Jim Poling Sr.'s Blog, page 32
November 2, 2017
The brilliance of Stephen King
This being Hallowe’en Week I have Stephen King on my night table. Nothing is spookier than ghostly autumn moonlight spilling through the bedroom window onto the horror master’s words.
Tonight, the master’s words have placed me in an old model Mustang speeding down a dark country road with George Staub, who is smoking and talking about Riding the Bullet, and of course – death. Cigarette smoke is leaking through the stitches on his throat, and the inside of the Mustang smells of grave dirt and formaldehyde.
King is underrated when people refer to him as the master of horror. He is the master of story telling, master of imagination and a master of writing, whether it be horror or not.
I am not a horror fan but I love reading King’s writing, especially when it is about himself and his writing. Reading the introductions to some of his books, or On Writing, his 2000 book about the writing trade, is like sitting in a kitchen having a beer with him. (He no longer drinks because he is a reformed alcoholic-drug addict).
Reading the personal stuff puts you inside King’s head. And, when you are inside a great writer’s head, you begin to learn a lot about writing.
Some serial writers keep churning out the same formulaic stuff. Sell more books, make more money, become more famous. The stories begin to sound the same, with different places and different names.
King is unlike others. He keeps experimenting, looking for ways to keep his writing fresh. Besides novels he has written screenplays, radio scripts, TV series and even a musical, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, with John Mellencamp.
“I like to goof whiddit, do a little media cross-pollination and envelope pushing,” he wrote in the introduction to Everything’s Eventual, a book of his short stories. “It’s not about making more money or even precisely about creating new markets; It’s about trying to see the act, art and craft of writing in different ways. . . .”
He certainly does not need more money nor more fame. He has sold roughly 350 million books since 1974 when Carriewas published and has earned hundreds of millions of dollars.
Despite all his fame, money and busy writing life, King continues to write short stories, a genre that has been in the death rattle stage for some time. He writes one or two a year to help keep his craft fresh.
He says writing short stories is not easy or even pleasurable some times. It’s not like riding a bicycle, but more like working out in the gym.
Once a staple of any reading person’s life, and a feature of many high-profile magazines, short stories are nearing extinction. Their popularity peaked in the first half of the 20th century and has been declining since.
Popular magazines such as The Saturday Night Post, Harper’s, The New Yorker, and Esquire published one or more short stories in each issue. Short stories were so popular that writers actually could make a living from them. Magazines paid so well for them that novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote them to pay his many debts.
King has published a dozen short story collections, the latest being The Bazaar of Bad Dreams released in late 2015. It is a mix of new writing and stories already published in magazines.
The collection includes writing tips and biography. Each story has an introduction with his comments on how and why he came to write it.
“There’s something to be said for a shorter, more intense experience,” he writes in the introduction to The Bazaar. “It can be invigorating, sometimes even shocking, like a waltz with a stranger you will never see again, or a kiss in the dark, or a beautiful curio for sale laid out on a cheap blanket at a street bazaar. . . . Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.”
Some people say that the Internet will help to save the short story. I’m not sure how but I hope something does.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
October 26, 2017
One Paw or Another
I am sitting on the deck watching the squirrels skip through the fallen leaves, searching for something to steal. Squirrels are beastly vandals and unrepentant thieves.
At this time of year they have intense interest in the flower gardens. They work surreptitiously and I’m not sure what they are after, but I’ll find out when I try to start the chainsaw or the snow blower.
They love to hide their stolen goods in pieces of machinery. One year they stuffed the carburetor of an old snowmobile, which caught fire when I tried to start it.
Another year they chewed two holes in the gas tank of my ATV. I don’t know if they were into gas sniffing or just looking for another place to store their little treasures.
As I watch them I notice that they seem to use one paw more than the other. I’ve noticed this with raccoons, another nimble-fingered thieving species, who appear to do a lot of work with their right paw.
This gets me wondering: do animals, like humans, have a more dextrous side that they prefer for certain tasks? In other words, are some left-pawed and some right-pawed?
Most humans are right-handed. Only 10 per cent are southpaws and more males than females are left handed.
So what about the squirrels and other critters of the forest? I consult Professor Google and find an interesting article by two veterinary researchers from James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.
The article was distributed by a news service start-up called The Conversation, which distributes articles from universities in Canada and other countries. The articles are informative, interesting and free to read and use, and can be found on the Internet at https://theconversation.com/ca.
The researchers, Janice Lloyd and Richard Squires, write that many animals tend to use one side of the body more than the other. Apes and chimps, for instance, appear to be mainly right-handed.
They say that research shows that most kangaroos are left-pawed. Horses, however, tend to circle right, which seems odd considering that horse racing tracks always seem to circle left.
Favouring one side over another apparently is not exclusive to vertebrates. Snails also have a form of laterality. The shells of some snails spiral in a left-handed direction, while others have a right-handed direction. Snails with left-handed shell spirals can mate only with other lefties and righties only with righties.
Another interesting observation by the researchers is that many animals use the left eye and the left ear for investigating items that are potentially frightening.
You can test whether your pet dog or cat is a southpaw or right-pawed. The researchers say that to test your cat, place a treat inside a glass and see which paw it uses to try to get the treat. You can do a similar test for dogs but any dog I have known goes after a treat with both paws.
If you really have too much spare time you can test your dog to determine the meaning of its tail wagging. Italian researchers did that and concluded that dogs wag their tails to the right when they see something they want to approach and to the left when they see something they want to avoid.
Does it really matter which paw or hoof is dominant in a cat, dog or horse? Apparently so.
Laterality also refers to the primary use of the right or left hemispheres of the brain. Determining laterality could help in breeding and training animals.
For instance, information about laterality could help determine which puppies will make the best service dogs. Or, which racing horse will run best on clockwise or counter-clockwise race tracks.
(I thought all horse race tracks were left curved but apparently not. Tracks in England centuries ago all were clockwise but the Americans changed theirs to counter clockwise out of spite during the American Revolution.)
At any rate, my wife says that it does not matter whether squirrels are left- or right-handed. When she sees them skipping through the flower beds she knows they are casing the place for a night time raid for her freshly planted tulip bulbs. And it does not really matter which paw they use to dig them.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
At this time of year they have intense interest in the flower gardens. They work surreptitiously and I’m not sure what they are after, but I’ll find out when I try to start the chainsaw or the snow blower.
They love to hide their stolen goods in pieces of machinery. One year they stuffed the carburetor of an old snowmobile, which caught fire when I tried to start it.
