Sunday musings

So it is early Sunday morning and no end in sight to the debt ceiling crisis in the United States. It now is 2 days away from default.

The damage is done already, regardless of resolution before the 2^nd of August. The international reputation of the country has suffered irreparable harm. Money markets are starting to look at alternatives to where to park their money. You have to look no further than that of the rise of the Canadian dollar and how it is projected to climb even more.

This was never supposed to happen to the worlds largest and strongest economy. Now the debt agency rating is possibly going from AAA+ to AAA-. Look for higher interest rates, higher unemployment, additional layoffs and associated trickle down effects of the economy and national psyche.  A response likely will be to raise barriers to imported trade goods and promote internal products. This will hit export driven countries like Canada hard.

America is Canada’s’ largest trade partner. 

The leader of the Canadian Federal Opposition is taking a leave of absence from his duties due to the discovery of yet another form of cancer. Viewers throughout the country were shocked at his pallid appearance and halting speech at the press conference to announce this. What effect this will have if he has to resign on the Party will be of great importance. He is the glue that holds the Party together in the Province of Quebec. It is hard to believe that all the newly elected Members from there will remain loyal to the party and may possibly defect and form a new possibly Separatist Party.

What a possibility indeed.

Remember how before the last election how all three Opposition Parties were frothing at the mouth and believing their own spin doctors on their chances of changing the Government?

Well the Bloc is no longer an Official Party – and no leader.

The Liberals are no longer Official Opposition – with no leader.

The NDP have become Official Opposition – but now their leader is gone, perhaps never to return.

And the Conservatives firmly entrenched with a majority!

As more details emerge from Norway, apparently it was the work of one person. You look at the photograph of the individual – I will not grant him the dignity of ever naming him – and you do not see a wild eyed fanatic, rather what appears to be an ordinary European type of face. As a result of the influx of people looking for a better way of life from the Middle East and Africa, tensions are starting to rise between these new communities and existing ones. It does not help the immigrants that they seek comfort and solace in creating enclaves where the dress and speech is the same as the countries that they either left or fled. Almost a new form of ghetto is emerging but one that does not exist on the fringes of society but is more aggressive and assertive which plays into the hands of those that see this as the thin edge of the Islamization of Europe. In effect the start of a new Holy War.

The war in Libya drags on with no end in sight. A prominent general of the rebel forces is murdered possibly showing a split within the ranks. If so this will give heart to the discredited Ghaddafi and that promises more misery for the war torn country.

In Iraq and Afghanistan the Taliban and Shiite forces are stepping up attacks at coalition forces as the day for final withdrawal nears.

So tell me, what was accomplished there?

How many lives were lost, and at what cost, and how much corruption both locally and in coalition supplier services?

Have you seen the last Harry Potter movie yet? I am hesitant to as seeing it means that the wondrous fantasy ride finally is complete and I am not sure if I am quite ready for that yet.

Did you know that the 26th of July was the date of the failed 1953 attack by Fidel Castro and others on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba? And was taken as the name of his movement. It is celebrated annually in Cuba.

Lovely island stuck in a timewarp and starving slowly to death as a result of the US embargo on good and services. It shows the power of the United States in that this embargo could be made irrelevant but is not by the rest of the trading world because they fear retaliation from the Americans if they do so.

Did you also know that Fidel Castro is 85?

One other country to watch in days and months to come is Venezuela and its populist leader Hugo Chavez and his fight with cancer and that impact on the politics there.

Anyway, that is it for another week,

Take care out there,

Flatlander52

Sunday musings

Well that was quite the heat wave that gripped North America for the last week. Of course the news was filled with the usual silly reports of frying eggs (or pizza in one case) on sidewalks. Reporters sitting inside closed in cars with a heat indicator for 10 minutes to say how hot it was in there – duh! And then of course there is the comparison of a humid hot versus a “dry” heat that occurs in the prairies. 

I do not know about you, but hot is hot – period.

America has now lurched to the edge of the chasm of financial default. Politicians of both parties are behaving like school children pointing fingers of blame at each other rather than acting like adults who were elected to serve the people and solve problems by leadership. 

