Sunday musings

So in Zimbabwe Mr. Mugabe, age 89, was once again re-elected as President of that fiscally destroyed and brutalized country.
And it only took the Electoral College under and hour and with less than 16% of the vote to declare him as President.
How cool is that?
16% and that gives you a victory – gawd, many many other “democratic” leaders wish desperately for something like this?
I guarantee you that our friends the Americans would not stand a moment for this, despite having an Electoral College with a wacky voting system, just look at the election lost by Mr. Gore for President as an example.
Here in Canada, many virulent on line posters that hate the Prime Minister, Mr. Harper have enough trouble with the fact he won a majourity of votes to become Prime Minister in their belief that he is not the leader of the country since he does not fit their idea of what a Prime minster should be and act like.
Sadly many of those posters are left wing people with blinders on and while loudly proclaiming the historic destiny of the socialist NDP to become the government of Canada, they overlook or ignore the fact that in many provinces where the NDP formed government, they did so by splitting the free enterprise vote and winning with a MINORITY of total votes.
Go figure....
In Italy, the Supreme Court upheld the criminal conviction of former Prime Minister Berlusconi and immediately as a result Mr. Berlusconi appeared on national TV (coincidentally a TV chain he owns) and demanded that he be given a Presidential pardon and warned that violence was very, very possible, even probable if he did not get his way.
Impressive bully isn't he?
One set of rules for him and one set for the rest of the people.
Arrgghhh.....
In the Canadian province of Manitoba there is an inquiry into the death of a young First Nations child in 2005.
Why so long for an inquiry anyway?
But to continue, the child was in and out of the foster care system but at the time of her death was with her birth parents.
Plain and simple, they starved her, they beat her and then they killed her.
And yet the inquiry hears from Elders from the First Nations community that this was the result of historic white man's colonialism.
Really...yes really...
A prominent observer wrote a column about this twisted logic and asked when will the First Nations community take responsibility for their lives and stop always blaming others for it? And many people see this as a valid question, especially in the context of the murder of a child by her parents – and not by white society.
It seems that there are more and more people openly asking the same question as they point to immigrants that come to Canada with hardly a penny and carve out a successful life for themselves and their families by dint of hard work, sweat and tears. And they ask if the immigrants can do so, why cannot the First Nations also?
Interesting times ahead one thinks.
Oh poor Spain.
Last week the IMF (International Monetary Fund) released a report that predicts that the country faces at least 5 more years with an unemployment rate in the 25% range. The report urges the Spanish Government to pass new reforms including ones that helps firms cut wages instead of firing people – oops, reducing staff...
The report also predicts a 1.6 % contraction of the economy this year and zero in 2014 and .03% in 2015 – bloody wonderful outlook eh?
What more can the people of Spain do or endure? Honestly, they have had jobs slashed year after year after year as well as pensions hacked to bits, banks failing, social welfare nets destroyed – what are they to do?
You know, this modern era reminds me of what I have read many years ago about the end of the Roman Empire. Incredible wealth, incredible poverty, incredible excesses (look at the rap singers, and athletes in America and the obscene money they “earn” and spend on trash and drugs and the like) and a general mood of despair and melancholy as well as anger against the infamous “them” no matter who they are or what they represent. Whether the “them” are a cultural subset, a race or of a different sexual orientation, it does not matter for they are seen to be the architects of the peoples despair and ill fortune.
I would not want to be a young infant this days with the future looking so clouded.
No, not at all and for that I grieve for them.
What world have we left them?
Not as good or as hopeful as the one we inherited I think.
Meanwhile, the French have shown the world that when it comes to big crimes – they can produce world class ones!
It seems that a lone gunman struck a luxury Cannes hotel last week, snatching a sack with more than $136 million in jewels in it before vanishing in the crowded French Riviera.
That will surely buy an incredible amount of McDonald's hamburgers you might think.
$136 million – simply incredible.
In Cleveland in the United States the individual (he will remain nameless as what he did destroys any chance of him being granted the courtesy of being called a man) who abducted 3 women and held them captive for years all the while beating and sexually assaulting them was sentenced to life in prison with no parole and an additional 1,000 years tacked on. Unbelievably in a statement to the court this individual claims that he is a victim as well as he was abused sexually as a child.
What the heck is with evildoers like this person who claim that the evil they did was not their fault – no, it always is somebody else at fault.
I am so tired of this nonsense and so tired that some people actually believe this crap and make excuses for them.
As a Judge on an American TV court show says, “man up and be a man” and be accountable.
But that is too much to expect from cowards isn't it?
OK, off to Hawaii and burning news about the state of preparedness of the local emergency sirens comes forth. Nineteen emergency sirens failed in Maui County, Hawai'i County and Kaua'i County in Thursday's monthly test, according to county officials.
And on the Island of Maui, the Maui Brewing Company is expanding its operations to keep up with demand for its beers, and for anyone who likes their beer — that’s good news for the Valley Isle and Hawaii.

Kind of put things in a better light, right?

Not all is gloom and doom, for if it was, well in the words of the immortal singer/songwriter, Jimmy Buffet - “ if we weren't all crazy, I would go insane”.

I would be remiss if I did not talk about the month of July here on my Island. We set a record for the most consecutive days without rain and also with the most sunlight this past month – 33 to be exact.

And I have to be honest here, a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius is not warm, it is downright hot! And yet, on the flatlands where I came from, that would just be warmish and hot is in the 35 plus range. Not too sure why the difference but no matter why, sure is welcome.

I continue to be impressed with how long the growing season is and the size plant become.

Those plants are 3 months old (actually a bit more but I digress...) and I marvel at them every day when I sit outside having a morning tea. And all I can grow are silk plants from the department store! These are the results of care from my better half who amazes me with what she can do with plants in this part of the world.

                                          3.5 months ago

                                         Now

We went to the harbour front this past week to show an air show put on by the world famous SnowBirds and what a treat that was for us and the thousands along the area. Precision flying at its best.

All in all, another great week here on my Island...

take care out there,

flatlander52