Is our world mad, mad, mad? You bet!

It's been one of those normal days! Conflict and confusion without end. Amen.

President Obama tells us we must all encourage education, especially in technology. So, today, some splendid young woman was the first to get a degree in...Biology? Wrong! Battlefields of yore? Wrong again! BS without end? Meme chose! The academic subject is The Beatles! Seems the city of Liverpool sponsored her.

The Montreal Gazette also advised me in health club etiquettte; don't spit in the water fountain, while the Middle East continues to fall apart in a hurry.

Apparently, even voters lie when phoned by pollsters, so what is their real purpose, if any? I refer to both pollsters and the polled.

Will there be an election soon? Who cares? When do our MPs work, and at what? Who knows!
They scream at each other when Parliament is in session, to impress the voters. What they do interim remains one of the great mysteries of Canada.  They left for Christmas on December 16th, 2010. They start yelling again on January 31st, 2011.

Michael Ignatieff's been taking drama lessons; "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Stephen remains hidden in the washroom while Jack is searching for a hair restorer. As for Ms. May, she is totally preoccupied with finding a famous name she can contest when/if the great day comes and she meets the same fate she did when she "battled" PeterMcKay last time. That woman loves a fight. Win or lose! If she won one, she would look better.

You people have a great day and try to keep a smile on your face. I know it ain't easy. But this brought a laugh - a sign we could put on the front door of Parliament perhaps?

                      ________________________________                       
                               
                               OUT TO LUNCH
                   IF NOT BACK BY 5 P.M.
                THEN OUT TO DINNER TOO
               __________________________

Does Anyone Else Wonder?

Greetings to followers of Desperate Times. This week we feature a guest blogger who poses the question: "Does anyone else wonder?"

Thank you, Don. Following the convoluted trail of our federal government, what is the average citizen to think? Does anyone else wonder why Stephen Harper's minority government vowed recently to build more prisons? Although, according to Statistics Canada, the crime rate in our country is falling. One Conservative member mused thoughtfully on a recent CBC news show, "How can we measure crime?" Not through Statistics Canada it seems, as its statistics will no longer be credible in years to come, if Harper's government has its way. The mandate of Statistics Canada was threatened by the Conservative minority government in July 2010. Their premise was that the long census form constitutes an "invasion of privacy". Really? We all know that by commanding the resources of Revenue Canada, Amazon.ca and Facebook, the knowledge of our income, charitable donations, spending habits, and social networks will be manifest to all.

Speaking of spending - the federal government has started, rather than ended the year 2011 by acting as Scrooge, urging Canadians to reduce their consumer debt. Hmm...we have to wonder...who was using taxpayers' money last summer to build a lake in Toronto for journalists from around the world? The Conservative minority government claimed this was an opportunity to promote Canada for tourism purposes. Do you know how many lakes we have? Still, we had to build one for foreign journalists. How authentic.

Of course the Harper minority government supports women - in other countries - as long as they do not wish to engage in family planning. They have also brought shame to our once-proud nation by neglecting the environment. And there is so much more - but we are running out of paper - and time. Literally.

Screwed Again!

Not many hours available at this busy time of year but I've had enough - and have to comment!

During the past week I browsed books in Chapters. Our dollar is at par... well, 99 cents, US. The national bestseller, Sailing Alone Around the Room, by Billy Collins was USA $14.95 and CAN $21.00. I have been unable to find any reason or justification for this. Amazon.ca will get it to you for CAN $15.16. Having received an iPad for my birthday, I find that the available books, via iBooks, are largely devoid of ones written and/or printed in Canada.

At the same time, Canada is being pushed around regarding the border which separates us from the USA. It is definitely time to dig in our heels! Our P.M., Stephen Harper, always seems content to be kissing our neighbour...one place or another. We may only be 10% of the population of the USA but we punch above our weight when it comes to resources. We must defend all of those, ferociously - forests, minerals and, especially, water. We were hosed by Uncle Sam re. softwood lumber, starting in 1982, and finally losing outright in 2009, with a 10% surcharge awarded the U.S. So much for free trade (NAFTA) and (WTO)globalization!

