Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Bello, giovane e abbronzato...
said Italy's Berlusconi about the newly elected Obama in Moscow, in November 2008, and he said it to the new Russian Premier, who is neither young nor tanned. Of course, the world's press not knowing how the phrase would be taken in Italian, as a "carineria" (an endearing compliment) rather than a gaffe, reacted to "racism" by the gaffe-prone premier of Italy (despite there being only one "race" biologically amongst humans).
Media must sensationalize or it doesn't attract attention; it must lie or there is no truth. Truth is, a compliment is a compliment, even if you don't like it. And I say this as I'm getting nicely tanned, working in my field of newly planted trees, these last sunny and hot days of May.
Media must sensationalize or it doesn't attract attention; it must lie or there is no truth. Truth is, a compliment is a compliment, even if you don't like it. And I say this as I'm getting nicely tanned, working in my field of newly planted trees, these last sunny and hot days of May.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
See the Bow Wow
Here it is on the O'Reilly Factor, courtesy of You Tube.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Bow WOW!
The historic election of the new US President was a welcome event, no matter your politics (as would have been the historic election of his opponent in the nomination race, had she won). He has an enormous task to shoulder: the recovery of a wrecked economy. History will be the judge. But now, the new President is also striding the international stage, an impressive figure at the G20, making all the right conciliatory noises for friend and foe alike.
Then, there's the bowing and scraping, most unusual for a US President. I'm not sure what to make of the so-called apologies, but I think they are more tactical than strategic. Certainly, it is clever to take responsibility for an economic meltdown that originated in the US, it gets you points and it hides the big stick you're supposed to be carrying. But, here's the rub: is there a big stick? Certainly, the US President who made history is walking softly, and amazing all in his soft shoes. But is he carrying a Big Stick?
We should have thought so by his demeanour at the G20 in London. On meeting Eliz. II, he did not bow, only showing proper protocol for heads of state who meet other heads of state. The soft walk in London seemed to mask the Big Stick, and the soft walk wowed everyone, especially when you add the First Lady into the mix. But, alas, he came away with little or nothing.
Both mask and Big Stick, however, disappeared when the American Head of State visited the King of Saudi Arabia, a kingdom that finances terror against the West in addition to selling oil to the US.
Remembering that Lizzy II is only 5'4" and that the King of SA is not a midget, the President did not "stoop", as the White House says, to shake the hand of a shorter man: he "bowed", to the waist, as can be plainly seen in every video take of the event. He bowed so low, he almost scraped. He sure as heck was not scratching his knee or tying his shoe lace.
Since when does a Head of any State show such deference? Is he going to kiss the Pope's ring when he meets him? No, he won't; so, why the bow that wowed the world? To reinforce the weasel words uttered in Turkey about the US not being a Christian or Jewish nation but a nation of ideas? Perhaps to underline the often-stated (by the previous Administration) axiom that the US is not at war with Islam?
Beats me.
Perplexed as I am about the bow wow, I cannot accept it is as either good tactics or good strategy but rather as an error in bad judgment or a gross breach of protocol or as an insult to the President's fellow citizens. Or a telling impulse?
Beats me.
For opinions, search http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/, for references to this event. And go to, Obama Bows for view and comments.
Then, there's the bowing and scraping, most unusual for a US President. I'm not sure what to make of the so-called apologies, but I think they are more tactical than strategic. Certainly, it is clever to take responsibility for an economic meltdown that originated in the US, it gets you points and it hides the big stick you're supposed to be carrying. But, here's the rub: is there a big stick? Certainly, the US President who made history is walking softly, and amazing all in his soft shoes. But is he carrying a Big Stick?
We should have thought so by his demeanour at the G20 in London. On meeting Eliz. II, he did not bow, only showing proper protocol for heads of state who meet other heads of state. The soft walk in London seemed to mask the Big Stick, and the soft walk wowed everyone, especially when you add the First Lady into the mix. But, alas, he came away with little or nothing.