Another year they chewed two holes in the gas tank of my ATV. I don’t know if they were into gas sniffing or just looking for another place to store their little treasures.
As I watch them I notice that they seem to use one paw more than the other. I’ve noticed this with raccoons, another nimble-fingered thieving species, who appear to do a lot of work with their right paw.
This gets me wondering: do animals, like humans, have a more dextrous side that they prefer for certain tasks? In other words, are some left-pawed and some right-pawed?
Most humans are right-handed. Only 10 per cent are southpaws and more males than females are left handed.
So what about the squirrels and other critters of the forest? I consult Professor Google and find an interesting article by two veterinary researchers from James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.
The article was distributed by a news service start-up called The Conversation, which distributes articles from universities in Canada and other countries. The articles are informative, interesting and free to read and use, and can be found on the Internet at https://theconversation.com/ca.
The researchers, Janice Lloyd and Richard Squires, write that many animals tend to use one side of the body more than the other. Apes and chimps, for instance, appear to be mainly right-handed.
They say that research shows that most kangaroos are left-pawed. Horses, however, tend to circle right, which seems odd considering that horse racing tracks always seem to circle left.
Favouring one side over another apparently is not exclusive to vertebrates. Snails also have a form of laterality. The shells of some snails spiral in a left-handed direction, while others have a right-handed direction. Snails with left-handed shell spirals can mate only with other lefties and righties only with righties.
Another interesting observation by the researchers is that many animals use the left eye and the left ear for investigating items that are potentially frightening.
You can test whether your pet dog or cat is a southpaw or right-pawed. The researchers say that to test your cat, place a treat inside a glass and see which paw it uses to try to get the treat. You can do a similar test for dogs but any dog I have known goes after a treat with both paws.
If you really have too much spare time you can test your dog to determine the meaning of its tail wagging. Italian researchers did that and concluded that dogs wag their tails to the right when they see something they want to approach and to the left when they see something they want to avoid.
Does it really matter which paw or hoof is dominant in a cat, dog or horse? Apparently so.
Laterality also refers to the primary use of the right or left hemispheres of the brain. Determining laterality could help in breeding and training animals.
For instance, information about laterality could help determine which puppies will make the best service dogs. Or, which racing horse will run best on clockwise or counter-clockwise race tracks.
(I thought all horse race tracks were left curved but apparently not. Tracks in England centuries ago all were clockwise but the Americans changed theirs to counter clockwise out of spite during the American Revolution.)
At any rate, my wife says that it does not matter whether squirrels are left- or right-handed. When she sees them skipping through the flower beds she knows they are casing the place for a night time raid for her freshly planted tulip bulbs. And it does not really matter which paw they use to dig them.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
October 19, 2017
To Catch A Litterpig
“We’ve got a good one,” Scully calls out.
She holds it up, examining it carefully before dropping it into a plastic evidence bag.
“It’s recent,” she says, “maybe this morning.”
“Perfect,” I reply. “No frost last night or even heavy dew. We should get what we need from it.”
Scully grins, smile creases forming around her deep blue eyes, which match the colour of her blue latex lab gloves.
I am lucky to have her as my partner, seconded from the X Files. Fox Mulder, her weird regular sidekick, is not happy but he can live without her because our work here is more important than investigating supernatural stuff.
We are working the stretch of Highway 35 between Minden and Dorset, one of the most heavily littered pieces of highway in the province. Our mission: catch litterpigs and make them pay for their stupidity.
What Scully bagged was a Coke can tossed out the window of a passing car. Advancements in DNA and fingerprinting could lead us to the person who pitched the litter and bring them to justice.
I had walked 696 steps on one side of the highway just south of the Frost Centre. I found 27 beer or pop cans, 13 plastic water bottles and coffee cups, nine juice boxes, five cigarette packs and a variety of plastic containers, and other confection cartons. In all, 63 items, one piece of garbage for every 20 steps.
Tossing crap onto roadsides is environmental crime and Scully and I are determined to stop it. We have to because no one else will. The Ontario government has no anti-littering strategy, and says that roadside litter is a municipal responsibility.
That is short-sighted because littering is a slap in Mother Nature’s face, one that damages plant life, hurts birds, fish and animals and stains the beauty of our countryside. And, Mother Nature slaps back. Just ask the folks in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico and California.
Litterpigs are not your typical don’t-give-a-damn hardened criminals. They are simply slow thinkers. Many litter because they wrongly believe that litter breaks down much quicker than it actually does.
An aluminum pop can take 80 to 200 years to break down. That can could be recycled and put to another use in a matter of weeks.
Cigarette butt filters, the world’s most common litter, take up to 10 years to decompose. Five trillion cigarettes are smoked each year worldwide, the filters of which weigh in total about two billion pounds. Canadians alone toss tons of butts into the environment.
Even a Tim Horton’s cardboard coffee cup, a most popular piece of litter in Ontario, takes weeks to years to break down depending on where it ends up.
Decomposition times of some other items found along Highway 35: paper bag - one month; wool glove - one year; plastic bag – 20 to 1,000 years; plastic jug – one million years; glass – one to two million years; disposable diaper – 550 years; banana peel – three to four weeks.
Most of us are tempted to litter at times, especially if we are not being watched. Statistics Brain, a U.S. research institute, says 75 per cent of Americans admitted to littering some time in the last five years.
Littering begets littering. Studies show that people are more likely to litter a highway or beach that already has been littered.
Scully and I intend to stop that from happening on Highway 35.
Backs bent and heads down we are raking the ditches with our eyes when suddenly an odd-sounding car horn blares. I grab Scully and pull her to me to prevent her from being hit.
When I open my eyes I am holding my bed pillow, not Scully. The alarm clock is blaring on the table beside my bed. Scully, the Coke can and the hopes of nailing a litterpig all have been a dream.
I get out of bed, shower, dress and get ready for my morning walk along Highway 35. I’ll scan the ditches to see what the litterpigs have left since my last walk. That’s when reality turns my nighttime sweet dream into a daytime nightmare.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
She holds it up, examining it carefully before dropping it into a plastic evidence bag.
“It’s recent,” she says, “maybe this morning.”
“Perfect,” I reply. “No frost last night or even heavy dew. We should get what we need from it.”
Scully grins, smile creases forming around her deep blue eyes, which match the colour of her blue latex lab gloves.
