It was another one of those heat warning days, so the Farm Manager and I decamped to our favorite beach in the early afternoon.
As beaches go, this one kinda sucks. First of all, if your kids want to build a sand-castle, this is the wrong beach for you. This beach is all rocks, no sand.
It does, however, enjoy the distinction of never having been closed during this time of pestilence. I think that's mainly because they ran out of signs before they got this far out of town, but who cares? At least it's open.
It's also a lot smaller than it used to be. Even five years ago you had a good twenty feet of shore between the trees and the water. Now you got nothing in a lot of places, and in what's left you're lucky to find a few feet where you can set up your lawn chairs.
Funny how our "news" studiously avoids discussing water levels on the Great Lakes. You'd think that's at least as relevant to the local community as the latest covid case numbers or Trump's latest tweet.
Ten years ago a lot of places were talking about dredging their harbours because the big boats couldn't get in anymore. Now they're talking about building dikes. If the water keeps coming up the way it has the past few years, we'll be well past the talking stage.
And of course we'll be caught completely unprepared...
But I digress.
The park has maybe a quarter mile of waterfront. There weren't more than three or four cars parked, so we were able to stake out a lovely spot that had complete privacy.
Until Rita and her friend Rita showed up.
It takes the ballsiest of people to set up right next to you when the entire park is practically deserted. That happened to us once at a campground in Montreal River. That's a very picturesque spot on Lake Superior with about twenty or thirty campsites. We had the whole glorious place to ourselves... until this gigantic Harley pulls in.
Those people had the entire park to choose from, but they decided their best bet was to pitch their tent right next to us. I just hate when people do that. Nevertheless, it turned into quite the interesting encounter.
My first observation was that they had more shit in the various saddle-bags and trunks on that Harley than what we had in our Toyota. They had a bigger tent. They had fishing poles. I was half expecting them to pull a canoe out of somewhere.
Turns out Buddy was a big cheese in one of those "outlaw motorcycle gangs" you read about in the paper all the time. He'd been to Winnipeg for some sort of national business meeting. He was from Montreal, and spoke with a heavy French accent, as did his partner. Do they still call them "old ladys?"
I thought those people prefer the comfort of the finer hotels these days, but obviously some of them still go in for old-school tent camping. As much as I didn't appreciate the proximity at first blush, they were great neighbours.
So there we were, luxuriating on our private ten square feet of beachfront, when these two middle-aged damsels come wandering down the path. Why?... you've got the whole f@cking quarter mile of waterfront, and you're gonna come right down this particular path and keep us company???
Why? Why? Why?...
It was Rita and her friend Rita. In a voluptuous East European accent, Rita 1 holds up a shopping bag and announces, "Zeez are my sweeming shoes. I sweem in Reechmund Heel this morning."
Holy shit! They're from Richmond Hill?! My dear daughter lived there for years! I know the place. If I had to live in the city, anywhere within a few blocks of Mill Pond Park would work for me.
We get to talking with these obnoxious people. The FM pegged them as Jews almost from the get go. There ensued a lively conversation about the merits and demerits of various synagogues in the Richmond Hill area, because the FM spent twenty years just south of Steeles.
Turns out they were originally from Ukraine. They emigrated to Israel and then moved on to Canada.
Always keen on showing off my knowledge of current events, I enquired as to how they felt now that Ukraine had a Jewish PM.
Rita 2 says, "Ya ya, Jewish funny guy. Have comedy show on TV. He funny all right - funniest man in zee world..."
I think I detected a note of sarcasm.
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Black Lives Matter to Mercedes-Benz
In fact, black lives matter so much to Mercedes-Benz their Formula One race cars will sport all-black paint jobs for the coming season! Symbolic, perhaps, but a welcome step in the right direction. Who knows, maybe someday we'll even have a black F1 champion!
Formula One has now joined NASCAR in putting race into car racing. Both are big-name multi-billion-dollar brands who rely on the usual plethora of corporate brands for sponsorship and make billions from big media conglomerates who promote their product.
In fact, the cash machine that Bernie Ecclestone built is now owned by a big media conglomerate.
This is part of the astonishing wave of A-list corporate entities who have embraced BLM. All the biggest banks and all the richest foundations are keen to demonstrate their wokeness to the public.
Here's a question; How will all this corporate support impact the struggle against systemic racism? After all, it's impossible to have a discussion about systemic racism without examining the system that created all those billionaires and their philanthropic foundations. That's the same system that has disembowelled the middle class, especially the black middle class, and immiserated the working class. It's the very same system that's been making the rich richer and the poor poorer as long as we can remember.
But they're gung-ho for Black Lives Matter?
Smells like virtue signalling, hypocrisy, and opportunism to me.
Formula One has now joined NASCAR in putting race into car racing. Both are big-name multi-billion-dollar brands who rely on the usual plethora of corporate brands for sponsorship and make billions from big media conglomerates who promote their product.
In fact, the cash machine that Bernie Ecclestone built is now owned by a big media conglomerate.
This is part of the astonishing wave of A-list corporate entities who have embraced BLM. All the biggest banks and all the richest foundations are keen to demonstrate their wokeness to the public.
Here's a question; How will all this corporate support impact the struggle against systemic racism? After all, it's impossible to have a discussion about systemic racism without examining the system that created all those billionaires and their philanthropic foundations. That's the same system that has disembowelled the middle class, especially the black middle class, and immiserated the working class. It's the very same system that's been making the rich richer and the poor poorer as long as we can remember.
But they're gung-ho for Black Lives Matter?
Smells like virtue signalling, hypocrisy, and opportunism to me.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Move over LGBTQ, here comes BIPOC
That's Black, Indigenous, and People Of Colour, in case you're not up on the latest jargon. Apparently there is a black, native, and people of colour coalition coalescing as I type these words.
I'm not sure how this will work out. "People of colour" is a pretty big basket. Asians are racialized people of colour, aren't they? How much does an Asian-Canadian kid have in common with a black kid from Jane Finch? And how much do either of them have in common with a native kid in Attawpiskat?
Seems to me this "BIPOC" label is intended to mean "non-white." Who is white and who is not, is oddly enough, something that changes over time. For example, when Greeks were first getting off the boat in significant numbers, they suffered all kinds of discrimination because, like other Mediterranean people, they weren't considered "white." That's why a lot of your early Greek immigrants opened restaurants. Like the Chinese, it was a niche that was open to them.
Believe it or not, there was a time when Irish immigrants weren't considered "white."
The Irish are a special case, of course. In their old country they had a civil war that dragged on forever, between the white Catholics and the equally white Protestants. It's kind of tough to get your head around, because they're all white and they all love Jesus, but they merrily murdered one another for generations.
I've always found cause for great optimism in the fact that when we take the occasional visit to the big city, you see all sorts of folks fraternising with people who don't look like them. Give it a couple of generations, I thought, and everybody will be some shade of beige.
Sadly, we seem to be heading in the opposite direction.
I'm not sure how this will work out. "People of colour" is a pretty big basket. Asians are racialized people of colour, aren't they? How much does an Asian-Canadian kid have in common with a black kid from Jane Finch? And how much do either of them have in common with a native kid in Attawpiskat?
Seems to me this "BIPOC" label is intended to mean "non-white." Who is white and who is not, is oddly enough, something that changes over time. For example, when Greeks were first getting off the boat in significant numbers, they suffered all kinds of discrimination because, like other Mediterranean people, they weren't considered "white." That's why a lot of your early Greek immigrants opened restaurants. Like the Chinese, it was a niche that was open to them.
Believe it or not, there was a time when Irish immigrants weren't considered "white."
The Irish are a special case, of course. In their old country they had a civil war that dragged on forever, between the white Catholics and the equally white Protestants. It's kind of tough to get your head around, because they're all white and they all love Jesus, but they merrily murdered one another for generations.
I've always found cause for great optimism in the fact that when we take the occasional visit to the big city, you see all sorts of folks fraternising with people who don't look like them. Give it a couple of generations, I thought, and everybody will be some shade of beige.
Sadly, we seem to be heading in the opposite direction.
