I'm not saying I'm completely in favour of a religious-based party running the show in Egypt, but I am happy that they had free and democratic elections. I am also cautiously optimistic that the military will truly hand power over to the new parliament by the end of the month, which they have pledged to do. Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party appears to have won the vote with approximately 52% of the vote and, as I said, I am a bit wary of a relious party running a nation and what that means for freedom and progress, but a mostly well-run election is a big step forward for the large African nation, considering insidious dictator Hosni Mubarak had been running the show until last year.
Here is a news story from Al Jazeera on the election, the military's stance on giving up power and Ahmed Shafik's claim to have not lost the election yet (at least in his own mind).
I'm not saying I don't understand why the conservative New Democracy Party won the Greek federal election yesterday, but I am surprised that a country that has played host to major protests against austerity measures has voted for the politicians that will stay the course more than the others. new Democracy played on peoples' fears, claiming that the nation would be in shambles if they renogiated bailouts and risked being kicked out of the Eurozone. I would argue, however, that the nation hasn't actually been doing peachy keen with the Euro and going back to the Drachma might give them some economic control again: the chance to devalue their currency to attract manufacturing jobs, tourists and other outsiders that will slowly but surely boost the Greek economy. Oh well, fear is a powerful emotion to fight against and some days I just don't understand human behaviour.
Check out the video below for the Wall Street Journal's perspective on the election. They, like so many others (I really don't get why!!!) are relieved by the election results.
I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the government and border agents keeping undesirables (criminals and dangerous people) out of the country, but their new monitoring technology crosses the line from protecting people to infringing on our rights and freedoms. HD cameras and microphones are being installed at all border crossings and will soon be online. They will have the capability of picking up and monitoring every conversation that takes place in every car at the border: everything from serious debates to offhand jokes about bombs, drugs and other controlled substances that can't be taken across the border. Many of these light-hearted comments may be misconstrued as factual, which could lead to many innocent people being harassed and searched. The government has no right to spy on people in their cars like this and I have a feeling this new surveillance technology will be challenged in a supreme court and will be deemed in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Below is a link to the Toronto Star story on the issue:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1213052--ottawa-to-eavesdrop-on-travellers-entering-exiting-canada?bn=1
I'm not saying I am a week late, but I still wanted to say congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings for winning the 2012 Stanley Cup finals over the New Jersey Devils. It is the first time in my life that the team I was cheering for since the start of the year has hoisted the cup in June. Now all I need to see is the Leafs win the big prize and my life will be complete...could be waiting a while.
Here is a clip of the last minute of the last game of the final.
I'm not saying I knew him, but my heart goes out to the drum tech who was killed while crews were setting up the stage for a RadioHead concert at Downsview Park yesterday. Scott Johnson was only 33 years old. RIP man!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Friday, June 08, 2012
Music Break...Social Distortion
Today on Music Break I am featuring one of my favourite and one of the longest surviving punk bands of all time: Social Distortion. They are fronted by Mike Ness on lead vocals and guitar, a man who is a little bit country, a little bit punk rock and 100% attitude. Their sound was influenced by legends like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, the Sex Pistols and the Clash. Their music is catchy, yet the lyrics are poignant and are often tales that many can empathize with and relate to. Social Distortion has had success on indie labels and mainstream ones and have built a massive following since their formation way back in 1978.
If anyone is interested, Social Distortion is playing the Sound Academny in Toronto on October 20th. I will be there if I can afford it.
Without further adieu, here are videos of some of Social D's biggest hits:
Story of My Life
When the Angels Sing
Ball and Chain
Machine Gun Blues
Bad Luck
I Was Wrong
Mommy's Little Monster (Live)
If anyone is interested, Social Distortion is playing the Sound Academny in Toronto on October 20th. I will be there if I can afford it.
Without further adieu, here are videos of some of Social D's biggest hits:
Story of My Life
When the Angels Sing
Ball and Chain
Machine Gun Blues
Bad Luck
I Was Wrong
Mommy's Little Monster (Live)
Friday, June 01, 2012
On "The Great Euro Crash" BBC Documentary
The Great Euro Crash with Robert Peston (2012)
The BBC has been showing an insightful documentary on the current recession called The Great Euro Crash over the last couple weeks. It made some very valid and interesting points I hadn't considered before and I wanted to share my thoughts on some of them. Above is the doc in it's entirety and below are my comments.
