The folks at the Toronto Star are mighty pleased with themselves today. Seems their official Trump fib-tracker, Daniel Dale, has been in DC long enough now to have cultivated a source, apparently at Bloomberg, and after a year and a half, he's finally found himself a scoop!
More than a scoop... a BOMBSHELL!
You certainly don't find those in the Star everyday!
The Bloomberg source told Dale that in off-the-record remarks Trump had told them that he's not about to make any compromises with the Canadian side.
So the talks are over for now, the "deadline" not met.
The reason there was a deadline is because the Americans are keen to push this "new" NAFTA through before the newly elected, more leftish, less corrupt president Obrador takes office in December. Nieto is seen as an easy mark in Washington, whereas Obrador might actually stand up for the interests of Mexicans.
No real danger of Canadian team Trudeau-Freeland standing up for Canadian workers. Or Canadian dairy farmers, for that matter. Selling-out has been the modus operandi of both Canadian ruling parties since at least the Avro Arrow era, so that's nothing new. Canada has never really had an authentic industrial policy, settling instead for a branch-plant economic model.
NAFTA was the most noxious bone jammed up the keister of Canada's working class during my life-time. It devastated the industrial heartland of southern Ontario. Just one example; Magna, the Canadian auto-parts giant, built their first Mexican facility in the early nineties. Today they have 32 plants there and employ 28,000 Mexicans. Where are the Canadians who have benefited from this? In the corporate offices and on the shareholder list, that's where.
That reality has nonetheless never stood in the way of Canada's elite opinion makers crowing about the glories of NAFTA. This should not come as a surprise. After all, these are the same people who believe that working at an Amazon warehouse for $30,000 a year is a "good solid middle-class job."
Unfortunately, when our craven toadies at the top have ensured our branch-plant status for generations, they don't hold much of a hand in these renegotiations. As much as we enjoy mocking Trump, he's evidently smart enough to have figured this out.
So Justin and Chrystia, while trying to do their best to make their inevitable capitulation look like a good deal for Canada, have been derailed by Daniel Dale's bombshell.
Does anybody at the Star really believe that we're going to get a better deal next week or next month?
Friday, August 31, 2018
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Neil Richardson for mayor
Neil Richardson is running for mayor of Wiarton. Who is Neil Richardson? I have no clue, but this brief bio in the Wiarton Echo paints him as an affable, down-to-earth type.
There's not a lot of back-ground info there, or any serious insights into what policy positions he might be inclined to take. His campaign slogan, "community first," is a little non-committal too. Ya, who isn't for "community?"
But here's why the think tank here at Falling Downs thinks you should vote for Neil. Me and the Farm Manager were passing through town the other day, when we passed by three fellows who were taking a break from putting up Vote Richardson signs. They appeared to be having a smoke break. As we rolled by, windows down and sunroof open, they gave a friendly wave. We waved back.
A second later, the FM gives a sniff and says, "do you smell that?"
Oh, I smelled that alright! Those lads were having a toke break, not a smoke break!
Anybody who can motivate potheads to get off the couch and get involved in the most grass-roots level of the democratic process deserves your serious consideration.
There's not a lot of back-ground info there, or any serious insights into what policy positions he might be inclined to take. His campaign slogan, "community first," is a little non-committal too. Ya, who isn't for "community?"
But here's why the think tank here at Falling Downs thinks you should vote for Neil. Me and the Farm Manager were passing through town the other day, when we passed by three fellows who were taking a break from putting up Vote Richardson signs. They appeared to be having a smoke break. As we rolled by, windows down and sunroof open, they gave a friendly wave. We waved back.
A second later, the FM gives a sniff and says, "do you smell that?"
Oh, I smelled that alright! Those lads were having a toke break, not a smoke break!
Anybody who can motivate potheads to get off the couch and get involved in the most grass-roots level of the democratic process deserves your serious consideration.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Another idiot politician thanks Amazon for bringing "good" jobs to Canada
His name is Justin. Justin Trudeau. You may have heard of him.
He was busy thanking Amazon at the ground-breaking for the new Fulfillment Centre in Ottawa last week.
Apparently the millionaire pol believes Canadians are on the front lines of the global economy because we are "diverse and innovative."
Well, diversity is our strength, as we all know, so bring on those $14/hour jobs! Just imagine; on that income you should be able to qualify for a mortgage in the $150,000 range... too bad the average Ottawa house goes for $450,000. You'll just have to save up a really big down payment!
Patronizing twaddle about diversity aside, the fact that so many members of our political class seem to think thirty thou a year is a solid middle-class income tells me they are seriously out of touch with the lived reality of most Canadians.
He was busy thanking Amazon at the ground-breaking for the new Fulfillment Centre in Ottawa last week.
Apparently the millionaire pol believes Canadians are on the front lines of the global economy because we are "diverse and innovative."
Well, diversity is our strength, as we all know, so bring on those $14/hour jobs! Just imagine; on that income you should be able to qualify for a mortgage in the $150,000 range... too bad the average Ottawa house goes for $450,000. You'll just have to save up a really big down payment!
Patronizing twaddle about diversity aside, the fact that so many members of our political class seem to think thirty thou a year is a solid middle-class income tells me they are seriously out of touch with the lived reality of most Canadians.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
President Patsy and the War Machine
Were I a neolib warmonger, I would see this point in history as an opportune moment to make some serious hay.
You've got a neophyte dipshit doofuss in the White House who has surrounded himself with Israel-firsters. Their long-standing wet dream of dealing a death-blow to the Persians has never been closer to fruition.
The American Empire is an empire in terminal decline. The "full-spectrum dominance" crowd in DC fully understand that Trump is their manna from heaven.
Their last best chance.
The last best chance to make the world safe for American bombs, bullets, and unfettered Yankee-style capitalism.
Squeeze Turkey just a little more, and we'll soon have that Gulenist satrapy we almost got a couple years ago.
Squeeze Venezuela just a little more, and the implosion of Bolivarian anti-colonialism will be a done deal.
Keep upping the pressure on Russia and eventually Putin will go down...
Or not.
In which case you've got the perfect patsy in the White House to pin the blame on.
There's never been a better time for the last world war.
You've got a neophyte dipshit doofuss in the White House who has surrounded himself with Israel-firsters. Their long-standing wet dream of dealing a death-blow to the Persians has never been closer to fruition.
The American Empire is an empire in terminal decline. The "full-spectrum dominance" crowd in DC fully understand that Trump is their manna from heaven.
Their last best chance.
The last best chance to make the world safe for American bombs, bullets, and unfettered Yankee-style capitalism.
Squeeze Turkey just a little more, and we'll soon have that Gulenist satrapy we almost got a couple years ago.
Squeeze Venezuela just a little more, and the implosion of Bolivarian anti-colonialism will be a done deal.
Keep upping the pressure on Russia and eventually Putin will go down...
Or not.
In which case you've got the perfect patsy in the White House to pin the blame on.
There's never been a better time for the last world war.
RIP Lucy
Here's what I wrote about her seven years ago:
Lucy is the ugliest wretch of a dog that God ever breathed life into. She's grown bigger since we got her, but rather than growing into herself she just gets more ungainly. Her paws would be big on a dog twice her size. Ears likewise. When she runs she looks more like a goat than a dog. She looks like a toddler in size twelve sneakers wearing floppy Mickey Mouse ears. Her brindle tiger-stripes get more asymmetrical by the day. Easily the most beautiful dog I've ever had.
She's the girl who ate a Bible and chewed the knobs and pull-cord off my generator. She ate beer cans and shit aluminum ingots.
She was next door barking at the neighbour dogs last night. She wasn't home by the time I turned in, but I didn't give that much thought. We have free-range hounds here.
The Farm Manager found her under the apple tree this morning. Aside from a little blood on her fangs there was no sign of trauma, she just looked like she went to sleep. Our theory is she wandered into a coyote ambush, ran for her life, and dropped dead from a heart attack when she got home. She was seven years old.
Happy trails, sweet Lucy... and don't mention that Bible incident up there in your new home.
