Activists in many cities are calling on tenants to withhold their April rent payments tomorrow. Given the number of people who have lost their jobs in the past month, this could catch fire.
From what I can see, Canada has taken a more generous approach to supporting working people than has the US, where they're trying a more trickle-down approach; bail out the rich again, and let the benefits make their way to workers as the economy returns to "normal."
The question we should be asking is, how sound is it to have that supposed normalcy as our goal? The pandemic is giving us an opportunity to reevaluate the status quo. For renters in many cities in both Canada and the US, the status quo has clearly been failing for many years. This is because rental housing has become a commodity instead of a human right.
For almost fifty years after WWll our federal government was active in funding and promoting social housing. By the turn of the 21st century, that was over, having succumbed to the belief that the private sector will meet the need, because as we all know, the private sector is more "efficient."
What should be obvious is that the private sector is called that because it operates with private capital and therefore requires a return on investment. There's no incentive to build housing for people with little or no money. With wages mostly stagnant for the past forty years, and no new construction of rental for the last twenty, we've gradually allowed a housing crisis to overtake us.
This is an opportunity to revisit our housing policy. Government needs to return to social housing in a meaningful way. Let the private sector do what it does well; build luxury housing for those who can afford it.
Those who can't, still have the right to safe and secure housing. Expecting the private sector to deliver
affordable housing is like expecting your pregnant cat to deliver a baby elephant - it ain't gonna happen.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
The trouble with Bob
The trouble with Bob is that he's dropping his latest tune (and I have to admit it's absolutely brilliant) at just the the right time.
What troubles me most is that Bob was himself a product of that invisible chain of command that determined who would show up on your TV.
Looks like they're trotting out old Bob again...
What troubles me most is that Bob was himself a product of that invisible chain of command that determined who would show up on your TV.
Looks like they're trotting out old Bob again...
Today's top story; Dow Rallies
Check out the full headline at Fox News; Dow rallies in best week since 1938.
Where is the headline that says WHO THE FUCK CARES???
The stock exchanges still hide behind what they were fifty years ago; a capital pool to support businesses.
What the stock markets are today? Playgrounds for guys with post-grad math degrees playing their algorithms against one another. Every major bourse has become a battlefield between computer trading outfits determined to outsmart each other. They serve no useful purpose. The need for that capital pool is non-existent, because there's way more than enough money sloshing around out there to finance everyone and everything.
Yet the vagaries of the stock markets are allowed to determine the fate of the society we all try to live in?
Where is the outrage?
Where is the headline that says WHO THE FUCK CARES???
The stock exchanges still hide behind what they were fifty years ago; a capital pool to support businesses.
What the stock markets are today? Playgrounds for guys with post-grad math degrees playing their algorithms against one another. Every major bourse has become a battlefield between computer trading outfits determined to outsmart each other. They serve no useful purpose. The need for that capital pool is non-existent, because there's way more than enough money sloshing around out there to finance everyone and everything.
Yet the vagaries of the stock markets are allowed to determine the fate of the society we all try to live in?
Where is the outrage?
Epstein didn't kill himself; neither did Le Mesurier
Here's what Jeffrey Epstein and James Le Mesurier had in common; both of them had become liabilities to the Hollywood-Washington Celebrity Industrial Complex.
The same could be said for Donald Trump, but for the time being he's enjoying too high a profile to be suicided by the establishment narrative spinners.
That would be the same establishment narrative spinners who have elevated Little Bana, Greta, and the White Helmets, among others, into world-wide icons.
It's the same establishment that has engineered the current global hysteria over what, when you really take a look at it, at this juncture doesn't look much different than a regular flu season.
But we've shut down the global economy.
It's also shut down the critical thinking skills of a vast swath of otherwise intelligent and responsible people.
The same could be said for Donald Trump, but for the time being he's enjoying too high a profile to be suicided by the establishment narrative spinners.
That would be the same establishment narrative spinners who have elevated Little Bana, Greta, and the White Helmets, among others, into world-wide icons.
It's the same establishment that has engineered the current global hysteria over what, when you really take a look at it, at this juncture doesn't look much different than a regular flu season.
But we've shut down the global economy.
It's also shut down the critical thinking skills of a vast swath of otherwise intelligent and responsible people.
Meet some experts questioning the COVID-19 panic
As near as I can tell, all this hysterical reportage about the ever-spiralling number of "confirmed cases" is more or less meaningless. What counts is the number of deaths. I'm fully aware that this could yet change, but certainly up to this point, the number of deaths from the coronavirus worldwide could readily be folded into overall influenza mortality, and nobody would notice.
Of course, it's easy to dismiss the pot-addled hillbilly up there in the north-woods, because, well... he's a pot-addled hillbilly after all.
But check out this collection of top-shelf immunologists, pathologists, virologists and others whose thinking is closer to mine than it is to the official narrative.
As John Pilger, another corona sceptic, points out, the world is utterly unmoved by thousands of deaths every day due to malnutrition, but we've shut down the global economy for a relative handful of coronavirus deaths.
As I've maintained from the outset, this crisis is about much more than a virus.
Of course, it's easy to dismiss the pot-addled hillbilly up there in the north-woods, because, well... he's a pot-addled hillbilly after all.
But check out this collection of top-shelf immunologists, pathologists, virologists and others whose thinking is closer to mine than it is to the official narrative.
As John Pilger, another corona sceptic, points out, the world is utterly unmoved by thousands of deaths every day due to malnutrition, but we've shut down the global economy for a relative handful of coronavirus deaths.
As I've maintained from the outset, this crisis is about much more than a virus.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
It's amazing how long twenty bucks lasts when you don't leave the house
I've had the same twenty dollar bill in my pocket for about a week now. I've also been wearing the same jeans that long, but who cares? It's not like somebody's gonna drop in and find out you stink! The only person who might notice is the Farm Manager, and she's been wearing the same sweatpants and T-shirt for so long she's got total immunity to whatever I might smell like.
As for leaving the house, I'm fortunate to live in the country with a 100 acre yard. Old Boomer isn't up to her morning 5K walk anymore, but we still get a couple of kilometres in every day. I'm trying to compensate for the missing three kilometres by taking up yard work.
That was triggered by my dear mother's reply to an email in which I complained about going mad with boredom.
"Your father and I have so much to do outside, we're certainly never bored!"
Thanks Mom, I needed that! You shamed me into getting off the couch, closing the laptop, and finding things to do in the fresh air. Last couple of days I've been focusing on cleaning the leaves out of the flower beds.
I've never understood leaf raking. Just run over them with the Lawnboy; they make a decent mulch. Anyway, I figure, what the hey, I've got the time... why not?
The peonies are gonna be spectacular this year!
As for leaving the house, I'm fortunate to live in the country with a 100 acre yard. Old Boomer isn't up to her morning 5K walk anymore, but we still get a couple of kilometres in every day. I'm trying to compensate for the missing three kilometres by taking up yard work.
That was triggered by my dear mother's reply to an email in which I complained about going mad with boredom.
"Your father and I have so much to do outside, we're certainly never bored!"
Thanks Mom, I needed that! You shamed me into getting off the couch, closing the laptop, and finding things to do in the fresh air. Last couple of days I've been focusing on cleaning the leaves out of the flower beds.
I've never understood leaf raking. Just run over them with the Lawnboy; they make a decent mulch. Anyway, I figure, what the hey, I've got the time... why not?
The peonies are gonna be spectacular this year!
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Robert Zimmerman says goodbye
And in the nick of time, I might add.
Brings to my mind the goodbyes of Johnny Cash and David Bowie.
Found it curious that he chose to throw a spotlight on the JFK assassination with his farewell. I've always pegged the beginning of our decline to the Reagan era, but maybe we were already off the rails in '63.
Brings to my mind the goodbyes of Johnny Cash and David Bowie.
Found it curious that he chose to throw a spotlight on the JFK assassination with his farewell. I've always pegged the beginning of our decline to the Reagan era, but maybe we were already off the rails in '63.
The Wuhan two step
Step one. Scare the holy bejeezus out of everybody on the planet. This isn't as difficult as it would appear. A small handful of billionaires owns virtually the entire global information infrastructure. When they want to sow fear, they do.
Step two. Now that everyone is scared shitless, loot the treasury!
This is exactly what I was talking about when I said this is about way more than a virus. A blank check for the fat cats, and for the rest of you, perhaps a check for twelve hundred bucks sometime in May, if you're lucky.
Step two. Now that everyone is scared shitless, loot the treasury!
This is exactly what I was talking about when I said this is about way more than a virus. A blank check for the fat cats, and for the rest of you, perhaps a check for twelve hundred bucks sometime in May, if you're lucky.
We are torturing our elderly to death in nursing homes
"If you have a couple of years or a few months left, and no one can come to see you, and nobody can walk through your door, no friends, no children, no grandchildren, all you've got left is your TV. Everybody in the nursing home has their TV on, and all they're seeing is corona COVID we're all gonna die! Isolating people and scaring the hell out of them is beyond torture." - Farm Manager
We have a 94 year old friend of the family who is in a nursing home. Saddest thing I've ever seen is a picture of him waving to his grandchildren outside. Lucky for him, he's got enough unemployed grandchildren and retired children that they're taking him home for the duration.
But what about the residents who don't have that support network?
Prisoners of war have more quality of life than they do.
There's got to be a better way.
We have a 94 year old friend of the family who is in a nursing home. Saddest thing I've ever seen is a picture of him waving to his grandchildren outside. Lucky for him, he's got enough unemployed grandchildren and retired children that they're taking him home for the duration.
But what about the residents who don't have that support network?
Prisoners of war have more quality of life than they do.
There's got to be a better way.
When to lie to your children
Back in the day, my dear children lived about an hour away. They'd spend every other weekend with me, and most of the summer.
Ever wanting to compensate for being a part-time dad, I got them a dog. Buddy was his name, and he was a beauty. A German shepherd to my eye, but my elderly Jewish neighbour claimed he was an "Alsatian." I think she just had a hang-up about letting the word "German" pass her lips. She probably categorised me as Alsatian too.
Some Jews were like that. I preferred the other ones, like my dearly beloved professor Sam Sidlofsky, proudly tooling around town in a Mercedes roadster with the vanity plate IAMSAM.
Here's to you, sir!
But I digress...
I also got them a kitten.
We were a happy family. Buddy and the kitten got along great, and for a few weekends the kids had both a dog and a kitty to amuse them.