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Debunked in Germany, still golden at the CBC
Last November the German news magazine Der Spiegel ran an investigative story that exposed Bill Browder's yarn about the demise of his "lawyer," Sergei Magnitsky, as, well, a yarn. Browder did the predictable huffing and puffing and filed a complaint with the German Press Council.
The Press Council eventually tossed Browder's complaint, citing the many contradictions in and the essentially unverifiable nature of much of the narrative that Browder has promoted over the years. In other words... liar liar pants on fire. I thought the fallout from this episode would blow a sufficiently large hole in Browder's credibility that his career as a Russia expert and Putin critic would be over.
I was wrong. I nearly fell off my chair this morning when Browder showed up on CBC's Day Six as, you guessed it, world renowned Russia expert, Putin critic, and human rights activist!
This doesn't do anything to enhance the credibility of the CBC.
Shame!
The Press Council eventually tossed Browder's complaint, citing the many contradictions in and the essentially unverifiable nature of much of the narrative that Browder has promoted over the years. In other words... liar liar pants on fire. I thought the fallout from this episode would blow a sufficiently large hole in Browder's credibility that his career as a Russia expert and Putin critic would be over.
I was wrong. I nearly fell off my chair this morning when Browder showed up on CBC's Day Six as, you guessed it, world renowned Russia expert, Putin critic, and human rights activist!
This doesn't do anything to enhance the credibility of the CBC.
Shame!
Friday, June 26, 2020
Wolseley Corner
If you pass through Wolseley today, all you'll see is a few semi-derelict trailers stiched together. That place used to be a bakery. Before that, it used to be a gas station.
On the other corner there's somebody trying to get a doggie motel going. I wish them well.
Just east of the intersection of 17 and 20, somebody turned an old church into a lovely home. Right next to that is the boarded-up Orange Lodge.
I'm hoping somebody Catholic (or even better, Muslim,) turns that into a home too.
That's all idle speculation, of course, perhaps due to the culminating mental impact of three hundred years of isolation... or three months...
But the cool thing about Wolseley Corner is I can hear the traffic coming and going, from the front stoop right here at Falling Downs.
Just before I sat down to write these words, I swear I heard a big-bore Ducati heading this way. They have their own sound.
I followed the sound up the hill past the Orange Lodge, then a couple of upshifts as he or she hit the brief straightaway before the downhill, where you're coming off the escarpment and heading into a gentle left and then some twisties, till you hit that straight 3km of highway where that Ducati sounded like it hit its redline, which would have meant something in the order of 160 miles per hour.
My eyes and my ears shared about a quarter second of experience as that bike flashed past my lookout on the stoop.
That's what old guys do... watch and listen as life goes by.
On the other corner there's somebody trying to get a doggie motel going. I wish them well.
Just east of the intersection of 17 and 20, somebody turned an old church into a lovely home. Right next to that is the boarded-up Orange Lodge.
I'm hoping somebody Catholic (or even better, Muslim,) turns that into a home too.
That's all idle speculation, of course, perhaps due to the culminating mental impact of three hundred years of isolation... or three months...
But the cool thing about Wolseley Corner is I can hear the traffic coming and going, from the front stoop right here at Falling Downs.
Just before I sat down to write these words, I swear I heard a big-bore Ducati heading this way. They have their own sound.
I followed the sound up the hill past the Orange Lodge, then a couple of upshifts as he or she hit the brief straightaway before the downhill, where you're coming off the escarpment and heading into a gentle left and then some twisties, till you hit that straight 3km of highway where that Ducati sounded like it hit its redline, which would have meant something in the order of 160 miles per hour.
My eyes and my ears shared about a quarter second of experience as that bike flashed past my lookout on the stoop.
That's what old guys do... watch and listen as life goes by.
CBC plays footsie with a fascist
John Bolton isn't normally the kind of guy you'd expect to get a sympathetic interview at the CBC. That's because he's been an extreme right-wing nutter in US politics since the Reagan era. There's not been a single US conflict in that time that he has objected to.
In fact, he is generally among the most enthusiastic advocates for more wars. John Bolton is widely considered a war criminal. He has, however, voiced his displeasure over America's failure to bomb more foreign nations, especially Muslim ones, to ratshit.
He seemed an unlikely choice for National Security Advisor, but word is this was a decision made not by Trump, but by Sheldon Adelson, Trump's biggest financial supporter in the 2016 campaign. Coincidentally, Adelson also has Israel's Netanyahu in his pocket as well, and both Adelson and Bibi love Bolton's hatred of Iran.
In the eyes of CBC decision makers, though, Bolton's fifty year history of relentless warmongering can now be set aside, as he's just released a book critical of Trump! That buys a lot of redemption among the ersatz progressives at the CBC.
Host Matt Galloway lobbed the predictable softballs, and for the most part the interview hewed to the central matter that Bolton and the CBC can agree on; what an inept a-hole Trump is. While you'd think that question has been more or less settled for some time, it's never too late for another former insider with a seven-number book deal to pile on.
Bolton only got testy when Matt referred to Brazil's Bolsonaro as a dictator. Bolton was quick to set the record straight; Bolsonaro was democratically elected, dontcha know, and if the Brazilians don't like him, they'll democratically turf him next time round.
The reason Bolsonaro was democratically elected was because the US saw to it that the favorite to win, leftist Lula da Silva, was in jail at the time. Bolsonaro has been such a disaster he makes Trump look like a serious statesman. If the military doesn't remove him first, Lula will surely oust him in the next election.
When he fired Bolton, Trump remarked that if Bolton had his way, "we'd be on World War Six by now," probably one of Trump's more astute observations in his three and a half years in the White House.
In fact, he is generally among the most enthusiastic advocates for more wars. John Bolton is widely considered a war criminal. He has, however, voiced his displeasure over America's failure to bomb more foreign nations, especially Muslim ones, to ratshit.
He seemed an unlikely choice for National Security Advisor, but word is this was a decision made not by Trump, but by Sheldon Adelson, Trump's biggest financial supporter in the 2016 campaign. Coincidentally, Adelson also has Israel's Netanyahu in his pocket as well, and both Adelson and Bibi love Bolton's hatred of Iran.
In the eyes of CBC decision makers, though, Bolton's fifty year history of relentless warmongering can now be set aside, as he's just released a book critical of Trump! That buys a lot of redemption among the ersatz progressives at the CBC.
Host Matt Galloway lobbed the predictable softballs, and for the most part the interview hewed to the central matter that Bolton and the CBC can agree on; what an inept a-hole Trump is. While you'd think that question has been more or less settled for some time, it's never too late for another former insider with a seven-number book deal to pile on.
Bolton only got testy when Matt referred to Brazil's Bolsonaro as a dictator. Bolton was quick to set the record straight; Bolsonaro was democratically elected, dontcha know, and if the Brazilians don't like him, they'll democratically turf him next time round.
The reason Bolsonaro was democratically elected was because the US saw to it that the favorite to win, leftist Lula da Silva, was in jail at the time. Bolsonaro has been such a disaster he makes Trump look like a serious statesman. If the military doesn't remove him first, Lula will surely oust him in the next election.
When he fired Bolton, Trump remarked that if Bolton had his way, "we'd be on World War Six by now," probably one of Trump's more astute observations in his three and a half years in the White House.
Izzy's buffet of human rights
Step right up, folks, and prepare to be amazed by our magnificent Museum for Human Rights! Let us know in advance whose human rights may give offence, and we will do our best to shield those exhibits from your gaze...
Poor Izzy Asper must be spinning in his grave. His vision for a museum honouring human rights is engulfed in a shitstorm of accusations including racism, homophobia, and sexual harassment.
The idea that staff at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights were pressured into shielding some visitors from exhibits they might find disagreeable, runs counter to any concept of human rights most Canadians are familiar with. It's the very opposite of the educational mission one might expect such an institution to engage in.
If potential donors are shielded from certain exhibits they might find offensive, the Museum is indulging the very bigotry it was ostensibly intended to fight against. I don't think that's what the Aspers had in mind.
Poor Izzy Asper must be spinning in his grave. His vision for a museum honouring human rights is engulfed in a shitstorm of accusations including racism, homophobia, and sexual harassment.
