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Tuesday
June 24, 2008
Freshly
Broken News: Sky News Video:
Panic occurs as shot rings out at Israel airport.
Sarkozy and trophy bride whisked onto plane, Olmert whisked
to his
armored car. Relief all round as it becomes apparent that it
was only
a police officer committing suicide.
They're rioting
in Africa
What nature doesn't do to us, will be done
by our fellow man
The Kingston Trio - (1960's)
1) Zimbabwe, the western way or no way ... 2) Iraq all about oil - no
really? ... 3) Worker shortages - real or imagined ... 4)
Other Stuff: George Carlin RIP, Couillard's book, British provocateurism, Suzuki's logical disconnect
1) Zimbabwe, the
western way or no way
If you'd like to get a
bit of historical perspective on the situation
in Zimbabwe, this might help.
Mugabe: Dictator of the Month: August, 2004
Excerpt:
Elections
were held for a new national parliament as Zimbabwe Rhodesia, which was
won by the only black party that had renounced violence and was allowed
to contest - the UANC, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa and Canaan Banana.
Sanctions, however, were not lifted, because Britain and the USA said
there was not proper representation in the elections - meaning Nkomo
and Mugabe. Britain called all parties to Lancaster House in September
1979, which were attended by Smith, Mugabe, Nkomo, Chenjerai Hunzvi,
and others, where Muzorewa was persuaded to accept new elections, which
were held late February, 1980.
After
a campaign marked by intimidation from all sides, mistrust from
security forces and reports of full ballot boxes found on the road, the
Shona majority was decisive in electing Mugabe to head the first
government as prime minister on March 4, 1980. ZANU won 57 out of 80
contested seats in the new parliament, with 20 other seats reserved for
Whites.
Scratch
a
dictatorship and/or troublespot almost anywhere in the world, and the
specter of white colonialism and US and/or British "intervention" will
magically appear.
And they're still at it in Zimbabwe. I could be wrong, but it
seems that when Mugabe actually tried to put into practice what the
West promised would happen under his rule (i.e. get the people out from
under white domination), he ran into trouble with western investors.
UN declares fair Zimbabwe vote 'impossible' (Canwest)
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai took refuge Monday in Zimbabwe's Dutch embassy as the United
States and Britain pushed for him to be recognized as the country's
leader in the absence of a fair presidential run-off election.
Trying to stop an election is
"fair"? Appointing a president is "fair"?
======================
2)
Iraq all about oil - no really?
Canadian newspaper catches up with reality (Thanks to Ron
for the link):
These wars are about oil, not democracy (Torsun)
Four major western oil companies,
Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP and Total are about to sign U.S.-brokered no-bid
contracts to begin exploiting Iraq's oil fields. Saddam Hussein had
kicked these firms out three decades ago when he nationalized Iraq's
oil industry. The U.S.-installed Baghdad regime is welcoming them back.
Wow. Awesome, eh?
Another media outlet quoting anti-war signs from 2003 (back
when they said we were just a bunch of "conspiracy nuts".
Better late than never doesn't cut it if the media is only
going to report stuff when it's too late to make a difference.
=======================
3)
Worker shortages - real or imagined?
Take a look at this headline:
Worker shortage worries Western companies
Almost half of employers concerned about
losing staff to other countries
Then read the article and find out that 81%
of employers overall are not worried, and that
almost 60% of western employers, where they say the worry is greatest,
are not worried.
This is how media helps government and corporate exploiters condition
the minds of the voters. They count on people not getting
past the headlines.
Creating a general impression of shortage of workers allows
corporations to not only create sweatshops abroad, but to also import
desperate and dirt cheap temporary workers from Mexico as slave labour
on Canadian factory farms.
Harvest of Injustice: The Oppression of
Migrant Workers on Canadian Farms (Bullet)
How to import dirt cheap labour into Canada and the US by creating a
labour shortage here and a job shortage there.
Excerpt:
Workers
get little information on what to expect in Canada. Once here, they
start at or near minimum wage, exposed to long shifts of hard labour
(up to 12-16 hour days in peak season). They receive no overtime pay,
no paid holidays, sometimes no weekends, and no vacation pay. They are
also subjected to unfair paycheck deductions for social benefits such
as Unemployment Insurance and Canadian Pension Plan that they can never
receive because of their “temporary” status.
Sure
makes me feel good about the produce I'm eating.
=======================
Other
stuff:
George Carlin, dead
at 71
Carlin put bite into the staid world of
standup comedy
To tell you the truth, I liked George Carlin best when he wasn't so
crude. The most memorable monologue that stands out in my mind was when
he talked about violent and peaceful sports - baseball came off best
because nobody gets attacked - "you just hit a little ball
and run home".
He was hilarious when he talked about dial phones. When you dial a
number do you remove your finger or give it "the free ride
back?
And when he compared "jumbo shrimp" to "military intelligence"
- both contradictions in terms.
He also made an oblique reference to the lunacy of the 9-11 myth when
he talked about those invasive searches and confiscations at airports
to make sure you're not carrying anything that could be used as a
weapon. Then: "What do they do, they give you a knife and a
fork, and all the wine you can drink, man."
========
Couillard autobiography to be published this
fall (Dose)
The announcement that Ms. Couillard is
writing a
book comes only a few days after she refused to testify before a
parliamentary committee looking at the national security implications
of the affair that forced Mr. Bernier to resign.
Now we know why she won't testify - it
would be what they call in the media world a "spoiler".
===========
Was 'friend' who yelled abuse at police on
anti-war demo a stooge or a thug, asks writer (DailyMail)
(Thanks
to
Brian H.)
The man in the T-shirt was tall, well-built
and handsome, smiling but
with a hint of menace. He pushed aside children and elderly people. He
continued to shout slogans such as: 'Pigs Out.'
It's a rhetorical question.
=========
Richest Canadians have largest ecological
footprint: study (CBC)
The study said that Canada as a country
produces a considerable ecological footprint at 7.6 hectares per capita
— behind only the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Not to worry, David Suzuki is fixing all
that with TV ads that encourage the average joe/josephine to buy
expensive lightbulbs and then turn them off, and to dry their clothes
by hanging them on hydro poles. I wonder if anybody is
following him around to check his consumption. He must be
pretty rich by now.
Suzuki's motto: "You've got the power" is a logical disconnect because
he's telling you to turn it off! It's the rich who have all
the power - both kinds.
It's only a joke that Prince Charles is going to run his fancy cars on used cooking
oil. I wonder what it costs to heat a slew of
drafty old castles, divine entitlement aside.
yayacanada
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