Maritime Gothic

Shocking murder in Saint John NB last week was worthy of a movie script.

Ron Paul's Election Campaign

Go Ron!

Ron Paul's "*Questment" of Fed Chair Bernanke - July 13, 2011

Economists wrestling.
Ron Paul:

•  Unemployed 40 weeks. New CPI - under old method 9%/yr last 3 yrs.
• For Spending $5.1Tr hasn't done much as it bailed out big banks.
• $17,000 gift to everyone may have been better for consumer?

Ben Bernake

• Fed never spent anything - in fact they are "profit center"??
• Avoid Financial Panic.

Ron Paul

• But you created money out of thin air.
• Priceless at 5:00 "Is gold money?"

[* Questment is the often used method of political inquiry. It is a long Statement preceding a "gotcha" type question. (Or at least an attempt at a "gotcha" type question.  Often it is part of a "cross-examination" setup where a "sound-bite" trap is being laid.  This is the reason for having carefully constructed stock reply's so that free-lance errors are not made.)]

Chope

www.usdebtclock.org

The impending debt default rhetoric is spiraling out of control as both Obama and Boehner went on the air to put their positions forward last night.  Unfortunately, both seem anemic as they only involve a couple of billion in savings spread over 5-10 years when the mounting deficits are $1.5Tn.

In truth, many believe (myself included) that the event will not happen - either because Aug 2 is an imprecise date, the Treasury department has a number of practicable options to shuffle cash-flows so that a default will not occur and some kind of compromise will be reached.

However, the unfortunate outcome is that American credibility is being tested due to all the hyperbole, and IMHO Obama is behaving the worst.   Cracks between traditional Republican's and newer, hard-core "fiscal conservatives"  Tea Party representatives are also likely to grow wider.



[A market related consequence of this is that gold is rallying due to the possibility of financial crisis and currency collapse (or at least severe disruption and weakness).  This firm sponsored a very interesting Conference on Gold earlier this year.  Here is text of comments by anarchist libertarian, Dominic Frisby.   On another cautionary note, Frisby included this old book that documents the monetary collapse of the French franc after the French Revolution.]

Time to leave the United Nations?

Encouraging that some people are thinking this way.  Larry Greenfield of the American Freedom Alliance explains to PJTV how the UN is a disaster and that an American Senator will suggest no longer funding the group.  I believe that Canada should do the same.   And unless I am mistaken, we have been instrumental in setting up an alternative international group called "Association of Democratic Countries" that would be an ideal start.

Here were some of his points.

• Does the UN even serve it's own mission and mandate?
• Does it serve US interests - or even those of America's allies?
• Founded on cusp of WWII but supposed to be united.
• To get in you had to have declared war on the German Fascists or Imperialist Japanese.
• It wasn't meant to be a collection of 192 countries - including the most repressive regimes in the world.
• It wasn't meant to fail to prevent war's, genocides, nuclear proliferation, famines etc.
• Hostile to US 1st Amendment with Blasphemy Laws, Hate Speech Codes (critical of Jihad).
• Against the US 2nd Amendment - global gun registry/grab
• They ignore calls to reform (Iran Oil for Food) - and get worse.
• (Some) UN Peace Keepers brutalize kids- offer candy for sexual favours.
• Create an alternative or stop paying for it.
• Congresswomen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R, FL will be tabling a  motion on stopping UN funding.
• Some people have a romantic notion that it is great to have a meeting place for everyone in the world - but most of them are our enemies so why do we fund them?
• There has been regime change all over the world - except at the UN, why?
• Not arguing against International Affairs, just against the corrupt UN bureaucrats. 
• Start new conversations like G20, soon to be G21 etc.
• Actually takes away from other more important interests - US/Mexican Boarder, Int'l Taxation competitiveness etc.
• Limited Government has been argument for UN but it doesn't work.
• Re-access NATO too.
• Cheap Hawk.  One F-35 Fighter Jet ($250 million+) pays for alot of conventional troops.
• 1st we send in the Navy

Cheating Education

This issue (Teachers juicing their kids SAT scores by cheating) has become top-page news, and here is a teacher from California who backs it up.

Impact of US fiscal confusion

NASA means Not A Space Agency, now that it is charged with crazy objectives including supporting Climate Change.



And here is FAA impact.





And here is another perspective.

Obama re-purposes Jimmy Carter 1979 Malaise Speech

This is scary, and not only because it is a nearly 99% plagarized.   Sun News Media is interviewing a former journalist who recalls the speech and described how it was directly related to Carters defeat to Reagan the following year. (Let's hope).



(h/t Laura Ingram)

Mormonism

The National Post has has a couple of interesting articles about Mormonism, their history and recent concerns due to the coming selection of a Republican Presidential contender next year.  I was intrigued to find one of the locations the Mormons moved to before their trek to Utah under Brigham Young was Nauvoo IL.

Here is Republican hopeful Herman CAIN speaking about Romney's chances.

Secret Bookstore

There's No Place Like Here: Brazenhead Books from Etsy on Vimeo.


Great idea.

Tim Ball - Climate Skeptic

Tim Ball seems like a sensible guy to me.  This is part of Michael Coren Show from Feb 2, 2010.