What the hell are they thinking of anyway?

They sit there in really well paying jobs with perks the average citizen can only dream of and piously say cuts must be made by the poor, the ill, the pensioners, the veterans who sacrificed in the cause of freedom, in order to “save” America?

No word on taxing the super rich, or even asking them to pay a little more, no mention of the fat cats on Wall Street, the Industrial Military complex, no, no mention at all – just trample the defenseless.

How noble, how heroic. 

I hope they sleep well at night.

Rupert Murdoch shutters News of the World paper in England to try to minimize a horrible phone hacking scandal – good luck in that.

Insanity reigns in Norway – how did this happen?And is it true this horror was the work of only one twisted person?

Famine marches in the horn of Africa – still the world shrugs.

Amy Winehouse, the tragic alcohol and drug afflicted gifted singer dies at age 27 – the high price of fame too early and greedy enablers

The era of the space shuttle is over – mankind is planetbound again, the dream of Ad Astra dims.

You know, sometimes a sense of history in the making becomes overwhelming. And rest assured that this era will be remembered in days to come as one of the most turbulent in modern history.

Went golfing the other day. 

It was a perfect day and I truly tried to fashion a round worthy of posting in the local newspaper. Shall we just say that course records were not shattered and no legion of fans/media went home excited? 

But then again, it still was a great day for golf, surely someone,somewhere had to have had a good game!

This year I was honoured to become involved with an author in the production of a book- albeit in a minor way, (I have mentioned this in a previous column) and this week got a printed autographed copy of the book from the author. As some may know, I was quite involved in the book publishing industry in my working career, and I must admit that I feel a sense of satisfaction with this book that I never did with others in the past.

Maybe that is one of the things that people that have retired miss the most – that feeling of a job well done and the approval of their professional peer group.

Interesting thought.

Had my cell phone stolen the other day. It actually was a good thing to have happened. After sitting down and really thinking long and hard about what I really needed in a phone, decided that it was time to turn into a semi Luddite in this matter. My replacement is a phone with no video, no web, no e mail no nothing at all except for the dial pad and a contact list. Heaven knows I have way too many computers to fill these functions and spend valuable time with.

Feels good, and also saves a few dollars in the process.

Hard to believe that we are on the cusp of the 8^th month of the year and fall is on the near horizon. 

Where did summer go anyway?