What I'll say about the Alsatian is he could be a little aggressive at times, especially if you crowded his food dish.
One night I let kitty out on the deck, where Buddy and his food dish were hanging out. I kind of forgot about them. Next morning, I couldn't find kitty.
Then I found her tail.
That was one of those "oh fuck me" moments.
It wasn't hard to figure out what happened. Kitty stuck her face in Buddy's food dish, and that was the end of that.
I had a problem. The kids were coming up in a couple of days. They'd definitely notice their kitten was missing.
So I festooned the town with "lost kitten" posters on every other telephone pole.
I even offered a generous reward. The kids bought it till I fessed up, twenty years later.
Ever wanting to compensate for being a part-time dad, I got them a dog. Buddy was his name, and he was a beauty. A German shepherd to my eye, but my elderly Jewish neighbour claimed he was an "Alsatian." I think she just had a hang-up about letting the word "German" pass her lips. She probably categorised me as Alsatian too.
Some Jews were like that. I preferred the other ones, like my dearly beloved professor Sam Sidlofsky, proudly tooling around town in a Mercedes roadster with the vanity plate IAMSAM.
Here's to you, sir!
But I digress...
I also got them a kitten.
We were a happy family. Buddy and the kitten got along great, and for a few weekends the kids had both a dog and a kitty to amuse them.
What I'll say about the Alsatian is he could be a little aggressive at times, especially if you crowded his food dish.
One night I let kitty out on the deck, where Buddy and his food dish were hanging out. I kind of forgot about them. Next morning, I couldn't find kitty.
Then I found her tail.
That was one of those "oh fuck me" moments.
It wasn't hard to figure out what happened. Kitty stuck her face in Buddy's food dish, and that was the end of that.
I had a problem. The kids were coming up in a couple of days. They'd definitely notice their kitten was missing.
So I festooned the town with "lost kitten" posters on every other telephone pole.
I even offered a generous reward. The kids bought it till I fessed up, twenty years later.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Here's another guy making a huge contribution to society
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/boaz-weinstein-stuns-hedge-fund-industry-82-return
Yup, we can all feel good about the fact that Boaz Weinsein stunned his tanking hedge fund buddies with a 82% return in this time of pestilence.
Could someone please explain to me exactly what these greedbags are contributing to society?
I've been using my ample free time to catch up on some reading. Just finished Jane Mayer's "Dark Money." While I was vaguely acquainted with the overall narrative arc, I was gobsmacked by the minutia that Mayer lays out.
The uber-rich really do own the government.
Democracy schlemocracy...
You can bet when government saves us, they'll be saving the greedbags first.
Yup, we can all feel good about the fact that Boaz Weinsein stunned his tanking hedge fund buddies with a 82% return in this time of pestilence.
Could someone please explain to me exactly what these greedbags are contributing to society?
I've been using my ample free time to catch up on some reading. Just finished Jane Mayer's "Dark Money." While I was vaguely acquainted with the overall narrative arc, I was gobsmacked by the minutia that Mayer lays out.
The uber-rich really do own the government.
Democracy schlemocracy...
You can bet when government saves us, they'll be saving the greedbags first.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Let's not miss an opportunity to kick 'em while they're down
You'd think that in these bleak times, all hands in DC would be on deck to fight the pandemic that's about to roll over their country.
Fortunately, there's enough hands left over to make sure the flame of American Exceptionalism continues to burn brightly. To that end, Washington just cranked up its sanctions on Iran.
That's not the only struggling society that could use a little nudge over the edge. They've been telling us for years that Maduro is an evil dictator who enjoys making his people suffer. Turns out he's even worse than that, if such a thing can be imagined; he's a global drug trafficking kingpin!
They've issued a fifteen million dollar reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest. Obviously, years of sanctions haven't disabused him of his tyrannical ways. Maybe this will do it. Once he's safely behind bars the coast will be clear for Venezuela's legitimate leader, democratically elected by Mike Pompeo and Chrystia Freeland, to take his rightful place.
Then there's China. A number of prominent DC pols have in recent days been speculating aloud that the COVID virus was a deliberate provocation by the communist state. Today they're sending a USN destroyer through the Taiwan Strait just to let the commies know we're onto them.
It's easy to get the impression these days that coronavirus is the only news on the agenda. Thankfully, Washington has the skills and resources to keep Americans safe from all their adversaries, not just that Chinese virus.
God bless America!
Fortunately, there's enough hands left over to make sure the flame of American Exceptionalism continues to burn brightly. To that end, Washington just cranked up its sanctions on Iran.
That's not the only struggling society that could use a little nudge over the edge. They've been telling us for years that Maduro is an evil dictator who enjoys making his people suffer. Turns out he's even worse than that, if such a thing can be imagined; he's a global drug trafficking kingpin!
They've issued a fifteen million dollar reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest. Obviously, years of sanctions haven't disabused him of his tyrannical ways. Maybe this will do it. Once he's safely behind bars the coast will be clear for Venezuela's legitimate leader, democratically elected by Mike Pompeo and Chrystia Freeland, to take his rightful place.
Then there's China. A number of prominent DC pols have in recent days been speculating aloud that the COVID virus was a deliberate provocation by the communist state. Today they're sending a USN destroyer through the Taiwan Strait just to let the commies know we're onto them.
It's easy to get the impression these days that coronavirus is the only news on the agenda. Thankfully, Washington has the skills and resources to keep Americans safe from all their adversaries, not just that Chinese virus.
God bless America!
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Reaping a windfall in a time of crisis
Bill Ackman doesn't hit a home run every time he comes to the plate, but when he does, it can be that legendary shot that shatters a windshield a block away from the ballpark.
Like when he pocketed a couple of billions for fixing up CPRail. The fact that he killed five thousand great working class jobs in the process just enhances his reputation as a financial genius.
But look at what he's done in these dark days. The CPR thing took a few years.
Bill just made the same pile in three weeks, betting on the coronavirus!
Google Bill Ackman and see what comes up.
Regardless of how you feel about hedge fund billionaires, his observations about the current crisis are well worth reading.
Like when he pocketed a couple of billions for fixing up CPRail. The fact that he killed five thousand great working class jobs in the process just enhances his reputation as a financial genius.
But look at what he's done in these dark days. The CPR thing took a few years.
Bill just made the same pile in three weeks, betting on the coronavirus!
Google Bill Ackman and see what comes up.
Regardless of how you feel about hedge fund billionaires, his observations about the current crisis are well worth reading.
Why we might be under lockdown longer than Wuhan
The lockdown on Hubei province is being lifted this week, two months after it was imposed. The city of Wuhan itself will be quarantined for another two weeks.
All things being equal, that would suggest that we're looking at two to two and a half months of lockdown here, which Trudeau announced on March 8. This implies we'll be in the clear sometime in May.
But here's the problem; all things are not equal. I don't know what the lockdown looks like in your neck of the woods, but around here we're a long way from "locked down." Yes, things are certainly quieter than normal, and a lot of businesses have either closed or reduced hours, but there's still plenty of folks out and about.
In China, on the other hand, the authorities have considerably more latitude. Lockdown means lockdown now, or find yourself in a re-education camp for a spell, and you know that spell's gonna be a lot longer than two and a half months.
From what I can see, a goodly portion of the populace around here don't take any of this very seriously. Quarantine isn't going to be very effective if a quarter of the population shrugs it off.
All things being equal, that would suggest that we're looking at two to two and a half months of lockdown here, which Trudeau announced on March 8. This implies we'll be in the clear sometime in May.
But here's the problem; all things are not equal. I don't know what the lockdown looks like in your neck of the woods, but around here we're a long way from "locked down." Yes, things are certainly quieter than normal, and a lot of businesses have either closed or reduced hours, but there's still plenty of folks out and about.
In China, on the other hand, the authorities have considerably more latitude. Lockdown means lockdown now, or find yourself in a re-education camp for a spell, and you know that spell's gonna be a lot longer than two and a half months.
From what I can see, a goodly portion of the populace around here don't take any of this very seriously. Quarantine isn't going to be very effective if a quarter of the population shrugs it off.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
What did we expect from Premier Buck-a-Beer?
Turns out that Doug considers liquor and beer stores to be "essential services," and any suggestion otherwise was just rumour-mongering.
This should not be a surprise. After all, this is the politician who campaigned on buck a beer and alcohol sales in corner stores. Yesterday's panic buying was completely unnecessary.
On the bright side, I won't have to drive into town for a couple of weeks!
This should not be a surprise. After all, this is the politician who campaigned on buck a beer and alcohol sales in corner stores. Yesterday's panic buying was completely unnecessary.
On the bright side, I won't have to drive into town for a couple of weeks!
Monday, March 23, 2020
Is the shadow war about to come out of the shadows?
Here's something that was on my mind a week ago.
I believe the writers I refer to there are at least as reliable as anyone at The Guardian/ CBC/FOX/BBC/CNN/ETC.
And unlike their mainstream counterparts, they still remember who Julian Assange is.
Ya, that guy, the one they were all celebrating when he spilled the beans ten years ago, but today, if they remember his name at all, it's as a traitor or pervert.
Meanwhile, Assange endures the most egregious perversions of justice, while our paragons of free expression and speaking truth to power avert their eyes.
I'm a little leery of the enthusiasm with which our leaders are leading us all into lock-down. Did Smug Doug misspeak when he told us the power would stay on? And the internet?
Was he alluding to a time when they may not?
Is that time nigh upon us?
A good part of the planet is beyond tired of America's relentless bullying of all who would go their own way. They can't figure out their own shit, but they can ramp up sanctions against much weaker states in this time of pestilence. Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba...
And Russia and China, of course.
This is not a happy state of affairs. And wasn't Bolton just back in the news, demanding that China be held accountable?
Perhaps the world has had enough of Trump and that pompous "Christian," Pompeo, and the entire genre of "American Exceptionalism."
I believe the writers I refer to there are at least as reliable as anyone at The Guardian/ CBC/FOX/BBC/CNN/ETC.
And unlike their mainstream counterparts, they still remember who Julian Assange is.
Ya, that guy, the one they were all celebrating when he spilled the beans ten years ago, but today, if they remember his name at all, it's as a traitor or pervert.
Meanwhile, Assange endures the most egregious perversions of justice, while our paragons of free expression and speaking truth to power avert their eyes.
I'm a little leery of the enthusiasm with which our leaders are leading us all into lock-down. Did Smug Doug misspeak when he told us the power would stay on? And the internet?
