New hope for peace in Afghanistan, but does it mean the Taliban has won?
Huh? Oh no it doesn't... of course not! The Nations of Virtue have been winning non-stop since 2001!
I was reading today on some lefty website of dubious provenance (probably a Russian front) that the trillions squandered in the Afghan war would have erased the student loans, credit card debt, and mortgages of every living, breathing American.
So what, I say... just think of the irreparable damage such a state of affairs would have done to the profits of the big "defence" contractors. That would even cause unemployment! Those pinko-faggy Russia-loving peaceniks don't even care if Americans have jobs!
So thank God we've had sound America-first leadership in the Promised Land...
****
At least we did have till 45 threatened to pull half the US troop contingent out of Afghanistan. That Trumpian brain-fart sure got the punditariat riled up, didn't it!
HOW DARE HE DO THAT?!?! TRUMP IS A TRAITOR!!!
I even read a comment somewhere explaining that since we went into Afghanistan to liberate women, and they're still second-class citizens in their own country but Trump wants to pull the plug, we've got MORE PROOF TRUMP HATES WOMEN!!!
****
Here's a blast from the past... so far in the past it hails from a time Ron Paul still made headlines.
Had we heeded Paul's advice then, just think of the hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives that would have been saved since.
But alas, just think of how flat the earnings curve would look at the big "defence" contractors.
Thankfully, Paul's advice went into the dustbin of history along with Paul, and in the fullness of time I'm sure Trump's traitorous fantasies will be nixed by those adults in the room, and those plump profits accruing to the merchants of death will be safe and secure for the next thousand years...
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Canada introduces its own Ministry of Truth
They're not calling it that, though.
In an attempt to freshen up what is somewhat of a dated concept, it's the "Critical Election Incident Protocol Group" instead. They'll be tasked with spotting the hanky-panky that the Ruskies will inevitably try to pull just like when they interfered in the 2016 US election and put Trump in the White House...
Mueller's going to get to the bottom of that can 'o worms any day now...
Wait a minute. Didn't Trump lose that election by three million votes? And didn't the Electoral College put him in the Oval Office anyway? So what's all the hoo-ha about Russia?
Did they infiltrate the Electoral College?
Anyway, this new body is going to keep an eye out for misinformation and disinformation and YouTube videos that go viral, and give the populace a heads up.
Since we're part of NATO, not to mention that special "Five Eyes" club of Uncle Sam's besties, I'm guessing that US and NATO propaganda will get the "Approved Grade A Truth" label, and anything that contradicts it will be dismissed as misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.
Good to know our government is working so hard to keep our democracy safe.
In an attempt to freshen up what is somewhat of a dated concept, it's the "Critical Election Incident Protocol Group" instead. They'll be tasked with spotting the hanky-panky that the Ruskies will inevitably try to pull just like when they interfered in the 2016 US election and put Trump in the White House...
Mueller's going to get to the bottom of that can 'o worms any day now...
Wait a minute. Didn't Trump lose that election by three million votes? And didn't the Electoral College put him in the Oval Office anyway? So what's all the hoo-ha about Russia?
Did they infiltrate the Electoral College?
Anyway, this new body is going to keep an eye out for misinformation and disinformation and YouTube videos that go viral, and give the populace a heads up.
Since we're part of NATO, not to mention that special "Five Eyes" club of Uncle Sam's besties, I'm guessing that US and NATO propaganda will get the "Approved Grade A Truth" label, and anything that contradicts it will be dismissed as misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.
Good to know our government is working so hard to keep our democracy safe.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Uncle Sam to bring winning ME strategy to South America
Looks like the Trump-Bolton-Pompeo "axis of virtue" is serious about setting South America on fire.
That makes Trump's "border wall" all the more urgent, doesn't it? If folks are getting all riled up about a few thousand Hondurans caravaning their way to the Promised Land, how are they gonna react when the Venezuelans and the Brazilians and the Colombians start walking north in their millions?
America's determination to spread its odious and corrupted brand of "freedom and democracy" has in the past twenty years destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, and has gravely wounded numerous societies beyond those.
It has sparked the most significant refugee crisis since the Second WW.
But there's a record amount of hay being made in the "defence community."
I'm surprised more people don't connect the dots.
That makes Trump's "border wall" all the more urgent, doesn't it? If folks are getting all riled up about a few thousand Hondurans caravaning their way to the Promised Land, how are they gonna react when the Venezuelans and the Brazilians and the Colombians start walking north in their millions?
America's determination to spread its odious and corrupted brand of "freedom and democracy" has in the past twenty years destroyed Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, and has gravely wounded numerous societies beyond those.
It has sparked the most significant refugee crisis since the Second WW.
But there's a record amount of hay being made in the "defence community."
I'm surprised more people don't connect the dots.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Justin and Chrystia double down on Trump appeasement strategy
Having completely and utterly fumbled the China file, I see where our dynamic duo of diplomacy are busy trying to further ingratiate themselves with the Bolton-Trump-Pompeo combine by doing Uncle Sam's bidding with the so-called "Lima Group."
Canadian journalist Andrew Mitrovica does a nice job of exposing our hypocrisy in this story at Al Jazeera. There's a reason you're reading it at AJE and not in the Globe and Mail. Our "free press" are doing all they can to obscure the fact that what our PM and Foreign Minister are really up to is desperately trying to curry favour with the war-mongers in Washington.
Much has changed in the two years since Justin thought it would be clever to give Mafia Don a poke in the eye with that virtue-signalling tweet welcoming the world's downtrodden and oppressed. It's a complete embarrassment to watch Justin and his Foreign Minister go all-in for America's regime change plans in Venezuela.
This is not what our last PM Trudeau would have done.
Canadian journalist Andrew Mitrovica does a nice job of exposing our hypocrisy in this story at Al Jazeera. There's a reason you're reading it at AJE and not in the Globe and Mail. Our "free press" are doing all they can to obscure the fact that what our PM and Foreign Minister are really up to is desperately trying to curry favour with the war-mongers in Washington.
Much has changed in the two years since Justin thought it would be clever to give Mafia Don a poke in the eye with that virtue-signalling tweet welcoming the world's downtrodden and oppressed. It's a complete embarrassment to watch Justin and his Foreign Minister go all-in for America's regime change plans in Venezuela.
This is not what our last PM Trudeau would have done.
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Keeping up with the Dow-Jones's
For a brief moment in time "rich" people had a little more than you had. Like maybe you had a 900 foot semi on Waverly Drive and they'd have 3000 feet and a pool on Walnut Crescent. But you could kinda see from here to there.
But times change. Nobody on Walnut Crescent is "rich" anymore. Sure, they're doing OK; their homes are still worth three-quarters of a million, give or take, but the actual rich folks moved out long ago.
They're so far away now you can't see from here to there anymore...
That's a problem that we are slow to recognize and slower to address. "Inequality" is a buzzword for sure, but what is anyone doing about it?
In the Nations of Virtue the trend seems to be to lower corporate taxes and taxes on the rich, which is a never-ending race to the bottom. Trump has done it, Macron has done it, Ireland did it years ago and is leading the race to the bottom...
Tax cuts just give you a turbo boost in the race to get there.
If you look at that Yellow Vest business going on in France, maybe you should be getting a little nervous if you're one of the uber-fortunate. People are fed up and pissed off with being screwed over.
It would be wise for governments to pay attention before they have mobs of pissed off citizens blocking roundabouts.
But times change. Nobody on Walnut Crescent is "rich" anymore. Sure, they're doing OK; their homes are still worth three-quarters of a million, give or take, but the actual rich folks moved out long ago.
They're so far away now you can't see from here to there anymore...
That's a problem that we are slow to recognize and slower to address. "Inequality" is a buzzword for sure, but what is anyone doing about it?
In the Nations of Virtue the trend seems to be to lower corporate taxes and taxes on the rich, which is a never-ending race to the bottom. Trump has done it, Macron has done it, Ireland did it years ago and is leading the race to the bottom...
Tax cuts just give you a turbo boost in the race to get there.
If you look at that Yellow Vest business going on in France, maybe you should be getting a little nervous if you're one of the uber-fortunate. People are fed up and pissed off with being screwed over.
It would be wise for governments to pay attention before they have mobs of pissed off citizens blocking roundabouts.
The Internet is the greatest time-waster ever invented
I'm listening to Riccardo Muti conduct the Chicago Symphony doing Beethoven's 9th.
Why?
Because it's there.
What the hell is up with Muti's haircut?
There's something to be said for orchestras. It's amazing how a hundred or more professional musicians, all of whom can actually read music, can hit the same note at the same time.