Have a great week and take care out there,

Flatlander52

Sunday musings

Well it looks as the sky is starting to fall and all the people in charge can only say "not my fault" as economy after economy is reeling.
Greece has now technically defaulted on its financial obligations.
Italy is "too big to fall" but is next in line.
And then there is the biggest elephant in the room - America.
Real growth is forecast to be a measly 2.5%, unemployment to remain at 8.25% for the balance of the year. The recession lingers and refuses to go away. The Republican party is being held hostage to the Tea Party activists in blocking all attempts to raise the debt ceiling in order to avoid defaulting on its debts.
It appears many new Republican representatives signed pledges during the election campaign that vowed to reduce taxes but not raise taxes if needed. So instead of agreeing to reduce expenditures (mainly in areas where the politically weak are large - such as medicare and medicaid) and raise new taxes on the wealthiest,they insist on cutting programs-period.
I wonder if all the money being spent on Irag and Afghanistan and a poorly run TSA (Transportation Agency in charge of airport security and the like) were applied to the economy, what results would happen?
There are a lot of people who are happy with the mess in the States but they really have no idea of the storm that will result as a result od an American default. It will make the last recession look puny in comparison.
Every country in the world will suffer - period.
Inflation will roar back, the cost of borrowing will soar, unemployment will rise, savings will be devastated as all currency traders will flee the safety of investing in the greenback to other currencies and precious minerals.
The next few weeks will see if the Americans can stop at this brink and restore some sanity to their fiscal world and indirectly help that of the world.
Hugo Chavez has cancer and is returning to Cuba for chemo treatments. Some blogs quote unnamed sources as saying that the cancer is spreading and may not respond to treatment. Developments in that country will bear watching if his condition worsens because as in the case of many strong populist leaders, Chavez has no apparent second in command in place to assume control of the country.
The brother of Karzhi in Afghanistan is assassinated and that shows how weak security in the country is. With the Canadians out of the field and gradual international troop reductions on the horizon, all the blood,lives and money spent to defeat the Taliban will have been in vain.
A tragedy of no small proportions.
The visit of the Royal couple to Canada (and a side trip to California as well) is over and I am amused to see how the exhausted  reporters are slowly starting to recover from their brush with royalty. Someone forgot to tell them that the rest of the country was not as enthralled as them. The Royals are nice kids but really, the idea of a king and queen are so irrelevant, and costly for the taxpayer, so just let them fade away -please?
Casey Anthony of the infamous kid killing case in America is now a free woman - biggest story in the American media for the year - and why?
There is a huge story occurring that has barely caused a ripple in the world press. This is the staggering drought and resultant starvation in the Horn of Africa. Have you read anything of it at all? Of the suffering and the incredible death toll with no relief in sight? Or sadly have you read more of the media frenzy over the fallout of the phone hacking case of certain British tabloids?
I ask yet again, where the hell is the focus of the media and who is directing it to ignore real world problems?
How is your summer going any way?
Here we have had a glorious week or so of hot sunny weather with more to come. The memories of rain, rain and more rain have dimmed and the prospect of another cold and gloomy winter are far away for now.
The garden is a riot of  colour and brimming with produce. The yard and flowers are neat and bursting with colour and variety.

We decided to visit a small town in our area that has a mini replica of the Eiffel Tower. It was a nice trip and it was enjoyable to be out of the city for a  while.
I must say that I am pleased to see that I was able to post a picture here.
Next month we are off to the wondrous city of Vancouver for a few days of vacation and now that I know that photo posting is possible, I look forward to the sharing of some of those with you.
Well that is it for another week,
so take care out there,
flatlander 52

Sunday musings

Welcome back and away we go!
Here in Canada in the province of Ontario there is a local school board that has decided to allow prayer sessions for Muslim children during school hours. This is in direct conflict to the basis of public education where the division of school and church should be maintained. Already Hindu, Native American, Jewish and other groups are agitating to have their own religious times allowed in school. Many maintain that this is a result of bowing to the militant desires of the Muslim community and is the thin edge of promoting the expansion of the faith in Canada.
What do you think?
Throughout Europe we have seen the visible signs of the expansion of the Muslim faith with the distinctive shapes of their places of worship, the electronic blare of the call to worship. The Swiss have placed restrictions on the number of churches as a result. In Holland a complete political movement has as its' basis a rejection of the faith and indeed a desire to make the believers return to the country of origin.
Indeed many see this as a new religious war throughout the world.
Why is it that so many have killed and have died in the name of a peaceful God?
In Women's' World Soccer championships Germany has been eliminated and that has sent shockwaves throughout that country and the rest of the sporting world.
Recent surveys have shown that there is 1.2 cell phones per person in the United States.
My first reaction to this was to wonder where one could see a .2 cell phone and the second to wonder how much money has been diverted from peoples pockets and budgets to pay for something that probably  90% do not need.
Indeed, look around at the number of computer and so called tablets you have and add up the cost of those and see what that has done to your disposable income. In our case we have 2 phones, three laptops and assorted printers!
Time to reduce and recycle I think.
Shall we talk about the cost of owning a hybrid  gas/electric car?
I did some number crunching recently and had some suspicions confirmed. I always wondered about the savings generated and then the cost of replacing the batteries when the original need so.
With the savings on gas  I figured it would take about 8 years to recoup the extra cost spent in the price of the hybrid vs that of a solely gas model. At the same 8 year mark, say, take a Ford Explorer, you would have to replace the batteries. The cost of that little purchase is around $18,000 Canadian according to a recent article I read.
So I guess the question to ask is, do you really save?
Many people in large cities trumpet bike lanes and bus transportation and subway as the best way to handle traffic and reduce a carbon footprint. At the same time to encourage this they say to tax the crap out of gas and make it too expensive to drive a vehicle. Let them come to the Prairies and spend a winter here at minus 40 with bus service every hour, no shelters from the wind and cold, snow banks up to five feet high.
Their tune would change in a minute I think.
I noticed that a reader logged on from Russia the other day, now that is a country that I would love to visit. Here in Canada there are a lot of stories about that land, but most fall into the realm of lack of knowledge I think. The common perception of a Russian is a very dour hard drinking communist and I think the reality would probably be a lot different and people would be surprised.
Already we are in the 7th month of the year, as a child summer would seem to last forever, now as adults we see summer arrive in the blink of an eye only to have fall loom on the horizon. There indeed is a difference in the passage of time between adults and children.
Canada had the Royal couple of William and Kate visit for a few days this week. The greatest throng of followers were the media.
Speaking of the media, what gave them the right to make policy and set public opinion?
I am tired of them not reporting the news as should be their function, but actually creating and molding public opinion to their desire.
Examples?
The American frenzy about the Caylee Anthony murder trial. The continued promotion of Sarah Pallin as a politician of dubious caliber. In Canada the not to subtle love affair with the new Federal Opposition NDP party.
Oh well, time to sit back and take a quiet breath or two. The day is young and outside all is wonderful.
Have a great week and take care out there,
flatlander52

