House Again Seeks Votes, After Failing to Pass Debt Plan

New York Times
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders, who had abruptly put off a vote on their proposal to raise the debt ceiling and cut government spending, called their rank and file back into another closed-door session on Friday to resume their overnight search for the last few votes they need.

President Obama was expected to comment on the deepening impasse shortly, and there was no clear sign what the next step would be. Among the several possibilities were changes to the House bill, an attempt by Senate Democrats to leapfrog forward with their own plan, or a new attempt to reach a compromise on the part of all the major players.

In an effort to break the logjam, Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, called on Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, to meet with him on Friday to try to resolve to the stalemate, given the failure of House Republicans to advance their own budget proposal.

“My door is open,” Mr. Reid said as the Senate convened. “I will listen to any idea to get this done in a way that prevents a default and a dangerous downgrade to America’s credit rating. Time is short, and too much is at stake, to waste even one more minute.

“The last train is leaving the station,” he said. “This is our last chance to avert default.”

Mr. McConnell, who had earlier been working with Mr. Reid on a fallback plan, abandoned that attempt and has been supporting the effort by the House speaker, John A. Boehner, to push through a proposal that would raise the debt limit in two stages — an approach flatly rejected by Senate Democrats and the White House. Mr. McConnell also had been talking with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. but broke the conversation off while the Boehner plan was pending.

Mr. McConnell, too, came to the Senate floor and offered little indication that he was ready to deal, accusing Democrats of devoting recent days to undermining the House plan. “Our Democratic friends in the Senate have offered no solutions to the crisis that can pass either chamber,” he said.

Mr. Reid said he would be moving within hours to force votes on his own plan to cut spending by about $2.5 trillion over 10 years and raise the debt limit through 2012, a move that would lead to a crucial showdown vote over the weekend. He said he would be making changes to his measure to attract more support but made clear that he considered the Senate plan the final effort to avert a default next week.

“There will be no time left to vote on another bill or consider another option here in the Senate,” he said. “None.”

Mr. Reid said he had also had a “sobering” conversation on Friday with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner about the consequences of a default.

“It is really precarious for our country,” he said. Just minutes from a roll-call vote on the plan pushed by Mr. Boehner, Republicans stunned the House on Thursday by interrupting the debate and turning to routine matters while Mr. Boehner and his lieutenants tried to pressure reluctant conservatives into backing their plan. The House then went into a recess and shortly before 11 p.m., the leadership announced that no vote would be held.

The surprise postponement threw the endgame of the debt limit clash into confusion and raised concerns among some on Capitol Hill that the government was lurching toward a default. The White House and Senate Democratic leaders had been waiting for the House to act before making their next move with an eye on the Tuesday deadline set by the Treasury Department for raising the debt ceiling or facing the possibility that the government would not be able to meet all its financial obligations.

Republicans had expressed confidence throughout Thursday that they would round up enough recalcitrant conservatives to pass their plan, but they obviously miscalculated.

Officials and aides said opponents had multiple misgivings about the measure, which Senate Democrats had already said they would reject as soon as it reached the Senate desk. The legislation would provide a $900 billion increase in the federal debt limit in exchange for slightly more than that in spending cuts. A second increase of $1.6 trillion in 2012 would be tied to the ability of a new special committee to produce a proposal to save an additional $1.8 trillion.

Failure to pass the measure would represent a significant defeat for Mr. Boehner, the first-year speaker who has invested significant political capital in trying to get his fractious majority behind the legislation, which had the strong support of the entire leadership team. It could also bolster Senate Democrats in their push to raise the debt ceiling by enough to take the Treasury Department through 2012.

Growth plan in off-island poses threat to St. Lazare's identity: mayor

Plans to limit residential sprawl in the greater Montreal area over the next two decades could threaten St. Lazare's city-within-a-forest identity, according to Pierre Kary, the town's mayor.

"Twenty years is a blink of an eye in terms of residential development," Kary said. "As mayor, it is my role to ensure that residents benefit from change rather than be negatively impacted.

"I cannot just allow development in St. Lazare to go unmanaged, or managed from Montreal or by developers" he added. "We want development, but we want development that is right for St. Lazare."

In May, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, the umbrella planning organization for Montreal Island and its suburbs, presented a proposal - called the Plan métropolitain d'amenagement et de dévélopment (PMAD) - that would slow the march of housing subdivisions off the island.

St. Lazare, which has a population of just under 20,000, is part of the Montreal Metropolitan Community, which covers 82 municipalities with a total population of 3.7 million.

"Under the PMAD's plan for sustainable development, objectives are set out to better receive 530,000 people and 320,000 new homes within the MMC in the next 20 years," Kary said.

He said that in order to deal with that increase, minimum density levels are being set for each region.

