Well as the saying goes, what a difference a week makes here in the Canadian federal election. Whereas before support for the NDP seemed to have leveled off, now it appears to be picking up steam in the least likeliest places of all - Quebec. This new support seems to be mainly coming at the expense of the Liberal party. There was 2 nights of televised leaders debates - one in English and the other in French. Only in Canada would one be rescheduled to another day as to not conflict with the start of the National Hockey Leagues' playoffs. There was no "gotcha" moment for any Leader but there was at least one moment of true honesty that one must admire from the leader of the separatist party, Bloc Quebecois, who chided the leader of the NDP by saying that they both knew that they would never form the head of the Canadian Government. Such candor almost wishes for such a person to lead a similar party in their own province. After all the goals of the Bloc are focused on what is good for Quebec and it has held the rest of the country accountable - some would say hostage - to this strategy with great effect.
Remember the saying - think locally, act globally? Well that is what is happening in the province of Saskatchewan at the present and watch out for its effect in the near future. Last summer and fall was one of the wettest in history. Add to that near record levels of snow this winter and you have an occasion of severe flooding happening at this moment. Valuable farmland will be flooded for a long time this year making the possibility of a good harvest slim. The result of that will have a huge impact on the prices in an already stretched food chain. If you thought prices were high last year, wait and see what occurs this year. And like all increases, once the genie is out of the bottle, it is almost impossible to get it back in again. Look at the price of gasoline. It goes up 4 cents a litre and then drops 2 cents. Once a consumer gets used to a new higher price, there it stays.
Have you noticed the latest trend in packaging these days? That is where the price on tinned goods stays the same but the size of the can "shrinks?
Have you noticed that the hamburger you bought at a local drive through seems smaller now?
Well it is.
It looks more and more that civil war is the outcome to the strife in Libya.
The international community had a great opportunity to do the right thing - and they blew it without a doubt. This lack of decisiveness will come back to haunt the international community without any question.
Another topic for discussion soon will be the economic health of the European Union. If you think that this does not have any effect of the rest of the world, you are mistaken.
On the bright side, have you looked into a mirror lately and seen your dad/mom looking back at you?
Remember as a young person how you swore to never be like your parents and make the same silly mistakes they did and now you are?
Or how your complaints about young people seem to have a strange echo to theirs?
Whatever happened to the difference in the world you were going to be and make?
Maybe it is just the natural cycle of life happening.
Or finally the start of some sort of wisdom finally.
There are more and more days now where you can see the other side of a discussion really does have valid points and should be considered.
Then again, just remember that next week is the time when you can be a kid again and look around the house and yard for chocolate Easter eggs and then eat them all in one sitting!
Have a good week and take care out there,
flatlander52
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday musings
Well another week in the national election campaign is now over and what have we learned? First off the Prime Minister continues to sit within his protective bubble away from the questioning media. That the opposition Liberals have yet to find a topic that will ignite the voters. That the support for the left wing New Democratic Party seems to have plateaued and may even be dropping. And the separatist Bloc Quebecois remains isolated and really never has, and never will promote anything remotely like a platform of ideas but rather prefers to mount a campaign of blackmail towards the rest of the country with the promise of separation of some sort - not really a true new country but rather a common union approach as in Europe. The one where they can have all the pluses - currency, stability, international recognition, social benefits without the costs involved.
One of the least mentioned stories is that of the conflicting polls issue. It seems that every day day there are polls issued that wildly contradict themselves from the days preceeding. First there will be a Conservative majority, there there will not be. The Liberals surge, then retreat. Is it me or do you get a sense that the media at times is more intent on making the news than reporting on it?
On the international front it appears that the rebellion in Libya may possibly be either winding down or turning into an ugly long drawn out civil war. This seems to be a great example of how the politicians in Europe can ruin an opportunity by their indecision - or as some may call - cowardice. When the Americans were on the leading edge of the armed forces there was no hesitation on armed intervention at all. The tide was turning towards the rebels and they were appreciative of the Americans aid. Now that NATO has taken over, you can see the opposite happening. There can be a lag time of up to 8 hours on target attack. There have been instances where NATO has attacked rebels tanks and supporters. Now the forces of the dictator seem to be gaining the upper hand and if they prevail, you can expect horrific retribution to follow.