*Germany seems to be an example of what used to work and what could work again. They became a European power again by bringing manufacturing and exporting jobs back to the country and by paying those workers very healthy wages. The exports are much higher than German imports now, thus allowing the country to make a ton of money off trade, and the workers receiving good wages further helps strengthen the German economy because it gives them spending power. That is an edge ze Deutch have over, say, the Chinese these days. Canada is trying to do something similar with the oil sands, but unfortunately that comes with a mighty environmental price. Other countries should follow Germany's lead and, instead of slashing wages and jobs and social programs, spend money to re-invigorate export sectors as well as pay healthy wages to employees so they can stimulate the economy by spending.
*This documentary and other commentators have suggested that many of the powerful nations in Europe, like Germany and France, have forgotten one of the fundamental compromises that was agreed upon when the European Union was formed. That was that Europe economically was to become almost like 1 ginormous nation, with the "haves" and areas with money and resources helping the "have nots" and areas with few resources. This is clearly not what is happening in reality, as France and Germany are demanding massive and devastating austerity measures and cuts from Greece, Ireland, Hungary and the other countries that are struggling most. Austerity, while it may cut the deficits of these nations for one year, will have tremendous negative effects down the line: widespread unemployment, a lack of an educated work force and a majorly slumping economy.
These effects have already begun to be felt in Greece and others, showing that austerity is cleary not the way to go. Part of the problem was that EU leaders decided to go for an economic union before a political union, where 1 finance minister or a small group could make decisions for the entire group and where agreements as to how economic support to struggling nations would be undertaken.
*I didn't know that the seeds of the EU were planted shortly after World War II, as France and Germany were looking for ways to prevent the continent (and the world) from being engulfed in another catastrophe. Unfortunately, they had no economic backgrounds and didn't fully appreciate the long-term economic effects that this union would have. Modern leaders made the same mistake to a degree, allowing countries like Italy and Greece to lie their way into the Eurozone without considering what the consequences might be. EU rules state that a country's debt to GDP ratio must be 60% to gain entry, but Italy and Greece were allowed in with higher ratios because they "were lowering their ratios to get closer to that number" (on falsified papers anyway). Also, it would have been difficult to have an EU without Italy and Greece, as they are the heart of Europe. Sadly, no one has figured out how to support and stabilize the these economies without having to consistently bail them out.
*I thought it was very interesting to hear that the German government and population have always been better at saving and controlling spending, while Greece and Italy have been the exact opposite. The immediate surge in their economies led the Greek and Italian parliaments and citizens to spend miles above their means, as they traditionally like to spend. People were buying Porsches and houses like they were going out of style, for example. When they fell back to earth and subsequently fell into a recession, a lot of people lost everything and the government was buried in an incredible hole.
*It's not surprising that soon after the economic rules were relaxed, the whole continent suffered several major crises. Host Robert Peston pointed out that the EU had a rule that said "annual deficits should never exceed 3% of GDP," but in 2003 France and Germany fought for that rule to be taken out of the Stability and Growth Pact of the EU and countries started borrowing and spending way more than they could afford or ever dream of paying back. Then in 2008, just 5 years after the rule change, the outrageous spending caught up with Europe and the whole thing went tits up. It was also made cheaper and easier to borrow money in the United States around the same time, so governments and citizens went crazy borrowing money for things like houses. When interest rates went up in Europe and America, people and governments could no longer afford their debts, leading millions to abandon/be thrown out of their homes and caused governments to lose their shirts. Thus, the great housing crisis and recession of 2008/9 was born! I can't believe that all the world's brilliant and well educated bankers and economists didn't see this coming and couldn't have warned the world about what was coming.
*The fact that taxpayers had to pay for bank bailouts has always been impossible to accept for me. The quote of the documentary was by Irish property developer-turned activist Mick Wallace, "The notion that the taxpayers should actually be taking care of the problems of badly run, failed, useless banks has been a bitter pill." Amen. Banks played games and tried to make more well than I can imagine by keeping interest rates low and relaxing borrowing limits and it came back to bite them in the arse. We shouldn't pay for their greed and we certainly shouldn't have allowed any of them to keep their golden parachutes on the way down!
*I was unaware that EU rules actually prohibit bailouts, as many nations have had to find ways around that agreement and have asked for hundreds of billions in support.
