Pompeo said today that China is determined to "destroy Western civilization." The virus is part of their evil plan.
Not to be outdone, Susan Rice, former National Security Advisor to Obama, let it slip on Wolf Blitzer that Russia is behind the George Floyd riots.
What a relief! There I was, thinking those 104,000 COVID-19 deaths were the result of criminally negligent bungling and a failed health care system. Nope! It's ChinaChinaChina!
And those riots; I had them all wrong too! I thought maybe it was a deadly combo of hundreds of years of racial discrimination and a viral video of a white cop squeezing the life out of a black man. Wrong again! It's RussiaRussiaRussia!
As you can see, fundamentally, America remains both the indispensable and the exceptional nation. If it wasn't for Russia and China, the virus wouldn't have happened, the lockdown wouldn't have happened, the economy wouldn't have collapsed, and forty US cities wouldn't be in flames tonight.
It's high time Uncle Sam got tough with Russia and China!
Sunday, May 31, 2020
One day at a time
I haven't been keeping track of how long we've been enjoying our coronavacation by now. We must be up to four or five hundred days.
For some reason, the Farm Manager has been obsessing over her sense of smell recently. I know you're thinking that's probably because I stink, which I do, but it's not that simple.
I am fully aware that there are yawning gaps in the narrative arc in this story, but beer and pot will do that to a person. In moderation, of course.
In any event, for some reason we got onto the topic of stink, and I brought up my sojourn in Saint John. Between the smell of the pulp mill and the refinery and the raw sewage they were pumping into the Bay of Fundy, the place had what a wine taster might call an "overpowering nose."
It stunk.
But to the folks who worked at the mill and the refinery, everything smelled like roses.
For some reason, the Farm Manager has been obsessing over her sense of smell recently. I know you're thinking that's probably because I stink, which I do, but it's not that simple.
I am fully aware that there are yawning gaps in the narrative arc in this story, but beer and pot will do that to a person. In moderation, of course.
In any event, for some reason we got onto the topic of stink, and I brought up my sojourn in Saint John. Between the smell of the pulp mill and the refinery and the raw sewage they were pumping into the Bay of Fundy, the place had what a wine taster might call an "overpowering nose."
It stunk.
But to the folks who worked at the mill and the refinery, everything smelled like roses.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
One day at a time
For a guy who routinely loses his train of thought, such as it is, between the kitchen and the bathroom, I've got remarkable clarity when it comes to the most inconsequential memories.
I was just remembering a road tip my family took the year we landed on the moon. We had visited an old Auntie in Sandusky. We were on our way to the cousins out in New Jersey.
It was a Sunday morning. We were driving through Wheeling in a 1967 Chevrolet Bel Air station wagon. I was allowed to sit in the back, by the open rear window, where I could surreptitiously make rude gestures at following vehicles, because that's a lot of fun when you're twelve years old.
On that particular Sunday morning, in Wheeling West Virginia, there was a guy out on the street with a garden hose, washing his red GTO.
Why does your brain waste storage space on shit like that?
A little further along on that trip, in moonshine country, on one of those twisty two lane county roads that Junior Johnson once roamed, a '67 SS396 was on our tailgate for a few miles. Why you would remember such a trifle fifty years later is completely beyond my comprehension.
We watched the moon landing from a basement rec room in New Jersey.
Seems like a long time ago.
I was just remembering a road tip my family took the year we landed on the moon. We had visited an old Auntie in Sandusky. We were on our way to the cousins out in New Jersey.
It was a Sunday morning. We were driving through Wheeling in a 1967 Chevrolet Bel Air station wagon. I was allowed to sit in the back, by the open rear window, where I could surreptitiously make rude gestures at following vehicles, because that's a lot of fun when you're twelve years old.
On that particular Sunday morning, in Wheeling West Virginia, there was a guy out on the street with a garden hose, washing his red GTO.
Why does your brain waste storage space on shit like that?
A little further along on that trip, in moonshine country, on one of those twisty two lane county roads that Junior Johnson once roamed, a '67 SS396 was on our tailgate for a few miles. Why you would remember such a trifle fifty years later is completely beyond my comprehension.
We watched the moon landing from a basement rec room in New Jersey.
Seems like a long time ago.
One day at a time
At noon today, the temperature here was 9C. Three days ago, it was 29C.
I think we broke the weather.
I'm having a helluva time getting away from this lap-top. Lock-down has totally ramped up my screen addiction. There's always something else you just have to check out before you put it away.
I've become a compulsive reader of Zero Hedge. The sky is always just about to fall, and you surely wouldn't want to miss the moment when it finally does.
Talked to an old pal on the phone today. He gets down to Pittsburgh once or twice a week. He says the tent encampments are visibly larger every time. "It's fucked up to see an Audi parked in front of a tent in a parking lot."
I guess you want to hang on to your phone and your wheels as long as possible. At least you could theoretically make it to that theoretical job interview.
I've heard that truckers delivering produce to the NYC area now swap out their trailers to local contractors on the periphery, who then do the in-city deliveries with armed guards aboard.
The shit will really hit the fan when Trump's niggardly alms for the poor run out.
That's when the bankruptcy and eviction tsunami will strike full bore. The richest and most powerful society in the history of history will run out of parking lots for the tent people... and America will explode.
In the meantime, I've got grass to cut and bird-feeders to fill... just gonna have a quick peek at Zero Hedge before I do.
I think we broke the weather.
I'm having a helluva time getting away from this lap-top. Lock-down has totally ramped up my screen addiction. There's always something else you just have to check out before you put it away.
I've become a compulsive reader of Zero Hedge. The sky is always just about to fall, and you surely wouldn't want to miss the moment when it finally does.
Talked to an old pal on the phone today. He gets down to Pittsburgh once or twice a week. He says the tent encampments are visibly larger every time. "It's fucked up to see an Audi parked in front of a tent in a parking lot."
I guess you want to hang on to your phone and your wheels as long as possible. At least you could theoretically make it to that theoretical job interview.
I've heard that truckers delivering produce to the NYC area now swap out their trailers to local contractors on the periphery, who then do the in-city deliveries with armed guards aboard.
The shit will really hit the fan when Trump's niggardly alms for the poor run out.
That's when the bankruptcy and eviction tsunami will strike full bore. The richest and most powerful society in the history of history will run out of parking lots for the tent people... and America will explode.
In the meantime, I've got grass to cut and bird-feeders to fill... just gonna have a quick peek at Zero Hedge before I do.
COVID-19; Cui bono?
I keep reading it's been debunked and all, and it was just part of China's propaganda campaign to throw us off the truth about the virus, but the theory that covid may have been concocted in a US lab refuses to go away.
When you think about who has benefited from the virus, it's hard to find a luckier group of winners than America's ruling class. The economy they've sucked dry over the last forty years was running on fumes and wishful thinking. It was on the verge of collapse, and whoopsee, just in the nick of time, covid came and collapsed it!
Who can blame the billionaires when it was obviously a virus that destroyed the economy!
So, the billionaire-owned government swings into action. Free money for everybody! Wheee-haaa!!!
Three trillions in six weeks! Once the euphoria subsided, people started to notice that most of the loot just went to the same greedbags who destroyed the economy in the first place... but they don't have a lot of time to talk about that on the billionaire-owned news networks, do they?
America is in flames, after all.
When you think about who has benefited from the virus, it's hard to find a luckier group of winners than America's ruling class. The economy they've sucked dry over the last forty years was running on fumes and wishful thinking. It was on the verge of collapse, and whoopsee, just in the nick of time, covid came and collapsed it!
Who can blame the billionaires when it was obviously a virus that destroyed the economy!
So, the billionaire-owned government swings into action. Free money for everybody! Wheee-haaa!!!
Three trillions in six weeks! Once the euphoria subsided, people started to notice that most of the loot just went to the same greedbags who destroyed the economy in the first place... but they don't have a lot of time to talk about that on the billionaire-owned news networks, do they?
America is in flames, after all.
OMG those rioteers are not social distancing! Throw the book at 'em!
Contrary to the impression you get from mainstream news, cops kill more white folks than they do black folks, at least in absolute numbers. This leads me to suspect that there's more going on than racism.
I think we have to look at cop culture. A police officer in Minneapolis makes about $60k, roughly double the average income in the city. Police recruits, regardless of race or gender, come predominantly from working class/lower middle class backgrounds. They know they've got a good gig, all things considered, and they want to keep it. They want to be part of the team.
Therein lies the problem. It's not that easy to get on the team. There's competition. Everybody wants to be the buffest and the toughest. There's a well documented steroid culture in police training academies. Overwhelming aggression is the preferred method of dealing with resistance. A guy in the throes of roid rage is liable to interpret virtually anything as "resistance."
And then people die.
I think we have to look at cop culture. A police officer in Minneapolis makes about $60k, roughly double the average income in the city. Police recruits, regardless of race or gender, come predominantly from working class/lower middle class backgrounds. They know they've got a good gig, all things considered, and they want to keep it. They want to be part of the team.
Therein lies the problem. It's not that easy to get on the team. There's competition. Everybody wants to be the buffest and the toughest. There's a well documented steroid culture in police training academies. Overwhelming aggression is the preferred method of dealing with resistance. A guy in the throes of roid rage is liable to interpret virtually anything as "resistance."
And then people die.
Friday, May 29, 2020
America goes over the cliff
A few years back I took the kids to this place in Alberta, the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. That was where our Indigenous brothers used to hunt bison by herding them over the cliff. To facilitate the herding, they had all sorts of ingenious traps to entice the bison towards the edge.
We've watched the ingenious traps of the modern era work their magic for a while now. If the billionaires who own the global information infrastructure want to create mayhem, they can and they do.
And apparently, that's what they want right now. Watching American cities in flames helps take your mind off the 3 trillion dollar heist they just perpetrated.
We've watched the ingenious traps of the modern era work their magic for a while now. If the billionaires who own the global information infrastructure want to create mayhem, they can and they do.
And apparently, that's what they want right now. Watching American cities in flames helps take your mind off the 3 trillion dollar heist they just perpetrated.
One day at a time
The extended coronavacation has given me a new appreciation for the internet. Isn't it great to stay connected to the world during lockdown?
It sure is. It let's you check the news headlines on dozens of global news sites. You gotta keep checking hour after hour, because you never know when some new news might pop up.
Believe it or not, I even find time to do some non-news research from time to time. Just today I was pondering what the standard motor was in a 1970 Freightliner cab-over. That info was surprisingly difficult to pin down, but I think it was the Cummins 250. That was a 5.9L diesel unit that made 400 foot pounds of torque. Torque is what pulls your tractor-trailer through those Rocky Mountain passes on a cross-country run.
Fifty years later, you can get a Cummins diesel in a Dodge pickup truck. It's actually a big favourite of the snowbird crowd who pull their fifth wheel trailers to Florida or Arizona every winter. It's a 6.9 diesel that makes 850 foot pounds of torque, because how else are you gonna make it through those mountain passes on the Interstate on the way to Florida?
In a similar vein, there's been major inflation in the square footage of the typical single family home. Back in the day, a family could manage to raise up four or five or even more kids in a three bedroom bungalow with one bathroom. Nowadays a family of four needs two thousand square feet with four bathrooms.
Pondering inevitably leads to the need for more research, and before you know it, your day is over. That's how I managed to let the grass grow a couple of days longer than I should have. When you do that, you end up having to stop the lawnmower every couple of minutes because it's getting bunged up. On the upside, you get a really good work-out.
So I'm trying to find the right balance here at Falling Downs. I envy the farmers around here. Their daily agendas are determined by the events of the day; if mama cow is having trouble getting that calf out, you don't have the option of leaving it till tomorrow.
It sure is. It let's you check the news headlines on dozens of global news sites. You gotta keep checking hour after hour, because you never know when some new news might pop up.