For the region of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, which includes St. Lazare, the average density for new residential developments will be 16 housing units per hectare for 2011-2016; 18 housing units per hectare for 2017-2021; 20 housing units per hectare for 2022-2026 and 22 housing units per hectare for 2026-2031.

"This contrasts greatly with the housing density within our perimeter of about 3.4 housing units per hectare," Kary said.

Kary noted that the average density is measured over the whole MRC, which is comprised of 23 off-island communities, not just in St. Lazare.

However, he added, St. Lazare is one of the municipalities with the most available land for residential development with much of the 518 hectares available in 2006 still available for residential development.

"We are among those with the most land available," he said.

"With the PMAD, we become a municipality even more attractive for residential development ... and moreover for development at a much higher density than is typical for our community."

Kary said a jump from 3.4 residential units to 16 units per hectare would be "dramatic for St. Lazare," which has equestrian areas that are at a density of about one unit per hectare.

"We have an identity, a brand," he said. "Our brand is that of singlefamily homes on large lots with plenty of trees favourable to our equestrian community - a city within a forest.

"The PMAD, if not properly integrated into a new urban plan, can be a threat to our identity."

The mayor said planning is needed as 16 to 22 housing units per hectare is not possible in sectors that don't have the required infrastructures.

"Many undeveloped sectors will have to be on septic systems, like most of our territory," he said, noting that the town also has a number of wetlands that need to be protected since they are important for the water supply in the town, which is entirely dependent on underground wells.

Kary acknowledged, however, that change is coming, and even though St. Lazare is now the most youthful town in Quebec, with 30 per cent of its population under 30 years old, it must prepare for an increase in an elderly population over the next two decades.

"We are facing a new reality," he said.

"Although it is anticipated that the demographics are such that there will be an increase of 35-to 54-year-olds, the real demographic change will be the increase of 65-to 84-year-olds.

"Housing units for this demographic is scarce in St. Lazare," he said.

"With the required densification and change in demographics, we will have to find a way to protect our citywithin-a-forest brand while increasing the housing density and offering a diversity of housing options, including catering to the older demographic.

"This requires planning ... and is more than just protecting our brand or identity," said Kary, adding that all of the municipalities in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC "will have to work closely to develop a regional plan for residential development."

A public consultation meeting for the southern part of the Montreal Metropolitan Community, which includes the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC, will take place Oct. 19 at the Exporail Le Musée férroviaire canadien, 110 St. Pierre St. in St. Constant.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Saturday, July 30: Fifth annual Hudson music festival promises to be bigger and better

Alycia Ambroziak
The Gazette
Thursday, July 21, 2011

Hudson Music Festival takes place on Saturday, July 30th.

There'll be music in the air all over Hudson next week as musicians of all genres - including Montreal blues great James Green, April Wine's Blair Mackay and South African singer Thandie Klaasen - take over the town during the fifth annual Hudson Music Festival.

The music festival, which features both free and paying performances from July 27 to 30, will mesh with the town's July 30 street fair, which also will offer a variety of musical performances as well as the Theatre Sans Fil's giant puppets, food, and arts and crafts.

The music festival's opening grand concert gala takes place July 27 at 8 p.m. at the Hudson Village Theatre and features Klaasen and Geoff Mitchell, Mackay, Brian Greenway and Green, Plastic Utopia and El Proyecto, as well as surprises and live auctions.

Tickets for that event cost $29.

Schedule of concerts:

On Thursday, July 28, thre’s a lot of free performances including the Hudson Swing Trio who will be at Mlle. Clifford’s Floral Emporium and English Tea Room, 60 Cameron St., from 3 to 5 p.m. and a 7 to 10 p.m. salon concert featuring jazz stamdards with Geoff Mitchell and Bob. at the Half Moon Resto-Bar, 422 Main Road. There’ll also be free jazz at Cunningham’s Pub, corner of Cameron and St. Jean, at 7 p.m.

A grand concert featuring the Foggy Hogtown Boys’ high energy bluegrass at the Hudson Village Theatre (tickets cost $29) and at 10 p.m. there’s a Grand Party HMF at the Chateau du Lac, 460 Main Road, featuring James Green and Friends who will be offering electric blues, R &B and Soul and Funk. Tickets for that event cost $10.

*Friday, July 29, features a lot of free music throughout the town as well as the Grand Concert with the Montreal Guitar Trio at 8 p.m. at the Hudson Village Theatre. Tickets cost $10.

Some of the street music includes a free concert of fusion of Gypsy and western swing by Hot Swing Sauce with Pat Loisel from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Aux Gourmandises, 429 Main Road in Hudson. The Hudson Legion is holding a $13 barbecue and music night from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring the G. string Band with Phil Gail. There’s a free Jam Night at Woot’s, 3239 Harwood, hosted by Soul Fusion from 6 p.m. to midnight and at 10 p.m. there’s free music featuring Jeff Star and Paulo at Cunningham’s and dance music at the Chateau du Lac.

