds of maintainers and other aviation support personnel,as well as Canadian Army security forces.*
NORAD,the North American Aerospace Defense Command,is the bi-national command providing aerospace warning;aerospace control;and maritime warning in defence of North America.

Not Reluctant,but Surprised:Canadians Must Lead a Battalion on NATO's Eastern Flank

Canadian soldiers find themselves among the leaders of the defence of NATO's Eastern Flank in the Baltic States and Poland,the Canadian Broadcasting Corportion revealed.Instead of playing a supportive role perhaps more in line with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's aspirations,Canada will now be dispatching at least 450 troops to Latvia next year to head one of NATO's four Framework Battalions agreed at the Alliance's recent Warsaw Summit.In addition to providing its own troops,Canada must also ensure there are enough personnel from other member countries to fill out the rest of the billets.When France bowed out of the leadership role because of heavy commitments of its forces to the domestic Operation Sentinelle against Islamist extremists,the US and UK urged Canada to take the lead in protecting Latvia.The US,UK and Germany are the other three nations that will provide Framework Battalions in the region:the US in Poland;the UK in Estonia;and Germany in Lithuania.The four battalions will amount to about 4,000 soldiers-or one brigade.After 6-9 months of service,other NATO members will assume the battalion leadership roles.*
France said it would provide 4300 troops for NATO service this year,but wanted out of the leadership role because of the strain domestic terrorism and other commitments were having on its military.Italy,Slovakia,Croatia,Poland and a Spanish-Portuguese unit are being mentioned as possibilities for Canada to draw upon to fill out its battalion.The four battalions express a doctrine known as Forward Enhanced Presence devised by NATO military planners upon request.It's new;it's groundbreaking,said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of Norway.It's a defensive,proportionate response to Russia illegally annexing Crimea from Ukraine.The battalions will last as long as necessary.Russia has invested heavily and modernised its forces;it has even used its forces to interfere with the sovereignty of another country,Ukraine.The battalions are only one element of the FEP strategy;there is also the ability to reinforce NATO forces that is being developed through new headquarters,infrastructure,storage of equipment and supplies,Mr.Stoltenberg pointed out.Our military planners have also been asked to devise plans to increase our Black Sea region presence near Romania and Bulgaria in the air and at sea to complement the new Romainan-Bulgarian brigade that is being formed on land.*
Another key element of the new FEP strategy is the US quadrupling its expenditure in Europe by providing a second armoured brigade combat team of about 5,000 continuously rotated troops in addition to the brigade it already maintains.What is more,it is providing a set of equipment for a third armoured brigade which NATO forces can draw upon in a crisis.*
Canada's members of Parliament are asking who is joining their battalion;what equipment they will bring;and what the plan is in the event of a crisis,the CBC reported.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Acquires Rite Aid To Form Drug Store Colossus

Walgreens Boots Alliance has purchased Rite Aid for 9.4 billion dollars.Walgreens,which has more than 13,200 stores in the US,Canada,UK and eight other countries,will absorb Rite-Aid's approximately 4600 stores in 31 states,for a total of some 17,800 drug stores.The merger is the latest chapter in a trend within the health care sector,spurred on by Obamacare,to cut costs by combining operations and gaining bargaining power with drug companies and insurers by increasing size.Rival CVS Caremark has more than 7800 stores.*
Walgreens does business in the US under the Walgreens and Duane Reede names,and under the Boots name outside the US.The company's CEO is Italian Stefano Pessina,who was the executive chairman at Alliance Boots GmbH before it merged with Walgreens.
Rite Aid stores will initially continue under the Rite Aid name.Anti-trust regulators in the US could possibly require the divestment of some Walgreens assets,as there will only be two competitors of any size post-merger.*
The merged company will have 41% of US market share versus 58% for CVS.*
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA),Rite Aid Corp (RAD)

Bombardier's New Aircraft On Track

Bombardier say its CSeries CS100 aircraft will be certified by year end,despite a lack of firm order flow so far this year.The Montreal-based transport manufacturer remains fully committed to the new plane.Vice President of Business Acquisition Ross Mitchell said they were in discussions with potential European customers and the first CS100 is on track for delivery to Swiss Air International in the first half of 2016.
The CS100 is one of a new line of narrow body twin engine airliners.The jet is designed to compete with the Airbus A320 family;the Boeing 737 series;and Embraer's 190 series,among others.Test flights began on 16 September 2013.*
The CS100 features a 2-2,2-2 seating arrangement-meaning no middle seats;larger windows;more overhead luggage bin volume;and wider aisles than the other narrow bodies.Its 70% advanced materials proportion,including composites and titanium/aluminium,will give the aircraft a 15% lower seat mile cost and lower maintenance costs,Bombardier points out.*
Bombardier Inc A(BDRAF):NASDAQ,(BBD/B):TO

