http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVLlSqCcyug
The Beautiful by Five For Fighting
The North American economy is in trouble, anyone who watches or reads the news can figure this out. The stock exchanges in New York and Toronto are vulnerable to lose 4%-5% on any given day, as it did yesterday. Big business got too big, provided too many jobs and produced capital where there was none. Debt wasn't a problem, that was until those lending the money began not to collect. The high interest rates were finally too much, houses were lost and people living above their means got rocketed back down to the ground. There is a lot of blame to go around; government policies, oil reliance and simple greed. Now both the economies of Canada and the U.S. need to adapt and become more energy efficient. This means a huge influx of capital but the problem is that no one wants to foot the bill. The ordinary citizen doesn't want their taxes raised and big business doesn't want to take a chance on the unknown. All people know is the Republican slogan "drill baby drill". A Carbon Tax, what the hell is that, ask Stephane Dion, in his flawed English he will try to explain it like an university professor. Stephen Harper is from Alberta, a province rich in oil and needless to say he is against going green. Canada's environmental record during the past 2 years proves this. So he attacks Dion's ideology by using the dreaded word "tax" and he has scared the Canadian voters. He has scared them so much, he might now be able to gain his treasured majority government. This would complete the man and make him feel like a real prime minister. He would be able to further hide the workings of the Canadian government in secrecy. The cost of the war in Afghanistan, I guess us ordinary Canadians don't need to know this. He says he is going to get us out of Afghanistan by 2011. Canada has been safe from terrorism partly because we are there. This is where the real terrorists are supposed to be, Iraq was just George W. Bush's revenge for 9/11. Both Americans and Canadians have tough choices to make at the polls. Like most people I was inspired by Obama, but his star is fading quickly as his message of change is more talk than substance. In Canada we have no real inspiring leadership, with the exception of Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who is someone with personality and humble intelligence. Stephane Dion would be great, if he was working the Liberal back room and not the face of the party. Stephen Harper cannot be trusted to keep Canada culturally and environmentally safe. He is an intelligent man, a good politician but he sees Canada through 1950's eyes. He claims Canada is a conservative country, we aren't, we are a liberal country. Canada is a welcoming country to minorities, gays, and all types of religion. Stephen Harper's Canada is not seen this way, he would put up a black curtain over these activities, if he could. The fact that the Conservatives will most likely gain a majority scares me. 4 or 5 years of their policies could set Canada back socially many years. This is not to say the country won't grow, become economically stable and militarily secure. It most likely would, but it wouldn't be the same Canada, it wouldn't be the an example of diversity and leadership. Gone would be the open social society fostered by Pierre Trudeau and the fiscal responsibility of Jean Chretien. The Conservatives lead by Brian Mulroney were in power from 1984-1993, these years were socially and economically troubling times for Canada. Their loss in 1993 was embarrassing and it took them 13 years to fully recover, aided by Liberal scandals. Now that Harper has some power, he wants more and a lot of it. He wants to be able to pass his bills without opposition, he wants to be a dictator. I have always seen Canada through Liberal eyes, Canadians should be able to do what they want and be who they are without government interference. Assuming of course, they aren't interfering with anyone else. Our economy, actually the North American economy needs to find better ways of doing business. This means more fuel efficient policies and it means better education to its citizens. I believe this is more of a problem in the U.S. because of money being spent on illegal wars and supporting their oil addiction. These aren't easy times, I don't have many solutions but neither do the politicians. There isn't a single leader in the U.S. or Canada who has proven they will be able to quickly turn around either economy, their attention seems to be focused on other issues. The only time Stephen Harper came to Ontario's aid was just before his announcement of an election. Now with the chance to form a majority government he suddenly has millions of dollars for Ontario's struggling manufacturing industry, yet months ago his governments message was that Ontario needed to diversify on our own. Simply put, we needed to become Alberta, without the resources that they naturally have. But now that we have something Harper wants, election votes, he has a different message. Canada doesn't need another 4 years of Harper but it might be what we get because the alternatives are lacking. Americans are left with a more difficult choice, Obama and McCain are both unknowns. One is about change and the other is about reform. When in reality no one can be absolutely sure what they are about, we Canadians know what Harper is about, it isn't all bad. Do I like it, no, but I am only one of 33 million or so. Canada and most likely America will be fine, there is a lot of good in both countries. There are strong fundamentals of an advanced society and democracy. The people can foster change, even if the leadership is lacking to facilitate this change. It will just be a little harder, much like everything is these days in both countries.
Below is an article about John McCain. The war hero, who is simply becoming a liar
and completely ignorant to the problems of the American economy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14friedman.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin
Well that is enough political commentary, as uniformed as it might be, but it is my blog and my opinion.
The weather has been pretty depressing the last couple of days even for the end of summer. The temperature has been below normal and it has rained a lot. Today is a little warmer and partly sunny but not Indian summer spectacular.
On the weekend I watch the Other Boleyn Girl, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. I figured a movie with two of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman would be better but it wasn't. The script didn't allow for any moving performances and simply put Eric Bana sucked. Though the story of Henry VIII is still one worth watching, no matter how it is protrayed. There is a link to information about the movie below.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200/
I wrote the following the other night.
A Transitory Glimpse
I have not seen sunlight for three days
This summer is now a memory like a woman
Who cannot be included in my aspirations
She has slowly become a phantom to me
The reality of her presence no longer exists
I am unable to conjure up anything concrete
A month has turned into a year or even more
September rains like it has for many centuries
There is no point counting falling water or tears
Eventually they will all evaporate like everyone
Making everything seem completely meaningless
From behind our perfectly opaque glass windows
I need to find more significance to our existence
The absolute nothingness of it all stalks me daily
Offering not so kind reminders to my mortality
A symbolic goodbye snap of a finger and thumb
Easy as pie cliché but very effective in its message
I would not admit to being afraid of being gone
Though these words and private conversations
Would effortlessly prove how vulnerable I am
All of us might be weak in some form or another
Especially when we are alone and without love
There is strength in numbers, faces and words
Even if we do not believe them anymore ourselves
They fall from our lips like rain late on a Sunday
When the world has seemingly forgotten about us
I think in my case it is more the other way around
How often silence glitters like diamonds on a woman
The sparkling ring telling me to move on and let go
Everything seems so simple when it is only a concept
Reality is something completely different and troubling
Should it be offered more than a transitory glimpse
September is still raining and it is windy like Chicago
I am in need of a good novel with its unique characters
The movies are failing me recently and it is saddening
Hollywood should make us dream of love and its miracles
Instead the city of fake faces is leaving us a failure legacy
Let’s hope the soundtrack is worth listening to for hours
Music has saved my soul many times and will continue to
When everything else has faded like summer’s pretty face.
09/13/08
The countdown will return next Tuesday and will most likey become a bi-weekly one then. Too much work, to tell you what I am really listening to.
Welcome to the beautiful, it is out there, most of the time anyway. Even I have seen it and it is beautiful, go figure. Enjoy what is left of the summer.
jr.
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