The idea that staff at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights were pressured into shielding some visitors from exhibits they might find disagreeable, runs counter to any concept of human rights most Canadians are familiar with. It's the very opposite of the educational mission one might expect such an institution to engage in.
If potential donors are shielded from certain exhibits they might find offensive, the Museum is indulging the very bigotry it was ostensibly intended to fight against. I don't think that's what the Aspers had in mind.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Here's what I'd like to hear a politician promise
Wouldn't it be great if a pol on the hustings said; "My party promises to bring in a tax code that will turn every billionaire into a millionaire!
Furthermore, we will work relentlessly to shut down the tax havens that allow our wealthiest corporations and individuals to avoid paying their fair share."
I'd vote for that.
Oddly enough, you'll never hear such a politician when your entire information infrastructure is owned by the billionaires.
Furthermore, we will work relentlessly to shut down the tax havens that allow our wealthiest corporations and individuals to avoid paying their fair share."
I'd vote for that.
Oddly enough, you'll never hear such a politician when your entire information infrastructure is owned by the billionaires.
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Where are Biden's boat parades?
These Trump boat parades are becoming a thing.
The deplorables gas up their boats, festoon them with Stars & Stripes and Trump banners, and pointlessly drive around, deliberately antagonizing poor people who can't afford boats while simultaneously destroying the environment.
THAT's why there are no Biden boat parades! The Democratic Party actively discourages such displays because it is the pro-environment and pro-poor people party.
The deplorables gas up their boats, festoon them with Stars & Stripes and Trump banners, and pointlessly drive around, deliberately antagonizing poor people who can't afford boats while simultaneously destroying the environment.
THAT's why there are no Biden boat parades! The Democratic Party actively discourages such displays because it is the pro-environment and pro-poor people party.
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Oligarchs here and there
It's true that "our adversaries," primarily Russia and China, have their fair share of oligarchs. That's a fancy way of saying "billionaires" or "super-rich."
When I rant about the scourge of the super-rich on the world as we know it, and on the Nations of Virtue in particular, I am often reminded of that fact by folks who disagree with me but haven't thought things through.
Yes, it's true that oligarchs exist within the polity of our "adversaries." But here's the key difference.
In Russia and China, the oligarchs operate at the pleasure of the state.
In the Nations of Virtue, the USA and its vassals, the state operates at the pleasure of the oligarchs.
There's a difference.
When I rant about the scourge of the super-rich on the world as we know it, and on the Nations of Virtue in particular, I am often reminded of that fact by folks who disagree with me but haven't thought things through.
Yes, it's true that oligarchs exist within the polity of our "adversaries." But here's the key difference.
In Russia and China, the oligarchs operate at the pleasure of the state.
In the Nations of Virtue, the USA and its vassals, the state operates at the pleasure of the oligarchs.
There's a difference.
Canada stands with Trump and Pompeo
The Two Michaels rule the front page of The Globe and Mail again today, but there is a hopeful sign the paper is easing its censorship of an obvious counter-narrative to the "rule of law" idiocy PM Trudeau's office has steadfastly put forward for the last year and a half.
"Ottawa can free Meng now, Arbour says," reads the top headline. Louise Arbour is one of the most widely respected international jurists Canada has ever produced.
The Globe and Mail could have splashed that headline across any of its 450+ front pages it has published since Kovrig and Spavor were apprehended, because it's not "news" that the government has had the authority to legally and with all due respect for "rule of law" send Meng home since the day we foolishly took her into custody.
Our first and wisest choice would have been to decline the US extradition request in the first place. What is it to Canada if a Chinese company ignores arbitrary and unilateral sanctions America has imposed on Iran?
Instead, we've been presented a steady stream of drivel about how our refusing to toady to the Americans would violate "the rule of law," whereas the sanctions themselves, having utterly no basis in any kind of law, are treated as some sort of self-evident act of moral virtue.
Uncle Sam good, Ayatollahs bad, and that's all any good Canadian needs to know.
By sucking up to the likes of Trump and Pompeo, Canada is further squandering whatever credibility she may once have enjoyed as an independent actor on the world stage.
"Ottawa can free Meng now, Arbour says," reads the top headline. Louise Arbour is one of the most widely respected international jurists Canada has ever produced.
The Globe and Mail could have splashed that headline across any of its 450+ front pages it has published since Kovrig and Spavor were apprehended, because it's not "news" that the government has had the authority to legally and with all due respect for "rule of law" send Meng home since the day we foolishly took her into custody.
Our first and wisest choice would have been to decline the US extradition request in the first place. What is it to Canada if a Chinese company ignores arbitrary and unilateral sanctions America has imposed on Iran?
Instead, we've been presented a steady stream of drivel about how our refusing to toady to the Americans would violate "the rule of law," whereas the sanctions themselves, having utterly no basis in any kind of law, are treated as some sort of self-evident act of moral virtue.
Uncle Sam good, Ayatollahs bad, and that's all any good Canadian needs to know.
By sucking up to the likes of Trump and Pompeo, Canada is further squandering whatever credibility she may once have enjoyed as an independent actor on the world stage.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Mark MacKinnon; senior internet reporter for The Globe and Mail
Mark is touted as the "senior international reporter" at the Globe. Since the Globe is Canada's more-or-less official newspaper of record, there being no plausible alternatives, that's a position that carries a fair amount of shlep.
Mark uses that shlep to consistently spew pro-US, pro-NATO talking points. I guess that's what you gotta do to keep getting a paycheque when you're a journalist here in the Nations of Virtue.
Just ask guys like Seymour Hersh or Robert Parry, or dozens of others.
But back to Mark. Mark offers up exceedingly thin gruel at the best of times. His writing offers nothing in the way of independent thinking while delivering the standard NATO/EU/US platitudes, and you know who's driving that bus.
Yet every once in awhile Mark scrapes together a "scoop." Here's the Falling Downs take on his award-winning article on the origins of the Syrian civil war.
That's not "journalism." That's a guy reading shit on the internet and writing a story about it, in the hopes that Globe readers never happened across the story before. Yet it's presented as being the result of painstaking original research across many months and many borders.
Bullshit!
Same goes for yesterday's alleged expose of Putin's plan to rule the world. There's absolutely nothing in MacKinnon's story, a "project" that took months, and required travel to almost a dozen countries, that you can't find on the internet in five minutes.
Mark MacKinnon is an internet reporter, not an international reporter.
Mark uses that shlep to consistently spew pro-US, pro-NATO talking points. I guess that's what you gotta do to keep getting a paycheque when you're a journalist here in the Nations of Virtue.
Just ask guys like Seymour Hersh or Robert Parry, or dozens of others.
But back to Mark. Mark offers up exceedingly thin gruel at the best of times. His writing offers nothing in the way of independent thinking while delivering the standard NATO/EU/US platitudes, and you know who's driving that bus.
Yet every once in awhile Mark scrapes together a "scoop." Here's the Falling Downs take on his award-winning article on the origins of the Syrian civil war.
That's not "journalism." That's a guy reading shit on the internet and writing a story about it, in the hopes that Globe readers never happened across the story before. Yet it's presented as being the result of painstaking original research across many months and many borders.
Bullshit!
Same goes for yesterday's alleged expose of Putin's plan to rule the world. There's absolutely nothing in MacKinnon's story, a "project" that took months, and required travel to almost a dozen countries, that you can't find on the internet in five minutes.
Mark MacKinnon is an internet reporter, not an international reporter.
God smites Oklahoma
Trump was barely out of the building in OKC last night when the Lord expressed His displeasure.
He threw down an earthquake.
Hopefully this will give the pro-Trump Bible-thumpers pause...
He threw down an earthquake.
Hopefully this will give the pro-Trump Bible-thumpers pause...
Pot-addled hillbilly beats mainstream media to toxicity of cop shows by six years
They've recently cancelled the show Cops. Long overdue, in my opinion.
In fact, the think tank here at Falling Downs was down on cop TV six years ago.
Kinda makes you wonder why it took Hollywood six years to catch up, don't it?
Maybe because now it suits their agenda, whereas before, it didn't?
