Mission Statement – True North is not for everyone
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Editor’s Notes
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More on the romance
of the Cold War . . .
The 'Doctor Zhivago' caper

An editorial in The Boston Globe writes, “Pasternak knew nothing of the CIA's machinations, Tolstoy said in a recent online interview for the Washington Post. ‘Doctor Zhivago’ was literature, not propaganda. The Soviet foreign minister of the time was unwittingly bestowing the highest praise on Pasternak's work when he decried its ‘estrangement from Soviet life’ and its ‘celebration of individualism.’ That vehement, jargon-laden denunciation evokes a time when a novel by the poet Pasternak truly mattered. Today, Russians are reading the same airport ephemera that Americans read and, instead of publishing literary works, intelligence agents are monitoring the snuff videos of Al Qaeda fanatics. — 434 words.
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Iraq war is recruiting-tool as terrorist networks
lure young Moroccans to the bloody conflict

TETOUAN, Morocco — In the Arab world, this hilly North African city is about as far as you can get from Iraq. But for many young men here, the call to join what they view as a holy war resonates loudly across the 3,000-mile (5,000 kilometre) divide. About two dozen men from Tetouan and nearby towns in the Rif Mountains have traveled to Iraq in the past 18 months to volunteer as fighters or suicide bombers, according to local residents and officials. Moroccan authorities said the men were recruited by international terrorist networks affiliated with al-Qaeda that have deepened their roots in North Africa since the invasion of Iraq four years ago. — 1,828 words
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Segolene Royal would be first
woman president of France

Alasdair Sandford , BBC News correspondent in Paris, said that after her Monday appearance on television press reports praised Segolene Royal for the way she swept away questions about her competence and legitimacy. She said she was ready to become France's first woman president, reminding viewers that she had worked for Francois Mitterand for seven years, and had served as a minister three times. The signs are that the centre ground is where she needs to take the battle in the coming weeks — 752 words.
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Russians feel betrayed
by Stalin, now the West

"We believed in you, Comrade Stalin, even more, perhaps, than we believed in ourselves."
These lines were written from the heart by the outstanding Soviet lyricist Mikhail Isakovsky soon after the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. But they came into modern folklore by way of a prison camp song, written by the remarkably talented lyricist and dissident, Yuz Aleshkovsky. — 574 words.
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What can North Korea do
with 50,000 tons of heavy oil?

On Tuesday, February 13, North Korea finally agreed to shut down its main Yongbyon nuclear facility in exchange for energy aid — a shipment of 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil, with more to follow. — 547 words
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Milan fashion diary — a boring account
of the boring life led by fashion models

Italy's top fashion houses have signed an "anti-anorexia" manifesto with the government, promising to employ only healthy models. Maddy Savage of BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat and producer Chi Chi Izundu see how the new regime is going at Milan Fashion Week. — 659 words.
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True North Canuck Fact of the Day
 
Abe Lincoln and the Canadian connection

When John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, was killed during a manhunt, officials found on his body a Bill of Exchange from the Ontario Bank of Montreal.  Booth had spent time in Montreal a few months earlier plotting with Confederate soldiers and had opened a bank account there.

Trivia compiled by Randy Ray and Mark Kearney. Visit their Web site at:   www.triviaguys.com
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Harold Wright,  True North's Doctor of Punology, says,  "Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis. ."
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Link not working? Story not loading? Can't click on the links? Got another computer problem? Never fear! Carl is here!
 
If you have any problems with accessing the newsletter or problems with your computer, send an email to Carl Hall  chall2k5@gmail.com , and he will be more than happy to assist you.
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To purchase the book:
Randy Ray
(613) 731-3873
rocket@intranet.ca
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Until Further Notice
 
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Carl Dow
39 Melgund Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1S 2S1 
 
"Why wait for spring?
 Do it now . . ."
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Carl Dow, Editor and Publisher
Carl Hall, Technical Analyst and Web Editor
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