And the terrible irony of this is that in all likelihood the Americans will be blamed rather than the weakneed Europeans who have twice in the last 100 years had to rely on the Yanks (as well as the Canadians) to solve their struggles in the 2 world wars.
What did we ever do without the mighty computer?
This machine has done more to change the course of history than almost any other device that I can think of. I would suggest that in most North American homes the per centage of those without one would be very small.In fact I would think that a large number would have at least 2 of these machines. The new machine that will dominate the market will be and already is the tablet. Apple has cornered this market to date but this year will be the year of the Android competitor I believe. Another competitor will be RIM's Playbook which will be embraced by the business community due to its' security protocols and business applications. This is a machine that I will look into purchasing this fall.
It look like spring is finally here to stay. However you may look at it, for the last number of years the weather patterns just do not seem to be the way they once were. There are wild swings in temperature from the plus 30C. to Zero within days, extremely high winds are more the norm rather than the exception. Even the harbingers of Spring - birds, seem to be conspicuous by their absence this year. In Canada flooding of low lying areas is higher than normal as well.
Yet........... you gotta feel better about things in general now that Spring has come. Plans for the yard and garden are devised. Possible vacation trips are now discussed in terms of when and not if. One looks at the yard tools with pleasure and not with the relief that is felt felt in Fall when putting them away for the Winter.
That is it for another week, so take care out there.....
flatlander52
One of the least mentioned stories is that of the conflicting polls issue. It seems that every day day there are polls issued that wildly contradict themselves from the days preceeding. First there will be a Conservative majority, there there will not be. The Liberals surge, then retreat. Is it me or do you get a sense that the media at times is more intent on making the news than reporting on it?
On the international front it appears that the rebellion in Libya may possibly be either winding down or turning into an ugly long drawn out civil war. This seems to be a great example of how the politicians in Europe can ruin an opportunity by their indecision - or as some may call - cowardice. When the Americans were on the leading edge of the armed forces there was no hesitation on armed intervention at all. The tide was turning towards the rebels and they were appreciative of the Americans aid. Now that NATO has taken over, you can see the opposite happening. There can be a lag time of up to 8 hours on target attack. There have been instances where NATO has attacked rebels tanks and supporters. Now the forces of the dictator seem to be gaining the upper hand and if they prevail, you can expect horrific retribution to follow.
And the terrible irony of this is that in all likelihood the Americans will be blamed rather than the weakneed Europeans who have twice in the last 100 years had to rely on the Yanks (as well as the Canadians) to solve their struggles in the 2 world wars.
What did we ever do without the mighty computer?
This machine has done more to change the course of history than almost any other device that I can think of. I would suggest that in most North American homes the per centage of those without one would be very small.In fact I would think that a large number would have at least 2 of these machines. The new machine that will dominate the market will be and already is the tablet. Apple has cornered this market to date but this year will be the year of the Android competitor I believe. Another competitor will be RIM's Playbook which will be embraced by the business community due to its' security protocols and business applications. This is a machine that I will look into purchasing this fall.
It look like spring is finally here to stay. However you may look at it, for the last number of years the weather patterns just do not seem to be the way they once were. There are wild swings in temperature from the plus 30C. to Zero within days, extremely high winds are more the norm rather than the exception. Even the harbingers of Spring - birds, seem to be conspicuous by their absence this year. In Canada flooding of low lying areas is higher than normal as well.
Yet........... you gotta feel better about things in general now that Spring has come. Plans for the yard and garden are devised. Possible vacation trips are now discussed in terms of when and not if. One looks at the yard tools with pleasure and not with the relief that is felt felt in Fall when putting them away for the Winter.
That is it for another week, so take care out there.....
flatlander52
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sunday musings
Well, week one in the Canadian Federal election is in the books. At this point no one topic has emerged as to the be called The Topic but there are a couple that may yet expand further. One is the curious reluctance of the Prime Minister to answer reporters questions at any photo op. In fact there have been occasions where the media is forced to stand behind a railing set far away from the Prime Minister. And when he does take a question, limits the number to one or two - really bad optics for the voters. Another item has been the curious flip flop from the Prime Minister in regards to a one on one leaders debate with the leader of the Official Opposition. One day he will, then the next day he will not. Not quite the decisive image his handlers are trying to portray. We will see if this continues to have a life this week. Other than that there seems to be a sense of apathy among the electorate which could mean another minority government that depends on Opposition support to pass legislation. Many observers are now of the opinion that this is not a good thing for the country anymore as it seems to lead to passage of "blanket' legislation to appeal to every interest group at the same time which is a detriment to the country as a whole.
