Election Dust Settles

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Ok, it is now almost 10 days after the Canadian election and I haven’t yet commented. No, I haven’t been licking my wounds because the boy Harper got back in and with more seats. Life just has been a bit rushed lately. It will be a bit rushed for the next two to three weeks as Remembrance Day approaches. Damn offline life intruding into my blogging time! -- read more

Busy Time Approaching

Posted on: Ides of May
Hard to believe that October is almost over. Sometimes the months just fly by. As October ends, my thoughts and attention shifts to several areas. The first and most important is Remembrance Day. In Canada and many countries throughout the world we pause on November 11th to remember those who came before us, their service and their sacrifice to keep us free during the last century and now Afghanistan. -- read more

VOTE! Vote! vote

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Okay Canada, we’ve had 30+ days of politicians begging, lying, cajoling trying to get our support. Today is the day. We might not like any of those running to run our country but the fact is, they are all we have at this time and ONE of them has to be elected. Pick the one you dislike the least and mark your ballot but for god’s sake, VOTE. -- read more

Vote Day Tomorrow

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
A quiet Thanksgiving weekend is winding down as I write this. Quiet for me, but for politicians in Canada the weekend has been a mad sprint to the finish line. The campaign ends today and tomorrow Canada votes. If the polls are right, Harper will be held to another minority. With a bit of luck, a smaller minority than the last one. -- read more

A Time of Thanksgiving

Posted on: Ides of May
It’s Friday of the long weekend which marks the Canadian Thanksgiving, a traditional time to celebrate the end of harvest. A transition of sorts towards the long cold winter that is to come. Somehow it seems so right that the transition is marked in nature by the changing of the trees, to a blaze of fall colours just before they fall off their trees which are preparing for their winter rest.

I’d like to be preparing for my winter rest, I’m not a winter lover. I do have to admit to admiring the cleansing effect of fresh fallen snow on the landscape. As long as I don’t have to drive in it. I’m fortunate in that I do have the freedom to be able to draw the line in the snow and refuse to drive when snow or sleet is falling. The only time I really get caught in it is if I’m away from home when it gets underway. -- read more

Harper’s Election to Lose

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
You know, two weeks ago, I would have been willing to bet that Harper was going to manage to hoodwink the Canadian people enough to win the majority he has lusted after and that Dion would do well to elect a handful of MPs. How quickly things can change.

Here we are two weeks later, two debates and world markets in a tailspin, it looks like Harper will not get his majority and if the current trend continues, he may even end up where he belongs — in the Official Opposition. The last part is a bit of a longshot but then so was Harper being held to a minority two weeks ago.-- read more

One Week Left in Election Campaign

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Today is the last day of the advanced polls in our election and then next Tuesday is vote day. I’ve not been posting much on the election but have been watching very closely. I tuned into and listened closely to the English language debate last Thursday. I was glad that I did, as it is likely one of the very few times that Harper has been forced out of his ‘bubble’ in this election and it was long overdue.

Until now, Harper has managed to appear only at well staged events with only pre-registered attendees. When the press started to blow the whistle on the fact that Harper was keeping a bubble around him, and avoiding any unexpected outbursts by the electorate who have the right to answers from him, his campaign claimed that it was necessary due to security issues. Yeah right. -- read more

Busy week ends -- ouch!!

Posted on: Ides of May
I’m really glad that I stole last Sunday for a day for myself, this last week has been a pretty busy one. A good part of the non-work part of the week was getting ready for a roast beef dinner at the Legion on Friday night. What a meal that was, we served 142 people in just less than an hour and then had to cut the sales off as we had almost run out of meat. We were tired but really pleased. Attendance at these meals is always a guessing game.

Yesterday wasn’t such a good day for me. My stomach decided it was as good a time as any to go into spasms. I had to bail from the preparations and serving of our monthly brunch and retreat to my bed. It’s still hurting today but at least I can sit up and get some writing done.-- read more

I’m Stealing Today

Posted on: Ides of May
Yes, I wrote that correctly, I’m stealing today for myself. Since the first of the month it seems I spend more time doing things for other people than for myself. So, today is for ME!

I’m actually supposed to be elsewhere but I decided that where I was supposed to be is not the end of the world if I don’t show up. So, I’m home, doing some reading and some writing that I’ve been wanting to get done for ages. -- read more

Harper Needs to Go

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Well, we’re two weeks into an election campaign here in Canada and so far I’ve not commented. I have some concerns about Dion as a potential Prime Minister, but I have ZERO doubts about the fact that Harper needs to go. As much as I don’t like Layton and his politics, I could live with him as the Official Opposition and Harper reduced to ‘also ran’ but that isn’t going to happen. At this point, it appears that we’ll do good if Harper manages to be kept to a minority government.

Ironically enough, some of my doubts about Dion have been quelled by Harper. See, first and foremost, Harper is a bully. Bullies often instinctively see value in their opponent that they want to flatten, quickly. -- read more

On Turning 50 Years Young

Posted on: Ides of May
Okay, so today I turn 50 years young, or old. At 50 it is midway into the century so who really cares if it is old or young? Now, that sounds presumptious, that I might live to 100. It’s not impossible actually, my grandparents for the most part lived long lives, my paternal grandmother to 101, my paternal grandfather 96, maternal grandmother 99 and grandfather 88. My parents didn’t fare quite as well, mother died at 74 from breast cancer and dad at 84 also from cancer. So, my odds might be a tad shorter with that.

One legacy my parents left me is that we don’t need to dwell on the various stages of life. They are going to happen, there is not a lot of sense in trying to put them off or fight them, just accept them as the normal cycle of life. I’ve known friends who almost obsess over them, some people become almost immobilized, that just doesn’t make sense. I don’t have to either like them or welcome them, I just have to accept that life change is inevitable. -- read more

Harper Determined to Have Election

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Well, the boy Harper seems to be determined to have an election this fall. The writ could be dropped as early as Friday, according to (of course) unnamed source. Both Duceppe and Layton have had the meeting that Harper requested, supposedly in a last ditch attempt to arrive at some consensus about the fall session of Parliament and to end the ‘dysfunction crisis’ that Harper has manufactured. -- read more

End of Hiatus - Happy Labour Day

Posted on: It's All About Money
As you may have noticed, posting on It’s All About Money has been rather sporadic the last few months. That is about to change, but not today. Today is a holiday in Canada and the US - Labour Day. Today is also my birthday, how appropriate for 50 years ago today, my mother was in labour. I know, not the kind being celebrated today. -- read more

Obama Effect

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
I generally give only a cursory look at American politics. Other than general knowledge of who is who and what the Americans are up to, they are not exactly a centre of influence for me. Having said that, I have to admit to having picked up some curiousity in their current election, particularly about Obama.

I’m just barely old enough to have started to have become aware of current events about the time of the race riots in the 60s, the assassination of President Kennedy and of course the Vietnam war. One of the first books about social justice I read was "Black Like Me". It was a white author who had black pigment put onto his skin in order to explore what it was like to live as a Negro (they used that word then). -- read more

Will the Diefenbreaker Really Exist?

Posted on: Out of the Shadows
Hot on the heels of the cancellation of the procurement process for two naval supply ships and 12 mid-size Coast Guard ships being cancelled last week, Harper has announced that a new Coast Guard icebreaker to be named the John G Diefenbaker will replace the Louis St. Laurent by 2017. Believe it only when I see it actually launch. Other than some ground equipment that was badly needed by our troops in combat in Afghanistan, what exactly has the Harper government delivered on? -- read more