Was he alluding to a time when they may not?
Is that time nigh upon us?
A good part of the planet is beyond tired of America's relentless bullying of all who would go their own way. They can't figure out their own shit, but they can ramp up sanctions against much weaker states in this time of pestilence. Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba...
And Russia and China, of course.
This is not a happy state of affairs. And wasn't Bolton just back in the news, demanding that China be held accountable?
Perhaps the world has had enough of Trump and that pompous "Christian," Pompeo, and the entire genre of "American Exceptionalism."
2020: Year of the Unthinkable
We were still nursing our New Year's Eve hangovers when the news hit that Bomber Trump had done his pal Bibi an unthinkable favour; whacked Israel's arch-enemy Qasem Solemeini.
A few weeks go by. The Canadian government makes it clear they intend to force a pipeline through First Nation territory in BC. The Natives do the unthinkable, park a snowplow near a railroad crossing, and within days our news headlines are hysterically predicting the collapse of the economy.
The biggest movie mogul in Hollywood gets charged with doing what movie moguls have done since Hollywood was invented; give aspiring starlets a chance. The unthinkable happens; for the first time in history, a movie mogul goes to jail for raping an aspiring starlet.
The unthinkable strikes Ukraine; voters elect a Jewish president. OK, that was last year, but Chuck and Nancy figure Trump's call to the new president is their best bet at impeachment. Unthinkable! Trump walks just in time for coronaviris.
Double unthinkables in the race to the White House, or more probably, the leader of the losers. The socialist holds a commanding lead. The former Veep is moseying into the sunset...
Whoa!
Hold the phone!!!
Where in hell did this Joe-mentum suddenly come from? Unthinkable! This was obviously another reputational rehab by our friends in the Info-Industrial-Entertainment-Complex, or whatever we call it these days. We all know it's there; we just can't agree on what to call it.
After years spent cutting back production to allow the US shale industry to blossom, OPEC does the unthinkable, and gives Uncle Sam a big, fat, long-overdue FU. The price of oil collapses. The NYSE collapses... but the US dollar GOES UP?!?! Unthinkable!
One of the marquis names from America's era of manufacturing dominance succumbs to greed, hubris, and stupidity, after spending an unthinkable $45 billions on share buybacks. America has lost its competitive edge in technology, productivity, and innovation, but now has a clear lead in greed, hubris, stupidity, and nukes.
Canada's PM locks down the economy before a dozen Canadians die of the new plague. Unthinkable!
Before two dozen Canadians die, he's announced an 82 billion dollar assistance package. Unthinkable! I guess those new warships will be on hold another twenty years.
Last week half a million Canadians filed for Employment Insurance. Unprecedented and unthinkable.
Today Smug Doug (who's looking a little rattled, by the way) announced a total lock-down of all non-essential businesses and services. Liquor stores across the province are being cleaned out as I write these words. Unthinkable!
Fortunately, I was there within twenty minutes of Doug's announcement, so I'm well-placed to ride this out... which is really good, because I've done more than enough thinking for this year, and it's still only March!
A few weeks go by. The Canadian government makes it clear they intend to force a pipeline through First Nation territory in BC. The Natives do the unthinkable, park a snowplow near a railroad crossing, and within days our news headlines are hysterically predicting the collapse of the economy.
The biggest movie mogul in Hollywood gets charged with doing what movie moguls have done since Hollywood was invented; give aspiring starlets a chance. The unthinkable happens; for the first time in history, a movie mogul goes to jail for raping an aspiring starlet.
The unthinkable strikes Ukraine; voters elect a Jewish president. OK, that was last year, but Chuck and Nancy figure Trump's call to the new president is their best bet at impeachment. Unthinkable! Trump walks just in time for coronaviris.
Double unthinkables in the race to the White House, or more probably, the leader of the losers. The socialist holds a commanding lead. The former Veep is moseying into the sunset...
Whoa!
Hold the phone!!!
Where in hell did this Joe-mentum suddenly come from? Unthinkable! This was obviously another reputational rehab by our friends in the Info-Industrial-Entertainment-Complex, or whatever we call it these days. We all know it's there; we just can't agree on what to call it.
After years spent cutting back production to allow the US shale industry to blossom, OPEC does the unthinkable, and gives Uncle Sam a big, fat, long-overdue FU. The price of oil collapses. The NYSE collapses... but the US dollar GOES UP?!?! Unthinkable!
One of the marquis names from America's era of manufacturing dominance succumbs to greed, hubris, and stupidity, after spending an unthinkable $45 billions on share buybacks. America has lost its competitive edge in technology, productivity, and innovation, but now has a clear lead in greed, hubris, stupidity, and nukes.
Canada's PM locks down the economy before a dozen Canadians die of the new plague. Unthinkable!
Before two dozen Canadians die, he's announced an 82 billion dollar assistance package. Unthinkable! I guess those new warships will be on hold another twenty years.
Last week half a million Canadians filed for Employment Insurance. Unprecedented and unthinkable.
Today Smug Doug (who's looking a little rattled, by the way) announced a total lock-down of all non-essential businesses and services. Liquor stores across the province are being cleaned out as I write these words. Unthinkable!
Fortunately, I was there within twenty minutes of Doug's announcement, so I'm well-placed to ride this out... which is really good, because I've done more than enough thinking for this year, and it's still only March!
Canadians 7X more likely to die from influenza than COVID-19
Each year in Canada, it is estimated that influenza causes approximately:
- 12,200 hospitalizations
- 3,500 deaths
The above comes from this Government of Canada website. That means, in a normal, non-pandemic flu season, non-newsworthy influenza kills about nine people per day.
If we were to pro-rate those deaths to the actual flu season, the deaths per day would be somewhere between 20 -30.
As of two minutes ago, Canada's death toll from Covid-19 stands at 20. The first death occurred on March 8. That's 1.34 deaths per day.
Unlike influenza, though, this "pandemic" has caused us to lock down the country.
General Vance stood in front of the cameras and microphones the other day and predicted that COVID could sweep over us in multiple waves over the coming year. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but based on the actual facts we have available, COVID-19 has a lot of catching up to do.
The experts telling you that COVID is nothing like the flu are correct. The flu is much more likely to kill you.
We're being bamboozled.
If we were to pro-rate those deaths to the actual flu season, the deaths per day would be somewhere between 20 -30.
As of two minutes ago, Canada's death toll from Covid-19 stands at 20. The first death occurred on March 8. That's 1.34 deaths per day.
Unlike influenza, though, this "pandemic" has caused us to lock down the country.
General Vance stood in front of the cameras and microphones the other day and predicted that COVID could sweep over us in multiple waves over the coming year. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but based on the actual facts we have available, COVID-19 has a lot of catching up to do.
The experts telling you that COVID is nothing like the flu are correct. The flu is much more likely to kill you.
We're being bamboozled.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Hollywood and COVID-19
Seems suspicious to me that folks who work in the Hollywood and Washington Celebrity Industrial Complex are quarantining at an exponentially higher rate than regular folks.
What could account for this?
Maybe it's because they can afford testing. I've read that even if you can find a test, it's often quite expensive.
Or, maybe some of these folks are just out for the extra attention. After all, that's pretty much the name of the game, both in Hollywood and in Washington.
Or could they be part of an orchestrated PR campaign? After all, publicity is the bread and butter of the CIC. It would be a great public service if all these public personalities, whether actors or politicians, could be harnessed to impress upon us rubes the severity of this plague so that we voluntarily submit to house arrest.
To test for this hypothesis, we need to keep a close eye on the COVID-19 mortality rate among the rich and famous. As of now, a goodly swath of Hollywood has "tested positive," as they say.
But how many have expired due to this global pandemic?
What could account for this?
Maybe it's because they can afford testing. I've read that even if you can find a test, it's often quite expensive.
Or, maybe some of these folks are just out for the extra attention. After all, that's pretty much the name of the game, both in Hollywood and in Washington.
Or could they be part of an orchestrated PR campaign? After all, publicity is the bread and butter of the CIC. It would be a great public service if all these public personalities, whether actors or politicians, could be harnessed to impress upon us rubes the severity of this plague so that we voluntarily submit to house arrest.
To test for this hypothesis, we need to keep a close eye on the COVID-19 mortality rate among the rich and famous. As of now, a goodly swath of Hollywood has "tested positive," as they say.
But how many have expired due to this global pandemic?
Friday, March 20, 2020
Ontario cracks down on civil liberties - to fight COVID-19
Check out this story from CBC News.
Sounds like you can face a thousand dollar fine for not practising "social distancing."
That pretty much rules out any political rally, protest, or demo, wouldn't you think?
Unless of course they have been approved in advance by the appropriate authorities.
This is the thin edge of the wedge, as they say. There's gonna be all kinds of new rules and fines proclaimed in the name of eradicating this deadly virus, which is apparently almost as bad as the flu.
Sounds like you can face a thousand dollar fine for not practising "social distancing."
That pretty much rules out any political rally, protest, or demo, wouldn't you think?
Unless of course they have been approved in advance by the appropriate authorities.
This is the thin edge of the wedge, as they say. There's gonna be all kinds of new rules and fines proclaimed in the name of eradicating this deadly virus, which is apparently almost as bad as the flu.
Some lives are more valuable than others
To expand somewhat on Pilger's point in the previous post, this coronavirus hysteria definitively proves that some lives are worth way more than others.
The 24,000 people who die every day because they don't get enough food and water are mostly in what we used to call the "Third World." They're totally invisible to us.
We actually did a pretty good job of ignoring COVID too, as long as it seemed to be mostly a China thing. But when they began dropping in Italy, we suddenly sat up straight and started paying attention. And now that the deaths in Italy have overtaken those in China, we're totally on this "global pandemic."
Which, relatively speaking, is no pandemic at all once you take off your racially-tinted glasses.
The 24,000 people who die every day because they don't get enough food and water are mostly in what we used to call the "Third World." They're totally invisible to us.
We actually did a pretty good job of ignoring COVID too, as long as it seemed to be mostly a China thing. But when they began dropping in Italy, we suddenly sat up straight and started paying attention. And now that the deaths in Italy have overtaken those in China, we're totally on this "global pandemic."
Which, relatively speaking, is no pandemic at all once you take off your racially-tinted glasses.
COVID-19 hysteria stops climate crisis in its tracks
There's always a silver lining, eh?
If they can keep the coronageddon balloon in the air, we should be able to meet our 2030 climate goals in about six months, judging by how the air has cleared up over parts of China and Italy.
