Sunday, July 28, 2013

Sunday musings

Well, another week, and yet another horrific train accident. In Spain over 78 people are dead with video footage showing a train traveling at incredibly high speed rounding a corner of the track line at what experts believe is over double the maximum allowable rate and then flipping on its side and the cars behind it slamming into a concrete wall. The driver is facing possible murder charges and also in a bizarre twist apparently posted on either his Twitter or Facebook site pictures of the speedometer in the engine cab with the speed needle at over 200 KPH!
In a sign of true humanity, in the moments and hours after the crash, calls went out on all media formats for blood donors and pictures show literally columns of people lining streets to donate.
Maybe mankind is not as completely bad as many suggest.
The Pope is in Brazil this week and generating quite a buzz among the young especially. Regardless of whether one agrees with any form of religion in any shape or form, the fact that an individual can possibly galvanize a segment of the population towards good – well, isn't that worthy of support?
It does not forgive excesses done in the name of religion in the past and indeed in what is happening parts of the Middle East today as an example, but hope does spring eternal.
Because if you want examples of what many might term the interference of religion in the running of a state, look no further than the riots in Tunisia, Egypt, and suicide bombings at mosques in Pakistan.
In Egypt the violence continues to spiral towards a point where soon it will be out of control by anyone.
And there seems no solution in sight, none at all.
In America, another bizarre story of a politician who really, really believes that the electorate are either stupid or not intelligent or just do not care about things like honesty and morals is unfolding in New York. There , a former elected member of the Federal Government who resigned after his involvement with women and posting photos of his “equipment” became public is now running for the office of Mayor of that city. So, after he held that oh so public news conference and had his wife stand by his side as his issued his mea culpas, he promised never, no never to stray and do so again. Well it seems never in his mind meant a week or two. For within the following year it seems he started the whole sad nonsense again. And now that the latest photo/sexting issue has emerged, he said in yet another news conference, well, there may be more such reports coming out and how it has strained his marriage and all the while his wife stood by his side yet again. And in doing so, seemed to imply that cruel fate has done this to him and that he actually is some sort of victim!
Oh, and he is still running to be the mayor and people should focus on the issues – not his personal life!
Where does lying, deceiving the public – your employer by the way and cheating on your legal partner fit in with being an honest politician?
The phrase “morals of an alley cat” come to mind.
That is so disrespectful to alley cats!
Arrggghhhh.....
In what must be considered an incredibly brilliant and inspired move by the Canadian Federal Government in terms of promoting a job creation program to the general public, it was decided to distribute brochures to Canadians via their Government Members free mailing accounts (thereby not costing the party itself money, just the long suffering taxpayer).
Great move right?
Especially since it was decided to make sure that the blind could also be informed by having Braille included on the brochure.
Duh – some fool decided to print the Braille and not have the dots raised as is the proper case. So while the blind “read” Braille by use of their fingertips running over the raised type, this is not possible here.
And the taxpayers pay these goofballs to govern?
Oh sigh.....
Did you know that this is the 60th anniversary of the truce in the bloody war in Korea?
Not peace but a truce and both sides are still technically at war?
In a sign that all is not well in Germany, the large hardware chain, Max Bahr filed for bankruptcy this week.
Over 5,100 people are now out of work.
And yes, that really is a big deal.
And yet in France, it seems that the government believes it can still spend and borrow its way out of the fiscal nightmare that has been around since 2009. A new study from the OECD (Organization for the Economic Co-operation and Development) states that France spends 33 percent of its gross domestic product on welfare spending.
That figure represents more than any other OECD country.
And France lectures countries like Spain and Italy and Greece about fiscal responsibility.
Speaking of Spain yet again, medics in the city of Ibiza needed the help of buzz saw wielding firefighters last week to free a German male tourist from the “tender” clutches of a jammed steel sex toy. It seems that the firemen needed 2 changes of batteries as well as a second blade for the buzz saw in their successful attempt to free the man as reported by the local paper, the Diario de Mallorca
Crazy buggers those Germans.
Strange world we live in these days, in the Unites States, there is more and more acceptance of gay weddings and yet more assaults on the rights of women to control their own reproductive organs while in Russia yet another set of anti gay laws are passed. Sometimes it seems that the biggest “bullies” against the gay community are those that are either so terrified of them or possibly might secretly actually be gay themselves and to protect themselves attack the gay community. And you know, really, at the end of the day, we are talking about people here.
Just like it is wrong to discriminate against those of colour, religion, do not the gay folks also qualify as human?
Right?
Mick Jagger turns 70 this month and rocks on while rock legend JJ Cale leaves us after suffering a massive heart attack. Look him up and download some of his music – just brilliant.
Too many giants of my time are leaving too soon it seems.
So.... did you know that last week on my second favourite Island, Maui, that the second of two yearly Lahaina Noons occurred?
This is unique to Maui in that with its proximity to the equator, there are 2 times a year where the sun is directly overhead and any straight structure (or person standing completely straight) leaves no shadow.
How cool is that?
OK, on my Island, we have news of more home grown tomato sightings!


Slowly but surely they are getting a little larger – almost enough to feed a tiny tot one supposes but in that aspect, they signal the forthcoming arrival of the dreaded Fall and Winter seasons – can this really be true?
Take care out there,
flatlander52

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