Recovered

I think I recovered access to this site.

Despair for our world

I'm going to shamelessly copy comments from a column by Rabbi Emeritus Dow Marmur (Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto) from the Toronto Star today. He said " Those who fight for freedom in the Arab world believe that exposing the powerful elites and their ill-gotten gains is essential to the success of the revolution. Commentators about the looters in London have pointed to the massive wealth of the few and the growing needs of the many. Israelis are rebelling against the high prices of food and housing, against the dozen families that own most of the countries wealth and against the disproportionately high subsidies for the Jewish settlers in the West Bank".

         What we are seeing throughout the world is a rapid change by governments from managing for the pulbic good to managing their countries for the good of the elites. As evidence he quotes statistics saying "all the action of the American economy was at the top; the richest 1 percent of households earned as much each year as the bottom 60 percent put together; they possessed as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent".

          Throughout the ages some families have accumulated massive wealth. They had choices about what to do with the wealth, hoard it of share it. Money in its own right has no value except for how people use it. They can invest in social enterprise, create jobs, prosperity for the peole or they will eventually lose it when the people rise up as they periodically do such as the French Revolution and even the Amrican Revolution.

          It seems that the wealthy today are hoarding their wealth. We see the American government is paralyzed by the rich who resist every effort by liberal politicians to improve the lot of the American public. Right wing politicians and their greedy financiers would rather see the country become third rate than do what is right for the people whose money they have largely stolen anyway.

        Eventually the crunch will come and the people will rise up against them. It is impossible to say when or how it may happen but history cannot be denied.

Some of my old stories

A few years ago I was a prolific budding author.

Many have been posted on the web but links to them are obscure. Maybe new readers will be interested to see them.
Here are the links.
Holloween
Self Employed
Summer Dreams
Full CIrcle
Auras
Cynthia
Jilian
The Box - A mysterious glimpse into the past
I'll add more links later.
I hope you read one or more of these. Full Circle is quite long, almost a novel.

Ah youth

Some people enjoy watching golf on TV. It is a slow game like baseball and like baseball it has moments of tension and drama. This season has been a continuation of the trend started last year but more so. The old guard are being displaced by a crop of young sharp shooters. Big names like Phil Mickelson, Tigers Woods, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Stewart Cink and other are being replaced by Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Hunter Mahan and this weekend Adam Scott and19 year old Ryo Ishikawa at the FIrestone Classic. 

             Tiger and Phil who had dominated the game for so long ended up well back of the leaders. Tiger had fired his caddy Steve Williams prior to this tournament and there was the appearance of bad blood between them. Steve joined the Australian Adam Scott and together they won a decisive victory on Sunday. Young Ryo was in contention until the very last hole for a second place finish. Scott is in his early thirties doing what Tiger was doing at the same age. Mickelson won the Masters in 2010 but hasn't been in contention since. Tiger hasn't done anything since his marital crisis. 

             I guess the point of writing this is to complain about the changing of the tides and the price that time exacts from us all. We congratulate the youngsters who are taking their place in sun not only in golf but other sports and activities. Being somewhat of an older person myself I watch with interest and amazement at the skill these young players exhibit. 

            There is a seniors tour for the old guys. It may be time for Tiger, Phil, Ernie and others to sign up. You won't beat the youngsters as they take their turn.

Midsummer Friday Evening

The evenings are becoming shorter and  as August days begin to click off the calender they will become more so. July has been quite wonderful in this area, sunny, hot, little rain and the humidity has been severe only a few times all month, even the usual summer smog is much reduced. Now you have a capsule of the weather situation.
            I signed up for a summer photography course to fill one of my evenings. I thought I new a lot about my digital camera but I was wrong. I learned a great deal and found the answers to technical questions that had bugged me for a long time. Surprisingly an opportunity to buy an advanced model of the same Lumix camera at a significant discount arose and I snapped it up. The new model makes it so much easier to do things and it has additional features such as a hot shoe for a bigger flash plus the view screen folds out from the back and provides so many viewing possibilities. The screen is brighter and the font is larger. We are assigned to take pictures and bring them to class for everyone to see and then receive a critique by the instructor. That can be deflating.
            My poor wife has been suffering severe back pain and has difficulty walking and getting comfortable. The meds she's been given do not seem to help but she has an appointment with a neurosurgeon in early September and maybe something can be done.
           As a result it is difficult to get out and enjoy the many events taking place in the city. This is the weekend for the Caribbean Festival formally called Caribana. The downtown area will be rocking with bands. floats, beautiful women and everything  hot.   
          Thank goodness for the Internet. There is always something interesting to see or hear compared to the drivel and reruns on the TV.  I hope I haven't bored you too much with this piece of blah blah but I'm bored myself. Please forgive me. I'll do better next time.
          