Believe it or not, I even find time to do some non-news research from time to time. Just today I was pondering what the standard motor was in a 1970 Freightliner cab-over. That info was surprisingly difficult to pin down, but I think it was the Cummins 250. That was a 5.9L diesel unit that made 400 foot pounds of torque. Torque is what pulls your tractor-trailer through those Rocky Mountain passes on a cross-country run.
Fifty years later, you can get a Cummins diesel in a Dodge pickup truck. It's actually a big favourite of the snowbird crowd who pull their fifth wheel trailers to Florida or Arizona every winter. It's a 6.9 diesel that makes 850 foot pounds of torque, because how else are you gonna make it through those mountain passes on the Interstate on the way to Florida?
In a similar vein, there's been major inflation in the square footage of the typical single family home. Back in the day, a family could manage to raise up four or five or even more kids in a three bedroom bungalow with one bathroom. Nowadays a family of four needs two thousand square feet with four bathrooms.
Pondering inevitably leads to the need for more research, and before you know it, your day is over. That's how I managed to let the grass grow a couple of days longer than I should have. When you do that, you end up having to stop the lawnmower every couple of minutes because it's getting bunged up. On the upside, you get a really good work-out.
So I'm trying to find the right balance here at Falling Downs. I envy the farmers around here. Their daily agendas are determined by the events of the day; if mama cow is having trouble getting that calf out, you don't have the option of leaving it till tomorrow.
One day at a time
That cliche takes on a different hue when every day is the same. I only know it's Saturday because the Korean extortionist nicks me an extra $2.10 for the Globe and Mail.
By the way, does anybody know if there's any truth to the rumour that the "K" in Circle K stands for Korea?
They are tricky people, those Koreans. The Southern ones are mostly OK now, because we've taught them democracy and stuff, but the North? Obviously the stickiest sanctions in history haven't stopped them from developing nuclear weapons. Who can even imagine such a thing? A country so poor that the people eat grass to survive, yet they manage to terrorize us with nuclear weapons.
The people in the north are still pissy about that war they started with us. After we flattened every school, house, workshop, store, temple, factory, and cowshed in the country, they still wouldn't admit the superiority of our way of life. We could have finished them off with a couple of nukes then and there.
Instead, 67 years later they're threatening us with nukes. How ironic.
But I digress.
How do you know what day it is when every day is the same?
By the way, does anybody know if there's any truth to the rumour that the "K" in Circle K stands for Korea?
They are tricky people, those Koreans. The Southern ones are mostly OK now, because we've taught them democracy and stuff, but the North? Obviously the stickiest sanctions in history haven't stopped them from developing nuclear weapons. Who can even imagine such a thing? A country so poor that the people eat grass to survive, yet they manage to terrorize us with nuclear weapons.
The people in the north are still pissy about that war they started with us. After we flattened every school, house, workshop, store, temple, factory, and cowshed in the country, they still wouldn't admit the superiority of our way of life. We could have finished them off with a couple of nukes then and there.
Instead, 67 years later they're threatening us with nukes. How ironic.
But I digress.
How do you know what day it is when every day is the same?
Who's the bully, China or USA?
In the last year and a half, as anti-China rhetoric in our media has soared up, up, and away, we've literally seen hundreds of references to "China's bullying" and how important it is for us to stand up to it.
One can make a case for China's bullying only by avoiding the context of the Meng Wanzhou debacle. Canada was merely following the rule of law when we detained Meng, etc etc.
What laws is Meng accused of breaking? American sanctions on Iran. What is the legal basis for American sanctions on Iran?
There are none. Zero. Nada. US sanctions are made up extra-legally out of thin air, and then imposed on the world. There is nothing in international law (and plenty against) that permits a country to dictate to other countries who they can and cannot do business with. Legitimate sanctions can only be issued by the UN.
The US is able to impose sanctions on third parties because it has the entirely extra-legal power to make their lives miserable, due to their control over the international finance system. Billions in fines have been successfully extorted from European banks for allegedly violating US sanctions. Everybody knows that's entirely illegal, but everyone plays along because defying US demands means being locked out of the global banking system.
Our hopelessly inept Foreign Minister at the time of Meng's detention was far more interested in currying favour with her "friends" in the Trump administration than she was in upholding international law. The saga of the Two Michaels could have been avoided had Chrystia Freeland stood up to US bullying in December 2018.
One can make a case for China's bullying only by avoiding the context of the Meng Wanzhou debacle. Canada was merely following the rule of law when we detained Meng, etc etc.
What laws is Meng accused of breaking? American sanctions on Iran. What is the legal basis for American sanctions on Iran?
There are none. Zero. Nada. US sanctions are made up extra-legally out of thin air, and then imposed on the world. There is nothing in international law (and plenty against) that permits a country to dictate to other countries who they can and cannot do business with. Legitimate sanctions can only be issued by the UN.
The US is able to impose sanctions on third parties because it has the entirely extra-legal power to make their lives miserable, due to their control over the international finance system. Billions in fines have been successfully extorted from European banks for allegedly violating US sanctions. Everybody knows that's entirely illegal, but everyone plays along because defying US demands means being locked out of the global banking system.
Our hopelessly inept Foreign Minister at the time of Meng's detention was far more interested in currying favour with her "friends" in the Trump administration than she was in upholding international law. The saga of the Two Michaels could have been avoided had Chrystia Freeland stood up to US bullying in December 2018.
It is our patriotic duty to hate China
The Globe and Mail leads off today's orgy of China bashing with this headline; "Canada, allies condemn China's security law over Hong Kong."
Yup, Canada and "our allies," in this case consisting of the US, UK, and Australia. That's a pretty small club of allies, clearly led not by Canada, but by Washington. This is why the anti-China rhetoric we find in the Globe is indistinguishable from that found on Fox News. Canadian media give US propaganda a Canadian spin by pretending that we're "leading" this alliance, when in reality we are meekly following Washington, as are the UK and Australia.
The lead story is followed up with a trifecta of anti-China rants on the opinion page.
Gary Mason makes this observation; "China's despicable conduct in Hong Kong has only fortified the resentment Canadians hold toward a cruel and treacherous regime that is increasingly a menace to the world."
As Gary Mason himself and anyone who follows these matters knows, it is the US and not China that is consistently, in poll after worldwide poll, fingered as the leading menace to the world.
If you think Mason's harrumphing is over the top, get a load of the whopper Lynette Ong uncorks on the same page; "In the past three decades, the world has enjoyed relative safety in no small part to US-led unipolarity, and the resulting Western alliance that champions democracy and liberal values."
Indeed! In the last thirty years the US-led Western alliance has bestowed democracy and liberal values on Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine.
With that thirty-year track record of success behind us, it's about time we tackled China! No doubt the Chinese people are clamouring for a taste of "relative safety" too, and will welcome any intervention by the Western allies in the name of democracy and liberal values!
What a joke.
Yup, Canada and "our allies," in this case consisting of the US, UK, and Australia. That's a pretty small club of allies, clearly led not by Canada, but by Washington. This is why the anti-China rhetoric we find in the Globe is indistinguishable from that found on Fox News. Canadian media give US propaganda a Canadian spin by pretending that we're "leading" this alliance, when in reality we are meekly following Washington, as are the UK and Australia.
The lead story is followed up with a trifecta of anti-China rants on the opinion page.
Gary Mason makes this observation; "China's despicable conduct in Hong Kong has only fortified the resentment Canadians hold toward a cruel and treacherous regime that is increasingly a menace to the world."
As Gary Mason himself and anyone who follows these matters knows, it is the US and not China that is consistently, in poll after worldwide poll, fingered as the leading menace to the world.
If you think Mason's harrumphing is over the top, get a load of the whopper Lynette Ong uncorks on the same page; "In the past three decades, the world has enjoyed relative safety in no small part to US-led unipolarity, and the resulting Western alliance that champions democracy and liberal values."
Indeed! In the last thirty years the US-led Western alliance has bestowed democracy and liberal values on Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine.
With that thirty-year track record of success behind us, it's about time we tackled China! No doubt the Chinese people are clamouring for a taste of "relative safety" too, and will welcome any intervention by the Western allies in the name of democracy and liberal values!
What a joke.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Nothing puts a smile on your face like...
...calves romping in the barnyard.
If you don't believe me, get yourself a barnyard and some calves, and you'll see what I mean.
This is not as outlandish as you might think. All you ever read about is the ridiculous cost of real estate. That's true if you think you have to live in a big city.
And you can bet your ass you won't be seeing calves romping from your condo balcony.
But if you're willing to amend your priorities somewhat, you can find a few acres out in the country, where you could keep a few calves, for much less than the price of a big-city condo.
If you're working from home anyway, why not have a home where the calves can be seen romping.
They'll put a smile on your face.
If you don't believe me, get yourself a barnyard and some calves, and you'll see what I mean.
This is not as outlandish as you might think. All you ever read about is the ridiculous cost of real estate. That's true if you think you have to live in a big city.
And you can bet your ass you won't be seeing calves romping from your condo balcony.
But if you're willing to amend your priorities somewhat, you can find a few acres out in the country, where you could keep a few calves, for much less than the price of a big-city condo.
If you're working from home anyway, why not have a home where the calves can be seen romping.
They'll put a smile on your face.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
There's a mouse in the canoe
In fact, it wasn't "a" mouse; it was an entire clan.
And properly speaking, they were more living under the canoe than "in" it.
But these are trifles.
Looking at her, you wouldn't think Doublewide would be much of a mouser. She's called "Doublewide" for a reason. She'll sit on that canoe for hours. I've got the canoe resting upside down on the far side of the driveway. I meant to drag it across the road and paddle down to Bass Lake back when the water was high. Unfortunately I never got around to it this year, because we had a cold snap. Not even I would go canoeing when it's snowing.
Eventually, you'll see her assume the position, ready to pounce.
Then she launches herself into the grass and comes up with a mouse.
That's just the start of the show. Twice in the past few days I've been witness, at close quarters, to what happens next. She brings her prize up on the stoop and eats it.
Just like that. Right in front of me. No trigger warning or nothing.
The first time, the mouse was all gone after four good crunchy chomps. I mean gone. There's a mouse in Doublewide's maw, and thirty seconds later, there is no mouse.
Second time, not an hour ago, the mouse was still squeaking and wiggling it's tail when she showed off her prize. Thirty seconds later, it wasn't.
I am well and truly traumatised. If I wanted to see nature at work I'd watch National Geographic videos.
And properly speaking, they were more living under the canoe than "in" it.
But these are trifles.
Looking at her, you wouldn't think Doublewide would be much of a mouser. She's called "Doublewide" for a reason. She'll sit on that canoe for hours. I've got the canoe resting upside down on the far side of the driveway. I meant to drag it across the road and paddle down to Bass Lake back when the water was high. Unfortunately I never got around to it this year, because we had a cold snap. Not even I would go canoeing when it's snowing.
Eventually, you'll see her assume the position, ready to pounce.
Then she launches herself into the grass and comes up with a mouse.
That's just the start of the show. Twice in the past few days I've been witness, at close quarters, to what happens next. She brings her prize up on the stoop and eats it.
Just like that. Right in front of me. No trigger warning or nothing.
The first time, the mouse was all gone after four good crunchy chomps. I mean gone. There's a mouse in Doublewide's maw, and thirty seconds later, there is no mouse.
Second time, not an hour ago, the mouse was still squeaking and wiggling it's tail when she showed off her prize. Thirty seconds later, it wasn't.
I am well and truly traumatised. If I wanted to see nature at work I'd watch National Geographic videos.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Freedom for Hong Kong!
After the HK freedom-fighters took a brief break on account of the Wuhan Flu, they're back!
Seriously, how retarded are these people? The only people Trump will ever liberate is billionaires from their tax obligations. This of course is the opposite of "liberation" for the rest of us, the ones who will be dealing with austerity and tax hikes for the next several generations to pay for what's going on now.