*On Saturday, July 30, the street fair and music festival mesh together during the day with live music throughout the town as well as a concert gala, and musical presentations at night.

There’s a lot of free music at various stages around town:

The Royal LePage State at the corner of Cameron and St. Jean will feature more than 30 local musicians between noon and five p.m. and B.J. and the Rippers from 5 to 11 p.m.

The Hudson Village Stage, 28 Wharf Road, will also feature talented local musicians hosted by Night Shift between noon and 5 p.m.

Dead Yet will perform from noon to 5 p.m. at the Churrasco Stage, 518 Main Road.

The Sofa Kings will be at the Remax Stage, 471 Main Road, from noon to five p.m.

The Flamenco duo Marta and Richard will perform from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Syrrah Tapas and Bar a Vin, 3187 Harwood. There’ll be an open Jam night at the Half Moon Resto Bar, 442 Main Road, beginning at 7 p.m.

The Grand Concert features the BluesVille Express at 8 p.m. at the Hudson Village Theatre. The cost is $29. The Franklin Electric/John Matte will perform at the Chateau du Lac at 10 p.m. The cost is $5.

*Sunday, July 31, the last day of the music festival, features three events:

The Brunet Plus Hudson youth Showcase from noon to 3 p.m at the Hudson Village Theatre. MC is Austin Beauchamp. The cost is $5.

There’s a Double Salon concert from 4 to 6 p.m. at Mullan’s Music Hall, 586 main Road, featuring Rob Lutes and Rob Macdonald and Cecile Doo – Kingue Trio. The cost is $29.

The Ken Hodgson stage at the Willow Place Inn, 208 Main Road is the site of the Grand Concert closing with carte blanche to Jim Norcross, featuring Emily Lamarche, Kiko, Scarlett James and many surprises.

For more information about tickets, venues, festival passes, call 450-458-5633 or go to www.hudsonmusicfestival.ca.

St. Lazare 1st responders, firefighters now on duty 24/7

Alycia Ambroziak
The Gazette
Thursday, June 23, 2011

Many St. Lazare residents may not yet be aware of it, but their town got a lot safer in the past couple of weeks, as the municipal Medical Response Unit merged with the fire department, providing onsite, 24-hour service.

"Our residents can sleep better now knowing there is someone on duty at the firehall 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Mayor Pierre Kary said last week at the announcement of the June 6 merger.

In effect, the town's 15 first responders, who were on-call volunteers for the past seven years, are now city employees and work out of the firehall at 1875 Bedard Ave.

"We brought the volunteer service as far as we could; it was time to bring it to the next level," said Charlene Vacon, head of emergency medical services for the town.

The first responders receive about 600 calls a year.

"That didn't include calls to the fire department," Vacon said.

As well, all 30 part-time volunteer firefighters have now been trained as first responders.

Now, there will always be two people at the firehall ready to answer any life-threatening emergency, like cardiac arrest, airway obstructions, severe external bleeding, loss of consciousness or delivering a baby.

In fact, first responders helped deliver a baby boy in the early morning of June 6.

"Both baby and mom are doing well," said Fire Chief Daniel Boyer.

First responders will be given the option of training to become firefighters,

Vacon said, adding that any future first respond-ers hired will also take firefighting training.

She said the merger, which cost the town of 20,000 residents about $300,000, will also allow first responders to do more preventive work, like visiting schools and seniors.

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Canadian dollar hits three-year high

TORONTO - The Canadian dollar rose to its best level in more than three and a half years against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, as debt fears in the United States continued to slam the greenback.

The loonie climbed as high as $1.0625, its strongest level since November 2007, when it hit a modern-day high.

The U.S. dollar fell across the board, plunging to a record low against the Swiss franc, as a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama Monday night gave no sign of a swift breakthrough in deadlocked talks to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.

Commodity prices such as oil also rallied on a weaker U.S. dollar, though investors shrugged off fears that a U.S. default would undermine the appetite for riskier assets, while a run of strong earning reports further boosted market sentiment.

"The political brinksmanship that's being played out south of the border is clearly having an impact on the U.S. dollar," said Jack Spitz, managing director of foreign exchange at National Bank Financial, noting talk of central banks' reserves diversifying out of the U.S. dollar and into other currencies, such as Canada's.

"Pretty well every currency is trading as a safe-haven currency when compared with the U.S. in terms of its current environment but that could change on a dime."

The United States edged closer on Tuesday to a devastating default as Republicans and Democrats were deadlocked over competing plans to raise the debt ceiling, one week before a deadline to act.

At 8:09 a.m., the loonie stood at $1.0620, up from Monday's North American session close of $1.0573.

Spitz said there was no major technical resistance for the Canadian dollar on its way to the November 2007 high, when the currency hit $1.10.

"From a technical perspective, it's air below the calendar low in dollar/Canada until we get to the modern day low," he said.