The other Opposition parties are still looking for the "hot" topic that they can focus on and exploit to their advantage.
Have you been following the debate in the United States in cutting benefits to the Medicare and Medicaid system?
It seems that the people most affected by these proposed (2012) changes are seniors in nursing homes, single mothers and men without health insurance. Why is it that such a great country would attack the helpless and on the other hand pass legislation that reduces or eliminates taxes on the really wealthy or attacks unions while not bringing in a Value added tax that is fair and would reduce the national debt?
It really is confusing to an observer from out of the country.
There is a majour shift happening on the world stage in regards to the involvement of the United States in the so called "hot spots" of Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2014 the Americans will be gone from Afghanistan, they are presently withdrawing from Pakistan and are now turning over the lead role in Libya to NATO.
I am extremely interested to see what if any role the rest of the international community takes in those countries. The European Union has befitted for decades under the American safety umbrella. With the exception of England, there has been little or no involvement in peace keeping, whether through direct participation or through that hobbled institution called the United Nations.
Where is Africa in these matters?
The least these countries could have done over the years would have been to pay for the cost of these military operations, instead they pay lip service to the concept of "freedom" and ignore what is in front of them.
One of the features of modern society is its mobility. Just look at the number of people that have fled Tunisia and now are in Italy. Look at the large number of Muslim workers that have followed the work trail in order to support their families. One unforeseen result is the creation of large communities in European countries that are slowly starting to agitate for Sharia law, a law whose basis is quite different from that of the democratic system.
It seems that winter is slowly, reluctantly giving way to Spring. Since the last posting we have had almost a full week of snow melting temperatures, mind you at a very gradual rate due to low temperature. And then last night another 10 cm fell but that too is slowly melting away already.
So, until next week, take care,
flatlander 52
The other Opposition parties are still looking for the "hot" topic that they can focus on and exploit to their advantage.
Have you been following the debate in the United States in cutting benefits to the Medicare and Medicaid system?
It seems that the people most affected by these proposed (2012) changes are seniors in nursing homes, single mothers and men without health insurance. Why is it that such a great country would attack the helpless and on the other hand pass legislation that reduces or eliminates taxes on the really wealthy or attacks unions while not bringing in a Value added tax that is fair and would reduce the national debt?
It really is confusing to an observer from out of the country.
There is a majour shift happening on the world stage in regards to the involvement of the United States in the so called "hot spots" of Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2014 the Americans will be gone from Afghanistan, they are presently withdrawing from Pakistan and are now turning over the lead role in Libya to NATO.
I am extremely interested to see what if any role the rest of the international community takes in those countries. The European Union has befitted for decades under the American safety umbrella. With the exception of England, there has been little or no involvement in peace keeping, whether through direct participation or through that hobbled institution called the United Nations.
Where is Africa in these matters?
The least these countries could have done over the years would have been to pay for the cost of these military operations, instead they pay lip service to the concept of "freedom" and ignore what is in front of them.
One of the features of modern society is its mobility. Just look at the number of people that have fled Tunisia and now are in Italy. Look at the large number of Muslim workers that have followed the work trail in order to support their families. One unforeseen result is the creation of large communities in European countries that are slowly starting to agitate for Sharia law, a law whose basis is quite different from that of the democratic system.
It seems that winter is slowly, reluctantly giving way to Spring. Since the last posting we have had almost a full week of snow melting temperatures, mind you at a very gradual rate due to low temperature. And then last night another 10 cm fell but that too is slowly melting away already.
So, until next week, take care,
flatlander 52
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday musings
So the worlds women's curling championship are on today. If you have had the opportunity to follow the game you might be both surprised and disappointed at the lack of audiences in those games being held in Denmark. Every time they show a shot of the stands it seems the seats are half full and the ice rink itself seems tiny in comparison to those in Canada. Crowds of 5,000 plus are not uncommon there and today the crowd numbers in the hundreds and many seem to be curlers from the event itself.
The finalists are Sweden and Canada with the Canadian team being from a town called Kroneau (near Regina) Saskatchewan.