At some level I have empathy for the young people of Hong Kong. The city is virtually unlivable for them. A home of your own is entirely out of the question unless you're born into serious money. Most of these protesters are doomed to live in their parents' home till they can inherit it. Since that home is most likely a 350 ft one bedroom apartment, they are understandably grumpy.
But their shit-hole prospects are not the fault of the Peoples Republic of China.
They are the fault of HK's billionaire class, many of whom made their billions in the territory's real estate market.
Nevertheless, thanks to generous funding from the US government's "National Endowment for Democracy" and further funding from some of those very billionaires who have immiserated them, these morons have been duped into projecting their justifiable rage onto the government of the PRC.
This is of course exactly the reason the NED, a US government funded "Non-Government Organization," has lavished them with money over the years. In the pursuit of "full spectrum dominance," these useful idiots are invaluable in undermining China.
And they certainly take their mission seriously. Here they are knocking some sense into a passer-by who didn't agree with their protest.
Here's another hapless Hong Konger getting a dose of NED-style freedom and democracy
And these "protesters" are people we should support?
Seriously, how retarded are these people? The only people Trump will ever liberate is billionaires from their tax obligations. This of course is the opposite of "liberation" for the rest of us, the ones who will be dealing with austerity and tax hikes for the next several generations to pay for what's going on now.
At some level I have empathy for the young people of Hong Kong. The city is virtually unlivable for them. A home of your own is entirely out of the question unless you're born into serious money. Most of these protesters are doomed to live in their parents' home till they can inherit it. Since that home is most likely a 350 ft one bedroom apartment, they are understandably grumpy.
But their shit-hole prospects are not the fault of the Peoples Republic of China.
They are the fault of HK's billionaire class, many of whom made their billions in the territory's real estate market.
Nevertheless, thanks to generous funding from the US government's "National Endowment for Democracy" and further funding from some of those very billionaires who have immiserated them, these morons have been duped into projecting their justifiable rage onto the government of the PRC.
This is of course exactly the reason the NED, a US government funded "Non-Government Organization," has lavished them with money over the years. In the pursuit of "full spectrum dominance," these useful idiots are invaluable in undermining China.
And they certainly take their mission seriously. Here they are knocking some sense into a passer-by who didn't agree with their protest.
Here's another hapless Hong Konger getting a dose of NED-style freedom and democracy
And these "protesters" are people we should support?
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Why Trump will win again
In the run-up to the 2016 election, expert opinion was unanimous in proclaiming that Trump could never win.
Trump won.
For the past three months, expert opinion has been unanimous in proclaiming the virtues of lockdown and social distancing.
And suddenly, it's Memorial Day Weekend...
Ocean City, Maryland
Check out this story at CNN. Disrespect for the experts obviously isn't confined to Maryland. Lake of the Ozarks, Myrtle Beach, Florida... it's everywhere!
The talking heads are shocked!
What "expert opinion" doesn't understand is how tired the people are of being talked down to.
Trump won.
For the past three months, expert opinion has been unanimous in proclaiming the virtues of lockdown and social distancing.
And suddenly, it's Memorial Day Weekend...
Ocean City, Maryland
Check out this story at CNN. Disrespect for the experts obviously isn't confined to Maryland. Lake of the Ozarks, Myrtle Beach, Florida... it's everywhere!
The talking heads are shocked!
What "expert opinion" doesn't understand is how tired the people are of being talked down to.
You ain't black, but you smarter than we thought
One of the foundational beliefs underpinning anti-black racism in America is the widely held notion that African-Americans aren't up to par, intellectually speaking. That's what came through loud and clear with Biden's claim the other day that those black folks who can't decide between Biden and Trump are not authentic black people.
Joe Biden, friend of Black America, with Jesse Jackson
Donald Trump, friend of Black America, with Jesse Jackson
At least he looks like he's enjoying himself when he's hanging with Donny J.
Jesse Jackson would know what happened to incarceration rates of black Americans after the Clinton-Biden crime bill of 1994 was passed into law. Here's an easy to understand graph.
What the 2020 campaign needs is a choice other than Biden or Trump. Ya, I know there's Dr. Jill Stein, but she's just a little too white and a little too egg-heady to capture the public imagination.
I spent some time this afternoon waxing nostalgic over Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition. Jackson came within a whisker of becoming the Dem candidate in '88. Alas, he was thirty years ahead of his time. As a historical footnote, Joe Biden was one of the candidates that Jackson beat that year.
We've seen twice in a row Mr. Democratic Socialist cave to the anti-socialist anti-democratic DNC. The logical thing for him to do, and what Jackson should have done in '88, is run as a third party candidate.
Alas, Bernie won't, and time has passed Jesse by. America needs the values of Jackson's Rainbow Coalition more than ever.
Biden's comments on The Breakfast Club, delivered with all the self-righteous presumption of a plantation master, gave Len McKelvey, aka "Charlamagne tha God," a national profile in non-black America.
How does "Charlamagne tha Prez" sound?
Joe Biden, friend of Black America, with Jesse Jackson
Donald Trump, friend of Black America, with Jesse Jackson
At least he looks like he's enjoying himself when he's hanging with Donny J.
Jesse Jackson would know what happened to incarceration rates of black Americans after the Clinton-Biden crime bill of 1994 was passed into law. Here's an easy to understand graph.
What the 2020 campaign needs is a choice other than Biden or Trump. Ya, I know there's Dr. Jill Stein, but she's just a little too white and a little too egg-heady to capture the public imagination.
I spent some time this afternoon waxing nostalgic over Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition. Jackson came within a whisker of becoming the Dem candidate in '88. Alas, he was thirty years ahead of his time. As a historical footnote, Joe Biden was one of the candidates that Jackson beat that year.
We've seen twice in a row Mr. Democratic Socialist cave to the anti-socialist anti-democratic DNC. The logical thing for him to do, and what Jackson should have done in '88, is run as a third party candidate.
Alas, Bernie won't, and time has passed Jesse by. America needs the values of Jackson's Rainbow Coalition more than ever.
Biden's comments on The Breakfast Club, delivered with all the self-righteous presumption of a plantation master, gave Len McKelvey, aka "Charlamagne tha God," a national profile in non-black America.
How does "Charlamagne tha Prez" sound?
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Iran & Venezuela; two birds, one stone?
I don't believe I can recall a time when two sovereign nations, both on Uncle Sam's shit-list, have so openly defied US diktat as Venezuela and Iran are doing right now.
Every neocon American Exceptionalist is suffering a shit hemorhage at this very moment.
Trump must be under tremendous pressure to "send a message." My hunch is that Trump will do what he generally does when the neocons and his pals in Israel lean on him.
Cave.
What that will look like, we'll see soon enough.
Every neocon American Exceptionalist is suffering a shit hemorhage at this very moment.
Trump must be under tremendous pressure to "send a message." My hunch is that Trump will do what he generally does when the neocons and his pals in Israel lean on him.
Cave.
What that will look like, we'll see soon enough.
Friday, May 22, 2020
CONSPIRACY- 19
You're gonna love this one. Worked it up about an hour ago while having a toke on the stoop.
I was triggered by this headline. Apparently some of our billionaire idols have been making out like bandits while tons of little folks are going down the drain.
My question is, where does this end? There's a wave of foreclosures and evictions and bankruptcies coming soon unlike anything we've ever seen. This is entirely inevitable at this point in our corona-crisis.
That'll be the perfect time for those who own most of everything already, to buy the rest of everything for pennies on the dollar.
One can argue about whether the uber-rich and their technocrats planned this, or whether it's just a happy accident, but either way, it's what the future looks like.
There you go.
I was triggered by this headline. Apparently some of our billionaire idols have been making out like bandits while tons of little folks are going down the drain.
My question is, where does this end? There's a wave of foreclosures and evictions and bankruptcies coming soon unlike anything we've ever seen. This is entirely inevitable at this point in our corona-crisis.
That'll be the perfect time for those who own most of everything already, to buy the rest of everything for pennies on the dollar.
One can argue about whether the uber-rich and their technocrats planned this, or whether it's just a happy accident, but either way, it's what the future looks like.
There you go.
Hong Kong democracy is back!
Remember that? It was the top news story every day most of last winter, till it was sidelined first by a bunch of Mohawks who parked a snowplow near some train-tracks, and then by COVID-19. We might have thought Hong Kong's "democracy movement" had gone dormant.
Today it came roaring back! It has regained top spot, both on the CBC radio news and in the Globe and Mail. Now, of course, it conveniently ties in with the anti-China slanders that have become ubiquitous in Western media. We have an enemy, the anti-human-rights, freedom-hating tyrants of the Chinese Communist Party, and don't you forget it! Their goal is world domination and they will settle for nothing less! We must snuggle in tighter with our freedom-loving allies, led as always, by that light unto the nations, the United States of America, and resist those evil commies!
Charles Burton is gifted more op-ed space today to make the observation that "the tide of opinion is turning on China." Well, duh! There is no more reliable spewer of Yellow Peril rhetoric than Mr. Burton. Check out the former diplomat's diplomatic language when referring to former Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye; "Mr. Lu's ridiculous, highly offensive blathering..."
Hey, we get it. It's what Chinese communists do when they're not unleashing pandemics on the unsuspecting...
Propaganda works.
Today it came roaring back! It has regained top spot, both on the CBC radio news and in the Globe and Mail. Now, of course, it conveniently ties in with the anti-China slanders that have become ubiquitous in Western media. We have an enemy, the anti-human-rights, freedom-hating tyrants of the Chinese Communist Party, and don't you forget it! Their goal is world domination and they will settle for nothing less! We must snuggle in tighter with our freedom-loving allies, led as always, by that light unto the nations, the United States of America, and resist those evil commies!
Charles Burton is gifted more op-ed space today to make the observation that "the tide of opinion is turning on China." Well, duh! There is no more reliable spewer of Yellow Peril rhetoric than Mr. Burton. Check out the former diplomat's diplomatic language when referring to former Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye; "Mr. Lu's ridiculous, highly offensive blathering..."
Hey, we get it. It's what Chinese communists do when they're not unleashing pandemics on the unsuspecting...
Propaganda works.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
When you're bored out of your tree, go for a bicycle ride
Took my own advice today. Headed out for a spin around Bass Lake.
Made the big hill going up the escarpment without putting my feet on the ground. Yay for me! Took a left at the Wolsley corner. That place used to be a gas station back in the day. Then it was a bakery. Now it's a couple of mobile homes falling into decrepitude.
But what isn't?
A couple miles down County Road 17 I take a left onto South Bass Lake Road. That road skirts the south end of Bass Lake. That's mostly seasonal homes with a few year-rounders mixed in. Not too many signs of life, although somebody's dog chased me for a bit. That's something that doesn't happen when you're on your laptop all afternoon.
There's a guy on this road who's a bit of a local legend. Commutes from Toronto in his own float plane, or at least he used to. I'd know because he'd always circle over my place when coming in for a landing.
Once you're past cottage country, the road gradually morphs into what might be called a "trail." In fact, at times I was literally cycling along the Bruce Trail, but for the most part it was ATV and snowmobile trails.
It was one of those bright blue sky sunshiny days when I just had to get out of the house. There's nothing edifying about what's on your screen these days, be it your phone or your computer or your TV.
An afternoon on a bicycle is worth so much more.
Made the big hill going up the escarpment without putting my feet on the ground. Yay for me! Took a left at the Wolsley corner. That place used to be a gas station back in the day. Then it was a bakery. Now it's a couple of mobile homes falling into decrepitude.
But what isn't?
A couple miles down County Road 17 I take a left onto South Bass Lake Road. That road skirts the south end of Bass Lake. That's mostly seasonal homes with a few year-rounders mixed in. Not too many signs of life, although somebody's dog chased me for a bit. That's something that doesn't happen when you're on your laptop all afternoon.