*There is no doubt, as Robert Peston points out, that major economic reform is needed to save the EU and economies of most countries in the world and make those economies competitive again. On the other hand, I'm not sure that slashing prices and wages to be competitive is the way to go. Governments and households can live within their means, granted, and spend a bit less on things they can't afford. But how about stimulating your economy by targeted job growth and putting more money in peoples' pockets through creating more and better jobs? And how about protesting and refusing to buy products from countries who pay their workers embarrassingly low wages (eg. China) and make them work in unfair conditions (Again, China, I'm looking at you)? Then, at least, every country would start with an equal playing field.
*If countries can't get back on their feet within the EU, then maybe the huge organization needs to be disbanded until someone comes up with a way to prevent these major economic problems from happening again.
The BBC has been showing an insightful documentary on the current recession called The Great Euro Crash over the last couple weeks. It made some very valid and interesting points I hadn't considered before and I wanted to share my thoughts on some of them. Above is the doc in it's entirety and below are my comments.
*Germany seems to be an example of what used to work and what could work again. They became a European power again by bringing manufacturing and exporting jobs back to the country and by paying those workers very healthy wages. The exports are much higher than German imports now, thus allowing the country to make a ton of money off trade, and the workers receiving good wages further helps strengthen the German economy because it gives them spending power. That is an edge ze Deutch have over, say, the Chinese these days. Canada is trying to do something similar with the oil sands, but unfortunately that comes with a mighty environmental price. Other countries should follow Germany's lead and, instead of slashing wages and jobs and social programs, spend money to re-invigorate export sectors as well as pay healthy wages to employees so they can stimulate the economy by spending.
*This documentary and other commentators have suggested that many of the powerful nations in Europe, like Germany and France, have forgotten one of the fundamental compromises that was agreed upon when the European Union was formed. That was that Europe economically was to become almost like 1 ginormous nation, with the "haves" and areas with money and resources helping the "have nots" and areas with few resources. This is clearly not what is happening in reality, as France and Germany are demanding massive and devastating austerity measures and cuts from Greece, Ireland, Hungary and the other countries that are struggling most. Austerity, while it may cut the deficits of these nations for one year, will have tremendous negative effects down the line: widespread unemployment, a lack of an educated work force and a majorly slumping economy.
These effects have already begun to be felt in Greece and others, showing that austerity is cleary not the way to go. Part of the problem was that EU leaders decided to go for an economic union before a political union, where 1 finance minister or a small group could make decisions for the entire group and where agreements as to how economic support to struggling nations would be undertaken.
*I didn't know that the seeds of the EU were planted shortly after World War II, as France and Germany were looking for ways to prevent the continent (and the world) from being engulfed in another catastrophe. Unfortunately, they had no economic backgrounds and didn't fully appreciate the long-term economic effects that this union would have. Modern leaders made the same mistake to a degree, allowing countries like Italy and Greece to lie their way into the Eurozone without considering what the consequences might be. EU rules state that a country's debt to GDP ratio must be 60% to gain entry, but Italy and Greece were allowed in with higher ratios because they "were lowering their ratios to get closer to that number" (on falsified papers anyway). Also, it would have been difficult to have an EU without Italy and Greece, as they are the heart of Europe. Sadly, no one has figured out how to support and stabilize the these economies without having to consistently bail them out.
*I thought it was very interesting to hear that the German government and population have always been better at saving and controlling spending, while Greece and Italy have been the exact opposite. The immediate surge in their economies led the Greek and Italian parliaments and citizens to spend miles above their means, as they traditionally like to spend. People were buying Porsches and houses like they were going out of style, for example. When they fell back to earth and subsequently fell into a recession, a lot of people lost everything and the government was buried in an incredible hole.
*It's not surprising that soon after the economic rules were relaxed, the whole continent suffered several major crises. Host Robert Peston pointed out that the EU had a rule that said "annual deficits should never exceed 3% of GDP," but in 2003 France and Germany fought for that rule to be taken out of the Stability and Growth Pact of the EU and countries started borrowing and spending way more than they could afford or ever dream of paying back. Then in 2008, just 5 years after the rule change, the outrageous spending caught up with Europe and the whole thing went tits up. It was also made cheaper and easier to borrow money in the United States around the same time, so governments and citizens went crazy borrowing money for things like houses. When interest rates went up in Europe and America, people and governments could no longer afford their debts, leading millions to abandon/be thrown out of their homes and caused governments to lose their shirts. Thus, the great housing crisis and recession of 2008/9 was born! I can't believe that all the world's brilliant and well educated bankers and economists didn't see this coming and couldn't have warned the world about what was coming.