Psychologically, he noted investors will look at international money market levels, with $1.07 as the next major mark insight.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Canadian+dollar+hits+three+year+high/5159842/story.html#ixzz1TDiUAC00

Mom, I want to be a vegetarian. What every parent needs to know

By Andrea Holwegner, For Postmedia News
www.canada.com

For Kathleen, who’s mom to three teenage girls, life was a household full of raging adolescent hormones and a revolving door of friendships — so she felt like rolling with change was something she was good at.

But when her youngest daughter Cate announced she was no longer eating meat, Kathleen found this was hard to manage.

For a while, Kathleen hoped that she would grow out of this, but after several months of food wars at supper she realized her daughter’s vegetarian commitment was not just a fad.

The good news is that with a little planning you can ensure your vegetarian teenagers get the nourishment they need to grow and be healthy.

Progress gradually

Choosing to start off as a strict vegan who consumes no animal foods whatsoever is grounds for complete disaster.

Instead, I recommend all vegetarians start off slowly. Remind them that they need to be open to embracing new knowledge, foods and cooking skills. Working with a dietitian and purchasing some books and vegetarian recipe books is a good idea.

Make a deal with your teenager that you will support them with their vegetarian diet if they can prove to you they can do it in a healthy way.

Encourage them to start off with substituting a few traditional meat-based meals per week with vegetarian meals.

Then, if this is going well, they should become a lacto-ovo vegetarian who consumes dairy foods and eggs before ever considering complete elimination of all animal-derived foods.

Replace, don’t eliminate

Many teenage vegetarians dislike a wide range of veggies, so when they begin skipping meat, poultry and seafood, it means they could be subsisting on vegetarian pizza, french fries and sweets.

This, of course, doesn’t supply enough balanced nutrition to grow and develop properly. You may think your teenager is old enough to fend for themselves, but I rarely see teenage vegetarians achieve optimal nourishment without help from parents.

Many vegetarians don’t realize it is about replacing, not eliminating.

If your teen chooses not to eat meat, poultry or seafood that supply protein, iron and vitamin B12, they need to incorporate foods such as legumes (beans, lentils and chickpeas), nuts, seeds and soy foods (such as tofu or veggie burgers) instead.

As a rule of thumb, I would suggest aiming to eat these foods at least twice per day. For example, a day that includes black bean soup for lunch and a tofu-based stir-fry for supper is a good start.

If dairy foods are not consumed, be sure to incorporate enough calcium-and vitamin D-fortified beverages and foods: aim to have three to four cups of fortified soy milk or fortified rice milk per day.

Be mindful of eating disorders

At my nutrition counselling practice, we treat teenage vegetarianism as a red flag for an eating disorder. While there are certainly political, environmental and other valid reasons to embrace a vegetarian lifestyle, sometimes the decision may stem from an attempt to lose weight -- so it’s important to understand the underlying reasons.

Signs of a potential eating disorder may include body image dissatisfaction, restriction of junk foods or past foods typically enjoyed, increased exercise, not wanting to eat in front of others, using the washroom after eating, dieting or weight loss.

Body image issues in a growing adolescent and eating disorders do not go away on their own and instead require comprehensive help from health care specialists

Turning a potential eating disorder around early is far easier than waiting until the problem is deeply ingrained.

You, as a parent, have an intuitive sense to pick up on your teenager’s relationship with body image and food — trust this.

Five great vegetarian meals:

- Baked potato topped with canned beans in tomato sauce, grated cheese or soy cheese and a tossed salad.

- Taco salad with black beans, salsa, avocado, taco chips and salad dressing.

- Vegetarian pizza with peppers, onions, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese or soy cheese.

- Stir-fry with mixed Asian veggies, tofu, sesame seeds or other nuts and teriyaki sauce served over noodles or rice.

- Chick pea or lentil Indian curry with veggies served with naan bread or rice.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

Michael Kors....American Idol

June 29, 2011
Harper's Bazaar Magazine

Michael Kors: American Idol


Michael Kors, the designer best known for his glam fashions and arch humor, celebrates 30 years in the business. Read the interview below and then check out highlights from his 30 years in the business as well as a behind-the-scenes look at his 30th anniversary show.
By Elisa Lipsky-Karasz

It's just before 10:00 a.m., and inside one of the hulking granite shopping malls on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, a small crowd clutching steaming Venti Starbucks coffees is gawking at the scene unfolding through a shop window. A girl wearing a pink Juicy Couture tracksuit rushes up to the boutique's locked door to get a better snap with her iPhone. The object of her ardor is not Justin Bieber on a VIP shopping trip, however. It's designer Michael Kors, who is oblivious to all the attention as he focuses his charm on the four women he is styling for Oprah Winfrey's very last makeover show.