There's a guy on this road who's a bit of a local legend. Commutes from Toronto in his own float plane, or at least he used to. I'd know because he'd always circle over my place when coming in for a landing.
Once you're past cottage country, the road gradually morphs into what might be called a "trail." In fact, at times I was literally cycling along the Bruce Trail, but for the most part it was ATV and snowmobile trails.
It was one of those bright blue sky sunshiny days when I just had to get out of the house. There's nothing edifying about what's on your screen these days, be it your phone or your computer or your TV.
An afternoon on a bicycle is worth so much more.
My mystery reader
I've been chuffed at how my page views have plumped up since the lockdown. I figured it was the predictable result of way too many folks having way too much free time on their hands.
On closer inspection, the plumping (I haven't seen 3,000 page view a month for years!) seems to be due to only one person with way too much time on their hands. Someone in the US is methodically reading every post I've ever published. They're all the way back to 2016 now.
I've got a pack of relatives in New Jersey, but I'm pretty sure they're not that interested. So why would someone inflict this on themselves? Could it be a cry for help? Should I contact the authorities?
I just hope it's not somebody in a law office, compiling a list of everyone I've offended over the years, prepping a class action.
I doubt it though. More likely, it's that rare person who recognizes original writing when they read it.
Hope they're not disappointed.
On closer inspection, the plumping (I haven't seen 3,000 page view a month for years!) seems to be due to only one person with way too much time on their hands. Someone in the US is methodically reading every post I've ever published. They're all the way back to 2016 now.
I've got a pack of relatives in New Jersey, but I'm pretty sure they're not that interested. So why would someone inflict this on themselves? Could it be a cry for help? Should I contact the authorities?
I just hope it's not somebody in a law office, compiling a list of everyone I've offended over the years, prepping a class action.
I doubt it though. More likely, it's that rare person who recognizes original writing when they read it.
Hope they're not disappointed.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Today at Falling Downs
Today at Falling Downs the guys who rent my pastures brought their cattle over. It's always a sight to behold! As soon as one of the kids comes up I'll get them to help me put the video I made of the event online.
Today we also got the word that we should be wearing masks. How does that work? We've had this killer pandemic wreaking havoc among us for months now, and the third week in May is the first time our health experts come up with the idea of masks?
It was the first day of summer here. Got the lawn cut for the second time this year. Isn't that fascinating?
You bet it is! When your life is quarantined down to nothing for months on end, cutting the grass is newsworthy.
And just to calm down the No Mow May crowd, for whom I have great empathy, I only mowed the lawn on one of my hundred acres.
The rest is dedicated to free-range honeybee habitat.
Today we also got the word that we should be wearing masks. How does that work? We've had this killer pandemic wreaking havoc among us for months now, and the third week in May is the first time our health experts come up with the idea of masks?
It was the first day of summer here. Got the lawn cut for the second time this year. Isn't that fascinating?
You bet it is! When your life is quarantined down to nothing for months on end, cutting the grass is newsworthy.
And just to calm down the No Mow May crowd, for whom I have great empathy, I only mowed the lawn on one of my hundred acres.
The rest is dedicated to free-range honeybee habitat.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
The slow-motion murder of Julian Assange
You remember Julian, don't you?
Ten years ago he was something of a hero for about fifteen minutes or so. In collaboration with some big-name media outlets, he facilitated the release of this video exposing US war crimes.
It didn't take long for his big-name media collaborators to get reined in. They were read the riot act. There's one red line that's redder than red; you don't expose American war crimes.
The champions of free speech in our media quickly forgot all about Julian, who wasn't really a journalist after all. Besides, by exposing US war crimes he might have exposed some US operatives out there spreading freedom and democracy.
He might have put their lives at risk.
Ten years ago he was something of a hero for about fifteen minutes or so. In collaboration with some big-name media outlets, he facilitated the release of this video exposing US war crimes.
It didn't take long for his big-name media collaborators to get reined in. They were read the riot act. There's one red line that's redder than red; you don't expose American war crimes.
The champions of free speech in our media quickly forgot all about Julian, who wasn't really a journalist after all. Besides, by exposing US war crimes he might have exposed some US operatives out there spreading freedom and democracy.
He might have put their lives at risk.
Saturday, May 16, 2020
How to stay sane in these turbulent times
Pot and beer will only get you so far. To get over the hump, I recently purchased a... bicycle!
I already had one, a Canadian made Raleigh I bought in a bicycle shop in downtown Guelph. It's a road bike with about a hundred thousand miles on it. I remember the day I bought it like it was yesterday, which is ironic, because I can't actually remember what I did yesterday.
I was heading downtown with a bike purchase on my mind when I ran into my old pal Robert, who at that point would have been a relatively new pal. I'm talking thirty-five years ago or more. So he joined me on my bike-buying trip.
That bike was a lot of fun. I used to blast down the Gordon Street hill in Guelph, coming down from the U of Goo, weaving in and out of traffic and passing cars!
Robert is one of those guys on the fringes. He had a Juno nomination once, and he's got a novel coming out. He'd be a household name if he had the whatever to promote himself.
That said, I'm even further out on the fringe, and, getting back on track, after getting a goodly twenty years out of that Raleigh, it fell into redundancy once I got a dog.
Dogs do walks. They don't do bike rides.
So I've been walking for a long time. But we've come to a place where the last survivor, the 14yo rottie-shepherd I've been calling 14 years old for the last three years, can't do much of a walk anymore.
Enter the bicycle!
I went back to Canadian Tire, where the unmasked yahoos shop, the day after I got my ether. Bought myself a CCM mountain bike at 50% off. That's an old-school Canadian brand, but I'm pretty sure they're made in China now. Truth is, after so many years in the back of the garage, I was a little concerned about metal fatigue in the old Raleigh.
Had my inaugural bike ride last night, and it was an eye-opener. My first stop was the Kemble Women's Institute scenic lookout, which is about five miles up the road. As I'm pulling up there's an elderly couple just getting out of their car. They'd come up to the lookout from their place on the shore to watch the fog rolling in.
I know that because I spent five minutes conversing with complete strangers I randomly met on a bike ride.
Then I took the Kemble by-pass to get back to Concession 20. On a busy day there might be four or five cars per hour passing through Kemble. If you want to avoid the congestion, take the by-pass.
The by-pass is one of those canopied roadways that you hardly see anymore, where the trees on either side come together overhead. Up ahead there's an older couple walking their dog. Holy shit, they're holding hands! I love seeing that stuff!
I give them a heads up holler.
"Oh Jeez, you scared us!"
"I'm so sorry... I would have scared you more if I'd just sailed by."
I stop and chat with complete strangers, for the second time in a half hour.
Bear in mind I'm not the sort to stop and chat with strangers. Ever.
The Farm Manager, who keeps her phone in her pocket even when she's gardening, caught me coming home from that inaugural bike ride.
(Hey Peters, check out my helmet!)
It's called a bicycle. I highly recommend it.
I already had one, a Canadian made Raleigh I bought in a bicycle shop in downtown Guelph. It's a road bike with about a hundred thousand miles on it. I remember the day I bought it like it was yesterday, which is ironic, because I can't actually remember what I did yesterday.
I was heading downtown with a bike purchase on my mind when I ran into my old pal Robert, who at that point would have been a relatively new pal. I'm talking thirty-five years ago or more. So he joined me on my bike-buying trip.
That bike was a lot of fun. I used to blast down the Gordon Street hill in Guelph, coming down from the U of Goo, weaving in and out of traffic and passing cars!
Robert is one of those guys on the fringes. He had a Juno nomination once, and he's got a novel coming out. He'd be a household name if he had the whatever to promote himself.
That said, I'm even further out on the fringe, and, getting back on track, after getting a goodly twenty years out of that Raleigh, it fell into redundancy once I got a dog.
Dogs do walks. They don't do bike rides.
So I've been walking for a long time. But we've come to a place where the last survivor, the 14yo rottie-shepherd I've been calling 14 years old for the last three years, can't do much of a walk anymore.
Enter the bicycle!
I went back to Canadian Tire, where the unmasked yahoos shop, the day after I got my ether. Bought myself a CCM mountain bike at 50% off. That's an old-school Canadian brand, but I'm pretty sure they're made in China now. Truth is, after so many years in the back of the garage, I was a little concerned about metal fatigue in the old Raleigh.
Had my inaugural bike ride last night, and it was an eye-opener. My first stop was the Kemble Women's Institute scenic lookout, which is about five miles up the road. As I'm pulling up there's an elderly couple just getting out of their car. They'd come up to the lookout from their place on the shore to watch the fog rolling in.
I know that because I spent five minutes conversing with complete strangers I randomly met on a bike ride.
Then I took the Kemble by-pass to get back to Concession 20. On a busy day there might be four or five cars per hour passing through Kemble. If you want to avoid the congestion, take the by-pass.
The by-pass is one of those canopied roadways that you hardly see anymore, where the trees on either side come together overhead. Up ahead there's an older couple walking their dog. Holy shit, they're holding hands! I love seeing that stuff!
I give them a heads up holler.
"Oh Jeez, you scared us!"
"I'm so sorry... I would have scared you more if I'd just sailed by."
I stop and chat with complete strangers, for the second time in a half hour.
Bear in mind I'm not the sort to stop and chat with strangers. Ever.
The Farm Manager, who keeps her phone in her pocket even when she's gardening, caught me coming home from that inaugural bike ride.
(Hey Peters, check out my helmet!)
It's called a bicycle. I highly recommend it.
Midnight at the bullshit factory
"God sees the little sparrow fall..."
-Civilla Martin
I've been spending a lot of time on the stoop watching the birds. There's an arbour fifteen feet in front of me with a couple of feeders hanging from it. We've been getting a lot of those bright yellow finches this year.
Watch the feeders long enough, and you're gonna see some nasty stuff. The other day, I watched a sparrow peck a slightly smaller sparrow to death. I intervened, but it was too late. By the time I had the little guy sequestered in a cardboard box with a dish of water, he only had another five minutes left in him.
While I'm out there, I can also keep an eye on what's going on traffic wise. Concession 20 isn't that busy at the busiest of times, and things have definitely slowed up since the lockdown. So you notice when a local farm family goes by on their after-dinner ATV ride.
Every farmer has one or more ATVs now. They swear by them. They can't remember what they did without them.
I can remember; you used your pickup more and you walked a bit more. I worked on a farm long before ATVs were a thing.
I can remember; you used your pickup more and you walked a bit more. I worked on a farm long before ATVs were a thing.
The farmer family ride is led by a kid standing up. He's not having to stoop over to reach the bars, so I figure he can't be more than twelve years old. He's moving along at a nice clip. I guess he's the scout.
Next up is the paternal unit. He's on a much bigger ATV and he's giving the throttle a poke now and again, as if to prod the kid along.
Behind him is a kid with a long pony-tail waving in the breeze behind their helmet. I don't want to make unwarranted assumptions, but I assume that's the daughter.
Bringing up the rear was Mum. Lagging back in a maternal way, making sure the family unit is OK.
I hope they can continue their recreational rides, but farmers are up against it on multiple fronts these days. Even before this plague, the dairy farmers were sold down the river to facilitate the latest "free-trade" agreement. The beef guys never had quota protections like the dairy farmers, but even as our scare-mongering media talks up food shortages, there's no noticeable uptick in the wholesale price of beef. You may be paying more at the supermarket, but none of that is filtering down to the farmers.
Fear-mongering via promoting a food shortage seems to be the latest leg in big media's campaign to scare the hell out of everybody and keep them scared. Every day more and more people question the official corona narrative. That can't be good. Let's scare the bejeezus out of them with a food shortage!
