Friday, September 18, 2015

Last Night's Debate

I tuned in to last night's leaders' debate on the economy with little enthusiasm and low expectations; the exclusion of Elizabeth May suggested that there would be little fire and more of the same rhetoric I have come to expect in this campaign. While I wasn't entirely wrong, there were one or two surprises.

First, in the "no surprise' category, Stephen Harper continued with his references to the turbulence of world economies and his "stay the course" message - reassuring to his base, no doubt, but singularly uninspiring to the rest of us. When asked by moderator David Walmsley what new ideas he had since the economy has flatlined and things are bad for people, Harper answered by entirely rejecting the premise of the question. I guess when you are the Emperor, questions that displease are dismissed.

Thomas Mulcair performed as a prime-minister-in-waiting, repeating his promises for day-care spaces and modest increases in corporate taxation. Although by the luck of the draw he occupied the centre, with Trudeau on the left of the screen and Harper on the right, he seemed to have been aptly placed. He was evasive when asked about the costs of his carbon plan, but, in my view, made no mistakes. Harper light might be an appropriate label to affix to his lapel.

Justin Trudeau was the one who surprised me. Passionate when the others were calm, I got the impression that he was presenting the human side of politics, where the fate of the country matters more than for reasons of wanting power. As he pointed out, the record low rates at which the federal government can borrow money makes it the perfect time to invest in our woefully neglected infrastructure, a time when we can aspire to more than what the soulless Harper vision offers. He seemed to have some fire in his belly, whereas the other two appeared to have ingested mega doses of Maalox.

Here are a few highlights from Mr. Trudeau's performance:

The part I recall most vividly was when Trudeau talked through the camera to Canadians, asserting that he was being straight with them in proposing the measures he was outlining. With his earnest demeanour, he carried it off, in my view, quite successfully.

For more in-depth analysis and some fact-checking, here are the CBC's Susan Ormiston and Adrienne Arsenault: And finally, the At Issue panel weighs in:

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Rick Mercer On The Youth Vote

Rick says it would be 'a seismic shift" if young people turned out in force to vote. Let's hope they heed his words.

Tee Hee

I trust this needs no explanation:



Unfortunately, however, there seem to be a lot of Charlie Browns out there.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Fire And Rain

I've seen fire, and I've seen rain, sang James Taylor in his eponymous song.

Now the rest of us have too.



Memories Are Made Of This

Almost like a blooper reel, these reminders of some of King Stephen's 'finer' moments will, one hopes, serve a useful purpose. Enjoy.

24/Stephen: "Proud Conservative Moments"

Proud Conservative moments

Posted by Press Progress on Tuesday, September 15, 2015
H/t Press Progress

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Heroes And Villains

The heroes, of course, are the ones who risk their lives fighting these conflagrations; the villains, the rest of us, for our unwillingness to force real measures to combat the climate change:

The Heart Of Harper

Many thanks to MBarrett, who sent me this. If you can't see the graphic too clearly owing to my inexpertise in manipulating screenshots, you can see the original here.




Description:
This lithocardium was salvaged several years ago from a dumpster behind the Ottawa General Hospital following Prime Minister Stephen J Harpers transplant upgrade to a flintier organ of greater Mohs hardness number.
This specimen is still functional and may be used for a clean implant or to replace the existing organ of any austerity minded politician, neo conservative, banker, tax auditor, or parking enforcement officer. It has been tested and is guaranteed to be inert and unresponsive.

Implantation
Anesthesia is clearly unnecessary for the above mentioned candidates and their high viscosity oleohemodynamics make auto-implantability a breeze.

Specifications:
Material: Athabaska cretaceous with fossil inclusions
Color: black
Composition: iron 70%, grits 0%, tar 33%, cynicism 25%, sarcasm 18%
Operating temperature: cold
Melting point: 25% Ipsos Reid Nanos
Modulus of rupture: 50 kRefugee / riding
Abrasion resistant with flaking

AdverseReactions:
Organ may reject recipient. Drugs are advised. Seek the advice of a qualified lithocardiologist.

All proceeds donated to the Canadian Council for Refugees http://ccrweb.ca/en

Disclaimer / Clarification: Some viewers have mistakenly believed the above item to be the normal human heart of Stephen J Harper and asked eBay to remove the item on the grounds of my engaging in human organ trafficking. I apologize for the confusion. As noted under the description, the item for sale is NOT a real, normal human organ and contains 0% human or other biological tissue, empathy, spirit or soul. It is entirely composed of rock stone gravel and other inert material.">here.