It's not hard to see why proper orchestras are constantly in dire financial straits. You have to pay all those musicians. Apparently in Chicago they're paid properly, and you're playing in front of a few thousand people.
Contrast that to a rock band. Four guys who may or may not read music, but in any event, it doesn't matter, because as long as they can stand up there in an arena in front of 20,000, and make stuff up and pretend they meant to do it (improvisation, I think it's called) everyone goes home happy.
Me and one of my ex-wives used to have season tickets to the TSO back in the Andrew Davis era. Had front row balcony chairs at stage right. It was the perfect night out. You'd head into town early, park under Roy Thomson Hall, and go have a leisurely dinner at Meyers Deli down the street, then head back for the show.
Our seats were strategically located so that at intermission, if I ducked out in the middle of the applause, I'd beat the line-up at the nearest bar, which was just up the steps and around the corner, and snag a couple of brandies before a crowd gathered. If I remember correctly, in those days you could even have a smoke indoors!
Anyway, Google has determined that I might like to check out Beethoven's 7th by the Royal Concertgebouw under Ivan Fischer...
I'm not so sure. I figure I'm pretty much Beethovened out and might like a little bit of Iggy and the Stooges instead.
Like I said... greatest timewaster ever invented.
.
Why?
Because it's there.
What the hell is up with Muti's haircut?
There's something to be said for orchestras. It's amazing how a hundred or more professional musicians, all of whom can actually read music, can hit the same note at the same time.
It's not hard to see why proper orchestras are constantly in dire financial straits. You have to pay all those musicians. Apparently in Chicago they're paid properly, and you're playing in front of a few thousand people.
Contrast that to a rock band. Four guys who may or may not read music, but in any event, it doesn't matter, because as long as they can stand up there in an arena in front of 20,000, and make stuff up and pretend they meant to do it (improvisation, I think it's called) everyone goes home happy.
Me and one of my ex-wives used to have season tickets to the TSO back in the Andrew Davis era. Had front row balcony chairs at stage right. It was the perfect night out. You'd head into town early, park under Roy Thomson Hall, and go have a leisurely dinner at Meyers Deli down the street, then head back for the show.
Our seats were strategically located so that at intermission, if I ducked out in the middle of the applause, I'd beat the line-up at the nearest bar, which was just up the steps and around the corner, and snag a couple of brandies before a crowd gathered. If I remember correctly, in those days you could even have a smoke indoors!
Anyway, Google has determined that I might like to check out Beethoven's 7th by the Royal Concertgebouw under Ivan Fischer...
I'm not so sure. I figure I'm pretty much Beethovened out and might like a little bit of Iggy and the Stooges instead.
Like I said... greatest timewaster ever invented.
.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Spinning Venezuela
"World leaders back Guaido in a divided Venezuela." That's a headline on page A5 in today's Globe and Mail.
Which world leaders? All of them? Most of them? Some of them? Or the usual gang of Uncle Sam's flunkies who enthusiastically toady to every whim of the Exceptional Nation?
Seems like it's the last of those options. Then why not give us an honest headline, something along the lines of "US and some allies back Guaido in divided Venezuela?" After all, anyone remotely informed knows that Venezuela has been in the cross-hairs of America's military-industrial machine since the election of Chavez twenty years ago, and throughout those twenty years the US has worked tirelessly to undermine the elected government and divide the Venezuelan people.
Stephanie Nolen's article takes pains to emphasize Canada's role in the unfolding drama, because "punching above our weight" sells well here. The reality of our involvement is that we're at every step doing the bidding of the Trump regime, but that's a truth that won't go down well with the Canadian public, so let's bamboozle our readers with loads 'o horseshit about freedom and democracy and standing up to evil dictators.
Funny how the Nations of Virtue can speak with one voice about authoritarianism in a state on Washington's shit list, but when a house pet of the West like Paul Kagame wins 99% of the vote in a "free and fair" (nudge, wink, ahem..) election, we congratulate him on his success!
Canada's official state media take a similar tack on the Venezuela story. Our "quiet diplomacy" is inching that aching land towards freedom, dontcha know! Of course we are! Chrystia Freeland herself takes great pride in her work advancing Washington's agenda, as is obvious when you read the article. Sometimes the only way to advance democracy is by overthrowing the elected leader and putting in someone more amenable to taking direction from Washington, as we saw a few years ago in Ukraine, and in Honduras before that.
Here's a story I haven't seen at CBC or in the Globe; UN special rapporteur Alfred de Zaya says US sanctions are killing people in Venezuela. Not only that, but the international law expert says those sanctions are illegal and a crime against humanity.
You'd think an impartial news service interested in informing its readership would throw that into the mix somewhere, wouldn't you?
Which world leaders? All of them? Most of them? Some of them? Or the usual gang of Uncle Sam's flunkies who enthusiastically toady to every whim of the Exceptional Nation?
Seems like it's the last of those options. Then why not give us an honest headline, something along the lines of "US and some allies back Guaido in divided Venezuela?" After all, anyone remotely informed knows that Venezuela has been in the cross-hairs of America's military-industrial machine since the election of Chavez twenty years ago, and throughout those twenty years the US has worked tirelessly to undermine the elected government and divide the Venezuelan people.
Stephanie Nolen's article takes pains to emphasize Canada's role in the unfolding drama, because "punching above our weight" sells well here. The reality of our involvement is that we're at every step doing the bidding of the Trump regime, but that's a truth that won't go down well with the Canadian public, so let's bamboozle our readers with loads 'o horseshit about freedom and democracy and standing up to evil dictators.
Funny how the Nations of Virtue can speak with one voice about authoritarianism in a state on Washington's shit list, but when a house pet of the West like Paul Kagame wins 99% of the vote in a "free and fair" (nudge, wink, ahem..) election, we congratulate him on his success!
Canada's official state media take a similar tack on the Venezuela story. Our "quiet diplomacy" is inching that aching land towards freedom, dontcha know! Of course we are! Chrystia Freeland herself takes great pride in her work advancing Washington's agenda, as is obvious when you read the article. Sometimes the only way to advance democracy is by overthrowing the elected leader and putting in someone more amenable to taking direction from Washington, as we saw a few years ago in Ukraine, and in Honduras before that.
Here's a story I haven't seen at CBC or in the Globe; UN special rapporteur Alfred de Zaya says US sanctions are killing people in Venezuela. Not only that, but the international law expert says those sanctions are illegal and a crime against humanity.
You'd think an impartial news service interested in informing its readership would throw that into the mix somewhere, wouldn't you?
Women on top
Seems a lot of folks have been so busy crying into their Kleenex over Hillary being denied the Oval Office, they've completely overlooked the giant strides that women have made elsewhere in the Exceptional Nation. Case in point; women are now the top dogs at four out of five of the top US defence contractors!
Now that's something to celebrate!
Bombs and bullets will soon be less confrontational and more nurturing. Smart-bombs will enquire about their target's childhood and whether they need a hug before dispatching them to the beyond. Cruise missiles will return to base unexploded if their target promises to smarten up and fly right. Drones equipped with artificial intelligence will be armed with teapots and sweets as well as Hellfire missiles, because you shouldn't just assume the worst about people...
War-making will never be the same!
Now that's something to celebrate!
Bombs and bullets will soon be less confrontational and more nurturing. Smart-bombs will enquire about their target's childhood and whether they need a hug before dispatching them to the beyond. Cruise missiles will return to base unexploded if their target promises to smarten up and fly right. Drones equipped with artificial intelligence will be armed with teapots and sweets as well as Hellfire missiles, because you shouldn't just assume the worst about people...
War-making will never be the same!
Friday, January 25, 2019
Eternal waterboys take on Yellow Peril
Read in my Globe today that Canada is giving Nokia Corporation $40,000,000 to research 5G technology. I find it pathetic in the extreme that we can't support Canadian tech companies with that money.
Every now and then we manage, in spite of ourselves, to grow a world class enterprise, but they never last long. Usually they're absorbed by foreign rivals. Sometimes they're just mismanaged into irrelevance, like Nortel. Sometimes their founders get rich and lose interest, like Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Funding think-tanks and hobnobbing with intellectuals is way more fun than tech, isn't it?
So we hobble along while Finland prospers. Finland; a country with a population not quite the size of Toronto's. Finland, where kids don't start school till they're seven... but beat us consistently in educational outcomes.
What's their secret? Here in Canada we're constantly told that our diversity is our strength. Do the Finns have more diversity?
No. So it's obviously something else...
