Sunday musings

Has the world flipped on its axis or did we enter a zone where everything reversed on us and no one told me?
Russia brokering some form of deal with the Assad regime Syria in regards to the disposal of chemical weapons and Mr. Putin hectoring the Americans via an article in a New York paper and calling them “not exceptional” and invoking God?
And the American President and Government backing down from the use of military force to intervene in Syria?
And there is no response from America except for a couple of politicos saying there were “outraged” and “humiliated”?
I am baffled.
This is the same Mr. Putin whose has his government passing extreme anti- gay laws?
He is lecturing the Americans on morals?
Hmmm....
And hmmm again.
And again, I am baffled and just don't get it.
Do you?
Not to rain on anyones parade in this, but have the chemical attacks on the people of Syria stopped at all?
Nope, didn't think so.
Is this a sign of the retreat from the international stage by America that I asked about recently?
Will we see America retreat from South Korea if the North Koreans throw a hissy fit?
Are the critics of Mr. Obama correct is saying he is an ineffective and weak leader?
I dunno.
I do say, that it is so easy for some to sit on the sidelines and savage those who lead. Many that do so – would crumple into snivelling wrecks if they were in the same position of authority. Indeed many of the most vocal and virulent critics of any and everything in society these days are the ones that refuse to accept any responsibility at all, whether in public or private life.
In fact one hears about this all the time. These critics rail on behalf of the homeless – but don't raise their taxes please. They are passionate against “big oil” and “dirty oil” all the while using their plastic based cell phones and computers which all are built on a petroleum base. They rant against those who have worked hard and as a result have wealth – but want more tax cuts for themselves while easily forgetting that the wealthy pay much more dollar wise to to various levels of government than they do. They disparage those living in expensive homes and areas of a city – but easily forget that in those areas the people pay extremely high property taxes as well. And yet these same morally superior people support a school system that no longer stresses pass or fail – as is the case in the real world, but instead says all will pass, regardless of aptitude. They want bike paths and free transit – who is to pay for this?
Of course, not them!
This crushing desire to bring all down to the most basic common level has to end and end soon.
You want an example of how this, when achieved fails those that it was supposed to serve? Look at China these days. I think it would be fair to say that the goal of the revolution was to make all equal and redistribute the wealth to help to poor and disadvantaged. Many would say that the lot of the average person in that country has indeed improved. But the ruling wealthy class that was to be abolished? It seems that more and more stories are emerging from the country itself about the obscene wealth many party officials have and continue to accrue.
The Utopia these professional critics and sceptics demand will never happen, the human condition will not permit it and maybe it is time for people to tell these people that.
In the Province of Quebec, the minority Separatist government has unveiled details of a Bill to enhance the freedom of society and of all people by restricting the rights of some of the self same people.
How like George Orwell's world vision of Hell on Earth is that?
In an honest world one might call this a Bill that promotes Ethnic Purity (hello National Socialism from Germany circa 1936 or so) as it appeals to the basic selfishness, some might say hatred, on anything non white or Catholic of a large percentage of the Quebec people where polls suggest support for this measure is strong. For a province where some want it to become a country in the world stage – how is such a racist attitude towards its citizens possible?
Pathetic.
Enough of this, how about Oktoberfest in Munich?
Crafty buggers those Germans, in a move that many hoteliers world wide would and probably do, envy, reports are coming from that city where in some strange occurrence of “timing” - room rates are jumping almost 500% for the days of the festival. As one who had the great pleasure of attending the festival many years ago, I wish that these kind people have a bee fly up their nose or somewhere else for their greed!
Another report from Berlin says that Diplomats from other countries have ignored over 5,000 tickets for driving infractions so far this year. This practice is world wide – so called diplomatic immunity. Well here is a novel idea – stop this BS practice once and for all. Make the buggers pay or boot them out of the country.
Enough already – OK?
Salvage workers will attempt to raise Italy's Costa Concordia cruise ship on Monday, weather permitting, in an unprecedented operation costing more than €600 million, officials said. According to reports, this is what is termed a “one off” opportunity. If it fails for whatever reason, the ship will never be able to be floated and other ways of scrapping it will have to be devised. One suspects the video coverage will be quite interesting.
Over on the Sandwich Islands a sad story came forth this week. Apparently while loading molasses onto a ship for transport, a massive spill ensued with a huge amount of the sweet product being spilled into Honolulu harbour. As a result, large amounts of sea life perished and continues to die from the sugary mass or is it mess? Unlike other pollutants, this will not disperse but instead has sunk to the harbour bottom directly and will affect sea life for a long long time to come. It is not only oil spills that wreak havoc on marine life sadly.
Remember, it seems like yesterday to some, that when Apple Corp. unveiled a “new” product, how the tech world swooned and people lined up for blocks to be the first to buy one? Well, “the times they have a changed” (sorry Mr. Dylan) where as this week there was such an event and it seemed like there was no big buzz, indeed it seemed that the tech world just yawned. Apple stock fell a chunk as well as a result it appears. So what if there is a gold coloured/champagne like model now? And so what if it is a little better than the previous version? Or even the introduction of a “cheaper” (not really when it is costed out) model for the masses?
Has the short attention span of the modern techie been reached?
Perhaps.
So....on a walk around a local ocean front park this week, my eagle eyed better half spotted “something” in a tree, oh about 100 kilometres away – gawd she has great vision compared to this old stumbling disaster – and of course I whipped out my trusty zoom lens camera apparatus and got a superb shot of, err, something... definitely not a crow but a big – whatever the heck it is!

This week sees the arrival of our friends from the Flatlands and that is going to be a good time for all I think. While my better half and his explore the area, he and I will be golfing and I have devised myriad different ways of creative cheating to bedevil him with – I cannot wait!
Take care out there,
flatlander52