Japan and Canada combine efforts to research new energy source

Source:Edmonton Journal - November 15, 2010

'Fiery ice' may ignite new energy source

'Clean' hydrate gas could reduce emissions, analysts say

By Margaret Munro, Postmedia News

For the Japanese, drilling down through Arctic permafrost to get at "fiery ice" was much less daunting than boring into the deep sea.

They came up with $48 million -- with $3 million from Canada -- for an epic experiment in the Northwest Territories that has generated tantalizing evidence, to be detailed in Tokyo this week, that frozen gas hydrates may live up to their billing as a plentiful new energy source.

The Canadian and Japanese team will describe how they got the hydrates to release gas, like bubbles out of champagne. In a world first, the team got a production well to generate a steady flow of gas for six days, fuelling a flame in the Arctic darkness.

"The message is quite clear, you can produce gas hydrates using conventional techniques," says Scott Dallimore, a senior scientist at Natural Resources Canada, who co-led the project in the Mackenzie Delta. Over two winters, the researchers drilled down more than a kilometre into a 150-metre thick layer on the edge of the Beaufort Sea at Mallik -- the most concentrated known deposit of the frozen fuel in the world.


For the complete article please see it at the Edmonton Journal

FTA progress between Japan and Canada!

Japan offers to "positively consider" bilateral free trade with Canada and requests Ontario to open its solar power generation market.

Source: Japan Today - November 11th 2010

Japan with U.S. on rare earths, positive on free trade with Canada
Thursday 11th November, 07:56 AM JST

YOKOHAMA —
Japan reaffirmed its bond with the United States in dealing with China’s rare earth export curbs, while showing a positive stance toward Canada over a free trade agreement in respective bilateral talks Wednesday.

Trade minister Akihiro Ohata discussed the rare earth issue with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Yokohama in the evening, and then met with his Canadian counterpart Peter Van Loan.

As Steinberg said that both countries had learned lessons from the Chinese curbs as an issue in common, Ohata proposed that the two countries exchange opinions and cooperate over such countermeasures as developing alternative materials and recycling, a Japanese trade official said.

In response to the Canadian international trade minister’s proposal that their countries pursue a bilateral free trade agreement, Ohata was quoted as saying, ‘‘We would like to positively consider what we can do,’’ in line with Tokyo’s latest free trade policy.

Please see complete article at Japantoday.com

Canada - the world's most attractive country

A U.S. brand consulting company finds Canada to be attractive country for travelers

Source: The Mainichi Daily News - November 8th 2010

Canada becomes world's most attractive country; Japan ranked 6th

NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- Canada overtook the United States to become the country most attractive to travelers this year, with Japan ranking sixth, a survey targeting individual tourists and experts showed Sunday.

According to the latest Country Brand Index compiled by FutureBrand, a U.S. brand consulting company, Canada garnered support from travelers due in part to the success of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this year.

For complete story please see the full article at The Mainichi Daily News

Laissez-faire est mort? Canada says "No" to BHP

In this trying climate where nations are seeking to maintain the strength of a global recovery, is Canada moving towards a protective state by blocking foreign ownership of Canadian companies?

From Economist.com - November 4th 2010
Not so fast
The government puts the kibosh on a bid for PotashCorp
Nov 4th 2010 | OTTAWA

WHEN BHP Billiton, the world’s biggest mining company, announced a $40 billion hostile takeover offer for PotashCorp in August, few expected the business-friendly government of Stephen Harper to get in the way. Being the world’s largest producer of potash, an ingredient of fertiliser, is hardly strategic. And to reject the Anglo-Australian firm’s bid would send an unwelcoming message to foreign investors, upsetting Canada’s business leaders, who had asked the government not to intervene.

For complete article please see Not so fast

The downside of expat life

The federal government is only beginning to grapple with a world in which 8 per cent of Canadian citizens live outside Canada’s borders.

Kenny Zhang, a researcher with the Vancouver-based Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, argues that government policies punish so-called transnational Canadians. For example, naturalized Canadian citizens living abroad can not pass on citizenship to children born outside the country. Also, a Canadian who lives abroad for more than five years is no longer permitted to vote in federal elections...

For complete article please visit the source: Globe and Mail - The downside of expat life

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Yen: William Pesek

If you want to know what’s wrong with Japan’s economy, start with Kazuo Mizuno.

At 56, the government aide is too junior to have much say in seniority-based Japan. That’s too bad. Mizuno is the highest- ranking official in many a year to speak the truth about the yen: Japan has much to gain from a strong currency.

This mere suggestion is heresy in Tokyo, and expect Mizuno to get some very testy phone calls this week. Perhaps even the odd suggestion that he should consider an early, early retirement. Yet the deputy director-general of economic assessment at Japan’s Cabinet Office is absolutely right.

Japan’s preference for seniority-based leadership is a self-imposed straitjacket that restricts fresh thinking. By the time politicians rise to power, they are 100 percent convinced the strong yen is the main force holding the nation back. Sadly, Mizuno is too far down on the political food chain to push his let-the-yen-strengthen argument.

For complete article please visit the source: Bloomberg - How I Learned to Stop Worrying

Hiring Is Booming And Home Prices Are Rising

According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, June saw Canada create jobs at a pace that was five times the rate predicted by economists. Canada, a nation with roughly one tenth of our population, created about 10,000 more new jobs than America.

Full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/09/need-a-job-try-canada-whe_n_640555.html