That does of course come at a cost, but what's a few hundred million more unemployed on a big ship like Planet Earth?
What puzzles me is how the folks beating the drum for this "pandemic" seem to be bereft of basic math skills.
Consider that in a normal, average, non-hysterical, business-as-usual year, your seasonal flu takes anywhere from 300 to 600 thousand lives, without fanfare and without even being newsworthy. That's roughly 25,000 a month at the low end.
COVID-19 has been ravaging the globe for three months now, and we're closing in on 12,000 deaths.
Over three months? And that's why we have to shut down the global economy?
Something's not adding up here, folks.
Check out what John Pilger has to say about this "pandemic."
Twelve thousand people die of Wuhan Flu over three months, and we have to lock down the planet.
Twice that number die every day because they don't get enough to eat, and nobody gives a shit.
Something to contemplate.
If they can keep the coronageddon balloon in the air, we should be able to meet our 2030 climate goals in about six months, judging by how the air has cleared up over parts of China and Italy.
That does of course come at a cost, but what's a few hundred million more unemployed on a big ship like Planet Earth?
What puzzles me is how the folks beating the drum for this "pandemic" seem to be bereft of basic math skills.
Consider that in a normal, average, non-hysterical, business-as-usual year, your seasonal flu takes anywhere from 300 to 600 thousand lives, without fanfare and without even being newsworthy. That's roughly 25,000 a month at the low end.
COVID-19 has been ravaging the globe for three months now, and we're closing in on 12,000 deaths.
Over three months? And that's why we have to shut down the global economy?
Something's not adding up here, folks.
Check out what John Pilger has to say about this "pandemic."
Twelve thousand people die of Wuhan Flu over three months, and we have to lock down the planet.
Twice that number die every day because they don't get enough to eat, and nobody gives a shit.
Something to contemplate.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Tulsi breaks a million hearts
Not because she shuts down her campaign. Everybody could see that coming.
The gate-keepers to the news and info infrastructure have had Tulsi on their shit-list forever. It's not hard to understand why.
Tulsi was the only candidate who flat out said what needed to be said; America has to draw down its military.
As in, make it way smaller.
As in, taking it out of the regime-change game.
As in, making it about defending America, instead of it projecting power or values or whatever hoary bullshit the champions of American Exceptionalism are spreading these days to justify their business-as-usual approach to their usual business, which is to force everybody to use their dollars and their rules and their bombs and their fighter jets.
It's a classic organized crime shake-down, and Uncle Sam has pretty much perfected the modus operandi over the last 200 years.
So it's not hard to understand why Tulsi had to be smeared and slandered out of the presidential campaign. No less an authority than Mrs. Clinton opined that Tulsi was a Russian asset.
But none of that breaks my heart.
What breaks my heart is, after all that, Tulsi endorses Biden, a trusted and true puppet of the very military-industrial scam that she's supposedly been fighting against all along.
Shame on you, Tulsi Gabbard.
The gate-keepers to the news and info infrastructure have had Tulsi on their shit-list forever. It's not hard to understand why.
Tulsi was the only candidate who flat out said what needed to be said; America has to draw down its military.
As in, make it way smaller.
As in, taking it out of the regime-change game.
As in, making it about defending America, instead of it projecting power or values or whatever hoary bullshit the champions of American Exceptionalism are spreading these days to justify their business-as-usual approach to their usual business, which is to force everybody to use their dollars and their rules and their bombs and their fighter jets.
It's a classic organized crime shake-down, and Uncle Sam has pretty much perfected the modus operandi over the last 200 years.
So it's not hard to understand why Tulsi had to be smeared and slandered out of the presidential campaign. No less an authority than Mrs. Clinton opined that Tulsi was a Russian asset.
But none of that breaks my heart.
What breaks my heart is, after all that, Tulsi endorses Biden, a trusted and true puppet of the very military-industrial scam that she's supposedly been fighting against all along.
Shame on you, Tulsi Gabbard.
Living
The great philosophers across the ages have debated the definition of life, living, and the meaning or lack of meaning thereof.
I'm obviously not qualified to participate in that debate, but one thing that I know for sure is that sitting in your cave all day with your eyes on a screen is not "living," no matter how you define it.
The ducks and the geese are opening their marsh across the way just like they do every spring. They're totally oblivious to COVID-19 hysteria. Instead, they keep doing what they always do. I think I even heard some frogs this morning, so they're starting to stir.
In another month or so, the snapping turtles will be clawing their way out of the muck. Their genomic template will demand that they cross at least one paved road before they can lay their eggs, and that's what they'll do.
I've seen some blue herons hanging around. Guess they didn't realize the borders are closed. Hope I don't give them the Wuhan flu.
The bears and the raccoons will be out in time to eat the turtle eggs. The farmer down the road told me he's actually seen the raccoons snatching eggs out of a snapper's ass end while she's laying them.
I believe him.
What I don't believe is that the Wuhan Flu, coronavirus, COVID-19, or whatever you choose to call it, is even a remote threat to civilization as we know it.
They're just bullshitting us to death.
I'm obviously not qualified to participate in that debate, but one thing that I know for sure is that sitting in your cave all day with your eyes on a screen is not "living," no matter how you define it.
The ducks and the geese are opening their marsh across the way just like they do every spring. They're totally oblivious to COVID-19 hysteria. Instead, they keep doing what they always do. I think I even heard some frogs this morning, so they're starting to stir.
In another month or so, the snapping turtles will be clawing their way out of the muck. Their genomic template will demand that they cross at least one paved road before they can lay their eggs, and that's what they'll do.
I've seen some blue herons hanging around. Guess they didn't realize the borders are closed. Hope I don't give them the Wuhan flu.
The bears and the raccoons will be out in time to eat the turtle eggs. The farmer down the road told me he's actually seen the raccoons snatching eggs out of a snapper's ass end while she's laying them.
I believe him.
What I don't believe is that the Wuhan Flu, coronavirus, COVID-19, or whatever you choose to call it, is even a remote threat to civilization as we know it.
They're just bullshitting us to death.
The bamboozlement of the masses
I went straight from being quarantined on the couch for my eyeball surgery, to self-quarantining for this worst-ever-in-history flu hysteria.
Have you heard everybody's gonna die? Or almost everybody? Or at least, maybe quite a few folks? Or, for sure, those folks who don't get the vaccine that whoever sprung the virus just miraculously came up with?
It's interesting times we're living in...
Have you heard everybody's gonna die? Or almost everybody? Or at least, maybe quite a few folks? Or, for sure, those folks who don't get the vaccine that whoever sprung the virus just miraculously came up with?
It's interesting times we're living in...
Trot 'n plop
It's barely getting light out when I let the geriatric Boomer outside to sniff the smells of the morning.
And to do her business, of course, at least if she hasn't done it in the hall already.
Boomer is fourteen years old - that would be 98 in human years.
If I'm as intrigued by sniffing the smells of the morning when I'm that age, I'll be a grateful and happy camper.
If I'm doing the trot 'n plop they'll no doubt coerce me into an adult diaper.
And to do her business, of course, at least if she hasn't done it in the hall already.
Boomer is fourteen years old - that would be 98 in human years.
If I'm as intrigued by sniffing the smells of the morning when I'm that age, I'll be a grateful and happy camper.
If I'm doing the trot 'n plop they'll no doubt coerce me into an adult diaper.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
It's not coronaviris tanking global stock markets, it's $20 oil
Last I checked, West Texas Intermediate was hovering just over twenty bucks a barrel. There's not a fracking outfit in America that can stay solvent at that price.
It's fracking and nothing else that's turned the US into the world's number one oil producer. America is almost unique in its dependence on fracking, which is banned practically anywhere that public opinion is factored into the decision-making process.
There's a reason for that. Approval of fracking projects requires a conscious decision to prioritise short-term financial returns over a long-term safe water supply. In a reasonably well-functioning democracy, that obviously won't happen.
The COVID-19/coronavirus scare has been headline news since January. When did mayhem descend on global markets? A week ago Monday, the first trading day after news came out that OPEC+ had failed to reach an agreement on output restrictions.
So supply goes up just as demand is slipping. Any Economics 101 student can tell you what's gonna happen next. And here we are.
The exposure of the US financial sector to the fracking industry runs into the hundreds of billions. If the US government came to the people and asked for massive assistance for the frackers and their lenders, there'd be rioting in the streets.
However, if the US government tells you to isolate yourself and we're trying to save you from this dastardly pandemic by wildly spraying free money all over the place, folks go along with it.
The problem is this; they can spray around free money all they want, but if, when they're done, oil remains at $20, the economy is screwed anyway.
It's fracking and nothing else that's turned the US into the world's number one oil producer. America is almost unique in its dependence on fracking, which is banned practically anywhere that public opinion is factored into the decision-making process.
There's a reason for that. Approval of fracking projects requires a conscious decision to prioritise short-term financial returns over a long-term safe water supply. In a reasonably well-functioning democracy, that obviously won't happen.
The COVID-19/coronavirus scare has been headline news since January. When did mayhem descend on global markets? A week ago Monday, the first trading day after news came out that OPEC+ had failed to reach an agreement on output restrictions.
So supply goes up just as demand is slipping. Any Economics 101 student can tell you what's gonna happen next. And here we are.
The exposure of the US financial sector to the fracking industry runs into the hundreds of billions. If the US government came to the people and asked for massive assistance for the frackers and their lenders, there'd be rioting in the streets.
However, if the US government tells you to isolate yourself and we're trying to save you from this dastardly pandemic by wildly spraying free money all over the place, folks go along with it.
The problem is this; they can spray around free money all they want, but if, when they're done, oil remains at $20, the economy is screwed anyway.
COVID-19 has Putin running scared
Well, not really, but check out this entirely speculative CBC "analysis" of how Russia has handled the pandemic.
One of the challenges facing the usual Putin-bashers now that coronavirus has sucked all the oxygen out of the news space is there's little room left for Putin-bashing.
Solution? Bash him with made-up coronavirus stories! The charges levelled against Russia's government, or the Putin regime, if you prefer, could be made against virtually any government today. Some of it may even be true, although writer Chris Brown's sources seem to go out of their way to stress they're working with hunches rather than facts.
Where Brown drops the ball is in failing to report the links between the Doctors Alliance of Russia, and Russia's most high-profile opposition activist, Alexei Navalny. He notes the Doctors Alliance rents office space from Navalny's organization, but then tells us that the Doctor's Alliance itself is apolitical.