In fact, the think tank here at Falling Downs was down on cop TV six years ago.
Kinda makes you wonder why it took Hollywood six years to catch up, don't it?
Maybe because now it suits their agenda, whereas before, it didn't?
How to save ten bucks at the boat launch
Don't use the boat launch.
Me and the Farm Manager were cooling our heels at the Cedar Hill Park beach this afternoon, when we witnessed this.
Buddy could have used the boat launch at Wiarton, ten minutes to the west, for ten bucks.
Or he could have used the boat launch at Big Bay, five minutes to the east, for ten bucks.
But Buddy was determined to save ten bucks. And he did!
There we were, minding our business on this beautiful summer day, when not a hundred yards away, Buddy backs his Mercedes SUV down a walking path to put a pair of Sea-doos in the water! And with Mercedes' back-up assist, he got down that walking path perfectly on the first try!
I had to do the back-and-forth half a dozen times last time I launched from that spot.
At least he saved ten dollars.
Me and the Farm Manager were cooling our heels at the Cedar Hill Park beach this afternoon, when we witnessed this.
Buddy could have used the boat launch at Wiarton, ten minutes to the west, for ten bucks.
Or he could have used the boat launch at Big Bay, five minutes to the east, for ten bucks.
But Buddy was determined to save ten bucks. And he did!
There we were, minding our business on this beautiful summer day, when not a hundred yards away, Buddy backs his Mercedes SUV down a walking path to put a pair of Sea-doos in the water! And with Mercedes' back-up assist, he got down that walking path perfectly on the first try!
I had to do the back-and-forth half a dozen times last time I launched from that spot.
At least he saved ten dollars.
More insightful expert reporting from the Globe & Baloney
Mark MacKinnon, the "senior international reporter" for Canada's newspaper of record, has a feature in yesterday's paper that runs an astonishing four full pages. "Vladimir Putin's War of Fog" purports to examine how Putin used "deceit, propaganda and violence to reshape world politics."
In a helpful "backstory," MacKinnon reveals that "this project started out as an attempt to look at how Russia won back its role as one of the world's main powers." So far so good. That would certainly be a worthwhile journalistic exercise, and our senior international reporter "conducted interviews in nearly a dozen countries" to get to the bottom of Putin's perfidy.
I'm sorry to report that MacKinnon's deep dive into the rise of Putin seems to have been a colossal waste of Globe and Mail resources. In four full pages, his story does not include a single fact, half-fact, factoid, non-fact, fiction, rumour, or innuendo that hasn't been freely available on the internet for years.
Yet putting his story together took MacKinnon months, and required him to travel to "almost a dozen countries?"
Methinks someone be bullshittin' us... and maybe their bosses at 351 King Street as well.
In a helpful "backstory," MacKinnon reveals that "this project started out as an attempt to look at how Russia won back its role as one of the world's main powers." So far so good. That would certainly be a worthwhile journalistic exercise, and our senior international reporter "conducted interviews in nearly a dozen countries" to get to the bottom of Putin's perfidy.
I'm sorry to report that MacKinnon's deep dive into the rise of Putin seems to have been a colossal waste of Globe and Mail resources. In four full pages, his story does not include a single fact, half-fact, factoid, non-fact, fiction, rumour, or innuendo that hasn't been freely available on the internet for years.
Yet putting his story together took MacKinnon months, and required him to travel to "almost a dozen countries?"
Methinks someone be bullshittin' us... and maybe their bosses at 351 King Street as well.
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Defund the police?
As a somewhat pinkish libertarian, (ie not one prepared to serve as a useful idiot to the Billionaire Libertarian Party) and given to occasional anarchistic spasms, I'm thinking we should give this "defund the police" thing a try.
Let's just send them all home. As a society, we'll save billions of dollars. In my neck of the woods, I'm not sure you'd notice the difference. You only see a OPP go past your house once a month or so anyway. They do however like to give speeding tickets and enforce bullshit hat laws when Farmer Fred is taking his ATV to his other pasture down the road.
Nobody here is gonna miss that.
And think of all the cool shit we could do with those billions we save! We'll have healthcare, education, and affordable housing for all in no time flat!
That's just in my neck of the woods, of course. Things may look different elsewhere.
Let's just send them all home. As a society, we'll save billions of dollars. In my neck of the woods, I'm not sure you'd notice the difference. You only see a OPP go past your house once a month or so anyway. They do however like to give speeding tickets and enforce bullshit hat laws when Farmer Fred is taking his ATV to his other pasture down the road.
Nobody here is gonna miss that.
And think of all the cool shit we could do with those billions we save! We'll have healthcare, education, and affordable housing for all in no time flat!
That's just in my neck of the woods, of course. Things may look different elsewhere.
Friday, June 19, 2020
Two butterflies, four turtles
They say the establishment was OK with MLK's racial talk. It was the socialist talk that got him killed.
That shouldn't come as a surprise. That's the kind of talk that makes capitalists nervous, which perhaps accounts for the lack of corporate sponsorship for MLK. Contrast that with the BLM relationship to Big Money.
That's just one thing that I find disturbing. There's plenty more disturbing shit happening around the world while we're mesmerised by the coronavirus and the racism virus and Trump's latest tweet.
Look at Syria. Having mostly won the regime change war sponsored by the US, it desperately needs to focus on rebuilding. Fat chance. The Americans choose this moment to impose even tighter sanctions on this tormented nation. In a just world, the architects of this crime against humanity should be sitting in cells in The Hague, and the US treasury should be paying for the reconstruction of Syria.
Just as disturbing is the complete lack of interest in this story by our mass media, who are otherwise champions of human rights when it comes to our "adversaries."
And the bullying of the other naughty nations who won't kiss Uncle Sam's ass continues apace. Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba... pandemic or not, they can expect no mercy.
I don't know if the world is becoming a scarier place or if it just seems like it. After all, there's been a lot of time these past few months to read scary shit on the internet.
That's not a good thing. Anybody who spends all day reading "news" is gonna end up being depressed. I suspect this is by design. Anxiety makes us vulnerable.
Been trying to dial things down by spending more time outside. Old Boomer is still good for about a two kilometre walk, and this morning we encountered four snapping turtles between here and the corner, mostly around the bridge. Seems to be peak egg-laying time for them. Most of them will be dug up and eaten by raccoons within twenty-four hours.
Also saw the first monarch butterflies of the season. Mind you, it might have been the same one seen twice, about twenty minutes apart. Either way, it's good to see them again.
Time spent in the yard watching the birds and the butterflies is far more rewarding than watching Fox or CNN.
That shouldn't come as a surprise. That's the kind of talk that makes capitalists nervous, which perhaps accounts for the lack of corporate sponsorship for MLK. Contrast that with the BLM relationship to Big Money.
That's just one thing that I find disturbing. There's plenty more disturbing shit happening around the world while we're mesmerised by the coronavirus and the racism virus and Trump's latest tweet.
Look at Syria. Having mostly won the regime change war sponsored by the US, it desperately needs to focus on rebuilding. Fat chance. The Americans choose this moment to impose even tighter sanctions on this tormented nation. In a just world, the architects of this crime against humanity should be sitting in cells in The Hague, and the US treasury should be paying for the reconstruction of Syria.
Just as disturbing is the complete lack of interest in this story by our mass media, who are otherwise champions of human rights when it comes to our "adversaries."
And the bullying of the other naughty nations who won't kiss Uncle Sam's ass continues apace. Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba... pandemic or not, they can expect no mercy.
I don't know if the world is becoming a scarier place or if it just seems like it. After all, there's been a lot of time these past few months to read scary shit on the internet.
That's not a good thing. Anybody who spends all day reading "news" is gonna end up being depressed. I suspect this is by design. Anxiety makes us vulnerable.
Been trying to dial things down by spending more time outside. Old Boomer is still good for about a two kilometre walk, and this morning we encountered four snapping turtles between here and the corner, mostly around the bridge. Seems to be peak egg-laying time for them. Most of them will be dug up and eaten by raccoons within twenty-four hours.
Also saw the first monarch butterflies of the season. Mind you, it might have been the same one seen twice, about twenty minutes apart. Either way, it's good to see them again.