I am lucky to have her as my partner, seconded from the X Files. Fox Mulder, her weird regular sidekick, is not happy but he can live without her because our work here is more important than investigating supernatural stuff.
We are working the stretch of Highway 35 between Minden and Dorset, one of the most heavily littered pieces of highway in the province. Our mission: catch litterpigs and make them pay for their stupidity.
What Scully bagged was a Coke can tossed out the window of a passing car. Advancements in DNA and fingerprinting could lead us to the person who pitched the litter and bring them to justice.
I had walked 696 steps on one side of the highway just south of the Frost Centre. I found 27 beer or pop cans, 13 plastic water bottles and coffee cups, nine juice boxes, five cigarette packs and a variety of plastic containers, and other confection cartons. In all, 63 items, one piece of garbage for every 20 steps.
Tossing crap onto roadsides is environmental crime and Scully and I are determined to stop it. We have to because no one else will. The Ontario government has no anti-littering strategy, and says that roadside litter is a municipal responsibility.
That is short-sighted because littering is a slap in Mother Nature’s face, one that damages plant life, hurts birds, fish and animals and stains the beauty of our countryside. And, Mother Nature slaps back. Just ask the folks in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico and California.
Litterpigs are not your typical don’t-give-a-damn hardened criminals. They are simply slow thinkers. Many litter because they wrongly believe that litter breaks down much quicker than it actually does.
An aluminum pop can take 80 to 200 years to break down. That can could be recycled and put to another use in a matter of weeks.
Cigarette butt filters, the world’s most common litter, take up to 10 years to decompose. Five trillion cigarettes are smoked each year worldwide, the filters of which weigh in total about two billion pounds. Canadians alone toss tons of butts into the environment.
Even a Tim Horton’s cardboard coffee cup, a most popular piece of litter in Ontario, takes weeks to years to break down depending on where it ends up.
Decomposition times of some other items found along Highway 35: paper bag - one month; wool glove - one year; plastic bag – 20 to 1,000 years; plastic jug – one million years; glass – one to two million years; disposable diaper – 550 years; banana peel – three to four weeks.
Most of us are tempted to litter at times, especially if we are not being watched. Statistics Brain, a U.S. research institute, says 75 per cent of Americans admitted to littering some time in the last five years.
Littering begets littering. Studies show that people are more likely to litter a highway or beach that already has been littered.
Scully and I intend to stop that from happening on Highway 35.
Backs bent and heads down we are raking the ditches with our eyes when suddenly an odd-sounding car horn blares. I grab Scully and pull her to me to prevent her from being hit.
When I open my eyes I am holding my bed pillow, not Scully. The alarm clock is blaring on the table beside my bed. Scully, the Coke can and the hopes of nailing a litterpig all have been a dream.
I get out of bed, shower, dress and get ready for my morning walk along Highway 35. I’ll scan the ditches to see what the litterpigs have left since my last walk. That’s when reality turns my nighttime sweet dream into a daytime nightmare.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
October 12, 2017
Trouble in Bahteh Wallow
Bahteh Wallow was a democratic society founded on the idea that all animals are created equal. It had evolved from a revolution and a civil war as a homeland for elephants, but other species were welcomed.
Immigrants from far off came to Bahteh for a better life in which animals of different shapes, sizes and colours might live in harmony under a guarantee of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Bahteh was not a perfect society but it was admired and respected. It grew into a leader among global communities and its advice and generous aid were sought by many.
As time passed it became apparent that the principles on which Bahteh was built were not as easy to sustain as its founders believed. Differences in beliefs and social status widened, creating rumblings of discontent. The rumblings warned of an approaching storm.
There was no single reason for the growing discontent. Some blamed immigration, saying that different animals brought differences that disrupted the structure and culture of the traditional society. Immigrants were blamed for robberies and rapes and there were calls to block them from entering Bahteh.
Others cited ascending communities that exhibited growth and strength and were taking away from Bahteh’s influence in trade. They said Bahteh should withdraw from the world, adopt protectionism, and focus on making itself great.
Also, Bahteh’s climate was changing, resulting in more wildfires, floods in some areas, droughts in others. Arguments broke out between those demanding more environmental protection and those who said environmental rules were ridiculous and killing prosperity.
As a global leader, Bahteh often became tangled in conflicts in distant places. Its youth were sent to fight in communities that did not fit the pattern of Bahteh’s success.
However, it had not won any of those wars in more than 60 years. Some Bahtehans saw that as a embarrassment and a humiliating loss of influence.
So it was a combination of factors that made Bahteh an increasingly unhappy place. Unhappiness soured the social order, turning it more aggressive and less tolerant.
The young complained that no matter how hard they worked, their lives were not as good as those of their parents. They believed their future to be bleak.
Older, conservative Bahtehans were especially annoyed with the way the society had changed. They said it had become soft, liberal and too tolerant.
Some elephants sought comfort and escape by chewing hallucinogenic grasses and leaves that grew nearby. Community leaders encouraged the practice and changed laws, making hallucinogens legal, and taxable.
It started as recreational dosing but soon Bahteh was fighting a full blown drug epidemic. Elephants were found passed out under the trees, many dead from overdoses. Families broke up, crime increased and there was a general breakdown of society.
Some of the older bulls said Bahteh needed to toughen its approach to governing. It had become too dependent on a matriarchal approach in which governing was done by consensus. It needed to return to the patriarchal approach, which was governing through power.
They found a leader, a wealthy old bull named Mazeka, who promised to make Bahteh great again. Mazeka trumpeted against everything Bahteh had stood for in the past.
He promised to drive out the immigrants, tighten Bahteh’s borders, tear up treaties with other communities and stop environmental and social improvements at home.
Bahteh society became more disordered and divided than ever before. Mazeka’s trumpeting sparked arguments that caused stampedes in which reasoned debate was trampled into the dust.
Many began to fear they were witnessing the most dreaded occurrence in elephant society – an old male gone rogue. That happened when an elephant broke away from the society’s norms and became excessively aggressive and violent. A rogue often stampeded others, creating chaos and destruction.
An intense debate developed over what to do about Mazeka. Would it be best to drive him out or try to live with him and his erratic ways? Either choice could have dangerous consequences.