The context for this story is of course the brouhaha over Huawei. Since Canadians are incapable, in spite of our diversity, of developing leading edge technologies, we must be dependant on foreigners. Huawei, being a Chinese company, might use their 5G technology to spy on us. That would be bad. Using technology from Finland or Sweden or the US would be OK, because they'd never spy on us.
This is an absurd line of reasoning. Anyone who wants to spy on us will, regardless of where we source our 5G technology. There's a thinly veiled racism behind this logic which is quite at odds with our "diversity is our strength" motto.
Sinophobia. Yup, we've apologized for the head tax, but the Yellow Peril is still a thing.
Good-bye Huawei, hello Nokia!
Every now and then we manage, in spite of ourselves, to grow a world class enterprise, but they never last long. Usually they're absorbed by foreign rivals. Sometimes they're just mismanaged into irrelevance, like Nortel. Sometimes their founders get rich and lose interest, like Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Funding think-tanks and hobnobbing with intellectuals is way more fun than tech, isn't it?
So we hobble along while Finland prospers. Finland; a country with a population not quite the size of Toronto's. Finland, where kids don't start school till they're seven... but beat us consistently in educational outcomes.
What's their secret? Here in Canada we're constantly told that our diversity is our strength. Do the Finns have more diversity?
No. So it's obviously something else...
The context for this story is of course the brouhaha over Huawei. Since Canadians are incapable, in spite of our diversity, of developing leading edge technologies, we must be dependant on foreigners. Huawei, being a Chinese company, might use their 5G technology to spy on us. That would be bad. Using technology from Finland or Sweden or the US would be OK, because they'd never spy on us.
This is an absurd line of reasoning. Anyone who wants to spy on us will, regardless of where we source our 5G technology. There's a thinly veiled racism behind this logic which is quite at odds with our "diversity is our strength" motto.
Sinophobia. Yup, we've apologized for the head tax, but the Yellow Peril is still a thing.
Good-bye Huawei, hello Nokia!
Thursday, January 24, 2019
When you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow
That quote, attributed to Democratic Congressman Mendel Rivers, reflects the prevailing attitude in Washington in the '60's. The "Gooks" were turning out to be more resilient than we had anticipated, but we had 'em by the balls, so any day now, their hearts and minds would come around.
Or not.
When you've got Venezuela's economy "screaming," it's fair to say you've got them by the balls, and if Mendel was right, it won't be long till their hearts and minds follow.
Yesterday Juan Guaido declared himself the legitimate president of Venezuela. It took Mafia Don about five minutes to tweet out his support for the unelected Guaido, followed five minutes later by rousing endorsements from Canada and a handful of other me-too nations.
The coming civil war inVenezuela South America will eventually prove that Trump, Freeland, et al are just as wrong about Venezuela today as Congressman Rivers was about Viet Nam fifty years ago.
In the short term, people who have been pushed into precarious subsistence will vote for anyone who promises them a sense of security. That's essentially the rise of the Nazis after the Great War. That's also behind the rise of so-called populists who have been experiencing electoral success after decades of neoliberal excess.
But it's only a short term phenomenon.
Venezuela, and South America generally, has a long history of anti-colonialism. Our "free press" avoids mentioning the fact that Maduro continues to enjoy substantial popular support among his people. Installing the unelected Guaido as President will galvanize that support, and I do not believe that Guaido can be maintained in power without outside help.
Even though Trump has said "all options are on the table" with respect to Venezuela, I don't see American boots on the ground there.
But I do see Brazilian and Colombian boots on the ground. Those are two countries almost as eager as Canada to curry favour with the Beltway Bullies. They'll gladly play the role of Uncle Sam's proxy warriors.
Problem is, their "democracies" are at least as flawed as Venezuela's. Both Brazil and Colombia have huge swathes of people who, given a full belly and a roof, would be vehemently against any US sponsored hostility towards the Maduro government.
Outside intervention in Venezuela is doomed, as are the governments of South American countries who agree to do America's bidding there.
Or not.
When you've got Venezuela's economy "screaming," it's fair to say you've got them by the balls, and if Mendel was right, it won't be long till their hearts and minds follow.
Yesterday Juan Guaido declared himself the legitimate president of Venezuela. It took Mafia Don about five minutes to tweet out his support for the unelected Guaido, followed five minutes later by rousing endorsements from Canada and a handful of other me-too nations.
The coming civil war in
In the short term, people who have been pushed into precarious subsistence will vote for anyone who promises them a sense of security. That's essentially the rise of the Nazis after the Great War. That's also behind the rise of so-called populists who have been experiencing electoral success after decades of neoliberal excess.
But it's only a short term phenomenon.
Venezuela, and South America generally, has a long history of anti-colonialism. Our "free press" avoids mentioning the fact that Maduro continues to enjoy substantial popular support among his people. Installing the unelected Guaido as President will galvanize that support, and I do not believe that Guaido can be maintained in power without outside help.
Even though Trump has said "all options are on the table" with respect to Venezuela, I don't see American boots on the ground there.
But I do see Brazilian and Colombian boots on the ground. Those are two countries almost as eager as Canada to curry favour with the Beltway Bullies. They'll gladly play the role of Uncle Sam's proxy warriors.
Problem is, their "democracies" are at least as flawed as Venezuela's. Both Brazil and Colombia have huge swathes of people who, given a full belly and a roof, would be vehemently against any US sponsored hostility towards the Maduro government.
Outside intervention in Venezuela is doomed, as are the governments of South American countries who agree to do America's bidding there.
More weasel-speak from Justin Trudeau
PM Fluffy held one of his "Town Hall" meetings the other day, and a member of the audience who has obviously been frequenting news media not on the Atlantic Council's approved list asked why Canada was adamant that the Maduro government is illegitimate but we're hunky-dory with the election of Bolsonaro next door.
Trudeau replies with a rousing paean to freedom and democracy and human rights, but never gets around to answering the question. Nevertheless, he is heartily cheered by the crowd, who obviously do get their news from approved news sites.
Justin's got his act down. Whenever there's an awkward question he'd rather avoid, you're treated to a barrage of hokum about human rights and our feminist foreign policy, blahblahblah, and that generally seems to appease the audience.
The general public doesn't seem to see through the fakery. Why are Iran's human rights violations so over-the-top that we can't have an embassy there, but Saudi Arabia's even more over-the-top human rights violations might warrant a disapproving tweet but are otherwise no big deal?
Justin can tell us with a straight face that we need to get more of our dirty oil to export markets so we can meet our climate change obligations, and people lap it up!
You must admit, he's good at saying stuff people want to hear...
Trudeau replies with a rousing paean to freedom and democracy and human rights, but never gets around to answering the question. Nevertheless, he is heartily cheered by the crowd, who obviously do get their news from approved news sites.
Justin's got his act down. Whenever there's an awkward question he'd rather avoid, you're treated to a barrage of hokum about human rights and our feminist foreign policy, blahblahblah, and that generally seems to appease the audience.
The general public doesn't seem to see through the fakery. Why are Iran's human rights violations so over-the-top that we can't have an embassy there, but Saudi Arabia's even more over-the-top human rights violations might warrant a disapproving tweet but are otherwise no big deal?
Justin can tell us with a straight face that we need to get more of our dirty oil to export markets so we can meet our climate change obligations, and people lap it up!
You must admit, he's good at saying stuff people want to hear...
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
After twenty years of relentless hostility from US, Venezuela endgame in play
It's simply amazing to witness how the US, a nation politically paralyzed for the past two years because Putin's minions allegedly interfered in its democracy with hostile Facebook posts, has absolutely no qualms about interfering in Venezuela on a massive scale. Facebook adverts are quite a different matter than having VP Pence openly call for a military coup against the lawful government of Venezuela.
US sanctions have succeeded in "making the economy scream," a turn of phrase coined by Henry Kissinger back when the US was busy overthrowing the democratically elected government of Chile. There is an entire generation in Venezuela that has come of age knowing nothing but US sanctions.
Unfortunately for all concerned, the "end game" is unlikely to be the end of anything, but rather, the beginning of something that should be obvious to the Gods of War in Washington if they weren't blinded by their own propaganda. Namely, any government seen as imposed by the Yanqui is going to face massive popular resistance. Maduro may be deposed, but Chavismo will get a second wind, and not only in Venezuela.
After the successes that US regime-change campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria have enjoyed this century, you'd think that the Exceptional Nation might pause and consider the consequences of its actions, but apparently this is not a requirement when you're exceptional.
And what's truly embarrassing is how keen our Freeland-Trudeau team are to ingratiate themselves with the war-mongers in DC. We used to have a PM Trudeau who charted an independent course for Canada.
Pierre must be spinning in his grave.