Canada Repeats Bobsled Gold;Ligety Lands Giant Slalom

Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyes became the first females to repeat a bobsled gold at the Winter Olympics,beating Americans Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams by a 10 second margin Wednesday at the Sochi Games.Fellow Americans Jamie Greubel and Aja Evans took the bronze.
Lauryn Williams became the fifth person to medal at both the Summer and Winter Olympics with their silver.She had previously won silver in the 100 meter sprint at Athens 2004 and gold for the 400 meter relay at London 2012.She and Meyers led through the first three bobsled heats,but Meyers' driving mistakes cost them the gold as Canada-1 surged past them in the final heat.*
In alpine skiing,Ted Ligety became the first American to win two golds in alpine with his sweeping arcs down through the soft snow of the Caucasus Mountains.Two Frenchmen,Steve Missillier and Alexis Pinturault,took the silver and bronze medals,respectively.
I was able to lay it on the line and ski the way I know I can ski,Ligety said.He admitted he would be a dark horse for Saturday's slalom race,the final alpine event of the Sochi Games,which end on Sunday.*
The US moved into first place in the medals count with 23,while Russia and the Netherlands are tied for second with 22,and Canada is in third with 18.Germany has the most gold medals(8).

Scotiabank's Asia-Pacific Presence

Scotiabank has been in the Asia-Pacific for 50 years,according to Rod Reynolds,President of Asia-Pacific and Middle East for Scotiabank.We have been in China for 30 years and have three branches there.We are focused on organic growth, but have a 19% stake in the Bank of Xi'an,as well as a stake in China Everbright bank.We are really encouraged by reforms that will increase the opportunity for Chinese companies to grow.We are well-positioned in China.
The company also has a Bank of Beijing/Scotia Asset Management joint venture.*
The ASEAN countries are a particular focus for us:Singapore,Malaysia,Vietnam and Thailand.All of our 700 Thai branches are open despite the recent unrest.We have an active business continuity plan in place.We have a very diverse asset list in Thailand.The country's been remarkably resilient to such events.We are growing rapidly in Thailand,at a rate of 20% per annum.
Thai protestors have been blockading intersections in Bangkok,demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and an unelected council to oversee reforms.*
Scotiabank,the largest overseas bank in Canada,is now focused on integrating the acquisitions we made during the global financial crisis,but open to opportunities that may arise,Mr.Reynolds said.
Scotiabank(BNS)

Voices and Trends in International Business-July 31,2013

Moving boxes and branded food boxes are in demand,said John Faraci,CEO of International Paper.In China,our export customers are weak.Our domestic business there is strong as the middle class expands.*What we really look for in a company is investor interest and the overall quality of the company,said Candace Browning,research director at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch.Investors jump from one theme to another fairly quickly.The current themes are 1.the move from fixed income to equities 2.Europe is coming back.So much of the innovation we produce is from immigrants.We are innovation nation,and we don't talk about it enough or look for it enough in research.*I'm raising my price target on Amazon,said CNBC analyst Jim Cramer.They're talking world domination.I swear by Amazon.I love the product;I want to own the stock.If you want to buy Spain,you have to spend some money-referring to the fact that Amazon missed its earnings estimate on rising expenses,the expense of broadening their overseas business.*Canada's Hudson's Bay Company is now buying American luxury retailer Saks,Inc for about 2.4 billion dollars.They had previously purchased upscale US department store chain Lord&Taylor.*Peugeot,the second largest automaker in Europe,reported a narrower than expected loss on cost cuts.*International Paper(IP);Amazon Inc(AMZN);Hudson's Bay Company(TSX:HUD)

Greek and Canadian Business Notes

We have some challenges ahead of us,admits Kostis Hadzidakis,Development Minister of Greece.We know that we have to surprise in a positive way.We have to succeed.There is no alternative.
We want to change the business environment.Greece has to become a business-friendly country.We are about to vote on a law providing a single licensing authority.We are cooperating with the OECD as regards competition in the Greek market.
Because of the crisis,Greece had a very negative image over the past years.We believe that we can see some light at the end of the tunnel.Now we are privatising the natural gas company.We know we must focus our effort on this:to deliver.
EU Commission President Manuel Barroso has praised Greece for showing a strong commitment to financial reform.
Air Canada is planning an Asian expansion.It will spend two billion dollars on new aircraft to accomplish this goal.At the same time,Goldman Sachs has raised Research In Motion to a buy rating ahead of the release of some new devices.
Air Canada(TSX:AC/A),Research In Motion(RIMM)