Meanwhile, other communities around the world watched nervously, waiting and wondering whether Bahteh Wallow would collapse under another civil war or another revolution.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: Read From Shaman’s Rock: www.mindentimes.ca/columnsp.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial; color: #4787ff; -webkit-text-stroke: #4787ff} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Garamond; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font-kerning: none; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #000000} span.s3 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #4787ff} span.s4 {font-kerning: none; color: #5e45ff; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #5e45ff}
Immigrants from far off came to Bahteh for a better life in which animals of different shapes, sizes and colours might live in harmony under a guarantee of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Bahteh was not a perfect society but it was admired and respected. It grew into a leader among global communities and its advice and generous aid were sought by many.
As time passed it became apparent that the principles on which Bahteh was built were not as easy to sustain as its founders believed. Differences in beliefs and social status widened, creating rumblings of discontent. The rumblings warned of an approaching storm.
There was no single reason for the growing discontent. Some blamed immigration, saying that different animals brought differences that disrupted the structure and culture of the traditional society. Immigrants were blamed for robberies and rapes and there were calls to block them from entering Bahteh.
Others cited ascending communities that exhibited growth and strength and were taking away from Bahteh’s influence in trade. They said Bahteh should withdraw from the world, adopt protectionism, and focus on making itself great.
Also, Bahteh’s climate was changing, resulting in more wildfires, floods in some areas, droughts in others. Arguments broke out between those demanding more environmental protection and those who said environmental rules were ridiculous and killing prosperity.
As a global leader, Bahteh often became tangled in conflicts in distant places. Its youth were sent to fight in communities that did not fit the pattern of Bahteh’s success.
However, it had not won any of those wars in more than 60 years. Some Bahtehans saw that as a embarrassment and a humiliating loss of influence.
So it was a combination of factors that made Bahteh an increasingly unhappy place. Unhappiness soured the social order, turning it more aggressive and less tolerant.
The young complained that no matter how hard they worked, their lives were not as good as those of their parents. They believed their future to be bleak.
Older, conservative Bahtehans were especially annoyed with the way the society had changed. They said it had become soft, liberal and too tolerant.
Some elephants sought comfort and escape by chewing hallucinogenic grasses and leaves that grew nearby. Community leaders encouraged the practice and changed laws, making hallucinogens legal, and taxable.
It started as recreational dosing but soon Bahteh was fighting a full blown drug epidemic. Elephants were found passed out under the trees, many dead from overdoses. Families broke up, crime increased and there was a general breakdown of society.
Some of the older bulls said Bahteh needed to toughen its approach to governing. It had become too dependent on a matriarchal approach in which governing was done by consensus. It needed to return to the patriarchal approach, which was governing through power.
They found a leader, a wealthy old bull named Mazeka, who promised to make Bahteh great again. Mazeka trumpeted against everything Bahteh had stood for in the past.
He promised to drive out the immigrants, tighten Bahteh’s borders, tear up treaties with other communities and stop environmental and social improvements at home.
Bahteh society became more disordered and divided than ever before. Mazeka’s trumpeting sparked arguments that caused stampedes in which reasoned debate was trampled into the dust.
Many began to fear they were witnessing the most dreaded occurrence in elephant society – an old male gone rogue. That happened when an elephant broke away from the society’s norms and became excessively aggressive and violent. A rogue often stampeded others, creating chaos and destruction.
An intense debate developed over what to do about Mazeka. Would it be best to drive him out or try to live with him and his erratic ways? Either choice could have dangerous consequences.
Meanwhile, other communities around the world watched nervously, waiting and wondering whether Bahteh Wallow would collapse under another civil war or another revolution.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: Read From Shaman’s Rock: www.mindentimes.ca/columnsp.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial; color: #4787ff; -webkit-text-stroke: #4787ff} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Garamond; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font-kerning: none; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #000000} span.s3 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #4787ff} span.s4 {font-kerning: none; color: #5e45ff; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #5e45ff}
October 5, 2017
A tree dies in Haliburton
An old and dear friend at the lake passed away this autumn.
Our grand sugar maple, the signature tree of our lake property, became too sick to save and had to be taken down.
It was a glorious tree, with a trunk six feet in circumference, and just over two feet in diameter. I won’t know its age until we cut the stump closer to the ground and count the growth rings. Sugar maples can live 200 years or more.
I noticed that the tree was not quite right early in the summer. Its leaves were well formed but stunted. By early fall they still had not grown to full size.Summer was a washout, much rain and little sunshine and warmth. So I thought maybe that was the reason the leaves were not growing, even though those on other trees had reached maturity.
Then I noticed a scabby area near the ground. Poking around with my fingers revealed a large area of rot.
I called in Josh Burk of ArborView Tree Care who confirmed the tree was sick and would not recover.
I wanted to let it stand as long as possible but it was a 40-to-50 foot tree and if it came down in storm it would hit a building, or land heavily on the septic field. So, sad as it was, it had to come down, in pieces.
That old maple was an important part of life at the lake. It sheltered us as we cooked, ate and slept while clearing the lot for a building more than 30 years ago. Later, it shaded the south side of the cottage from the afternoon sun and protected it from snow and rain.
Children played games beneath it and one spring we tapped it to show them how its sap could be turned to maple syrup.
And of course at this time of year it provided a beauty pageant with leaves turning pale yellow, then orangey, then brilliant scarlet.
It was a larger-than-life example of how trees are givers rather than takers and why they are critical to life on our planet.
Trees are the largest plants and the longest living species on earth. The benefits they provide are extensive.
To begin with, trees absorb carbon dioxide, an important factor in climate change, and they give off life-giving oxygen. It is estimated that one large tree can supply oxygen enough for four people for one day.
Trees are earth’s most important pollution filters. It is believed that a large tree canopy removes up to 1.7 kilograms of dust and other pollutants every year.
They filter the soil as well as the air, absorbing chemicals and sewage with their roots. Their large root networks are important in slowing flash flooding and erosion. That’s why some governments forbid the cutting of live trees along lake shorelines.
Tree canopies reduce wind and lower temperatures. They also absorb sound, lessening noise from road traffic and generally reducing noise pollution by as much as 40 per cent.
They are good for human health. Research shows that being among trees lowers blood pressure and slows the heart rate.
They supply us with many material goods. They provide fruit and flowers, fuel for cooking and heating and lumber for building.
The giving nature of trees is illustrated exceptionally well in The Giving Tree, a 1964 children’s picture book by Shel Silverstein. Early on the Giving Tree provides a boy with a place to climb and play. Later it gives him apples, then wood for a variety of building projects.
When the boy becomes an old man, the tree has given him everything until it has been reduced to a stump. Even then it still gives – the stump providing a seat on which the old man can sit and rest.