"Oh! You are more tan than I am," he exclaims in mock anger as he catches sight of one of his charges, a Chicago policewoman he's dolling up. "Let's do a tan-off. My dermatologist is going to kill me, but I lie to her all the time." As he trots around his store, happily kitting out each woman in Michael Kors booty — sequined sheaths, swaths of sand-colored jersey, and gold stiletto sandals — he dispenses as many tips and feel-good mantras as the queen of talk herself. "You're not short, you are petite," he corrects one diminutive woman. "Dress your down look up," he instructs. And "beige plus blonde equals gold," he singsongs to a platinum-maned dame as he selects jewelry. "That's fashion math."

"Fashion math" is just one Kors-ism. There's also "fashion fat," meaning when those who might be an ideal weight in the real world can't squeeze into a sample size. Then there's "fashion fame," which is different from that of, say, Kors's really famous friends, like Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Douglas. Kors himself has attained this beatific state (where one gets great tables at restaurants but not too much paparazzi attention) thanks mostly to dispensing such quips as a judge on Project Runway. Adoring fans have even gathered them into homemade mashups on YouTube. Such notoriety does, however, mean a lot of time spent chatting with his fans about their shoes, their bags, or their Kors printed caftans, even at such far-flung locales as the Fontelina beach club in Capri, Italy. His business has benefited from such recognition too, with his three lines — Michael Kors collection, Kors Michael Kors, and Michael Michael Kors — collectively drawing $1 billion a year.

But being so approachable would be anathema to many designers. Kors is hyperaware that he is hardly a reclusive artiste: He sends his models down the runway with huge smiles plastered on their faces to punchy, poppy feel-good musical hits of yore and does his very own catwalk finale turn. "We all laugh because he walks the whole runway," says dear friend Aerin Lauder. "Most designers just peek their head out and wave." But intellectual fashion is not Kors's calling card, as many of his designs, though luxe, have a familiar and pleasingly visceral appeal; think the perfect 10-ply cashmere crewneck or a sublime tawny floor-sweeping knitted-fox fur.

"There are two kinds of designers: ones who are very happy locked in their office surrounded by their coterie. The last thing they need to do is to go to a trunk show; they'd go running for the hills," he says, sitting down for a brief break in his swank Chicago hotel suite. "I not only enjoy it, I think, how do you design things that are applicable to life — unless you live it?" He contentedly munches on minibar Pringles and goes on to talk about being a "Gleek."

It's been three decades since Kors started his namesake line, a milestone he recently celebrated with all the trappings of the life he's cultivated. First was an intimate party at the Carlyle hotel after his Fall 2011 show where he was feted by Anjelica Huston, Patti Hansen, and Rene Russo. (Kors used to sneak into the hotel at 15 to see Bobby Short, "thinking I was very glamorous with a coat over my shoulder and a big polka-dot pocket square and tie.") That was followed by a splashy dinner in Paris at the U.S. ambassador's residence, complete with Mary J. Blige performing and a raucous dance party. "I just thought, what a great way to finish the whole thing off and say thank you to everyone who's been a part of the 30 years from around the world," he says.

Being serenaded by Blige while supermodels wearing Michael Kors kiss his rosy cheeks is practically his birthright. "I grew up in a family of people who were obsessed with fashion," says Kors, who was born Karl Anderson Jr. to his mother, Joan, a former Revlon model, on Long Island. A very young Kors would accompany his grandmother Bea Hamburger on her daily buying trips to Loehmann's Back Room. "It was a sport." His grandfather, meanwhile, was a dandy. "If you said to him, 'What do you want to do on Saturday, go to a baseball game?' He would say, 'No, do you want to come with me? I have a fitting at the tailor.'" At a mere five years old, Kors styled his mother's wedding dress for her marriage to his stepfather, Bill Kors (whose moniker he took, simultaneously changing his first name). "The bows are terrible. Take off the bows," he remembers telling his mother, who at that moment became the original sleek Kors girl.

"I was always pushing her," he remembers of advising his mother, who favored low-key, simple fashions. "I was like, 'What about hot pants? Think about marabou. What about palazzos?'" Meanwhile, his grandmother taught him to never underestimate the value of a dramatic entrance. "She liked everything printed, patterned, colorful, embellished; there couldn't be enough. Five days in Florida meant six wig boxes and four furs."

Read more: Michael Kors Interview — Michael Kors Fashion Quotes - Harper's BAZAAR



http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/feature-articles/best-looks-resort-2012
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/feature-articles/michael-kors-interview

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Lloyd Webber’s Latest Creation: Breathing Space

LONDON -- Andrew Lloyd Webber has earned seven Tony Awards, a knighthood and hundreds of millions of dollars for writing some of the most popular musicals of all time, from his 1968 breakthrough, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” to “The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show ever on Broadway. Nearly as legendary is his ego, a self-confidence worthy of an impresario whose success has long emboldened him to think on grand scales.