Lake Ontario

          I recently rhapsodized on Lake Ontario. I could say the same for all the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River but I live on the shores of Lake Ontario.

          Here are two images of the lake. Even in the frigid cold of January it is beautiful and in July it is a gem.

         More images are on my Flickr sites www.flickr.com/photos/john_outram and www.flickr.com/photos/isomanjohn.  Just click these Links. .Flickr     Flickr2

          Don't ask why I have two flickr sites. I don't know. 

          The first image is called "Goose on Ice".

         This image is "July Sailing"

          Nice eh?

Canada Day

I am privileged to have been born into and lived my entire life in the best country in the world, Canada. Yes, Canada, but not just the whole wonderful expanse of the country but in a specially blessed corner or the country. My current address is in Mississauga Ontario snuggled against the beautiful waters of Lake Ontario.

                I’ve lived in many communities along the shore of the lake and as far as the St. Lawrence River that takes its precious waters to the eastern ocean.

                Lake Ontario and the whole Great Lakes system is a gift from centuries past when the ice cap covered this area with a huge blanket that eventually melted and filled the lakes with fresh cold water. Canada is blessed with resources including responsible democratic government, a diverse population,  gold, iron, other minerals, forests, oil, gas, mountains, prairies and a northern frontier that will soon be a major shipping route between the west and east.

                We live north of the great United States of America. It is a country that has grown huge and prosperous by exploiting its resources. It is a war like country that spends heavily on the military and employs many thousands of people as soldiers. It has, in the past, attempted to include Canada in its perceived manifest destiny but our forefathers defended the northern country and saved us for a kinder, gentler existence. We thank them for that.

                Wise men have said that oil drove 20^th Century but water will drive the 21^st Century. Oil powered the industrial might of America and coupled with water resources the country became a super power. Earlier super powers included Britain, France, Spain, Rome and many others back through time. They all prospered and eventually failed for a variety of reasons. It is inevitable the American empire will decline and be challenged by another growing power.

                Canada has never aspired to being a power in the world. We chug along, do what we must, support our friends, give our young men in battle for other nations and take nothing from them. We are overlooked in the councils of power. So be it. We are blessed and want for nothing.

                I believe our greatest gift is our lakes and mighty rivers. I love to walk along the shore of Lake Ontario and gaze at the huge expanse of fresh life giving water. Long life Canada on this Canada Day 2011.

G20 Fallout

It's one year since the G20 fiasco in Toronto and the local newspapers are full of comments and stories about individuals who experienced the wrath of the police that weekend. I know I felt disgust at the images of rioters on Younge Street that Saturday afternoon. We do not burn  police cars Toronto and in Canada. (We saw cars burning in Vancouver this month and it was equally distrubing.) 

          We were all angry that the police let the rioters run wild when there were thousands of officers stationed just a few blocks away. Was this done to justify the expense of all those cops by saying we told you this could happen?

        The next day the cops took out their frustration on the general public and arrested 1100 plus people in a most humiliating way. Our support for the cops started to diminish as images of their brutality emerged. 

         As the months went by more stories emerged and the cops began to look worse and worse as they tried to cover their collective asses . Only two officers have been charged because no one recognized their own buddies that weekend inhibiting full investigation of complaints by the SIU.

          Chief Blair and Union President McCormack obfuscate the issues and will not admit that the behaviour of some officers might have been criminal. Maybe they are embarrassed by what happened under their watch. 

