Another week is over in the federal election and the story to date is the supposed surge in the fortunes of the NDP in the province of Quebec at the expense of the separatist Bloc Quebecois. Pundits claim that the NDP (whose goal is to bring all people down to the lowest common denominator - except of course for themselves, friends and relatives who by divine right are to prosper at the the cost of others).
Ironically these pundits are usually Eastern based and definitely Liberal leaning to say the least.It drives them silly that their viewpoint of the universe is not gratefully accepted by the rest of the Canadian public.
These same people claim that 6 seats in Saskatchewan will go from Conservative to NDP - this from people who probably never have put boots on the ground in the province and one can expect be not able to spell the name correctly. In fact their extent of being out West is to fly over the Prairies provinces on the way to Vancouver.
The outcome of the election will probably be another minority government that will stumble from crisis to crisis, bribe other parties with political favours and then collapse in defeat over a motion of confidence within a year or two with yet another election to be called.
So much for the stable image we used to offer the world!
And Canadians used to laugh at so called banana republics- as Pogo used to say, we have met the enemy and he is us!
Well Spring is really here stay and a perfect time for it to arrive this year- Easter. The majority of snow is gone and the remainder is sure to be gone within a week of so. Now it is time to clean out the garden shed and try tp find long lost tools and items like a bicycle that this year for sure you are going to ride. You ever notice that the once high priced unit you bought a couple of years ago is worth nothing as a trade in on what could be called a more "sedate version? At one time 21 speed bikes were the norm, now three and five fit the bill.
Even the seat no longer accommodates a newly expanded rear end!
So now one has to post an ad on an electronic for sale board and see if that generates interest. If not, then the old bike sure is starting to look good again.
What is happening to some countries in Europe? More and more are on the edge of defaulting on their monetary obligations. This forces fiscal relieve in the shape of a bailout and not surprisingly the stronger partners in the Union are starting to balk at continuing to poor good money after bad. France and Germany are re visiting their partnership in the wake of Portugal, Italy, Greece, Ireland taking more and more financially and not putting anything back or at least attempting to plan to repay the loans. Many observers say that tis is a result of too large a social contract and a superheated housing bubble.
There are politicians in the United States that are using this as an excuse to savage the basic fundamentals of their Medicare system.
It always seems that when times are difficult, the ones with the least ability to speak and defend themselves are those that lose the most. Both Medicare and Medicaid are under attack while large tax breaks for the uber rich are being entrenched in the taxation system. The gap between the poor, middle class and wealthy is widening and the middle class is slowly but surely shrinking with hardly an outcry.
It appears that the frustration with the recession has been seized by the Tea Party and used to attack, health, education, social services all in the name of lower taxes being all good with no side effects.
Yet recent studies show that corporate profits are at an all time high with more factories being shuttered and work being outsourced to other countries. It seems that no one yet is making the connection that soon a large majority of high paying jobs will be forever lost and more and more people will be employed in lower paying work and that will make the purchasing of good more and more difficult.
Well, that is it for another week. One more weekend before the Election and hopefully the muddy waters will have cleared and we will get some idea where this country is headed. One thing that is really important is that people get out and vote, this is a privilege that many do not have and too many take for granted and do not use.
Take care out there,
flatlander52
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday musings
Well as the saying goes, what a difference a week makes here in the Canadian federal election. Whereas before support for the NDP seemed to have leveled off, now it appears to be picking up steam in the least likeliest places of all - Quebec. This new support seems to be mainly coming at the expense of the Liberal party. There was 2 nights of televised leaders debates - one in English and the other in French. Only in Canada would one be rescheduled to another day as to not conflict with the start of the National Hockey Leagues' playoffs. There was no "gotcha" moment for any Leader but there was at least one moment of true honesty that one must admire from the leader of the separatist party, Bloc Quebecois, who chided the leader of the NDP by saying that they both knew that they would never form the head of the Canadian Government. Such candor almost wishes for such a person to lead a similar party in their own province. After all the goals of the Bloc are focused on what is good for Quebec and it has held the rest of the country accountable - some would say hostage - to this strategy with great effect.
