Tempus fugit..

Fifteen days from now, I will be 61 years old and still not as wise as maybe I should be. SIXTY ONE, dammit.. wah!!

I had a bucket list but can’t remember where I put the bucket. I am so crippled up at times, getting to the front door is an excursion in itself. I am more tolerant than I used to be, but nobody gets to see me so I can show them. The only fun in getting old is that I can get away with behaving oddly, but I am too self-conscious to do that.

Nine days from now is the real high spot. I will know if I have been awarded MVP status again by Microsoft. It used to be fun because we were sent a gift, not always a really useful item, but a gift nonetheless, and I have kept most of them. However, it is the award that counts most. It is good to be recognised as having a useful purpose in life, especially an old stooge like me.. :-)

Two days from now, it will be Christmas day, a day for kids everywhere, but kids are not just for Christmas. Remember that, and also remember what Christmas is all about. Love is what you do for somebody throughout the years, not what you buy them at Christmas.

Wherever you are, whoever you are, there is a festival around this time of year. Try to make the most of it even if you feel like dirt. You will get more out of it if you think about others before yourself.

The end of the world never came..

December 21, 2012 was, allegedly the last day of the Mayan calendar. We were told that the end of the world was nigh, but the end of Dec 21, 20120 heralded in a new era called Dec 22, 2012.

As always, a fair few high profile stars came to their end this year. Also twenty kids aged between 6 and 7 in the Sandy Hook school, Newtown, Connecticut. The NRA saw it as collateral damage. I will never understand the views of the NRA and its members. They all need psychological assistance in my opinion.

The Bushmaster AR-15 became the most famous semi-auto rifle because it was the weapon of choice for two mass shooters and a nutcase who took out two firemen in Rochester, NY.

The USA is about to step off the ‘fiscal cliff’. Pardon me for thinking that the USA had been sliding into inequity for some while. Obama tries to do his best for ALL US citizens, while Republicans do what they can to stop him.

Corruption in high places is nothing new. Four city mayors across Canada could be worse. There are eleven major cities! Banking in Europe has been found to be every bit as corrupt as it is in the USA. Surprise surprise. This is what happens when you entrust others with your money. They call it ‘human nature’.

Why isn’t corruption higher in Canada? Is it because nobody has long enough to escape before winter sets in? There is corruption in Canada, but at a lower level except for Montreal. That city has its own code.

The Middle East still has problems, Syria in particular. The Russians worry about who might replace Assad. So does everybody else, but is that a reason to stand by and do nothing to help the people? The Arab Spring has produced mixed results in other countries, mainly bad mixed in with very bad.

The West still hasn’t caught on that it is dictatorships which keep the countries unified. It may not suit us, but many less people die. The other side is that the people live very poorly whatever they try to achieve. It is not easy to see an answer, and never has been.

The London Olympics was a huge success, and despite claims by the US that security there would be a joke, it wasn’t. In the end, all they could say was “Who is Ray Davies?”.

Queen Elizabeth did a great job of standing on a boat in less than perfect conditions for hours, watching the largest British flotilla since the Armada slowly drift by. What a star that lady is. For his efforts, the Duke ended up in hospital. The man is ninety years old. I would not have done what he did, nor could I have done it.

Piers Morgan, having upset the Brits for a long time, has now upset the wannabe Wild Bills of the USA. That’s almost half of the population, and he may be looking for safe passage to Argentina fairly soon. If I had any advice for him, I would suggest that he does not start calling the Falklands by Argentina’s preferred name.

Documents relating the Falklands War have been released recently, and we find out that Her Majesty’s Government had grave doubts about whether Britain could re-take them from Argentina. While Reagan openly told the world that US involvement would only go as far as letting the Brits use Ascension Island, there were secret talks suggesting greater involvement by the US. I am pleased that there wasn’t. Americans can be insufferable as it is. Fortunately, and with few resources left, the Brits scared the Argentinian force enough that they finally surrendered.  Yay for the Brits.

On a happy note, a South Korean entertainer known as Psy has broken YouTube records by being the most watched video ever, surpassing the one billion mark. There have been many parodies made around the world, but this is the original, the one and only Psy..

Amazing stuff

It’s almost time to close down on 2012. Now you know how to make an entrance into 2013, Psy style..

Its been awhile..

I am going to attempt to resurrect this blog. Previous articles were mainly of a general nature. This type of entry will still be included..

Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009

His personal life was a mess, but he was the ultimate showman. He wrote his own songs, and developed a dance style which every young kid wanted to emulate. Young kids today are still trying to emulate him.  His pop videos were in a class of their own, and many pop stars owe their success to the ground rules set by him.
His ‘Thriller’ album of 1983 was the biggest selling album of all time, and was part of the 750 million albums sold in his name. The accompanying video defined ‘pop’ videos and was a major factor in the initial success of MTV.
Unfortunately, like many stars, he became a victim of medication abuse, partly brought on by use of prescription drugs used to overcome the pain from injuries sustained while perfecting his craft.
His behaviour was a little weird, but what can we expect from somebody who never had the experience of being a regular kid. Accusations of child abuse and generally poor health in the last years of his life drove him to be a recluse. Since 2007, he was trying to rebuild his career. As I type this, the cause of death is not known. The world will have to wait for toxicology reports.  
Rest In Peace, Michael. It is most likely the first you have ever known..

The End..

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
Ill never look into your eyes...again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...strangers hand
In a...desperate land
Lost in a roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah

Oh, the irony..

Barack Obama faces some huge challenges as he takes office as the most powerful man in the world. Despite the statement made by the outgoing President, the USA has lost a not inconsiderable amount of credibility around the world, financially and morally.

My hope is that all citizens of the USA will pull behind Obama. There is no way that he can live up to expectations unless they all pull their weight. No one person could cure the nations ills alone.

He has put together a team of varying political persuasion, all of whom have experience of the situations which have lead the country to its present state. His choice of Hillary Clinton for the position of ‘Secretary of State’ has to be good. She is well known, well respected, and she is really very smart.

I wish Barack Obama and his team all of the best as they clear the minefield which was George W Bush..

Happy Bloody New Year..

.. to all of the selfish, greedy, thoughtless bastards who contributed to the global economic crash..

.. to all of the dictators who cling onto power by decimating their own people..

.. to all terrorists who hide behind religion, women, children and the elderly while they fire rounds indiscriminately at anybody they do not like.. 

.. to all politicians who knowingly lie through their teeth when they make promises to the people in order to get elected..

You have all done a great job thus far, and I don't doubt that none of you see fit to change your sleazy ways for 2009 and beyond..

Keep up the good work and we can maybe save a forest somewhere by not bothering to print diaries and calendars for 2010.. 

Remains of missing toddler, Caylee Anthony, identified..

Discovered in an area that was supposed to have been searched already, what is left of the toddler could have been found as early as August. Cause of death would have been easier to establish at that point. As it stands, cause of death can't be determined. This little girl is a victim of incompetence in life and after death. She has been failed by all upon whom she would have relied for a decent life.

Maybe it is better this way for her that she is free of the craziness.

Casey. the mother, has not spoken one true word about her daughter's disappearance since the story originally broke. Her capacity to fabricate is enormous. This can't be anything new, and the parents of this woman must have known that she NEVER ever tells the truth.

Cindy, the grandmother, has openly admitted to misleading the authorities. She and her husband now want immunity from prosecution before they will tell a straight story. George does as he is told, it is said.

What chance would this little girl have had of anything approaching a normal life? Any innocence she had prior to death would have been replaced by less than favourable qualities shown by her immediate family of late.

The local police chief is saying that there were thousands of 'leads', so it would be easy enough to 'lose' the three leads which would have lead to finding the body months ago. The police, professional searchers, mediums, all kinds of people had been looking for Caylee, but the three reports of a suspicious bag within a half mile of her home were obviously not properly followed up. Too busy; we looked there already; didn't want to get our feet wet; there was a snake there.

It is very sad that a little child's life has to end the way this one did, but people knew that not all was well, and the statements of morons who have appeared on TV interviews justifying dysfunctional behaviour is absolutely sickening.

Let's all live in La-La land and pretend that all around us is 'tangerine trees and marmalade skies'.

Nobody wants to take responsibility anymore. Caylee Anthony is not the first to die like this, and she will not be the last, and we have learned NOTHING.

Sit quietly for a minute, close your eyes, and pray in advance for the next child to be let down by society, because there is a child there in the wings with thousands standing in line behind.

Something to consider while out Christmas shopping..