Time spent in the yard watching the birds and the butterflies is far more rewarding than watching Fox or CNN.
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
I like people who stop for turtles
It's turtle time here at Falling Downs. The snappers are coming out of the marsh and crossing the 20th Concession to lay their eggs. That one I saw crossing the road the last week in April was definitely an outlier. Maybe had some circuits mixed up in her turtle brain.
Some enterprising do-gooder has for the past several years posted "turtle crossing" signs along the road, and people are stopping for them. It's a beautiful thing to see. I got the snow-shovel out. That's a handy way to help them across the road.
This is also the time of year the first cut of hay is coming off. There's nothing like the smell of fresh-cut hay.
When I was a kid, pretty much all of the hay went through a baler that pooped out a little rectangular bale. Every June there'd be plenty of work available for young guys (mostly) on local farms, stacking those bales. Then bale-throwers came along. And haylage. And round bales... ain't hardly nobody doing those little bales anymore.
But they're still pretty popular among the horsey crowd for some reason. There's a local guy who buys up the small bales over the summer, and then trucks them down to Florida horse farm country in the winter. Doubles his money every trip.
Where are we in this never-ending coronavirus adventure?
The longer this drags on the more I suspect that none of the experts know what they're talking about, and everybody is just making up shit day by day.
That's what things look like from here.
Some enterprising do-gooder has for the past several years posted "turtle crossing" signs along the road, and people are stopping for them. It's a beautiful thing to see. I got the snow-shovel out. That's a handy way to help them across the road.
This is also the time of year the first cut of hay is coming off. There's nothing like the smell of fresh-cut hay.
When I was a kid, pretty much all of the hay went through a baler that pooped out a little rectangular bale. Every June there'd be plenty of work available for young guys (mostly) on local farms, stacking those bales. Then bale-throwers came along. And haylage. And round bales... ain't hardly nobody doing those little bales anymore.
But they're still pretty popular among the horsey crowd for some reason. There's a local guy who buys up the small bales over the summer, and then trucks them down to Florida horse farm country in the winter. Doubles his money every trip.
Where are we in this never-ending coronavirus adventure?
The longer this drags on the more I suspect that none of the experts know what they're talking about, and everybody is just making up shit day by day.
That's what things look like from here.
Monday, June 15, 2020
Hells Angels strike blow for freedom
Most Canadians never give a thought to civil asset forfeiture. That's the odious bit of legal presumption that enables authorities to steal your stuff if they think, no proof required, that you may be up to no good. Then it's up to you to prove your innocence and get your stuff back.
In most cases people never get their possessions back because of the massive expense of fighting their case in court. One of the human rights outrages we seldom talk about in Canada is that our legal system is effectively out of reach to all but the wealthiest Canadians.
"Outlaw biker gangs" have been a useful foil over the years whenever law enforcement is lobbying for more laws and more money to fight organized crime. Everybody knows those guys are bad dudes - just looking at them you know they're hardened criminals, right? Authorities in BC figured they had an open-and-shut case when they seized Hells Angels clubhouses in Nanaimo, Kelowna, and Vancouver.
To the government's dismay, the Hells Angels mounted a thirteen-year-long legal challenge against the seizure of their property. One can only imagine the number of fund-raisers and bake-sales they had to do to raise the money, but it's paid off. Last week the BC supreme court decided in their favour.
This is a great victory for justice and the rule of law. Hopefully the HA will now pursue a legal action against the province to have their expenses reimbursed. Justice demands at least that much.
In most cases people never get their possessions back because of the massive expense of fighting their case in court. One of the human rights outrages we seldom talk about in Canada is that our legal system is effectively out of reach to all but the wealthiest Canadians.
"Outlaw biker gangs" have been a useful foil over the years whenever law enforcement is lobbying for more laws and more money to fight organized crime. Everybody knows those guys are bad dudes - just looking at them you know they're hardened criminals, right? Authorities in BC figured they had an open-and-shut case when they seized Hells Angels clubhouses in Nanaimo, Kelowna, and Vancouver.
To the government's dismay, the Hells Angels mounted a thirteen-year-long legal challenge against the seizure of their property. One can only imagine the number of fund-raisers and bake-sales they had to do to raise the money, but it's paid off. Last week the BC supreme court decided in their favour.
This is a great victory for justice and the rule of law. Hopefully the HA will now pursue a legal action against the province to have their expenses reimbursed. Justice demands at least that much.
Sunday, June 14, 2020
America needs a spiritual re-awakening
People seem to forget that MLK's movement for social justice was very much rooted in the Christian Church.
That's just one of the differences I see in the old civil rights movement and Black Lives Matter. Here's another: MLK didn't have corporate sponsors.
The Christian Church has changed. Instead of MLK, it now has Pence and Pompeo speaking on its behalf. They have corporate sponsors too.
These are tough times in America. Macro-wise, what we're witnessing is the dissolution of the American Empire. In the short term, that's playing out on CNN right now.
In the longer term, we have to hope that there will not be too much collateral damage as the Empire collapses into death spasms. To that end, there needs to be something that can unify the American people, or at least push things in that direction. We know that won't be Trump or Biden.
Now's the time to have a good ole Gospel Tent Revival Tour clear across the country!
Kanye, do you hear The Lord calling you?
That's just one of the differences I see in the old civil rights movement and Black Lives Matter. Here's another: MLK didn't have corporate sponsors.
The Christian Church has changed. Instead of MLK, it now has Pence and Pompeo speaking on its behalf. They have corporate sponsors too.
These are tough times in America. Macro-wise, what we're witnessing is the dissolution of the American Empire. In the short term, that's playing out on CNN right now.
In the longer term, we have to hope that there will not be too much collateral damage as the Empire collapses into death spasms. To that end, there needs to be something that can unify the American people, or at least push things in that direction. We know that won't be Trump or Biden.
Now's the time to have a good ole Gospel Tent Revival Tour clear across the country!
Kanye, do you hear The Lord calling you?
Friday, June 12, 2020
Police brutality; it's everywhere
Nevermind Minneapolis.
Here's a picture from Winnipeg, just north of Minnesota, in the Egalitarian Republic of Canada, where the dear social justice warriors roam, and the skies are not cloudy all day, at least as long as PM Fluffy is at the microphone.
Yup, that's the way to do it. Give Buddy a kick in the head while he's held down by two cops.
How is it possible that the people kicking you in the head are surprised that you're pissed off with them?
Here's a picture from Winnipeg, just north of Minnesota, in the Egalitarian Republic of Canada, where the dear social justice warriors roam, and the skies are not cloudy all day, at least as long as PM Fluffy is at the microphone.
Yup, that's the way to do it. Give Buddy a kick in the head while he's held down by two cops.
How is it possible that the people kicking you in the head are surprised that you're pissed off with them?
America was almost great, but then the billionaires came along...
It was the seventies, a much maligned decade. Popular resistance to the Viet Nam War ended that war.
That was the last time popular resistance ended an American war. And as you should know, there's been plenty of those in the last fifty years.
While "democracy" in America has always had its challenges, it sort of used to work. By and large, people believed it to work. Confidence is everything. The American people believed democracy was a real thing that worked for them.
Once Ronnie and Maggie ushered in the union-bashing and smashing era, things began to change. As taxation protocols were adapted to neocon standards, a billionaire class began to emerge. Suddenly you saw people with incomprehensible sums of money taking an interest in politics.
The "Stonewall Moment" for the billionaires was the SCOTUS Citizens United decision of 2010. That was the result of years of billionaire funding of lobby groups, as documented in the book Dark Money. Not surprisingly, democracy has been paying the price ever since.
As have the American people. Billionaires run the show now. Billionaires own the global information infrastructure. You're only going to see what the billionaires want you to see, and good luck finding anything else.
And once firmly having the levers of power in their hands, the billionaires have been delighted to take charge of foreign policy. It can't possibly be coincidence that billionaire owned energy conglomerates are invested in all those countries targeted by US sanctions, can it?
But here we are. America is facing some tough decisions. The billionaires are all in to make sure you make the right ones.
