Your Call is Important to Us Part 2

Lining up at the Trough

Businesses such as Connect North America do not come to places such as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia out of the goodness of their hearts: They are here to make a buck, but not only that, they came here because the provincial governments shelled out and continue to shell out copious amounts of money to bring and keep them here. Furthermore, the powers that be don’t seem to be terribly particular to whom they grant this largesse: The late lamented Connect North America alone received $470,000 in the form of grants and wage reimbursements. (Don’t hold your breath waiting for that refund, by the by). Also lining up at the trough are companies like TeleTech, currently under class action lawsuits in three states for unfair labour practices.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that companies like Teletech et al are perhaps not the most worthy investment of taxpayer dollars or for that matter, one that can be trusted to treat their employees in a fair and equitable manner. However, I am not entirely certain whether the latter condition enters into consideration on any level at all.

These companies, of whom I will refer to as “fly by night” call centers in honour of Connect North America that literally disappeared overnight receive copious amounts of money from the provincial governments in the form of tax breaks, wage reimbursements, grants and my all time favourite: training bonuses. It is a little known fact that some companies are paid for the number of people they train, not for the number of people they actually retain for the positions they for which they are trained. That being the case, if an employee quits or is terminated and is consequently rehired, this employee, who is already trained mind you, is trained again, and the government is billed twice. This process has been known to happen 3 and 4 times with the same person. Can you say “double dipping”? I knew you could.

As I have stated previously, one of the main draws touted by the provinces in bringing these call centers here is an educated workforce that will work for relative peanuts. Low wages are one thing, however when the local civic government stabs their citizens in the back it becomes outrageous. Two years ago a call center opened in the town of A______, and held a “hiring fair” to seek out potential employees. The wife of an acquaintance of mine applied for a position and was quoted the starting wages for the position. The lady made it past the hiring fair to an interview, and the starting wage was substantially lower than the original quote. Her question as to how this came to be went unanswered. Her husband came across the local MP, where he was kissing hands and shaking babies at an event in his riding and asked the same question. The MP duly pointed the man in the direction of the office of the local provincial MLA for answers. He called the office, asked his question and this is a verbatim quote of the answer he received: “You can thank your Mayor for that one”. It seems that His Worship in a meeting with the call center minions told them that they didn’t have to pay people in his town the original wage offered because they would work for less.

Bend over; your government is behind you.

It is highly ironic that these same governments have the nerve to wonder why the workforce is leaving their respective provinces in droves for greener pastures in the West. Further, it clearly escapes them as to why these same people are not burning up the TransCanada in their rush to return home, regardless how may the “Come to Life” billboards dot Fort McMurray. Let’s face it, when the labour laws offer less protection than the SPCA, and the local government sells you into indentured servitude at subsistence wages, no one in their right mind would be in a rush to come back. But, I digress.

The days of the “fly by night” call centers owned by are rapidly coming to an end in these provinces. As I write the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar for the first time in decades, and we have gained 8% on the Euro. Therefore, while the wages of the average call center peon have not increased one iota, and the cost of living gone has not gone down, the cost of these paying these wages has risen dramatically. Now, since these call centers are kept here by two things: massive injections of government money in various forms, and the low wages. If either one of these incentives disappears, the center and the jobs it provides will be gone faster than you can say “Hydrabad.” Connect North America, I feel was only the first of what will be many that will pull up stakes and vanish when the gravy train slows down. Incidentally, Connect North America is still very much in business, just off to another place of slave wages with the vague promise of returning at sometime in the future, meaning when the dollar drops. I know I speak for many of us when I say “Don’t let the door hit you on the ass.”

Now, in principle, I think that the government investing money in job creation for is a good thing. However, as a taxpayer and a call center employee, I have to question the wisdom in pumping massive amounts of money into these modern day equivalents of carpet baggers: Call centers run by huge conglomerates with centers anywhere the wages are low, that have never put down roots in the communities in which they reside, have no loyalty to the provinces from whence the handouts flow, and less to the people who work for them. The analogy of call centers being the coalmines of the 21 century is just a bit flawed: in order for a coalmine to exist, it must be near coal. A call center is an ephemeral creation that can exist anywhere that it is deemed to be profitable for it to exist. Quite literally, these centers can be here today and halfway around the world the next.

When Frank McKenna wooed the call centers here, he was banking on New Brunswick remaining the “Mexico of the North”. Without a doubt, his courtship brought in a lot of jobs, however as the dollar has been rising steadily these last few years, it should have been obvious that this was a relationship that could not last. The first of the rats have fled the ship, others will follow, and then we can watch the workforce migrate ever westward. Can we hope that the last person will turn out the lights?

Your Call is Important to Us - Part I

Welcome to The Coal Mines

Some months ago, I heard briefly on the provincial news that the province of New Brunswick was planning on putting a goodly sum of money towards “improving the image of working in call centers”. I kid you not. I heard on CBC radio news – twice. Then the story disappeared, and I have not been able to find any mention of it again. I suspect it was shoved firmly somewhere under the broadloom when the howls of laughter erupted.

The province of New Brunswick has, over the last decade, been promoting itself as a leader in the call center industry and they are all over the province. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have been pumping vast amounts of dollars into wooing the companies that own these call centers into their respective provinces and they have much to offer: fewer statutory holidays, an educated workforce, lower wages, and labour laws that might fall into the category of a religious experience because they are so holey. Oh, and did I say lower wages?

Now, I don’t have anything against call centers, particularly since I work in one myself. For the most part, though the job is high stress as all jobs in call centers are, I like my job: the pay, while not stellar, is not bad, I have a great benefits package, and of course, there are bonuses. My co-workers are a great bunch of people, and there is great camaraderie all being in the same boat as it were. I have hours that suit me, since I am not a 9 – 5 person by nature. Most importantly, the management is pretty decent and we are treated like people, not just “bums in seats”. The surroundings are pleasant, and the coffee is good. I could do without the up-sell aspect of it, but you can’t have everything.

However, I also don’t kid myself: Call Centers are the coalmines of the 21^st century, and not all of them are created equally. Generally, one stands a chance of better treatment in an “inbound” (support) center, than an outbound one (sales). Also, there is an exponentially better chance of job stability if the center is actually owned by the company for which it provides the services, rather than one that lives from contract to contract from any number of businesses.

I freely admit that as far as call centers go, I am far more fortunate than many of my counterparts in other call centers. For example, a lot of them will offer good benefits packages; however, I suspect that they offer those packages knowing that there will be very few of their employees that will ever benefit from them. They will never benefit from them because the working conditions are so abysmal that no one ever stays long enough to collect them. Or the company won’t be around long enough for anyone to collect. For example, I have heard of one place that you are only paid for the time when you are on the phone/ready to take a call. If per chance you have to take 2 minutes outside of your regular break to run to the bathroom for a pee, it is docked from your pay. Heaven help you if you have that extra cup of coffee in the morning or a very weak bladder.

Can companies get away with this? Yup. In New Brunswick, they can

Now, as I have said, not all call centers are created equally: There are those who do in house sales/support for the company that owns them, like say UPS. While I cannot speak to the working conditions in most of them, one thing is certain, when you leave work one day, you can be pretty well assured that your job will be there the next day, barring, of course, being fired. This is not the case with certain call centers that live from contract to contract. Case in point: one day fine day in August, 375 people were at work, up-selling, cross-selling, working for their wages and bonuses, just an average day toiling in the mines. Then, without a word of warning to anyone, Connect North America folded up its tents and disappeared into the night. The next day, these same people arrived at their place of employ ready as much as they could be for another day, and the building was locked, dark, and silent. The only information was a sign taped to the door saying they had all been laid off, and would be contacted.