That 49th parallel is ours to the north, the American's to the south. Any ill-feeling engendered by border guards seems to occur for those travelling south. The few yards between the two control posts is no-man's land! Let us hold our heads high while we are still the true North, strong - and free?

Who Benefits?

All evidence suggests Canada is wasting lives and money but achieving nothing for the people of Afghanistan, by having our troops in their country. Our Conservative government's Department of National Defence is about to spend $9-16 billion on 65 "modern" aircraft - like the ones used by the Americans, who also build them!

May we hope that these planes will be more accurate in their aim, so that fewer Afghan civilians will be killed or injured?

Transparent: Easily Seen Through!

Speaker Milliken is to be applauded for taking the high road in the Afghan torture affair. Alas, his follow-up comment that he hopes a compromise can be found, weakens his resolve and his position as Speaker. If Parliament is supreme, why do we need compromise? The relevant documents must be brought forth, intact and uncensored - and without further delay.
Prime Minister Harper flaunted the word transparent when mesmerizing Canadians during his first election campaign. Ever since, he has been decidedly more opaque (impenetrable to sight). The only thing transparent to Canadian citizens is the fact that Mr. Harper and his government are involved in a cover-up. There is an abundance of evidence that crimes have been committed in Afghanistan which deserve scrutiny. Responsible government is a cornerstone of Canada's independence as a nation.

All Clear!

"Let me be clear...;" "It's clear to everyone...;" "There's a clear explanation...;" When anyone in the political world uses the word "clear" what follows they hope, is probably unclear to everyone. "Clear" is a favourite word of Stephen Harper among others. The Liberal Party leader prefers, "It's as simple as that!" Each implies that if we don't find what they say to be "clear" or "simple", we are not too bright. Just like the courtiers in The Emperor's New Clothes?

As they used to say in WWII, is that "All Clear"?

Steve-o-the-wisp!

After 2000 years, I'm reading Seneca! What he wrote then is as accurate today as it ever was.

To quote one excerpt from his "On the Shortness of Life,"

How many will avoid going out through a hall crowded with dependants, and escape through a secret door - as if it were not even more discourteous to deceive callers than to exclude them.

Sound familiar? How does he remain anonymous? He is an economist and is very economical with his time facing the public. Ducking out back doors to avoid questions is his forte. Seneca would have told him he will have to face the music, eventually!

Recalibrate!!!!

Joseph T. Hallinan has recently published "Why We Make Miztakes: How we look without seeing, forget things in seconds, and are all pretty sure we are way above average." It is a very good read.

I have carried out my own "scientific" check to confirm his latter claim! It appears we do indeed see ourselves as way above average. Using a  psychological assessment ranking with genius at the top and idiot at the bottom, almost everyone I asked placed themselves at least at the 75% mark. You may recall that the PM and all his associates reassured us at the time of prorogation that his government's purpose was to recalibrate. I have searched the two-volume Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and been unable to find the word. The definition of calibrate, however, includes "skill and judgement". May we assume that recalibrate suggests that the first time, those two qualities were not present in his plans and actions? Perhaps the PM also sees himself as "way above average"? Let's hope he calibrates correctly next time. If there is a next time!

Hope Springs Eternal

This blog promised critical and "hopeful" notes. Not easy to find tales of hope, these days. However, things are looking up!

Yann Martel, in April, 2007, decided to start a dialogue with Stephen Harper. He promised to send him a letter and a suitable book, of an improving nature, every two weeks while the PM remained in office. That continues...and you can read all about it on this website: http://www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca/

Recently, Martel received compliments on his award-winning book, "Life of Pi", handwritten, from...Barack Obama. Yes, that one! Now, Martel has published a book of his letters which accompanied the books he sent to the Prime Minister. In last Saturday's Globe & Mail, Bruce Meyer's review is worth reading.
Excellent!!!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/review-what-is-stephen-harper-reading-by-yann-martel/article1491383/

We may hope that Mr. Harper will soon have MORE time to devote to all those gifts. Thank you, Yann.

I was reassured, my hopes refreshed, by Martel's musing, "There will always be more books one would like to read than one will have time to read."