That was the last time popular resistance ended an American war. And as you should know, there's been plenty of those in the last fifty years.
While "democracy" in America has always had its challenges, it sort of used to work. By and large, people believed it to work. Confidence is everything. The American people believed democracy was a real thing that worked for them.
Once Ronnie and Maggie ushered in the union-bashing and smashing era, things began to change. As taxation protocols were adapted to neocon standards, a billionaire class began to emerge. Suddenly you saw people with incomprehensible sums of money taking an interest in politics.
The "Stonewall Moment" for the billionaires was the SCOTUS Citizens United decision of 2010. That was the result of years of billionaire funding of lobby groups, as documented in the book Dark Money. Not surprisingly, democracy has been paying the price ever since.
As have the American people. Billionaires run the show now. Billionaires own the global information infrastructure. You're only going to see what the billionaires want you to see, and good luck finding anything else.
And once firmly having the levers of power in their hands, the billionaires have been delighted to take charge of foreign policy. It can't possibly be coincidence that billionaire owned energy conglomerates are invested in all those countries targeted by US sanctions, can it?
But here we are. America is facing some tough decisions. The billionaires are all in to make sure you make the right ones.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Canadian Museum of Human Rights rocked by human rights scandal
The Museum was the brainchild of Izzy Asper (or perhaps his wife), the one-time media mogul always known as a staunch Liberal supporter. Izzy (or perhaps his wife) saw a Human Rights Museum as a great way to make Winnipeg into a tourist destination. After all, this would be the only Museum of Human Rights in the world!
When the government changed and Big Steve came in, Izzy had the astute insight to bring the Ukainian-Canadian community aboard. After all, they've got a long-standing axe to grind with Russia, and a pretty legit claim to having suffered some major human rights violations. Harper's Conservatives went all in to support Asper's project.
Unfortunately, just as plans for the museum were taking off, Izzy's media empire was crashing. Cash got a little short. Eventually the Museum became a government project, which it remains to this day. The tax-payer keeps the place afloat to the tune of $2 million per month. I know; we can't afford peace-keeping or foreign aid, but we've got two mil per month for a museum that celebrates human rights. How messed up is that?
As if that isn't embarrassing enough, now we've got former employees of the Museum for Human Rights claiming their human rights were violated by the Museum for Human Rights.
I always thought putting human rights in a museum was a questionable concept to begin with. Smacks of virtue-signalling to me.
When the government changed and Big Steve came in, Izzy had the astute insight to bring the Ukainian-Canadian community aboard. After all, they've got a long-standing axe to grind with Russia, and a pretty legit claim to having suffered some major human rights violations. Harper's Conservatives went all in to support Asper's project.
Unfortunately, just as plans for the museum were taking off, Izzy's media empire was crashing. Cash got a little short. Eventually the Museum became a government project, which it remains to this day. The tax-payer keeps the place afloat to the tune of $2 million per month. I know; we can't afford peace-keeping or foreign aid, but we've got two mil per month for a museum that celebrates human rights. How messed up is that?
As if that isn't embarrassing enough, now we've got former employees of the Museum for Human Rights claiming their human rights were violated by the Museum for Human Rights.
I always thought putting human rights in a museum was a questionable concept to begin with. Smacks of virtue-signalling to me.
Monday, June 8, 2020
Trump throws Germany under Putin's bus
Let the hand-wringing begin!
The Globe and Mail today offers an opinion piece (presented as "news") by New York Time's Berlin bureau chief Katrin Bennhold warning that removing any US troops from Germany is "hurting NATO and playing directly into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin..."
Not addressed is the question of why US troops continue to occupy Germany at all? Thirty years after the fall of the wall and twenty-five years after the last Russian forces left the country, what's the logic of keeping tens of thousands of US soldiers on German soil?
Bennhold cites a couple of experts from a couple of US think tanks who predictably warn that the American presence deters Russian aggression. Oddly enough, that's the same predictable argument Pentagon cheerleaders always trot out when fear-mongering for more military spending.
Yup, German democracy is a quite delicate flower, and Bad Vlad can hardly wait to stomp it into the ground. American soldiers are the essential guarantors of freedom and democracy in the country, without whom really awful stuff could happen... just look at Crimea. (Or perhaps let's not, because the former province of Ukraine is substantially more prosperous than the country it voted to leave after the US sponsored coup.)
The article also fails to mention that German public opinion is solidly in favour of better relations with Russia.
It's not 1945 any more. The Yanks should butt out of European affairs and look after their own business, of which they have plenty to attend to.
The Globe and Mail today offers an opinion piece (presented as "news") by New York Time's Berlin bureau chief Katrin Bennhold warning that removing any US troops from Germany is "hurting NATO and playing directly into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin..."
Not addressed is the question of why US troops continue to occupy Germany at all? Thirty years after the fall of the wall and twenty-five years after the last Russian forces left the country, what's the logic of keeping tens of thousands of US soldiers on German soil?
Bennhold cites a couple of experts from a couple of US think tanks who predictably warn that the American presence deters Russian aggression. Oddly enough, that's the same predictable argument Pentagon cheerleaders always trot out when fear-mongering for more military spending.
Yup, German democracy is a quite delicate flower, and Bad Vlad can hardly wait to stomp it into the ground. American soldiers are the essential guarantors of freedom and democracy in the country, without whom really awful stuff could happen... just look at Crimea. (Or perhaps let's not, because the former province of Ukraine is substantially more prosperous than the country it voted to leave after the US sponsored coup.)
The article also fails to mention that German public opinion is solidly in favour of better relations with Russia.
It's not 1945 any more. The Yanks should butt out of European affairs and look after their own business, of which they have plenty to attend to.
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Goodbye Norma Jean's
Norma Jean's "bistro" has been a fixture in downtown Owen Sound since 1984. It was closed by covid. The news just came out today that it won't be coming back. Even if they were allowed to open, it would be at 50% capacity to facilitate social distancing, and you just can't make that work.
That'll be one of many small businesses that were forced to close and will never come back, here in the Grey-Bruce County area where we've had zero covid deaths.
Then again, people say the reason we haven't had any covid deaths is because we shut everything down.
So how do you even know?
Anyway, it was a great run while it lasted, and we're grateful to Julie and her staff for all the good meals we had there.
Best wishes for the future.
That'll be one of many small businesses that were forced to close and will never come back, here in the Grey-Bruce County area where we've had zero covid deaths.
Then again, people say the reason we haven't had any covid deaths is because we shut everything down.
So how do you even know?
Anyway, it was a great run while it lasted, and we're grateful to Julie and her staff for all the good meals we had there.
Best wishes for the future.
After Incels fail to launch, media discover Boogaloo Bois
That Incel business always seemed a little dodgy to me. Young males who couldn't get laid are gonna take their rage out on society at large, and women in particular. They were classified as a terror threat, which must really piss off the legit terror outfits.
I taught high-school for 25 years, and I know this isn't professional social science, but it was my observation that the only young males who weren't getting pussy weren't really that interested. The dirtiest of dumb-ass dullards could find a gal who'd accommodate them, if they were even marginally motivated.
You'd have to be a) really stupid, and/or b) some sort of psycho. Take that wack job in Toronto who ran over a bunch of people in a rented van. He had the wherewithal to rent a van, but he couldn't use his credit card to call an escort service? Hello!
So in spite of having Chrystia Freeland mention them in a couple of speeches, the Incel scare seems to have pretty much petered out. The media needs something new with which to keep us scared.
Enter the Boogaloo Bois. All of a sudden they're everywhere; the Jerusalem Post, the CBC. From what I can make out, they're heavily-armed white supremacists who like Hawaiian shirts, support Black Lives Matter, and don't mind Jews.
Ponder that for a moment... does that sound like extreme right wing shit to you?!?
This is almost as lame as the Incels! Come on mainstream media; stop insulting our intelligence!
I taught high-school for 25 years, and I know this isn't professional social science, but it was my observation that the only young males who weren't getting pussy weren't really that interested. The dirtiest of dumb-ass dullards could find a gal who'd accommodate them, if they were even marginally motivated.