Both mask and Big Stick, however, disappeared when the American Head of State visited the King of Saudi Arabia, a kingdom that finances terror against the West in addition to selling oil to the US.
Remembering that Lizzy II is only 5'4" and that the King of SA is not a midget, the President did not "stoop", as the White House says, to shake the hand of a shorter man: he "bowed", to the waist, as can be plainly seen in every video take of the event. He bowed so low, he almost scraped. He sure as heck was not scratching his knee or tying his shoe lace.
Since when does a Head of any State show such deference? Is he going to kiss the Pope's ring when he meets him? No, he won't; so, why the bow that wowed the world? To reinforce the weasel words uttered in Turkey about the US not being a Christian or Jewish nation but a nation of ideas? Perhaps to underline the often-stated (by the previous Administration) axiom that the US is not at war with Islam?
Beats me.
Perplexed as I am about the bow wow, I cannot accept it is as either good tactics or good strategy but rather as an error in bad judgment or a gross breach of protocol or as an insult to the President's fellow citizens. Or a telling impulse?
Beats me.
For opinions, search http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/, for references to this event. And go to, Obama Bows for view and comments.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Cerberus in Ottawa
The three-headed dog attacked Ottawa in the name of the Coalition of Nobodies. The gov't managed to escape with just a few nips and bruises, mostly inflicted by a tendentious Media, which is the norm in Canada. Jack the Flash, Friend of the Union Classes and Foe of the Upwardly Wealthy, thought he had engineered a change of the guard, a legal but unconscionable act in these tough times.
What caused it all? Rank and malodorous Fear, fear of losing public subsidies to the Nobodies' political parties. The Media crapped all over the gov't for being mean-spirited, blah, blah, conveniently ignoring the Fact that most Canadians do not favour public subsidies for political parties. The fife & drum was brought out to pillory the Prime Minister, even claiming he had lost credibility and party support for having "provoked" the crisis. Provoked, in a pig's arse! The Nobodies provoked it; howling, screaming and kicking would have been enough to make the gov't back down, but, no, Jack and the other idiots had to go for constitutional crises.
The fife & drum also reported that the PM was remiss in not bringing out an economic preamble to the federal budget. How's that, just 2 weeks after the election? Instead, the gov't proposed cost-cutting measures with broad appeal, which quickly went partisan. Then, the PM uttered the awful appelation, "separatists" and promptly pissed off the citizens of the Leech Province on the back of the rest of us.
Rightly, the West protested angrily against the Coalition to Serve the East, especially the Leech Province and then the newly minted Have-not Province of the Automobiles. GOOD!!! I'd like to see a more autonomous western region and the separation of the Leech Province.
Parliament was prorogued and the Media tripped all over themselves trying to paint this as "undemocratic", "unfair", "mean... blah blah blah". Ha ha ha, I say; let the fun begin.
What caused it all? Rank and malodorous Fear, fear of losing public subsidies to the Nobodies' political parties. The Media crapped all over the gov't for being mean-spirited, blah, blah, conveniently ignoring the Fact that most Canadians do not favour public subsidies for political parties. The fife & drum was brought out to pillory the Prime Minister, even claiming he had lost credibility and party support for having "provoked" the crisis. Provoked, in a pig's arse! The Nobodies provoked it; howling, screaming and kicking would have been enough to make the gov't back down, but, no, Jack and the other idiots had to go for constitutional crises.
The fife & drum also reported that the PM was remiss in not bringing out an economic preamble to the federal budget. How's that, just 2 weeks after the election? Instead, the gov't proposed cost-cutting measures with broad appeal, which quickly went partisan. Then, the PM uttered the awful appelation, "separatists" and promptly pissed off the citizens of the Leech Province on the back of the rest of us.
Rightly, the West protested angrily against the Coalition to Serve the East, especially the Leech Province and then the newly minted Have-not Province of the Automobiles. GOOD!!! I'd like to see a more autonomous western region and the separation of the Leech Province.
