Election Gem #11

Today's gem is about media bias and how 'spin' can skew perceptions in any desired direction. Here is the lead line in an MSN News story today:

Roughly a third of voters in 45 battleground ridings believe Stephen Harper is the "nastiest" party leader of the election, according to a new Strategic Counsel Poll.

Now let's look at what 'spin' can do in the other direction, using the same polling numbers and almost the same words.

Roughly two thirds of voters in 45 battleground ridings believe that Stephen Harper is the "least nasty" party leader of the election, according to a new Strategic Counsel Poll.

Interesting that one of the partners in the Strategic Counsel is Peter Donolo who from 1993 to 1999, served as Director of Communications in the Prime Minister's Office and was chief communications strategist for Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his government.

So, you see, my friends, consider the source and consider the spin.

Horsing Around

I love my Photo Shop program!

The horse, as a pet or recreation, is a very recent phenomena. They have, down through the ages, been used primarily as instruments of battle or as beasts of burden and hard work. There is a fascination with them today that I cannot fully understand. I will be unpopular saying this, especially in my own family where there are numerous horse owners and horse lovers. I admire them from a distance, don't mind their smell too much, and marvel at their strength and grace. They also serve to enhance the appearance of an otherwise very dull looking pasture. Lucky for one of them to find a good and faithful owner, but I will not ever be one of them.

This post is a test to see who in my family is reading my blog.

Election Gem #10

Jack Layton: "I (also) hear a certain type of determination ... the sense that real change is possible."

Come on, Jack. Can't you come up with something original? Don't you think Canadians are watching Obama enough to realise that statement is his trademark?

Highway 97

This is the last thing the snake saw before he had the encounter with a Kenworth. It is a snake's eye view of the new rumble strips that were carved into the highway in Spring. Generally speaking, we cannot hear the traffic noise at night, but every so often, when the atmospheric conditions are just right, we hear what sounds like a bull frog, off in the distance. It is the traffic either passing or wandering over the centre line.

Election Gem #9

LIBERAL LEADER STEPHANE DIONE TOLD A GROUP OF ABOUT 500 MOSTLY INDO-CANADIAN SUPPORTERS IN SURREY HE WOULD ISSUE AN APOLOGY FOR THE 1914 KOMAGATA MARU INCIDENT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Mr. Harper apologised a few months ago in front of an Indo-Canadian audience in Surrey. It was not good enough for them and they wanted to see the apology done in Parliament. How better to buy votes than for Stephane to now promise them what they wanted, only this time doing it their way! We have all been wronged by our government at one point or another in our lives and maybe we should all get an apology. I have decided I will vote for the party who apologises for perpetuating income tax when it was originally introduced as a temporary measure to help out with the WW II effort. I am deeply and profoundly offended.

Bullrushes

It is strange that here in the desert, where things are only green because of man's intervention, there should be a swamp with Bull Rushes. And stranger still that because these are the primary source of building material for Humming Bird nests, that these Bull Rushes would be growing only several feet away from the Humming Birds favourite source of food, the flowering bush, the Trumpet Vine, in the previous post. It reminds me of a Bible verse ..... Matt 6: 26

Election Gem #8

This morning Jack Layton is promising to 'beef up monitoring of fuel prices'. We do not need government to monitor gas prices. Each and everyone of us does this every time we pass a gas station. What we need is for the price of gas to accurately reflect the real cost of exploration, production and supply of petroleum products. I have no doubt we are being gouged but it will never be corrected by simply monitoring prices. It will only be corrected when there is real competition in the oil industry. As it stands now, the existing oil companies are all in bed together, not having a romp, but deciding what the price at the pump will be tomorrow morning. Monitor that, Jack.

CKNW Breaking News.. 8:52 AM
A new poll suggests the Conservatives could be headed for a majority government.

Trumpet Vine

Trumpet Vine (Campsis Radicans) also called Trumpet Flower, Devil's Shoestring, or Foxglove Vine. It is drought tolerant, winter hardy, blooms profusely in the sunshine, and is a favourite of Hummingbirds and Butterflies. The wind was waving the branches so it was difficult to take a focused shot, but finally I got lucky and with the sky as a backdrop, the colour and shape of the blossoms shows up well. The plant it self is very dense and green and isolated blossoms are difficult to find. Just another flower that does really well in desert conditions. There is so much beauty around us if we only take the time to open our eyes.

Election Gem #7

"Dion had his own problems with a candidate Thursday and he fired a Quebec City Liberal candidate for controversial comments about natives.
Simon Bédard, 65, made the comments while he was a radio host in 1990. He called for the killing of Mohawks during the 1990 native stand-off in Kanesetake. "

Now just one minute here! This little gem was literally a footnote in a long article describing the back-stepping Mr. Harper had to do in the last two days regarding the 'pooping Puffin' and his communications guy who he had to suspend today. Now if this Simon Bedard was a conservative contestant, this would be front page, scream in your face, headline grabbing news. But this guy is a Liberal Candidate so the media is going to go easy on him and Mr. Dion. This is called media bias and it is not the last time we will see it.