Lucy is the ugliest wretch of a dog that God ever breathed life into. She's grown bigger since we got her, but rather than growing into herself she just gets more ungainly. Her paws would be big on a dog twice her size. Ears likewise. When she runs she looks more like a goat than a dog. She looks like a toddler in size twelve sneakers wearing floppy Mickey Mouse ears. Her brindle tiger-stripes get more asymmetrical by the day. Easily the most beautiful dog I've ever had.
She's the girl who ate a Bible and chewed the knobs and pull-cord off my generator. She ate beer cans and shit aluminum ingots.
She was next door barking at the neighbour dogs last night. She wasn't home by the time I turned in, but I didn't give that much thought. We have free-range hounds here.
The Farm Manager found her under the apple tree this morning. Aside from a little blood on her fangs there was no sign of trauma, she just looked like she went to sleep. Our theory is she wandered into a coyote ambush, ran for her life, and dropped dead from a heart attack when she got home. She was seven years old.
Happy trails, sweet Lucy... and don't mention that Bible incident up there in your new home.
Friday, August 24, 2018
John's barber shop
Found myself in town this afternoon with a little time to kill. The Farm Manager had to take the Bubbinator to the hearing clinic to have her new hearing aids dialed in. Thought I'd head over to John's barber shop for that long-overdue haircut. After all, they just opened up and I'll bet they're hungry for clientele.
Not that hungry. I walk in and there's a guy in the chair and another guy waiting.
"Hey John! Good to see ya! How much wait time am I looking at?"
John consults his laptop. His apprentice, Noah, is busy with the scissors. "Hey Moses, great to see ya!" It's so easy to get the biblical patriarchs mixed up, but Noah is used to it. I've known both these guys since they were kids.
"Well, we're booked solid for today... Saturday's looking kinda tight... but we could maybe squeeze you in next Tuesday."
WTF? These guys just opened the door a couple months ago and they're booked solid days in advance? Tuesday didn't work for me, but I've got an appointment for next Thursday.
The barber shop must be making a come-back, and why not. For far too long too many guys have had to take a chance at their local First Choice, where everybody makes minimum wage and nobody gives a shit.
Back in the Guelph era I used to go to Nat's barber shop on Macdonell. Nat's brother Terry had a great reputation as a quality house builder. I never needed an appointment at Nat's.
Then I was a regular at Rod's barber shop in Walkerton. Rod Dahm was an old-school barber too. No appointment required and none taken anyway. Rod just retired a year or two ago, but we used to have extended (well, extended to as long as it took to get a haircut) conversations about the barbering trade.
When Rod put out his shingle in Walkerton back in the day, there were five barbers in town. Self-respecting males would get their hair trimmed once a week, or every other week on the outside. All five of those barbers made a decent living in a community of three or four thousand souls.
Then the hippy-dippy era arrived...
Hey man!....
Let it all hang out... and by all means, let your hair grow out at the same time. I remember those days. Never mind once a week; I was getting by on one haircut a year for the longest time. You'd start with a buzzcut and you'd have a full hippy-dippy head 'o hair half-way down your ass before you thought about another haircut.
Those must have been lean years for Rod and every other barber. Nevertheless, Rod was able to regale me with tales of his family's adventures on their twin-engine Sea Ray on a regular basis. Even in the darkest times some barbers managed to fare out OK.
I suspect Rod may have been the model for Chilton's books about the wealthy barber. He ran a cash-only business, and as my pal Jimmy Lippert used to say, nobody's the wiser about how much income you report and how much you don't. In Jimmy's word's; "that's gotta be a great business if you don't mind running your fingers through another man's cooties."
I'm guessing the modern barber doesn't run into much in the way of cooties. And the cultural pendulum has swung back to a place where most guys want a haircut more than once a year.
John and Moses just might be in the right place at the right time. More power to ya, lads!
See you Thursday!
Not that hungry. I walk in and there's a guy in the chair and another guy waiting.
"Hey John! Good to see ya! How much wait time am I looking at?"
John consults his laptop. His apprentice, Noah, is busy with the scissors. "Hey Moses, great to see ya!" It's so easy to get the biblical patriarchs mixed up, but Noah is used to it. I've known both these guys since they were kids.
"Well, we're booked solid for today... Saturday's looking kinda tight... but we could maybe squeeze you in next Tuesday."
WTF? These guys just opened the door a couple months ago and they're booked solid days in advance? Tuesday didn't work for me, but I've got an appointment for next Thursday.
The barber shop must be making a come-back, and why not. For far too long too many guys have had to take a chance at their local First Choice, where everybody makes minimum wage and nobody gives a shit.
Back in the Guelph era I used to go to Nat's barber shop on Macdonell. Nat's brother Terry had a great reputation as a quality house builder. I never needed an appointment at Nat's.
Then I was a regular at Rod's barber shop in Walkerton. Rod Dahm was an old-school barber too. No appointment required and none taken anyway. Rod just retired a year or two ago, but we used to have extended (well, extended to as long as it took to get a haircut) conversations about the barbering trade.
When Rod put out his shingle in Walkerton back in the day, there were five barbers in town. Self-respecting males would get their hair trimmed once a week, or every other week on the outside. All five of those barbers made a decent living in a community of three or four thousand souls.
Then the hippy-dippy era arrived...
Hey man!....
Let it all hang out... and by all means, let your hair grow out at the same time. I remember those days. Never mind once a week; I was getting by on one haircut a year for the longest time. You'd start with a buzzcut and you'd have a full hippy-dippy head 'o hair half-way down your ass before you thought about another haircut.
Those must have been lean years for Rod and every other barber. Nevertheless, Rod was able to regale me with tales of his family's adventures on their twin-engine Sea Ray on a regular basis. Even in the darkest times some barbers managed to fare out OK.
I suspect Rod may have been the model for Chilton's books about the wealthy barber. He ran a cash-only business, and as my pal Jimmy Lippert used to say, nobody's the wiser about how much income you report and how much you don't. In Jimmy's word's; "that's gotta be a great business if you don't mind running your fingers through another man's cooties."
I'm guessing the modern barber doesn't run into much in the way of cooties. And the cultural pendulum has swung back to a place where most guys want a haircut more than once a year.
John and Moses just might be in the right place at the right time. More power to ya, lads!
See you Thursday!
President Trump: the ultimate WMD
Since Big Media shifted to the "all Trump, all the time" format a couple of years ago, all of us are acquainted with the anti-Trump canon of verities.
Trump is the most racist racist to ever befoul the White House.
Trump is a buffoon.
Trump is a moron.
Trump is the lyingest liar to ever besmirch American politics.
Trump is in Putin's pocket.
Trump is a self-dealing swindler.
Trump has grabbed more pussy than any of the preceding 44 presidents, or at least brags about it more... and so on.
All of which could well be true. But what is also true is that Donald Trump is the ultimate "weapon of mass distraction."
While the world goes ape-shit over his latest toxic tweet, it seems to me highly probable that the most consequential decision Trump himself makes in the course of any given day is whether to have a Big Mac or KFC for lunch.
How else to explain the vast gulf between Trump's talking points and actual US policy?
Trump was going to draw down American wars. The opposite is happening.
Trump was going to normalize relations with Russia. Instead, they're getting demonstrably worse.
Trump said NATO was irrelevant. He's since become NATOs fund-raiser in chief.
Trump was bringing peace to the Holy Land. The opposite is happening.
There's seldom been a more obvious disconnect between the pronouncements of the Commander-in-Chief and the actions of the state he is allegedly commanding.
This is no accident. Recall that Trump is a long-time Clinton crony parachuted into the Republican primaries by the Clinton camp to sow mayhem among the more traditional contenders.
Alas, it didn't take things long to go off plan. Not surprisingly, Big Media, largely responsible for creating the Trump brand over the past fourty years, seized on the Trump circus with a vengeance, and he's been a godsend for them.
As for Trump, he's the ultimate proof of the old adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity. Come hell, high water, impeachment, or whatever, he's bound to walk away from his political career richer than ever. He's fine with that.
So are the swamp creatures of the Deep State. While the public is in a tizzy over Trump's latest twitter indiscretions, their consolidation of power quietly forges ahead, well under the radar of that "free press" that is our supposed last bulwark against tyranny.
Democracy may have served up a lemon on December 8, but the folks behind the curtain and their PR department in the media have figured out how to squeeze that into some mighty potent lemonade.