This is not the case. There are ample stories out there detailing the links between Navalny and Doctors Alliance. Here's one from The Economist, in May of 2019, Russian Trade Unions get Political, that pretty much debunks what we just read at CBC.
Is this just lazy journalism, or is it something else?
Navalny's "movement" has impeccable connections to mainstream Western media via the offices of the National Endowment for Democracy and the like. All Navalny, or more likely, a personal assistant has to do is make a call, and miraculously, the same anti-Putin story shows up uniformly across the Western media firmament.
That's how the "free press" works!
One of the challenges facing the usual Putin-bashers now that coronavirus has sucked all the oxygen out of the news space is there's little room left for Putin-bashing.
Solution? Bash him with made-up coronavirus stories! The charges levelled against Russia's government, or the Putin regime, if you prefer, could be made against virtually any government today. Some of it may even be true, although writer Chris Brown's sources seem to go out of their way to stress they're working with hunches rather than facts.
Where Brown drops the ball is in failing to report the links between the Doctors Alliance of Russia, and Russia's most high-profile opposition activist, Alexei Navalny. He notes the Doctors Alliance rents office space from Navalny's organization, but then tells us that the Doctor's Alliance itself is apolitical.
This is not the case. There are ample stories out there detailing the links between Navalny and Doctors Alliance. Here's one from The Economist, in May of 2019, Russian Trade Unions get Political, that pretty much debunks what we just read at CBC.
Is this just lazy journalism, or is it something else?
Navalny's "movement" has impeccable connections to mainstream Western media via the offices of the National Endowment for Democracy and the like. All Navalny, or more likely, a personal assistant has to do is make a call, and miraculously, the same anti-Putin story shows up uniformly across the Western media firmament.
That's how the "free press" works!
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Donald Trump, disposable doofus
I've said it before, but it bears repeating; the decision making powers of President Donny J don't extend too far beyond whether he's gonna have KFC or Micky D's for lunch.
Real decisions are made elsewhere.
Between COVID-19 and the collapse of the stock market, the odds of Trump winning a second term are becoming increasingly remote. But what a bonanza his four year term has been for the folks behind the curtain!
Relations with Russia are completely down the shitter. Ditto China. The Iran deal is out the window. The screws are tightening on "rogue" states like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Meanwhile, for the Likud crowd, every day has been Christmas Day since Trump's inauguration. Whether it's gifting Golan, whacking Soleimani, or moving the embassy to Jerusalem, they love Santa Trump in the Holy Land.
So sit tight for a few months, and America should be back to "normal," to the great relief of the American political establishment. They won't roll back any of Trump's deeply counterproductive decisions, but at least the Orange Ogre will no longer distract the world with his tweets.
Instead, they'll celebrate a "safe" president, a guy with a thirty plus year record of screwing over working class Americans, a guy who appears to be a few laps ahead of me on the Alzheimer Speedway.
The fix is obviously in, and nobody raises any serious questions about it. How exactly did Buttigieg go from winning Iowa to endorsing Biden less than a month later? How is it possible for the Dem leadership race to be over after the first three primaries?
Yes, Trump was an aberration. A guy with zero political experience, he'd been a Clinton funder and all-round pal since Bill was running for governor in Arkansas. The Clintons thought it might be fun to see their pal stir up shit on the Republican side, and whoopsie, Trump grabbed the ball and kept running.
The rest, as they say, is history, but don't worry; there'll be plenty more history coming down the pike soon enough.
Real decisions are made elsewhere.
Between COVID-19 and the collapse of the stock market, the odds of Trump winning a second term are becoming increasingly remote. But what a bonanza his four year term has been for the folks behind the curtain!
Relations with Russia are completely down the shitter. Ditto China. The Iran deal is out the window. The screws are tightening on "rogue" states like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Meanwhile, for the Likud crowd, every day has been Christmas Day since Trump's inauguration. Whether it's gifting Golan, whacking Soleimani, or moving the embassy to Jerusalem, they love Santa Trump in the Holy Land.
So sit tight for a few months, and America should be back to "normal," to the great relief of the American political establishment. They won't roll back any of Trump's deeply counterproductive decisions, but at least the Orange Ogre will no longer distract the world with his tweets.
Instead, they'll celebrate a "safe" president, a guy with a thirty plus year record of screwing over working class Americans, a guy who appears to be a few laps ahead of me on the Alzheimer Speedway.
The fix is obviously in, and nobody raises any serious questions about it. How exactly did Buttigieg go from winning Iowa to endorsing Biden less than a month later? How is it possible for the Dem leadership race to be over after the first three primaries?
Yes, Trump was an aberration. A guy with zero political experience, he'd been a Clinton funder and all-round pal since Bill was running for governor in Arkansas. The Clintons thought it might be fun to see their pal stir up shit on the Republican side, and whoopsie, Trump grabbed the ball and kept running.
The rest, as they say, is history, but don't worry; there'll be plenty more history coming down the pike soon enough.
Coronavirus conspiracies
So-called conspiracy theories tend to arise when a very public event requires an over-abundance of coincidences to occur simultaneously. 9/11 is probably the most well known example. Most of us are willing to acknowledge that, yes, coincidences do happen, but when we're asked to accept that several dozen coincidences occurred within a matter of hours, people understandably become sceptical.
COVID-19 is heading in that direction. This article at Global Research is well worth a read. Chossudovsky has been a giant pain in the ass to mainstream narrative spinners for many years. There have been orchestrated campaigns to have him fired from his tenured professorship, but so far freedom of speech has prevailed.
Another writer I find well informed and worth reading is Pepe Escobar. He's suggesting that coronavirus is part of the shadow war already playing out between the US and China. That aligns him, oddly enough, with right-wing war-monger Fred Kagan, who was quoted recently as saying "the war is already on."
Kagan was specifically talking about war with Russia, but Russia and China are the major powers seen as "hostile" to freedom, democracy, human rights, and of course, American Exceptionalism. In other words, they're the main obstacles to the "full spectrum dominance" at the heart of America's foreign policy.
And in case you're worried about that, here's a reassuring headline from Fox News; Coronavirus has no impact on ability to launch nuclear weapons.
So rest easy, and happy Saint Paddy's Day!
COVID-19 is heading in that direction. This article at Global Research is well worth a read. Chossudovsky has been a giant pain in the ass to mainstream narrative spinners for many years. There have been orchestrated campaigns to have him fired from his tenured professorship, but so far freedom of speech has prevailed.
Another writer I find well informed and worth reading is Pepe Escobar. He's suggesting that coronavirus is part of the shadow war already playing out between the US and China. That aligns him, oddly enough, with right-wing war-monger Fred Kagan, who was quoted recently as saying "the war is already on."
Kagan was specifically talking about war with Russia, but Russia and China are the major powers seen as "hostile" to freedom, democracy, human rights, and of course, American Exceptionalism. In other words, they're the main obstacles to the "full spectrum dominance" at the heart of America's foreign policy.
And in case you're worried about that, here's a reassuring headline from Fox News; Coronavirus has no impact on ability to launch nuclear weapons.
So rest easy, and happy Saint Paddy's Day!
Monday, March 16, 2020
Small World ruminations
So the Farm Manager shouts out to me that one of the Juniors just called with the good news that her beau has scored a really sweet gig with an outfit called "BMXT."
So I googled it.
What? The new guy just landed a job with Blackstone Mortgage Trust?
Holy shit?!
I had no idea the guy even knew anything about mortgages, let alone trusts...
There followed a little bit of back-and-forth, and in due time I found that the young lad in question had in fact scored a job with these guys.
That makes a little more sense!
BWX is just the old Babcock-Wilcox! The funny thing is, about 25 years ago they offered me a job there as a welding inspector. Guess what the new kid is doing?
Yup!
Crazy as that is, while I was noticing the Blackstone page, it looks like if you grab some of their stock right now, while it's in the throes of this downdraft, you're gonna be looking at a dividend of well over 10%.
Zero percent interests rates can't help but boost the real estate market...
Odd that's the business the Trump and Kushner families are in, don't you think?
So I googled it.
What? The new guy just landed a job with Blackstone Mortgage Trust?
Holy shit?!
I had no idea the guy even knew anything about mortgages, let alone trusts...
There followed a little bit of back-and-forth, and in due time I found that the young lad in question had in fact scored a job with these guys.
That makes a little more sense!
BWX is just the old Babcock-Wilcox! The funny thing is, about 25 years ago they offered me a job there as a welding inspector. Guess what the new kid is doing?
Yup!
Crazy as that is, while I was noticing the Blackstone page, it looks like if you grab some of their stock right now, while it's in the throes of this downdraft, you're gonna be looking at a dividend of well over 10%.
Zero percent interests rates can't help but boost the real estate market...
Odd that's the business the Trump and Kushner families are in, don't you think?
Why the old Ranger is a much better truck than the new Ranger
If I'm not mistaken, the Ranger brand went on hiatus after the 2011 model year. Unsold Rangers lingered on dealer's lots till well into the spring of 2012. You could pick up a very nice one, 4x4, 4.0, well kitted out, brand new for around $14,000.
The old Rangers were a Ford-Mazda collaboration at some level, although I think the ones with the Mazda badge had a Japanese power train. Either way, they were a relatively simple vehicle. They've held their value remarkably well. Had you bought that truck new, kept the mileage to 20k/yr or so, and looked after it, it'll still give you back 50% of your purchase price today, nine years later.
That's astonishing value retention.
Take a gander at the new Ford Ranger.
Admittedly that's a particularly high-end one, but holy shit, we're well into Mercedes or Audi territory here, or if you really have to have a truck, you can find a lot more truck for a lot less money, even at the Ford dealership.
I for one would never take a chance on a 2.3 ecoboost with a ten-speed automatic. Yes, these motors are technological marvels.
No, these power-trains will never in a million years give you the kind of reliability and durability the old Rangers gave you under real world conditions. If you absolutely have to be seen in a pretty high-tech truck, for goodness sakes don't buy it, lease it.
At least your losses will be limited.
The old Rangers were a Ford-Mazda collaboration at some level, although I think the ones with the Mazda badge had a Japanese power train. Either way, they were a relatively simple vehicle. They've held their value remarkably well. Had you bought that truck new, kept the mileage to 20k/yr or so, and looked after it, it'll still give you back 50% of your purchase price today, nine years later.
That's astonishing value retention.
Take a gander at the new Ford Ranger.