Parliament was prorogued and the Media tripped all over themselves trying to paint this as "undemocratic", "unfair", "mean... blah blah blah". Ha ha ha, I say; let the fun begin.
Labels: bloc, cerberus, coalition, crisis, Harper, Liberals, NDP
Thursday, August 21, 2008
OLYMPICS
OK, congratulations to those individual Canadians who've won, and are going to win, medals in the Made in China Olympics. But as two members of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation write in today's National Post, "taxpayers are already the largest contributors to athletic funding in Canada". End of story.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Back in the USSR, again
Here's someone who can say it and show it better than I can: Victor D. Hanson writing for the National Review Online at
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson081208.html.
First paragraph teaser:
"Lost amid all the controversies surrounding the Georgian tragedy is the sheer diabolic brilliance of the long-planned Russia invasion. Let us count the ways in which it is a win/win situation for Russia."
And lose/lose for the West.
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson081208.html.
First paragraph teaser:
"Lost amid all the controversies surrounding the Georgian tragedy is the sheer diabolic brilliance of the long-planned Russia invasion. Let us count the ways in which it is a win/win situation for Russia."
And lose/lose for the West.
Prince Algorino
The title refers to the lead character in a "new" Italian opera to premiere at La Scala in Milan on Global Warming, spoofed in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/science/earth/17tier.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/G/Gore,%20Al).
The title link goes to an interesting page for a book debunking GW, entiled, "Taken By Storm", which is bound to take all opera houses by storm.
Here's a description:
"The physical phenomena in climate and weather are among the most complex in nature. Science can say very little about what they will do in the future. Yet a large international policy framework has been built precisely on the assumption that we know what is happening and how to control it. In Taken By Storm, Christopher Essex and Ross McKitrick prove this assumption false, carefully explaining the science of climate change and deconstructing the simplistic concept of global warming. They argue that this issue is leading to an unprecedented rupture between science and society, and they propose a vital first step towards repairing this relationship."
Of course, politicians have made their committments and once made, cannot go back Strange phenomenon in the affairs of human beings, once a grand mistake has been made on a grand scale nothing and no one will undo it, for undoing it will make fools of all. And nobody wants to be fooled. And yet, politics is the art of fooling.
Perhaps this phenomenon is tied to the fact that the individual human is, as the man wrote, the paragon of all animals. But get two or more together and the paragon falls flat.
The title link goes to an interesting page for a book debunking GW, entiled, "Taken By Storm", which is bound to take all opera houses by storm.
Here's a description:
"The physical phenomena in climate and weather are among the most complex in nature. Science can say very little about what they will do in the future. Yet a large international policy framework has been built precisely on the assumption that we know what is happening and how to control it. In Taken By Storm, Christopher Essex and Ross McKitrick prove this assumption false, carefully explaining the science of climate change and deconstructing the simplistic concept of global warming. They argue that this issue is leading to an unprecedented rupture between science and society, and they propose a vital first step towards repairing this relationship."
Of course, politicians have made their committments and once made, cannot go back Strange phenomenon in the affairs of human beings, once a grand mistake has been made on a grand scale nothing and no one will undo it, for undoing it will make fools of all. And nobody wants to be fooled. And yet, politics is the art of fooling.
Perhaps this phenomenon is tied to the fact that the individual human is, as the man wrote, the paragon of all animals. But get two or more together and the paragon falls flat.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
So Glad.
So glad Canada is in the medals cellar at the politics by another name game in Beijing. And I hope they win none, not a single one. It will prove, yet again, and so tediously correctly, that gov't. subsidization of Canadians, be they sports people, arts groups, towns, cities, provinces, regions or whatever, produces not excellence but indolence.
Back in the USSR
You don't know how lucky you are... it's turning full circle, again. Apart from the obvious: the obvious blunder by the Georgian president, the obvious grab for borders and empire by the new USSR, it is also obvious that the EU, NATO and North America are toothless tigers, for they, too, are being tested here. It's not a simple, let's go in and grab some sovereign territory, it's also, let's go in and see if anybody stops us.