Sweden wins it with a steal of 2 in the final end.
Canada ends up with silver.
Well, as is said in Saskatchewan, there is always next year!
So Canada is now starting a 35 day sprint to a Federal election. There are 2 main parties, one called the Conservatives that presently are in power. The other is the Liberal which for years was the natural ruling party of the country.
There are 3 fringe parties as well .
One is the left wing NDP which to many resembles a tiny little yappy dog nipping at your heels. The other is the Bloc Quebecois which is a regional party from the province of Quebec (which has a disproportionate number of representatives not based on representation by population as is the rest of Canada- this cruel error was done in the formation of the country) whose main goal is to hold the rest of Canada hostage to the financial demands of that region. In fact the rest of Canada subsidizes that region by billions of dollars each year to support education,day care, infrastructure projects among others that are not available in the rest of the country. The third are the Greens and while they have no representation in the parliament divert votes from the other 2 national parties like the NDP do. In fact pundits argue that these 3 parties are the reason behind a lack of majority government for the last 7 years. The Conservatives are running on a platform of who is best to manage the Canadian economy in these fragile times while the Liberals are not offering alternatives at this point but running against what they call the arrogance and deceit of the Conservatives. At this early stage no one topic has emerged to be the hot one to excite the voters. That should emerge in the next week or so I believe.
I had an interesting conversation with a senior citizen this week who observed that the solution to high prices etc. would be to cut wages and prices back to those of 20 years ago. Sounds simple enough, but would it work?
No, no way because it assumes that the rest of the world would go along with this. Would emerging nations slash their standard of living back 20 years? Would oil exporting countries reduce the cost of oil? Just a couple of examples of why this is a wish of fantasy and not a cold look at reality. Only affluent societies can yearn for those times, the others are too busy catching up to want to go back to the "good old days".
We live in the moment at all times and must adjust, adapt and survive to the moment. The best do and prosper, the ones who cannot do so will and do fall behind.
Brutal but true.
On the topic of 20 years ago, now in hindsight, are there things that you wished you had done different? Or had pursued instead of walking away from? Sometimes when one has a quiet reflective moment, do you wish so? Yet if you are honest, you would not be the person that you are today if you had not followed the path you did.
But, the possibilities........
Have a great week and take care out there,
The finalists are Sweden and Canada with the Canadian team being from a town called Kroneau (near Regina) Saskatchewan.
Sweden wins it with a steal of 2 in the final end.
Canada ends up with silver.
Well, as is said in Saskatchewan, there is always next year!
So Canada is now starting a 35 day sprint to a Federal election. There are 2 main parties, one called the Conservatives that presently are in power. The other is the Liberal which for years was the natural ruling party of the country.
There are 3 fringe parties as well .
One is the left wing NDP which to many resembles a tiny little yappy dog nipping at your heels. The other is the Bloc Quebecois which is a regional party from the province of Quebec (which has a disproportionate number of representatives not based on representation by population as is the rest of Canada- this cruel error was done in the formation of the country) whose main goal is to hold the rest of Canada hostage to the financial demands of that region. In fact the rest of Canada subsidizes that region by billions of dollars each year to support education,day care, infrastructure projects among others that are not available in the rest of the country. The third are the Greens and while they have no representation in the parliament divert votes from the other 2 national parties like the NDP do. In fact pundits argue that these 3 parties are the reason behind a lack of majority government for the last 7 years. The Conservatives are running on a platform of who is best to manage the Canadian economy in these fragile times while the Liberals are not offering alternatives at this point but running against what they call the arrogance and deceit of the Conservatives. At this early stage no one topic has emerged to be the hot one to excite the voters. That should emerge in the next week or so I believe.
I had an interesting conversation with a senior citizen this week who observed that the solution to high prices etc. would be to cut wages and prices back to those of 20 years ago. Sounds simple enough, but would it work?
No, no way because it assumes that the rest of the world would go along with this. Would emerging nations slash their standard of living back 20 years? Would oil exporting countries reduce the cost of oil? Just a couple of examples of why this is a wish of fantasy and not a cold look at reality. Only affluent societies can yearn for those times, the others are too busy catching up to want to go back to the "good old days".
We live in the moment at all times and must adjust, adapt and survive to the moment. The best do and prosper, the ones who cannot do so will and do fall behind.