Admittedly that's a particularly high-end one, but holy shit, we're well into Mercedes or Audi territory here, or if you really have to have a truck, you can find a lot more truck for a lot less money, even at the Ford dealership.
I for one would never take a chance on a 2.3 ecoboost with a ten-speed automatic. Yes, these motors are technological marvels.
No, these power-trains will never in a million years give you the kind of reliability and durability the old Rangers gave you under real world conditions. If you absolutely have to be seen in a pretty high-tech truck, for goodness sakes don't buy it, lease it.
At least your losses will be limited.
Canada leads world in "caremongering"
And that's from the BBC, not from our own propaganda outlet, the CBC, who are far more interested in scaremongering.
Check it out.
Good job, Canada!
Check it out.
Good job, Canada!
Sunday, March 15, 2020
CORONAMANIA
As near as I can tell, after months of the media's hysterical hyperventilating, the death toll from COVID-19 in Canada remains at...
One?
Seriously?
And for that they have to lock down the entire country?
Something doesn't add up here.
Just a few weeks ago our headlines were dominated by a handful of Mohawks who parked a snow-plow near a rail crossing. The usual pundits were predicting the collapse of our economy.
A few weeks later, we voluntarily collapse the economy because an 89 year old dude in a BC nursing home dies of the flu?
There's way more going on here than a virus.
One?
Seriously?
And for that they have to lock down the entire country?
Something doesn't add up here.
Just a few weeks ago our headlines were dominated by a handful of Mohawks who parked a snow-plow near a rail crossing. The usual pundits were predicting the collapse of our economy.
A few weeks later, we voluntarily collapse the economy because an 89 year old dude in a BC nursing home dies of the flu?
There's way more going on here than a virus.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Turkey offers EU opportunity to correct its diversity deficit. Europe says no.
As we all know, the most glaring problem in the EU is its shocking lack of diversity. After at least a generation's worth of multi-culti wokeness, there are still Germans who think brown people aren't German.
There remain millions of Italians who believe brown people can never be "real" Italians.
Ditto for the French and the Spaniards and the Portuguese.
What the hell is the matter with these xenophobic racist relics?
Funny how nobody turns this question around.
How long do you think a German would have to live in Nigeria to be considered Nigerian?
How long would a Greek have to live in Syria before the locals consider her Syrian?
How long would a Dane have to live in Afghanistan before they are accepted as Afghan?
Erdogan is yet again giving the Europeans the opportunity to erase their xenophobia. He is all in for providing a massive influx of brown people from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to help correct Europe's diversity deficit.
And how does the EU respond?
By sending extra border guards to the Greece-Turkey border to keep the diversifiers out!
There remain millions of Italians who believe brown people can never be "real" Italians.
Ditto for the French and the Spaniards and the Portuguese.
What the hell is the matter with these xenophobic racist relics?
Funny how nobody turns this question around.
How long do you think a German would have to live in Nigeria to be considered Nigerian?
How long would a Greek have to live in Syria before the locals consider her Syrian?
How long would a Dane have to live in Afghanistan before they are accepted as Afghan?
Erdogan is yet again giving the Europeans the opportunity to erase their xenophobia. He is all in for providing a massive influx of brown people from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to help correct Europe's diversity deficit.
And how does the EU respond?
By sending extra border guards to the Greece-Turkey border to keep the diversifiers out!
CBC reveals Putin using COVID-19 to subvert democracy
Seems every day brings another scary story or two or three about the malevolent machinations of Russia, China, Iran, or all of the above.
Here is one of today's odious offerings.
Check out the sources for the story.
The boss of the Canadian Armed Forces. He has "seen some stuff," but he can't really talk about it because, it's top secret, of course.
Then there's the Ukrainian ambassador, always a reliable source for the latest scoop on Putin's perfidy.
Rounding out the line-up of impeccable sources, we have "analyst" George Barros of a "Washington-based think-tank."
Well, if a Washington-based think-tank says it, it's obviously true!
There are literally hundreds of think-tanks based in Washington, and if Murray Brewster was doing actual journalism instead of peddling propaganda, he would have let us know which one it was.
Murray or his editors didn't think that was important, so let me fill in the blank; The Institute for the Study of War.
Spend some time perusing their website. It shouldn't take more than ten seconds to get a sense of their Weltanschauuing.
Iran bad. Israel good.
America a force for good in Middle East, as in every region of planet.
America is the Exceptional Nation, carrying high the banner of freedom and human rights and democracy, her sails filled with the breath of God Himself.
The Institute for the Study of War is yet another disinformation outlet for the Kagan clan, perhaps the most belligerent family of war-mongers in America today. They've not run into many American-sponsored wars they didn't like, and if they didn't like them it was because America didn't get tough enough on the ingrates who resent her unending campaigns to impose their will and their chosen Quislings on the rogue states of the world, ie anyone who who objects to taking their marching orders from Washington.
Here is one of today's odious offerings.
Check out the sources for the story.
The boss of the Canadian Armed Forces. He has "seen some stuff," but he can't really talk about it because, it's top secret, of course.
Then there's the Ukrainian ambassador, always a reliable source for the latest scoop on Putin's perfidy.
Rounding out the line-up of impeccable sources, we have "analyst" George Barros of a "Washington-based think-tank."
Well, if a Washington-based think-tank says it, it's obviously true!
There are literally hundreds of think-tanks based in Washington, and if Murray Brewster was doing actual journalism instead of peddling propaganda, he would have let us know which one it was.
Murray or his editors didn't think that was important, so let me fill in the blank; The Institute for the Study of War.
Spend some time perusing their website. It shouldn't take more than ten seconds to get a sense of their Weltanschauuing.
Iran bad. Israel good.
America a force for good in Middle East, as in every region of planet.
America is the Exceptional Nation, carrying high the banner of freedom and human rights and democracy, her sails filled with the breath of God Himself.
The Institute for the Study of War is yet another disinformation outlet for the Kagan clan, perhaps the most belligerent family of war-mongers in America today. They've not run into many American-sponsored wars they didn't like, and if they didn't like them it was because America didn't get tough enough on the ingrates who resent her unending campaigns to impose their will and their chosen Quislings on the rogue states of the world, ie anyone who who objects to taking their marching orders from Washington.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Stay calm
That's the tip we get from the local Postmedia outlet, the Sun-Times.
One thing I could never figure out was how they can still afford to print an actual newspaper in Owen Sound, pop 20,000, but the Guelph Daily Mercury had to shut down the print edition and go digital.
The population of Guelph is at least seven or eight times that of Owen Sound, but they can't support a daily paper?
Maybe Putin is behind this outrage?
Or maybe Den Tandt has way more shlepp at Postmedia HQ than we realized.
Anyway, right after they beseech the populace to stay calm, they print out the latest list of all the shit that's been cancelled, which runs several pages.
Hey assholes; we were plenty calm till you pulled that...
Now everybody's worried!
One thing I could never figure out was how they can still afford to print an actual newspaper in Owen Sound, pop 20,000, but the Guelph Daily Mercury had to shut down the print edition and go digital.
The population of Guelph is at least seven or eight times that of Owen Sound, but they can't support a daily paper?
Maybe Putin is behind this outrage?
Or maybe Den Tandt has way more shlepp at Postmedia HQ than we realized.
Anyway, right after they beseech the populace to stay calm, they print out the latest list of all the shit that's been cancelled, which runs several pages.
Hey assholes; we were plenty calm till you pulled that...
Now everybody's worried!
Canada unleashes new acronym in war on Russia and China
Scooch over, CSIS, CES, DND, and RCMP; there's a new sheriff in town.
Meet NSICOP.
I read up on this stuff with some frequency. Some would call it an "obsession." I'd never even heard of NSICOP until today.
But today they emerged from the shadows with this bombshell about how Russia and China are totally sort of maybe possibly messing with our democracy!
Yup, that's some serious shit alright! Thank God we've got NSICOP looking out for us!
In case you don't know, that stands for "National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians."
To be honest, I'm a little surprised that these folks have blown their cover by coming out on the CBC. I'm pretty sure there's gotta be a few Russia/China operatives reading our national propaganda outfit...
You don't imagine they could have done this on purpose, do you? Maybe they've been infiltrated by Russia/China?
Meet NSICOP.
I read up on this stuff with some frequency. Some would call it an "obsession." I'd never even heard of NSICOP until today.
But today they emerged from the shadows with this bombshell about how Russia and China are totally sort of maybe possibly messing with our democracy!
Yup, that's some serious shit alright! Thank God we've got NSICOP looking out for us!
In case you don't know, that stands for "National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians."
To be honest, I'm a little surprised that these folks have blown their cover by coming out on the CBC. I'm pretty sure there's gotta be a few Russia/China operatives reading our national propaganda outfit...
You don't imagine they could have done this on purpose, do you? Maybe they've been infiltrated by Russia/China?
It's a great time for that school trip to Europe!
In an unintended act of irony and resistance, just as Donald Trump was announcing a thirty day freeze on flights from Europe, a bus was pulling away from the local high school, taking a couple dozen students and their chaperones to the Toronto Airport.
Destination? Dublin, London, and Paris!
What could go wrong?!
---------------------
PS Much as I hate to let facts interfere with a good yarn, the students were back in town by 3 this morning. Apparently someone at the Palace of Wisdom in Chesley asked themselves what could go wrong, and pulled the plug as the students were boarding their flight.
Destination? Dublin, London, and Paris!
What could go wrong?!
---------------------
PS Much as I hate to let facts interfere with a good yarn, the students were back in town by 3 this morning. Apparently someone at the Palace of Wisdom in Chesley asked themselves what could go wrong, and pulled the plug as the students were boarding their flight.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
When the Wuhan Flu descends on 40,000,000 Americans without health insurance
That won't be pretty.
And don't forget there's at least another hundred million Americans who can rightfully claim they have inadequate insurance. I'm guessing a $5,000 deductible is gonna steer a lot of folks off having a coronavirus test anytime soon.
Most Americans don't have five hundred bucks in their rainy day fund. A big deductible means it ain't gonna happen.
That's why Bernie needs to stay in the hunt. If a couple of hundred thousand Americans succumb to this pandemic, single-payer might just get another look.
And don't forget there's at least another hundred million Americans who can rightfully claim they have inadequate insurance. I'm guessing a $5,000 deductible is gonna steer a lot of folks off having a coronavirus test anytime soon.