When last I did hear, the former employees received the wages that they were due, however no severance.

Can businesses do that? Yup. In New Brunswick, they can. Thanks to a loophole in the labour laws big enough to sail a Tall Ship through, Connect North America could give their employees no notice of any impending layoff and no severance. To add insult to injury, the company did not even have the courtesy to have the separation slips ready for the people who were unceremoniously disconnected from their jobs. As bad as New Brunswick is for labour protection, Nova Scotia, home of the Michelin Law, is even worse.

My Summer Haitus is Over

After a glorious summer of pottering in my garden, I am back. The days are shorter, the nights are cooler and the mosquito population has taken a dive. So I am back with my odd tidbits of news, and occasional rant. So to begin, the kids are back in school:

Black Market for Junk Food at Winnipeg School

Kelvin High School has removed pop, chocolate bars and cinnamon buns from its cafeteria and vending machines as part of a new Winnipeg School Division nutrition plan.

George And The Meaning of Life

It seems in the twilight of his presidency George Bush is pondering the meaning of Life, the Universe, and everything. According to this article He has started to invite authors, historians, philosophers, theologians, and other luminaries for discussions at the White house. One can only imagine the topics discussed:

Over sodas and sparkling water, he asks his questions: What is the nature of good and evil in the post-Sept. 11 world? What lessons does history have for a president facing the turmoil I'm facing? How will history judge what we've done? Why does the rest of the world seem to hate America? Or is it just me they hate?

To this I would add "Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?"

When I read the above article, I was struck by the similarity between George Bush and his luminaries and William Lyon MacKenzie King who held seances to speak to his late mother and his dead dog: Neither of them were looking for true guidance, all they were looking for was reassurances that they were doing a good job. The difference is that MacKenzie King, however quirky, was an intelligent man and competent Prime Minister.

The article bounces back and forth at painting a picture of a man who is calm, serene and completely oblivious:

"You don't get any feeling of somebody crouching down in the bunker," said Irwin M. Stelzer, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who was part of one group of scholars who met with Bush. "This is either extraordinary self-confidence or out of touch with reality. I can't tell you which."

I would suggest a third option: He is extraordinarily self confident because he is out of touch with reality. Of course George Bush is calm and serene, he lacks the intellect and imagination to even begin to understand the disaster he has wrought both at home and abroad. Any time I have ever seen Dubya on television, he always seems to have an expression that I can only describe as someone who knows that some very important is happening but when it comes to understanding it, has just missed the boat. In other words, George has the tranquility to which only the truly stupid can aspire.

The article goes on and on, in a jaw dropping attempt to present Bush as a "spiritual, thoughtful man" and the facts just are not in evidence. George, over the years, has such a great deal out of being "anti intellectual" that article just does not ring true. Instead, perhaps unintentionally, it paints a picture of a man who has pretty much isolated himself, surrounded himself with "yes men" and fears to step beyond his little circle for fear that reality will leap up and sink its fangs into his ass.

I don't know about you, but this, perhaps, is the most frightening of all:

Much of the discussion focused on the nature of good and evil, a perennial theme for Bush, who casts the struggle against Islamic extremists in black-and-white terms. Michael Novak, a theologian who participated, said it was clear that Bush weathers his difficulties because he sees himself as doing the Lord's work.

Well, Well, George sees himself as doing the lord's work. It must also be pointed out that so do the suicide bombers.

You are Entitled to Any Opinion as Long as It's Ours.

It seems that “Reefer Madness” is playing in Wawota, Saskatchewan, and I am not talking about the musical. It all started one find day in May when the school showed a supposedly “educational” video about the evils of the Demon Weed. One of young people who watched this presentation just didn’t buy it. It is not that Kieran King was in anyway advocating the use of marijuana, but rather that the alleged “facts” used in the video were wildly inaccurate. Read the whole story here:

Just the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.

I find it to be extremely disheartening to find that the school system in Saskatchewan has not changed in any remarkable way in the 30 odd years since I last graced their classrooms. My recollection of my high school is that for the most part, it was a hotbed of apathy beginning with the teachers and flowing down to the student the student body. With few exceptions, the teachers often displayed less maturity than the students they were entrusted to teach.

In this one situation we have a remarkably bright young man who did something most of his peers could not be bothered to do - research and think. As a result, he came to some conclusions that the Powers That Be did not want him to know and certainly not share. At that point, the principal of the school, Susan Wilson, crapped her pants in fear of intellectual curiosity and made an Everest out of a proverbial mole hill.

Thank you, Susan Wilson, I am sure that the town of Wawota is utterly thrilled that you have made it a national laughingstock.

You have to work at it.

Atv rider struck, killed by train

Ok, Anonymous commenter

I will rewrite my blog post with what I do know as reflected in the article above:

The man in the article above was riding his atv on railway tracks, where he was hit by a train.

This act of thoughtlessness resulted in his death, and left behind friends and family who mourn his loss and one engineer who will have to live with a tragedy not of his making for the rest of his life.

Moral of the story: Tons of train cannot stop on a dime and atvs do not belong on railway tracks.

They are in the glove box, behind the maps

Stolen keys delay the start of military mission

"We had been told a 10 percent theft rate was likely in convoys brought in from Pakistan, but we had not expected the spare car keys to go missing," defense ministry spokesman Jaroslaw Rybak told news channel TVN24.

ooooook...........

Land of the Free, Home of the Litigious

Remember the McDonald's hot coffee law suit?

This is even sillier:

Judge Suing Washington, D.C., says Dry Cleaners must Honor all Demands

WASHINGTON (AP) - The customer is always right, said a judge who testified Wednesday in his US$54 million lawsuit against a dry cleaner who lost his pants.

Mayors in trees

Since someone has already seen Jesus on the wall of a Tim Horton's in Cape Breton (or at least until they changed the light bulb) and the Virgin Mary on a billboard advertisement for a Pizza place, I can't really imagine that this is too strange:


Likeness of dead mayor seen in tree trunk.

"I see Jesus," said Cathy Sansone, the membership director at the health club who says any resemblance to the late mayor is simply the "power of suggestion."

No Matter How Thin You Slice it, it's Still McBaloney

I first read about this story over on Jame's Blog, and thought it was mildly entertaining and quite ridiculous. Now, as the saying goes, the story has "grown legs" and is developing a life of its own.

McDonald's is quite irate over the definition of "McJob" in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

The term McJob was coined by the Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland in his 1991 novel Generation X to describe a "low-prestige, low-dignity, low-benefit, no-future job in the service sector".

McDonald's has gone so far as to create an online petition that can be virtually "signed" by anyone supporting their view.

On The Current this morning there was an article aired on this topic, first to speak was a representative of Merriam-Webster's who said, in essence, it is not going to be changed.

However, the next person to speak was Jerry Newman, PHD who went "undercover" working as a "bottom rung" employee at various big name fast food place such as, yes, McDonald's and Burger King. Mr Newman contends that working in these places is a wonderful thing that teaches responsibility, teamwork, work ethics, and the list goes on. He even wrote a book on the subject: My Secret Life on the McJob - Lessons From Behind the Counter Guaranteed to Super Size Any Management Style. During the interview he painted a glorious life among the fries and McNuggets with almost an evangelical fervor that made me want to bring up my Wheatabix.

Now being the inquisitive sort, I followed the old adage of "follow the money" to see who was actually paying for this study of Professor Newman's. There it was, in the biographical notes of the above article as plain as day:

Jerry M. Newman, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Teaching Professor for the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is the coauthor of Compensation, which has been the bestselling book in the category for 21 years. He is also an advisor to firms including AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Burger King, McDonald's, and Nabisco. (emphasis mine)

Yup, Just as I thought, paid for by the purveyors of Fast Food.

Now to be honest, the good Professor does bring up some valid points: working at those jobs does teach problem solving, work ethics, responsibility, teamwork, etc. Sure it does, I don't argue that one little bit. However, that said, those valuable "lessons" learned while on the job do not preclude it from being a "McJob" because the job itself is a dead end. Ask anyone who presently works at any fast food emporium where they want to be in 5 years. I would lay you good money they won't say: "Working for 'insert name of fast food place".

Let me prove my point in another way: How many people you ever heard say "My life's ambition is to work on the Front line at McDonalds?"

***************Crickets chirping******************
I thought so.

For all of his possibly good intentions and insights, in the 6 or so months Jerry Newman worked slinging Happy Meals, at the end of the day, he is a still tourist.

When his shift ended "the distinguished management professor" went home to his condo in Florida or his home in Amherst, back to his real life, and his real job. He was not stuck in the place where flipping burgers was "his real job." He has not gained one iota of insight into the real lives of the people who work the grills, the tedium of the job and the lack of any real future in those jobs.

Sorry, Mr Newman, I just don't buy your line: No matter how you dress it up: a McJob is still a McJob.

Stevie meets the Terminator.

This week, Ahnold made a visit to Ennui on the Rideau where he met with our glorious leader Stephen - He with the Face like a Refrigerator Door - Harper. There, in the hallowed halls of Parliament, Refrigerator Boy gave his solemn promise to ban camcorders from movie theaters.

Now, I admit that I gave up going to movies in theaters years ago for various reasons: the theaters shrank to postage stamp size, but the sound still remained the same. Promos and trailers for other movies are fine, but I absolutely draw the line at advertisements. If I wanted to watch ads, I would have stayed home and watch the tube. Finally, the price of the ticket, the obscenely priced soft drink and popcorn with genuine imitation greasy butterlike substance on top would easily cover one month's membership in zip.ca where I could watch all the movies I wanted in the comfort of my own home. Not to mention the fact that Hollywood hasn't really made anything original in years; remakes and sequels seem the order of the day, Oceans 13 (sinatra, martin, davis and the rest of the original rat pack must be spinning in their respective graves) and that travesty that was the remake of "The Italian Job" just to name a few.

It seems, however, that Canada is the leading hot bed of movie piracy because our theaters are flooded with people and their camcorders. I have yet to figure out just how they arrive at that conclusion. As stated previously, I don't go to theaters. However, I have many friends who do, and so I asked them if they had ever seen anyone recording the movie. Without exception, the answer given to me was "no". Besides that, I have been told, the quality of such a recording would be so bad as not to be worth the trouble.

In an attempt to stem this apparent epidemic, Warner Brothers announced earlier this month that they would cancel all their preview screenings of their "summer blockbusters" in Canada. It was then I found that I am not the only one who finds such things as Spiderman 28 and Rocky 42 extremely tedious as this news was greeted with howls of joy from all and sundry. Of course, I can bet that in less than 24 hours after these previews are shown, DVD quality copies of the movies (not grainy camcorder versions) will be available for download on the web. One thing is certain though, they won't be from Canada. I wonder who Hollywood will blame then?

This is more than a bit unnerving

In short, the next time there is a national emergency of some sort the President of the United States has it in his power to seize control of every thing.

This directive establishes a comprehensive national policy on the continuity of Federal Government structures and operations and a single National Continuity Coordinator responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of Federal continuity policies. This policy establishes "National Essential Functions," prescribes continuity requirements for all executive departments and agencies, and provides guidance for State, local, territorial, and tribal governments, and private sector organizations in order to ensure a comprehensive and integrated national continuity program that will enhance the credibility of our national security posture and enable a more rapid and effective response to and recovery from a national emergency.

Read it all here:
National Security and Homeland Security National Directive, hot off the White House site. It seems to have "come in under the radar" earlier this month. Do you remember hearing anything about it? I don't.
I shudder to think that anything that might be considered as a "national emergency" might rear up its head before the Shrub is out of office. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the next incumbent of the Oval Office is goint to be any different. One thing I am pretty certain about is that if this directive is ever invoked, it is a one way trip.

Still Winning Their Hearts and Minds

This is disturbing, really disturbing; a MySpace page apparently belonging to Deryk Schlessinger, the son of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who is serving in Afghanistan. The page featured attrocities, drug use, torture, child molestation, and rape.

Deryk Schlessinger's Web site indicated the 21-year-old soldier is stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where, the site's author writes, "godless crazy people like me," have become "a generation of apathetic killers."
The site indicated Schlessinger's team has survived numerous mortar, rocket and roadside bomb attacks. It also included several graphic cartoons. In one of the stick drawings, a top-hatted man laughs as he rapes a bound and bleeding woman in front of her family. In another depiction, a man forces a boy to perform oral sex at knifepoint as the child's mother pleads for her son's life.

This fills me with unspeakable horror.

Eastward Ho!

Over the last couple of years, what with shrinking oil supplies and the recent unpleasantness in the Middle East, anyone with half a brain (with the possible exception of Ralph Klein, but I digress) could see that the price of oil would skyrocket. Further, as soon as the price hit over $60.00 per barrel, the oil sands would become very, very viable. As a result, people are heading westward in droves for greener pastures in the land of black gold

People from the Atlantic Provinces have been “going down the road” for employment for decades. However, this wholesale migration of the people leaving for the west is unprecedented in the history of the Atlantic Provinces. The reason for this is twofold and simple:

• Jobs
• Money

This has been the cause of some concern in the respective legislatures as the workforce haemorrhages westward and we are now, apparently, in the grip of a labour shortage. The Premiers of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island has been making pilgrimages to Alberta to woo back their native sons and daughters. I am told that in Fort McMurray everywhere you look these days there are billboards urging Maritimers to “Come to Life.”

Now, given that the employment opportunities here in the Maritimes have not changed greatly in their absence, this does beg the question “Come home and do what?” In Fort McMurray these days you can make close to $18.00 per hour just pumping gas. If you can actually do something, your salary goes up exponentially, albeit with a much higher cost of living. Even with the astronomical cost of living, Fort McMurray and oil country is still the proverbial pot of gold.

In essence, our good premiers are asking people to leave jobs where they are making good money to come home to good jobs that don’t exist, low paying jobs that do, and Dickensian labour laws, where your employer can legally treat you like crap.

Yes, people are burning up the TransCanada to move back here. Not.

Yes, I’ve heard the promises that have been made about the future here. Forgive me for being cynical, but promises and $1.50 will get you a double-double at Timmy Horton’s. You won’t see anyone coming back until those jobs are actually here and not one moment before.

While we are at it, let’s take a look at this “labour shortage”. As I look around, there is a whole pool of workers, experienced, qualified and knowledgeable that can’t find jobs. Furthermore, these people are settled, not likely to “go down the road” and still they are unemployed. What is wrong with this picture?

They are over 50. Let’s face it, 50 is not the new 30 when you are looking for a job

They expect to be paid according to their knowledge and experience. The irony is that a lot of these people are the ones companies laid off when they found they could get younger people to do their jobs for less money. The same younger people, incidently, who have left for pastures anew.

In my opinion, as long as there is a huge pool of unemployed experienced workers, and Neanderthal employers can afford to drive away young people like Melissa Strong, there is no labour shortage. I strongly suspect that what is meant by “labour shortage” in this context is “we have a shortage of twenty-something’s who will work for peanuts and shut up.”

Bah.

First, Mr Falwell, She is Black....

A Fitting Eulogy for Jerry Falwell from the Soma Review

Now that the evangelist has finally met his maker, we pray for his sake that God is an amiable old white guy with a long grey beard, and is not, say, a big purple Teletubby with a triangle above his head and a magic bag dangling from his arm.

Cheerfully liberated from the blog of my dear friend James

Go West, Young Woman, Go West

Melissa Strong graduated on the Dean's List from the Electrical program at the New Brunswick Community College.

Now she can't get a job here because she can't pee standing up.

One potential employer dragged his knuckles over and told her straight out:

"He said: 'I'm not having a 20-something-year-old girl running around here getting the attention from all the guys and creating problems with their wives and problems with my wife. So I'm not hiring any women,'

Dude, if your marriage is that shaky, I recommend immediate intense counselling or divorce.

What I find to be most appalling is the fact that he said it in the first place, and second, that he saw nothing at all wrong with saying it.

Bear in mind, there is supposedly a labour shortage here in the maritimes because the labour force is hemorraging out of the Atlantic to the West in record numbers. This is apparently particularly so in the area of the trades. Believe me, attitudes like that of the git above aren't helping the situation.

Also, other women in the trades warned Melissa against speaking out or complaining because if she did she would never work in the province. Well, since she decided to leave, I guess she decided she had nothing to lose anyway.

Women in the trades have had a tough time of it, and Melissa expected some for sure, but not this blatant, as it is the 21st century after all. While she may not be free of sexism in the west, having a trade that is really, really in demand does grant one some FOAD leverage.

Good Luck, Melissa, Bonne Chance!

I'm Harry

Now I am not a supporter of the War in Iraq: It was instigated under false pretences by a megalomanic chickenhawk who seems to think that he is John Wayne (who was a chickenhawk too) incarnate. Tony Blair and John Howard, poodles #1 and #2 jumped on the band wagon with great aplomb, Blair as he wanted to be a "war prime minister" wasn't hard to convince. Howard is clueless git who, on a visit to Canada, referred to the Shrub as "the greatest force for peace in the world". He then went south to Washington where he was rewarded with a kibble, though it is unknown whether they let him on the furniture.

The US tried to get Canada involved in Iraq, oh they really tried. The US Ambassador Paul "Don't Let the Door Hit You on The Ass" Cellucci was especially vocal and annoying about the whole thing. Our then Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, held firm and at least we were not drawn into that quagmire. I don't think our current Prime Minister, He With the Face Like a Refrigerator Door, would have displayed the intestinal fortitude to say "Give us Proof". As a matter of fact, Stevie Harper, who was in favour of joining the Americans, must be glad he dodged that particular bullet, given how popular (not) invading Iraq has become.

Granted, Canada is in Afghanistan, and I am uncertain how I feel about that. I didn't like the idea of going, but now I am afraid of what will happen there if we aren't. But then, the Taliban and Al Quaeda actually were in Afghanistan. However, it is with great regret I have to say that our reputation as "peacekeepers" is circling the drain, particularly with this latest fiasco concerning prisoners.

Now that my feelings about the whole thing in general are out of the way, I turn to one little microcosm of the war: Harry Windsor, third in line to the Throne. Harry went to Sandhurst for 4 years, and that is no small feat in and of itself. He trained hard along with his unit, and wanted to serve with them when his regiment, the Blues and the Royals were to be deployed in a few weeks time.

It was decided by the powers that be, that deploying Harry would, because of his status, endanger the lives of his unit. Perhaps this is true, but on the other hand, I am of the mind, and I am not alone in this: not allowing Harry to go to serve in the capacity for which he has been trained will have a devastating effect on morale.

It will have a tremendous effect on morale right across the army," Heyman said. "Soldiers will say: 'If it's too dangerous for Prince Harry, then it's too dangerous for me. Is his life worth more than mine?' Well, from a political point of view, yes. But from a morale point of view, the answer is no."

It is not as if the Royals had a habit of being excused from front line duty: Uncle Andrew flew his helicopter in the Falklands war of 1982. His own grandmother, while not exactly on the front lines, drove an ambulance in the later days of World War II, which was not exactly risk free either - in the dark, no headlights, over bombed out roads during air raids. This was no small thing at a time when, contrary to the popular myth, women in serving in any branch of the military were viewed by many as "Little Better than Camp Followers". (I am happy to say that history has proven that particular viewpoint to be terribly, terribly wrong.) His grandfather, though not the prince consort at the time, served as well.

Does Harry deserve any less of a chance to serve his country?

Also, the article points out, Harry wants a career in the army. By the time this is all over, he will be the need front line experience if he is to have any credibility at all. If he doesn't have it, he might as well be the ceremonial head of a regiment like his aunt Princess Anne - looks good, but no real command.

The decision to exclude Harry from combat duty is not exactly popular with the troops. They h have, in their own way, have voiced not their disagreement with this decision, but announced their willingness to take the risk of serving along side him by the simple act of a T-shirt.
These khaki tees, have the words "I'm Harry" emblazoned across the chest, complete with target.

It was mentioned on the Bill Moyers show as a commentary:



I also have to point out, as Bill Moyers has, that it has not gone unnoticed that the sons and daughters of the Bushes and members of congress aren't exactly lining up to join the military. It has always been a fact that the Royal Family has always done their duty in this regard, and now is not the time to be seen to brush it off. Yes, sending Harry would be dangerous, but I think it is even more dangerous to the credibility of the Monarchy as a whole if they do not.

Little Whales Lost

Let's keep our fingers cross that this mother and child can be safely to the Pacific Ocean.

Sounds of humpback to call injured whales back to the ocean

Biologists were counting on an underwater recording of humpback whale songs Thursday to lure two injured whales back down the Sacramento River and into the Pacific Ocean.

Jerry Falwell died on Tuesday

It is now Thursday.

He is still dead.

That is all...

Well, you can just rock me to sleep tonight..

Bear in mind, Folks, that under normal circumstances, I usually could not give a ragged rodent's rectum about the trials and tribulations of dumb ass celebrities. I avoid such chronicles such as "People" magazine because I find them tedious at best. However, this little gem was too good to pass up.

Paris Hilton is traumatized over her jail sentence. Apparently she thinks that her "celebrity status" is causing the legal system to have some sort of "vendetta" against her.

Paris, my dear, accept the fact that you were driving drunk. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime and you were lucky - you got off with probation. All you had to do was not drive for a given period of time, oh.. and stay sober. Given that you have a whole battery of lawyers and publicists, at least some of whom must have understood the situation and explained it to you in great detail. Still you violated your probation and further claim not to have understood the conditions involved. This chain of events leads me to believe that one of three things, or perhaps a combination thereof, has occurred:

1. Your lawyers and publicist are all incompetent and should be summarily disbarred/fired.
2. You are too stupid to breathe, in which case, thank you for reinforcing every stereotype there is about blondes.
   
3. You belong to that rarified group of people who seem to think that the laws that apply to the plebian population do not apply to them.
   

Welcome to what must be a wholly new concept for you: the consequences for your actions. I hope you like orange.

Jerry Falwell is dead.

At age 73, having keeled over in his office of apparent heart problems. People have expressed great shock over the fact he actually had one.

Try as I might, I really can't summon up any sense of loss.

This is the man who thought TinkyWinky in the Teletubbies was a gay model role. (I think he had a burr on about SpongeBob Squarepants, too). He blamed 9/11 on pagans, homosexuals, lesbians, abortionists and unnamed "others" where trying to secularize America.

I am sure the family will be comforted in knowing that the Westboro Baptist Church will be picketing his funeral.

ye Gawds.

Oh.. those Sneaky Canadians.

Once upon a time, a couple of American Defense contractors (whose names have never been disclosed) came to Canada. Upon their arrival, they found that they had been "tagged" by a suspicious looking coin; one of which had been found in the cup holder of a rental car. It was plainly obvious that these coins "were filled with something man-made that looked like nano-technology". The worried contractors filed confidential espionage reports.