If you have never experienced the
danger of war or the solitude of
imprisonment, the agony of torture
and hunger, you are much ahead of
the 500 million people who live in
this world.

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine...

.. and those who don't.

As  Ben Franklin said:

In wine there is wisdom,

in beer there  is freedom,

in water there is bacteria.

In a number  of carefully controlled trials, scientists have  demonstrated that if we drink 1 litre of water each day, at  the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria  found in faeces.

In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of  poop.However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking  wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor)  because alcohol has to go through a purification process of  boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember:

Water = Poop,

Wine =  Health.

Therefore, it's  better to drink wine and talk stupid,than to drink water and be full of crap.

There is no need to thank me  for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.

A Dictionary Definition..

Hope..

.. is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of despair, wanting, wishing, suffering or perseverance — i.e., believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.

The key word here is 'some'..

Two blondes..

.. with hammers, Ann and Susie were doing some carpenter work on a Habitat for Humanity house.

Ann, who was nailing down house siding, would reach into her nail pouch, pull out a nail, and either toss it over her shoulder or nail it in.

Susie, figuring this was worth looking into, asked, "Why are you throwing those nails away?"

Ann explained, "When I pull a nail out of my pouch, about half of them have the head on the wrong end, and I throw them away."

Susie got very upset and yelled, "You! moron! Those nails aren't defective! They're for the other side of the house.

Phantom Hope..

It is said that the world is warming up. As it does, animals like the Polar Bear will disappear because their habitat will no longer exist. It is difficult to imagine a world without the North and South polar icecap. One can't help but feel that something cataclysmic would happen along the path to total meltdown, something really BIG. If you think about it, the rising ocean levels swamping what are now coastal low lying areas is bad enough.

You may think that you are sitting pretty if you live on high ground, but you would soon lose that smug grin. Where do you think all of the people in coastal cities like Montreal, New York and London England are going to be displaced?

Who, exactly is going to pay for the removal of infrastructure away from the areas which will be hit hard? How and when will it be moved?

As the oceans rise, so does the level of water in estuaries, and what is attached to all estuaries? Yes, you guessed right. The small river not too far away from you is also going to rise. Today's fields, farms, golf courses, business parks and domestic housing areas are going to be lakes.

Wild animals, their habitat fast receding, will come into conflict with the escaping hordes from the large coastal cities, whose only interests will be getting someplace to live, be it on a high ground farmers field, or vast tracts of previously forested land, all of the trees about to be cut down to allow for space and building materials.

Fishing fleets will have nowhere to bring back catches unless they fix wheels to the fish processing plants and centres, so no more Sole Meuniere at your favourite restaurant, or cod and chips out of the paper while watching the waves gently roll up the beach.

Meanwhile, up on the high ground, you can't go out in the sun for longer than fifteen minutes unless you smother yourself in sunblock with a rating of '2000', which is probably just as well because there are marauding bands of displaced city dwellers looking to take what you have got, and I don't just mean the sunblock. Better to lock yourself in at night and maybe daytime too.

Living on what is left of the surface will be no cakewalk. Ecosystems contained under glass shields are still very much in the trial stages. Billions of dollars are being poured into space research, but space is a long way from here, and from pictures sent back of our sister planet Mars, unless we are in the market for red rocks and dust, there is not much hope coming out of the research at all.

In the meantime, billions of dollars are being spent on the war to decide whose god will ultimately save us. Salvation is in our own hands, yet we do not seem to have the mind set to realize it

I woke up this morning, still holding what I see a the glimmer of hope that life will improve, but as days pass, the glimmer is like the expectation of watching a forest burn in the belief that, when the flames are extinguished, it will immediately transform into the lush green that it was just before fire took a hold.

Home Economics - Lesson One

Scenario

A husband and wife are doing their grocery shopping.

The man picks up a case of beer and sticks in into the shopping cart.

'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife.

'They're on sale, only $10.00 for 24 cans', he says.

'Put them back. We can't afford it,' says the wife and they carry on shopping...

A few aisles later the woman picks up a $20.00 jar of face cream and sticks it into the cart.

'Whoa, what do you think you're doing?' asks the man.

'It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful,' she says.

The man replies...'SO DOES 24 CANS OF BEER, AND IT'S HALF THE PRICE!'

Lesson learned

The introductory letter from the lawyer handling the subsequent divorce costs way in excess of the beer AND face cream combined..