Most Americans don't have five hundred bucks in their rainy day fund. A big deductible means it ain't gonna happen.
That's why Bernie needs to stay in the hunt. If a couple of hundred thousand Americans succumb to this pandemic, single-payer might just get another look.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Lloyd's double dose of virtue signalling
Former Canadian pols Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock had a goodly display of Boo-ya on view in the Globe and Mail yesterday. According to them, Canada can be a world leader in the battle against the Coronavirus, while simultaneously leading the charge against Syria's latest humanitarian crisis in Idlib! That's a rather full plate for such a humble nation.
But, why not? We're all acquainted with Coronavirus. After a solid month of hysterical headlines, Canada finally scored her first death - an 89 year-old dude in a nursing home who'd been loitering around death's door for months anyway.
What a relief!
And, as Canadians, we're all proud of our record of helping Syrians, aren't we? Lloyd and Al figure we should take in another 40,000 at a minimum.
What I don't quite get is their assertion that it's all Syrians clamouring to be rescued from Idlib province. There's a reason why Idlib's population more than doubled over the course of the Syrian "civil war." Every time the Syrian government had some rebel outfit hopelessly cornered, they were given a choice; surrender your weapons and renounce terror, or move to Idlib. Most of them took a chance on Idlib.
They took that chance because, according to the Sochi Agreement of 2018, their patron Erdogan would be responsible for their eventual de-militarization, and they had reason to believe that was going to be a very soft touch indeed.
According to stats compiled by the anti-Assad Observatory for Human Rights, almost half the casualties suffered by anti-government forces from 2011 to 2019 were foreigners, ie non-Syrians. These were typically linked to various al Qaeda affiliates in the country. Remember them?
Yup, the very terrorists we had to fight to the death after 9/11. Now we gotta rescue them from Assad!
Why?
Because somewhere along the line they became our allies, a fact glossed over by Lloyd and Al.
It's a crazy world!
But, why not? We're all acquainted with Coronavirus. After a solid month of hysterical headlines, Canada finally scored her first death - an 89 year-old dude in a nursing home who'd been loitering around death's door for months anyway.
What a relief!
And, as Canadians, we're all proud of our record of helping Syrians, aren't we? Lloyd and Al figure we should take in another 40,000 at a minimum.
What I don't quite get is their assertion that it's all Syrians clamouring to be rescued from Idlib province. There's a reason why Idlib's population more than doubled over the course of the Syrian "civil war." Every time the Syrian government had some rebel outfit hopelessly cornered, they were given a choice; surrender your weapons and renounce terror, or move to Idlib. Most of them took a chance on Idlib.
They took that chance because, according to the Sochi Agreement of 2018, their patron Erdogan would be responsible for their eventual de-militarization, and they had reason to believe that was going to be a very soft touch indeed.
According to stats compiled by the anti-Assad Observatory for Human Rights, almost half the casualties suffered by anti-government forces from 2011 to 2019 were foreigners, ie non-Syrians. These were typically linked to various al Qaeda affiliates in the country. Remember them?
Yup, the very terrorists we had to fight to the death after 9/11. Now we gotta rescue them from Assad!
Why?
Because somewhere along the line they became our allies, a fact glossed over by Lloyd and Al.
It's a crazy world!
Sunday, March 8, 2020
The Communist twins separated at birth...
Does this vintage shot of Canadian Socialist Tommy "The Commie" Douglas remind you of anybody?
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No shit, eh?
Tommy will forever carry the burden of shame that comes with universal health care. It's because of Tommy that folks don't go bankrupt in Canada just because they got sick.
If Bernie can pull this off, Americans might yet have real health care after all.
No shit, eh?
Tommy will forever carry the burden of shame that comes with universal health care. It's because of Tommy that folks don't go bankrupt in Canada just because they got sick.
If Bernie can pull this off, Americans might yet have real health care after all.
Father Fluffy soothes the savages
This blast from the past first came out in the Harper era, when Big Chief Harper was still calling the shots in Ottawa. The name of the Big Chief may have changed, but other than that, things look more or less like "business as usual."
Looks like PM Fluffy has survived his first Indian uprising. All it took was a few hundred millions in payoffs; what Karl-Heinz Whathisname, Lyin' Brian Mulroney's partner in hanky-panky, used to call "schmier-geld."
West Texas Intermediate is trading at $32/bbl as I write this. That pretty much means any bitumen in the ground in Canada is gonna stay there, because it isn't worth anyone's while to dig it out.
Hopefully the Wet'suwet'en and the Mohawks got their promises in writing. I'll let the reader finish that thought.
This post was originally called "Bwana and the Darkies" and came out in November of 2014.
Just about everything in this story grates.
The First Nations Financial Transparency Act was an odious bit of racist presumption that subjects Canada's First Nations to a far higher standard of conduct than Ottawa itself is subject to.
The intent was to humiliate First Nations by exposing their fiscal ineptitude, their avarice, and their propensity for corruption.
The Harperites hoped that their water-carriers in the right-wing media, scum like Ezra Levant, would be able to use the inevitable embarrassing revelations as fodder for anti-Indian hate-mongering in perpetuity.
The Act has had mixed results. Overall, the First Nations have been shown to have at least as much fiscal responsibility as what we find in the political machinery of the colonists. Yes, there have been a few scandals, but overall, not much to write home about.
So now we see this "hardball" headline in the Toronto Star. The implication is that these 80 nations that have not yet bowed to the dictates of the First Nations Transparency Act must obviously be the worst of the worst!
Therefore, it's now up to Massah to play "hardball."
What a disgusting display of abusive language; the people who have all the power threaten to play "hardball" with those who have none.
And this from a government that never tires of pointing fingers at various real and imagined human rights miscreants around the world.
Looks like PM Fluffy has survived his first Indian uprising. All it took was a few hundred millions in payoffs; what Karl-Heinz Whathisname, Lyin' Brian Mulroney's partner in hanky-panky, used to call "schmier-geld."
West Texas Intermediate is trading at $32/bbl as I write this. That pretty much means any bitumen in the ground in Canada is gonna stay there, because it isn't worth anyone's while to dig it out.
Hopefully the Wet'suwet'en and the Mohawks got their promises in writing. I'll let the reader finish that thought.
This post was originally called "Bwana and the Darkies" and came out in November of 2014.
Just about everything in this story grates.
The First Nations Financial Transparency Act was an odious bit of racist presumption that subjects Canada's First Nations to a far higher standard of conduct than Ottawa itself is subject to.
The intent was to humiliate First Nations by exposing their fiscal ineptitude, their avarice, and their propensity for corruption.
The Harperites hoped that their water-carriers in the right-wing media, scum like Ezra Levant, would be able to use the inevitable embarrassing revelations as fodder for anti-Indian hate-mongering in perpetuity.
The Act has had mixed results. Overall, the First Nations have been shown to have at least as much fiscal responsibility as what we find in the political machinery of the colonists. Yes, there have been a few scandals, but overall, not much to write home about.
So now we see this "hardball" headline in the Toronto Star. The implication is that these 80 nations that have not yet bowed to the dictates of the First Nations Transparency Act must obviously be the worst of the worst!
Therefore, it's now up to Massah to play "hardball."
What a disgusting display of abusive language; the people who have all the power threaten to play "hardball" with those who have none.
And this from a government that never tires of pointing fingers at various real and imagined human rights miscreants around the world.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
An embarrassment of riches...
There's plenty of folks I know who would consider this a dream scenario; the doctor says you gotta spend at least 23 hours a day on the couch with your head down. No work, no nothing. Just stay on the couch. Keep your head parallel to the ground, and don't point your eyeballs to the ceiling.
Been there, still doing it, and while I'm reluctant to look a gift horse in the mouth, a thirty day sentence to the couch is not the dream you'd think it was.
First of all, you get really tired of your own company, really fast. They say it's good to spend some time with your own thoughts, but holy shit.... after about twenty minutes of that I'm absolutely desperate for a fresh perspective.
One of the youngsters turned me on to podcasts. Sure, that helps, but 23 hours a day is a lot of time to fill.
You can stand your laptop on it's side and watch docs sideways. It's a crime what those hedge-fund sharpies did to those pensioners in Germany. And apparently there's still some controversy over the JFK assassination. I wouldn't know that if I didn't have 23 hours a day to watch documentaries on my laptop. Sideways.
Anyway, my eyeball pressure seems to be trending in the right direction. The vision in the "bad" eye is still horrendously bad, but better than it was two weeks ago. I've talked to a few folks who have survived retina surgery, including my brother Jeff. They can all see out of both eyes, which gives me hope.
I'm scheduled to have a checkup at the Ivey Eye Institute on Friday the 13th. That's the 30th day since my surgery, so I can properly drive myself to the appointment, as far as I know.
Hmm... driving seven hours on one eye on Friday the 13th?...
Good thing I'm not prone to superstitions!
Been there, still doing it, and while I'm reluctant to look a gift horse in the mouth, a thirty day sentence to the couch is not the dream you'd think it was.
First of all, you get really tired of your own company, really fast. They say it's good to spend some time with your own thoughts, but holy shit.... after about twenty minutes of that I'm absolutely desperate for a fresh perspective.
One of the youngsters turned me on to podcasts. Sure, that helps, but 23 hours a day is a lot of time to fill.
You can stand your laptop on it's side and watch docs sideways. It's a crime what those hedge-fund sharpies did to those pensioners in Germany. And apparently there's still some controversy over the JFK assassination. I wouldn't know that if I didn't have 23 hours a day to watch documentaries on my laptop. Sideways.
Anyway, my eyeball pressure seems to be trending in the right direction. The vision in the "bad" eye is still horrendously bad, but better than it was two weeks ago. I've talked to a few folks who have survived retina surgery, including my brother Jeff. They can all see out of both eyes, which gives me hope.
I'm scheduled to have a checkup at the Ivey Eye Institute on Friday the 13th. That's the 30th day since my surgery, so I can properly drive myself to the appointment, as far as I know.
Hmm... driving seven hours on one eye on Friday the 13th?...
Good thing I'm not prone to superstitions!
Friday, March 6, 2020
Nice to meet ya, Jihad...
The Friday Globe comes with a real estate section, where you can read up on the gruesome details of why that two million listing sold for five hundred over.
Today's feature property belongs to a couple of doctors, so you know right from the get-go that these folks can carry a multi-million dollar mortgage. And they've made themselves a lovely space, out there in eastern Scarberia, right on the shore of Lake Ontario. My semi-educated guess is their place would sell in the 4-5 million range.