Donald Trump is their ultimate weapon of mass distraction.
Trump is the most racist racist to ever befoul the White House.
Trump is a buffoon.
Trump is a moron.
Trump is the lyingest liar to ever besmirch American politics.
Trump is in Putin's pocket.
Trump is a self-dealing swindler.
Trump has grabbed more pussy than any of the preceding 44 presidents, or at least brags about it more... and so on.
All of which could well be true. But what is also true is that Donald Trump is the ultimate "weapon of mass distraction."
While the world goes ape-shit over his latest toxic tweet, it seems to me highly probable that the most consequential decision Trump himself makes in the course of any given day is whether to have a Big Mac or KFC for lunch.
How else to explain the vast gulf between Trump's talking points and actual US policy?
Trump was going to draw down American wars. The opposite is happening.
Trump was going to normalize relations with Russia. Instead, they're getting demonstrably worse.
Trump said NATO was irrelevant. He's since become NATOs fund-raiser in chief.
Trump was bringing peace to the Holy Land. The opposite is happening.
There's seldom been a more obvious disconnect between the pronouncements of the Commander-in-Chief and the actions of the state he is allegedly commanding.
This is no accident. Recall that Trump is a long-time Clinton crony parachuted into the Republican primaries by the Clinton camp to sow mayhem among the more traditional contenders.
Alas, it didn't take things long to go off plan. Not surprisingly, Big Media, largely responsible for creating the Trump brand over the past fourty years, seized on the Trump circus with a vengeance, and he's been a godsend for them.
As for Trump, he's the ultimate proof of the old adage that there's no such thing as bad publicity. Come hell, high water, impeachment, or whatever, he's bound to walk away from his political career richer than ever. He's fine with that.
So are the swamp creatures of the Deep State. While the public is in a tizzy over Trump's latest twitter indiscretions, their consolidation of power quietly forges ahead, well under the radar of that "free press" that is our supposed last bulwark against tyranny.
Democracy may have served up a lemon on December 8, but the folks behind the curtain and their PR department in the media have figured out how to squeeze that into some mighty potent lemonade.
Donald Trump is their ultimate weapon of mass distraction.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Cage match: Toronto Star vs The Globe and Mail
Back in the early eighties I lived on Mctague Street in Guelph, and The Globe and Mail arrived at my door every morning for twenty-five cents a day. My newsprint addiction was affordable and the supply was reliable.
Now I have to drive into town to pick it up. It costs $3.70 and there's no guarantee there's going to be one waiting for me. Anything from weather to car trouble on the part of the guy who delivers the paper up here to the backwoods could mean a wasted trip.
The trip costs something too. If I add in a reasonable per/km stipend, that Globe costs me ten bucks a day easy, and it gets a little thinner with every "redesign."
So I'm trying to cut down. I skip the odd day, or I'll try to substitute a Toronto Star instead. Today I picked up both papers in order to facilitate a head-to-head comparison. Here's how that looks.
Globe has 34 pages in two sections. Star offers 50 pages in five sections for $2.65. On a pages per dollar basis, it's a no-brainer that the Star offers better value. If you have a brain, however, there are reasons why you might prefer the Globe.
Both papers lead with the same story. The Globe's headline reads "Ex-aides' convictions bring Russia probe closer to Trump." The Star offers a lame pun in their headline, "Fall the president's men." Get it?
To my ear that's an intern showing off their erudition.
The Toronto Star is, not surprisingly, far more Toronto-centric than the Globe. The Star's serious-news section devotes a couple of pages to city council's challenge to Ford's plan to cut the number of councillors. The Globe has the equivalent amount of space for the Pope's coming visit to Ireland. The Star also makes room for speculative stories that I imagine fall into the human interest category, like almost a full page devoted to speculation about careless smokers causing an epidemic of condo fires.
After the top news stories, the business news is what I'm looking for next. Both papers' business sections lead with the Aeroplan sale. After that the Star mostly recycles Wall Street Journal copy. That's fine, but if I want to read the WSJ I do so on line.
The Globe and Mail clearly has more original business copy. There are two essays on the "Opinion & Analysis" page that are both original to today's Globe (unless Rosenberg's story was reprinted from his newsletter). Both are about Turkey's supposed financial crisis. Neither of them mention US sanctions.
That's the kind of blogpost fodder I can sink my teeth into! Venezuela's crisis is due to a failed experiment in socialism, not US sanctions. Russia's economic woes are due to Putin's kleptocratic misrule, not US sanctions. Iran's economic troubles are due to the ayatollahs draining the treasury to support terrorists, not US sanctions... see the pattern? Perpetually-meddling Uncle Sam is never responsible for anything!
Both papers do a reasonable job with their sports coverage, which is a low priority for me. The Star has way more "infotainment" fluff, if you're into that. Aside from the cigarette-addled condo arsonists, today we get the low-down on Chinese noodle-houses and an update on how Tiffany Trump is doing at Georgetown, where she's going into her second year of law. (Don't laugh; her Auntie Maryanne, Donald's sister, is a retired federal court judge. As for Tiffany, she seems to be holding her own under the pressure, and even has time to party with Lindsay Lohan!)
The conclusion? The Star is better value if you're buying the paper to wrap fish. It also burns more readily if you're using it to start a campfire. If, on the other hand, you want to read a serious newspaper put out by people who still believe they're writing one, The Globe and Mail is the way to go.
That said, when a man's newspaper budget begins to impinge on his beer budget, it's time for a serious review of one's priorities.
Now I have to drive into town to pick it up. It costs $3.70 and there's no guarantee there's going to be one waiting for me. Anything from weather to car trouble on the part of the guy who delivers the paper up here to the backwoods could mean a wasted trip.
The trip costs something too. If I add in a reasonable per/km stipend, that Globe costs me ten bucks a day easy, and it gets a little thinner with every "redesign."
So I'm trying to cut down. I skip the odd day, or I'll try to substitute a Toronto Star instead. Today I picked up both papers in order to facilitate a head-to-head comparison. Here's how that looks.
Globe has 34 pages in two sections. Star offers 50 pages in five sections for $2.65. On a pages per dollar basis, it's a no-brainer that the Star offers better value. If you have a brain, however, there are reasons why you might prefer the Globe.
Both papers lead with the same story. The Globe's headline reads "Ex-aides' convictions bring Russia probe closer to Trump." The Star offers a lame pun in their headline, "Fall the president's men." Get it?
To my ear that's an intern showing off their erudition.
The Toronto Star is, not surprisingly, far more Toronto-centric than the Globe. The Star's serious-news section devotes a couple of pages to city council's challenge to Ford's plan to cut the number of councillors. The Globe has the equivalent amount of space for the Pope's coming visit to Ireland. The Star also makes room for speculative stories that I imagine fall into the human interest category, like almost a full page devoted to speculation about careless smokers causing an epidemic of condo fires.
After the top news stories, the business news is what I'm looking for next. Both papers' business sections lead with the Aeroplan sale. After that the Star mostly recycles Wall Street Journal copy. That's fine, but if I want to read the WSJ I do so on line.
The Globe and Mail clearly has more original business copy. There are two essays on the "Opinion & Analysis" page that are both original to today's Globe (unless Rosenberg's story was reprinted from his newsletter). Both are about Turkey's supposed financial crisis. Neither of them mention US sanctions.
That's the kind of blogpost fodder I can sink my teeth into! Venezuela's crisis is due to a failed experiment in socialism, not US sanctions. Russia's economic woes are due to Putin's kleptocratic misrule, not US sanctions. Iran's economic troubles are due to the ayatollahs draining the treasury to support terrorists, not US sanctions... see the pattern? Perpetually-meddling Uncle Sam is never responsible for anything!
Both papers do a reasonable job with their sports coverage, which is a low priority for me. The Star has way more "infotainment" fluff, if you're into that. Aside from the cigarette-addled condo arsonists, today we get the low-down on Chinese noodle-houses and an update on how Tiffany Trump is doing at Georgetown, where she's going into her second year of law. (Don't laugh; her Auntie Maryanne, Donald's sister, is a retired federal court judge. As for Tiffany, she seems to be holding her own under the pressure, and even has time to party with Lindsay Lohan!)
The conclusion? The Star is better value if you're buying the paper to wrap fish. It also burns more readily if you're using it to start a campfire. If, on the other hand, you want to read a serious newspaper put out by people who still believe they're writing one, The Globe and Mail is the way to go.
That said, when a man's newspaper budget begins to impinge on his beer budget, it's time for a serious review of one's priorities.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
My union brothers
I was talking to my brother "The Kid" recently and we got to reminiscing about our time at the General Electric plant in Guelph. I was long gone by the time he arrived there, but we certainly have some similar memories.
He tells me him and a couple of buddies would head to the beer store at lunch and each down a six-pack before heading back to work.
Ditto!
Then he tells me about sitting on the plant roof with a bottle of wine and a little reefer, watching the sun come up.
Same! Except he was on the third shift; I was on second shift, so me and Jimmy used to watch the sun go down from up there instead.
When you look back on the amount of dog-fucking we did, it's no wonder GE now builds transformers in Mexico instead... but that's another story.
That bit of reminiscing got me rambling down memory lane again. When I worked at Kearney's there was a couple of shop stewards who ran into a spot of trouble. They'd been advanced some money by the local to attend a big union shindig in Pittsburgh. Seems they got paid for two hotel rooms, but decided to share a room instead, and spend the rest of the money at the bar.
A public shaming ensued. Union politics at their most petty and vicious.
The president of our local was a decent and affable guy, but rumour had it he had a gambling issue. I would have thought he'd be set up pretty comfortable, but a couple years after I left the place he showed up at my door delivering a pizza, so maybe there was something to the rumours.
Cheech Contini was another dude who worked there at the time. What a surprise it was to meet him again when I was working at Dresser a few years later. His brother Tony was union pres there. Their family name was somewhat famous in Guelph back in the day, but they were always good to me.
Another guy I met at Dresser was John Lammer. He'd already done a couple of the restoration projects he was to become rich and famous for, but times were tough, interest rates had spiked, he had bills to pay, and there he was, inhaling welding fumes right along side me.
Those were a few of my union brothers.
Somali refugee says living in Canada "like torture"
Here's a Canadian story that doesn't seem to get much publicity in Canada. I'd not heard of this until I stumbled upon it at Al Jazeera today.
Maybe that's because it doesn't jive with what we might call the Canadian consensus, namely that we are an unimpeachable font of virtue on the world stage. The idea that an affordable community in the nation's capital, a mostly immigrant community which happens to be 90% non-white, would be bulldozed to make way for more profitable housing just doesn't square with our smug sense of superiority.
So we ignore it.
A heads-up to the Border Patrol office in Champlain; keep an eye on Roxham Road. If too many people find out what it's really like to be a refugee in Canada, the traffic will soon be heading the other way.
Maybe that's because it doesn't jive with what we might call the Canadian consensus, namely that we are an unimpeachable font of virtue on the world stage. The idea that an affordable community in the nation's capital, a mostly immigrant community which happens to be 90% non-white, would be bulldozed to make way for more profitable housing just doesn't square with our smug sense of superiority.
So we ignore it.
A heads-up to the Border Patrol office in Champlain; keep an eye on Roxham Road. If too many people find out what it's really like to be a refugee in Canada, the traffic will soon be heading the other way.
Canada to ship feminist sniper rifles to Ukraine
We know that these are "feminist" sniper rifles because Canada has a feminist foreign policy, as Sunnydaze Trudeau never tires of reminding us.
This deal was allegedly conditional on Ukraine making progress on cleaning up the rampant corruption that permeates their political culture. I guess someone somewhere told somebody at Global Affairs the clean-up is going swimmingly, and that's good enough for us.
Here's a discussion about Ukrainian corruption in Foreign Policy. It's telling that the Americans are reluctant to send advanced military hardware to Ukraine for fear that the thieves and scoundrels of the Verkhovna Rada would sell it on to their supposed arch-enemy, the Russians.
In spite of their misgivings, the Americans did approve the sale of $40 million worth of US made sniper rifles last December. Those wouldn't be feminist sniper rifles though, so we still have the moral high ground.
By my estimation the US and Canadian deals combined represent something in the order of 4000+ sniper rifles, to be used primarily against the Donbass separatists. Even if only half the shipments find their way to the Russian mafia, that's still going to translate into many more dead Ukrainians.
How does arming one side in a civil war further our standing as a champion for human rights everywhere?
This deal was allegedly conditional on Ukraine making progress on cleaning up the rampant corruption that permeates their political culture. I guess someone somewhere told somebody at Global Affairs the clean-up is going swimmingly, and that's good enough for us.
Here's a discussion about Ukrainian corruption in Foreign Policy. It's telling that the Americans are reluctant to send advanced military hardware to Ukraine for fear that the thieves and scoundrels of the Verkhovna Rada would sell it on to their supposed arch-enemy, the Russians.
In spite of their misgivings, the Americans did approve the sale of $40 million worth of US made sniper rifles last December. Those wouldn't be feminist sniper rifles though, so we still have the moral high ground.
By my estimation the US and Canadian deals combined represent something in the order of 4000+ sniper rifles, to be used primarily against the Donbass separatists. Even if only half the shipments find their way to the Russian mafia, that's still going to translate into many more dead Ukrainians.
How does arming one side in a civil war further our standing as a champion for human rights everywhere?
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Speaking of fake news...
Whatever happened to Guevara, the world-famous-for-a-month "first female sniper of the Syrian Free Army?"
She was another overnight sensation who got saturation coverage in the msm. Maybe when al Nusra took over the SFA they put her in a managerial role?
Maybe not...
She was another overnight sensation who got saturation coverage in the msm. Maybe when al Nusra took over the SFA they put her in a managerial role?
Maybe not...
On the trail of fake news;connecting the dots from Syria to Hollywood
Read a great feel-good news story in my Sunday Star today. Seems that some "opposition activists" (code for the al Qaeda /ISIS crowd fighting for regime change in Syria) have teamed up with some entrepreneurial Americans to develop an app that gives those plucky activists a heads-up that a pro-government fighter-bomber is heading their way.
They've got planespotters lurking around Syrian airbases. When they spot a jet taking off they call in the particulars to a "foreign server," where the information is plugged into magic algorithms. Almost instantly, the algorithms calculate where that plane is heading, and then send a warning to those target areas on social media. A simple cell-phone app has saved tens of thousands of civilian lives!
I was surprised that war-torn Syria would have such robust cell-phone coverage, especially in the rebel-held areas. Doesn't the Syrian government control the cell networks? Wouldn't they just turn off the coverage for any area they planned to bomb?
Something doesn't add up, so I thought I'd dig around a little. The Star filched the story from the Washington Post, and the Post's story appears to be an abbreviated version of this story at Wired from a few days before. This story provides a little more background on the three partners who founded Hala Systems: Dave Levin, the American entrepreneur, John Jaeger of the US State Department, and "Murad," the Syrian coder working in Turkey on "data management" for the White Helmets.
The White Helmets are the civilian defense outfit that works only in areas under the control of the so-called rebels, primarily ISIS and various affiliates of al Qaeda. There is an abundance of evidence that strongly suggests institutional ties between the White Helmets and the terrorists, and the White Helmets have received at least $100 millions in financing (and an Oscar!) from the very Western countries that have sponsored the overthrow of Assad from the beginning.
So far our good-news story has ensnared the White Helmets, their sponsors in the US and other countries, and their links to the terrorists that we've supposedly been fighting since 9/11, but where's the Hollywood connection?
Here you go. Dave Levin, inventor of the miracle app saving lives in Syria, is listed as a collaborator on the website of USC's World Building Institute. Take a gander at their partners page. You'll find the aristocracy of the global infotainment industry very well represented indeed!
Among other things, these connections clarify how little Bana made it so smoothly from Aleppo to Turkey to Hollywood.
As for that story being flogged via Wired, WaPo, and the Toronto Star, I don't know why you'd need spotters lurking around Syrian air bases when the US military can see every airplane in the sky anywhere over Syria.
But it gives the story a human touch, doesn't it?
They've got planespotters lurking around Syrian airbases. When they spot a jet taking off they call in the particulars to a "foreign server," where the information is plugged into magic algorithms. Almost instantly, the algorithms calculate where that plane is heading, and then send a warning to those target areas on social media. A simple cell-phone app has saved tens of thousands of civilian lives!
I was surprised that war-torn Syria would have such robust cell-phone coverage, especially in the rebel-held areas. Doesn't the Syrian government control the cell networks? Wouldn't they just turn off the coverage for any area they planned to bomb?
Something doesn't add up, so I thought I'd dig around a little. The Star filched the story from the Washington Post, and the Post's story appears to be an abbreviated version of this story at Wired from a few days before. This story provides a little more background on the three partners who founded Hala Systems: Dave Levin, the American entrepreneur, John Jaeger of the US State Department, and "Murad," the Syrian coder working in Turkey on "data management" for the White Helmets.
The White Helmets are the civilian defense outfit that works only in areas under the control of the so-called rebels, primarily ISIS and various affiliates of al Qaeda. There is an abundance of evidence that strongly suggests institutional ties between the White Helmets and the terrorists, and the White Helmets have received at least $100 millions in financing (and an Oscar!) from the very Western countries that have sponsored the overthrow of Assad from the beginning.
So far our good-news story has ensnared the White Helmets, their sponsors in the US and other countries, and their links to the terrorists that we've supposedly been fighting since 9/11, but where's the Hollywood connection?
Here you go. Dave Levin, inventor of the miracle app saving lives in Syria, is listed as a collaborator on the website of USC's World Building Institute. Take a gander at their partners page. You'll find the aristocracy of the global infotainment industry very well represented indeed!
Among other things, these connections clarify how little Bana made it so smoothly from Aleppo to Turkey to Hollywood.
As for that story being flogged via Wired, WaPo, and the Toronto Star, I don't know why you'd need spotters lurking around Syrian air bases when the US military can see every airplane in the sky anywhere over Syria.
But it gives the story a human touch, doesn't it?
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Check out my latest conspiracy theory
Not a bad one... actually has a degree of plausibility.
As I was writing that last post it suddenly occurred to me why the big papers have such an enthusiasm for their Trump bashing.
They're toast. They know they can't survive without a government bailout in some form or other. They also know that bailout won't be coming from a Trump government.
But, should their impassioned last-ditch attempt to save democracy bear fruit, and we succeed in dumping Trump, the next government will owe a huge debt to the forth estate, will it not?
Bail-out City, here we come!
President Brennan and his veep Mikey Moore are gonna make sure of that!
As I was writing that last post it suddenly occurred to me why the big papers have such an enthusiasm for their Trump bashing.
They're toast. They know they can't survive without a government bailout in some form or other. They also know that bailout won't be coming from a Trump government.
But, should their impassioned last-ditch attempt to save democracy bear fruit, and we succeed in dumping Trump, the next government will owe a huge debt to the forth estate, will it not?
Bail-out City, here we come!
President Brennan and his veep Mikey Moore are gonna make sure of that!
If our "free press" is all that stands between us and tyranny, we're screwed
The main problem for the so-called free press is that they are long past having destroyed their own credibility. They've made themselves irrelevant. It wasn't the Russians, it wasn't Trump; no, they have only themselves to blame.
On top of that, the internet came along and ate their lunch. Without lunch money, the big papers are increasingly obliged to rely on a sugar daddy, as in Amazon boss Bezos' purchase of the Washington Post.
The Boston Globe, where today's bit of grandstanding originated, is a money-losing black hole in financial terms. By the way, the top three news stories on their website the last time I checked were all about said grandstanding. That's what we need more of; newspapers writing about themselves.
In the good old days, owning a major paper was not only a cash cow, it was a sure path to power and influence. You'd be hard pressed to find, anywhere in the annals of US history, a time when politicians and news barons didn't forge alliances.
Because influence peddling is what our free press historically did. They're pouty now because they have very little influence left to peddle.
Here in Canada, we've had three examples of newspaper proprietors riding their bully pulpits all the way to the House of Lords in the mothership. If you read up on him, you'll find Max Aitken became one of the most powerful men in the British Empire in an era when that still meant something.
That's what the news business used to be about!
Now they're pretty much all circling the drain. They're hoping to extort a little sympathy, and perhaps a government bailout, with this rubbish about how they're the last line of defence for our beleaguered democracies.
On top of that, the internet came along and ate their lunch. Without lunch money, the big papers are increasingly obliged to rely on a sugar daddy, as in Amazon boss Bezos' purchase of the Washington Post.
The Boston Globe, where today's bit of grandstanding originated, is a money-losing black hole in financial terms. By the way, the top three news stories on their website the last time I checked were all about said grandstanding. That's what we need more of; newspapers writing about themselves.
In the good old days, owning a major paper was not only a cash cow, it was a sure path to power and influence. You'd be hard pressed to find, anywhere in the annals of US history, a time when politicians and news barons didn't forge alliances.
Because influence peddling is what our free press historically did. They're pouty now because they have very little influence left to peddle.
Here in Canada, we've had three examples of newspaper proprietors riding their bully pulpits all the way to the House of Lords in the mothership. If you read up on him, you'll find Max Aitken became one of the most powerful men in the British Empire in an era when that still meant something.
That's what the news business used to be about!
Now they're pretty much all circling the drain. They're hoping to extort a little sympathy, and perhaps a government bailout, with this rubbish about how they're the last line of defence for our beleaguered democracies.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Did Trump use the n-word?
Maybe. The guy doesn't seem to have much of a filter.
But while you're pondering that question, which is of zero import one way or the other in the big picture, here's a few things Trump HAS managed to accomplish.
He has set back any prospect for peace in the Middle East by at least a generation by moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
He has raised America's absurdly obese military budget, with the enthusiastic support of the Dems, to a ridiculous $770 billions. The increase alone is more than our enemy-du-jour, Russia, spends on its military in a year. (But Russia remains a "threat?")
He has gifted a massive tax break to his fellow billionaires while more Americans than ever are homeless and destitute.
He has ramped up the economic war on half a dozen countries, any of which could implode at any moment, with catastrophic consequences for global stability.
These are all real accomplishments...
But you're worried about the n-word?
But while you're pondering that question, which is of zero import one way or the other in the big picture, here's a few things Trump HAS managed to accomplish.
He has set back any prospect for peace in the Middle East by at least a generation by moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
He has raised America's absurdly obese military budget, with the enthusiastic support of the Dems, to a ridiculous $770 billions. The increase alone is more than our enemy-du-jour, Russia, spends on its military in a year. (But Russia remains a "threat?")
He has gifted a massive tax break to his fellow billionaires while more Americans than ever are homeless and destitute.
He has ramped up the economic war on half a dozen countries, any of which could implode at any moment, with catastrophic consequences for global stability.
These are all real accomplishments...
But you're worried about the n-word?
You can still buy a Confederate flag at the Keady Market
The Keady Market grew up around Kuhl's Livestock Auctions in Keady. The Kuhl's have a cattle auction every Tuesday, so what could be more logical than having a farmer's market in the field behind the auction arena?
Initially that meant a few locals fobbing off the surplus from their kitchen gardens. But it's grown like topsy! They got well over two hundred vendors now. If it wasn't for toilet paper and beer, you really wouldn't have to shop anywhere else!
Want a new watch? You can find an authentic-looking counterfeit of a famous Swiss brand for twenty bucks. Ditto for designer sunglasses.
How about a crossbow? Cherry-flavoured popcorn? Cannabis-oil balm to rub on your aching feet?...
Or maybe you've had your eye on a Dixie flag to hang in your rec-room? No problem! Found two vendors happy to oblige, one of them being a native woman. They're getting hard to find since the forces of political correctitude rendered them a symbol of white supremacy. Around here they're just a symbol of Dukes of Hazzard and Lynyrd Skynryd.
It's still a livestock auction at heart. You can buy a single cattle-beast or a whole herd of heifers. In the main sales arena guys with manure on their boots spend hundreds of thousands replenishing their inventory.
The Keady Market has become something of a regional tourist draw. Me and the Farm Manager try to visit at least once a year. The FM found the perfect belt holster for her iPhone today.
The crowd is a very diverse bag, from farmers to local townfolks to day-trippers from the city. I saw at least three different clans of Amish women in attendance; black, white, and blue-bonnets, each of which fervently believe that their bonnet style is most pleasing to the Lord.
There's also lots of aging hippie-types, grey-beard bikers, and tattooed hotties in too-short denim cut-offs and cowboy boots. It would be my kinda place if you could score a cold beer somewhere on the premises.
All in all, well worth the visit, but be forewarned; only a few of the vendors have interac, and the onsite cash dispenser wasn't dispensing cash today. Best to top off your wallet before you go.
Initially that meant a few locals fobbing off the surplus from their kitchen gardens. But it's grown like topsy! They got well over two hundred vendors now. If it wasn't for toilet paper and beer, you really wouldn't have to shop anywhere else!
Want a new watch? You can find an authentic-looking counterfeit of a famous Swiss brand for twenty bucks. Ditto for designer sunglasses.
How about a crossbow? Cherry-flavoured popcorn? Cannabis-oil balm to rub on your aching feet?...
Or maybe you've had your eye on a Dixie flag to hang in your rec-room? No problem! Found two vendors happy to oblige, one of them being a native woman. They're getting hard to find since the forces of political correctitude rendered them a symbol of white supremacy. Around here they're just a symbol of Dukes of Hazzard and Lynyrd Skynryd.
It's still a livestock auction at heart. You can buy a single cattle-beast or a whole herd of heifers. In the main sales arena guys with manure on their boots spend hundreds of thousands replenishing their inventory.
The Keady Market has become something of a regional tourist draw. Me and the Farm Manager try to visit at least once a year. The FM found the perfect belt holster for her iPhone today.
The crowd is a very diverse bag, from farmers to local townfolks to day-trippers from the city. I saw at least three different clans of Amish women in attendance; black, white, and blue-bonnets, each of which fervently believe that their bonnet style is most pleasing to the Lord.
There's also lots of aging hippie-types, grey-beard bikers, and tattooed hotties in too-short denim cut-offs and cowboy boots. It would be my kinda place if you could score a cold beer somewhere on the premises.
All in all, well worth the visit, but be forewarned; only a few of the vendors have interac, and the onsite cash dispenser wasn't dispensing cash today. Best to top off your wallet before you go.
Top headlines waiting for me at Google News this morning
By golly, that Artificial Intelligence stuff is amazing, isn't it? Google uses AI to personalize the stories the aggregator selects for us, according to our interests. Here's the top five headlines waiting for me when I fired up the laptop this morning.
- Paul Manafort's lawyers conclude case without calling any witnesses - The Guardian
- Ex-Trump official admits he "possibly" pocketed money from president's inauguration committee - Global News
- Defence for Paul Manafort rests without calling witnesses at bank fraud trial - CBC News
- Manafort defence rests without calling witnesses - CNN
- Defence rests in Paul Manafort fraud trial without calling any witnesses - Daily Mail
They totally nailed it! I've been totally obsessed with the Manafort trial.
The insights of Google's AI bots following me around the web are utterly uncanny! Why, just last night I had a dream where Manafort's defence team had Bad Vlad himself squirming in the witness stand...
Or not.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
The myopia of Thomas Friedman
Thomas Friedman is a big deal. He's the guy all the top guns in the Canadian punditocracy have to read to make sure they're onside with the latest slant on US Exceptionalism.
Friedman's insights trickle up here to the boonies a little late. The column that appeared in my "New York Times International Weekly" today actually showed up in the NYT five days ago, but better late than never.
Thomas is keen to have us know that he's hound-dogging his way around the continent on his NYT expense account, having dinner parties with various government and international experts, "trying to understand the refugee crisis that is fracturing the EU, much of which originates in Italy."
We'll call this the first Tommywhopper of the piece. The refugee crisis primarily originates in countries where the US and the gang of toadying me-too nations have been busying themselves spreading freedom and democracy. Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan...
It doesn't take Thomas long to come up with Tommywhopper 2; there was nothing wrong with the illegal destruction of Libya other than the small detail that the destroyers failed to hang around and "build a new order."
Really?
Friedman does notice that on his current frolic through Italy, "unassimilated migrants are now visible in the streets, squares, and train stations." Is this the result of America having destroyed their countries?
Gosh no! It's because we haven't provided the migrants with "legal pathways for immigration," nor have we, the always-virtuous West, come up with "a strategy to improve effective and accountable governance in Africa."
As if that should be our job. Hey, we're trying to get past that colonialism thing, aren't we?
We'll call that Tommywhopper 3. All EU countries have legal pathways for immigration. Having legal pathways for immigration is a condition of EU membership. What those legal pathways never anticipated was the over-whelming flood of refugees created by US foreign policiy.
That's America's responsibility, not Italy's. Or Hungary's or Spain's or Germany's or Sweden's. There is not the slightest whiff anywhere in these 800 words 'o wisdom from the American Establishment's number one pundit, that remotely hints that America bears any responsibility whatsoever for the refugee crisis.
The latter half of Friedman's rant is, predictably, all about Putin and his bumboy in the White House, although Steve Bannon makes an extended cameo. If those guys get their way, "who will write the new rules for the 21st century?"
Well Thomas, I guess that remains to be seen.
Folks who love peace and democracy just hope it won't be the same people who wrote the rules for the the last century... you know, the century that brought us Hiroshima, Korea, Vietnam, Timor, Suharto, Pinochet, the Shah, Rios Montt...
And so much more!
Friedman's insights trickle up here to the boonies a little late. The column that appeared in my "New York Times International Weekly" today actually showed up in the NYT five days ago, but better late than never.
Thomas is keen to have us know that he's hound-dogging his way around the continent on his NYT expense account, having dinner parties with various government and international experts, "trying to understand the refugee crisis that is fracturing the EU, much of which originates in Italy."
We'll call this the first Tommywhopper of the piece. The refugee crisis primarily originates in countries where the US and the gang of toadying me-too nations have been busying themselves spreading freedom and democracy. Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan...
It doesn't take Thomas long to come up with Tommywhopper 2; there was nothing wrong with the illegal destruction of Libya other than the small detail that the destroyers failed to hang around and "build a new order."
Really?
Friedman does notice that on his current frolic through Italy, "unassimilated migrants are now visible in the streets, squares, and train stations." Is this the result of America having destroyed their countries?
Gosh no! It's because we haven't provided the migrants with "legal pathways for immigration," nor have we, the always-virtuous West, come up with "a strategy to improve effective and accountable governance in Africa."
As if that should be our job. Hey, we're trying to get past that colonialism thing, aren't we?
We'll call that Tommywhopper 3. All EU countries have legal pathways for immigration. Having legal pathways for immigration is a condition of EU membership. What those legal pathways never anticipated was the over-whelming flood of refugees created by US foreign policiy.
That's America's responsibility, not Italy's. Or Hungary's or Spain's or Germany's or Sweden's. There is not the slightest whiff anywhere in these 800 words 'o wisdom from the American Establishment's number one pundit, that remotely hints that America bears any responsibility whatsoever for the refugee crisis.
The latter half of Friedman's rant is, predictably, all about Putin and his bumboy in the White House, although Steve Bannon makes an extended cameo. If those guys get their way, "who will write the new rules for the 21st century?"
Well Thomas, I guess that remains to be seen.
Folks who love peace and democracy just hope it won't be the same people who wrote the rules for the the last century... you know, the century that brought us Hiroshima, Korea, Vietnam, Timor, Suharto, Pinochet, the Shah, Rios Montt...
And so much more!
Friday, August 10, 2018
Jews will not replace us
I was perusing the CNN-Fox news corridor today, and it seems lots of folks have got their knickers in a twist over the impending reunion of the "white nationalists" in Charlottesville.
Saw a clip of some white dudes carrying torches there last year. They appeared to be chanting "Jews will not replace us."
Hey pal, I think your job at the car wash is pretty safe. Ain't no Jewish conspiracy gonna take your job anytime soon.
I'm fully aware there's a lot of really stupid white folks out there, but "Jews will not replace us?" That's a bit much... that's so retarded you'd almost think it has to be a setup. Maybe there's a drama class at U of Virginia where they get a credit for carrying a torch. Maybe you get your Master's for throwing on a bed-sheet and chanting "the KKK is here to stay."
I don't know...
What I do know is that anytime there's one of these "white nationalist-white supremacist" get togethers that take months to organize and might attract a few dozen seriously deluded dumbfucks, normal people can organize a counter demo of thousands in a matter of days.