Brutal but true.
On the topic of 20 years ago, now in hindsight, are there things that you wished you had done different? Or had pursued instead of walking away from? Sometimes when one has a quiet reflective moment, do you wish so? Yet if you are honest, you would not be the person that you are today if you had not followed the path you did.
But, the possibilities........
Have a great week and take care out there,
Flatlander52
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday musings
Well, another Sunday, another day of light snow hitting the ground. I doubt if you will find too many complaints on this compared to other places around the world.
Will the Japanese ever get mastery over their damaged nuclear reactors?
I think so.
What is ironic is the mass hysteria on the West coast of Canada and the United States of people rushing to buy iodine pills to counteract the effects of radiation.
Well, so far there have only been trace amounts detected with doubts if there is more to come.
What this has shown in the massive integration of the world economy. American auto production is sputtering due to a lack of parts from Japan. Even production (done in China) of the mighty Ipad is slowing due to a shortage of parts manufactured in Japan.
This all comes at a cost and this is starting to ripple throughout the world economy that has just started taking baby steps towards any semblance of a recovery.
Experts suggest that another recession is imminent. Just what we needed to hear.
On a single person level, why is the world lapping up the disintegration of Charlie Sheen?
Nobody deliberately sets out to live their life in such a train wreck style.
Believe me, I have first hand knowledge of the demons he is living with and can only watch in sadness as those that are supposed to have his best interest in mind, watch this and try to maximize the almighty dollar profit before he flames out.
And flame out he will.
Where will these handlers be if and when he recovers?
You ever wonder why people lose faith in their politicians? Here is a good example. A member of the Canadian Governments Opposition party issued a statement where he condemned wording in an immigration primer that described Honour Killing and female genital circumcision as barbaric.
He said the wording is too offensive to people.
He then retracted when a furor erupted over his comments and said that he kind of, maybe did, should not have said this in such a way.
But that he definitely would have used the word barbaric in private conversation.
First off, honour killing is a b.s. way of putting a nice name on a horrific practise - period.
Second, female circumcision is barbaric - period.
Third, these practises are always directed at females, never males in the society where they originated.
Fourth, he would say one thing in private but another in public just to score political points and pander to a certain group of men?
How hypocritical can one get, and you wonder why people are turned off from politicos such as that?
On another note I just want to say thank you to those that log on to this blog. Readership now comes from Canada,mainland United States, Alaska and a couples of countries in Europe!
Well the first day of Spring is upon us.
This year it could not have come soon enough.
Ones thoughts are slowly moving towards garden planning, yard landscaping, weeding, mowing the lawn and wondering how soon it will be until the first snowfall!
Have a good week and take care out there,
flatlander52
Will the Japanese ever get mastery over their damaged nuclear reactors?
I think so.
What is ironic is the mass hysteria on the West coast of Canada and the United States of people rushing to buy iodine pills to counteract the effects of radiation.
Well, so far there have only been trace amounts detected with doubts if there is more to come.
What this has shown in the massive integration of the world economy. American auto production is sputtering due to a lack of parts from Japan. Even production (done in China) of the mighty Ipad is slowing due to a shortage of parts manufactured in Japan.
This all comes at a cost and this is starting to ripple throughout the world economy that has just started taking baby steps towards any semblance of a recovery.
Experts suggest that another recession is imminent. Just what we needed to hear.
On a single person level, why is the world lapping up the disintegration of Charlie Sheen?
Nobody deliberately sets out to live their life in such a train wreck style.
Believe me, I have first hand knowledge of the demons he is living with and can only watch in sadness as those that are supposed to have his best interest in mind, watch this and try to maximize the almighty dollar profit before he flames out.
And flame out he will.
Where will these handlers be if and when he recovers?
You ever wonder why people lose faith in their politicians? Here is a good example. A member of the Canadian Governments Opposition party issued a statement where he condemned wording in an immigration primer that described Honour Killing and female genital circumcision as barbaric.
He said the wording is too offensive to people.
He then retracted when a furor erupted over his comments and said that he kind of, maybe did, should not have said this in such a way.
But that he definitely would have used the word barbaric in private conversation.
First off, honour killing is a b.s. way of putting a nice name on a horrific practise - period.
Second, female circumcision is barbaric - period.