*The fact that taxpayers had to pay for bank bailouts has always been impossible to accept for me. The quote of the documentary was by Irish property developer-turned activist Mick Wallace, "The notion that the taxpayers should actually be taking care of the problems of badly run, failed, useless banks has been a bitter pill." Amen. Banks played games and tried to make more well than I can imagine by keeping interest rates low and relaxing borrowing limits and it came back to bite them in the arse. We shouldn't pay for their greed and we certainly shouldn't have allowed any of them to keep their golden parachutes on the way down!
*I was unaware that EU rules actually prohibit bailouts, as many nations have had to find ways around that agreement and have asked for hundreds of billions in support.
*There is no doubt, as Robert Peston points out, that major economic reform is needed to save the EU and economies of most countries in the world and make those economies competitive again. On the other hand, I'm not sure that slashing prices and wages to be competitive is the way to go. Governments and households can live within their means, granted, and spend a bit less on things they can't afford. But how about stimulating your economy by targeted job growth and putting more money in peoples' pockets through creating more and better jobs? And how about protesting and refusing to buy products from countries who pay their workers embarrassingly low wages (eg. China) and make them work in unfair conditions (Again, China, I'm looking at you)? Then, at least, every country would start with an equal playing field.
*If countries can't get back on their feet within the EU, then maybe the huge organization needs to be disbanded until someone comes up with a way to prevent these major economic problems from happening again.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Dustin Brown on Michal Rozsival: Dirty Hit or Incidental Contact?
Dustin Brown Knees Michal Rozsival
I felt a huge adrenaline surge and a level of ecstacy I haven't felt since... when I woke up and found out the Los Angeles Kings had won their Western Conference Final series against the Phoenix Coyotes the night previous. I was proud of a team who had, for the most part, stayed away from cheap shots, dirty hits and diving in these playoffs. In other words, they were winning the right way.
Then I turned on SportsCentre and heard all the chatter about Dustin Brown's knee-on-knee collision with Michal Rozsival literally one play before the end of the game and couldn't help but feel a bit let down because my team had lost some honour by taking out an opponent with a dirty play.
But then I watched the replay of the hit. And watched it again and again. And listened to commentary from a multitude of sources on this incident: TSN, Sportsnet, NBC. And I can't help but have mixed feelings about this whole affair.
Dustin Brown, I will concede, is at fault for two things on this play. There is no doubt that the Kings captain hit Rozsival after the whistle had blown, as the Coyotes were offside at L.A.'s blueline. Brown only hit him a fraction of a second after the referee stopped play, yes, but Brown is fully responsible for his own body and not hitting players late. I will also admit that Dustin Brown left his leg out on the check. It was sticking out at an angle where it could and did do damage to an opponent in a collision. I'm not sure if that was deliberate or if it was just out because of how he was skating towards the Coyotes' forward, but it was out there.
On the other hand, there are a couple points I'd like to make in Dustin Brown's defence. First of all, he did hit Michal Rozsival's arm and shoulder, too, making it seem to me like Brown was aiming high and not at Rozsival's knee. The other is that the Kings' captain didn't move his leg towards the Phoenix forward's knee before or during the collision, so perhaps the contact was incidental. Brown did have his leg way out in a dangerous spot the whole time, but it didn't look like he did anything to target Rozsival's leg.
Do I think Dustin Brown plays on the edge and can cross the line sometimes? Yes? Do I think that elements of the hit on Michal Rozsival were cheap and dirty? Absolutely. Do I think Brown targeted Rozsival's knee deliberately and tried to put him out? No. Do I think Brown should have gotten a penalty or suspension? A minor penalty, maybe, but certainly not a suspension.
Either way, this happened on the very next play...
and the Los Angeles Kings are off to the Stanley Cup Final for the first and only time since 1993. I have loved this team since 1989 and am proud of their accomplishments this post season. What a great underdog story and no amount of bitterness from Shane Doan is going to change the fact that LA was the better team against Phoenix, or Vancouver or St. Louis for that matter.