It's always darkest before the dawn. There is still hope for America.
Saw a clip of some white dudes carrying torches there last year. They appeared to be chanting "Jews will not replace us."
Hey pal, I think your job at the car wash is pretty safe. Ain't no Jewish conspiracy gonna take your job anytime soon.
I'm fully aware there's a lot of really stupid white folks out there, but "Jews will not replace us?" That's a bit much... that's so retarded you'd almost think it has to be a setup. Maybe there's a drama class at U of Virginia where they get a credit for carrying a torch. Maybe you get your Master's for throwing on a bed-sheet and chanting "the KKK is here to stay."
I don't know...
What I do know is that anytime there's one of these "white nationalist-white supremacist" get togethers that take months to organize and might attract a few dozen seriously deluded dumbfucks, normal people can organize a counter demo of thousands in a matter of days.
It's always darkest before the dawn. There is still hope for America.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
UFC announces PoorBoys vs. Antifa in the octagon for UFC 230!
Come to think of it, that would probably sell some tickets!
Let's see if I got this right... on the one side, a bunch of millennials with no prospects.
On the other side... a bunch of millennials with no prospects...
Wait a minute!
What's wrong with this picture?
Why can't the millennials with no prospects put their heads together and figure out why they've got no prospects, instead of bashing each other's heads in?
Let's see if I got this right... on the one side, a bunch of millennials with no prospects.
On the other side... a bunch of millennials with no prospects...
Wait a minute!
What's wrong with this picture?
Why can't the millennials with no prospects put their heads together and figure out why they've got no prospects, instead of bashing each other's heads in?
Another reason to avoid motorcycles
I was coming down the road between Lake Charles and Wolseley the other day in the old Pontiac Torment, when a smallish wolf or a large coyote came full-throttle out of the underbrush on the left thinking he'd make it across the road.
He didn't.
But it got me thinking. That's one of the low-traffic neighbourhood roads I like to toodle around on with the Ninja.
What would have been the result if I'd been piloting the Ninja up that road at that particular moment?
Hospital?
Morgue?
It wouldna been pretty.
He didn't.
But it got me thinking. That's one of the low-traffic neighbourhood roads I like to toodle around on with the Ninja.
What would have been the result if I'd been piloting the Ninja up that road at that particular moment?
Hospital?
Morgue?
It wouldna been pretty.
Justin Trudeau's "feminist foreign policy" comes down with cramps
Back in the bad old "Big Steve" era, thinking Canadians would cringe when Bullshittin' Baird used to go on about how Canada punches above its weight, blah blah blah.
Now we tweet above our weight instead. Usually, nobody gives a shit, but last week our good pals in the Saudi dictatorship took umbrage.
Poof!
Fifteen thousand Saudi students paying extravagant "foreign student" tuition, gone from our universities.
Canada's biggest industrial export contract in history at risk.
Prospects of further lucrative contracts from the KSA?
Nil.
The response from Canada so far has been to double down on a really dubious idea; that you can cosy up to repressive regimes to take their money, and then turn around and criticize them for being repressive.
Which is par for the course for the team of Dumb and Dumber running the show in Ottawa. To hear them tell the tale, nothing is ever going to prevent us from tweeting for human rights.
We're very selective of who we champion in those tweets, of course. If you're a victim of Bad Vlad's machinations in Ukraine, hey, we've got your back! We'll at least tweet our support, if nothing else.
If you're a Romani victim of Ukrainian racists, not so much.
If you're a Palestinian in Gaza, forget about it.
But that's Canada, eh?
We can't figure out the mysteries of providing clean water to Indian reservations.
We can't run an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.
Hell, we can't even figure out how to pay our civil servants on time!
But, we are absolutely top-shelf, top-drawer, top 'o the heap when it comes to lecturing others on how to manage their affairs.
Now we tweet above our weight instead. Usually, nobody gives a shit, but last week our good pals in the Saudi dictatorship took umbrage.
Poof!
Fifteen thousand Saudi students paying extravagant "foreign student" tuition, gone from our universities.
Canada's biggest industrial export contract in history at risk.
Prospects of further lucrative contracts from the KSA?
Nil.
The response from Canada so far has been to double down on a really dubious idea; that you can cosy up to repressive regimes to take their money, and then turn around and criticize them for being repressive.
Which is par for the course for the team of Dumb and Dumber running the show in Ottawa. To hear them tell the tale, nothing is ever going to prevent us from tweeting for human rights.
We're very selective of who we champion in those tweets, of course. If you're a victim of Bad Vlad's machinations in Ukraine, hey, we've got your back! We'll at least tweet our support, if nothing else.
If you're a Romani victim of Ukrainian racists, not so much.
If you're a Palestinian in Gaza, forget about it.
But that's Canada, eh?
We can't figure out the mysteries of providing clean water to Indian reservations.
We can't run an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.
Hell, we can't even figure out how to pay our civil servants on time!
But, we are absolutely top-shelf, top-drawer, top 'o the heap when it comes to lecturing others on how to manage their affairs.
Canada committed to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit and intersex policies domestically and abroad
That's according to a "backgrounder" at the Global Affairs Canada website yesterday.
The only other items on the site yesterday are a news release on the Equal Rights Coalition Conference in Vancouver, and a statement marking the tenth anniversary of Saakashvili's very short war with Bad Vlad, in which we are reminded yet again that we Canadians stand, unequivocally, no matter how corrupt or compromised they may be, with anyone who may have a quibble with Russia.
Because that's what we do...
We are gung-ho for human rights, we Canucks are!
Not a mention of the ongoing squabble with our Saudi friends over the jailing of a couple of high-profile Saudi dissidents. Interesting that Chystia and Justin are only concerned with the rights of internationally known dissidents. That gets headlines.
We won't condemn the Saudis for their genocidal war on Yemen, their support for radical Islamic fundamentalism, or their discrimination against ethnic minorities and foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, not to mention Saudi lesbians, gays, bisexuals, etc etc. That might antagonise you-know-who in Washington who greenlights these Saudi outrages.
If Justin and Christia had spent a few minutes contemplating this picture, they might have guessed they'd antagonise you-know-who anyway.
The only other items on the site yesterday are a news release on the Equal Rights Coalition Conference in Vancouver, and a statement marking the tenth anniversary of Saakashvili's very short war with Bad Vlad, in which we are reminded yet again that we Canadians stand, unequivocally, no matter how corrupt or compromised they may be, with anyone who may have a quibble with Russia.
Because that's what we do...
We are gung-ho for human rights, we Canucks are!
Not a mention of the ongoing squabble with our Saudi friends over the jailing of a couple of high-profile Saudi dissidents. Interesting that Chystia and Justin are only concerned with the rights of internationally known dissidents. That gets headlines.
We won't condemn the Saudis for their genocidal war on Yemen, their support for radical Islamic fundamentalism, or their discrimination against ethnic minorities and foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, not to mention Saudi lesbians, gays, bisexuals, etc etc. That might antagonise you-know-who in Washington who greenlights these Saudi outrages.
If Justin and Christia had spent a few minutes contemplating this picture, they might have guessed they'd antagonise you-know-who anyway.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Musk trolls markets with 420 tweet
Hey, Musk's gonna take Tesla private! Yessiree!.. and he already has the financing in place!
Suuuuuure he does. Tesla is burning through (borrowed) money at the rate of five million dollars per day, give or take, and somebody wants to pony up $420 a share to take that black hole private?!
Colour me skeptical.
You also have to wonder about that number, but think about it. When you're as smart as Elon is, and you're making stuff up, you don't just make up random numbers; you pick numbers that resonate.
420 just has way more resonance than 410 or 430. Could the Age of Aquarius be just around the corner?
I think Elon's been smoking unicorn turds again
Suuuuuure he does. Tesla is burning through (borrowed) money at the rate of five million dollars per day, give or take, and somebody wants to pony up $420 a share to take that black hole private?!
Colour me skeptical.
You also have to wonder about that number, but think about it. When you're as smart as Elon is, and you're making stuff up, you don't just make up random numbers; you pick numbers that resonate.
420 just has way more resonance than 410 or 430. Could the Age of Aquarius be just around the corner?