The confidential accounts led to a sensational warning from the Defense Security Service, an agency of the Defense Department, that mysterious coins with radio frequency transmitters were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors travelled through Canada.

And the Panic was on.


Remember folks, these are the people who swore Saddam Hussain had weapons of mass destruction.

I find this difficult to believe

Mulroney may have been a target, Air India document suggests



Co-relation does not imply causality. I suspect this wasn't the only threat Mulroney ever received.

Poor Dog

Idaho Man Finds the words "Go Home' spray painted on the side of his Wandering dog

It could have been worse, Sanders said. Idaho law requires an unfenced dog to be either on a leash or under supervision of its master. And landowners are allowed to shoot a trespassing dog if that dog is harassing livestock.

He has an idiot for an owner.

Schadenfreude, Sweet Schadenfreude

The definition of "Schadenfreude" is: pleasure in the misfortunes of others. I'm not sure that I quite agree with definition as I feel that there is nothing sweeter than watching the chickens of Karma come home to roost. In other words, when people who have it coming get it in the proverbial end

Take this for example:

Bush Appointee resigns, reportedly over Call Girl Ring

This is the guy, Folks who over saw a controversial policy by the religous right that required any US based group taking oversaw a controversial policy that required any US-based group receiving anti-AIDS funds to take an anti-prostitution “loyalty oath.”

I guess you could say they were fleeced

Japanese fooled in poodle scam



What I find to be really odd, is that they had to be told that their "poodles" were actually sheep. While they may not have known what sheep looked like, I would assume that they would have known what a poodle did.

Hallowe'en will never be the same

Monster Mash singer now a graveyard smash


Bobby (Boris) Picket, whose Monster Mash hit in 1962 made him one of the biggest one-hit wonders in the history of pop music, has died in Los Angeles at age 69 of Leukemia

Rock on, Bobby, you will be remembered.

I love my car, but

Mechanic: I have sex with cars.


Words fail me, they really do.

Nemesis - the Last Days of the American Republic

Chalmers Johnson is president of the Japan Policy Research Institute & professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego, has written numerous books on Japan & Asia including his classic "Miti & the Japanese Miracle"&"Japan: Who Governs?" He was also, for many years, an advisor to the CIA.

From his publisher:

The long-awaited final volume of Chalmers Johnson''s bestselling
"Blowback" trilogy confronts the overreaching of the American empire and the threat it poses to the republic. In his prophetic book "Blowback," Chalmers Johnson linked the CIA''s clandestine activities abroad to disaster at home. In The Sorrows of Empire, he explored the ways in which the growth of American militarism and the garrisoning of the planet have jeopardized our stability. Now, in "Nemesis," he shows how imperial overstretch is undermining the republic itself, both economically and politically. Delving into new areas--from plans to militarize outer space to Constitution-breaking presidential activities at home and the devastating corruption of a toothless Congress--"Nemesis" offers a striking description of the trap into which the dreams of America''s leaders have taken us. Drawing comparisons to empires past, Johnson explores in vivid detail just what the unintended consequences of our dependence on a permanent war economy are likely to be. What does it mean when a nation''s main intelligence organization becomes the president''s secret army? Or when the globe''s sole "hyperpower," no longer capable of paying for the vaulting ambitions of its leaders, becomes the greatest hyper-debtor of all times?
In his stunning conclusion, Johnson suggests that financial bankruptcy could herald the breakdown of constitutional government in America--a crisis that may ultimately prove to be the only path to a renewed nation

Johnson was interviewed on The Current - April 18, part three. If you have realaudio, and half an hour to spare, I suggest that you listen. I think I will be picking up those three books.

In the interview, Johnson points out that one can either have a domestic republic or a foreign empire, but not both. Further, that the only way to have the empire is through a military dictatorship.

As one standing on the outside of America, Johnson's premise and prediction have a frightening ring of clarity - the constitution is effectively eroded, the influence of congress has all but disappeared.

If the price of Liberty is eternal vigilence, The USA is asleep at the wheel.

I'd be nervous

Toto says bidets may catch fire


The company is, however, offering free repairs

Proving that there is more than one jackass in town

Buddy the donkey appears as witness in dispute between two neighbours

Update - Dr. Riyadh Lafta at Simon Fraser

Now the British government won't even give him a transit visa through Heathrow to change planes. Of course, this should not be surprising as the Blair is in bed with Bush and both have a vested interest in keeping the world ignorant of the findings of this report.

We need this data and, as unpopular as it is, we need to complete this work," Dr. Takaro said. "It's extraordinary that the British would have held up something, and it makes me think that they were influenced to do it -- we'd love to know why."

Another thing I have noticed when I have tried to research this story is the way that it has been almost ignored by the media. I found nothing on the CBC website, and this morning, my favourite current events program on CBC ONE "The Current" was supposed to have done a story on Dr Lafta this morning - but didn't. I am really curious to know why and sent an email to that effect. I doubt if I shall receive a response.

Update on the Update: I did get a response from The Current:

I am not sure why this didn't air or if it was a mistake in the promo ... I didn't see it in the line up. We are still intending to do the story though. Stay tuned next week.

Take care,



Lisa Ayuso
The Current

So there you have it.  I, for one, will be waiting.

Cowboy Nation

I wrote earlier about the recent massacre at Virginia Tech perpetrated by one lone man who besides being off his rocker, had extremely easy access to guns; access made all that more easy by the very lax gun legislation of The Commonwealth of Virginia. These laws (or rather lack thereof) make it possible to purchase any gun one would ever want with out permit or waiting period. In effect, in Virginia it is more difficult to adopt a cat from the local animal shelter than it is to get semi-automatic weapons.

As to be expected, the Gun Lobby claims that guns would have prevented this massacre. It seems that the Gun Lobby believes that as soon as this lunatic began firing, the students would have magically morphed into Bruce Willis and saved the day in a blinding flash of gunfire and testoserone. OOOOOOOkay.......

It is hard for one not of The Excited States of America to understand the American love affair with guns. To be sure, the right to bear arms is enshrined in their constitution. However, that said, I can't imagine that the founding fathers with their muzzle loading muskets could even conceive of the guns used by Cho Seung-Hui when he killed 32 people. Likewise, I don't think that they could envsioned in any way the carnage that happened at Virginia Tech. I believe that if they had any notion of what this amendment would have led to, the wording may have been drastically different.

I also can't figure this out: No one is asking for a ban on guns. All they want to know is who has them and waiting period to do a criminal/mental health check on the person who is buying it. That's it. No one wants to take their precious phallic symbols away. Now, that said, their government has carte blanche to tap their phones, it is even tracing the library books that people read, and they have their collective knickers in a twist because someone wants them to register their firearms.

I'd say they have a few larger problems than registering guns. But then, I'm Canadian.

What is happening to the bees?

Bee colonies are dying off in Europe, the United States and here in Canada. Colony Collapse, where all the bees leave the hive with no forwarding address, is happening both across the pond and south of the border. That doesn't seem to be the case in Canada *thus far* as the bees seem to have suffered from a wet fall, a long winter and infestations of parasitic bee mites. None the less, I don't think it would be out of place to call what is happening an epidemic.

If there are no bees, there is no pollination, no fruit, flowers, vegetables, and no life. Albert Einstein said:

Once the bees are gone, man would have only 4 years of life left.

Well, I have found that Albert never actually said that. Some things are wind pollenated, still, the prospect is not pretty.
Honey bee Deaths Sting Ontario Apiaries

Run, Bunnies, Run!!

5,000 Rabbits block Major Highway in Hungary

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Five thousand rabbits blocked a Hungarian highway Monday after the truck that was carrying them crashed.