Go Kings Go! Bring your first Cup home to California this year!
I felt a huge adrenaline surge and a level of ecstacy I haven't felt since... when I woke up and found out the Los Angeles Kings had won their Western Conference Final series against the Phoenix Coyotes the night previous. I was proud of a team who had, for the most part, stayed away from cheap shots, dirty hits and diving in these playoffs. In other words, they were winning the right way.
Then I turned on SportsCentre and heard all the chatter about Dustin Brown's knee-on-knee collision with Michal Rozsival literally one play before the end of the game and couldn't help but feel a bit let down because my team had lost some honour by taking out an opponent with a dirty play.
But then I watched the replay of the hit. And watched it again and again. And listened to commentary from a multitude of sources on this incident: TSN, Sportsnet, NBC. And I can't help but have mixed feelings about this whole affair.
Dustin Brown, I will concede, is at fault for two things on this play. There is no doubt that the Kings captain hit Rozsival after the whistle had blown, as the Coyotes were offside at L.A.'s blueline. Brown only hit him a fraction of a second after the referee stopped play, yes, but Brown is fully responsible for his own body and not hitting players late. I will also admit that Dustin Brown left his leg out on the check. It was sticking out at an angle where it could and did do damage to an opponent in a collision. I'm not sure if that was deliberate or if it was just out because of how he was skating towards the Coyotes' forward, but it was out there.
On the other hand, there are a couple points I'd like to make in Dustin Brown's defence. First of all, he did hit Michal Rozsival's arm and shoulder, too, making it seem to me like Brown was aiming high and not at Rozsival's knee. The other is that the Kings' captain didn't move his leg towards the Phoenix forward's knee before or during the collision, so perhaps the contact was incidental. Brown did have his leg way out in a dangerous spot the whole time, but it didn't look like he did anything to target Rozsival's leg.
Do I think Dustin Brown plays on the edge and can cross the line sometimes? Yes? Do I think that elements of the hit on Michal Rozsival were cheap and dirty? Absolutely. Do I think Brown targeted Rozsival's knee deliberately and tried to put him out? No. Do I think Brown should have gotten a penalty or suspension? A minor penalty, maybe, but certainly not a suspension.
Either way, this happened on the very next play...
and the Los Angeles Kings are off to the Stanley Cup Final for the first and only time since 1993. I have loved this team since 1989 and am proud of their accomplishments this post season. What a great underdog story and no amount of bitterness from Shane Doan is going to change the fact that LA was the better team against Phoenix, or Vancouver or St. Louis for that matter.
Go Kings Go! Bring your first Cup home to California this year!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
France and Greece Reject Austerity
I am breathing a breath of fresh air after the French and Greek elections last Sunday. I'm not saying that the results were completely positive, but it is clear that the people of both countries unequivocally rejected austerity and making the middle and lower classes pay so that the rich can hang on to their wealth. I am especially happy that Hollande and the left-wing socialist party won in France.
The news in Greece is more mixed unfortunately. The vote was split between a few parties, who will now try to form a coalition. A lefty block ruling the country wouldn't be bad, but it's scare that the far right is gaining in popularity. The Neo-Nazi party New Dawn scares the bejeezus out of me and it's even more frightening that they got 7% of the vote. How anyone can vote for a nazi party in the modern world is beyond me, even during a severe economic depression.
It's scary, but this whole thing is reminding me of the 1930's, as struggling countries are becoming more nationalist and xenophobic and are electing insane right-wing parties who promise to fight back against the world. They are playing on the fear of people and appealing to the worst instincts of humanity!! This led to World War II last time, which was the only thing that got the world out of the depression: SPENDING on war machines. Let's hope it doesn't come to that again and governments realize that smart spending and tax reform now will end the problem without the need of bloodshed.
Below is more coverage on the French and Greek elections in video format.
French Election Results
Greek Election Results
The news in Greece is more mixed unfortunately. The vote was split between a few parties, who will now try to form a coalition. A lefty block ruling the country wouldn't be bad, but it's scare that the far right is gaining in popularity. The Neo-Nazi party New Dawn scares the bejeezus out of me and it's even more frightening that they got 7% of the vote. How anyone can vote for a nazi party in the modern world is beyond me, even during a severe economic depression.