You'd have to be a) really stupid, and/or b) some sort of psycho. Take that wack job in Toronto who ran over a bunch of people in a rented van. He had the wherewithal to rent a van, but he couldn't use his credit card to call an escort service? Hello!
So in spite of having Chrystia Freeland mention them in a couple of speeches, the Incel scare seems to have pretty much petered out. The media needs something new with which to keep us scared.
Enter the Boogaloo Bois. All of a sudden they're everywhere; the Jerusalem Post, the CBC. From what I can make out, they're heavily-armed white supremacists who like Hawaiian shirts, support Black Lives Matter, and don't mind Jews.
Ponder that for a moment... does that sound like extreme right wing shit to you?!?
This is almost as lame as the Incels! Come on mainstream media; stop insulting our intelligence!
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Courageous Canucks now facing down two pandemics simultaneously; CBC
As if COVID-19 wasn't enough, the CBC has just discovered a racism pandemic.
I'm not quibbling with the fact that Canada is a profoundly racist country. It is. Even in this era of a hyper-sensitive PM who excels at talking the good talk, nothing has changed much, that I can see.
But suddenly CBC discovers a pandemic of racism?
CBC was also the national leader in scaremongering during the early days of the virus.
They seem to be into scaremongering, they do.
Listen up, uber-woke CBC types; racism in Canada isn't a newly discovered virus; it's just business as usual.
I'm not quibbling with the fact that Canada is a profoundly racist country. It is. Even in this era of a hyper-sensitive PM who excels at talking the good talk, nothing has changed much, that I can see.
But suddenly CBC discovers a pandemic of racism?
CBC was also the national leader in scaremongering during the early days of the virus.
They seem to be into scaremongering, they do.
Listen up, uber-woke CBC types; racism in Canada isn't a newly discovered virus; it's just business as usual.
Bud by Bob
Bob's been gone for a few years, so I don't imagine he much cares whether I tell his story or not. Besides, what's he gonna do about it? Throw a hex from the other side?
I met Bob when he was still in his teens. He'd already developed an affection for the "weed 'o wisdom," and he was a decent go-to guy if your other avenues happened to develop logistical problems.
Bob was also a car guy. When he was still in his teens, Bob got a bank loan to buy an ex-SSD race car, much to the dismay of his father. It was a '69 Nova SS. Due to the NHRA rules it even had a roll cage. The car came without the power-train, and Bob refitted it with a mild 350. Driving around in something that struggles to break into the 13s and has a roll cage makes you look like a bit of a dork, in my opinion.
Not that Bob was a dork. Far from it. He had a good work ethic and some entrepreneurial flair. After high school Bob went to work in a manufacturing plant. It was one of the top outfits to work if you couldn't get into the top tier factories. Bob worked there for the rest of his life. Over the years, all those top tier plants drifted off to Mexico or to "right-to-work" states in the southern US, while Bob kept his job.
He also kept that Nova for the rest of his life. It was joined in the garage by a hemi Challenger when that brand had its second coming. The hemi was his winter car. Bob was a car guy to the end.
I remember Bob coming to me in his early twenties with a conundrum. There was a truck-driving job available at his workplace. Being a guy who liked driving stuff, Bob heard this job calling his name. Decent equipment and a decent hourly wage. What's not to like?
At the same time, there was a millwright apprenticeship that just opened up. Bob had started with the shit jobs, as you always did in the factory, unless your Dad was the plant manager or something. Bob had worked his way through grinding, moved on to welding, and was seriously considering applying for that apprenticeship.
In what is probably the only time I've ever dispensed sound advice, I told him to take a shot at the apprenticeship. Get that millwright ticket and you'll be golden. If it doesn't work out, you can always explore that truck-driver gig the next time there's an opening.
So he became a millwright. Then he became the maintenance foreman. That was the highest paying job on the plant floor.
By then Bob had proven himself a green thumb in his own right, but also had a network of innovative pot growers and sellers. He was very much dialled in to the weed market. This was back in the day when you used to go to jail for having a joint on you.
The beauty of his maintenance supervisor gig was that he had complete and unquestioned run of the entire premises. Of the 400 or so employees, he knew which ones wanted weed, and they knew where to get it.
Bob never got rich, but he wasn't the kind of guy who was motivated by that. He had a house and a family and a couple of fast cars in the garage. He moved at least a couple of pounds through that place every week for over thirty years.
Here's to you, Bob. I'm twisting one in your honour right after I hit publish.
I met Bob when he was still in his teens. He'd already developed an affection for the "weed 'o wisdom," and he was a decent go-to guy if your other avenues happened to develop logistical problems.
Bob was also a car guy. When he was still in his teens, Bob got a bank loan to buy an ex-SSD race car, much to the dismay of his father. It was a '69 Nova SS. Due to the NHRA rules it even had a roll cage. The car came without the power-train, and Bob refitted it with a mild 350. Driving around in something that struggles to break into the 13s and has a roll cage makes you look like a bit of a dork, in my opinion.
Not that Bob was a dork. Far from it. He had a good work ethic and some entrepreneurial flair. After high school Bob went to work in a manufacturing plant. It was one of the top outfits to work if you couldn't get into the top tier factories. Bob worked there for the rest of his life. Over the years, all those top tier plants drifted off to Mexico or to "right-to-work" states in the southern US, while Bob kept his job.
He also kept that Nova for the rest of his life. It was joined in the garage by a hemi Challenger when that brand had its second coming. The hemi was his winter car. Bob was a car guy to the end.
I remember Bob coming to me in his early twenties with a conundrum. There was a truck-driving job available at his workplace. Being a guy who liked driving stuff, Bob heard this job calling his name. Decent equipment and a decent hourly wage. What's not to like?
At the same time, there was a millwright apprenticeship that just opened up. Bob had started with the shit jobs, as you always did in the factory, unless your Dad was the plant manager or something. Bob had worked his way through grinding, moved on to welding, and was seriously considering applying for that apprenticeship.
In what is probably the only time I've ever dispensed sound advice, I told him to take a shot at the apprenticeship. Get that millwright ticket and you'll be golden. If it doesn't work out, you can always explore that truck-driver gig the next time there's an opening.
So he became a millwright. Then he became the maintenance foreman. That was the highest paying job on the plant floor.
By then Bob had proven himself a green thumb in his own right, but also had a network of innovative pot growers and sellers. He was very much dialled in to the weed market. This was back in the day when you used to go to jail for having a joint on you.
The beauty of his maintenance supervisor gig was that he had complete and unquestioned run of the entire premises. Of the 400 or so employees, he knew which ones wanted weed, and they knew where to get it.
Bob never got rich, but he wasn't the kind of guy who was motivated by that. He had a house and a family and a couple of fast cars in the garage. He moved at least a couple of pounds through that place every week for over thirty years.
Here's to you, Bob. I'm twisting one in your honour right after I hit publish.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Even as Canadians bask in their moral superiority, another Native woman is shot dead by RCMP
Golly, how could such a thing happen in Canada?
We are, after all, at least in our own minds, even more exceptional than the Exceptional Nation next door. Just listen to PM Fluffy for a few minutes.
Whereas those racist US cops shoot first and maybe, if forced to, ask questions later, our cops are kind and gentle as they shoot first and ask questions later.
Here's a suggestion I'd like the cops to take into consideration as they review their protocols in the wake of unnecessary deaths on both sides of the border. If a person in distress runs at an officer with a knife, have the officer run away. Maybe have a social worker go and talk to them instead.
We are, after all, at least in our own minds, even more exceptional than the Exceptional Nation next door. Just listen to PM Fluffy for a few minutes.
Whereas those racist US cops shoot first and maybe, if forced to, ask questions later, our cops are kind and gentle as they shoot first and ask questions later.
Here's a suggestion I'd like the cops to take into consideration as they review their protocols in the wake of unnecessary deaths on both sides of the border. If a person in distress runs at an officer with a knife, have the officer run away. Maybe have a social worker go and talk to them instead.
The Tiananmen Square Massacre - an AngloAmerican propaganda construct
Today was the 31st anniversary of the iconic Tiananmen Square Massacre, where the commies massacred thousands of democracy-seeking students. We all recall that picture of a brave lone dude with a shopping bag stopping a convoy of tanks in their tracks.