Safety Nazi's

Canadian Olympian Silken Laumann discusses kids fitness.
She has written a book about Child's play and fitness.
I did not know she was married to owner of Goodlife Fitness.

Crushed by Family Law, Byron James Chayeski takes his life

Terrible story.  This fellow contacted ECMAS last week to seek some help in his desperate situation.  He spoke to Ferrel briefly.  Another person who refereed him said he was in bad shape.

Byron James Chayeski was 38 and basically reduced to living in his truck. He was found in it dead on Mon July 11 about 16k South of Canora SK - supposedly en route on return to Yorkton.

Here is email to Ferrel:

Good day Farrell,
I spoke with you on the telephone this morning regarding the M.E.R.G.E. organization. I am very interested in joining this organization, I have been a Paramedic for 16 years and have dedicated my 
life to helping people. Now when I need assistance in FAIR treatment in the courts and with access to parenting time with my daughter, I appear 
to have no help what so ever. 

I have spent over $27,000.00 thus far, I have a parenting plan inplace in which it followed my rotation at work 
which was 6 days on and 5 days off, now my rotation has changed and we now work a 4 day on and 4 day off rotation. My ex is not willing to  change the parenting plan, and now is no longer even following the 6 and 
5 court order.

I went to the R.C.M.P. for assistance, they advised me there was nothing they could do because it doesnt say in the order that  it is enforceable by them. I have been forced into bankruptcy, I have lost my home, my vehicle, she obtained and order in which I am required  to pay her vehicle payment as well as child support ( which I do not 
have a problem paying) and spousal support. 

It was her decision to end the relationship and marriage, I asked her to reconcile, I advised her I 
would do absolutely anything to "get my family back", she declined. I am not abusive and have an affidavit from my first ex stating this fact, I do not drink, I do not gamble, I didn't smoke until all this started.....I don't get it! I just want to parent my daughter and spend the time with her.

The only reason she is still living in Canora is because I have a court order stating my daughter MUST have a residence here, otherwise I would NEVER be allowed to see her! Can you PLEASE help me? I just want to spend the time with my daughter, she is the light in my life. 

If it was not through the kindness of friends here, I would be living on the street and have no vehicle. I have moved in with a friend, I pay her as much as I can a month for rent......which is usually not much, I have borrowed a vehicle from a friend so I can get back and forth to and from work ( a 1989 dodge half ton and meanwhile my ex 
drives a 2008 Pontiac Torrent that I am forced to pay for). 

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible, before I am forced to live on the streets and lose my job. 

Thank You.
Byron Chayeski.

We must fight this injustice.

Link1
Link2

Does Facebook hear the footsteps?

Great article.   And of course Google + is also in Beta launch.

Education the next bubble

Some shocking stories about crippling financial burdens.

Special Mapping

Sometimes "I interrupt regularly scheduled (political/economic) programming" to crow about some remarkable software application or service I have found. This is one of those cases.

Google Maps/Earth are remarkable services/products that are mostly free. Indeed I find it immensely fascination how they can be used - and am always interested in learning how I might do that.

Last winter I came across a simple online-tool that would convert SHP data-files  into KML data-sets which can be simply imported into Google Maps/Earth to richly identify a geographic feature (ie designate/ highlight an area/altitude/characteristic/data/marker etc).  I used it to convert the NEW Alberta Provincial Boundary's into something immediately useful. (see image)  I thought I had discovered something useful but no one said a word!  i was frustrated that I couldn't get the comparable data for the old CA Boundary's - but then someone sent me that data last week.  So, if/when I have time I may attempt to integrate with the new ones and determine a way to "map" members.

Anyways, due to this interest I keep track of things. And so then by accident I tripped over this fellow's blog (who is from Victoria BC of all places) who seems to have a flourishing geodata software/programming business, among other things.  I particularly admire his work with JEQL - and how it can be used so easily in processing CSV data.

These 2 blogs of note:  Here and here.

Why Capitalism is the best opportunity for us all.

Julia Gillard + First Bloke

Tarek Fatah - liberal Muslim leader in Canada

Ezra again has a fascinating interview with liberal Muslim and public intellectual, Tarek Fatah - recent author of "The Jew is not my Enemy".  Mr. Fatah describes his childhood in Pakistan, his first political actions that made him move to Saudi Arabia, and subsequent decision to move to Canada in 1987.   After 9/11 he and others formed The Canadian Islamic Congress as a non-mosque aligned representative group for Muslims.

Clearly Mr. Fatah does not agree with Ezra's most recent guest Geert Wilders who asserts that Islam is not a true religion - but an ideology, and a very dangerous one at that to our western democratic values.

One of the most interesting stories was about "death-threats" he was receiving while in hospital - a Toronto Police officer from the Intelligence Division basically "buried the problem"!

His book has received a number of positive reviews.  

The Manchurian Candidate

Ezra explains how Obama is making NASA a guidance counselor to Muslim countries.

Independence Day 2011

Interesting article about Canadian and American History.

Substitute CBC for BBC

Edmonton Social Housing to "Artists"

Sun Media did interview with Catherine Marshall about Mayor Mandel's plan to give social housing to "starving artists".