US sanctions have succeeded in "making the economy scream," a turn of phrase coined by Henry Kissinger back when the US was busy overthrowing the democratically elected government of Chile. There is an entire generation in Venezuela that has come of age knowing nothing but US sanctions.
Unfortunately for all concerned, the "end game" is unlikely to be the end of anything, but rather, the beginning of something that should be obvious to the Gods of War in Washington if they weren't blinded by their own propaganda. Namely, any government seen as imposed by the Yanqui is going to face massive popular resistance. Maduro may be deposed, but Chavismo will get a second wind, and not only in Venezuela.
After the successes that US regime-change campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria have enjoyed this century, you'd think that the Exceptional Nation might pause and consider the consequences of its actions, but apparently this is not a requirement when you're exceptional.
And what's truly embarrassing is how keen our Freeland-Trudeau team are to ingratiate themselves with the war-mongers in DC. We used to have a PM Trudeau who charted an independent course for Canada.
Pierre must be spinning in his grave.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Wow and meow
I'm standing four feet away from the mirror having a shave, and I can see every nook and cranny of my face.
It's a face that seems to add a couple nooks and crannies on a regular timetable, and shaving it without drawing blood or missing multiple nooks and crannies can be a bit of a challenge.
So I put the reading glasses on and step up to reading distance, and I see I did a damned fine job from four feet away.
Wow!
That no sooner slipped out than I hear "meow!"
It's Doublewide, getting way bored of watching me preen in front of the mirror. Doublewide says cut that shit out and rub my belly.
So I do.
Cat's are so forgiving.
It's a face that seems to add a couple nooks and crannies on a regular timetable, and shaving it without drawing blood or missing multiple nooks and crannies can be a bit of a challenge.
So I put the reading glasses on and step up to reading distance, and I see I did a damned fine job from four feet away.
Wow!
That no sooner slipped out than I hear "meow!"
It's Doublewide, getting way bored of watching me preen in front of the mirror. Doublewide says cut that shit out and rub my belly.
So I do.
Cat's are so forgiving.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Funerals
I can't stand funerals.
If I can at all avoid them, I do. Even if the dearly departed was close. It's not like they're gonna be offended, is it?
No, they've gone to wherever it is you go when you kick the bucket.
Had a Soc prof at U of G back in the day who'd created a bit of a stir with a book about the afterlife. It was a bestseller! It was such a bestseller that his publisher signed him up to a multi-book contract.
His thesis was that you never die. Ya, everybody wants to hear that, eh?! According to him, your "essence" just gets recycled. You come back! Maybe as a worm, maybe as a dog or cat, maybe as a more refined humanoid!
Or maybe not.
A couple of years later I enquired of another U of G prof, whatever happened to Buddy with the best-seller? Turns out the sequel had been a bit of a disappointment sales wise, and Buddy with the best-seller, having pissed away the advance on his multi-book contract, decided to check out early.
After all, in his mind, he wasn't actually going to die.
Not sure how that's worked out for him.
Not sure how it'll work out for me either, that death thing...
You always feel things are a bit askew when you're going to funerals for people younger than you. You go through this thing where you wonder why they're dead and you're not. Sometimes it's obvious, as in when those four young guys of my acquaintance had a few drinks and then raced their five hundred horsepower Camaro to a level crossing trying to beat a train.
If they'd had six hundred horsepower they might have made it.
But sometimes it's not so obvious. Today I paid last respects to somebody who did everything right. Never smoked, never did drugs, drank in moderation, exercised her heart out, never raced trains to level crossings, and was, by all accounts, and certainly in my personal experience, an all-round decent human being.
She's gone, but I'm still here... makes no sense to me.
But it's not up to me to question God's master plan.
If I can at all avoid them, I do. Even if the dearly departed was close. It's not like they're gonna be offended, is it?
No, they've gone to wherever it is you go when you kick the bucket.
Had a Soc prof at U of G back in the day who'd created a bit of a stir with a book about the afterlife. It was a bestseller! It was such a bestseller that his publisher signed him up to a multi-book contract.
His thesis was that you never die. Ya, everybody wants to hear that, eh?! According to him, your "essence" just gets recycled. You come back! Maybe as a worm, maybe as a dog or cat, maybe as a more refined humanoid!
Or maybe not.
A couple of years later I enquired of another U of G prof, whatever happened to Buddy with the best-seller? Turns out the sequel had been a bit of a disappointment sales wise, and Buddy with the best-seller, having pissed away the advance on his multi-book contract, decided to check out early.
After all, in his mind, he wasn't actually going to die.
Not sure how that's worked out for him.
Not sure how it'll work out for me either, that death thing...
You always feel things are a bit askew when you're going to funerals for people younger than you. You go through this thing where you wonder why they're dead and you're not. Sometimes it's obvious, as in when those four young guys of my acquaintance had a few drinks and then raced their five hundred horsepower Camaro to a level crossing trying to beat a train.
If they'd had six hundred horsepower they might have made it.
But sometimes it's not so obvious. Today I paid last respects to somebody who did everything right. Never smoked, never did drugs, drank in moderation, exercised her heart out, never raced trains to level crossings, and was, by all accounts, and certainly in my personal experience, an all-round decent human being.
She's gone, but I'm still here... makes no sense to me.
But it's not up to me to question God's master plan.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Keith Moon revealed torturing goldfish
It's so hard to say goodbye to your rock and roll idols.
But has he got live gold fish inside the toms there?
That's fucked up!
But has he got live gold fish inside the toms there?
That's fucked up!
On practising mindfulness while driving
I've come to realize, in my more balanced moments, that I've actually been practising mindfulness since long before it became trendy.
I remember to this day how, fifty years ago, one of my school pals, a farm kid, invited me over for an afternoon of beam walking in the barn. That's what farm kids used to do for fun.
Now they play Fortnite instead.
But back in the day, they'd head out to the barn for a turn of barn-beam walking. You'd climb into the heights of that barn, and set out on a beam that traversed the barn's upper reaches at maybe thirty feet above the floor.
Being afraid of heights, this immediately became an exercise in mindfulness for me. Take one step. Stop. Close your eyes. Smell the hay. Smell the manure. Smell the cow flesh... with every breath. Take another breath and repeat. Take another step and repeat...
They say mindfulness is closely related to the practice of yoga. I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure I'd clear out any yoga studio in the world in a hurry if I showed up in my Lulu Lemon yoga tights.
Mindfulness, on the other hand, doesn't require a studio. Or tights.
Mindfulness can be practised anytime, anywhere.
In fact, I've even incorporated mindfulness into my driving routines. Just the other day I was motoring at a good turn of speed down the 400 highway, and I suddenly came up behind some idiot choking the far left lane with his Toyota Prius, ambling along at an environmentally friendly 85 kilometres per hour.
I flashed the high beams a couple times. No reaction. It briefly crossed my mind to pull the .357 out of the glove box and fire a warning shot through his rear window to get the fucktard to move out of the passing lane...
But then my years of experiential mindfulness came to my rescue.
Hey, what's the hurry, I asked myself.
There is no hurry, I replied.
And so I snuggled up behind that Prius. 85kph on the 400? Who cares?
I guess those fast and furious VIP types passing on the right and waving their middle fingers at me cared, but so what? I stuck behind that Prius poking along in the fast lane all the way into the city.
Then, when I found myself at a red light, I'd lean back and close my eyes and think about the smells in that barn fifty years ago. Breathe deeply, I told myself, and I'd keep my eyes closed through two or three traffic light cycles before moving, slowly and mindfully, forward.
And you know what? That trip to the city took a little longer than normal, but I felt totally calm and together when I got home!
Too bad all those go-getters giving me the finger couldn't join our little caravan of mindfulness out there on the 400 highway. They got all stressed out instead.
But I feel great!
That's the magic of mindfulness!
I remember to this day how, fifty years ago, one of my school pals, a farm kid, invited me over for an afternoon of beam walking in the barn. That's what farm kids used to do for fun.
Now they play Fortnite instead.
But back in the day, they'd head out to the barn for a turn of barn-beam walking. You'd climb into the heights of that barn, and set out on a beam that traversed the barn's upper reaches at maybe thirty feet above the floor.
Being afraid of heights, this immediately became an exercise in mindfulness for me. Take one step. Stop. Close your eyes. Smell the hay. Smell the manure. Smell the cow flesh... with every breath. Take another breath and repeat. Take another step and repeat...
They say mindfulness is closely related to the practice of yoga. I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure I'd clear out any yoga studio in the world in a hurry if I showed up in my Lulu Lemon yoga tights.
Mindfulness, on the other hand, doesn't require a studio. Or tights.