I spent the morning reading up on the alleged massacre. Even if you never get beyond the Wikipedia account, it's clear there was no massacre in Tiananmen Square in the early hours of 4th June, 1989.
When you get a little further into the story, you discover stuff like "Operation Yellow Bird," wherein the CIA spent years and millions of dollars getting their assets out of China after the "massacre." You'll also find references to the hundreds of burned out PLA vehicles that littered Beijing thoroughfares in the aftermath of the "massacre," having been set alight by the peaceful protesters, presumably with their teenage Chinese conscripts still inside.
So there was no massacre in Tiananmen Square, but it's useful for our political masters to carry on as if there were. It reinforces the establishment narrative that we're the Good Guys, and the government of China is the embodiment of evil.
I spent the morning reading up on the alleged massacre. Even if you never get beyond the Wikipedia account, it's clear there was no massacre in Tiananmen Square in the early hours of 4th June, 1989.
When you get a little further into the story, you discover stuff like "Operation Yellow Bird," wherein the CIA spent years and millions of dollars getting their assets out of China after the "massacre." You'll also find references to the hundreds of burned out PLA vehicles that littered Beijing thoroughfares in the aftermath of the "massacre," having been set alight by the peaceful protesters, presumably with their teenage Chinese conscripts still inside.
So there was no massacre in Tiananmen Square, but it's useful for our political masters to carry on as if there were. It reinforces the establishment narrative that we're the Good Guys, and the government of China is the embodiment of evil.
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Should Facebook censor Trump?
Frankly, I don't see how Facebook earned the right to censor anyone.
Yet, it's become an expectation, to the point where their failure to censure Trump has become a cause.
In societies that claim to value and protect free speech, censorship of any kind should be utterly unacceptable. Yet we're facing a raging debate over how far our private sector social media giants can or should go in regulating who is afforded access to their platforms.
At some level, we've privatized the censorship function. We've simultaneously outsourced the fact-checking function to the exact same people. And when I say "we," I'm fully aware that 99% of us have absolutely no voice in this discussion.
Since Facebook has such massive impact on society at large, I think it's time to bring it into the public realm. Nationalize it.
Facebook avails itself of every tax-dodge in the book and spends billions on share buy-backs. They are anything but a good corporate citizen.
Where is the political party with the courage to make Facebook a public utility?
Yet, it's become an expectation, to the point where their failure to censure Trump has become a cause.
In societies that claim to value and protect free speech, censorship of any kind should be utterly unacceptable. Yet we're facing a raging debate over how far our private sector social media giants can or should go in regulating who is afforded access to their platforms.
At some level, we've privatized the censorship function. We've simultaneously outsourced the fact-checking function to the exact same people. And when I say "we," I'm fully aware that 99% of us have absolutely no voice in this discussion.
Since Facebook has such massive impact on society at large, I think it's time to bring it into the public realm. Nationalize it.
Facebook avails itself of every tax-dodge in the book and spends billions on share buy-backs. They are anything but a good corporate citizen.
Where is the political party with the courage to make Facebook a public utility?
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
John Deere rebellion
One of the local old-timers pulled his 1967 John Deere into the driveway today, and shut it down. That's the signal he's got time to socialize. He's got at least half a dozen Deere tractors, so naturally, that's what we end up chatting about.
While we're chatting, we're continuously interrupted by gravel trucks heading home. The local gravel baron recently sold out to a big-city outfit for a sum rumoured to be well into the hundreds of millions.
Buddy makes the observation that, under the old owner, those trucks wouldn't have been heading home till seven or eight in the evening, whereas we're witnessing a steady parade of hopper trucks heading to the yard, at a very leisurely pace, well before five o'clock.
Rumour has it that in the near future the price of gravel will double and those hopper trucks will be taking gravel Brampton way, but that's just hearsay.
Buddy mentions that he's got a mid '70's Deere that he's had for decades, and it's worth more today than it was when he bought it. That's kind of unusual. There's not much stuff you bought in the seventies that's worth more today. The right kind of art, maybe, and real estate of course, but... farm tractors?
Seems that on the new tractors everything is computer dependant, and the computer codes, the software that's the operating system, are proprietary intellectual property. When your late model John Deere breaks down out in the field, you don't fix 'n go.
Nope, you call JD HQ in Moline Illinois.
That seems to work ok for the big-time cash croppers and the corporate farms, but it doesn't work for your family farmers, the people to whom it matters if you can get another year out of the old rig before you commit a quarter million bucks to a new one.
These are the people bidding up the price of the old John Deeres, and avoiding the new ones.
While we're chatting, we're continuously interrupted by gravel trucks heading home. The local gravel baron recently sold out to a big-city outfit for a sum rumoured to be well into the hundreds of millions.
Buddy makes the observation that, under the old owner, those trucks wouldn't have been heading home till seven or eight in the evening, whereas we're witnessing a steady parade of hopper trucks heading to the yard, at a very leisurely pace, well before five o'clock.
Rumour has it that in the near future the price of gravel will double and those hopper trucks will be taking gravel Brampton way, but that's just hearsay.
Buddy mentions that he's got a mid '70's Deere that he's had for decades, and it's worth more today than it was when he bought it. That's kind of unusual. There's not much stuff you bought in the seventies that's worth more today. The right kind of art, maybe, and real estate of course, but... farm tractors?
Seems that on the new tractors everything is computer dependant, and the computer codes, the software that's the operating system, are proprietary intellectual property. When your late model John Deere breaks down out in the field, you don't fix 'n go.
Nope, you call JD HQ in Moline Illinois.
That seems to work ok for the big-time cash croppers and the corporate farms, but it doesn't work for your family farmers, the people to whom it matters if you can get another year out of the old rig before you commit a quarter million bucks to a new one.
These are the people bidding up the price of the old John Deeres, and avoiding the new ones.
Monday, June 1, 2020
One day at a time
It's interesting to see how it only took one death to wipe Covid, which has taken 100,000 and counting, out of the headlines. It's almost as if some really smart and perceptive people at World News HQ said to themselves, "well, this virus thing has run its course... it's becoming a liability. What else we got?"
America will always have one trusty standby in the closet. RACISM!
And for a million good reasons, George Floyd being only the most recent.
But most of the time our media ignore it. Sensing that the public has lost interest in the Covid narrative, which is every day looking more like a serious but not unprecedented flu season, they've gone all in for championing African Americans.
Ya, racism! That's the ticket!
I find it interesting that in all the talk about racism this and racism that, there's virtually zero interest in exploring some of the structural causes of systemic racism. We've got an economy that is predicated on dog-eat-dog, winner take all competition. We are essentially divided not into white and non-white, but into fat-cats and mice.
There are different shades of mice, but they're all mice. There are different shades of fat-cats too, but they all appreciate the fact they've more in common with their fellow fat-cats than with the mice.
The mice, on the other hand, are conditioned to rip each other to shreds. After all, some of those mice seem to have an advantage over others.
The mice would do well to take a lesson from the fat-cats. They have way more in common with the other mice than they do with their overlords.
Acting accordingly would go a long way to solving racism.
America will always have one trusty standby in the closet. RACISM!
And for a million good reasons, George Floyd being only the most recent.
But most of the time our media ignore it. Sensing that the public has lost interest in the Covid narrative, which is every day looking more like a serious but not unprecedented flu season, they've gone all in for championing African Americans.
Ya, racism! That's the ticket!
I find it interesting that in all the talk about racism this and racism that, there's virtually zero interest in exploring some of the structural causes of systemic racism. We've got an economy that is predicated on dog-eat-dog, winner take all competition. We are essentially divided not into white and non-white, but into fat-cats and mice.
There are different shades of mice, but they're all mice. There are different shades of fat-cats too, but they all appreciate the fact they've more in common with their fellow fat-cats than with the mice.
The mice, on the other hand, are conditioned to rip each other to shreds. After all, some of those mice seem to have an advantage over others.
The mice would do well to take a lesson from the fat-cats. They have way more in common with the other mice than they do with their overlords.
Acting accordingly would go a long way to solving racism.
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