It's scary, but this whole thing is reminding me of the 1930's, as struggling countries are becoming more nationalist and xenophobic and are electing insane right-wing parties who promise to fight back against the world. They are playing on the fear of people and appealing to the worst instincts of humanity!! This led to World War II last time, which was the only thing that got the world out of the depression: SPENDING on war machines. Let's hope it doesn't come to that again and governments realize that smart spending and tax reform now will end the problem without the need of bloodshed.
Below is more coverage on the French and Greek elections in video format.
French Election Results
Greek Election Results
Friday, May 04, 2012
You Don't Say... May 4, 2012
I'm not saying I listened to the Beastie Boys every second of every day, but their music is important to the history of rock and rap and Adam Yauch (MCA) will be missed. Rest in peace. Hopefully he is continuing the fight for his right to party in heaven now.
Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right (To Party)
I'm not saying that Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale had the right to snoop around the Mayor's home on Wednesday night, but Rob Ford needs to chill out and pick on people his own size. Daniel Dale says he was just checking out the property next to Ford's house that the Mayor wants to buy and Ford says Dale was standing on cinder blocks, jumping over his fence and peering into his house. We will never know the whole, unadulterated truth and both men could have acted differently, but it is especially unbecoming of the Mayor of Toronto to be cornering a small, meek man and threatening to hand him his ass on a silver platter. His tantrums and brutish behaviour are getting him international attention. A CBC News video on the story is below.
And here is a link to a BBC story on Toronto's Mayor and his love of bicycles:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17914504
The man is managing to make Silvio Berlusconi look good!!
I'm not saying that a lot of money should be spent to save Captain John's floating restaurant on Toronto' waterfront, but it will be a shame to see the iconic ship disappear from the city's landscape. It has been there since 1975, but doesn't seem to fit into the city's vision of the waterfront of tomorrow.
I'm not saying I would spit in his face if I saw him, but I am not really happy having Conrad Black back in the country. Is anybody happy about this? Canada's own Rupert Murdoch-esque disgraced media mogul was given a 1-year temporary residence permit to come back to Canada after serving his sentence for fraud and obstruction of justice. He gave up his Canadian citizenship long ago and would not have been allowed back in the country without the permit, as he now has quite the criminal record.
Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right (To Party)
I'm not saying that Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale had the right to snoop around the Mayor's home on Wednesday night, but Rob Ford needs to chill out and pick on people his own size. Daniel Dale says he was just checking out the property next to Ford's house that the Mayor wants to buy and Ford says Dale was standing on cinder blocks, jumping over his fence and peering into his house. We will never know the whole, unadulterated truth and both men could have acted differently, but it is especially unbecoming of the Mayor of Toronto to be cornering a small, meek man and threatening to hand him his ass on a silver platter. His tantrums and brutish behaviour are getting him international attention. A CBC News video on the story is below.
And here is a link to a BBC story on Toronto's Mayor and his love of bicycles:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17914504
The man is managing to make Silvio Berlusconi look good!!
I'm not saying that a lot of money should be spent to save Captain John's floating restaurant on Toronto' waterfront, but it will be a shame to see the iconic ship disappear from the city's landscape. It has been there since 1975, but doesn't seem to fit into the city's vision of the waterfront of tomorrow.
I'm not saying I would spit in his face if I saw him, but I am not really happy having Conrad Black back in the country. Is anybody happy about this? Canada's own Rupert Murdoch-esque disgraced media mogul was given a 1-year temporary residence permit to come back to Canada after serving his sentence for fraud and obstruction of justice. He gave up his Canadian citizenship long ago and would not have been allowed back in the country without the permit, as he now has quite the criminal record.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
You Don't Say... April 26, 2012
I'm not saying that the provincial budget passed this week in Ontario is perfect, but it is much better after a few NDP ammendments. Collecting $470 million from the 23, 000 Ontarians that make over $500,000 a year will help pay down the province's debt and will allow it to spend more on child care, rural hospitals in the north, welfare and disability benefits (the last 2 will go up by 1% each). The deal that was reached also saves Ontario from another election that would have likely ended up in another minority government. The link below is to a Toronto Star story on the budget.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1167093--ontario-budget-ndp-moves-save-liberal-budget-and-prevent-an-election
Don't be fooled, though. The budget is still quite an austerity proclaimation. There is a war brewing with the public sector and I am terrified that a Liberal government is leading the charge. Here is a report from Global News on the document and highlights from Dwight Duncan's budget reading at Queen's Park.
Global News Budget Report \
Dwight Duncan Reads Budget Highlights
I'm not saying Warhorse was a bad movie, but it was way over the top and I think I got cavities from the incredibly sugary, sappy story. Sure, the film gave an excellent, accurate look at what the trenches were like in World War I, the plot weaved together well, the acting was ok and there was enough drama and emotion to satisfy most viewers; but, there were many moments that were lightyears from realistic or possible and many scenes became melodramatic when they didn't need to. It was the best of films, it was the worst of films - all rolled into one neat package.
I'm not saying I am on cloud 9 because the Tories defeated the upstart Wild Rose Party in the recent Alberta election, but I am ok with the fact that the oil-rich province didn't shift futher to the right than it already has. These are days where we must rejoice in small joys, my friends!
I'm not saying that it will have an overnight impact, but I am pleased that labour groups and unions held a mass protest at Queen's Park this week. The war on the public sector is going to be long and costly to all sides and the workers of Ontario need to step and battle to the death over hard-earned wages and benefits that make this the best place in the world to work. We can't engage in this race to the bottom that corporations and governments are trying to sell as the only way in their doom-and-gloom prognostications.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1167093--ontario-budget-ndp-moves-save-liberal-budget-and-prevent-an-election
Don't be fooled, though. The budget is still quite an austerity proclaimation. There is a war brewing with the public sector and I am terrified that a Liberal government is leading the charge. Here is a report from Global News on the document and highlights from Dwight Duncan's budget reading at Queen's Park.
Global News Budget Report \
Dwight Duncan Reads Budget Highlights
I'm not saying Warhorse was a bad movie, but it was way over the top and I think I got cavities from the incredibly sugary, sappy story. Sure, the film gave an excellent, accurate look at what the trenches were like in World War I, the plot weaved together well, the acting was ok and there was enough drama and emotion to satisfy most viewers; but, there were many moments that were lightyears from realistic or possible and many scenes became melodramatic when they didn't need to. It was the best of films, it was the worst of films - all rolled into one neat package.
I'm not saying I am on cloud 9 because the Tories defeated the upstart Wild Rose Party in the recent Alberta election, but I am ok with the fact that the oil-rich province didn't shift futher to the right than it already has. These are days where we must rejoice in small joys, my friends!
I'm not saying that it will have an overnight impact, but I am pleased that labour groups and unions held a mass protest at Queen's Park this week. The war on the public sector is going to be long and costly to all sides and the workers of Ontario need to step and battle to the death over hard-earned wages and benefits that make this the best place in the world to work. We can't engage in this race to the bottom that corporations and governments are trying to sell as the only way in their doom-and-gloom prognostications.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Music Break...Turisas and Alestorm
Hello again. After a short hiatus I'm back and I've brought with me some some enjoyable European metal with a sense of humour. First up is is Finland's folk/battle metal heavyweights Turisas. They do an inspired cover of Boney M's 'Rasputin'. I have also included videos for hits 'Stand Up and Fight' and 'Battle Metal 2008'.
Turisas 'Rasputin'
Turisas 'Stand Up and Fight'
Turisas 'Battle Metal 2008'
Yo ho ho! Next up is Scotland's own Alestorm, one of the very first Pirate Metal bands. They sing sea shanties about gold dubloons and the terrors of the sea in the style of a folk metal band. Sounds fun? It sure is! The accordian will get your toes tapping and the lyrics will make you want to buy a sword and grow a scruffy beard. Here I present the videos for 'Shipwrecked' and 'Keelhauled'. Check em' out if you like what you hear. Cheers!
Alestorm 'Shipwrecked'
Alestorm 'Keelhauled'
Turisas 'Rasputin'
Turisas 'Stand Up and Fight'
Turisas 'Battle Metal 2008'
Yo ho ho! Next up is Scotland's own Alestorm, one of the very first Pirate Metal bands. They sing sea shanties about gold dubloons and the terrors of the sea in the style of a folk metal band. Sounds fun? It sure is! The accordian will get your toes tapping and the lyrics will make you want to buy a sword and grow a scruffy beard. Here I present the videos for 'Shipwrecked' and 'Keelhauled'. Check em' out if you like what you hear. Cheers!