Remember the saying - think locally, act globally? Well that is what is happening in the province of Saskatchewan at the present and watch out for its effect in the near future. Last summer and fall was one of the wettest in history. Add to that near record levels of snow this winter and you have an occasion of severe flooding happening at this moment. Valuable farmland will be flooded for a long time this year making the possibility of a good harvest slim. The result of that will have a huge impact on the prices in an already stretched food chain. If you thought prices were high last year, wait and see what occurs this year. And like all increases, once the genie is out of the bottle, it is almost impossible to get it back in again. Look at the price of gasoline. It goes up 4 cents a litre and then drops 2 cents. Once a consumer gets used to a new higher price, there it stays.
Have you noticed the latest trend in packaging these days? That is where the price on tinned goods stays the same but the size of the can "shrinks?
Have you noticed that the hamburger you bought at a local drive through seems smaller now?
Well it is.
It looks more and more that civil war is the outcome to the strife in Libya.
The international community had a great opportunity to do the right thing - and they blew it without a doubt. This lack of decisiveness will come back to haunt the international community without any question.
Another topic for discussion soon will be the economic health of the European Union. If you think that this does not have any effect of the rest of the world, you are mistaken.
On the bright side, have you looked into a mirror lately and seen your dad/mom looking back at you?
Remember as a young person how you swore to never be like your parents and make the same silly mistakes they did and now you are?
Or how your complaints about young people seem to have a strange echo to theirs?
Whatever happened to the difference in the world you were going to be and make?
Maybe it is just the natural cycle of life happening.
Or finally the start of some sort of wisdom finally.
There are more and more days now where you can see the other side of a discussion really does have valid points and should be considered.
Then again, just remember that next week is the time when you can be a kid again and look around the house and yard for chocolate Easter eggs and then eat them all in one sitting!
Have a good week and take care out there,
flatlander52
Remember the saying - think locally, act globally? Well that is what is happening in the province of Saskatchewan at the present and watch out for its effect in the near future. Last summer and fall was one of the wettest in history. Add to that near record levels of snow this winter and you have an occasion of severe flooding happening at this moment. Valuable farmland will be flooded for a long time this year making the possibility of a good harvest slim. The result of that will have a huge impact on the prices in an already stretched food chain. If you thought prices were high last year, wait and see what occurs this year. And like all increases, once the genie is out of the bottle, it is almost impossible to get it back in again. Look at the price of gasoline. It goes up 4 cents a litre and then drops 2 cents. Once a consumer gets used to a new higher price, there it stays.
Have you noticed the latest trend in packaging these days? That is where the price on tinned goods stays the same but the size of the can "shrinks?
Have you noticed that the hamburger you bought at a local drive through seems smaller now?
Well it is.
It looks more and more that civil war is the outcome to the strife in Libya.
The international community had a great opportunity to do the right thing - and they blew it without a doubt. This lack of decisiveness will come back to haunt the international community without any question.
Another topic for discussion soon will be the economic health of the European Union. If you think that this does not have any effect of the rest of the world, you are mistaken.
On the bright side, have you looked into a mirror lately and seen your dad/mom looking back at you?
Remember as a young person how you swore to never be like your parents and make the same silly mistakes they did and now you are?
Or how your complaints about young people seem to have a strange echo to theirs?
Whatever happened to the difference in the world you were going to be and make?
Maybe it is just the natural cycle of life happening.
Or finally the start of some sort of wisdom finally.
There are more and more days now where you can see the other side of a discussion really does have valid points and should be considered.
Then again, just remember that next week is the time when you can be a kid again and look around the house and yard for chocolate Easter eggs and then eat them all in one sitting!
Have a good week and take care out there,
flatlander52
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday musings
Well another week in the national election campaign is now over and what have we learned? First off the Prime Minister continues to sit within his protective bubble away from the questioning media. That the opposition Liberals have yet to find a topic that will ignite the voters. That the support for the left wing New Democratic Party seems to have plateaued and may even be dropping. And the separatist Bloc Quebecois remains isolated and really never has, and never will promote anything remotely like a platform of ideas but rather prefers to mount a campaign of blackmail towards the rest of the country with the promise of separation of some sort - not really a true new country but rather a common union approach as in Europe. The one where they can have all the pluses - currency, stability, international recognition, social benefits without the costs involved.
One of the least mentioned stories is that of the conflicting polls issue. It seems that every day day there are polls issued that wildly contradict themselves from the days preceeding. First there will be a Conservative majority, there there will not be. The Liberals surge, then retreat. Is it me or do you get a sense that the media at times is more intent on making the news than reporting on it?