The Giving Tree is one of the most popular books in the history of children’s literature, and one of the most controversial. The controversy relates to whether the relationship between the boy and the tree is about selfless love, or an abusive relationship.
It is a silly controversy. All I know is that trees are good and that I am going to miss our old sugar maple.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
September 28, 2017
Ma Bell and Me
In the beginning there was none. No television. No electronics.
The lake itself was the entertainment. Swimming in it, canoeing on it, fishing it or just sitting by it listening to loon calls float across its surface.
Just us, the lake and the pleasures of the woods around it.
Then it came. That first piece of electronic wizardry – the television set.
It was a small black box donated by a family member. It had a 12-inch screen and a single pull-out antenna that delivered ghostly shapes moving in electronic mist and snow.
I got it a pair of rabbit ears to boost its draw power enough to provide adequate black and white images and reasonably static-free audio.
That television was not allowed to be part of the cottage furnishings. It lived in a closet, unplugged from any electrical outlets that could bring it to life.
It was only an occasional visitor, pulled out of its closet on special occasions. Major sports events like the Stanley Cup playoffs, the World Series of baseball or the Superbowl. And, of course, major news events like the death of Princess Diana.
It died one day and was replaced by another castoff, a big box tube set the size of a bank vault. It took four people to carry it. It was too heavy to move in and out of the closet so we placed it in the living area where it became a cottage fixture.
It didn’t get many channels so was not used much more than its predecessor. That changed after a visit to a spring Cottage Life Show.
Ma Bell was at the show and offering a sweet deal. She would set you up with satellite TV service at your home and your cottage for the monthly price of one service.
No longer would you have to lug the satellite box from home to the cottage and back to avoid paying for two services. It was irresistible and I succumbed.
The old, chunky TV was not compatible for satellite so another family member donated a wide-screen set being discarded because at 40 inches it was considered too small and outdated. The trend in the city was for sets with screens the size of a tractor-trailer.
That would be the limit of digital electronic intrusions at the lake. Or, so I thought.
Then came the Internet. It made sense. If work could be done over the Internet at the lake, more time could be spent at the lake.
With the Internet came the laptops, the tablets, and those ubiquitous smart phones.
Those machines swallow huge amounts of insanely expensive data. Someone suggested getting WiFi. It would provide more data time and better TV options.
So in came the WiFi box and yet another monthly ransom payment to Ma Bell. Her monthly take became the size of a new car payment.
I decided enough was enough. I unplugged the WiFi box and put it in the closet where the little black television had lived.
Then I called Ma. I explained that I was paying her too much and needed to reduce the monthly bill. We talked for quite a while, me complaining about the cost burden and my disdain of commercials.
Television, I wailed, now was two minutes of program followed by five minutes of commercials. Ma was sympathetic and offered a variety of solutions.
The very next day a young man in a Bell truck arrived. He installed a PVR (personal video recorder) that allows the viewer to record a program and spin through the commercials. The PVR required a high definition satellite receiver, which he installed on my roof.
So my monthly Bell bill, once the size of Toyota hatchback payment, now is the size of a Lexus payment.
I seem to have everything now that Ma Bell has to offer. She doesn’t think so because her marketing people call me almost daily. They call on my landline while I am eating supper. They call on my mobile phone while I am cutting firewood in the bush.
I want to call Ma and tell her to stop calling. But I am afraid to call because whenever I call her it costs me more money.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
The lake itself was the entertainment. Swimming in it, canoeing on it, fishing it or just sitting by it listening to loon calls float across its surface.
Just us, the lake and the pleasures of the woods around it.
Then it came. That first piece of electronic wizardry – the television set.
It was a small black box donated by a family member. It had a 12-inch screen and a single pull-out antenna that delivered ghostly shapes moving in electronic mist and snow.
I got it a pair of rabbit ears to boost its draw power enough to provide adequate black and white images and reasonably static-free audio.
That television was not allowed to be part of the cottage furnishings. It lived in a closet, unplugged from any electrical outlets that could bring it to life.
It was only an occasional visitor, pulled out of its closet on special occasions. Major sports events like the Stanley Cup playoffs, the World Series of baseball or the Superbowl. And, of course, major news events like the death of Princess Diana.
It died one day and was replaced by another castoff, a big box tube set the size of a bank vault. It took four people to carry it. It was too heavy to move in and out of the closet so we placed it in the living area where it became a cottage fixture.
It didn’t get many channels so was not used much more than its predecessor. That changed after a visit to a spring Cottage Life Show.
Ma Bell was at the show and offering a sweet deal. She would set you up with satellite TV service at your home and your cottage for the monthly price of one service.
No longer would you have to lug the satellite box from home to the cottage and back to avoid paying for two services. It was irresistible and I succumbed.
The old, chunky TV was not compatible for satellite so another family member donated a wide-screen set being discarded because at 40 inches it was considered too small and outdated. The trend in the city was for sets with screens the size of a tractor-trailer.
That would be the limit of digital electronic intrusions at the lake. Or, so I thought.
Then came the Internet. It made sense. If work could be done over the Internet at the lake, more time could be spent at the lake.
With the Internet came the laptops, the tablets, and those ubiquitous smart phones.
Those machines swallow huge amounts of insanely expensive data. Someone suggested getting WiFi. It would provide more data time and better TV options.
So in came the WiFi box and yet another monthly ransom payment to Ma Bell. Her monthly take became the size of a new car payment.
I decided enough was enough. I unplugged the WiFi box and put it in the closet where the little black television had lived.
Then I called Ma. I explained that I was paying her too much and needed to reduce the monthly bill. We talked for quite a while, me complaining about the cost burden and my disdain of commercials.
Television, I wailed, now was two minutes of program followed by five minutes of commercials. Ma was sympathetic and offered a variety of solutions.
The very next day a young man in a Bell truck arrived. He installed a PVR (personal video recorder) that allows the viewer to record a program and spin through the commercials. The PVR required a high definition satellite receiver, which he installed on my roof.
So my monthly Bell bill, once the size of Toyota hatchback payment, now is the size of a Lexus payment.
I seem to have everything now that Ma Bell has to offer. She doesn’t think so because her marketing people call me almost daily. They call on my landline while I am eating supper. They call on my mobile phone while I am cutting firewood in the bush.
I want to call Ma and tell her to stop calling. But I am afraid to call because whenever I call her it costs me more money.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
September 21, 2017
Car Buyers Beware
Mopping up the messes of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is happening hundreds of miles away but Canadian consumers need to take care that they don’t get soaked.