Up In Smoke

The Federal Dope Deal

Once upon a time, about 8 or so years ago, I was hospitalized for the first time in my life. While I was recovering, attached to an IV pole that I named "Sancho" a la Don Quixote, I would wander about the building. On a regular basis, a strange and somehow faintly familiar odour would assail my nostrils; bringing back memories of being in someone's basement on hot summer nights listening to Moody Blues records in the dark.

The days of my mispent youth aside, there was a man in the hospital at that time who had fought for and won the right to use medical marijuana. Unfortunately, while he had the right to use it, there was no legal supply available. None the less, it was brought to him on a daily basis from a source that no one asked about and the nursing staff simply closed the door to his room and pretended that nothing was happening.

The Federal Government has gone in the the Medical Marijuana business and pays "Prairie Plant Systems" to grow it in an abandoned mine shaft in Flin Flon Manitoba. According to records obtained under the Access to Information act, the cost to the patients is 15 times more than the government pays for the weed in the first place. In effect, the government has allowed the use of medical marijuana on one hand, and is placing it out of the reach of those who need it with the other. (I know that this sure isn't covered by my medical plan).

Health Canada, in turn, sells the marijuana to a small group of authorized users for $150 - plus GST - for each 30-gram bag of ground-up flowering tops, with a strength of up to 14 per cent THC, the main active ingredient. That works out to $5,000 for each kilogram, or a markup of more than 1,500 per cent.

To add insult to injury, I have been told that the government weed, in the immortal words of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, "couldn't get a fly high".

And we will likely never know why

33 Dead in "horrific" campus shooting

I was 11 years old when the first occurance happened: sniper Charles Whitman killed 14 people and injured dozens at University of Texas in August of 1966 and I remember it still. Then came Columbine, and for a time it seem that every 6 weeks, as regular as clockwork, there was a shooting at some high school in the states. We in Canada were not immune, there was Taber Alberta, and L'Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, and others. Now, frighteningly, it seems that there are too many occurances to list.

The thing is, there will never be a satisfactory answer to the question of "Why?" In the end, even if we could get inside the head of the shooter, we would not find an answer, because truly, there is no satisfactory answer. Were they suicidal and wanted to take a bunch of people with them? Did they want a "blaze of notoriety" that their lives otherwise would never have brought them? What is the "short circuit" in the brain that erases everything except the urge to kill, and then to die?

Street Preacher vows to stay loud and proud

Pawlowski believes the city is persecuting him because of his religious message.

The city of Calgary is prejudiced against our message of hope in the name of Jesus and there is some witch hunt against the cross," he said.

No, My dear, they are persecuting you because you are using a bullhorn and we godless heathen hordes would like a little peace and quiet as we go about our sinful ways.

History Repeats Itself

Sex workers Cashing in on Alberta's Oil Boom

If you look at the history of any "boom", the same thing happens over and over again: The Rush begins, the place fills up with a lot of men, most of whom have no ties to the community and have no intentions of putting down roots. A lot of them are single, but a good chunk are not and of those, they are not likely to have brought their wives and families with them. All they want to do is make their money and go home.

As a result, you have a situation where the men outnumber the women, there is a lot of money, not a lot of ways to spend it.

So, in the wake of the "gold rush" (or in this case, oil) came the liquor (or these days, drugs) and the dance hall girls (sex workers). It is a basic law of supply and demand: if there is a demand for something there will be supply. If you want to get rid of something; do away with the demand.

Now, when it comes to prostitution, I am a tad on the pragmatic side: No, that is a job that I would not like to do. However, I think that anything that goes on between two consenting adults is no one's business but their own and legislating morality is pretty much an exercise in futility. In the words of one of our former Prime Ministers, Pierre Elliot Trudeau: "the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation." I also know that there but for the grace of (insert name of diety here) go I, or for that matter any one of us.

Good bye June

You made us all stop and think.

June Callwood, Canada's social conscience dies at 82

I don't have power — I have influence," she said. "Power and privilege? It's an ability to help to change. My prominence is a trust."

If you sit by the E-bay website and watch

Sooner or Later, everything will be sold there.

Ebay says Pope's old car for sale

I knew Homeland Security Had to be good for something

It really must have been a slow day.

Alberta RCMP Enlist Help of U.S. Homeland Security to nab Pepperoni thiefs (SIC)

Later in the day, they arrested two teenagers in a wooded area with the help of an American aircraft with an infrared camera.

The RCMP probably could have used their help tracking down a trailer load of Moosehead Beer headed for Mexico back in 2004

Another Great Moment in Censorship

All because two paragraphs show depict something that people find "uncomfortable".
This is almost as bad as the time a teacher was fired for showing a puppet version of Faust in a music class.

As poignant as it is painful, "Kaffir Boy" reached the top of the Washington Post best-seller list and No. 3 in the New York Times list. It earned the 1987 Christopher Award for literature, "affirming the highest values of the human spirit." And it was a finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Award for books representing "concern for the poor and the powerless.

Burlingame Schools pull 8th Grade Book From Class

Hell Hath No Fury

Like a Man with a Graphics Package

Minnesota Man Sentenced for Printing Lewd Stickers

The Epitome of Bad Taste

Just when you thought OJ would go away, after his publication of his book "If I did it" and the television interview was cancelled due to public outrage, the rights for the cursed thing are going up for auction next week.

What is worse is that the family of Ron Goldman really want it to be published. Why? For the money, of course!

Estate of Nicole Brown Simpson Doesn't want the OJ Book Published

Winning their Hearts and Minds

Canada offers forum for lecturer barred from U.S.

In short: A highly regarded Iraqi epidemiologist who wants to tell Americans about an alarming rise in cancer levels among Iraqi children will come to Canada instead because he couldn't get a visa to the United States.

Cancer and birth defects are rising in epdemic proportions among Iraqi children since the first Gulf War. the University of Washington wanted Dr. Riyadh Lafta to speak there, but his requests for a visa went ignored. So, he was invited to speak at Simon Fraser.

Spent uranium coating, among other things, are the causes. There is nothing left in Iraq to use such weaponry against, yet still it is being used. And in Afghanistan too. In the years to come it will effect not only the children, but the vetrans of this war as well.

This is just another thing that Bush's propoganda machine does not wish Americans to know about. The effects of this poisoning will likely be felt years from now, just like agent orange, and likely denied, just like agent orange.

Heard on the news this morning

I will post a link to it as soon as I can find one.

Here it is:

Former soldier in Dalhousie pushes for native-only regiment

The gist of it is someone has come up with the idea of having an all "First nations and Inuiit" regiment within the Canadian Armed Forces.

The logic behind this "brilliant" idea for this is:

"anyone who is not white and anglophone finds it very difficult to be in the Armed Forces."

Okay, point taken, it is hard, but exactly how will segregation solve this problem?

Dead Heroes

Last week at work, we brought up the least of who was considered to be the greatest Canadian, and on that list was Terry Fox, who, about 28 years ago, began his "Marathon of Hope" - a run across Canada to raise awareness and funds for Cancer research. Terry didn't make it: his run came to a halt near Thunder Bay when his own cancer returned. While Terry began a great thing, and he is a hero. However, I brought up a name that none had ever heard before:

Steve Fonyo.

Remember him? I have found that not many do.

He too lost a leg to cancer, and Terry Fox's heroic doomed effort to run across Canada inspired Steve to complete the run that Terry could not. The first part of his "Marathon for Lives" lived in Terry's shadow, and there were many accusations of being a "copy cat". But Steve perservered, and in doing so, raised 13 million for cancer research. If you look carefully, you can still see a couple of streets named in his honour. But Steve did the unforgivable - he was human and he lived.