Which is why it was hard to believe Mr. Lloyd Webber when he said, during a recent interview, that he may stop involving himself in future productions of his work.

But he sounded perfectly sincere expounding on that comment as he sat high above the stage of his London Palladium Theater, like a lord in the heavens of the upper balcony. Stagehands below were setting up the yellow brick road for the evening performance of “The Wizard of Oz,” a largely faithful musical adaptation of the cherished film that he produced and for which he and Tim Rice wrote a few new songs. He said he may bring “Oz” to Broadway. Or he may not.

Mr. Lloyd Webber, 63, chalked up his ambivalence of late to the otherwise happy occasions of recently seeing “the two best productions of my shows that I had nothing to do with”: the revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, which he hopes will come to Broadway, and a production of “Love Never Dies,” a sequel to “Phantom,” in Melbourne, Australia.

“Love Never Dies” has been a particularly bittersweet experience for Mr. Lloyd Webber, to hear him describe it during a rare and candid discussion. One of the highest-stakes sequels in history, given the popularity of “Phantom,” “Love Never Dies” coincided with Mr. Lloyd Webber’s treatment for prostate cancer. He said he struggled to write the musical, and his usual role as a hands-on producer was scrambled somewhat by his illness. The show opened in London in 2010 to mostly harsh reviews. A subsequent retooling drew some better notices, but overall negative buzz doomed the production, which will close next month.

While the Melbourne version looks more successful, Mr. Lloyd Webber said he was mindful that he did not have a hand in mounting it. “I just said, ‘That’s the score, do what you can,’ ” he recalled telling the director in Melbourne, Simon Phillips.

“So I’ve now decided what I might do is to have nothing to do with my shows for the foreseeable future, which is probably a very sound idea,” said Mr. Lloyd Webber, who was tanned and relaxed in an open-collared shirt and slacks, and whose tone only now and then turned solemn.

Pressed on this notion of self-exile, he pointed out that he also played no role in Des McAnuff’s mounting of “Superstar” in Stratford, which opened last month to laurels from critics. While Mr. Lloyd Webber holds the rights for a Broadway transfer of the McAnuff production, he said he was inclined to assign them to other producers.

“I don’t think I should be involved in bringing it into New York, really, on the grounds that anything I get involved with seems to go wrong,” he said. “I’ve come to this new conclusion. I’ll just smile and turn up at opening nights.”

Well, not quite. To assume that Mr. Lloyd Webber might be pulling back from the theatrical scene underestimates both his self-professed workaholism and his creative interests, which have only widened thanks to his near-giddy infatuation with casting stage shows through television contests. He is also, obviously, a man with strong opinions and a history of acting upon them. (His view that the original “Oz” score was underwritten, for instance, led him to compose new songs like “Nobody Understands Me” for Dorothy and “Red Shoes Blues” for the Wicked Witch.) But some of his recent collaborators said that Mr. Lloyd Webber seemed content to give way.

“Andrew has been very gracious, making it clear that he was happy to let us build our own ‘Superstar,’ ” Mr. McAnuff said by telephone last month.

Mr. Lloyd Webber has also had a largely hands-off role in the first Broadway revival of one of his best-known works, “Evita,” which originally ran in New York from 1979 to 1983 and won seven Tonys, including best musical. The revival, which is expected to open next year, is the brainchild of the Tony-winning director Michael Grandage (“Red”), who said in an interview that he wanted to reflect “all that has been learned about Argentina and, in particular, the life of the Perons since the original production.” He said he had briefed Mr. Lloyd Webber on new ideas for the musical, and added that he felt no pressure to be slavish to the original work.

“While we are keen to pay homage to the original iconic production in certain places, Andrew has also been very supportive of our wish to bring a new version to Broadway,” Mr. Grandage said.

Mr. Lloyd Webber, in tracing the recent career path that had led him to “Oz” at the Palladium, was neither defensive about creative failures nor prone to excuses, like the perfectly reasonable one of prostate cancer. Yet he did show a survivor’s capacity to assess life — and his own faults — without flinching.

I’ve learned, to my cost in some ways, I have a compulsive desire to write and work, and sometimes I’ve let myself into just doing something because I really just needed to do it,” he said. “So I got myself involved with a couple of musicals that probably I should not have done.”

He cited “The Woman in White,” his adaptation of the 1860 mystery novel by Wilkie Collins, which ran for only three and a half months on Broadway during the 2005-6 season (though he did receive a Tony nomination, for best score, his latest). His most recent success on Broadway was back in 1995, when “Sunset Boulevard” won seven Tonys, including for best musical, and ended up running for two and a half years — though it did not recoup its entire $13 million capitalization, a spokesman for Mr. Lloyd Webber said.

“Love Never Dies,” meanwhile, “had so many layers of problems,” Mr. Lloyd Webber said.

