Warm Winter: No Ice in the Baltic Sea

Normally, the Baltic is Frozen this time of year

Normally this time of year, the northern section of the Baltic Sea (the Gulf of Bothnia) and the Gulf of Finland have a lot of ice cover, similar to the above, if not completely covered.

This year, both bodies of water are almost completely ice-free.

Meanwhile, last year it was Hudson Bay in northern Canada that was near ice-free until much later in winter than usual. This year, Hudson Bay is close to normal.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Rio Tinto Alcan Locks Out 800 Workers in Quebec

It seems that corporate tax cuts do not go a long way to slake the thirst of profit loving foreign owned corporations.

For example, the news that Rio Tinto Alcan has locked out 800 workers in Quebec. 

Maybe something you could get away with at some point, like 3 years ago when they shut down the Beauharnois plant that was using outdated technology, and the price of aluminum had dropped by half. (RTA is continuing to make efforts to assist the Beauharnois region to transition to potential new economic drivers)

But considering that Rio Tinto made $14+ bil in 2010...

and the occupy movement has helped people understand just how vastly disproportionate the earnings of the wealthy are to their contributions

and Quebecers voted for a guy who tragically died in the last federal election

and Harper's gloriously generous corporate tax cuts have only served to foster greater corporate greed

and (last but definitely not least) the Habs are really stinking out the joint...

I do not like Rio Tinto Alcan's chances of coming out of this smelling like a rose... despite any of Steve Harper's best efforts to sell out his fellow Canadians

More likely - they will be smelling like a smelter