          The cost in public support is high. People will look at cops with suspicion for a long time to come.

Stanley Cup

I don't have to eat my words. Boston won 4-0. The Canucks couldn't even score one goal.
We, that is many Canadians even in Toronto, were hoping the Canucks would have won. We were encouraged in the first two games amd then in the fifth game but the sweep made by Boston at home was a harbinger of the final game.
Ah well, next year the Maple Leafs.

Stanley Cup

The hockey game tonight has been another disaster for Vancouver. It was so bad I didn't watch it. How can the Canucks play so poorly in Boston and be so LUCKY at home? Yes, I believe they have been lucky at home.

        The game on Wednesday will be a cliff hanger again since the Canucks do not seem to win by more than one goal. Boston just has to play like they did tonight and the cup is theirs.

         I believe Boston will finally win in Vancouver. Maybe I'll eat my words again but I doubt it this time.

On Men and Women

Mankind’s first conflicts must have been about water, food and women. Through the ages men have waged wars, created mayhem and done stupid things for women as mates, concubines, slaves and bearers of sons. Men are driven by hormones that override their common sense at certain times in their life cycles. It might be likened to a battery that is trickle charged until it must be discharged or it will burn out or explode. 

Men and women make a bargain when they marry. Traditionally men provided for the woman in general terms and the woman looked after the man in many ways including discharging the battery.

In recent years there have been stories of many powerful men who have been discovered discharging their batteries away from the marital couch. (For a partial list go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state_and_local_political_sex_scandals_in_the_United_States)

The most recent story is of a guy named Anthony Weiner. He was found to be looking for women on the Internet in weird ways. Why would a man do it? Heather Mallick writes an often entertaining and insightful column in the Toronto Star. In a recent column she wrote in part; " I don’t do a Weiner. Women don’t. Why? Because we don’t have to. Sex is available to us. We just stand around being ourselves. It’s not like that for guys.

It’s difficult to be a grown man and indeed, many women argue that it’s beyond them. Why, men, why?

        The answer is that, generally speaking, if men want to meet an attractive woman, they will have to make the first move. Rejection is intensely painful."

Women are the gatekeepers even for their husbands with the exception of abusive marriages. She can have sex if and when she wants. Single or attached women can go to a bar and with little trouble go home with some guy even if he isn't the man of her dreams. Funny thing about Mr. Weiner; he is newly married to a beautiful woman who is in the first trimester of pregnancy. She must be doing her duty but in general a woman or wife who wants to keep her man must make him happy at home. He may not be romantic but he won't wander. Many wives, busy with children, forget to look after their men and the men, struggling with their career, forget to engage in the foreplay women need to be aroused for sex. Many times the man will meet an attractive woman and begin to fantasize the loving he isn’t getting at home.  

            If a powerful man, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eliot Spitzer, DSK from France, and others in business and the professions, starts to wander many women will make themselves available to him. He begins to think he can do anything and some get into serious trouble and expensive divorces when reality strikes. Simpler men do the same thing but with less publicity.

            We can’t blame it all on the women but why is it so common in our society? Other societies have solved the problem with polygamy and a more liberal perspective on mistresses. Why is prostitution the oldest ‘profession’ practiced in all societies if it isn’t to help men, married men, relieve their tensions? Of course mature women have needs too and some are known in bars as cougars.

            Many divorces occur after twenty five years of marriage when the kids are grown and excitement in the master bedroom has become routine and probably disappeared completely. What’s the answer? Religion? Islam allows a man four wives. He can even marry a woman for an hour and divorce her immediately after. That doesn’t seem like the answer for men in the west. Our women have achieved a degree of what they call ‘liberation’ but they are more frequently practising male domination.  Wives must become more flexible as the sexual energy of their husbands wains but his desire remains strong. Wives or partners can help their men in many ways both emotionally and physically using a little imagination. It doesn’t bite and there might be reciprocal delights for her too. Try it, age is not a factor.

            Unfortunately it won’t happen and men will continue to stupidly do whatever is needed to discharge their batteries. Sad but true.