“One, I had cancer, and I therefore was not as involved with the production as I might have been,” he said. “And the production itself frankly didn’t deliver, and I was not on the case, and there was nobody around helping me to produce it who was also on the case. What I can’t tell is, I don’t know if there’s a subliminal resistance to the idea of a sequel to ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ anyway.”

While a Broadway production of “Love Never Dies” was postponed after the London problems, Mr. Lloyd Webber revealed that, even with the positive reviews in Melbourne, he was not sure that version would come to New York.

“I think there are a lot of people who would love to see it go there, but I think that we’re all realistic, and I think with the baggage that it’s got, it might be better to just let it be discovered,” he said of the musical, which will be filmed and sold on DVD.

The director of the London production of “Love Never Dies,” Jack O’Brien, a Tony winner for “Hairspray” and other shows, declined to comment when told of Mr. Lloyd Webber’s remarks. (In turn Mr. Lloyd Webber said that he had great respect for Mr. O’Brien.)

These last experiences were so distressing to Mr. Lloyd Webber that he said he was being “very careful” with developing original musicals — so much so that he does not have one in the works. He is talking to the producer Cameron Mackintosh about reviving another hit, “Cats,” in London in 2013 or 2014 (he had no idea if it would come to Broadway), and he is fielding interest in a film version of “Joseph.” His theatrical empire, the Really Useful Group, manages several theaters in the West End and oversees other projects.

For all that, he added, he would love to work on another new musical.

“I just can’t find a subject at the moment,” Mr. Lloyd Webber said. Asked about his sources of inspiration for musical ideas, his voice turned to a whisper. “You never know,” he replied, and then added: “It can just be as simple someone saying something, and out of the blue saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that.’ But so far I haven’t found anything at all.”

By comparison, he has found great comfort in his television casting shows, which Really Useful Group has produced with the BBC since the first installment, in 2006, which sought to find an actress to play the lead role of Maria in a “Sound of Music” revival. Mr. Lloyd Webber ended up serving as a judge, offering performers advice and deploying a sexual double entendre or two (unprintable here).

“It was the most dangerous decision that I ever took, because I didn’t know that I would work on television, and, second thing, it could have been a complete, complete disaster if we didn’t find the right girl to play Maria,” he said. Viewers ended up selecting a young actress named Connie Fisher, and, as hoped, many of them ended up buying tickets to see her. The revival ran in London for more than two years, and Mr. Lloyd Webber followed it up with reality casting shows for productions of “Joseph,” “Oliver!” and “Oz.”

While he credited the television series with expanding the audience for musical theater, he also described them as simply a pleasure to do during a time when he needed more laughter in his life.

“There’s no getting around it: Writing is hard, while working with young performers is nearly always a joy,” said Mr. Lloyd Webber, who is now cancer free but whose health still wavers. “I do want to write again. I hope to. But it’s also important for me to realize, as I get older, that I don’t have to be doing everything all at once.”

Stolen Canadian passports a hot commodity

OTTAWA — One of Canada's most respected assets — our passport — is under siege, with more than 1,000 stolen across the country every month on average, Passport Canada has revealed.

The surprising disclosure was made in the agency's latest annual report, which says 13,077 passports were stolen in fiscal 2009-10. By comparison, only 631 were swiped overseas. Another 47,704 passports were reported lost in Canada.

Before 2006, about 25,000 passports were reportedly lost or stolen annually. That number jumped to almost 43,000 in 2006-07, coinciding with a surge in demand because of new U.S. passport requirements for Canadian and other western travellers. By 2008-09, it was 53,000. Now, it's hit 60,781.

But only in the latest annual report has Passport Canada broken down the combined "lost and stolen" total and publicly revealed the extent of the theft problem.

Passport Canada officials, operating under the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, say the number of passports lost or stolen is quite low in proportion to the total number of valid passports in circulation.

"While it may appear to be rising, the number of lost/stolen passports has remained quite static in proportion to the total number of valid passports in circulation over the last three years," Beatrice Fenlon, spokeswoman for Passport Canada, said in an email response provided to Postmedia News.

In 2009-10, the total number of passports reported lost or stolen was 60,781, which represents 0.3205 per cent of the 18,962,745 passports in circulation as of April 2010, Fenlon wrote.

In 2008-09, the number of passports reported lost or stolen was 53,515, which represents 0.3145 per cent of the 17,015,462 passports in circulation as of April 2009.

And the year before that, 51,915 of the 15,515,042 passports in circulation were reported lost/stolen, representing 0.3346 per cent of the total.

"Over the last three years, the number of passports reported lost/stolen has remained consistent at about 0.3 per cent (of the total number of valid passports)," Fenlon said.

However, the RCMP believes those missing passports are a national security concern because of their potential use by terrorists or other criminals.

A 2006 RCMP memo to then-public safety minister Stockwell Day said about 50,000 Canadian passports lost or stolen in the four previous years were suspected of falling into the hands of criminals or terrorists.