All Points Of The Compass..

North

Polar Bears are still in trouble as their world melts away. It is known that when the top predator disappears, the rest of the food chain goes West too.

The warmer temperatures have resulted in faster thawing, and some places have been in danger of washing away. In response to this, a whole town was evacuated South until their hometown conditions improved. The people were flown out in military Hercules transport planes and anything else that would fly. Two days later, the threat had subsided and the people are being flown back. The whole operation must have cost a great deal, emergency bedding and food supplies having been appropriated in the temporary housing. However, the Hercules transports will not be used for the trip back. They can only be used in emergencies, and getting these displaced people back is not considered an emergency.

So what the hell is it?

East

Some Quebecois seem intent on driving a wedge between their province and adjoining Canada. There has been tension between Quebec and Canada for a while, and now it has hit the Ottawa buses. The extremists say that bus drivers should be perfectly bi-lingual. When asked if they ever talk to bus drivers, they all say 'no'. So does it make any difference if they can speak French, or English for that matter? As long as they know the route, stopping where they should and drive safely, who cares?

Further East, the Maritimes have flooding problems too but they are used to living under indifferent conditions. The most important item on the agenda is keeping the gains from mineral rights to themselves.

West

Highway 401 is being extended from Windsor, Ontario to the US border. It will take five years to complete, and will be the biggest road project Ontario has ever seen, as it involves tunnelling. The way gas prices are rising, it will be interesting to see who uses the completed section five years hence.

The oil producers in Alberta screwed up recently as a large flight of ducks landed on a toxic lake, quickly succumbing the to effects of waste from extracting oil from the oil sands. Apparently, the oil companies forgot to set up devices that would normally scare birds away. What has surprised people, I think, is the speed at which perfectly healthy ducks died. The oil sands industry has come under scrutiny re the effects on the environment lately, and I have a feeling that scrutiny will become a whole lot more intense now.

South

The people south of me are in all kinds of trouble. The country is in recession, the incumbent President is on his way out, but his legacy will live on for years. The pretenders to the 'crown' are slugging it out among themselves now, but one has to feel sorry for the one who gets elected. The worst is that whatever happens to the south will have huge repercussions in Canada.

Canadians have a tough enough time working together when everything is looking like a well oiled machine.

And Beyond..

Don't expect sympathy from me. Now is not a good time..

Thought of the day

The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goals, it lies in having no goals to reach - Benjamin Mays

Israel Is So Desperate For Housing..

.. that eleven hundred new homes are going to be built in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. The country absolutely can't do without them, and it is just unfortunate that the move will annoy the Palestinians and all of the other countries involved in getting a peace deal together. The housing situation is so desperate that the decision to build can't be reversed, a decision taken back in 1999.

Hello? That decision was made in 1999!! That's eight to nine years as the crow flies, and now you pick this time to start construction as other nations are trying to establish peace for you people that may just last?

Pardon me for thinking that you are not looking for peace at all. While we all sympathize with what happened to your people over the ages, there are limits, ya know. How about working with others who are taking the time and trouble to overcome the problems of the Middle East?  

The Trouble With Being A Critic is..

A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded:

"Rome ? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome . So, how are you getting there?"

"We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"

"Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser. " That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?"

"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."

"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks its gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is surly, and they're overpriced. So, whatcha doing when you get there?"

"We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."

"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."

A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome ..

"It was wonderful," explained the woman, "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked, and they bumped us up to first class. The food was wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot. And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodelling job, and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"

"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."

"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."

"Oh, really! What'd he say ?"

He said: "Where'd you get the shitty Hairdo?"

If The Singer Had Been British..

.. would some of the most famous songs have ever made it to vinyl?

Viva Great Yarmouth - Elvis

The Night The Lights Went Out in Rutland - Vicki Lawrence

West Hartlepool (be sure to wear some wellies on your feet) - Scott MacKenzie

I left My Heart In Bognor Regis - Tony Bennett

Midnight Train To Devon - Gladys Knight and the Pips

Twenty Four Hours to Scunthorpe - Gene Pitney

Wakefield Prison Blues - Johnny Cash

Hotel Dorset - The Eagles

Blackburn, Blackburn - Frank Sinatra

Two Well Known Lines..

But from where or what? Do you recognize them?

"Roll or bowl a ball, a penny a pitch"

"Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy"