Why the Tories will make the Liberals win again

I am admitting publicly for the first time that I have doubts about Stephen Harper's leadership. I think Harper is an intelligent man who has great ideas about how to improve the country, and is a rare breed of politician who believes in bettering his country before bettering his bank account (how did Jean Chrétien become so wealthy after 30+ years in Parliament? Was it really the three years of private practice?).

However, the man clearly has no political skill. Even though he hated them, he matched the Liberals vote-buying spree in a sad display of "me-tooism". He showed himself to be as beholden to opinion polls as the Liberals, by saying no election, yes election, no election, yes election, etc...Then somehow managed to lose a confidence vote despite vast public anger at Liberal corruption.

All of this could be chalked up to inexperience in dealing with a minority situation, since Harper is new to this situation. But today's comments about how same-sex legislation is not legitimate because the Bloc Québecois supported it flies past inexperience, over stupidity and lands at the far end of "brain-dead". The very same BQ that he has been using to beat the Liberals over the head with? The very same BQ that would have helped him defeat the government and send the country back to the polls? Now suddenly less legitimate because they support same-sex?

Harper either has really stupid people working with him, or has become corrupted by the spell of power in the same way Martin bribes everyone to prop up his morally and intellectually bankrupt government.

Isn't there anyone who votes for principals in power and isn't a communist? Anyone?

It seems that as Canadians get more disgusted with the taste of a Liberal government, Harper seems intent on being even more unpalatable. My prediction? Another Liberal minority in 2006 with a record low voter turnout.

As Canada drifts further into second world status....

Government exploitation of its citizens

This multi-page article from the Globe and Mail is not breaking news, but a reminder that governments in Canada (and elsewhere) should have never gotten into this business. A government's responsibility is to protect its citizens, not to exploit them.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050625.wxvlt0625/BNStory/Front/

While there is truth to the fact that if these machines (and indeed gambling in general) is banned, it will move underground (like drugs), the simple fact was that gambling wasn't a huge social issue in this country until desperate governments started legitimizing it for their own profit-seeking motives. Now the genie is out of the bottle, and there is no easy way to put it back in.

The interim solution is, as noted in the article, to move VLT's out of bars, restaurants and other public places, and put them back into casinos. There, at least, there will be options for gamblers who wish to have themselves banned, and opportunities for intervention as well. The longer-term solution would be for governments to set aside a certain % of their gambling profits for a couple of years, then shut down the casinos and use the accumulated funds to ensure a year-long boost in enforcement against illegal gaming houses that will inevitably spring up. The hard part will be getting provinces to act together so addicts in one province can't simply drive to the next province and continue their habit there.

Regardless, this is an abomination that governments felt this was a good idea.

Revenge of the Sith

I start by admitting that I have never been a big fan of the Star Wars movie, with only vague recollections of the original three, and going to see the Phantom Menace only because everyone else was going to see it. The reviews on Attack of the Clones were so negative, I lost my motivation to see it, since I wasn't highly motivated to see it anyway.

However, I figured there was value in seeing Revenge of the Sith because a) it closes the circle and b) I still knew people who hadn't seen it. To my delight, it exceeded admittedly low expectations (even though the reviews were much more generous this time around). It's the usual Star Wars gee-whiz-bang, but I have to admit that the scenes past the mid-point where Anakin slips into the dark side are quite well done and surprisingly gripping.

To my even greater surprise, the movie encouraged me to revisit the original episodes (which, now, I guess, are IV, V and VI, instead of I, II, and III). At some point, I will force myself to watch all six in a row to finally grasp the story from A to, well, not quite Z, but almost (is Lucas still going to do VII, VIII and IX?).

So overall, 3.5 stars out of five, perhaps a bit generous since I wasn't expecting much, but a rollicking good time and food for thought on good versus evil (though the near Bushism at the end of the movie is an unintentional giggle).

Have no Fear, the Big O is here

Again, no comments on this one either.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050620.wsexx0620/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/

Happy Father's Day!

Thanks dad, for everything. :)

Country for Sale

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a fan of capitalism. The market provides merciless corrective forces that ensure an efficient balance is achieved much faster than the slow hand of government. No one person, or government department, can predict what goods and services should be supplied to meet a largely un-measurable demand. The market may be messy, but it works.

And yet....

I fear a society where dilemmas and morals are reduced to a bottom-line approach. If a dollar is what decides the difference between good and evil, wrong and right, then stop the world, I would like to disembark. A young woman can make lots of dollars by taking her clothes off, but does that mean she should? A doctor can make a fortune telling pregnant women in India if their baby is a boy or girl, so why worry if that baby girl will be murdered before she even sees the light of day, her only crime not having the XY combination? A business can vastly improve its profits by moving manufacturing to a country where wages are cheaper, mainly because life is disposable and anyone who complains about the cost of living "disappears".

In some cases, money and power combine to make otherwise reasonable and patriotic people stab their country in the back. If you can make your largest trading partner happy, what's a little political coercion between friends, right? Well, wrong. It's trading our sovereignty for one more dollar. It's interfering in the political process to the detriment of the citizenry. It's attacking democracy's most sacred institutions in the name of "access". Why are we so afraid to offend a "partner" that subverts our Parliament? Are we not offended of having our politicians vote for the interests of a country other than Canada?

I'm coming to the conclusion that we, as Canadians, don't care. We want the money, we want the trade, we want the "access", and if we have to turn over our political decision making process to a capital that isn't Ottawa, then so be it. Our politicians have already done it, with nary a peep from the citizenry. We are too busy counting our money to notice that certain business leaders, with politicians in their pocket, have betrayed our country for their own selfish interests. If Canadians ever wake up from their bloated, self-indulgent stupor, they will find that decisions about our country's future do not happen in the proud buildings on Wellington Street, but rather a more foreboding building a little further east....

"ransom paid the devil...he whispers pleasing words...triumphant are the angels if they can...a get there first..."

Am I too angry to cry, or too sad to rage?

Does it even matter....

Hmmm....

I leave this without comment as I don't know quite what to think of it yet.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/lamm.asp

English Query

The suffix "ful" is used to denote the opposite of the suffix "less" (or vice-versa). Thus, a graceful (ie: with grace) exit is the opposite of a graceless (ie: without grace) exit. A harmful substance is dangerous while a harmless substance is safe.

So why are shameful and shameless both negatives? What is the difference between shameful behaviour and shameless behaviour?

Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat

The last time I had to shower two (or three!) times a day was during my summer in Tunisia. It's unusual to have this kind of heat in humidity so early in June, and for so many continuous days. I generally don't use the air-conditioning in my car as the breeze from the open windows normally provides enough refreshment, but I am making regular use of my air-conditioning now!

This, however, is not a complaint. I will gladly take 32 above over 32 below any day.

PS: The title is latin for "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." This, and other fun latin phrases, can be found at http://www.zippynet.com/pages/latin.htm .

Choosing Destiny

I've had numerous discussions over the years about the issue of whether we choose our destiny, or our destinies are chosen for us. I've come to the view that our lives are preordained and that the only thing we can control is our own reaction to the destiny that we have. Our life is basically like a book that is already written. We turn the pages and discover how the story turns out, but ultimately, that story is already written and we can't change the ending.

I base this primarily on two key points.

1) So much of our life is decided at birth. Where we are born, who are parents are, what innate abilities do we have, etc....and don't become really capable of making decisions for ourselves until years later. But even those decisions are a function of our birth. Being born in England versus Nigeria has a huge impact on my health, and access to health care. Being born to parents who hate each other versus parents who love each other. Do I have a history of alcoholism in my family or medical doctors? It doesn't strike me as logical that one day we can just flip the switch one day and remove destiny from the driver's seat and take control. If destiny decided so much at the start, it makes sense that it would finish the journey as well.

2) The inflexibility of time in the past. History is written, what has happened can not be changed and all we can do is adapt to the past we are burdened (or blessed) with. It seems illogical to think that all time after this moment is wide open with a constellation of possibilities, and then it passes through the present and becomes a single line of the past, with no detours. You may think you are choosing an alternate path, but as soon as you make that choice, it's the past and can never be changed. So did you choose your destiny or simply fulfill it under the illusion of choice.

It's distressing to some people to think that they can't control their fate or destiny, and some people will argue that they do control their destiny through the choices they make every day. I submit that we operate under the illusion of choice, falsely believing that we are making destiny come to us when, in fact, destiny is simply waiting for us to show up.

But, really, who knows?

Yet another driving rant

So I had a borderline case of road rage last night. A situation where I was playing it safe for two motorists parked (badly, I may add) on the shoulder, and then some twit in a pick-up truck squeezing through us at full tilt.

I'm at the point where I would seriously consider cutting up my driver's license and selling my car because driving is too much aggravation. It's not ok to race red lights because there is a three second delay before cross traffic gets a green light. It's not ok to do 95 km/h in the left lane of a highway. It's not ok to enter into an intersection you can't get out of. There is no prize for being the first in line at a traffic light.

But then I think about it and what would I do without a driver's license? Take the bus? Our bus drivers have killed or injured over a dozen people in the last two years. And they still have to fight with the bad drivers on the road. Take a bicycle? Walk? Drivers don't give room for cyclists on the road and few drivers seem to be aware of that pedestrians have priority on a green light. Without the steel frame around me, I'm not any safer from the idiots and have even less protection against them (though it will be cheaper on insurance, surely!).

People, calm down, wake up and and actually think of the rules of the road and, even better, basic common courtesy! You aren't getting anywhere faster!