Canadian GDP Declines

Canada's Gross Domestic Product for Q4 2008 registered a drop of 3.4%.It was the greatest decline since 1991.The estimate for Q4 GDP had been a 3-4% drop.Canada fared better than the U.S. and Japan,where the GDP fell 6.2 and 12.7%,respectively.In response to economic rumblings,the Bank of Canada has cut its key interest rate to 0.5%.The U.S. Federal Reserve had earlier cut its main rate to a very low 0-0.25%.Bell Canada is finding opportunity in the financial crisis.It has acquired the Canadian operations of U.S.-based Circuit City,an electronics retailer which filed for bankruptcy in November 2008.The deal is expected to close in Q3 2009,but the terms were not disclosed.

Nature Note:Fox Sparrow

A fox sparrow has been visiting the property lately,scratching for seed.This bird is a boreal breeder,a native of the Great North Woods,which has come south for the winter.It is most likely from Northern Quebec or New Brunswick.They also breed from Alaska to Southern California-presumably in the mountains.Fox sparrows are heavily streaked with reddish brown and gray.At up to 7.5 inches,or 19.05 centimeters,it is one of the largest of sparrows.The dark-eyed juncos,or snowbirds,have also checked in.They could be from any of a number of places above the Mason-Dixon Line.These birds herald the arrival of markedly colder weather this weekend.

Nature Note:Northern Wind

Canadian wind swept in overnight,making me shiver for the first time since April.It left limbs and branches strewn over the property,a gift of many little chores that have to be dealt with along with falling leaves in a few weeks' time.Actually,a lot of the leaves will blow off this windy place.I will pile the rest in designated areas to decompose.By next autumn,they will pretty much have disintegrated.Earthworms will digest a lot of them.If I left the leaves on top of the grass,the grass would die.I just put down more Canadian grass seed:creeping boreal red fescue and enchanted perennial rye grass,which must be quite at home in this blustery chill.

Business-Jet Orders May Decline

Canadian manufacturer Bombardier may be getting fewer orders for business-jets.The Montreal firm said industry-wide orders,except for very light jets,are expected to slow to around 1,000 in 2009,from 1400 this year.Bombardier makes Learjet,Global Express and Challenger corporate jets.It has an overall aircraft backlog of 26.1 billion dollars to shore up earnings during the financial crisis.The company will reshuffle its order book to permit customers who want jets sooner to pay in full.Others will have more time to arrange financing.Bombardier also manufactures rail cars.

Nature Note:Morning Thunder

Yesterday began with thunder and lightning.For the first time in many years,I had to stay indoors instead of tending the property.It was just too hazardous to go out in those conditions.A strong cold front was pushing down from Canada.Twenty-four hours later,it was still interacting with warmer air,causing low,dark clouds.Indeed,it may be unsettled for several days.This is a real clash of seasons,and we are bystanders leaning on our rakes.

Nature Note:Cool Pattern

The Canadian air is back.I can leave the air conditioner off,saving on the electric bill.I am wondering if this pattern will persist into fall and winter.Regular surges of Canadian air would cause a cold winter.Of course,that would mean a higher natural gas bill.Last winter,we only got 15.3 inches of snow-or about 39 centimeters.The day is refreshing,but the economics of weather are not forgotten in its relaxation.

Nature Note:Tropical Flow

The Canadian weather has moved on.Now we are getting a tropical flow.It's too early for it,but maybe we will have a cool July.Nature always reaches a balance.If there is an extreme,she will go to the other extreme to restore equilibrium.Speaking of tropical things,a parrot or parakeet visited me yesterday.It was perching and calling on my roof.Perhaps someone couldn't afford to feed it anymore and set it free.I looked for the bright green bird today,but couldn't locate it.

Nature Note:A Bluebird is Singing

Yesterday was hot and humid,but this morning I went out to prepare for mowing and the contrast was remarkable.Canadian high pressure had moved in overnight.The cool,clear weather will make my chore a lot more pleasant.Unfortunately,this will not last very long.Such days will be scarce here until autumn.A bluebird is singing about this blessing of a day.