On the international front it appears that the rebellion in Libya may possibly be either winding down or turning into an ugly long drawn out civil war. This seems to be a great example of how the politicians in Europe can ruin an opportunity by their indecision - or as some may call - cowardice. When the Americans were on the leading edge of the armed forces there was no hesitation on armed intervention at all. The tide was turning towards the rebels and they were appreciative of the Americans aid. Now that NATO has taken over, you can see the opposite happening. There can be a lag time of up to 8 hours on target attack. There have been instances where NATO has attacked rebels tanks and supporters. Now the forces of the dictator seem to be gaining the upper hand and if they prevail, you can expect horrific retribution to follow.
And the terrible irony of this is that in all likelihood the Americans will be blamed rather than the weakneed Europeans who have twice in the last 100 years had to rely on the Yanks (as well as the Canadians) to solve their struggles in the 2 world wars.
What did we ever do without the mighty computer?
This machine has done more to change the course of history than almost any other device that I can think of. I would suggest that in most North American homes the per centage of those without one would be very small.In fact I would think that a large number would have at least 2 of these machines. The new machine that will dominate the market will be and already is the tablet. Apple has cornered this market to date but this year will be the year of the Android competitor I believe. Another competitor will be RIM's Playbook which will be embraced by the business community due to its' security protocols and business applications. This is a machine that I will look into purchasing this fall.
It look like spring is finally here to stay. However you may look at it, for the last number of years the weather patterns just do not seem to be the way they once were. There are wild swings in temperature from the plus 30C. to Zero within days, extremely high winds are more the norm rather than the exception. Even the harbingers of Spring - birds, seem to be conspicuous by their absence this year. In Canada flooding of low lying areas is higher than normal as well.
Yet........... you gotta feel better about things in general now that Spring has come. Plans for the yard and garden are devised. Possible vacation trips are now discussed in terms of when and not if. One looks at the yard tools with pleasure and not with the relief that is felt felt in Fall when putting them away for the Winter.
That is it for another week, so take care out there.....
flatlander52
One of the least mentioned stories is that of the conflicting polls issue. It seems that every day day there are polls issued that wildly contradict themselves from the days preceeding. First there will be a Conservative majority, there there will not be. The Liberals surge, then retreat. Is it me or do you get a sense that the media at times is more intent on making the news than reporting on it?
On the international front it appears that the rebellion in Libya may possibly be either winding down or turning into an ugly long drawn out civil war. This seems to be a great example of how the politicians in Europe can ruin an opportunity by their indecision - or as some may call - cowardice. When the Americans were on the leading edge of the armed forces there was no hesitation on armed intervention at all. The tide was turning towards the rebels and they were appreciative of the Americans aid. Now that NATO has taken over, you can see the opposite happening. There can be a lag time of up to 8 hours on target attack. There have been instances where NATO has attacked rebels tanks and supporters. Now the forces of the dictator seem to be gaining the upper hand and if they prevail, you can expect horrific retribution to follow.
And the terrible irony of this is that in all likelihood the Americans will be blamed rather than the weakneed Europeans who have twice in the last 100 years had to rely on the Yanks (as well as the Canadians) to solve their struggles in the 2 world wars.
What did we ever do without the mighty computer?
This machine has done more to change the course of history than almost any other device that I can think of. I would suggest that in most North American homes the per centage of those without one would be very small.In fact I would think that a large number would have at least 2 of these machines. The new machine that will dominate the market will be and already is the tablet. Apple has cornered this market to date but this year will be the year of the Android competitor I believe. Another competitor will be RIM's Playbook which will be embraced by the business community due to its' security protocols and business applications. This is a machine that I will look into purchasing this fall.
It look like spring is finally here to stay. However you may look at it, for the last number of years the weather patterns just do not seem to be the way they once were. There are wild swings in temperature from the plus 30C. to Zero within days, extremely high winds are more the norm rather than the exception. Even the harbingers of Spring - birds, seem to be conspicuous by their absence this year. In Canada flooding of low lying areas is higher than normal as well.
Yet........... you gotta feel better about things in general now that Spring has come. Plans for the yard and garden are devised. Possible vacation trips are now discussed in terms of when and not if. One looks at the yard tools with pleasure and not with the relief that is felt felt in Fall when putting them away for the Winter.