Mindfulness can be practised anytime, anywhere.
In fact, I've even incorporated mindfulness into my driving routines. Just the other day I was motoring at a good turn of speed down the 400 highway, and I suddenly came up behind some idiot choking the far left lane with his Toyota Prius, ambling along at an environmentally friendly 85 kilometres per hour.
I flashed the high beams a couple times. No reaction. It briefly crossed my mind to pull the .357 out of the glove box and fire a warning shot through his rear window to get the fucktard to move out of the passing lane...
But then my years of experiential mindfulness came to my rescue.
Hey, what's the hurry, I asked myself.
There is no hurry, I replied.
And so I snuggled up behind that Prius. 85kph on the 400? Who cares?
I guess those fast and furious VIP types passing on the right and waving their middle fingers at me cared, but so what? I stuck behind that Prius poking along in the fast lane all the way into the city.
Then, when I found myself at a red light, I'd lean back and close my eyes and think about the smells in that barn fifty years ago. Breathe deeply, I told myself, and I'd keep my eyes closed through two or three traffic light cycles before moving, slowly and mindfully, forward.
And you know what? That trip to the city took a little longer than normal, but I felt totally calm and together when I got home!
Too bad all those go-getters giving me the finger couldn't join our little caravan of mindfulness out there on the 400 highway. They got all stressed out instead.
But I feel great!
That's the magic of mindfulness!
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Hello, my name is Fascismo... I think we've met before...
I wonder what some of the oldsters would think of the current situation. The situation wherein a handful of billionaires control the world's information infrastructure.
A world where Facebook, the news source of choice for a vast cohort of Americans, is permitted to fob off its fact-checking responsibilities to various NATO/Atlantic Council affiliates.
A world wherein the arguably most influential news title in the world is owned by a billionaire with intimate connections to the CIA.
A world wherein everything you watch and read is vetted by unaccountable entities with a vested interest in the preservation of American Exceptionalism.
For well over two years our serious media have treated us to a side-show of Russia-Trump foolishness, ostensibly because a few hundred thousand dollars worth of Facebook adverts upended democracy in America and put Trump in the White House.
Meanwhile, Sheldon Adelson's meddling in that and every other US election, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, passes without comment. Or without a Mueller investigation, one might add. And Sheldon is just one of many ultra-rich who make a hobby of dabbling in politics.
Foreign policy too is dictated by the same donor class. It's pretty much a closed loop between the industrial-military complex and the billionaire corporatists who own the information infrastructure.
I think the old-timers would have a word for that.
Fascism.
A world where Facebook, the news source of choice for a vast cohort of Americans, is permitted to fob off its fact-checking responsibilities to various NATO/Atlantic Council affiliates.
A world wherein the arguably most influential news title in the world is owned by a billionaire with intimate connections to the CIA.
A world wherein everything you watch and read is vetted by unaccountable entities with a vested interest in the preservation of American Exceptionalism.
For well over two years our serious media have treated us to a side-show of Russia-Trump foolishness, ostensibly because a few hundred thousand dollars worth of Facebook adverts upended democracy in America and put Trump in the White House.
Meanwhile, Sheldon Adelson's meddling in that and every other US election, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, passes without comment. Or without a Mueller investigation, one might add. And Sheldon is just one of many ultra-rich who make a hobby of dabbling in politics.
Foreign policy too is dictated by the same donor class. It's pretty much a closed loop between the industrial-military complex and the billionaire corporatists who own the information infrastructure.
I think the old-timers would have a word for that.
Fascism.
The trouble with immigrants
I see where Karen Wang has been shelved as the Liberal candidate for Burnaby South after party apparatchiks found out she'd referred to her primary competition, NDP leader-without-a-seat Jagmeet Singh, as an "Indian."
Jagmeet has been the lame-duck NDP leader since he became NDP leader, but thus far nobody has had the politically incorrect effrontery to refer to him as "Indian."
We're talking about Indians from India, of course, not the Canadian variety... you know, the folks we swindled out of this land. Karen had the temerity not only to note that Jagmeet was "Indian," but she suggested to her Chinese constituency that if they all voted along ethnic lines, they could collectively deny him a seat in the House, thereby rendering the lame duck even lamer.
Cue the moral outrage! The Lib party elite desperately want Jagmeet to win in Burnaby, mainly because they want a lame-duck NDP leader to run against in the next federal election. God forbid the NDP come up with someone remotely appealing as the leader they'd have to face!
So Wang's candidacy has been duly rescinded to appease the gods of political correctitude, but also to serve the interests of the party elite.
Here's how the always astute CBC reports the matter;
Jagmeet has been the lame-duck NDP leader since he became NDP leader, but thus far nobody has had the politically incorrect effrontery to refer to him as "Indian."
We're talking about Indians from India, of course, not the Canadian variety... you know, the folks we swindled out of this land. Karen had the temerity not only to note that Jagmeet was "Indian," but she suggested to her Chinese constituency that if they all voted along ethnic lines, they could collectively deny him a seat in the House, thereby rendering the lame duck even lamer.
Cue the moral outrage! The Lib party elite desperately want Jagmeet to win in Burnaby, mainly because they want a lame-duck NDP leader to run against in the next federal election. God forbid the NDP come up with someone remotely appealing as the leader they'd have to face!
So Wang's candidacy has been duly rescinded to appease the gods of political correctitude, but also to serve the interests of the party elite.
Here's how the always astute CBC reports the matter;
"Recent online comments by Karen Wang are not aligned with the values of the Liberal Party of Canada," said a statement from the party.
"The Liberal Party has a clear commitment to positive politics and support for Canadian diversity, and the same is always expected of our candidates."
So Karen Wang's sin was to appeal to the ethnic identity of voters in Burnaby South.
That's the trouble with immigrants. Sometimes they remember where they came from. Sometimes they even remember the ethnic rivalries of the places they came from. That's obviously a taboo in our politically correct climate.
Because diversity is our strength...
My own clan were DP immigrants from Germany who got off the boat at Pier 21 in 1956. Of course we remembered where we came from! The fact that the Germans had lost two world wars in rapid succession was never allowed to becloud our belief that we were superior in every way to Poles, Greeks, Italians... just about everyone, come to think of it! That's just the way of the world...
Or at least it used to be.
In the fullness of time, our extended clan eventually adopted, married into, became business partners with, or sponsored as refugees virtually every ethnicity under the sun!
In the fullness of time, our extended clan eventually adopted, married into, became business partners with, or sponsored as refugees virtually every ethnicity under the sun!
The world today is in the hands of folks who write books like "Maximum Canada." That's the McKinsey & Co vision of a Canada with a hundred million citizens who all cleave to a generic and politically correct version of nationhood where "diversity is our strength..."
Whatever that means.
Karen Wang is obviously too smart to internalize that bullshit.
Diversity will only become a strength when we can call out, comment on, and at the end of the day, respect our differences.
Diversity will only become a strength when we can call out, comment on, and at the end of the day, respect our differences.
(Postscript 25.1.2019 My dear parents recently had their DNA tested by one of those ancestry outfits, and apparently their German DNA is swamped by Swedish and East European DNA... so we weren't really all that "German" after all.)
Monday, January 14, 2019
Some refugees are more deserving than others
The vast majority of refugees languish in squalor and anonymity, usually for years and years, before their refugee claims even get a hearing. That's if they don't drown in the Mediterranean or the English Channel first, or meet some equally morbid fate.
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun wasn't one of those. Unlike the vast majority, she wasn't a refugee from one of the many countries set aflame by America's genocidal wars on Muslim states, nor was she an economic refugee fleeing grinding poverty in one of those "shithole" countries where we've been imposing capitalism and "democracy."
No, Rahaf was from a wealthy country, a close ally of the Nations of Virtue. She was from a well-to-do family. Alas, as many teens do, she had some quibbles with that family. But she also had some advantages that those refugees swimming with fishes or rotting in camps generally don't.
First of all, by renouncing Islam, she gained immediate celeb status among a wide swath of Westerners who see no contradiction between their generally progressive politics and their contempt for Islam. I have no doubt that the KSA fully deserves to be shunned for its human rights record, but that's on the Saudis, not on Islam.
Secondly, the plucky Rahaf wasn't barricaded in the Thai hotel room by herself. She had the good fortune to be sharing that barricaded room with A-list Australian journalist Sophie McNeill.
Finally, by the middle of last week, Rahaf's fast-trending story had caught the attention of Canada's
Foreign Minister. Nobody, but nobody, has a nose for photo-ops and political grand-standing like Chrystia Freeland. Chrystia sensed a PR coup of global proportions was within her grasp, and sure enough, she managed to elbow the would-be Aussie do-gooders out of the way, and by the weekend was proudly posing for a throng of reporters at Toronto airport with this "brave new Canadian."
Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland trots out her latest PR coup to meet the free world
So what's been accomplished here? We didn't "save" Rahaf from anything; she already had safe passage to Australia.
Instead, we've further tarnished an already compromised refugee system.
Not that Rahaf needs to worry about the 25 million refugees who don't have the luxury of wealthy parents and good international connections.
Here she is with a couple of her new A-list pals, getting ready for a nice dinner out in Toronto.
Rahaf al-Qunun with Sophie McNeill and Mona Eltahawy in Toronto
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun wasn't one of those. Unlike the vast majority, she wasn't a refugee from one of the many countries set aflame by America's genocidal wars on Muslim states, nor was she an economic refugee fleeing grinding poverty in one of those "shithole" countries where we've been imposing capitalism and "democracy."
No, Rahaf was from a wealthy country, a close ally of the Nations of Virtue. She was from a well-to-do family. Alas, as many teens do, she had some quibbles with that family. But she also had some advantages that those refugees swimming with fishes or rotting in camps generally don't.
First of all, by renouncing Islam, she gained immediate celeb status among a wide swath of Westerners who see no contradiction between their generally progressive politics and their contempt for Islam. I have no doubt that the KSA fully deserves to be shunned for its human rights record, but that's on the Saudis, not on Islam.
Secondly, the plucky Rahaf wasn't barricaded in the Thai hotel room by herself. She had the good fortune to be sharing that barricaded room with A-list Australian journalist Sophie McNeill.
Finally, by the middle of last week, Rahaf's fast-trending story had caught the attention of Canada's
Foreign Minister. Nobody, but nobody, has a nose for photo-ops and political grand-standing like Chrystia Freeland. Chrystia sensed a PR coup of global proportions was within her grasp, and sure enough, she managed to elbow the would-be Aussie do-gooders out of the way, and by the weekend was proudly posing for a throng of reporters at Toronto airport with this "brave new Canadian."
Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland trots out her latest PR coup to meet the free world
So what's been accomplished here? We didn't "save" Rahaf from anything; she already had safe passage to Australia.
Instead, we've further tarnished an already compromised refugee system.
Not that Rahaf needs to worry about the 25 million refugees who don't have the luxury of wealthy parents and good international connections.
Here she is with a couple of her new A-list pals, getting ready for a nice dinner out in Toronto.
Rahaf al-Qunun with Sophie McNeill and Mona Eltahawy in Toronto
Sunday, January 13, 2019
It's not just the smell; it's the odour too!
Apparently some pot producers are raising the ire of their neighbours, because indoor grow-ops stink. Yet another farcical oversight in our vaunted world-leading experiment with the legalization of marijuana.
PM Sunny Daze thought legal weed would be a sure-fire vote-getter. And it was. Unfortunately, the process thus far has also exposed the ineptitude of the so-called educated elite who call the shots.
First mistake was to proceed on the assumption that the entire industry should be handed to Bay Street. I don't recall any public discussion around that whatsoever.
Then they can't figure out a distribution model. What was wrong with the Post Office distribution model? There's one in every town in the land.
Then they run out of weed in the first week of legalization, having had a mere three growing seasons to build inventory.
Now they find out pot smells... and not only that, it even has an odour!
Wait till they find out the stuff can get you high!
PM Sunny Daze thought legal weed would be a sure-fire vote-getter. And it was. Unfortunately, the process thus far has also exposed the ineptitude of the so-called educated elite who call the shots.
First mistake was to proceed on the assumption that the entire industry should be handed to Bay Street. I don't recall any public discussion around that whatsoever.
Then they can't figure out a distribution model. What was wrong with the Post Office distribution model? There's one in every town in the land.
Then they run out of weed in the first week of legalization, having had a mere three growing seasons to build inventory.
Now they find out pot smells... and not only that, it even has an odour!
Wait till they find out the stuff can get you high!
Toronto Star reveals lack of money linked to low household income
Who knew?!
I quote the enlightening paragraph in its entirety;
More than four million Canadians experience food insecurity - inadequate or insecure access to food due to a lack of money - which is linked to low household income, according to the most recent data from the PROOF Food Insecurity Policy Research team at the University of Toronto.
That's by Melanie Green, found on page A4 of today's paper.
With insightful analyses like this, it's only a matter of time before serious journalism awards start finding their way to Melanie, I'm sure. As for that research team at U of T, I'm willing to bet nobody on it is part of the food-insecure cohort.
I quote the enlightening paragraph in its entirety;
More than four million Canadians experience food insecurity - inadequate or insecure access to food due to a lack of money - which is linked to low household income, according to the most recent data from the PROOF Food Insecurity Policy Research team at the University of Toronto.
That's by Melanie Green, found on page A4 of today's paper.
With insightful analyses like this, it's only a matter of time before serious journalism awards start finding their way to Melanie, I'm sure. As for that research team at U of T, I'm willing to bet nobody on it is part of the food-insecure cohort.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
The terrible, rotten, no-good future facing our grandchildren
I watched the Klaus Martens doc about the future of work the other day. Normally I don't sweat the future too much, preferring instead to put my faith in the biblical maxim; "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof..." and so on.
But perhaps I've got my head up my ass. Sixty percent of all jobs gone within a generation?
Hmm...
There are some inherent contradictions in this vision of "progress." In their zeal to promote maximum efficiencies in the manufacture of anything anywhere, the prophets of progress seem to forget one important factor, namely, once robots are building everything and nobody has a job, just who is going to buy all that stuff the robots are building?
That's exactly why the proponents of a universal basic income are proponents of a universal basic income. To keep this gigantic Titanic of consumer-driven capitalism alive, we MUST HAVE CONSUMERS! Therefore, whether you disguise it as a tax-the-rich re-distributive model or some sort of socialism, it is still grounded in consumer capitalism.
Ironically, it's small-minded free-market politicians like our own Doug Ford who are most vehemently against the basic income concept. That's the same crowd who will tell you with a straight face that raising the minimum wage only hurts the working poor.
There'll be some interesting times ahead for our grandchildren...
But perhaps I've got my head up my ass. Sixty percent of all jobs gone within a generation?
Hmm...
There are some inherent contradictions in this vision of "progress." In their zeal to promote maximum efficiencies in the manufacture of anything anywhere, the prophets of progress seem to forget one important factor, namely, once robots are building everything and nobody has a job, just who is going to buy all that stuff the robots are building?
That's exactly why the proponents of a universal basic income are proponents of a universal basic income. To keep this gigantic Titanic of consumer-driven capitalism alive, we MUST HAVE CONSUMERS! Therefore, whether you disguise it as a tax-the-rich re-distributive model or some sort of socialism, it is still grounded in consumer capitalism.
Ironically, it's small-minded free-market politicians like our own Doug Ford who are most vehemently against the basic income concept. That's the same crowd who will tell you with a straight face that raising the minimum wage only hurts the working poor.
There'll be some interesting times ahead for our grandchildren...
Freeland dancing to Trump's tune
There are at this moment two stories on view at the CBC News home page that are intimately related but don't appear to be.
Canada is taking a leading role in proclaiming the illegitimacy of the Maduro government, while simultaneously mounting an "anti-tariff charm offensive."
We're all-in with the US led not-so-charming regime-change offensive against Venezuela. Why, Canadians would never countenance normal relations with any kind of dictatorship, would we? Unless of course they were a significant purchaser of our military hardware or something...
Here's the picture that tells the story.
That's our Foreign Minister making nice with former CIA boss and current Sec of State Mike Pompeo, a man with way more blood on his hands than the hapless Maduro.
Chrystia: Make sure Donald understands we're doing everything we can to isolate the evil dictator Maduro.
Mike: You can count on it, Chrystia! And if you can assure me that Canada is 100% on board with the coalition of the willing when we go in to restore democracy, maybe Donald will see his way clear to undo those pesky steel and aluminum tariffs.
Our hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Canada is taking a leading role in proclaiming the illegitimacy of the Maduro government, while simultaneously mounting an "anti-tariff charm offensive."
We're all-in with the US led not-so-charming regime-change offensive against Venezuela. Why, Canadians would never countenance normal relations with any kind of dictatorship, would we? Unless of course they were a significant purchaser of our military hardware or something...
Here's the picture that tells the story.
That's our Foreign Minister making nice with former CIA boss and current Sec of State Mike Pompeo, a man with way more blood on his hands than the hapless Maduro.