Terry and Steve came from very different backgrounds: Terry was well educated, middle class and articulate. Steve came from an immigrant family, neither he nor his family were well educated, articulate speakers. Steve was a young man, certainly ill-equipped to deal with the pressure that came with his short lived fame. His father had a talent for rubbing the people the wrong way, and he was ill-used by some very shady publicists. The cost of Steve's run bankrupted his family, ruined their health and the media, to their eternal shame, slaughtered them: making fun of Steve Fonyo's father's accent, and his attempt to start a business that made perogies. Steve was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1987, however that was bittersweet, as his father died of lung cancer that same year. Steve dropped from sight after that, and began a downward spiral of addiction, depression, trouble with the law and was at times nearly suicidal.


I have been unable to find any mention of any help being offered to the Fonyo Family. Perhaps saddest of all, I have also been unable to locate any record of the Fox Family so much as raising a finger to speak out against this injustice. One would think that they, of all people, could afford to be gracious to someone who honoured their son in his own way. However, it seems that the "Terry Fox Foundation" founded and run by the Fox family, guards Terry's "legacy" very jealously. I wonder whether Terry, if he was 1/2 the person that people hold him to be, would have approved of this.

That Terry Fox accomplished a great thing is not in question. He was an inspiration to many, not only Steve Fonyo, but to others such as Rick Hansen as well. But Terry Fox is frozen forever in time; he will never stumble and fall from the pedestal where he now stands, his humanity will never betray him. I guess that is why our greatest heroes are dead.

Now if Only the Rest could get along.

About half the students who attend the Jewish primary school King David, in Birmingham, England, are Muslims, and in fact, their parents work hard to get them in because they so respect the school's ethos and its halal-like diet. All students learn Hebrew, recite Jewish prayers, and celebrate Israeli independence, but there is a Muslim prayer room, also, and Muslim teachers are hired for Ramadan. However, confided one parent, the school tries to keep a low profile so as not to inflame the religious rabble-rousers. [The Independent, 2-4-07]

The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.

The Case of Julie Amero

In short, a 40 year old substitute teacher faces up to 40 years in prison because of malware. I really can't believe that this case has gone to the levels it has reached. Her crime? Being computer illiterate.

People as her why she just didn't pull the plug.

1. She was told not to turn the computer off.
2. I work in technical support, and I speak to people every day who can't even recognize a power cable. Or for that matter, understand the that the co-relation between a power outtage and the fact that their equipment doesn't work. No, that's not an urban legend. The world is full of them.
   

This had got to be one of the worst cases of judicial stupidity I've seen of late. A so called "expert witness" who is completely and utterly clueless about the subject, a computer illiterate prosecuter, an ignorant jury and a judge who slept through the proceedings.

A couple more articles:

Can a Legal System Unversed in Technology result in a fair Trial?

Mouse Trapped

The latest news says that her sentencing has again been delayed until April 26/07.

Scent of a Woman

Woman's scent not 'Very Irrésistible' to Calgary bus drivers

Allow me to state first off, that I like perfume - when used sparingly. However, out of respect for my fellow employees (I work in a high density setting), I do not wear it at my place of employ. Likewise, I do not where it when visiting my Dr, or hospitals. In all other situations, less is truly more. Scent should be a subtle'hint' not a sledge hammer to the senses.

I once had to sit at a trade show with a woman who insisted on marinating herself in Body Shop Dewberry perfume every 15 minutes. She was 20 feet away from me. No one could stand to go near her display and she ruined business for the rest of us too.

I don't care whether her perfume is Givenchy, Chanel, or any other designer name; Too much is too much, and of the bus has to pull over to open windows, it is too much. However, if this woman wants to make a fool of herself in public, there are more than enough rope to hang herself.

In comparing herself to Rosa Parks she has proven that she has little sense and less shame.

Oh.. and it's not only women:

Body spray banned from N.B. school

The Value of Silence

Pause for a moment, Dear Reader and listen: Listen and make note of the sounds around you. From where I sit, I hear the hum of my computer, and further in the background the mutter of the television in the living room where my Dear Husband watches a British mystery, from the kitchen, the refrigerator vibrates away, and then there is the sound of the fan from the furnace as the fire takes the chill off the house. I have grown so used to these sounds that I don’t even hear them, as a matter of fact, the only time I notice them is in their absence during a power failure. At various times during the day, I hear the train go by on the track about a kilometer away. Sound is all around us: phones, doorbells, mp3 players, radio, traffic.

At this time of my life, I live in the country, far away from the din that accompanies urban centers and for this I am grateful. I once spent a week visiting a friend who lived in a high rise in down town Calgary. The noise funneled up from street level during the day, and wasn’t much quieter at night. I could never, ever live there; it would drive me mad. I lived in an apartment for a while where my neighbours were heavy metal maniacs at all hours of the day and most of the night. I have come to realize the blessing and the value of peace and quiet. This realization was particularly true for me three years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer. I saw four doctors in three cities in two provinces over the course of one month while trying to find one who had a clue how to treat the very rare type that I have. To say this was a stressful time was an understatement to say the least. I wanted nothing more for a while just to go on retreat for a time, far away from telephones, televisions, radios and just be alone with my thoughts.

This brings me my real topic today: 2007 marks the 10 anniversary of the beginning of the end of Nova Nada Monastery in Nova Scotia.

Nova Nada never really had much luck when it came to choosing a location. Their first monastery/hermitage in Sedona was abandoned due to urban development. When that happened, they found an old camp off the beaten track near Kemptville in the early 70’s and relocated there. All was well until J.D. Irving and Co began intensive logging in the area. Now to understand what this means you have to get a feeling for the J.D. Irvings and their way of doing business.

The Irvings are the “big fish” in the relatively small pond of the Maritimes. To give you an idea of just who pervasive this family is, you can’t even wipe your butt without helping to fill their coffers. Feelings about J.D. Irving tend to fall into one of two camps: He is either the second coming of Christ, or should burn in the lowest reaches of hell. They have singularly done the most to damage to the environment in these three provinces, and for the most part, without any accountability whatsoever. I was talking to some guy from Ducks Unlimited who extolled about all the money they had donated to them for wetlands preservation. However, as last year the company destroyed 5 blue heron nests (an endangered species) without so much as a second thought, clear cut everything in sight and the motto of St. John New Brunswick, home of Irving’s oil refinery as well as several pulp mills should be “Nice City, But it Stinks”, all the while adding whole new dimensions to the term “acid rain”, I somehow doubt their commitment to the environment. An oil barge, “the Irving Whale” went down near the malpaque oyster beds near PEI. It went down intact, but every so often, it would burp out a bit of crude. Finally, when it had deteriorated to the point where it was about to break up entirely, the government mounted a multi-million dollar project to bring to salvage it. And the Irvings said, “oh… and we guess we should tell you – there are pcbs on board. Oh, and if you manage to bring it up intact, we want the oil back, (the insurance had already paid out for both barge and contents). While the Irvings did not get the oil back, I guess you can see where this is going: They have a finger in every pie, are very used to getting their own way, and more often than not, they do. .

Basically, clearcut logging (that is the only type that the Irving’s do) besides being an ecological nightmare, is a noisy proposition, and during the summer, they go at it 24 hours a day. All the monks at Nova Nada wanted were peace and quiet – a two-mile buffer zone around the monastery. This was not to be had, and they countered with this offer. The monks were not alone in their fight; petitions were circulated (170,000 signatures), there was support from the Sierra Club but to no avail. The monks even offered to buy the land, and appealed to J.D. himself. Since the Irvings worship only one god and his name is Mammon, I imagine that it was rather like talking to a wall.