My father has told me that in the village he lived in, which is now part of Poland, the farm animal of choice was the pig. That's because a mamma pig could drop a litter of anywhere between eight and twelve, whereas a cow was most likely to drop one calf per season, maybe twins in a lucky year. When the Nazi Party apparatchik came round to gather up the agricultural surplus, it was way easier to hold back a piglet or two than it was to hide a calf.
Even Jews will eat pork before they starve.
That's why country folks are going to be dining while the food shortage descends on the cities, if the worst-case scenarios that our fear-mongering media are busy fanning come to pass.
It seems beyond obvious that this alleged pandemic was always about a lot more than a virus. This has been most visible in the home base of the most rapacious brand of exploitative capitalism the world has ever seen, the United States. America's political class and its billionaire patrons have larded up the deficit to the tune of trillions, mainly to insulate themselves from the economic collapse that they themselves have brought about.
Then again, I thought it was obvious that Trump would win in 2016. The mainstream folks, the "experts," the pundits, totally underestimated the level of contempt that regular working people held them in.
Then again, I thought it was obvious that Trump would win in 2016. The mainstream folks, the "experts," the pundits, totally underestimated the level of contempt that regular working people held them in.
While I hold no brief for Donny J, I believe his election was the logical conclusion to the last fifty years of the arc of American democracy. Bullshit and celebrity culture rules, and any semblance of integrity has long since been kicked to the curb.
Trump was himself a product of that culture. And look at how the A-list celebs came out for Hillary in the final hours of the 2016 campaign. Somebody well-connected in the Hollywood machine made a phone call, and all of a sudden you've got Katy Perry and Madonna and even LeBron James shilling for Hillsy!
Trump was himself a product of that culture. And look at how the A-list celebs came out for Hillary in the final hours of the 2016 campaign. Somebody well-connected in the Hollywood machine made a phone call, and all of a sudden you've got Katy Perry and Madonna and even LeBron James shilling for Hillsy!
The big push right now in our media is to convince the voting public that a vote for Biden will bring back the good old days. Really? Trump-Biden is a choice between one geriatric corporate-owned pussy-grabber and another.
American "democracy" has become as predictable and as cartoonish as any Dana White creation. In this corner, the good guy. In the other corner, the bad guy...
You can bet that the folks who own the ring are OK with that.
Friday, May 15, 2020
Cognitive sophistication
I don't believe I've ever run across the term "cognitive sophistication" until I found it in a story at CBC today.
The article is trying to make sense of the fact that there's still a few folks out there who remain skeptical of what the experts and the CBC have been telling them about the current plague. Among other things, these skeptics could very well be suffering from a deficit in cognitive sophistication. That's the tool in your mental toolbox that allows you to differentiate between fact and fiction, truth and falsehood.
For example, someone with a particularly acute cognitive sophistication deficit may try to inject disinfectant to fight the coronavirus. Frankly, I think we've long had a perfectly adequate word for folks like that...
STUPID!
The real problem has been that "expert opinion" around the current contagion has been all over the map. It's gonna kill millions, or maybe not. We need thousands of ventilators NOW!... oops, ventilators kill, ixnay on that. You don't need a mask, maybe you might want to consider a mask, WEAR A MASK or else. Stay home and save lives for a month, and then go out and... stop saving lives?
We've been force-fed corona-hysteria for months now. For the most part, I don't think it's the skeptics who are lacking in cognitive sophistication; it's the gullible herd who readily go along with every new twist in the official narrative.
The article is trying to make sense of the fact that there's still a few folks out there who remain skeptical of what the experts and the CBC have been telling them about the current plague. Among other things, these skeptics could very well be suffering from a deficit in cognitive sophistication. That's the tool in your mental toolbox that allows you to differentiate between fact and fiction, truth and falsehood.
For example, someone with a particularly acute cognitive sophistication deficit may try to inject disinfectant to fight the coronavirus. Frankly, I think we've long had a perfectly adequate word for folks like that...
STUPID!
The real problem has been that "expert opinion" around the current contagion has been all over the map. It's gonna kill millions, or maybe not. We need thousands of ventilators NOW!... oops, ventilators kill, ixnay on that. You don't need a mask, maybe you might want to consider a mask, WEAR A MASK or else. Stay home and save lives for a month, and then go out and... stop saving lives?
We've been force-fed corona-hysteria for months now. For the most part, I don't think it's the skeptics who are lacking in cognitive sophistication; it's the gullible herd who readily go along with every new twist in the official narrative.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Falling Downs in the time of the Great Pestilence
The Farm Manager has been locked down since the third week in March. My personal internment started five weeks earlier, when I had my emergency retina re-attachment. We are bored exponentially beyond shitless.
Not that the "lockdown" is all that strenuous around here. Walmart never closed, nor did the grocery stores or the gas stations. But still, you pay a guilt tithe when you're out and about, so you're inclined to stay put.
At some point you hit a place (Nirvana?) where you have to check online what the day of the week or the date is. Last night we were having reflective moment number twelve on the day, and, looking out at the yard, I said, "well, at least I got the lawn cut today."
"That was yesterday."
Not that the "lockdown" is all that strenuous around here. Walmart never closed, nor did the grocery stores or the gas stations. But still, you pay a guilt tithe when you're out and about, so you're inclined to stay put.
At some point you hit a place (Nirvana?) where you have to check online what the day of the week or the date is. Last night we were having reflective moment number twelve on the day, and, looking out at the yard, I said, "well, at least I got the lawn cut today."
"That was yesterday."
Only the UN can prevent Venezuela's collapse
On May 1 the Globe and Mail published an op-ed with that title. It was signed by the following:
The article itself is the typical sanctimonious twaddle one would expect from such a pack of America- Firsters, except for one thing; they offer an olive branch of sorts to Russia and China. If those two authoritarian troublemakers play along, their "interests" in Venezuela will be protected.
- Joe Clark, former PM of Canada and Vice Chair of the Global Leadership Foundation, a US based non-profit financed by big business (motto: "Helping Leaders Govern")
- Lloyd Axworthy, former Canadian foreign minister and busy-body at large. Lloyd is best know for his tireless promotion of the R2P doctrine which makes it the responsibility of America and its allies to protect people around the world from leaders America doesn't approve of
- Ricardo Luna, another GLF worthy who co-founded, with Chrystia Freeland, the Lima Group of US vassal states dedicated to removing the Maduro government in Venezuela
- Thomas Pickering, a forty year veteran of the US State Department whose "diplomatic" postings included the ambassadorship to El Salvador at the height of the US sponsored civil war. In retirement he had a brief but lucrative sojourn as a senior VP at Boeing, before joining Clark and Luna at the GLF
- Keith Mines, a former US special forces officer who spent sixteen years delivering peace and democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan, among others. He's now in charge of the Venezuela - Columbia desk at the impishly named "United States Peace Institute."
The article itself is the typical sanctimonious twaddle one would expect from such a pack of America- Firsters, except for one thing; they offer an olive branch of sorts to Russia and China. If those two authoritarian troublemakers play along, their "interests" in Venezuela will be protected.
On May 2, a flotilla of small boats left Columbia packed with mercenaries and their weapons. Led by former US special forces officers, their mission was to seize President Maduro, whisk him off to Washington, and install US flunky Juan Guaido in his place. We know how that ended.
What's curious to me is the timing of the article. Could that really have been a coincidence? The other question that comes to mind is this. From everything I've ever heard, guys who did time in the special forces together tend to make very tight bonds. How probable or improbable is it that the special forces guy at the Institute for Peace had no idea what his former comrades-in-arms were up to?
Crappy Tire: where the Yahoos shop
Bear with me; I'm riffing off Doug Ford here.
There's an interesting chart on page A10 of the Globe and Mail today, showing that the less you earn, the more likely you are to have lost your job. Half the folks making under $16/hr have lost their jobs. By the time you get to the $50/hr crowd (construction trades, Hydro One) job losses are negligible. The median hourly wage in Doug's province is $24. Needless to say, young workers and recent arrivals are far more likely to find themselves sidelined by the lockdown.
Had occasion to sit in the Zehrs parking lot for a spell this morning, while the Farm Manager scoped out what's on offer at their garden centre. Zehrs is your grocery of choice if you're looking for live lobster. My informal survey revealed that at least 9 of 10 shoppers were wearing masks.
I then went to the Canadian Tire store up the street, where the folks who do their own car repairs shop. I needed a fresh can of Quick-Start because I plan to tackle some of my haven't-had-it-running-for-five-years projects that I've got around the place. I used to do my own car repairs too, but it was always a little disconcerting to have a widget or two left over when you think you've finished that brake job.
At Canadian Tire, less than 1 in 10 shoppers were masked, along with maybe a third of the staff. There's a reason people do their own car repairs; the hourly labour rate at the repair shops is the equivalent of at least two cases of beer.
Based on my limited observations, it's the folks who do their own car repairs bearing the brunt of the lockdown, not those shopping for lobster at Zehrs. It stands to reason that the less affluent would be more likely to agitate for getting their jobs back.
If that makes them "Yahoos," I guess I'm with the Yahoos.
There's an interesting chart on page A10 of the Globe and Mail today, showing that the less you earn, the more likely you are to have lost your job. Half the folks making under $16/hr have lost their jobs. By the time you get to the $50/hr crowd (construction trades, Hydro One) job losses are negligible. The median hourly wage in Doug's province is $24. Needless to say, young workers and recent arrivals are far more likely to find themselves sidelined by the lockdown.
Had occasion to sit in the Zehrs parking lot for a spell this morning, while the Farm Manager scoped out what's on offer at their garden centre. Zehrs is your grocery of choice if you're looking for live lobster. My informal survey revealed that at least 9 of 10 shoppers were wearing masks.
I then went to the Canadian Tire store up the street, where the folks who do their own car repairs shop. I needed a fresh can of Quick-Start because I plan to tackle some of my haven't-had-it-running-for-five-years projects that I've got around the place. I used to do my own car repairs too, but it was always a little disconcerting to have a widget or two left over when you think you've finished that brake job.
At Canadian Tire, less than 1 in 10 shoppers were masked, along with maybe a third of the staff. There's a reason people do their own car repairs; the hourly labour rate at the repair shops is the equivalent of at least two cases of beer.
Based on my limited observations, it's the folks who do their own car repairs bearing the brunt of the lockdown, not those shopping for lobster at Zehrs. It stands to reason that the less affluent would be more likely to agitate for getting their jobs back.
If that makes them "Yahoos," I guess I'm with the Yahoos.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Google runs interference for Bill Browder
Most people know Bill Browder as the tireless anti-Putin human rights crusader who has had a free run of Western media over the past ten years or so as he drums up publicity for himself. He's the (always unverifiable) source for a vast trove of exposes on Putin's Russia. If you "know" that Putin has squirrelled away $200 billions or maybe even 400, or maybe even more, you know it because somewhere you read or heard Bill Browder making that (always unverifiable) claim.
Yesterday Bill's one-man road-show suffered its first serious setback, when the German Press Council rejected his complaint over alleged inaccuracies in a story that Der Spiegel ran late last year. The Spiegel story poked some embarrassingly large holes in Browder's version of the events surrounding the demise of his former accountant, Sergei Magnitsky. As such, it covered much of the same ground previously tilled by Andrei Nekrasov in his documentary, "The Magnitsky Act - Behind The Scenes."
While Browder was successfully able to bury Nekrasov's film, he didn't fare so well in his claim against Der Spiegel. Not only did the German Press Council reject his claim, they pointedly stated that much of the Browder narrative around Magnitsky falls well short of being "factually verifiable."
That's a polite way of calling Bill Browder a liar liar pants on fire.
That happened yesterday. Today I typed "Bill Browder news" into the Googlator. There is not so much as a whiff of the Der Spiegel/German Press Coucil story to be found!
How is such a thing possible???