             Do you have an opinion or suggestion? Don’t be shy. Use the comment box and tell us.

War on this and that

I don't usually write two days in a row but our one spring day has turned back to clouds and rain.  Please bear with me.

           I was listening to a commentator talking about Fighting Global Warming. It made me think everything seems to be a fight or a war. Fight Cancer, War on Drugs, War on Terror, etc. etc. It strikes me that rather than fight things that are beyond our control we should ADAPT to them.

          Let's not Fight Global Warming but instead Adapt to Global Warming. Changes in weather patterns are natural phenomena  that have gone on since the worlds beginning. Imagine an ice age is coming. Shall we fight the ice age. No, we'll adapt to it and mitigate the results so we can continue to live as a society. 

          We can Adapt to Global Warming by becoming green as the environmentalists and doomsayers want because doing so will make better use of the worlds resources. We'll develop new technologies to meet new conditions as people have always done. Life will go on even if changed. Populations may rise and fall depending on water and food supplies. War will still happen as the 'have nots' want what the' haves' have so don't worry about not needed a military for protection. 

          The War on Drugs has been unsuccessful. People have used various drugs for pain relief, recreation, mood alteration and other purposes since time immemorial. Just because the US government decrees a war on drugs doesn't change human nature. We can adapt to the use of drugs in the population. We do it with powerful drugs called alcohol and nicotine.

           People Fight Cancer by adapting to it if they or loved ones are stricken. I guess calling it a fight encourages people to donate money and to run in marathons. 

          War on Terror  is a clarion call to fight and send young men to kill and die. Terrorism is not new. A terrorist lit the spark that started WW 1.There is a root cause for the existence Al Qaeda that can be changed or adapted to. We can adapt to the Taliban too. Some other people will have a harder time adapting to the Taliban than we in Canada, I hope.

           I won't go on but I hope you catch my drift.

Holiday weekend in Ontario

It has been very wet here for the last week or so but the sun is up this morning. It is a glorious spring day at last. God is in his heaven and if some people are correct about the end of the world today many others will be there too. 

           Obama went way out on a limb this week asking for reason in the middle east. He is a brave man and could be a great president and leader. I've made predictions that went south a few times and I hope this is one but I suspect he will be ground up, chewed and spit out by the Jewish lobby, the military industrial complex, big oil and Christian evangelicals who all have different reasons to prolong the conflict. 

         The Israeli's want the whole west bank and will displace all the Palestinians to achieve their goal. They believe God gave them the land and have divine right to it. What can be a stronger motivation to kill and steal from other people?

        The Arab world will not rise up to protect their brethren since they are in Washington's pocket for various reasons. There are many American writers among others who openly criticize the duplicitous US policy of promoting democracy for some while supporting friendly tyrants. Obama is between a rock and a hard place this time; logic and justice has nothing to do with it.

         It's amusing that the Israeli's claim the 1967 borders would be indefensible. Wouldn't peace make defensible borders redundant? Canada has indefensible borders with the US but we have peace and while the Americans want to fortify the border I don't think they fear an invasion from Canada.

Thoughts on Islam

The death of Osama Bin Laden has provoked violent reaction in some parts of the Muslim world particularly Pakistan but we can expect it to expand elsewhere. Hopefully our police and security forces can prevent situations like the subway bombing in London and the rail bombing in Madrid. We hear of the arrest of cells of young radicals in many cities in the west including Toronto. Why do followers of the Prophet act like barbarians? Generally they have done so for generations but in addition the Shias have no problem killing Sunnis. The Shia sect in Syria has been busy killing Sunni protesters in the street just as Qaddafi was willing to murder thousands of his people until the west stopped him. This begs a huge question about Egypt where the mass murder during the uprising which everyone expected would happen didn't happen. Maybe President Obama had enough influence in Egypt to prevent it. 

             Winston Churchill was the leader of the west for much of World War 2 and he had been active in the late 1800's during the height of the British Empire.He observed the Muslims (Mohammedans as they were called in those day) in many of their home countries and here is what he wrote;

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries!  Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy.  The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.
A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity.  The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.
No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.  Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith.  It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome ."


