Sunday musings

Well, the war in Syria is back in the news again for all the wrong reasons. Anyone naive enough to want a peaceful settlement to the conflict should now have all their illusions shattered. In the UN (big surprise here) Russia blocked a “declaration of alarm” over the turmoil in the city of Qusair.

First off, a “declaration”?

As the hip youth say, WTF? Or as we older farts says, what the hell?

A “declaration”?

That's it?

With all the death and destruction?

A “declaration” and no more?

Toothless, useless organization, the UN.

A waste of money, time and space.

Also in Syria, reports are emerging that the regime is getting new MIG fighters, and missiles from Russia these days.

Does the UN do anything about that?

Ha!

It is enough to make mountains weep....

There is a body of opinion that the European Union and related agencies are nothing more than a paper castle of technocrats running roughshod over individual countries and their economies and rights. People point to the soulless rulings on the banking system of countries like Cyprus and Spain and the devastation on the lives and savings of the average citizen while the the technocrats live in Versailles like splendour away from day to day realities secure in wage protections and the like. Well, now comes word that indeed the EU has 2 combat battalions ready for deployment in armed conflicts in Europe. The fact is that they have never been used as the EU technocrats are afraid of adverse public opinion. So in cases like Bosnia, they had “foreigners” aka Yanks, Canucks, fight their bloody war for them. And of course criticized the crap out of those countries for doing what they lacked the courage to do.

So, the moral of this is, if you want a zero risk, well paid, underworked, many day off career – join the EU military!

Never have to work a day at all!

Oh the absurdity of the EU, and also the sheer hypocrisy of the Continent in the way it views the rest of the world.

Slam the Americans and to an extent the Canadians, but at least they put their people in harms way to protect democracy.

Agghhhhh......

In Toronto, the Mayor has been under attack by media and some say, special interest groups over alleged drug use and probably the fact that he is overweight and they just do not like him. So they organized a “massive” public protest this weekend demanding that he resign. All reports indicate that in a city of millions, only a few hundred or so turned out for the “massive” rally.

Do you think that maybe the media these days seems a little full of itself and its own perceived importance to the smooth running of the universe?

How many times has a video of a demonstration or rally accidentally panned behind the front line protestors to show that oops – maybe a hundred or two hundred people were actually making up the group that some breathless reporter described as being a turnout of thousands, no, tens of thousands?

Something perhaps like the coverage of the Idle No More protests that happened last year in Canada.

What ever became of those anyway?

Or the Occupy Movement?

See where this is going?

Thought so.

We lost another good person this week.

Jean Stapleton left us at the age of 90.

A wonderful actress, great humanitarian, she will always be fondly remembered for being the “wife” of the iconic American TV sitcom hero, Archie Bunker. This show will be recalled by older viewers as one that radically broke the syrupy smooth stereotype image of the American family from one of husband, wife, kids and a dog with glitter and sunbeams all around them to one of a family fighting lack of money, full of prejudices and attitudes and yet, still, with echoes of ourselves in them.

Heady stuff for those days. And she evolved in the series from a scatterbrained lady to one with character and dignity, especially as her character died from cancer in the series.

And she was even more impressive in her private life.

And who are the role models these days?

Not to disparage them, but would you list folks like Justin Bieber or Amanda Bynes?

No, didn't think so.

But who is there for our kids that the media would even acknowledge?

It is all about shock news sadly, so good people just don't cut it do they?

Good news here, newly elected members of Pakistan's National Assembly were sworn in Saturday. This marks the first transition of power between democratically elected civilian governments in the nearly 66-year history of this coup-prone country.

Sometimes there are rays of hope in the world aren't there?

Good for Pakistan.

Have you followed the advent and soon to be full scale introduction of Google Glass?

If not, it is a tool shaped like a pair of eyeglasses that the user wears full time. It has a small image projection on one lens that for all intents is a small computer screen running in real time. So the wearer can access their email, browse the web and other items.

Items such as possibly video taping you without your knowledge or consent.

Or facial recognition.

Of course Google says that this is not in the plans.

Sure.

This is wrong, plain and simple.

Enough already with worship of technology and damn peoples rights in the stampeded to get the newest, fastest , latest bit of whatever.

Enough is enough.

Speaking of Venezuela, as a result of rampant inflation and resultant shortages, majour black market operations are flourishing apparently. This week police in Caracas seized nearly 2,500 rolls of toilet paper in an overnight raid of a clandestine warehouse storing scarce goods.

How crappy is that anyway?

Is Spain in deep economic trouble?

Silly question as obviously it is and reports are coming out about how deeply affected the health care system there is these days as a consequence. A recently passed law has limited access to health care for foreigners in Spain. In fact there are cases where care has been refused point blank. And this is happening in Europe, long praised by left wing thinkers as the “caring” part of the world as compared to cruel Canada or America.

Something to think about isn't it?

In breaking news from my favourite Hawaiian Island of Maui, there was a small fire in the bakery of the Safeway grocery store in Lahaina town. No damages and the store reopened in a few hours.

Island life, something else indeed.

Here on my Island, the big story is the fact that city council wants to install parking meters in the downtown area! There are some streets that offer 2 hour free parking and that is now in peril. Of course local old timers are in full petition mode and display outrage to one and all.

Island life, as said before, something else indeed.

My better half now walks with a pedometer in order to make sure that the infamous “10,000 steps for good health” is met each and every day. Of course, somehow I am involved in this pursuit of anatomical perfection – whether I want to be or not! I drag my sorry carcass after her on walks around parks, shorelines, harbour fronts, mall, and of course endless plant nurseries looking for the fabled “just one more I promise” plant.....

I need to hire a stand in so I can fall back into my recliner and enjoy the day in slothful bliss.........

take care out there,

flatlander52