New West Condo Burns Down JJ McCullough, OP Editor Maiticas of dollars of property went up in flames last week as a nearly-completed New Westminster condominium complex unexpectedly caught fire on September 26. The complex, located on Sapperton street, less than a block away from Royal Columbian Hospital, caught fire at approximately 5pm, and burned for several hours until fire crew could bring the blaze under control. According to fire officials, flames leapt as high as 100 feet and smoke was visible from Vancouver. 25 of the complex’s 231 suites were completely destroyed, with dozens more badly fire damaged. Within days much of the wreckage was demolished, leaving only a vacant lot. No cause of fire or damage estimate had been released as of press time, but the costs will likely be in the millions. The condo complex, known as CopperStone, was an upscale community with a collective value estimated at $26 million. Iran’s Leader Makes Controversial Visit to US University JJ McCullough Au eyes were once again on Mahmood Ahmadinejad last week as the controversial Iranian president gave his first ever speech before a US audience. In New York as part of a brief tour before a scheduled appearance before the United Nations, Ahmadinejad had been invited as a guest speaker at the state’s prestigious Columbia Univeristy. He accepted, and on September 24 the Iranian leader gave a brief speech before a crowd of nearly 700 students and teachers before launching into a vigorous question-and-answer session with the audience. Before he could begin, however, Lee Bolllinger, the University president, gave the Iranian leader a decidedly unfavourable introduction, blasting him as a “petty and cruel dictator” and describing his views as “brazenly provocative or stunningly uneducated.” As the event progressed, Ahmadinejad was similarly assailed with many audience criticisms about his views on the Holocaust and Israel. In the past, Ahmadinejad has earned great global criticism for publicly expressing doubt on the existence of the Holocaust, as well as viciously criticizing Zionism and Israel. Declaring himself to be “a friend of the Jewish people” the president responded carefully, and never explicitly supported or denounced some of his previous statements. Instead, he suggested that scholars with “a different perspective” on the Holocaust should be allowed to research freely, and rhetorically asked “why must the Palestinians pay” for the crimes of Nazi Germany. Columbia’s decision to host Ahmadinejad has been a source of much controversy both in the US and abroad. Outside the university gates thousands of protestors marched in opposition to the visit, many of whom waved placards with pro-Israeli slogans. Newspaper editorial boards representing both the right and the left side of the political spectrum were similarly vocal. In Canada, the National Post blasted Columbia for “rolling out the red carpet” for a “Holocaust-fudging, terror- sponsoring dictator,” while the Toronto Star in contrast blasted Ahmadinejad’s critics for engaging in counter- productive “rhetorical overkill.” Former Prime Minister Visits Vancouver JJ McCullough, OP Editor Pf Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was in town last week, the latest stop in a cross-country tour to promote his recently released memoirs. After a packed downtown luncheon hosted by the conservative Fraser Institute, Mulroney attended a September 25 public speaking engagement at the Robson Street Chapters, drawing another sizeable audience. Media reports estimate around 200 people crowed into the downtown bookstore to get a glimpse of the former Progressive Conservative leader. Security was tight, though there were no hecklers or disruptions. In an hour-long speech peppered with frequent jokes, Mulroney reflected fondly on his life story, from his working-class childhood in Baie- Comeau, Quebec, to his successful career in the private sector, and then his short but eventful political career. Openly self-congratulatory, he praised his nine year government’s political record and called attention to his recent accolades, including a 2006 survey of Canadian environmentalists that named him the “greenest prime minister” in history. Though Mulroney left office as one of the most widely disliked prime ministers in Canadian history, he suggested that he believed his reputation may be changing with time, and indicated his memoirs were at least partially intended to further that effort. Brian Mulroney signs book at chapters “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it,” he joked, quoting Winston Churchill. Mulroney’s memoirs have already become a best-seller in Canada, climbing to the number one spot on the Globe and Mail “top hardcovers” non- fiction list. At over 1,000 pages they are the longest single-volume memoirs of any modern prime minister.