              The sheltering arms of Christianity and science he speaks of have dramatically weakened in the west since he wrote these words. Our only protection may be military power, specifically the US military, but it may not be sufficient to support western ideals over the long run since the Mohammedans now live among us. Maybe they can adopt western values, maybe not. Western values are almost diametrically opposite the Sharia laws and the interpretation of the Quoran. I would not want to predict the world one hundred years from now.

Eating my words

            Surprise, surprise, I was wrong again. The Harper Cons got their majority, the NDP won Quebec, the Bloque was destroyed and the Liberals couldn't even elect their leader. I was close forecasting the NDP would do well in Quebec. Ah well, I even lost my own vote when my riding went solidly blue.

             Enough said about the election. Que sera, sera as they say in France. 

             So the Yanks got Osama. Yeah, but will the future call his death murder. State sponsored killing is usually done after a trial. I suppose Osama was tried in the court of public opinion but it is frightening to think that a government like the American government can swoop in on someone in a foreign state and kill him or her in cold blood. Am I being naive? James Bond did it for England all the time in the movies.

            Lil and I spent a couple of weeks at Marea del Porteo Hotel in Cuba.Well, I spent a week there and she stayed on. Cuba was very hot and the sun shone strongly in the clear blue sky. It was nice to be there for a few days. It seemed to me living conditions at least for some people were better than I've seen before. There were many more new homes under construction or recently built and some were painted quite nicely on the exterior. Some homes even had a car parked in the driveway. Don't think it is like here. Cuba is still a much different place and generally primitive by our standards. 

            Lil and I had taken a cruise in February on a beautiful ship sailing from Fort Lauderdale and basically circumnavigating Cuba stopping in Jamaica and Mexico and a couple of other places. It is not possible to compare other places to Cuba from the deck of a cruise liner. It was definitely a nice voyage though and we will likely do it again sometime.

           Later then.

Two days before the election

            The election is two days away. During my week in the hot, sunny climate of undemocratic Cuba things changed in Canada. It seems the NDP surge in Quebec happened as I thought it would but it seems other parts of the country are going NDP. The Liberals are going down and the poles show the Orange (NDP) to be second. Will this translate into a significant number of seats? The BIG pole on Monday will tell the story. 

             Many people paint scenarios of what might happen. I'll stick with my original predication and go out on a limb further and suggest the Conservatives win the most seats but not a majority. The Liberals might swallow their pride and form a coalition with the NDP with Jack Layton as PM. Now that's a frightening prospect for Canada because we saw a similar coalition in Ontario in the 1990's. What a mess that was.

           The political careers of Mr. Ignatieff and Mr. Harper will be over shortly thereafter. Hopefully the Bloque Head party from Quebec will be finished but not likely. They'll find ways to milk the maudit Anglais of more bribe money like they have done for years.

           I can't go out further on the limb until the votes are counted. Pray that whatever the result the next government will be fiscally responsible.
           I'll talk about Cuba in another posting.

My Prediction

            The last week or so has given us wet, cloudy and cold weather. Lil and I are lucky because we made plans to go to Cuba way back in February not knowing that the spring would be late and the country inflicted with another federal election.

           We leave tomorrow morning very early and I'll be back in a week in time to vote. I've always been what is called a Progressive Conservative and as such have never supported the "natural governing party" as they used to call it, that is the Liberal Party. Hence, my views have had no impact on government policy or action. 

           Since I'll miss the next week of politicking I'll make my predictions based on gut feelings and the experience of a lifetime.

           I expect the election will result in a disappointment for Mr. Harper. The large block (excuse the pun) of seats in Quebec will split between the NDP and the Bloque. I've seen vast shifts of voting in Quebec over the years but seldom in support of the Tories.

           Ontario may yield more blue seats but people here, like me, are uncomfortable with Mr. Harper's style of one man rule. He may have the best interests of Canada in mind but I feel he is influenced by thinking common in born again right wing mid west Americans. It's possible many voters in Western Canada share that view but I doubt it except in Alberta.