That is it for another week, so take care out there.....
flatlander52
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sunday musings
Well, week one in the Canadian Federal election is in the books. At this point no one topic has emerged as to the be called The Topic but there are a couple that may yet expand further. One is the curious reluctance of the Prime Minister to answer reporters questions at any photo op. In fact there have been occasions where the media is forced to stand behind a railing set far away from the Prime Minister. And when he does take a question, limits the number to one or two - really bad optics for the voters. Another item has been the curious flip flop from the Prime Minister in regards to a one on one leaders debate with the leader of the Official Opposition. One day he will, then the next day he will not. Not quite the decisive image his handlers are trying to portray. We will see if this continues to have a life this week. Other than that there seems to be a sense of apathy among the electorate which could mean another minority government that depends on Opposition support to pass legislation. Many observers are now of the opinion that this is not a good thing for the country anymore as it seems to lead to passage of "blanket' legislation to appeal to every interest group at the same time which is a detriment to the country as a whole.
The other Opposition parties are still looking for the "hot" topic that they can focus on and exploit to their advantage.
Have you been following the debate in the United States in cutting benefits to the Medicare and Medicaid system?
It seems that the people most affected by these proposed (2012) changes are seniors in nursing homes, single mothers and men without health insurance. Why is it that such a great country would attack the helpless and on the other hand pass legislation that reduces or eliminates taxes on the really wealthy or attacks unions while not bringing in a Value added tax that is fair and would reduce the national debt?
It really is confusing to an observer from out of the country.
There is a majour shift happening on the world stage in regards to the involvement of the United States in the so called "hot spots" of Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2014 the Americans will be gone from Afghanistan, they are presently withdrawing from Pakistan and are now turning over the lead role in Libya to NATO.
I am extremely interested to see what if any role the rest of the international community takes in those countries. The European Union has befitted for decades under the American safety umbrella. With the exception of England, there has been little or no involvement in peace keeping, whether through direct participation or through that hobbled institution called the United Nations.
Where is Africa in these matters?
The least these countries could have done over the years would have been to pay for the cost of these military operations, instead they pay lip service to the concept of "freedom" and ignore what is in front of them.
One of the features of modern society is its mobility. Just look at the number of people that have fled Tunisia and now are in Italy. Look at the large number of Muslim workers that have followed the work trail in order to support their families. One unforeseen result is the creation of large communities in European countries that are slowly starting to agitate for Sharia law, a law whose basis is quite different from that of the democratic system.
It seems that winter is slowly, reluctantly giving way to Spring. Since the last posting we have had almost a full week of snow melting temperatures, mind you at a very gradual rate due to low temperature. And then last night another 10 cm fell but that too is slowly melting away already.
So, until next week, take care,
flatlander 52
The other Opposition parties are still looking for the "hot" topic that they can focus on and exploit to their advantage.
Have you been following the debate in the United States in cutting benefits to the Medicare and Medicaid system?
It seems that the people most affected by these proposed (2012) changes are seniors in nursing homes, single mothers and men without health insurance. Why is it that such a great country would attack the helpless and on the other hand pass legislation that reduces or eliminates taxes on the really wealthy or attacks unions while not bringing in a Value added tax that is fair and would reduce the national debt?
It really is confusing to an observer from out of the country.
There is a majour shift happening on the world stage in regards to the involvement of the United States in the so called "hot spots" of Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2014 the Americans will be gone from Afghanistan, they are presently withdrawing from Pakistan and are now turning over the lead role in Libya to NATO.
I am extremely interested to see what if any role the rest of the international community takes in those countries. The European Union has befitted for decades under the American safety umbrella. With the exception of England, there has been little or no involvement in peace keeping, whether through direct participation or through that hobbled institution called the United Nations.
Where is Africa in these matters?
The least these countries could have done over the years would have been to pay for the cost of these military operations, instead they pay lip service to the concept of "freedom" and ignore what is in front of them.
One of the features of modern society is its mobility. Just look at the number of people that have fled Tunisia and now are in Italy. Look at the large number of Muslim workers that have followed the work trail in order to support their families. One unforeseen result is the creation of large communities in European countries that are slowly starting to agitate for Sharia law, a law whose basis is quite different from that of the democratic system.
It seems that winter is slowly, reluctantly giving way to Spring. Since the last posting we have had almost a full week of snow melting temperatures, mind you at a very gradual rate due to low temperature. And then last night another 10 cm fell but that too is slowly melting away already.
So, until next week, take care,
flatlander 52
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