None of this is any big deal. Doctors can afford fancy houses and fancy cars.
But get this; the guy's given name is "Jihad!"
Good luck taking your kids to Disneyland, Jihad!
Today's feature property belongs to a couple of doctors, so you know right from the get-go that these folks can carry a multi-million dollar mortgage. And they've made themselves a lovely space, out there in eastern Scarberia, right on the shore of Lake Ontario. My semi-educated guess is their place would sell in the 4-5 million range.
None of this is any big deal. Doctors can afford fancy houses and fancy cars.
But get this; the guy's given name is "Jihad!"
Good luck taking your kids to Disneyland, Jihad!
The nine lives of the wily Erdogan
I've been predicting the imminent demise of the Turkish president for pretty much as long as I've been writing this blog. My record on Erdogan is worse than when I told folks to dump their Apple shares at $400. That was before the 7 for 1 split.
The wily fucker is still making me look like an idiot.
Just when you figure he can't possibly survive the latest imbroglio, he pulls another miracle out of his ass.
Case in point, he just had a marathon one-on-one with Bad Vlad. Even though, in theory at least, Erdogan is one of Washington's bumboys, he does owe his frenemy Putin some major respect, especially since it was Putin who gave him the heads up on the July 2016 coup attempt.
That was where Erdogan's NATO besties thought they'd knife their troublesome ally once and for all and install the much more pliable sultan-in-waiting in his place.
Turkey has been a police state ever since. All that shit about NATO members' shared values goes right out the window when it comes to Turkey. Erdogan gutted the officer corps of his armed forces in a futile attempt to eliminate the Gulenists. Maybe he got them all and maybe he didn't, but the one thing he accomplished for sure is to destroy morale in his military.
He was also left holding the bag when his NATO betters gave up on regime change in Syria.
Now he's a flailing and failing despot lashing out in all directions. But remember; he's still a NATO ally!
Is Erdogan's run nearing its end? Who knows? Don't forget he's holding the US nukes at Incirlik hostage...
Anything could happen.
The wily fucker is still making me look like an idiot.
Just when you figure he can't possibly survive the latest imbroglio, he pulls another miracle out of his ass.
Case in point, he just had a marathon one-on-one with Bad Vlad. Even though, in theory at least, Erdogan is one of Washington's bumboys, he does owe his frenemy Putin some major respect, especially since it was Putin who gave him the heads up on the July 2016 coup attempt.
That was where Erdogan's NATO besties thought they'd knife their troublesome ally once and for all and install the much more pliable sultan-in-waiting in his place.
Turkey has been a police state ever since. All that shit about NATO members' shared values goes right out the window when it comes to Turkey. Erdogan gutted the officer corps of his armed forces in a futile attempt to eliminate the Gulenists. Maybe he got them all and maybe he didn't, but the one thing he accomplished for sure is to destroy morale in his military.
He was also left holding the bag when his NATO betters gave up on regime change in Syria.
Now he's a flailing and failing despot lashing out in all directions. But remember; he's still a NATO ally!
Is Erdogan's run nearing its end? Who knows? Don't forget he's holding the US nukes at Incirlik hostage...
Anything could happen.
Coronavirus 14 - 24 Nashville Tornado
But guess which one gets all the news coverage!
This "pandemic" has been building into something big for about three months now. America missed the early fear-mongering because all eyes were riveted on Trump's impeachment. Remember that? Yup, the walls were closing in on Trump, again, like they've been since 2016. We now know how that ends...
When there's this much baloney being tossed about for so little reason (remember, ordinary non-newsworthy flu takes the lives of 12 to 80 thousand Americans per year), I figure there's a reason for it.
Time to dust off Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine and have another read.
This "pandemic" has been building into something big for about three months now. America missed the early fear-mongering because all eyes were riveted on Trump's impeachment. Remember that? Yup, the walls were closing in on Trump, again, like they've been since 2016. We now know how that ends...
When there's this much baloney being tossed about for so little reason (remember, ordinary non-newsworthy flu takes the lives of 12 to 80 thousand Americans per year), I figure there's a reason for it.
Time to dust off Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine and have another read.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Canada at war!
Quite an alarming headline on page A7 of my Globe and Mail this morning.
"Russia poses immediate military threat to Canada, top General says."
Wow!
That sure sounds like some serious stuff, no?
Then again, what else would a General say? I'm pretty sure you don't get to be a "top" General by downplaying threats.
But General Vance just might be downplaying the threat after all.
According to Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute, we're way past "threats."
"The war is on."
I'll spare you the football analogy that precedes his conclusion. Let's just say if that's the calibre of intellectual rigour emanating from the AEI, Putin and his top generals are more likely to die laughing than fighting.
If the Kagan name rings a bell it's because Fred and his brother Robert, together with their father Donald, have been at the forefront of American war-mongering for many years. They're all about freedom and democracy and America's God-given mandate to spread same around the globe using whatever means necessary.
What these folks don't get, and apparently the writers who still fawn over that "rules based international order under US leadership" don't either, is that American leadership has long since lost any credibility it may have once had. From My Lai to Abu Ghraib has been one long downward spiral.
Today the champions of freedom and democracy are busy doing what they can to forever extinguish the voice of Julian Assange, who is guilty of exposing American war crimes.
Canadians, especially those who still wax nostalgic over some mythological era when America was a force for good, would do well to ask themselves if this is really a country with which we share values to the point that we will follow them into whatever military adventures the Kagans and their ilk deem necessary to advance the cause of their peculiar vision of "freedom."
"Russia poses immediate military threat to Canada, top General says."
Wow!
That sure sounds like some serious stuff, no?
Then again, what else would a General say? I'm pretty sure you don't get to be a "top" General by downplaying threats.
But General Vance just might be downplaying the threat after all.
According to Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute, we're way past "threats."
"The war is on."
I'll spare you the football analogy that precedes his conclusion. Let's just say if that's the calibre of intellectual rigour emanating from the AEI, Putin and his top generals are more likely to die laughing than fighting.
If the Kagan name rings a bell it's because Fred and his brother Robert, together with their father Donald, have been at the forefront of American war-mongering for many years. They're all about freedom and democracy and America's God-given mandate to spread same around the globe using whatever means necessary.
What these folks don't get, and apparently the writers who still fawn over that "rules based international order under US leadership" don't either, is that American leadership has long since lost any credibility it may have once had. From My Lai to Abu Ghraib has been one long downward spiral.
Today the champions of freedom and democracy are busy doing what they can to forever extinguish the voice of Julian Assange, who is guilty of exposing American war crimes.
Canadians, especially those who still wax nostalgic over some mythological era when America was a force for good, would do well to ask themselves if this is really a country with which we share values to the point that we will follow them into whatever military adventures the Kagans and their ilk deem necessary to advance the cause of their peculiar vision of "freedom."
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Here's a headline that should horrify every Canadian
According to Global News, Trudeau has formed up a new Cabinet committee to take on the coronavirus.
Before, we were in a bit of trouble.
Now, we're truly fucked.
What other issues have "Cabinet committees" sorted out for we the people over the last few years?
The Phoenix pay system.
Reconciliation.
Military procurement... and many, many more.
Have I mentioned that Chrystia Freeland is in charge of this committee? Yup, after she brought Canada back to the centre of the world stage during her stint as FM, she's put in charge of seriously important stuff like this.
Like I said; now we're fucked!
Before, we were in a bit of trouble.
Now, we're truly fucked.
What other issues have "Cabinet committees" sorted out for we the people over the last few years?
The Phoenix pay system.
Reconciliation.
Military procurement... and many, many more.
Have I mentioned that Chrystia Freeland is in charge of this committee? Yup, after she brought Canada back to the centre of the world stage during her stint as FM, she's put in charge of seriously important stuff like this.
Like I said; now we're fucked!
The incubation period of a toxic Facebook ad
As we all know, because we've all been told so many times, Putin put his fanboy Trump in the White House on the strength of $100,000 worth of Facebook ads in the run-up to the 2016 election.
So who can blame Bloomberg for trying the old Facebook gambit? The billionaire went all in, spending a million dollars per day in the weeks before "Super Tuesday."
By now we know how that worked out. What went wrong?
The think tank here at Falling Downs pulled together some focus groups to get to the bottom of the matter. We plied them with our premium pear cider till they couldn't focus anymore, and this is what we came up with.
Seems that for all the high-priced help Bloomie has surrounded himself with, nobody took into consideration the fact that truly effective Facebook ads require a gestation period. You can't just plop random factoids onto Facebook and expect folks to act on them. They need time to trickle down into the deeper recesses of your psyche, where they can co-mingle with your darkest fears and your most debilitating phobias.
That can take months.
So who can blame Bloomberg for trying the old Facebook gambit? The billionaire went all in, spending a million dollars per day in the weeks before "Super Tuesday."
By now we know how that worked out. What went wrong?
The think tank here at Falling Downs pulled together some focus groups to get to the bottom of the matter. We plied them with our premium pear cider till they couldn't focus anymore, and this is what we came up with.
Seems that for all the high-priced help Bloomie has surrounded himself with, nobody took into consideration the fact that truly effective Facebook ads require a gestation period. You can't just plop random factoids onto Facebook and expect folks to act on them. They need time to trickle down into the deeper recesses of your psyche, where they can co-mingle with your darkest fears and your most debilitating phobias.
That can take months.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Glenn Beck; way scarier than the coronavirus
Move over KKK, the BBB is coming to town! That would be Bernie's Bolshevik Brownshirts, according to Glenn Beck.
Don't be fooled. These folks aren't socialists, let alone "democratic" socialists. No, they're hardcore Marxist revolutionaries! Not only that, but they have guns and molotov cocktails, and pipe-bombs and stuff!
But do not despair. The forces of righteousness, led by Donald J Trump, have courage and truth on their side...
See what I mean? What would you rather do; self-quarantine for a couple of weeks and hope the coronavirus passes, or listen to Beck's entire 44 minute speech at CPAC the other day?
Don't be fooled. These folks aren't socialists, let alone "democratic" socialists. No, they're hardcore Marxist revolutionaries! Not only that, but they have guns and molotov cocktails, and pipe-bombs and stuff!
But do not despair. The forces of righteousness, led by Donald J Trump, have courage and truth on their side...
See what I mean? What would you rather do; self-quarantine for a couple of weeks and hope the coronavirus passes, or listen to Beck's entire 44 minute speech at CPAC the other day?
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