Mail Box

The sleepy rural roads on the outskirts of Oroville are perfect for walking. There is always something interesting to see and rarely does one encounter a vehicle. The quiet morning air is disturbed only by the occasional whirring grasshopper and the flutter and scurry of a family of quails that seek shelter in the thorny underbrush. The air is cool, early in the morning, but the heat of the sun reminds us that it will indeed warm up as the hours pass by. At walk's end, the inviting shade of the Russian Olive tree beckons and we stretch out in the waiting lawn chairs, sunglasses and a good book in hand. The pages turn slowly because of the distractions out on, and over the lake. Passing ski boats, a family of Canada geese, a loon, a looming storm cloud, or the sudden change in direction of the wind, followed by whitecaps where moments ago there was only calm water. This is peace and contentment.

Election Gem #6

I love waffles. Slap on some fruit and whipped cream, or pour on the maple syrup, but any way you serve them I love waffles. Now we have our first waffle of the election '08 campaign. It comes from both Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton. It seems they have bowed to public pressure and threat of law suits from Elizabeth May so they have allowed her to participate in the televised debates. It should not matter to Stephen Harper as probably all or most of Green supporters are left leaning and she will not steal any conservative voters. But Jack Layton will water down his base by allowing Ms. May to talk NDPers into voting Green. I suspect the end result will be fewer NDP seats and perhaps a seat or two for the Greens. Inconsequential, really. Let the debates begin.

Election Gem #5

The former NDP leader, Alexa McDonough's riding in Halifax had a Conservative candidate quit the race yesterday. Rosamond Luke, a native of Sierra Leone, stated that pressure at work has forced her to withdraw herself from the contest. What pressure would this be? It turns out she has a criminal record. My,my, Mr. Harper. You should check out your recruits a little better than that before you invite them to your team. But, I suppose politics has an attraction to the criminal element.

Election Gem #4

Now we have Green Party Elizabeth May screaming that Harper has a total disregard for Democracy. The sin? She is being shut out of televised political debates. Just a minute here. The rules state that only political parties that have at least one elected member of parliament may participate in these debates. She is obviously and conveniently forgetting that the Reform Party a few years back had to wait in the same fashion, until they had their first elected MP. Harper was a Reform Party member at the time and his recollection of the rules is better than May's.

The Well is Running Dry

I have been keenly watching the markets for many years and the activities of late are a little frightening. This is only partly because some of my RRSP's are invested in TSX related funds. In years past, fluctuations did not bother me because I had time on my side. "Ride it out and in the long run, it will be alright." This just has not been true. It bothers me now because I am running out of time, but more so because it signals significant struggles in the economy, which means that all will suffer, not just those invested in mutual funds. Individuals and governments can only live on credit so long and something has to give. Those with no debt, a solid business or job, and some cash on hand, will be just fine, but I am afraid that describes only a small minority of people. The good times may be coming to a halt because the well is running dry.

Election Gem #3

The Tories promise:

The excise tax will be cut from four to two cents a litre -- a savings of about $600 million, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Tuesday from Winnipeg.

The Liberals Promise:

Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion announced Tuesday that his party will double the Harper government's $1,200-a-year child care allowance.

The promises are now beginning in earnest. Take note, my friends, how many of these carrots will not amount to a hill of beans when the election is over. And never forget, this money they throw around is our money. The government has no money of its own.

Ho-Hum

Yes, all that build-up for this, just a garage full of junk. So next time your curiosity is getting the best of you, remember the old window in Oroville and that sometimes there is no payoff for curiosity. At least save it for something really 'big', like peaking in somebodies diary, or reading somebodies blog. Oh, you are already doing that. Yeah, well, no big payoff here either.

Election Gem #2

Jack Layton says: "The issues that people deal with at the kitchen table with their families... are the ones that I think Parliament should be debating right now,"

This morning we discussed the choice of cereal and the strength of the coffee. What issues are you discussing at your kitchen table?

Canadian Election

The announcement today that there will be a federal election on October 14th was anti-climactic. We all knew this already, right? Being a bit of a political junkie, I thought I would incorporate a few tidbits now and again regarding the election. Today's gem is a quote from Stephane Dion, the leader of the Liberal Party.

"I love it," he said. "I love being the underdog. I love being underestimated, but don't say so, because then I will stop being underestimated."

And he is a former University Professor?

Curiosity

It can sometimes overwhelm you and compel you to do something you could be sorry for later. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but on this overcast warm day, 'the curious one' survived her mighty urge to snoop. What would be on the other side of this old window pane? Would it just be a pile of junk? Would it be a well kept little apartment? Would someone be staring right back at her as she inched her face to the window? Would a bat or an owl fly out at her and teach her a lesson once and for all? Would an alarm sound, warning the nearby owners that an intruder was at hand? I suppose that is why the urge is so powerful in some. You just do not know what you are going to get. How exciting! Tomorrow we will see what 'the curious one' saw. Can you wait?

Posted Monday Sept 8 2008

The Window

An important part of our routine in this vacationland is our daily walk. There are only two directions, like the wind, north or south. We are limited on our northbound walks by the international border, but there are some interesting side roads that we like to re-discover every year. There is always something to photograph and this old weathered storage barn had never really caught my eye before. I find that when I travel with camera in hand, I see different things and see things differently. An old building becomes a new photo for my collection of barn pictures. Maybe in years past, the boards had not yet weathered to the point of being photo worthy. The window is inviting 'the curious one' to peer through its broken panes, as we will discover in the next post.

Posted Sunday Sept. 7 2008