Chrystia: Make sure Donald understands we're doing everything we can to isolate the evil dictator Maduro.
Mike: You can count on it, Chrystia! And if you can assure me that Canada is 100% on board with the coalition of the willing when we go in to restore democracy, maybe Donald will see his way clear to undo those pesky steel and aluminum tariffs.
Our hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Amazon enters legal pot biz; will build giant warehouse and grow-op in Murillo
This small Northern Ontario city might seem an unlikely choice for a weed fullfillment centre, but rumour has it Murillo was chosen due to its postal code; P0T 2G0.
Speaking of fulfilment of the kind that makes you feel good, as opposed to the kind that happens in Amazon warehouses, last Sept 29 I wrote "My tip to legal pot investors; get out while the getting is good." My thesis was that the big pot producers were overhyped and overpriced and a correction was inevitable.
Here's how the big three have fared since:
Canopy Growth - closed at 62.75 on Sept 28, trading around $38 today.
Aurora - closed at 12.40 on Sept 28, trading around 6.70 today.
Aphria - closed at 18.00 on Sept 28, trading just over eight bucks today.
You're welcome!
Speaking of fulfilment of the kind that makes you feel good, as opposed to the kind that happens in Amazon warehouses, last Sept 29 I wrote "My tip to legal pot investors; get out while the getting is good." My thesis was that the big pot producers were overhyped and overpriced and a correction was inevitable.
Here's how the big three have fared since:
Canopy Growth - closed at 62.75 on Sept 28, trading around $38 today.
Aurora - closed at 12.40 on Sept 28, trading around 6.70 today.
Aphria - closed at 18.00 on Sept 28, trading just over eight bucks today.
You're welcome!
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Resistance in the age of Trump
The CBC has a story on their news site about how our favourite Hollywood celebs are embracing politics. In fact, they're choosing to make political statements right there on the red carpet!
Here's the picture that fronts the story.
Yup, resistance Hollywood style means sporting the Nike brand!
That is of course a shout-out to the bold multi-millionaire NFL has-been who was recently signed up for a multi-million dollar Nike endorsement contract!
So, forget all about Nike's reign as the top exploiter of third world labour.
And forget all about their tax-dodging ways...
Proudly wear your grotesquely overpriced Nike garb on the red carpet, manufactured in third world slave labour sweatshops, and let the world know you're giving Trump the finger!
That's what "resistance" has come to in the age of Trump.
Here's the picture that fronts the story.
Yup, resistance Hollywood style means sporting the Nike brand!
That is of course a shout-out to the bold multi-millionaire NFL has-been who was recently signed up for a multi-million dollar Nike endorsement contract!
So, forget all about Nike's reign as the top exploiter of third world labour.
And forget all about their tax-dodging ways...
Proudly wear your grotesquely overpriced Nike garb on the red carpet, manufactured in third world slave labour sweatshops, and let the world know you're giving Trump the finger!
That's what "resistance" has come to in the age of Trump.
If Louis C.K. can make a comeback, Tony Clement can too
Spent the afternoon hiking with the hounds. The Bruce Trail folks bought the neighbour's place last year, and they've blazed some fresh trails through that property that hook up with the trail that already runs up the escarpment along the Cole Sideroad. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon when we set out, and getting dark when we arrived home.
I've hiked that area numerous times over the years, long before they put in an official trail. They've cleared a path through the Hawthornes that have taken over the meadows on your way up the escarpment.
The escarpment trail itself is somewhat challenging. It's not for the first time hiker, nor is it for fourteen year old dogs. While you don't have to do any actual rock-climbing, it gets pretty dicey at points.
So I get back home and click on the news and... guess who's back?
Tony Clement! Yup, the veteran right-winger, alum of both the Mean Mike Harris cabinet and the Harper gang, figures the country needs more public service from him. You'll recall that Tony disappeared into the mists of opprobrium when it was revealed that the esteemed Tory member was revealing pictures of his member to certain of his Instagram followers not that long ago.
Well, I say welcome back Tony! We've all made mistakes...
Hell, if Louis C.K. deserves another chance, so do you.
I've hiked that area numerous times over the years, long before they put in an official trail. They've cleared a path through the Hawthornes that have taken over the meadows on your way up the escarpment.
The escarpment trail itself is somewhat challenging. It's not for the first time hiker, nor is it for fourteen year old dogs. While you don't have to do any actual rock-climbing, it gets pretty dicey at points.
So I get back home and click on the news and... guess who's back?
Tony Clement! Yup, the veteran right-winger, alum of both the Mean Mike Harris cabinet and the Harper gang, figures the country needs more public service from him. You'll recall that Tony disappeared into the mists of opprobrium when it was revealed that the esteemed Tory member was revealing pictures of his member to certain of his Instagram followers not that long ago.
Well, I say welcome back Tony! We've all made mistakes...
Hell, if Louis C.K. deserves another chance, so do you.
Canada keen to do Trump's bidding in Lima Group
The Lima Group was formed in 2017 by those countries in the Western Hemisphere most desperate to curry favour with the USA. It's purpose is to further the US goal of regime change in Venezuela, an exercise framed as "saving the Venezuelan people from socialism."
Trump's little helper lectures Venezuela on democracy
It therefore comes as no surprise to find this headline at CBC News: Canada, Latin American countries won't recognize Maduro's new government. Nor does it come as a surprise that Mike Pompeo joined this "independent" group of countries via video link at their recent shindig in Peru.
Anyone who cares about Canada's image on the world stage should take a good hard look at who we're throwing our lot in with when we participate in the Lima Group. None of our partners make it into the top ten in the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index. (Canada is ranked no. 5) In fact, only four of our twelve partners make it into the top fifty!
We're issuing joint declarations with the likes of Honduras and Guatemala! That's bound to make our stock go up in human rights circles! The kind of flowery rhetoric preferred by the Freeland-Trudeau team when addressing human rights concerns could just as well be aimed at most of our "allies" in the Lima Group.
What do we even have in common with Macri's Argentina or Bolsonaro's Brazil? On the face of it, not very much. (Argentina and Brazil rank 107 and 123 on the Human Freedom index and 52/102 on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, and both are trending down)
Except for one thing; anti-Trump grandstanding aside, we're as desperate as any of those banana republics to curry favour with the Big Dog in DC.
Trump's little helper lectures Venezuela on democracy
It therefore comes as no surprise to find this headline at CBC News: Canada, Latin American countries won't recognize Maduro's new government. Nor does it come as a surprise that Mike Pompeo joined this "independent" group of countries via video link at their recent shindig in Peru.
Anyone who cares about Canada's image on the world stage should take a good hard look at who we're throwing our lot in with when we participate in the Lima Group. None of our partners make it into the top ten in the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index. (Canada is ranked no. 5) In fact, only four of our twelve partners make it into the top fifty!
We're issuing joint declarations with the likes of Honduras and Guatemala! That's bound to make our stock go up in human rights circles! The kind of flowery rhetoric preferred by the Freeland-Trudeau team when addressing human rights concerns could just as well be aimed at most of our "allies" in the Lima Group.
What do we even have in common with Macri's Argentina or Bolsonaro's Brazil? On the face of it, not very much. (Argentina and Brazil rank 107 and 123 on the Human Freedom index and 52/102 on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, and both are trending down)
Except for one thing; anti-Trump grandstanding aside, we're as desperate as any of those banana republics to curry favour with the Big Dog in DC.
Friday, January 4, 2019
A gas fireplace makes you lazy
Fire makes direct connections with our most primitive instincts. That's why we like sitting round a campfire. Whether you've got the Girl Guide troop singing campfire songs or a bunch of hillbillies swigging homebrew straight out of the jug, when you do it around a campfire, it's special.
Same goes for having a campfire in the house... a "fireplace" if you will. Back in the day, having a fireplace meant you had to cut down a tree, cut and split the wood, let it dry, and then enjoy those primitive connections.
Then they invented the gas fireplace.
You don't need those trees anymore.
Nor do you need to cut and split and tote and stack.
No, all you have to do now is push a button.
I like to visit the Mercedes website now and then, mainly to remind myself how much money I'm saving driving a fifteen year old Subaru that can go places no Mercedes can. I see where you can now choose amongst 64 different colours of ambient lighting for the interior of your new C300.
Get the fuck outta here!
One thing I've never ever asked myself in over fifty years of vehicle ownership is "what colour of ambient lighting should I get?"
Times have changed, I guess...
And that fifteen year old Subaru is looking better every day.
Same goes for having a campfire in the house... a "fireplace" if you will. Back in the day, having a fireplace meant you had to cut down a tree, cut and split the wood, let it dry, and then enjoy those primitive connections.