Sunday musings

Well, July the 1st has come and gone and what a great day it was. Outside the temperature was warm, the winds were light and we had company from out of town visiting us. Went to the park that night for the fireworks display and was wowed by the fantastic light show. Was fun to stroll through the park at 10:30 at night with thousands of other people with nothing else in mind except the enjoyment of the moment.
So now hopefully for our American cousins Monday the 4th will be as enjoyable.
Thailand has elected a female Prime Minister. That should be interesting in a country that has a viewpoint on the status of women in the workforce and politics that is slightly shall we say, behind the times.
Went golfing for the first time this year.
What an adventure that was.
It took me three days for all the aches and pains to subside. Gawd, I did not know a man could hurt in so many weird and strange places!
After all the rain we have had this year, the week of hot dry weather has done wonders for the yard and garden. We think that this year will be the best for produce that we have had in quite a long time. We have taken off rhubarb and radishes three times already and more thinning is still to come.
The end of the American space shuttle program is upon us and no replacement is in sight. That, to me is a tragedy. The American space program was built upon the ashes of the defeated Nazi rocket program of World War 2 and provided a great sense of discovery and pride ( as well as a slew of inventions, Teflon springs to mind ) not only for the Americans but for many other peoples. Canadians in particular.
We created the invaluable Canadarm, a robotic type of arm that has enabled the shuttles to move massive cargo loads from the shuttle to space orbit or to the International Space Station.
Greece has staggered yet again away from the brink of economic ruin with a stop gap loan from the EU bankers. All it will take is a minor blip in the forecasted ( and decidedly optimistic economic projections) return to monetary health (even as minor as 1%) and the run on the banks may well start. After that the dominoes align for Spain, Portugal and Italy. If that happens then possibly the EU (European Union ) may decide to abandon the common currency, Euro, and revert to individual national ones.
So, what are your thoughts on the so called carbon taxes that environmentalists seem to love?
Is it only me that seems to think that if we fully implement these and other restrictive regulations that our standard of living will drop? In our society there is a standard energy base load that is required in the night to operate the electrical grid. Things like heating, power for hospitals, traffic and lighting systems and the like. Solar and wind do not work at night and there is no replacement for the present forms of power other than the now discredited nuclear. Coal and hydro (where available, and even that comes at a cost to the eco- system) remain the best option. It seems to me that the best solution would be to invest in technology to further "clean" up the emissions from these rather than degrade our standard of living.
Well this has been a rather shortened week writing wise due to the aforementioned company, so I will end for now in order to assist with the usual damage control of a total washing of all linen, dishware and the like- no matter how clean they really are!
take care out there,
flatlander 52