           British Columbia is more liberal (small l) than most of the country and not likely to vote as a block. The same will apply in the Atlantic Region. That means each of the parties will win a share of seats.

          The chances of the Liberals winning the most seats but not a majority is better than 50 percent and that in coalition with the NDP will form the government. I hope the Bloque will be wiped out.

          On the other hand the Conservatives may win a small majority of seats and form the government. I'd say chances are 40 per cent. Mr. Harper will be disappointed at best.

          Now I'm on the record. We'll see if I have to eat these words.

Environment Protection

The ongoing election does not include a discussion on the Environment. The last election was lost on the basis of a proposed Carbon Tax. The Conservative Government that followed took a position that it would follow the dictates of its Washington confreres and do nothing. The Americans had been trying to maintain or improve their natural areas and of course Canadian governments have done some of the same.

       The Green Belt around the Greater Toronto Area is an example of progressive environmental legislation that is hated by landowners and developers. There are similar tracks of protected land in many American States BUT they are now under attack by Republican Governors and the Tea Party. Here is an excerpt from a piece in the Huffington Post;

"David Guest, the managing attorney for the Florida office of Earthjustice, a national environmental law firm, said Governor Scott’s budget was “the most radical anti-environmental budget” he had seen in two decades of environmental work. Comparing Mr. Scott’s proposed changes with those of Florida’s previous Republican governors, including Jeb Bush, he called them “a whole new world.”
The strategies have been similar across the affected states: cut budgets and personnel at regulatory agencies, prevent the issuing of new regulations, roll back land conservation and, if possible, eliminate planning boards that monitor, restrict or permit building development."

The chances are national and provincial Conservative Canadian governments will follow the leadership of their friends in the GOP and the Tea Party. Developers will be thrilled when the Green Belt is reduced in size and eventually eliminated. Our grandchildren will not know the beauty of nature unless the travel far away and as the price of gasoline is skyrocketing it may not be possible to travel. I suppose the developers will build museums to show what we once took for granted.

The Big Debate

I'm watching the televised debate. What a waste of prime time TV. Four ass holes carrying on as if they are in question period in the Commons. Why do we have to listen to M. Doucette? He has nothing to say to Canada outside and likely inside Quebec.

Mr. Ignatieff has not made a good point. He continues the bickering and yacks about respect and so on. He's almost like Ducette in making noise but with no light.

It is too bad that Ignatieff can't pick up the tempo of what the Liberals would do to deal with important issues. 

Ducette only speaks about Quebec, Why the fuck is he there on a national platform. Mr Layton is an intelligent man but he is caught up in the bickering too.

What a waste of time.

Pity Canada.

Just thinking out loud

It's April 2011. Spring should be here any day now but today was a spring like day. It's funny in a way what has happened on the web since I created my first web page. Web pages were new then but now they're just commercial vehicles to advertise and sell stuff. I ordered $200 worth of stuff from Tiger Direct today on the web. Good old Pay Pal makes it easy to pay for the stuff.
          Getting back to where I was the web has changed so much  since Facebook, Twitter and Blog sites like this one have appeard. I have a web site that I updated to describe the Condo Building I live in. It doesn't attract much traffice so I made a Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/village terraces condos hoping to encourage feedback with other residents.  There hasn't been much luck yet although some people fear negative things might be posted. Hey, that might be great since it would be a sign people look in from time to time.
             I'm watching a very good friend write a blog about her personal life. It is a way to vent her frustrations and to express herself in private. Maybe it is private, I hope so since what goes on the web stays on the web in some form or another. The redeeming feature is she is not publicizing it and it won't be easy to stumble across in a web world of millions of blogs. I won't disclose the web address. I don't think I could post my personal thoughts on this blog even though no one will likely see them.
            I've published books on the web and some people have even seen them and my old web site still has many of the things I posted over there years. Try www.isoman.com and go to the bottom of page one for some links.
              My dear wife has suffered with severe back pains dues to sciatica and disk problems for quite some time. She came to the conclusion that an electric adjustable bed might help her sleep so we got one. Tonight is the first night. Tomorrow morning we'll see how it worked. It better be good cause those beds are expensive.
             We were on a cruise in the Caribbean in February on a beautiful ship called the MSC Poesia. It was our first time on one of the large cruise ships and it was a delightful experience. However, we'll be going back to Cuba later this month for our biannual visit. We were there in October last year. I'll go scuba diving again and visit the coral reefs and my fishy friends.
             I suppose, if your stayed with it this far, you are ready to quit so I'll stop now to show mercy.
Ciao