Then they invented the gas fireplace.
You don't need those trees anymore.
Nor do you need to cut and split and tote and stack.
No, all you have to do now is push a button.
I like to visit the Mercedes website now and then, mainly to remind myself how much money I'm saving driving a fifteen year old Subaru that can go places no Mercedes can. I see where you can now choose amongst 64 different colours of ambient lighting for the interior of your new C300.
Get the fuck outta here!
One thing I've never ever asked myself in over fifty years of vehicle ownership is "what colour of ambient lighting should I get?"
Times have changed, I guess...
And that fifteen year old Subaru is looking better every day.
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Why our state broadcaster is trustworthy and theirs isn't
We made a day of it visiting my dear daughter's new house in Oshawa. It's the first brush with house ownership for any of our kids. She bought into the real estate market a few months before GM announced they were shutting down their Oshawa operations. Looks like she's got her father's knack for timing the markets!
I think Oshawa's going to be OK because of its proximity to Toronto. She's a 45 minute commuter train ride from downtown, where you might get a 400 foot no-bedroom condo for the same money she paid for a thousand square foot semi with two baths and a yard. As long as our leadership in Ottawa can't figure out that they need a housing policy to match their immigration policy, housing prices are bound to continue rising.
Had the state broadcaster on the car radio for a good part of the trip. We don't think of the CBC as a "state broadcaster" of course. "Regimes" have state broadcasters. We have a free press instead. The discussion at our state broadcaster was about the arrest of American Paul Whelan in Moscow on espionage charges. The fact that Whelan was born in Canada gives the story an Canadian angle. So far so good.
Then the CBC brought in a couple of experts. First expert; Bill Browder. Bill needs no introduction for anyone who follows current events. His story, as enthusiastically presented by mainstream media outlets across the West, surely disqualifies him as an objective commentator on anything Russia related. He's got a major axe to grind with Bad Vlad, and he's readily handed a platform anytime he wants to air his grievances. The fact that he may be a little less than the freedom loving truth-teller he presents himself as is never brought up.
So Browder gets ten minutes or so to rehash his tale of woe, and then our CBC brings in another "expert" who is given another ten minutes to agree with everything he said. This second expert is Julia Davis, who has made quite the career for herself as a leading academic Putin basher. She is currently affiliated with the Atlantic Council, which is essentially the PR arm of NATO.
Then the on-air voices talk about something else.
This is exactly the format that "regimes" use to inculcate their subjects with official state propaganda. Tell only one side of the story over and over again. Ignore any counter-stories.
So how is our state broadcaster different than the propaganda organs of the "regimes?"
We're the good guys! Our propagandists only tell truths... theirs are all liars.
I think Oshawa's going to be OK because of its proximity to Toronto. She's a 45 minute commuter train ride from downtown, where you might get a 400 foot no-bedroom condo for the same money she paid for a thousand square foot semi with two baths and a yard. As long as our leadership in Ottawa can't figure out that they need a housing policy to match their immigration policy, housing prices are bound to continue rising.
Had the state broadcaster on the car radio for a good part of the trip. We don't think of the CBC as a "state broadcaster" of course. "Regimes" have state broadcasters. We have a free press instead. The discussion at our state broadcaster was about the arrest of American Paul Whelan in Moscow on espionage charges. The fact that Whelan was born in Canada gives the story an Canadian angle. So far so good.
Then the CBC brought in a couple of experts. First expert; Bill Browder. Bill needs no introduction for anyone who follows current events. His story, as enthusiastically presented by mainstream media outlets across the West, surely disqualifies him as an objective commentator on anything Russia related. He's got a major axe to grind with Bad Vlad, and he's readily handed a platform anytime he wants to air his grievances. The fact that he may be a little less than the freedom loving truth-teller he presents himself as is never brought up.
So Browder gets ten minutes or so to rehash his tale of woe, and then our CBC brings in another "expert" who is given another ten minutes to agree with everything he said. This second expert is Julia Davis, who has made quite the career for herself as a leading academic Putin basher. She is currently affiliated with the Atlantic Council, which is essentially the PR arm of NATO.
Then the on-air voices talk about something else.
This is exactly the format that "regimes" use to inculcate their subjects with official state propaganda. Tell only one side of the story over and over again. Ignore any counter-stories.
So how is our state broadcaster different than the propaganda organs of the "regimes?"
We're the good guys! Our propagandists only tell truths... theirs are all liars.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Pot-addled hillbilly comes up with fool-proof plan for retirement income
The best job I ever had was when a pot grower of my acquaintance hired me to prune buds one October many years ago. Ten bucks an hour, cash. Me and half a dozen other "employees" sat there with scissors all day, cutting the buds off the stacks of plants piled up throughout his rented farmhouse, and at the end of the day I had a really good buzz, plus a hundred bucks, plus whatever amount of bud happened to fall into my pockets in the course of the day, plus the cannabis resin I was able to scrape off the soles of my shoes when I got home.
Best job I ever had. Too bad it only lasted one day.
Fast forward twenty-five years or so, and I'm sitting at the Teviotdale Truck Stop this a.m. having the Teviotdale Breakfast Special (three eggs easy over, two generous slabs of peameal bacon, a nice thick slice of ham, a couple of sausages, and a generous serving of stove-top fried potatoes, all for twelve bucks) and getting caught up with my old pal Kipling.
We're both at an age where sooner or later you gotta talk about retirement.
So I share my plan with Kipling. I've got a pickle jar half full of pot seeds, I tell him. I've also got a hundred acres off the beaten path. What could go wrong?
Well, he says, if those pot seeds are more than two or three years old, they're no good.
Huh?
That's kinda bad news for me. I've been counting on that seed stash as a supplement to my retirement income. So I mention this story to him.
If scientists can resurrect a 32,000 year old Silene Stenophylla seed discovered in the wilds of the Siberian tundra, a jar of pot seeds that's been in my pantry for twenty years should be a piece of cake!
Kipling isn't buying it. He's way better informed about weed science than I am, so I tend to defer to his expertise. Then he tells me that the seeds he had the best luck with last year were seeds he bought over the internet for $18.
Each...
He paid eighteen dollars PER SEED!
WTF?!?!
Needless to say, a lightbulb went off in my head.
People pay eighteen bucks a seed over the internet? I bet I've got 20-30 thousand seeds in that jar!
I'll maybe undercut the established seed purveyors by a couple bucks per seed, just to get the jump on them. And maybe institute a twenty seed maximum for any seed order, mainly because nobody's gonna bother driving all the way up here to demand their money back if they're only out a couple hundred bucks.
If the seeds germinate, I'm golden!
But if they don't, I'm still golden!
It's a classic win-win!
One way or the other, I figure there's enough cash in that pickle jar to put a decent Grady-White on the water!
Best job I ever had. Too bad it only lasted one day.
Fast forward twenty-five years or so, and I'm sitting at the Teviotdale Truck Stop this a.m. having the Teviotdale Breakfast Special (three eggs easy over, two generous slabs of peameal bacon, a nice thick slice of ham, a couple of sausages, and a generous serving of stove-top fried potatoes, all for twelve bucks) and getting caught up with my old pal Kipling.
We're both at an age where sooner or later you gotta talk about retirement.
So I share my plan with Kipling. I've got a pickle jar half full of pot seeds, I tell him. I've also got a hundred acres off the beaten path. What could go wrong?
Well, he says, if those pot seeds are more than two or three years old, they're no good.
Huh?
That's kinda bad news for me. I've been counting on that seed stash as a supplement to my retirement income. So I mention this story to him.
If scientists can resurrect a 32,000 year old Silene Stenophylla seed discovered in the wilds of the Siberian tundra, a jar of pot seeds that's been in my pantry for twenty years should be a piece of cake!
Kipling isn't buying it. He's way better informed about weed science than I am, so I tend to defer to his expertise. Then he tells me that the seeds he had the best luck with last year were seeds he bought over the internet for $18.
Each...
He paid eighteen dollars PER SEED!
WTF?!?!
Needless to say, a lightbulb went off in my head.
People pay eighteen bucks a seed over the internet? I bet I've got 20-30 thousand seeds in that jar!
I'll maybe undercut the established seed purveyors by a couple bucks per seed, just to get the jump on them. And maybe institute a twenty seed maximum for any seed order, mainly because nobody's gonna bother driving all the way up here to demand their money back if they're only out a couple hundred bucks.
If the seeds germinate, I'm golden!
But if they don't, I'm still golden!
It's a classic win-win!
One way or the other, I figure there's enough cash in that pickle jar to put a decent Grady-White on the water!
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