A primary concern is identity theft, one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world. In Canada, identity theft is estimated to cost the economy $2 billion annually.

In late 2009, an RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team raided dozens of locations around Montreal and Toronto — including three daycare centres — and smashed what police said was a vast criminal network specializing in forging passports and other official documents. Police said bona fide passports "obtained through various means" were forged to create new identities.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) says terrorist groups rely, to some degree, on crimes including passport forgery to raise money.

CSIS director Richard Fadden told a parliamentary committee last summer that foreign spies value the Canadian passport, too.

"I think one of the reasons that Canada's so attractive is that we're so well-viewed around the world, and our passports are accepted virtually anywhere, so there is a level of concern," he said.

What's more, federal officials say confidence in Canadian passports — that the bearer is who he says he is — is critical to trade, the economy and international travel.

Passport Canada, at the urging of former federal auditor general Sheila Fraser, has implemented a number of security measures in recent years, including quick notification about lost and stolen passports to the national police information database, Canada Border Services Agency, Citizenship and Immigration and, through the RCMP, Interpol.

Fenlon said when informed that a passport has been stolen or lost, Passport Canada immediately invalidates the passport within its system and the Canadian Police Information Centre, and communicates the information to other agencies with which it has information-sharing agreements, including Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency.

"In many cases the passports do 'turn up' — whether the bearer finds it or someone else who then turns it in to the authorities. For example, someone who finds a purse (and the passport is inside) may return it to their nearest police station," she said.

All passports reported lost or stolen that are returned to Passport Canada are sent to its security bureau for inspection and destruction. Once a passport has been reported lost or stolen it is no longer valid and cannot be used for travel. This is to ensure that it is not used for fraudulent purposes, Fenlon said.

"Before a lost or stolen document can be replaced, Passport Canada conducts an investigation into the circumstances. This may lead to delays in processing the replacement passport," she said.

A replacement passport, which may only be valid for a limited period, may be authorized if strict requirements are met. These include the submission of a statutory declaration concerning the lost or stolen passport.

More than 4.8 million Canadian passports were issued in 2009, a 137-per-cent increase since 2000-01. Late next year, Passport Canada is to be begin distributing electronic passports to the general public. The ePassports feature biometric and holographic security measures to combat tampering and fraud.

Ottawa Citizen, with files from Postmedia News.

Home, sweet-smelling home. Fragrances add personality, luxury to living spaces

Dressing up your home is not just about furniture and lighting. Scent also plays a big role — like the perfect cologne or eau de toilette to complement a great outfit.

An increasing number of companies are realizing this trend and have concocted a wide variety of fabulous home fragrances, ranging from floral to fruity scents, to invigorate your living environment.

The oldest and most famous home fragrances are by Lampe Berger Paris (en.lampe berger.ca). Created by pharmacist Maurice Berger in 1898 to purify the air in hospitals, these high-end oil-burning lamps are as beautiful as they are effective. Housed in lamps that look more like fancy perfume bottles or shapely pieces of sculpture, aromatherapy oils come in a myriad of exotic scents to deodorize your home.

While some home fragrances are more expensive than their cheaper drug-store counterparts, many do have natural ingredients, including botanical extracts and essential oils, that enable the scent to linger longer.

Carole Teitelbaum, executive vice-president of Bath and Body Works, says there is a growing interest in home fragrances because they're an affordable luxury that changes the atmosphere of any home, much like background music.

"Dinner parties have become very popular and having a (fragrant) home has become very important for a lot of people." She says the key is to not overpower a room with the scent, and gauge the amount used by the size of the space.

"Two quick sprays add an extra burst of fragrance — perfect just before guests start to arrive — that can last for up to four hours," says Teitelbaum.

Used not only to refresh the air and neutralize odours, sprays can also revitalize scented drawer liners or shoes, or you can lightly spritz used dryer sheets for additional use. Here are just a few examples:

- Tropical Rhythm Ambiance Room Spray from Fruits & Passion It comes in six other scents, including Bali bliss and tulip.

Price: $18 for 75 mL fruits-passion.com

- Room sprays from Bath and Body Works in tropical fragrances include island colada, pink sangria and sparkling mojito.

Price: $6.50 for 24 mL bathandbodyworks.com

- Body, Room and Linen Spritz from The Body Shop The variety of scents include pomegranate and raspberry, green tea and lemon, aloe and soft linen, mandarin and tangelo, vanilla and lime blossom, and sandalwood and ginger.

- Price: $10 for 100 mL thebodyshop.ca

- Rosewater Room Spray by Crabtree & Evelyn Other scents include lily of the valley and lavender.

Price: $16 for 100 mL crabtree-evelyn.com

- THANN's paraben-free home scent collection. Scents include oriental essence, Mediterranean floral, aromatic wood, sea foam, sunflower, and rose flower.

Price: $55 for 250 mL thann.ca
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