I think Elon's been smoking unicorn turds again
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Some questions about King James' school
Lebron James is getting a gusher of positive press over "his" new school in Ohio. It's a good thing, what he's doing, but...
Why are public schools in America so under-funded that private philanthropy is required to provide a solid educational foundation for America's youth?
(And why does Raytheon not have to rely on charity to develop more efficient ways of killing?)
Why does American society pay one sports celebrity the same as sixty school-teachers?
(That's based on the average teacher salary in Ohio.)
Why is this being fobbed off as Lebron's school when the public board of education will be paying the lion's share of the bills?
(Because without Lebron's name this would not be a story.)
Why is a commitment of two million dollars per year from a guy making forty million per year to play hoops treated as an unprecedented exercise in generosity?
(Because when you or me or some other nobody gives a greater percentage of our income to worthy causes, we won't be making news headlines, because... we're not celebrities!)
Why?
Because in America's celebrity-obsessed culture, nothing ever happens until an A-list celeb attaches their name to it.
I'd be far more impressed if Lebron used that two million a year and his celebrity profile to lobby governments at all levels to prioritize education for all kids, everywhere.
Why should the quality of a child's education depend on the whims of a wealthy benefactor?
Why are public schools in America so under-funded that private philanthropy is required to provide a solid educational foundation for America's youth?
(And why does Raytheon not have to rely on charity to develop more efficient ways of killing?)
Why does American society pay one sports celebrity the same as sixty school-teachers?
(That's based on the average teacher salary in Ohio.)
Why is this being fobbed off as Lebron's school when the public board of education will be paying the lion's share of the bills?
(Because without Lebron's name this would not be a story.)
Why is a commitment of two million dollars per year from a guy making forty million per year to play hoops treated as an unprecedented exercise in generosity?
(Because when you or me or some other nobody gives a greater percentage of our income to worthy causes, we won't be making news headlines, because... we're not celebrities!)
Why?
Because in America's celebrity-obsessed culture, nothing ever happens until an A-list celeb attaches their name to it.
I'd be far more impressed if Lebron used that two million a year and his celebrity profile to lobby governments at all levels to prioritize education for all kids, everywhere.
Why should the quality of a child's education depend on the whims of a wealthy benefactor?
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Socialism coming back from dustbin of history
For the first time in very many years Americans, at least some of them, are no longer afraid of the word "socialism."
You noticed that in the Sanders campaign of 2016, and again in the recent Ocasio Cortez breakthrough. I think we're seeing the beginnings of a wave that's going to be picking up momentum as more and more folks realize that capitalism, American style, is not working out for them.
It's about time!
The vast majority of folks, white and black and all shades of brown, find themselves going backwards. On the other hand, Jeff Bezos has made his million 150,000 times over.
That's not sustainable.
You noticed that in the Sanders campaign of 2016, and again in the recent Ocasio Cortez breakthrough. I think we're seeing the beginnings of a wave that's going to be picking up momentum as more and more folks realize that capitalism, American style, is not working out for them.
It's about time!
The vast majority of folks, white and black and all shades of brown, find themselves going backwards. On the other hand, Jeff Bezos has made his million 150,000 times over.
That's not sustainable.
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
What would Jesus do?
On considerable reflection, I fear I've perhaps been a little harsh in my dismissal of the White Helmets.
And it's not because they're not terrorists.
No, it's because of my Christian values. Yup, believe it or not, I was baptised into the Christian faith at Schloss Beuggen way back in '55. My understanding is that was an orphanage at the time.
I may want to take the matter up with my alleged parents.
But irregardless, I do try to temper my commentary by asking myself, just before I push "publish," what would Jesus do?
Well, I think Jesus would give the vile head-choppers another chance.
Wasn't it Jesus who said "let they without blame cast the first stone?"
And let's face it; none among us is without blame for something or other.
I further believe that the attitude of Jesus in showing mercy to the miscreants reflects Canadian values through and through.
I mean, look at our Foreign Minister's dear Nazi grampa. Over 40,000 Canadians gave their lives in the fight against the Nazis, yet once the war was over, we let bygones be bygones.
We didn't sit around holding grudges against Nazi-collaborators. No, we gave them a warm Canadian welcome!
There's no reason we can't do the same for the White Helmets.
And it's not because they're not terrorists.
No, it's because of my Christian values. Yup, believe it or not, I was baptised into the Christian faith at Schloss Beuggen way back in '55. My understanding is that was an orphanage at the time.
I may want to take the matter up with my alleged parents.
But irregardless, I do try to temper my commentary by asking myself, just before I push "publish," what would Jesus do?
Well, I think Jesus would give the vile head-choppers another chance.
Wasn't it Jesus who said "let they without blame cast the first stone?"
And let's face it; none among us is without blame for something or other.
I further believe that the attitude of Jesus in showing mercy to the miscreants reflects Canadian values through and through.
I mean, look at our Foreign Minister's dear Nazi grampa. Over 40,000 Canadians gave their lives in the fight against the Nazis, yet once the war was over, we let bygones be bygones.
We didn't sit around holding grudges against Nazi-collaborators. No, we gave them a warm Canadian welcome!
There's no reason we can't do the same for the White Helmets.
Chomsky reads this blog!
It was but a week ago that the think tank here at Falling Downs unleashed on the world the revelation of Trump's treason. Yup, Trump's a traitor, but he's colluding with Israel, not Russia.
A week later, here's Noam Chomsky revealing that Israel interferes in US democracy way more than Russia does.
Coincidence?
I think not!
No hard feelings, Noam, but a shout-out would have been nice.
A week later, here's Noam Chomsky revealing that Israel interferes in US democracy way more than Russia does.
Coincidence?
I think not!
No hard feelings, Noam, but a shout-out would have been nice.
Justice for billionaires; the final frontier
Let's face it; only a year and a half in, the Trump regime has almost made America great again.
Seems more folks than ever, and not just white ones, are now part of the workforce! Hey, better to be working poor than just poor!
And there's no question we've got Putin on the run. Those Trumpian policy reversals, denials, double-downs, reversals of the reversals, denials of the double-downs, and doubling down on the denials have got Bad Vlad so confused he won't be able to annex any more countries till his head stops spinning, and that could take years.
Trump has brought Arab and Jew together as never before. The lambs of Likud are snuggling down with the wolves of the Arab dictatorships just like the Good Book promised... except for the habitually disgruntled Palestinians of course, and they'll be getting their own homeland in the Sinai any day now, mark my words!
It's all coming up roses!
Except for one little thing. Before we settle in for what promises to be a thousand yearreich run of peace and prosperity, we've got to make things right for the billionaires. Those poor bastards can't be expected to carry the burden of tens of millions of working poor on their backs forever.
No, it's time to cut the super-rich some slack.
It's true that Trump took a step in that direction with his generous tax cuts of last year. Now it's time for the next step. That's right; adjusting asset costs for inflation is a social justice issue that is long overdue. The $100 billion per year hit to tax revenue is a small price to pay to remove this last stain from America's mantle of humanitarianism.
So stop mulling, Donald, and get moving.
America's billionaires are counting on you!
Seems more folks than ever, and not just white ones, are now part of the workforce! Hey, better to be working poor than just poor!
And there's no question we've got Putin on the run. Those Trumpian policy reversals, denials, double-downs, reversals of the reversals, denials of the double-downs, and doubling down on the denials have got Bad Vlad so confused he won't be able to annex any more countries till his head stops spinning, and that could take years.
Trump has brought Arab and Jew together as never before. The lambs of Likud are snuggling down with the wolves of the Arab dictatorships just like the Good Book promised... except for the habitually disgruntled Palestinians of course, and they'll be getting their own homeland in the Sinai any day now, mark my words!
It's all coming up roses!
Except for one little thing. Before we settle in for what promises to be a thousand year
No, it's time to cut the super-rich some slack.
It's true that Trump took a step in that direction with his generous tax cuts of last year. Now it's time for the next step. That's right; adjusting asset costs for inflation is a social justice issue that is long overdue. The $100 billion per year hit to tax revenue is a small price to pay to remove this last stain from America's mantle of humanitarianism.
So stop mulling, Donald, and get moving.
America's billionaires are counting on you!
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