Third, these practises are always directed at females, never males in the society where they originated.
Fourth, he would say one thing in private but another in public just to score political points and pander to a certain group of men?
How hypocritical can one get, and you wonder why people are turned off from politicos such as that?
On another note I just want to say thank you to those that log on to this blog. Readership now comes from Canada,mainland United States, Alaska and a couples of countries in Europe!
Well the first day of Spring is upon us.
This year it could not have come soon enough.
Ones thoughts are slowly moving towards garden planning, yard landscaping, weeding, mowing the lawn and wondering how soon it will be until the first snowfall!
Have a good week and take care out there,
flatlander52
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sunday musings
Well today is going to be a bit of a downer for for me.
Maybe it is the winter blahs or just a sense of ennui that I feel.
So latest reports from Japan indicate a death toll of over 10,000 from the earthquake and possibly a higher count as the clean up continues. At least 2 nuclear reactors seem to be having containment problems and are venting into the atmosphere. If ever there was an apocalyptic scenario, this would seem to fit the bill.
But what would you expect anyway?
With the continual expansion of the human race and its increased demands on space, power and natural resources, did anyone not think that this would eventually happen?
Reports from various sources indicate that the loathsome practice of slavery continues to exist and indeed flourishes in this day and age.
Conservative estimates indicate that there are up to 3 million people ensnared.
Does anyone really care about this?
Or are we too concerned with the shocking price increase of gas to care?
Time was nations went to war to abolish this vile practice but not anymore it seems.
This present day era reminds me of parallels with the old Roman Empire at the start of its decline. Unparallelled wealth, prosperity, knowledge for the privileged few and increasing hardship and despair for the remainder before the collapse and ruin of the Empire.
Is the past coming back to be our future?
Speaking of gas prices, why is it that since Libya supplies around 1% of the USA needs, that trouble there can cause the dramatic ripple effect that it did? Obviously another case of speculators making lots of money (does this also sound like what Wall Street did in the latest US depression?) and the consumer paying the piper with no recourse? Of course this is a perfect example of free market capitalism that the Republicans in the Excited States embrace. Enrich the rich, devastate the middle class and disenfranchise the poor.
Have you run out and bought the latest tech toy - the Ipad2 yet?
Seems like a marvelous machine that for specific industries and professions can be a great tool with the right application. Still no competition from the non Mac world sadly. Perhaps there never will be.
Of course in Canada this machine is not yet available and when it is, the 3g version is limited to 1 carrier, so you pay what they decide. Competition seems to be an evil word in the Telco business in the country that invented the telephone.
Everyone appears to want to make a dollar of you these days it seems.Last week I approached the local writers guild to see if they had any authors that were looking for someone to edit/proof their books for free - sure they said, you can buy an ad in our publication to search for these people!
Will not do that again!
Some days you just have to laugh at the silliness that exists in the world, either that or run away and join the circus!
Well that is it for another week.
Take care out there,
flatlander52
Maybe it is the winter blahs or just a sense of ennui that I feel.
So latest reports from Japan indicate a death toll of over 10,000 from the earthquake and possibly a higher count as the clean up continues. At least 2 nuclear reactors seem to be having containment problems and are venting into the atmosphere. If ever there was an apocalyptic scenario, this would seem to fit the bill.
But what would you expect anyway?
With the continual expansion of the human race and its increased demands on space, power and natural resources, did anyone not think that this would eventually happen?
Reports from various sources indicate that the loathsome practice of slavery continues to exist and indeed flourishes in this day and age.
Conservative estimates indicate that there are up to 3 million people ensnared.
Does anyone really care about this?
Or are we too concerned with the shocking price increase of gas to care?
Time was nations went to war to abolish this vile practice but not anymore it seems.
This present day era reminds me of parallels with the old Roman Empire at the start of its decline. Unparallelled wealth, prosperity, knowledge for the privileged few and increasing hardship and despair for the remainder before the collapse and ruin of the Empire.
Is the past coming back to be our future?
Speaking of gas prices, why is it that since Libya supplies around 1% of the USA needs, that trouble there can cause the dramatic ripple effect that it did? Obviously another case of speculators making lots of money (does this also sound like what Wall Street did in the latest US depression?) and the consumer paying the piper with no recourse? Of course this is a perfect example of free market capitalism that the Republicans in the Excited States embrace. Enrich the rich, devastate the middle class and disenfranchise the poor.