The monks of Nova Nada eventually gave up, and moved to Ireland to found another monastery. The monastery near Kemptville was eventually sold. I hope that the monks are more successful in their new home, and that they find the peace and solitude that they sought. As for the rest of us; in losing both the monastery and its inhabitants, we are all that much poorer.

Space Bricklin

We don’t have the paper delivered here for 2 reasons a) newspapers accumulate, while we heat with wood, and we can use them to start fires, to me it seems like such a waste. (Yes, I know we can recycle, which we do. However, why get it in the first place if we don’t really need it?) Then, b) and this is the real clincher, every newspaper in New Brunswick, (even the giveaway rag on what’s going on in the local bar scene), is owned by the Irvings and the standard of journalistic excellence sets whole new lows. Therefore, it boils down to this: why waste the money on a crappy newspaper, only to recycle or burn it? Believe me, there is no lack of scrap paper and cardboard around to start the fires in the furnace.

That said; thank all the gods for the Internet and CBC radio, without which I would be at the mercy of the Irvings, with crop circles as front page news.

But my commentary on articles of major or minor importance:

Last summer, the Nova Scotia Provincial Government in partnership with a private company to open some sort of a Space Launch Facility in a yet to be announced location on Cape Breton. Now, everyone seems to think that this is a dandy thing. However…….. For those of you who are not familiar with Cape Breton, it is an technically an island, separated by the very narrow Canso strait from the mainland. It is a lovely place to visit, you will find the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone, but unfortunately did not get it patented first. He was a very prolific inventor, and among other things, developed the Hydrofoil, the prototypes of which were tested on the Baeddeck Lakes practically on the front door. It is now a museum and a fascinating place to visit if you are interested in such things. Cape Breton is also the home of the only Gaelic University in North America, if not the world. The Cabot Trail is a wonderfully scenic trip, and utterly spectacular when the fall colours are at their peak. Mabon is the home of Glenora Distilleries the only single malt distillery in North America. There is produced Glen Breton, the only single malt produced in North America. I am told it is very good, and sells for about $75.00 a bottle. It is also an area with high unemployment and has been since the coal mines closed.

Why, do you ask, is this worthy of commentary?

On the surface, this looks like a pretty sweet deal: good jobs to the area and all those benefits thereof.

But there is one thing that makes me wonder: The Weather.

Over the years I have watched many a space launch: from the Gemini orbits, to the Apollo missions that culminated in the moon landing, and many, many space shuttle launches. They all have one thing in common: as soon as the weather becomes less than optimal, the launch is postponed. .

Now, Cape Breton, with its head stuck out in the north Atlantic, is the eastern most point in continental North America. (Newfoundland notwithstanding since it an island that is not considered part of continental North America). As some of you know, my DH Dan, worked for Environment Canada, even before it was Environment Canada and it was the Dept of Transport. As a result, in our house we watch the weather like other people watch Canadian/American/Whatever Idol. It has been my observation that sometime in the early part of November, the weather in Cape Breton reads as follows: High Wind Warning, Heavy Snowfall Warning, and Freezing Rain Warning with any combination thereof. This streak of “interesting” weather will continue for, at very least, the next 6 months. This has led me to two possible conclusions: Environment Canada has gotten very lazy in its forecasting and is hitting the “repeat” button for at least 6 months of the year OR the weather really is that foul.

For my own part, I believe it to be the latter rather than the former. Now this does beg the question: Why would a facility that is so dependent on good weather be placed in an area where the weather is so marginal for such a large part of the year?

Forgive me if I sound more than a little cynical, but I smell a boondoggle.

I am no stranger to boondoggles – from the Gigatext program that was supposed to be an English/French conversion program that the Government of Saskatchewan invested 5 million dollars, with no follow up whatsoever. Needless to say the 5 million vanished into the either, never to be heard from again. Then, there was the Squalus Jet Trainer, an apparently very nifty jet that could, supposedly, but used to train fighter pilots. With only a little Government funding, this could have brought the aerospace industry to Saskatoon, providing jobs and prosperity. Again, a nice idea in theory, but they had no real potential buyers for this item. Much to the chagrin of the good Burghers of Saskatoon, the provincial government declined to invest in this project. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth by said Burghers, when the company that produced the Squalus folded up their tents and took their prototype to pastures anew. The wailing decreased after it became known that there was some extremely “creative” marketing projections by that company. I suppose there was more than a little schadenfrude when that company in another guise moved to Alberta in 2003, with a revised version of the trainer which even after much investment, literally and figuratively, never got off the ground.


And who can forget that crowning achievement of all Maritime boondoggles: The Bricklin

It seems as though the government in its need not so much to do something but to be seen to be doing something, is ripe for the picking. The hopes of the people rise high as the purveyors of snake oil and humbug close in for the kill and the rustling sound you hear is that of money being tossed into the wind.

Never, Ever Piss Off A Senior - The Story of the OLC

As I said, it was an auspicious day to begin this blog with not only one, but two articles upon which to comment, and it's not even noon yet.

First, allow me to state that I'm not much of a gambler; I've been to Vegas twice in my life; Both times in the 80's, when there were still remnants of the old "Rat Pack" days to be found. Each time, the limit of my gambling consisted of the nickel slots. I have no interest in cards, much to the annoyance of my family and extended maternal family, all of whom seem to have been born with a deck of cards in one hand and a bottle of rye in the other. I can forget how to play a card game as fast as I have been taught, and utterly despise rye whiskey. Those qualties plus the fact that I am the only one on either side of my family who enjoys Shakespeare and would give my eye teeth to see the entire Ring Cycle live, lends credence to my theory that I was stolen at birth by Polish Peasants. but I digress.

I have, however, bought the occasional lottery ticket knowing full well that the odds of winning the big one are not much better than if I had not bought a ticket at all. But, you never know.....

I, like many other Canadians, have been watching with great interest, the story of 82 year old Bob Edmonds and his stolen lottery ticket since his story first broke last fall on The Fifth Estate. If you have an hour or so to kill, I recommend watching both the original story, the follow up and the follow up to the follow up available on the web site linked above.

In short, Mr Edmonds bought a lottery ticket, was scammed out of his winnings ($250,000)by the unscrupulous owners of the convenience store where he had the ticket checked. It took four years, of cover ups, denial, and litigation to have this matter more or less set to rights. The Ontario Lottery Commission spent $400,000, nearly double the original prize, in legal fees fighting Mr. Edmonds. In the end Mr Edmonds won, but the story is convoluted, and to long to explain all the nuances here. The ensuing scandal has rocked the OLC to its very foundation, and cast doubts on every other provincial lottery in the country, when it was found that inside winners (retailers) were winning huge prizes at 10 times the rate of the rest of us. In Atlantic Canada, the inside winner with ratio is 25 times higher.

Yesterday, in a long overdue move the head of the OLC, Duncan Brown was fired and escorted from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission building. This occurs just days before the Provincial Ombudsman is due to release it's report on the wrong doing at the OLC.

It is interesting to note that the hierarchy in the OLC really pissed off not only Bob Edmonds but a lot of people withing the OLC itself. This was indicated by the number of documents "leaked" to The Fifth Estate during its ongoing investigation. The fingers of this cover up even reach into the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

This story isn't over yet.

An Auspicous Day to Begin

Now, I had planned on starting this blog some time ago and just needed a little "push" to get things started. This morning, my Dear Husband woke me with this bit of news:

Schreiber files suit on Mulroney

Now to be honest, I did not know that bribes came with a money back guarantee. Some one once said that the problem with bribing some one is that they don't necessarily stay bribed. What I would really like to know is:

1. will we get back the 2.1 million that was paid to Brian for his "legal and public relations costs"?
2. If it is not a bribe, will Brian once and for all, explain to us why Schreiber gave him $300,000 in the first place?