Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sunday musings

Well today is the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the twin towers in New York city in the United States where over 3,000 people were murdered by assassins from a terrorist group called Al Queda at the direction of their leader Osama Ben Ladin, a native of an close American ally, Saudi Arabia.
That was a day for many when time stood still and the birds stopped singing and remains so to this day.
Throughout the States there will be countless ceremonies, both large and small, public and private in the sharing of intertwined personal and national remembrance and grief.
There will be many here in Canada that will share in those moments as we too were affected by the events. From sheltering stranded airliners in both Gander and Vancouver to providing physical and moral support, this country stood by the side of its neighbor in its moment of need.
May the world never forget the events of that day.
May the world never forgive those that killed innocent people in order to advance their cause as they saw it.
Never has monstrous evil been justified as a means of achieving an end.
Please, never again.

                                              -----------------------------
Greece on Friday appears to have slipped over the financial cliff and is now in default of its financial obligation territory. Many so called experts believe that the only way out of this mess is for Greece to leave the Euro and go back to its former currency, devalue it, force fiscal haircuts on bankers – and you bet they sure as Hell want no part of that! –and restart the economy from the ground up. This would involve a major rethink of the Greek mindset where taxpaying would be enforced for all working people including the wealthy. Trimming government payrolls of employees that work on phantom projects that ended decades ago. A rethinking of the social contract in terms of state funded allowances, programs and pensions. A bitter prospect indeed and I think that this is beyond the ability of the Greeks to do. The end result will be an impoverished country that has a GDP that resembles that of Albania or Somalia.
Did you know that Iceland, the country super rich in geo thermal power/electricity has only 11 electric cars?
To match this, Canadian Embassies are ordered to make sure that pictures of the Queen are hung in offices now. What a great bone head move for a country that wants to be respected in that it decides to pay homage to a foreign head of state.
Great play Mr. Prime Minister.
Oh ya, let us kick some more sand in the political face of the Quebec people.
Harvest is at the half way mark and the first frost of the fall is forecast for later this week which is right on time for the 2 events. Prices are up and forecasted quality and yields appear to be very good. This means more money in the pockets of the farmers and more flowing into the local/provincial economy. Great news indeed for the governing Saskatchewan Party as it heads into the November provincial election. Bad news if you belong to the Opposition New Democrat Party and especially for its aging leader who is in his 60’s and if not elected Premier or at least retains the same number of seats (which according to recent polls is highly unlikely) will face pressure to step aside in the early new year.
In Somalia authorities from world relief organizations predict 750,000 people will die in the next 4 months from starvation. Is anyone listening to the voices fading to silence as this holocaust marches forward? Where are world governments, the United Nations, the Arab League?
Where are they?
Damn them all for their blindness and apathy.
There but for the place of their birth would be them, and they do not care, instead they act as if nothing is wrong in that devastated country.
If there is a Hell, they have front row seats with their names engraved on them waiting for them.
It sure has been quiet over in North Korea lately. No nuke testing or shelling of islands held by the South. You can almost bet that something will happen in the next month or so to remind the world that they still are there. Almost like an annoying relative that just won’t shut up and listen when told to. Except this one is irrational and has the odd nuclear bomb in its hands – ouch indeed!
Remember that tsunami that hit Japan this year? Well the debris island of rubbish created by it is covering 2.2 million square feet of the ocean surface and should hit Hawaii in 2 years and the west Coast of North America a year later. That should affect fishing as well as possibly local weather patterns in the affected areas for a while I believe.
On a brighter side, this Monday is a special day for me. 5 years ago I was admitted to a local hospital under critical circumstances and given between 1 week and 3 months to live due to a number of medical conditions. The first week was touch and go from all accounts but after the second week things began to improve. After a month I was sent home, and now 5 years later as they say, the rest is history. I have had many great challenges and opportunities in my life but none compared to that struggle, and it continues to this day.
I have survived and am grateful.
Takes care out there,
Flatlander52

No comments:

Post a Comment