Yesterday Bill's one-man road-show suffered its first serious setback, when the German Press Council rejected his complaint over alleged inaccuracies in a story that Der Spiegel ran late last year. The Spiegel story poked some embarrassingly large holes in Browder's version of the events surrounding the demise of his former accountant, Sergei Magnitsky. As such, it covered much of the same ground previously tilled by Andrei Nekrasov in his documentary, "The Magnitsky Act - Behind The Scenes."
While Browder was successfully able to bury Nekrasov's film, he didn't fare so well in his claim against Der Spiegel. Not only did the German Press Council reject his claim, they pointedly stated that much of the Browder narrative around Magnitsky falls well short of being "factually verifiable."
That's a polite way of calling Bill Browder a liar liar pants on fire.
That happened yesterday. Today I typed "Bill Browder news" into the Googlator. There is not so much as a whiff of the Der Spiegel/German Press Coucil story to be found!
How is such a thing possible???
Monday, May 11, 2020
German Press Council tosses complaint brought by Bill Browder after his Magnitsky fable debunked
The German Press Council today rejected Bill Browder's complaint against newsmagazine Der Spiegel. Browder had brought the complaint in December after the magazine published a story largely debunking Browder's version of what happened in the case of Sergei Magnitsky, a former Browder employee who died in a Moscow prison in 2009.
According to Browder, Magnitsky had unearthed a $300million tax fraud being perpetrated by a couple of crooked cops, who had him killed in prison to shut him up. It's a yarn that fell on receptive ears in Western capitals, where politicians will eagerly swallow any nonsense they can use to smear Putin.
That's our former Foreign Minister with her "old friend" Bullshittin' Bill Browder in 2016. Meanwhile, Browder has been found guilty of tax evasion and fraud in Russia, which he claims was a politically motivated hoax intended to intimidate him. Freeland was one of many who should have looked into Browder's story more closely before falling for it hook, line, and sinker.
According to Browder, Magnitsky had unearthed a $300million tax fraud being perpetrated by a couple of crooked cops, who had him killed in prison to shut him up. It's a yarn that fell on receptive ears in Western capitals, where politicians will eagerly swallow any nonsense they can use to smear Putin.
That's our former Foreign Minister with her "old friend" Bullshittin' Bill Browder in 2016. Meanwhile, Browder has been found guilty of tax evasion and fraud in Russia, which he claims was a politically motivated hoax intended to intimidate him. Freeland was one of many who should have looked into Browder's story more closely before falling for it hook, line, and sinker.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Speeding on the QEW
That tale of Little Jimmy and his 308 kph foray down the QEW got me triggered on a little foray I shared with my old pal Johnny K down that very same stretch of highway.
Johnny was a Ukrainian kid who shared my passion for drunken imbecility and fast cars. He actually married one of those gals who enabled my adventures at K-Mart, which you can read up on if you look through the almost 6,000 posts on this blog (and holy shit, how did that happen?). Stone cold truth is I harboured a bit of a warm spot for that gal, and I never could figure why she would have settled for a loser like him when she could have had a loser like me.
Be that as it may, me and Johnny were out for a cruise one night in my 455 SD Trans Am, and found ourselves on the QEW, Toronto bound. We're motoring along at maybe 85 or 90 miles an hour. We're passing a lot of traffic and there's not much traffic passing us.
We're both car guys, and we take note of what we're passing.
"Hey, I think we just passed a Mercedes 6.9!"
We were kinda chuffed!
The Mercedes 6.9 sedan was the hotrod of luxury cars back in the day.
Couple of minutes later, Mr. 6.9 goes sailing by at a good 110mph.
OK! The gloves are off! I put the pedal to the metal and we passed that Mercedes at a good 125! Johnny flashed him the finger as we sailed by.
That Super Duty motor made tons of torque. It could get you through the quarter in short order; low 13's right off the dealer's lot. But it ran out of wind pretty quick over 5,000 rpm. With the standard 3:42 gears in the back, 125-130 mph was pretty much as fast as you'd ever go.
A minute later, Mr. 6.9 goes whistling past us like we're standing still.
Last thing I saw was his finger.
Johnny was a Ukrainian kid who shared my passion for drunken imbecility and fast cars. He actually married one of those gals who enabled my adventures at K-Mart, which you can read up on if you look through the almost 6,000 posts on this blog (and holy shit, how did that happen?). Stone cold truth is I harboured a bit of a warm spot for that gal, and I never could figure why she would have settled for a loser like him when she could have had a loser like me.
Be that as it may, me and Johnny were out for a cruise one night in my 455 SD Trans Am, and found ourselves on the QEW, Toronto bound. We're motoring along at maybe 85 or 90 miles an hour. We're passing a lot of traffic and there's not much traffic passing us.
We're both car guys, and we take note of what we're passing.
"Hey, I think we just passed a Mercedes 6.9!"
We were kinda chuffed!
The Mercedes 6.9 sedan was the hotrod of luxury cars back in the day.
Couple of minutes later, Mr. 6.9 goes sailing by at a good 110mph.
OK! The gloves are off! I put the pedal to the metal and we passed that Mercedes at a good 125! Johnny flashed him the finger as we sailed by.
That Super Duty motor made tons of torque. It could get you through the quarter in short order; low 13's right off the dealer's lot. But it ran out of wind pretty quick over 5,000 rpm. With the standard 3:42 gears in the back, 125-130 mph was pretty much as fast as you'd ever go.
A minute later, Mr. 6.9 goes whistling past us like we're standing still.
Last thing I saw was his finger.
Canada's double game
As pontificator-in-chief at Canada's national newspaper of record, Doug Saunders has serious shlep. His shlep is so serious that if Doug is displeased with a careless tweet, your career could be over.
In his role at the Globe and Mail, Doug is often tasked with steering public opinion in the proper direction. At the moment, the "proper direction" is to stir up hate against the Yellow Peril, which is exactly the agenda of one Donny J, the president of the "democracy" immediately to the south of us.
The fact that Canada is in lock-step with the US in virtually all aspects of our foreign policy presents somewhat of a challenge to the Canadian establishment. Truth is, and I don't mean to be indelicate, but Trudeau is so far up Trump's ass that you can barely see the soles of his shoes.
This reality is not appreciated by the Canadian electorate, and it therefore falls to Doug to fashion an alternate reality wherein Canada is independent.
Which brings us to Doug's column in yesterday's paper; "Relations with China shouldn't hinge on the US."
The sub-head gives the game away; "Being tougher on Beijing doesn't mean associating ourselves with Trump's flailing confrontation with Xi."
No no no! We're not with Trump! Of course not!
After that, Doug's opinion piece is virtually a point-by-point regurgitation of the anti-China rhetoric you can find on Fox News.
Be that as it may, we Canadians can continue to bask in our moral superiority to the Trump regime. The fact that the aims and goals of our foreign policy are identical to Trump's is merely an unfortunate coincidence.
In his role at the Globe and Mail, Doug is often tasked with steering public opinion in the proper direction. At the moment, the "proper direction" is to stir up hate against the Yellow Peril, which is exactly the agenda of one Donny J, the president of the "democracy" immediately to the south of us.
The fact that Canada is in lock-step with the US in virtually all aspects of our foreign policy presents somewhat of a challenge to the Canadian establishment. Truth is, and I don't mean to be indelicate, but Trudeau is so far up Trump's ass that you can barely see the soles of his shoes.
This reality is not appreciated by the Canadian electorate, and it therefore falls to Doug to fashion an alternate reality wherein Canada is independent.
Which brings us to Doug's column in yesterday's paper; "Relations with China shouldn't hinge on the US."
The sub-head gives the game away; "Being tougher on Beijing doesn't mean associating ourselves with Trump's flailing confrontation with Xi."
No no no! We're not with Trump! Of course not!
After that, Doug's opinion piece is virtually a point-by-point regurgitation of the anti-China rhetoric you can find on Fox News.
Be that as it may, we Canadians can continue to bask in our moral superiority to the Trump regime. The fact that the aims and goals of our foreign policy are identical to Trump's is merely an unfortunate coincidence.
This kid's in a heap 'o trouble, but it's a helluva free advert for Mercedes
Can I borrow the car, Dad?
Sure thing, kid. Drive safe!
When you're nineteen years old, burying the speedometer is not necessarily incompatible with safe driving, at least in your own mind.
So little Jimmy takes the family Mercedes out for a spin on the QEW, and next thing you know, he's famous! Yup, he's got a speeding ticket for the highest speed ever recorded by the OPP!
191 miles an hour!
Sure thing, kid. Drive safe!
When you're nineteen years old, burying the speedometer is not necessarily incompatible with safe driving, at least in your own mind.
So little Jimmy takes the family Mercedes out for a spin on the QEW, and next thing you know, he's famous! Yup, he's got a speeding ticket for the highest speed ever recorded by the OPP!
191 miles an hour!
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Whatever happened to Guevara?
Guevara was one of the first pop culture heroes who popped out of the so-called "Syrian civil war." She came out of nowhere to dominate pro-"rebel" propaganda for a few months.
Check out here and here. There's dozens of mainstream fluff pieces just like that to choose from.
That was such a compelling story. Too compelling. I caught the whiff of bullshit right away.
Then Guevara faded away... only to be replaced by the White Helmets fairy-tale, and Little Bana after that.
So why/how did she fade away?
Was her head blown off by a Russian sniper? If so, you'd think we'd have heard about it, because that's something that would have had immense propaganda value.
Maybe she found out her kids were still alive, and she didn't need to take revenge?
Or maybe, and I don't want to go all conspiracy here, but maybe, the narrative managers on her file realized the Sniper-Babe fable was so silly it was bound to be a liability in the long run. Once word got out that Guevara was entirely imaginary, the Clinton crowd feared their Syrian war-mongering could lose a lot of cred.
Those first responders, on the other hand, are the real thing. They actually exist. We know that because we've been funding them to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Just ask Le Mesurier.
Oh, I forgot... he did an Epstein to prevent the shit from hitting the fan.
Anyway, that's speculation. I'm only wondering what happened to Guevara.
Check out here and here. There's dozens of mainstream fluff pieces just like that to choose from.
That was such a compelling story. Too compelling. I caught the whiff of bullshit right away.
Then Guevara faded away... only to be replaced by the White Helmets fairy-tale, and Little Bana after that.
So why/how did she fade away?
Was her head blown off by a Russian sniper? If so, you'd think we'd have heard about it, because that's something that would have had immense propaganda value.
Maybe she found out her kids were still alive, and she didn't need to take revenge?
Or maybe, and I don't want to go all conspiracy here, but maybe, the narrative managers on her file realized the Sniper-Babe fable was so silly it was bound to be a liability in the long run. Once word got out that Guevara was entirely imaginary, the Clinton crowd feared their Syrian war-mongering could lose a lot of cred.
Those first responders, on the other hand, are the real thing. They actually exist. We know that because we've been funding them to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Just ask Le Mesurier.
Oh, I forgot... he did an Epstein to prevent the shit from hitting the fan.
Anyway, that's speculation. I'm only wondering what happened to Guevara.
Covid cure discovered in Belarus!
As in the US, Belarus has the good fortune to have a president who is open to fresh ideas in the field of medical research.
In fact, President Lukashenko's corona remedy sounds significantly more palatable than some of the ideas the very stable genius in DC has tossed around.
Lukashenko's presription? Vodka and saunas!
Don't laugh. According to official stats, Belarus has a mere 128 covid deaths in a population of ten million. He's obviously on to something!
In fact, President Lukashenko's corona remedy sounds significantly more palatable than some of the ideas the very stable genius in DC has tossed around.
Lukashenko's presription? Vodka and saunas!
Don't laugh. According to official stats, Belarus has a mere 128 covid deaths in a population of ten million. He's obviously on to something!
Friday, May 8, 2020
Pet cemetery
Two years ago we had a posse of three hounds and two cats here at Falling Downs.