Flood-damaged goods from Texas and Florida can start showing up anytime and anywhere. Quick buck artists already are working to pass off damaged goods to unsuspecting buyers.
The area of greatest concern is the used vehicle market. There are estimates of 500,000 vehicles damaged in Texas, and probably that many again in Florida.
There are legal processes designed to protect buyers from cleaned up, water-damaged vehicles with serious hidden problems. There are unscrupulous people who find ways around the laws and sell flooded vehicles camouflaged as normal used cars or trucks.
A 2014 study by Carfax Inc., an online company supplying vehicle history reports, said that 800,000 vehicles on U.S. roads may have been subject to title washing schemes. A large number of those were autos damaged in floods.
Resale autos must have ownership titles that list a history of damage. Scammers, however, have found ways of altering, or washing, titles.
Flood vehicles often are transported well beyond a flood zone because distant buyers are less likely to think about water-damaged vehicles.
Carfax estimates that historically about one-half of vehicles damaged in flooding are resold. Some have been repaired and the flood damage noted on their titles but many others get sold through scammers.
“They (scammers) will buy them, they will make them look OK, and sooner or later some unsuspecting party is going to buy one and it will end up being a nightmare,” Jim Tolkan, an automotive dealers association president told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently.
U.S. used vehicles usually come to Canada for sale through honest dealers. Some might have been flooded and the damage and repairs noted and price adjusted to reflect that. There is a danger that some come through scams.
Here’s some advice, gathered from consumer reports and auto mechanics, that might be helpful to anyone considering buying a used auto from the United States. (Or, from Canada for that matter because several regions of the country have had major flooding this year).
It is best to have a used car you are considering inspected by a qualified mechanic. They know the hidden signs of water damage.
Water damage to autos can be much more than stained upholstery and musty odour. Water gets into mechanical systems, lubricants and electronics. Today’s vehicles are heavily dependent on delicate electronics that drive computerized systems.
Salt water of course causes corrosion problems that might not show up until months, or even years, later.
Seat mounting screws should be checked to see if they have been removed. Carpets cannot be dried properly without the seats being removed.
Look into difficult-to-clean places – gaps under the hood and between panels in the trunk. There might be mud stains or water lines in spots where they are difficult to remove.
Engines have all sorts of nooks and crannies where mud or stains are missed in a quick cleaning. A light, magnifying glass or mirror on a stick can help in looking for evidence of exposure to water.
There are areas in autos where unpainted screws are used, like under the dashboard. Any unpainted screws will show signs of rust if the vehicle has been submerged.
Drain plugs beneath the car or at the bottom of doors should be checked to see if they have been removed. Plugs are removed to drain flood water from inside the panels.
The reflectors or lenses on headlights and taillights sometimes show slightly visible water lines, solid evidence that the vehicle had been partially submerged.
Thoroughly searching a vehicle’s history is an important first step when looking to buy a used car.
There are plenty of online sites offering information about ways to protect yourself from damaged used auto scammers. Sites like Carfax.com and Autocheck.com provide vehicle histories at a cost. Carfax also has a flood damage site (https://www.carfax.com/press/resources/flooded-cars) with helpful information.
I know people who have had great luck buying used vehicles exported from the U.S. Like buying anything these days, you just have to be on top of all the ways to protect yourself.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
Flood-damaged goods from Texas and Florida can start showing up anytime and anywhere. Quick buck artists already are working to pass off damaged goods to unsuspecting buyers.
The area of greatest concern is the used vehicle market. There are estimates of 500,000 vehicles damaged in Texas, and probably that many again in Florida.
There are legal processes designed to protect buyers from cleaned up, water-damaged vehicles with serious hidden problems. There are unscrupulous people who find ways around the laws and sell flooded vehicles camouflaged as normal used cars or trucks.
A 2014 study by Carfax Inc., an online company supplying vehicle history reports, said that 800,000 vehicles on U.S. roads may have been subject to title washing schemes. A large number of those were autos damaged in floods.
Resale autos must have ownership titles that list a history of damage. Scammers, however, have found ways of altering, or washing, titles.
Flood vehicles often are transported well beyond a flood zone because distant buyers are less likely to think about water-damaged vehicles.
Carfax estimates that historically about one-half of vehicles damaged in flooding are resold. Some have been repaired and the flood damage noted on their titles but many others get sold through scammers.
“They (scammers) will buy them, they will make them look OK, and sooner or later some unsuspecting party is going to buy one and it will end up being a nightmare,” Jim Tolkan, an automotive dealers association president told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently.
U.S. used vehicles usually come to Canada for sale through honest dealers. Some might have been flooded and the damage and repairs noted and price adjusted to reflect that. There is a danger that some come through scams.
Here’s some advice, gathered from consumer reports and auto mechanics, that might be helpful to anyone considering buying a used auto from the United States. (Or, from Canada for that matter because several regions of the country have had major flooding this year).
It is best to have a used car you are considering inspected by a qualified mechanic. They know the hidden signs of water damage.
Water damage to autos can be much more than stained upholstery and musty odour. Water gets into mechanical systems, lubricants and electronics. Today’s vehicles are heavily dependent on delicate electronics that drive computerized systems.
Salt water of course causes corrosion problems that might not show up until months, or even years, later.
Seat mounting screws should be checked to see if they have been removed. Carpets cannot be dried properly without the seats being removed.
Look into difficult-to-clean places – gaps under the hood and between panels in the trunk. There might be mud stains or water lines in spots where they are difficult to remove.
Engines have all sorts of nooks and crannies where mud or stains are missed in a quick cleaning. A light, magnifying glass or mirror on a stick can help in looking for evidence of exposure to water.
There are areas in autos where unpainted screws are used, like under the dashboard. Any unpainted screws will show signs of rust if the vehicle has been submerged.
Drain plugs beneath the car or at the bottom of doors should be checked to see if they have been removed. Plugs are removed to drain flood water from inside the panels.
The reflectors or lenses on headlights and taillights sometimes show slightly visible water lines, solid evidence that the vehicle had been partially submerged.
Thoroughly searching a vehicle’s history is an important first step when looking to buy a used car.
There are plenty of online sites offering information about ways to protect yourself from damaged used auto scammers. Sites like Carfax.com and Autocheck.com provide vehicle histories at a cost. Carfax also has a flood damage site (https://www.carfax.com/press/resources/flooded-cars) with helpful information.