Election in Canada

The election campaign is in its second week. The fur is flying and the flaws in each party are showing. The Conservatives only speak to Conservatives at party rallies. They don't let the public in because someone might say something wrong. Other parties don't have much to say although the Liberals are trotting out old chestnuts from previous elections. Who cares what the NDP and Greens have to say!! The Blockhead party has nothing for Canadians so the only issues are between the platforms of the Liberals and Conservatives. Did I say platforms? No, platforms mean nothing after the election. They are outbidding each other with promises using tax payer money. Same old thing, just a different year.

It's a shame no candidate has a vision to make Canada a better country, a  world leader and free from the eagle claws of our southern neighbour.

It is interesting to note that the Americans now have Predator robot aircraft flying along the Canadian border spying into Canadian territory. You can bet your last loonie they are not watching Americans but are looking at pinko Canadians driving to Tim Hortons for a double double. Did you know that Americans are still told the 9/11 terrorists entered the US from Canada. At one time both nations were proud of our undefended border but it is likely most Americans had no knowledge about it or that Canada even existed.

Election in Canada

April 2, 2011 Spring may finally be coming to our small part of the world. The sun is gleaming off the surface of Lake Ontario outside my window and streaming into the room warming my bare arm. What could be better! We have an election happening in Canada at the moment. The voting will be in a month and I’m going to go out on a limb. First, I have become disenchanted with the Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper. The party is run by hacks trying to create a myth that Mr. Harper is Mr. Canada and the rest of his candidates are irrelevant. They seem to have become Tea Par-tiers a la USA. The main opposition is the Liberal party led by Mr. Ignatieff who has not distinguished himself yet. Other parties squawk and squeak uselessly except the Quebec separatist Bloc head party which has no interest in Canada in total and focus only on one segment of the country to the detriment of the rest. They will likely hold the balance of power and deprive either major party of a majority. It is most likely the result of the election will be another minority, largely thanks to the Blok heads and could be a Liberal minority. The chances are the NDP will join with the Liberals to form a coalition even though that is a dirty word at this point in the process. I don’t think the Conservatives could form a coalition with the NDP or the Bloc but Stephen Harper will try if he has too. He’s the ultimate pragmatist with very little self respect while grasping for power. We’ll see in another month.

The world on a cusp

Today is March 26, 2011. The sun is shining but the temperature outside my window is minus 1 in the sun but the air is minus 7 or lower. I feels like the world is on the cusp of change and it has nothing to do with the weather. The Conservative Government of Canada has fallen in the House of Commons and an election will be called.
The election will be a bull shit affair with nothing but mud slinging by the four parties and no new ideas or visions for the country. The Governing Conservatives were competent but it has been difficult to trust them and we worry that Canada is drifting into a lap dog position with respect to American military industrial complex. Canada could be an avatar for the US military in the middle east and Afghanistan. It seems to be the situation in Libya at the moment.
What is going on there anyway. Egypt had a ‘revolution’ earlier this year but it seems that the government is cracking down on people who thought they had won their freedom. Could it be that the American and Israeli managers have figured out how to restore ’stability’ to the region by oppressing the voices of the youth once again.
We don’t see voices from the “West” condemning people in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and other countries where people are being killed by their governors for daring to do what the Egyptians and others have done.
The nuclear tragedy that followed the earthquake and tsunami in Japan is still of major concern to the world.
The world economy is still fragile particularly in the US and the EU. Oil prices are climbing rapidly and the cost of fuel is going through the roof again.