Alestorm 'Shipwrecked'
Alestorm 'Keelhauled'
Sunday, April 15, 2012
You Don't Say... April 15, 2012
I'm not saying the Daulton McGuinty and his minority Liberal government should pack up and go home right now, but he can kiss his long-term political future goodbye if he picks a fight with teachers and doctors. These two groups have strong, militant unions and don't like being threatened with, for example 10,000 elementary school teachers and staff being fired unless their union accepts a pay freeze for the next 2 yeras. That is not good-faith bargaining, it won't get a deal done any faster in either case, and it doesn't help students or patients in the long run. As I have stated before, I am not entirely opposed to a pay freeze for both groups as long as the grid system for teachers is not frozen as well; however, the strong-arm tactics are not going to work and Ontario teacher unions have been known to mobilize their thousands-strong forces to make life, shall we say, turbulant for any party that treats them unfairly. This is especially a bad time to go after them considering the Liberal budget may fall and an election might just be around the corner...
I'm not saying that I'm going to dance naked in the street or anything, but I am thrilled beyond words taht the Los Angeles Kings are up 2-0 on the Vancouver Canucks in their Western Conference Quarter Final series. I have been a Kings fan since Wayne Gretzky landed there in 1988 and this is their first real chance at playoff success since their trip to the finals in 1993. Furthermore, Vancouver is the most hated team in the NHL for a reason. They have the likes of Max Lapierre, Alex Burrows and a plethora of others who dive and embellish any little bump to the highest degree. They yap, they whine and they try to get away with every shortcut in the book. L.A. hasn't eliminated the Canucks yet, but winning tonight at home to make it 3-0 would put a stranglehold on the series. Below is highlights from game 2:
I'm not saying that Kim Jong-Un is a carbon copy of his old man, but his first official speech as leader of North Korea sounded a lot like what his daddy would have said. He would be a proud papa, indeed. Un beat the drums of war and what he sees as a modern nuclear arms race, for which he would rather spend his country's puny resources than on feeding his own people or bringing them things like, oh I don't know, heat and electricity. Chip of the old block indeed. Let's hope he uses that foreign-educated noggin of his to blaze a better trail and one can pray that he works with the international community to stop this insanity and bring prosperity back to his people. Below is an HD5 news report about the speech:
I'm not saying that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was acting deliberately and maliciously when he gave out his office phone number today to any youth who want to know about minor football programs, which is against the code of conduct for city councillors. I just think he is forgetful, ignorant of the rules and simply doesn't give a damn. He says he meant to give his private number, not his office number, though this is the second time something like this has happened. Do we really want a man with such bad "memory problems" and who obviously doesn't think the code of conduct applies to him running Toronto?
I'm not saying that I'm going to dance naked in the street or anything, but I am thrilled beyond words taht the Los Angeles Kings are up 2-0 on the Vancouver Canucks in their Western Conference Quarter Final series. I have been a Kings fan since Wayne Gretzky landed there in 1988 and this is their first real chance at playoff success since their trip to the finals in 1993. Furthermore, Vancouver is the most hated team in the NHL for a reason. They have the likes of Max Lapierre, Alex Burrows and a plethora of others who dive and embellish any little bump to the highest degree. They yap, they whine and they try to get away with every shortcut in the book. L.A. hasn't eliminated the Canucks yet, but winning tonight at home to make it 3-0 would put a stranglehold on the series. Below is highlights from game 2:
I'm not saying that Kim Jong-Un is a carbon copy of his old man, but his first official speech as leader of North Korea sounded a lot like what his daddy would have said. He would be a proud papa, indeed. Un beat the drums of war and what he sees as a modern nuclear arms race, for which he would rather spend his country's puny resources than on feeding his own people or bringing them things like, oh I don't know, heat and electricity. Chip of the old block indeed. Let's hope he uses that foreign-educated noggin of his to blaze a better trail and one can pray that he works with the international community to stop this insanity and bring prosperity back to his people. Below is an HD5 news report about the speech:
I'm not saying that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was acting deliberately and maliciously when he gave out his office phone number today to any youth who want to know about minor football programs, which is against the code of conduct for city councillors. I just think he is forgetful, ignorant of the rules and simply doesn't give a damn. He says he meant to give his private number, not his office number, though this is the second time something like this has happened. Do we really want a man with such bad "memory problems" and who obviously doesn't think the code of conduct applies to him running Toronto?
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