Lucy was the first to go. At the time, I half convinced myself her demise was due to a conspiracy theory involving coyotes. I think it's more likely she was hit by a car and managed to crawl back home before giving up the ghost.
When she died, I deposited her in the woods back on the hill. For a few days there was a lot of vulture activity back there, but if you go by the spot now, there's no sign of anything. The coyotes will get whatever the vultures missed.
I wish I'd done the same for Phil. She was a real heart-breaker, and her passing caused more than a little grief for yours truly. Although I was her primary care-taker and 24-7 companion, she was the Farm Manager's dog, and I had strict instructions to keep her leashed at all times.
I took her for her last walk a year ago. When she expired under the wheels of a truck, half a mile up the road from me, I was well and truly snookered. You don't even want to try to bullshit your way out of that one.
"No, I had her on the half-mile leash, honest!"
Not a chance. In a state of complete shock, I arranged to have her cremated.
She's in an urn in the back shed somewhere now. I think both she and I and even the FM would be happier if I'd just put her with Lucy. Would have saved $300 too.
At least when Chloe's time came, we were prepared. She was well over 20, but we were never quite sure of her provenance. Allegedly she had been fixed at a vet clinic in Burlington where Karla Homolka once worked. I got her from the mom of another vet tech at the same clinic. She went through a practice death a few years ago, which I duly documented. It's in the archives somewhere. She joined Lucy.
So we're down to Boomer and Doublewide. When the time comes, they'll be joining Lucy too.
Truth be told, if it wasn't for all these rules and regulations, when the time comes, I'd be happy to join Lucy too.
Lucy was the first to go. At the time, I half convinced myself her demise was due to a conspiracy theory involving coyotes. I think it's more likely she was hit by a car and managed to crawl back home before giving up the ghost.
When she died, I deposited her in the woods back on the hill. For a few days there was a lot of vulture activity back there, but if you go by the spot now, there's no sign of anything. The coyotes will get whatever the vultures missed.
I wish I'd done the same for Phil. She was a real heart-breaker, and her passing caused more than a little grief for yours truly. Although I was her primary care-taker and 24-7 companion, she was the Farm Manager's dog, and I had strict instructions to keep her leashed at all times.
I took her for her last walk a year ago. When she expired under the wheels of a truck, half a mile up the road from me, I was well and truly snookered. You don't even want to try to bullshit your way out of that one.
"No, I had her on the half-mile leash, honest!"
Not a chance. In a state of complete shock, I arranged to have her cremated.
She's in an urn in the back shed somewhere now. I think both she and I and even the FM would be happier if I'd just put her with Lucy. Would have saved $300 too.
At least when Chloe's time came, we were prepared. She was well over 20, but we were never quite sure of her provenance. Allegedly she had been fixed at a vet clinic in Burlington where Karla Homolka once worked. I got her from the mom of another vet tech at the same clinic. She went through a practice death a few years ago, which I duly documented. It's in the archives somewhere. She joined Lucy.
So we're down to Boomer and Doublewide. When the time comes, they'll be joining Lucy too.
Truth be told, if it wasn't for all these rules and regulations, when the time comes, I'd be happy to join Lucy too.
Job losses soar; stocks soar even more!
Check this out.
That's the sound of the rich getting richer, while the rest of us pray we can pay the bills next month.
The stock market is an interesting artifact. Once upon a time it had a purpose. It was a pool of capital available to be tapped by business folks with ventures that needed funding. That was then. Now it's something else.
Now it's mainly a playground for guys (and they're pretty much always guys) with advanced math degrees to test out their latest computer-trading algorithms. The guys on the losing end of these battles walk away with millions. The winners - hundreds of millions. Nothing these guys do has any direct bearing on the real economy.
That's the economy wherein real people do real things. Haircuts, heart transplants, plumbing repairs... real stuff that you actually need.
The fact that the stock market can soar, while the real people doing real work are hurting, just demonstrates the irrelevance of the stock market.
So why does it get so much attention in our billionaire-owned news media?
That's the sound of the rich getting richer, while the rest of us pray we can pay the bills next month.
The stock market is an interesting artifact. Once upon a time it had a purpose. It was a pool of capital available to be tapped by business folks with ventures that needed funding. That was then. Now it's something else.
Now it's mainly a playground for guys (and they're pretty much always guys) with advanced math degrees to test out their latest computer-trading algorithms. The guys on the losing end of these battles walk away with millions. The winners - hundreds of millions. Nothing these guys do has any direct bearing on the real economy.
That's the economy wherein real people do real things. Haircuts, heart transplants, plumbing repairs... real stuff that you actually need.
The fact that the stock market can soar, while the real people doing real work are hurting, just demonstrates the irrelevance of the stock market.
So why does it get so much attention in our billionaire-owned news media?
Ten things we can do without
Sixty foot boats powered by six outboard motors, for one thing! That's just effing stupid.
Maybe we can leave behind a few other stupidities as well.
Let's hope this crisis will be the death knell for mass tourism. Packing planes full of yobs and depositing them in Mykonos or Ibiza for a week of drunken assholery is an aspect of globalism that's hard to justify.
The Olympics. They've been postponed for a year. Let's postpone them forever. The celebration of amateur sport has morphed into a corporate feeding frenzy. It's not about sport anymore; it's about TV ratings, the glorification of corporate sponsors, and winning at any and all costs.
Professional sports. In my lifetime, professional athletes have gone from guys who made a few bucks playing a game during the season to guys who expect millions per year. Up until the sixties, most professional athletes took a real job in the off-season.
Fast food chains. They've pretty much all got the same business model; pay their workers as little as possible, source their ingredients as cheaply as possible, and make the management clique and the shareholders as rich as possible.
Factory farming. What's so tasty about eating pork or chicken from a living creature that never saw a ray of sunshine in its short and miserable life?
Walmart. Nobody's driven more family retail businesses out of business than Walmart. In a grim irony, during this crisis Walmart remains open while the few remaining small businesses on main street are forced to close.
Bitumen mining. Canada's feminist PM has allocated billions in bail-out money to the purveyors of the world's dirtiest oil. With the political will it's a no-brainer to put the construction workers building out the oilsands to work on something socially and economically useful.
Fracking. Another no-brainer. Let's pump poison deep into the earth to force out that reluctant oil and gas. The fact that we get our water from that same earth doesn't seem to bother these people. We can live a lot longer without oil than we can without water.
Billionaires. When I was a kid there were two billionaires in the world; KC Irving and the Sultan of some island in the Pacific that was blessed with an abundance of bird-shit that he sold to giant agro-businesses as fertiliser. Now there's thousands of them. If they could stay out of sight and busy themselves counting their money, they might be tolerable, but they don't. Instead, once they know they've got enough squirrelled away in off-shore tax havens to keep their children and grandchildren in country houses and Bentleys in perpetuity, they tend to dabble in politics. This tends to be disastrous for non-billionaires.
America's "democracy" is all the proof you need.
Maybe we can leave behind a few other stupidities as well.
Let's hope this crisis will be the death knell for mass tourism. Packing planes full of yobs and depositing them in Mykonos or Ibiza for a week of drunken assholery is an aspect of globalism that's hard to justify.
The Olympics. They've been postponed for a year. Let's postpone them forever. The celebration of amateur sport has morphed into a corporate feeding frenzy. It's not about sport anymore; it's about TV ratings, the glorification of corporate sponsors, and winning at any and all costs.
Professional sports. In my lifetime, professional athletes have gone from guys who made a few bucks playing a game during the season to guys who expect millions per year. Up until the sixties, most professional athletes took a real job in the off-season.
Fast food chains. They've pretty much all got the same business model; pay their workers as little as possible, source their ingredients as cheaply as possible, and make the management clique and the shareholders as rich as possible.
Factory farming. What's so tasty about eating pork or chicken from a living creature that never saw a ray of sunshine in its short and miserable life?
Walmart. Nobody's driven more family retail businesses out of business than Walmart. In a grim irony, during this crisis Walmart remains open while the few remaining small businesses on main street are forced to close.
Bitumen mining. Canada's feminist PM has allocated billions in bail-out money to the purveyors of the world's dirtiest oil. With the political will it's a no-brainer to put the construction workers building out the oilsands to work on something socially and economically useful.
Fracking. Another no-brainer. Let's pump poison deep into the earth to force out that reluctant oil and gas. The fact that we get our water from that same earth doesn't seem to bother these people. We can live a lot longer without oil than we can without water.
Billionaires. When I was a kid there were two billionaires in the world; KC Irving and the Sultan of some island in the Pacific that was blessed with an abundance of bird-shit that he sold to giant agro-businesses as fertiliser. Now there's thousands of them. If they could stay out of sight and busy themselves counting their money, they might be tolerable, but they don't. Instead, once they know they've got enough squirrelled away in off-shore tax havens to keep their children and grandchildren in country houses and Bentleys in perpetuity, they tend to dabble in politics. This tends to be disastrous for non-billionaires.
America's "democracy" is all the proof you need.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Bieber bolts to cannabis country
I don't know if Justin Bieber knew it at the time, but he settled in for his self-isolation in the heart of cannabis country.
My pal Kipling isn't more than a ten minute SUV ride from Bieber's place on Puslinch Lake. And he's just one of many long-time growers in that part of the country.
That's where the infamous "Puslinch Red-Hair" came from.
I suddenly feel that I'm only one or two degrees of separation from the Biebs himself!
My pal Kipling isn't more than a ten minute SUV ride from Bieber's place on Puslinch Lake. And he's just one of many long-time growers in that part of the country.
That's where the infamous "Puslinch Red-Hair" came from.
I suddenly feel that I'm only one or two degrees of separation from the Biebs himself!
Justin Bieber at Puslinch Lake
I see where Bieber and his Mrs. have issued a heart-warming video update from their isolation space on Puslinch Lake.
Back when my dad worked in a factory, the factory used to have their summer picnic at Puslinch Lake. At least before they moved it to Pinehurst.
So I've been to Bieber's lake. It's not much of a lake, by cottage country standards, but that's where I had my first motor boat ride!
Yup, right there in Bieber's lake!
What's really fucked up is that back in the day, factories had summer picnics...
Back when my dad worked in a factory, the factory used to have their summer picnic at Puslinch Lake. At least before they moved it to Pinehurst.
So I've been to Bieber's lake. It's not much of a lake, by cottage country standards, but that's where I had my first motor boat ride!
Yup, right there in Bieber's lake!
What's really fucked up is that back in the day, factories had summer picnics...
Things that deserve to die
I mentioned recently that while we need to tread carefully when we meddle with the economy, there's plenty of things about our modern economy that deserve to die.
How about this Cigarette 59 footer with six Merc racing outboards. This strikes me as a sterling example of our fetishization of wretched excess for its own sake. Six 400hp motors on the back of sixty feet of carbon fibre?
Recreational boating as a concept is a little out of step with the modern ethos. In itself, that's not necessarily a bad thing; after all, I'm a little out of step with the modern ethos myself.
You can have a lot of fun out on the water with a fourteen foot aluminum and a 9.9...
Or even in a canoe!
How about this Cigarette 59 footer with six Merc racing outboards. This strikes me as a sterling example of our fetishization of wretched excess for its own sake. Six 400hp motors on the back of sixty feet of carbon fibre?
Recreational boating as a concept is a little out of step with the modern ethos. In itself, that's not necessarily a bad thing; after all, I'm a little out of step with the modern ethos myself.
You can have a lot of fun out on the water with a fourteen foot aluminum and a 9.9...
Or even in a canoe!
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
What's so deep about the "Deep State?"
The other night I watched the Nekrasov docu-drama, "The Magnitsky Act - Behind the Scenes." It's not easy to find, but it's still out there.
For the most part, I found the "drama" to be on the cheesy side, but the most compelling viewing is when you watch Bill Browder testifying towards the end. That's not a dramatic reenactment; that's Bill Browder testifying under oath.
Bill Browder is one of those guys who seems to have the keys to the kingdom. If Bill wants an op-ed in the Globe and Mail or the New York Times, it's his for the writing. His shtick, namely being Putin's "Public Enemy #1," is popular fare here in the Nations of Virtue.
That guy testifying under oath doesn't seem too rattled. His denials, evasions, and obfuscations, as blatant as they are, he knows will never be challenged. Bill could, I suppose, tell you all about the "Deep State," but why should he have to? After all, everything is pretty much out in the open.
We choose not to see it.
The great Ai Weiwei is another wonder. How many other contemporary artists have you met on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations? None, I'll bet.
But Ai Weiwei is a reliable spewer of anti-China hyperbole, and that, not his keen insights into the human condition, is why he's a favorite of the not-so-deep state. Again, there's nothing deep about how we're manipulated. It's right there in the open.
With regard to our current crisis, ie a flu epidemic that forced us to destroy the world economy, it's not hard to connect the dots either...
For the most part, I found the "drama" to be on the cheesy side, but the most compelling viewing is when you watch Bill Browder testifying towards the end. That's not a dramatic reenactment; that's Bill Browder testifying under oath.
Bill Browder is one of those guys who seems to have the keys to the kingdom. If Bill wants an op-ed in the Globe and Mail or the New York Times, it's his for the writing. His shtick, namely being Putin's "Public Enemy #1," is popular fare here in the Nations of Virtue.
That guy testifying under oath doesn't seem too rattled. His denials, evasions, and obfuscations, as blatant as they are, he knows will never be challenged. Bill could, I suppose, tell you all about the "Deep State," but why should he have to? After all, everything is pretty much out in the open.
We choose not to see it.
The great Ai Weiwei is another wonder. How many other contemporary artists have you met on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations? None, I'll bet.
But Ai Weiwei is a reliable spewer of anti-China hyperbole, and that, not his keen insights into the human condition, is why he's a favorite of the not-so-deep state. Again, there's nothing deep about how we're manipulated. It's right there in the open.
With regard to our current crisis, ie a flu epidemic that forced us to destroy the world economy, it's not hard to connect the dots either...
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Some thoughts about parenting
Between me and the Farm Manager we've been co-parenting five juniors, one of whom is turning 30 today. By the end of the year three of five will have hit the big three-oh.
Both of us were relatively progressive parents. The girls grew up knowing they could be doctors or heavy-equipment operators. The boys grew up knowing they could be nurses or kindergarten teachers.
As things turned out, we didn't get any doctors or nurses or heavy-equipment operators. We did, however, get some stark "stereotypical" differences between boys and girls.
Girls answer their emails. They know how to have a telephone conversation, and they even seem to know your phone number.
Boys, not so much. They never call and they don't reply to unsolicited emails from parents. As a result, you tend to worry about them more, even when they're turning 30. The guy who's turning 30 today is a chef who has been unemployed since the lock-down started. You wonder how he's doing. Is he managing to scoop up any of that free money Justin's been spreading around? Is he sitting alone in the dark getting depressed?
Know what I mean? You worry. It's what parents do.
So today I hear from the little shit for the first time in two months. "Hey Dad, my phone was off-line for awhile... were you trying to get hold of me? I'm doing great! Bought some legal weed for the first time. It was pretty good! It was actually kinda cool to have government weed delivered to your door!"
Sounds like he's doing okay.
Both of us were relatively progressive parents. The girls grew up knowing they could be doctors or heavy-equipment operators. The boys grew up knowing they could be nurses or kindergarten teachers.
As things turned out, we didn't get any doctors or nurses or heavy-equipment operators. We did, however, get some stark "stereotypical" differences between boys and girls.
Girls answer their emails. They know how to have a telephone conversation, and they even seem to know your phone number.
Boys, not so much. They never call and they don't reply to unsolicited emails from parents. As a result, you tend to worry about them more, even when they're turning 30. The guy who's turning 30 today is a chef who has been unemployed since the lock-down started. You wonder how he's doing. Is he managing to scoop up any of that free money Justin's been spreading around? Is he sitting alone in the dark getting depressed?
Know what I mean? You worry. It's what parents do.
So today I hear from the little shit for the first time in two months. "Hey Dad, my phone was off-line for awhile... were you trying to get hold of me? I'm doing great! Bought some legal weed for the first time. It was pretty good! It was actually kinda cool to have government weed delivered to your door!"
Sounds like he's doing okay.
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Trump's base
Apparently the local marina is where the deplorables hang.
I think Bernie's base should gather at Lake Champlain and do a sail-past by Bernie's holiday home. That's gonna be a mighty impressive armada of kayaks and paddle-boards.
I'll be the guy in the pink canoe. It used to be red, but years of paddling upstream has faded it to a very mellow pink.
I think Bernie's base should gather at Lake Champlain and do a sail-past by Bernie's holiday home. That's gonna be a mighty impressive armada of kayaks and paddle-boards.
I'll be the guy in the pink canoe. It used to be red, but years of paddling upstream has faded it to a very mellow pink.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
The new normal; socialism for the rich, austerity for the rest
There was brisk demand for Boeing's $25B bond offering last week. On the face of it, that's completely retarded.
Why would anyone buy the debt of a company that spent well over $40B on share buybacks over the past decade, has seen hundreds of billions in order cancellations in the last six months, and faces further hundreds of billions in liability claims due to lawsuits resulting from their 737 Max debacle?
Here's why. While you were distracted by that virus, the US government outsourced the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve to Larry Fink's BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, with over $6 trillion in assets under management. Larry's mandate is to buy up "toxic assets," and he's fully backed-stopped by the government's printing presses to do that now.
That should be the biggest story in the world right now, but for some reason your billionaire-friendly (and billionaire owned) corporate media don't pay it much attention.
I personally was a little short this month, what with the lockdown and all, and couldn't spare any scratch to get in on the Boeing bond. Did you? That's a toxic asset by any standard. If you signed up for a couple hundred million worth, no worries; Uncle Larry gonna make you good!
Meanwhile, the powers that be have done an experiment to see just how amenable the masses might be to the prospect of living in a police state. Overall, I'd say it's gone rather well for them. There's a little grumbling here and there, but no resistance of consequence, at least not yet, although there seems to be a surfer rebellion brewing in California.
Conditioning us to authoritarianism is essential once the full brunt of the coming austerity regimen bears down. Who do you think is going to pay for all that new debt we've incurred? That's well over $200 billions here in Canada, or roughly twelve times the projected pre-Covid deficit for this year. It's way crazier south of the border, if such a thing can be imagined.
We're gonna be tightening our belts for a really long time!
Why would anyone buy the debt of a company that spent well over $40B on share buybacks over the past decade, has seen hundreds of billions in order cancellations in the last six months, and faces further hundreds of billions in liability claims due to lawsuits resulting from their 737 Max debacle?
Here's why. While you were distracted by that virus, the US government outsourced the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve to Larry Fink's BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, with over $6 trillion in assets under management. Larry's mandate is to buy up "toxic assets," and he's fully backed-stopped by the government's printing presses to do that now.
That should be the biggest story in the world right now, but for some reason your billionaire-friendly (and billionaire owned) corporate media don't pay it much attention.
I personally was a little short this month, what with the lockdown and all, and couldn't spare any scratch to get in on the Boeing bond. Did you? That's a toxic asset by any standard. If you signed up for a couple hundred million worth, no worries; Uncle Larry gonna make you good!
Meanwhile, the powers that be have done an experiment to see just how amenable the masses might be to the prospect of living in a police state. Overall, I'd say it's gone rather well for them. There's a little grumbling here and there, but no resistance of consequence, at least not yet, although there seems to be a surfer rebellion brewing in California.
Conditioning us to authoritarianism is essential once the full brunt of the coming austerity regimen bears down. Who do you think is going to pay for all that new debt we've incurred? That's well over $200 billions here in Canada, or roughly twelve times the projected pre-Covid deficit for this year. It's way crazier south of the border, if such a thing can be imagined.
We're gonna be tightening our belts for a really long time!
Corona bologna, sliced extra thick
Right off the top, let's pause for a moment of silence out of respect for the front-line doctors and nurses who risk their lives every day saving us from this plague.
While we're at it, let's also observe a moment of silence out of respect for the quarter million Americans who die every year due to medical malpractice
There's a little church right beside the Subway on the main street of Wiarton. I happened to park in front of it the other day while the Farm Manager went in to get us a meatball sub, which the dog got most of. They have a sign in front of the church, the Community of Christ I think it's called, outlining the themes of the Sunday sermons for the month of March. There's nothing after March 29, because by then the church was locked down. Theme for the last sermon: "Breathe on me oh breath of God."
You'd think that under the circumstances, the least God could do is wear a mask...
Have you noticed the recent up-tick in anti-China propaganda in our news media? You can't leaf through a Globe and Mail without finding multiple stories about how those despicable commies are working overtime to undermine our sacrosanct "liberal Western values." It's the same story on major news platforms across the Nations of Virtue, from The Australian to the CBC, BBC, France 24, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, and others. They're obviously singing in unison from the same page in the hymnal of Western virtue.
The anti-China hysteria is especially virulent in that most virtuous of the Nations of Virtue, the US of A. The phenomenon is most pronounced at Fox News, where the home page at this moment leads with seven separate anti-China stories. Here's the top one; Leaked "Five Eyes" dossier on alleged China coronavirus coverup consistent with US findings, officials say.
The four non-US nations in the "Five Eyes" are of course also known as "Uncle Sam's Bumboy Club." The only thing that would ever be remotely newsworthy about them is if they were to contradict Uncle Sam. They have approximately the same degree of independence from US dominance as East Germany had from the USSR before the Iron Curtain opened up. Maybe less.
The richest country in the world, with the allegedly finest medical care in the world, is desperate to fob the blame for its egregiously inept handling of the pandemic off on someone else, and its main strategic rival ticks a lot of boxes.
Everything is China's fault!
While we're at it, let's also observe a moment of silence out of respect for the quarter million Americans who die every year due to medical malpractice
There's a little church right beside the Subway on the main street of Wiarton. I happened to park in front of it the other day while the Farm Manager went in to get us a meatball sub, which the dog got most of. They have a sign in front of the church, the Community of Christ I think it's called, outlining the themes of the Sunday sermons for the month of March. There's nothing after March 29, because by then the church was locked down. Theme for the last sermon: "Breathe on me oh breath of God."
You'd think that under the circumstances, the least God could do is wear a mask...
Have you noticed the recent up-tick in anti-China propaganda in our news media? You can't leaf through a Globe and Mail without finding multiple stories about how those despicable commies are working overtime to undermine our sacrosanct "liberal Western values." It's the same story on major news platforms across the Nations of Virtue, from The Australian to the CBC, BBC, France 24, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, and others. They're obviously singing in unison from the same page in the hymnal of Western virtue.
The anti-China hysteria is especially virulent in that most virtuous of the Nations of Virtue, the US of A. The phenomenon is most pronounced at Fox News, where the home page at this moment leads with seven separate anti-China stories. Here's the top one; Leaked "Five Eyes" dossier on alleged China coronavirus coverup consistent with US findings, officials say.
The four non-US nations in the "Five Eyes" are of course also known as "Uncle Sam's Bumboy Club." The only thing that would ever be remotely newsworthy about them is if they were to contradict Uncle Sam. They have approximately the same degree of independence from US dominance as East Germany had from the USSR before the Iron Curtain opened up. Maybe less.
The richest country in the world, with the allegedly finest medical care in the world, is desperate to fob the blame for its egregiously inept handling of the pandemic off on someone else, and its main strategic rival ticks a lot of boxes.
Everything is China's fault!
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