Sunday musings

So a fishing trawler was cast adrift and empty after the tsunami in Japan last year. Against all odds it managed to float across the Pacific before heading up the Canadian coastline towards Alaska. Say what you want about the Americans, but they just do not mess around when it comes to possible bad consequences to people or property or the country from without - they act quickly and decisively. They sank the boat with gun fire from a coast guard boat. Here in Canada we would have struck a commission to review the facts, see if it upset special interest groups and then delayed a decision for a decade and to heck with what would happen when the ship ran aground and spilled its fuel on the shoreline.

In a small town in Austria, local authorities had to remove a family headstone in the local cemetery because over the years neo-Nazi thugs had left trash and momentoes there on dates of significance to the brutal regime of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. The gravesite was that of Alois Hitler, the father of Adolph Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party. A man who wanted nothing to do with the son and yet is forever linked to him.

In Mali there is hope for the future now. A military coup a few weeks ago has been resolved through diplomatic efforts and the result will be that civilian rule will be brought back in to run the country. A 15 nation block of countries named ECOWAS is responsible for these results. And as one who has been critical of African diplomatic efforts or lack of in the past, I must say that I am impressed.

Here in Canada we have an election being contested in the province of Alberta. Two parties are running to form government. The irony of this is the one labelled Conservative, more closely resembles in thought and actions that of a very Liberal type of party. The other is much more right wing, less government more free enterprise of bent. Yet both are doing the usual bull crap of thinking voters are idiots by promising “free” cash rebates – who but the same taxpayer pays for this anyway? Why do politicians wonder why the voting public is so sick and tired of them and their tired old games?

In British Columbia, there is an election to be called for in 2013 and all signs point to the incumbent party losing. There is time to turn things around but from all actions to date, that seems to be next to impossible.

The leader of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez is scheduled to return to Cuba for more cancer treatments – yet he insists that he is in perfect health and will retain the Presidency for another 6 years in the upcoming elections.

I wonder about this.

Hey, you have heard of PETA? The group dedicated to humane treatment of animals and against things like the fur industry, sealing, meat consumption and the like? Do me a favour and look up what they do in their animal shelters to orphaned animals.

Euthanasia is the word here, and what is done to the animals in the name of efficiency is wrong, doubly wrong based on what PETA supposedly stands for.

In Greece a pensioner killed himself by pistol in protest to rollbacks on pension money from the government as part of its austerity program. Riots have followed but sadly, nothing can come of this. The decades of people getting many benefits from the government financed by borrowing against phantom growth projections has hit a fiscal “brick wall”. There is no money left and the government, as it seems all governments in democratic countries, will never tax the wealthy fairly as much as they extract fiscal revenge on the poor and the middle class. Even if the wealthy paid higher taxes, the amount would never be near enough to stop the fiscal bleeding. As a friend said the other day to me,” I hate growing older but thank God I am not 20 in this day and age and trying to plan for the fiscal future.”

I see in America the dept. of Justice is pursuing a case of price fixing against a number of electronic book publishers/sellers including the mighty Apple corp. Many people have wondered why electronic books based on a master digital file can cost as much or even more than an actually printed copy. As a former print industry member, this has been a question I have wondered about as well. Now news reports indicate that some of the group is planning to drop the price fixing model and revert to a free enterprise pricing system – will wonders never cease? Also I wonder if any other world government would have had the courage to do the same? I cannot see the spineless Canadian government doing this unfortunately.

On to Spring on the Prairies – it snowed Friday night for crying out loud!

Ah well, not to worry, most of it melted Saturday and the rest will be gone by Monday we are assured.

I have already started to purchase yard supplies for the yearly refresh and upgrade that must be done. And yes even though we will be moving out West, maintenance must be done for a house and yard are almost organic things and must be kept in good repair or can and do deteriorate slowly but surely if ignored. Time to dust off tools, rakes, charge up the eco-mower and connect the underground sprinkler lines, and cheerfully put the snow blower into storage until next winter.

And for you trivia history buffs – here are 2 little known facts for you on this day in history-

1868 - Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation is assassinated by the Irish, in one of the few Canadian political assassinations, and the only one of a federal politician.
1888 - Start of Sherlock Holmes adventure "Yellow Face" (BG)

Who knew eh?

Take care out there,

flatlander52