I know people who have had great luck buying used vehicles exported from the U.S. Like buying anything these days, you just have to be on top of all the ways to protect yourself.
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
September 14, 2017
When will we ever learn?
Most of us have gone through life thinking little about nuclear war. The chances of it have been minimal because everyone understands that launching just one nuke could bring global catastrophe, perhaps even end human civilization.
What increases the chances is reckless talk by people who should know better. That’s what is happening now. The odds of nuclear catastrophe increase weekly because some people can’t control their mouths.
We have the young North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un talking about delivering “a merciless sledgehammer blow to the U.S. imperialists.” Then from the U.S., aggressive statements threatening war that will deliver fire and fury.
Even the diplomats, from whom we expect calm and thoughtful negotiation, seem infected by the war bug.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, says North Korea is “begging for war.” Instead of trying to cool the heated war talk, she inflames it.
“We have kicked the can down the road long enough,” she said of the North Korea nuclear threat. “There is no more road left.”
Well Nikki, there’s always more road, more room for talk about preventing the planet from being blown up.
North Korea is like a spoiled child who feels the entire world is against it. There are reasons it feels that way and maybe if someone tried talking to those folks about why they feel that way, some understanding and real negotiations could begin.
We seem incapable of learning, and accepting, the lessons of so many past conflicts. Surely the most important is that war is futile and unwinnable by any side.
Afghanistan is an example. It has been a battleground for centuries yet no country, no empire, has ever been a winner there.
The 1960s novel Caravans by James Michener had a protagonist telling a diplomat that one day both the U.S. and Russia would invade Afghanistan and both would regret it.
It was an uncanny prediction by a brilliant novelist. Russia invaded and is still regretting its Afghan adventure. The U.S. did too and regrets it, and yet it is still there. It is sending even more troops in despite the fact it will never win the country from the Taliban, or other forms of Muslim extremists.
The U.S. has 7,000 troops in the country as part of a NATO coalition against terrorists. It also has another 1,500 special forces troops fighting the Taliban.
The U.S. learned little from its Vietnam nightmare in which 60,000 of its soldiers died and tens of thousands of others were maimed. Meanwhile, sons of the allied South Vietnamese military leaders were sent abroad to be out of harms way instead of fighting for the cause.
The U.S. could never win in Vietnam because it did not have the full support of the people.
Ditto the 1950s Korean War. Actual combat ended, no side won and a war of words continues.
Canada did the right thing when it withdrew from the fighting in Afghanistan. Our active combat role there ended in 2011 and the last of our soldiers and policing force left in 2014.
We were part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) force sent in because of the 9/11 attacks on America. The NATO-led forces remain there, minus Canada, to help the Afghan government learn to look after itself and build a self-sufficient, stable society.
Good luck with that. Afghanistan is a hopeless pit that swallows any country that tries to remake it. It should be left to the Afghan people to figure it all out.
NATO are in there supposedly to defeat the terrorists. The billions being spent on that would be better spent containing the terrorists and keeping them away from the rest of us.
NATO countries all can help Afghanistan by providing it with money and tools. They should not be sending their sons and daughters there to risk their lives in combat, policing or advisory roles.
More than 60 years after the world’s most powerful anti-war song was written, its haunting question remains unanswered:
“Where have all the soldiers gone?“Gone to graveyards every one.“When will they ever learn?“When will they ever learn?”
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
What increases the chances is reckless talk by people who should know better. That’s what is happening now. The odds of nuclear catastrophe increase weekly because some people can’t control their mouths.
We have the young North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un talking about delivering “a merciless sledgehammer blow to the U.S. imperialists.” Then from the U.S., aggressive statements threatening war that will deliver fire and fury.
Even the diplomats, from whom we expect calm and thoughtful negotiation, seem infected by the war bug.
Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, says North Korea is “begging for war.” Instead of trying to cool the heated war talk, she inflames it.
“We have kicked the can down the road long enough,” she said of the North Korea nuclear threat. “There is no more road left.”
Well Nikki, there’s always more road, more room for talk about preventing the planet from being blown up.
North Korea is like a spoiled child who feels the entire world is against it. There are reasons it feels that way and maybe if someone tried talking to those folks about why they feel that way, some understanding and real negotiations could begin.
We seem incapable of learning, and accepting, the lessons of so many past conflicts. Surely the most important is that war is futile and unwinnable by any side.
Afghanistan is an example. It has been a battleground for centuries yet no country, no empire, has ever been a winner there.
The 1960s novel Caravans by James Michener had a protagonist telling a diplomat that one day both the U.S. and Russia would invade Afghanistan and both would regret it.
It was an uncanny prediction by a brilliant novelist. Russia invaded and is still regretting its Afghan adventure. The U.S. did too and regrets it, and yet it is still there. It is sending even more troops in despite the fact it will never win the country from the Taliban, or other forms of Muslim extremists.
The U.S. has 7,000 troops in the country as part of a NATO coalition against terrorists. It also has another 1,500 special forces troops fighting the Taliban.
The U.S. learned little from its Vietnam nightmare in which 60,000 of its soldiers died and tens of thousands of others were maimed. Meanwhile, sons of the allied South Vietnamese military leaders were sent abroad to be out of harms way instead of fighting for the cause.
The U.S. could never win in Vietnam because it did not have the full support of the people.
Ditto the 1950s Korean War. Actual combat ended, no side won and a war of words continues.
Canada did the right thing when it withdrew from the fighting in Afghanistan. Our active combat role there ended in 2011 and the last of our soldiers and policing force left in 2014.
We were part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) force sent in because of the 9/11 attacks on America. The NATO-led forces remain there, minus Canada, to help the Afghan government learn to look after itself and build a self-sufficient, stable society.
Good luck with that. Afghanistan is a hopeless pit that swallows any country that tries to remake it. It should be left to the Afghan people to figure it all out.
NATO are in there supposedly to defeat the terrorists. The billions being spent on that would be better spent containing the terrorists and keeping them away from the rest of us.
NATO countries all can help Afghanistan by providing it with money and tools. They should not be sending their sons and daughters there to risk their lives in combat, policing or advisory roles.
More than 60 years after the world’s most powerful anti-war song was written, its haunting question remains unanswered:
“Where have all the soldiers gone?“Gone to graveyards every one.“When will they ever learn?“When will they ever learn?”
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
September 7, 2017
To code or not to code
School days, school days, good old fashioned . . .