Have you run out and bought the latest tech toy - the Ipad2 yet?
Seems like a marvelous machine that for specific industries and professions can be a great tool with the right application. Still no competition from the non Mac world sadly. Perhaps there never will be.
Of course in Canada this machine is not yet available and when it is, the 3g version is limited to 1 carrier, so you pay what they decide. Competition seems to be an evil word in the Telco business in the country that invented the telephone.
Everyone appears to want to make a dollar of you these days it seems.Last week I approached the local writers guild to see if they had any authors that were looking for someone to edit/proof their books for free - sure they said, you can buy an ad in our publication to search for these people!
Will not do that again!
Some days you just have to laugh at the silliness that exists in the world, either that or run away and join the circus!
Well that is it for another week.
Take care out there,
flatlander52
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday musings
Lets talk about the impact of recent weather ( that is over the past three years) on things like clothing, fuel and food. Did you know that with the floods in the far East that availability of cotton is a a record modern era low? This is forecast to drive the cost of clothing up by 10% or so after April 1st?
Also, do you enjoy your daily cup of coffee? Columbia has three years of bad weather and watch how cup sizes are shrinking and prices are going up steadily - with no relief forecast for at least a couple of years.
We all know of the fighting in Africa - did you know that the majority of the worlds' coco crop comes from there and experts warn that all supplies will end by the year 2014 under current farming practices?
Did you know that the continuing mass subsidization of the American corn crop to turn it into ethanol is causing corn prices ( corn being a food staple of many so called third world countries) to skyrocket and in part is a contributor to food riots around the world?
In fact did you know how much corn is used to create a single gallon of gasoline?
You would be shocked.
Combine all this with the seemingly world wide attack on the middle class by the wealthy and you have a very grim prognosis for the future I believe.
Now to go from the serious to the idiotic - American football billionaire owners and the rich (by ordinary peoples standards) player are going to possible not have a season this year - and the owners stand to possibly get a cash payment from the TV networks of a billion to tide them through the possible strike? What is going on here?
Pampered owners/players on one hand and struggling average wage earners on the other?
Is the world going insane?
Take a deep breath, exhale and do it again.......
Spring is around the corner and that always holds the promise of better things to come. Maybe we can hope that this is true this year.
I just want my tomato plants to survive without blight this year - surely this is not too much to ask for is it?
I also realize that it is a privilege to be able to be in a country where if one works hard, that there can be results that many of the rest of the world desperately would want to have.
Clean drinking water.
Good health care.
Good housing.
The list goes on.
There but for the place of birth............well you know what I mean.
Well, that is it for this week, taker care out there.
Flatlander52
Also, do you enjoy your daily cup of coffee? Columbia has three years of bad weather and watch how cup sizes are shrinking and prices are going up steadily - with no relief forecast for at least a couple of years.
We all know of the fighting in Africa - did you know that the majority of the worlds' coco crop comes from there and experts warn that all supplies will end by the year 2014 under current farming practices?
Did you know that the continuing mass subsidization of the American corn crop to turn it into ethanol is causing corn prices ( corn being a food staple of many so called third world countries) to skyrocket and in part is a contributor to food riots around the world?
In fact did you know how much corn is used to create a single gallon of gasoline?
You would be shocked.
Combine all this with the seemingly world wide attack on the middle class by the wealthy and you have a very grim prognosis for the future I believe.
Now to go from the serious to the idiotic - American football billionaire owners and the rich (by ordinary peoples standards) player are going to possible not have a season this year - and the owners stand to possibly get a cash payment from the TV networks of a billion to tide them through the possible strike? What is going on here?
Pampered owners/players on one hand and struggling average wage earners on the other?
Is the world going insane?
Take a deep breath, exhale and do it again.......
Spring is around the corner and that always holds the promise of better things to come. Maybe we can hope that this is true this year.
I just want my tomato plants to survive without blight this year - surely this is not too much to ask for is it?
I also realize that it is a privilege to be able to be in a country where if one works hard, that there can be results that many of the rest of the world desperately would want to have.
Clean drinking water.
Good health care.
Good housing.
The list goes on.
There but for the place of birth............well you know what I mean.
Well, that is it for this week, taker care out there.
Flatlander52
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