Reading and writing and ‘rithmetic . . . . and coding.
Coding apparently is the hottest trend in education. Or, more accurately, coding is what Silicon Valley’s digital masterminds are trying to make the hottest trend.
“Coding should be a requirement in every public school,” Apple CEO Tim Cooke told a gathering of top-drawer techies at the U.S. White House recently.
Coding is a set of instructions telling a computer what you want it to do. Computers run on binary code – combinations of 1s and 0s. To put all the 1s and 0s in the right order for a computer to understand, you have to learn programming languages such as Python, Ruby, Java, C++ and others.
High-tech advocates of coding have been raising tens of millions of dollars to persuade governments to make coding mandatory in school curriculum. Their argument is that millions of future jobs will require advanced computer knowledge and skills.
British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia already have made learning coding a mandatory part of their curriculums. Ontario and Saskatchewan have included it as an option.
Some people question whether the high tech industry simply is trying to sway governments to serve its own interests.
We live in the digital age so it is important that tomorrow’s workers have a high level of computer literacy. However, there is much hype behind the high-tech industry’s campaign to have coding learning become mandatory in all schools.
Some advocates say learning coding has become as important as learning to read and write. Coding teaches people how to think, they argue.
Perhaps, but let’s not get carried away. Most of us have learned how to think without knowing how to code, and we got that learning through reading, writing and talking to each other.
We should be careful not to let the computer age lessen the importance of basic reading and writing skills. It already has in many ways.
Our communication skills have declined in the computer age. We have less time to read, speak too often with abbreviations (LOL,TMI, OMG, IMFO, FYI) and tech talk phrases, and have less face-to-face communication.
Social media, which have created important communications channels, allows us to take in and spread more information. Regretfully, too much social networking information lacks depth, is missing context, or is not factual.
Declining communications skills are seen every day in our political and other community leaders. Many lack the skills needed to speak or write clearly and precisely what they want to tell their followers. The result often is confusion and conflict.
Obviously it is important for people today to have a basic knowledge of computers because so many of our daily activities are connected to computers. That does not mean that we all need to learn computer coding, or that computer coding is a must for all elementary school kids.
Most of us drive automobiles but learning how to drive was not part of our elementary schooling. What we were taught in school were math, physics, biology, English grammar and other subjects that would help us to understand and learn the individual skills needed for driving a vehicle.
Those and other school study subjects remain important in developing understanding and skills for work in the computer age. For most kids, a general knowledge and understanding of computerization is all they need and all that the schools should be teaching.
Learning coding should not be a high priority for all school kids and we should not be diverting education money away from traditional subjects to provide it.
Options can be provided in higher grades for kids who show a serious bent towards computer careers.
The high-tech world entices us with wizard talk about how it can make our world better. It has in many ways, but we need to be skeptical and ask pointed questions. The drive to have all children learn coding is a case in point.
So when corporate sloganeers spin ideas with buzzwords such as ‘Thinking Outside the Box,’ we need to pause, look them in the eye and say “Ditch the box. Just think.”
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
August 31, 2017
Surrounded by dummies
So much to do, but so many stupid people in the way. You can’t get important stuff done when surrounded by incompetents.
Precious time wasted trying to get them focussed. More time lost looking for replacements when you fire them, or when they quit because they can’t take the heat.
Take the case of Crazy Donnie, the American president. He has brilliant plans to make America great again. Yet his own Republican legislators are too thick and slow to move his genius ideas through Congress.
Scaredy-cats like Senator John McCain who gets brain cancer then decides to vote against repealing that disastrous Obamacare health coverage law. What can you expect from someone who gets shot down and becomes a prisoner of war in Vietnam. As President Donnie has said, he likes people who don’t get taken prisoner.
Then there’s that other Republican senator from Arizona – Jeff Flake. Totally toxic. Really weak on crime and Mexican invaders. Maybe ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio will run against him now that his Presidential Pardon means he won’t have to go to prison for race-related crimes.
And Mitch McConnell, the good ole boy who has been around Washington forever. He is the Senate majority leader but couldn’t herd a cow on a leash let alone enough senators to put the president’s important ideas into law.
As President Donnie tweeted: “He failed! That should NEVER have happened!”
Then there’s Paul Ryan, the House majority leader, who wouldn’t understand a debt ceiling if it fell on his head.
The White House staff has been no better. Most of the important in-house advisors have had to be fired, or have run off. The West Wing has gone through two national security advisors, two communications directors, a press secretary, one chief of staff and a chief strategist.
That’s not to mention the acting attorney-general and the FBI director, both fired. How can a president get anything done with that kind of staff? He can’t do it all himself. There’s not enough time, especially when he has to be at a golf course at least a couple of times a week.
Building a wall to seal off Mexico still hasn’t happened. The entire U.S. government might have to be shut down to get that done.
Meanwhile, America’s billionaires are becoming impatient waiting for tax reform to fatten their wallets. Afghanistan won’t go away. NAFTA might have to be terminated because of the Canadian communists. Who wants to negotiate with people whose prime minister has a tattoo?
It’s all a mess. You wonder if it’s worth the effort. Perhaps President Donnie should just chuck it all and go back to counting money at Trump Tower in New York. The Tower is a lot more comfortable than the White House, which the president told some golf buddies is a real dump.
If he did decide to go back to the Tower he would be leaving a winner. He already is the best president ever, according to his Tweets and speeches.
A buddy of his, writing recently in the Chicago Times, says that Trump has created an average 30,000 new jobs for blacks each month since becoming president. Also that the number of blacks with a job has risen by 600,000 since last year and black wages and incomes are up under Trump.
Truly remarkable.
The crooked media, however, refuses to report any of this outstanding progress. Like Donnie says, journalists are sickos determined to divide the country by distributing fake news. They refuse to recognize his brilliance, instead painting him as vacuous and having an insatiably hungry ego.
So who could blame him for packing up and going back to Trump Tower? There he gets the respect he deserves and he is surrounded by people willing to kneel and kiss his ring.I’m betting he’ll throw his hands in the air and walk out. So are the bookies.
PaddyPower, an Irish gambling site, places the odds of Trump resigning at an all-time high of 6/4. That’s betting there is a 60 per cent chance of him resigning.
When he does, Americans will be left fending for themselves. Left with only the memories of his greatest statements, like:
“Nobody builds walls better than me. Believe me.”
Email: shaman@vianet.ca
Profile: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8FY3Y
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