Panglossian Notes

Les Québécois make the best attack ads? Yes! & and why is David Frum on the CBC? I don't know!

This clip is old now, I know, but as I try to stomach the CBC inflicting Barbara Frum's wayward son David on us anglehones this morning, and out of D.C. no less, I definitely needed something to balance the bad sounds in my ears from this discredited neo-con spokesman.

 

Listening to Frum, struggling to be neutral but spreading no matter what, I think, subliminal GOP/neo-con bullshit in his old home, makes me want to finally agree to getting rid of the CBC - Radio-Canada can stay.

With really interesting English language radio available via pod-casting (I now, almost exclusively, listen to ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), BBC and RTÉ) or WIFI radio, and the CBC shooting itself in the head as it moves to its new scatter brain format, who needs them as a manure spreader.

There are more efficient ways to get weird bankrupt deconstructed crap out to the masses than listening to Frum limp through his 12 step "I was wrong on everything for the last XX years", rehabilitation program.

Technorati Tags: Bullshit, Shmucks

The day after November the 4th - (me rambling a bit)

It's now just xx days to the great day in the states.

There are, of course there always are, a number of things to think about for the day after. Some depend on who may be the "lucky one" and some don't.

On the don't side what will the so-called MSM, corporate media, 24 hour news shows do? The cream will have been consumed from this large puff event so-to-speak as of the 5th - bs analysis will be carried out by the usual crap artists but this won't keep us drones amused for long, so what next? Well since these entities are, as the second of the latter 3 terms acknowledges in the first sentence of this paragraph indicates, corporate in nature, I suspect right now they will have or are developing a plan as to what new bs will be slopped out to the unwashed boobies as news masqueraded in an entertaining sort of way.

Not knowing much about this side of modern bs I can, however, assume that maybe not much planning is involved. It could be just the application of a formula from a particular branded corporate cookbook with who may win or lose, immaterial to any actual content per item. So I don't suspect much will change in this area of modern reality except, depending on who does win, The Daily Show may have seen its best days.

On the does side there could be some, at least imagined drama. If McCain wins Obama will be graceful and statesman like, it seems to be part of his character. He is young enough to move on to something else and shooting for the POTUS in the future I would think wouldn't be in any of his plans. He'll do well , actually very well, and likely end up a happy man, a successful man, no matter what he does. Biden will be OK also, his pattern was set before his chance at the VPOTUS and no bridges burned either, nor when you think about it with Obama have any bridges been destroyed. All bridges still standing for the democratic candidates for the POTUS and VPOTUS, both men still with their images in place, nothing to be sorry for or ashamed. Maybe not the modern American way to finish, if this is the outcome, a competition but not bad from the perspective of the world minus the USA, I think.

So, I'm thinking, any real drama would be on the Republican side.

John McCain, who seems to have problems hiding his distant for a young black whipper snapper, would fake grace, in front of a howling mob maybe, as he conceded. Palin would wink lots and drop more "g's" off any appropriate "ing" words to stay in character and keep alive her potential for a career at Fox as a down home "talking head", eh. But, poor McCain, if he loses, is the hero in the classic Greek tragedy. Not a role any Greek or McCain envisions: a downfall because internal issues with ambition and fundamental lack of character can't be resolved. For me watching McCain whether he wins or loses is becoming very painful. Hey Johnny boy money really doesn't buy everything. Christ did I just type that - YES, idiot, you did.

Though I sort of mock Palin, she seems to me the usual Northern politician, least the variety I know, and I really don't expect any Southerner to understand any of them as they don't really fit into a modern Southern mould. I'd concluded she was the type of Northern politician I'm familiar with after reading Philip Gourevitch's New Yorker September piece. I will never meet her in person or watch her in a meeting to know for sure so I've settled for Gourevitch's piece to draw my conclusion.

However, she has become a phony, to me, because of her aping of the so-called ordinary person - now a standard of her stand-up shtick - in her appearances before GOP mobs. Her awful impersonations just show raw ambition getting the best of any of her sensible Northern instincts by adopting crap from Southern spin-misters. It makes her look silly from the point of view of someone above 60 looking directly South or South East and you can only conclude she is an idiot because she has allowed herself to be the fool. I don't think I'd like her personally because of some of her extreme private views but I could make cause with her trying to maximize Northern funding from the South.

Gourevitch, I think, finds the right tone for describing her now:

"The control of Palin by the McCain campaign was one of many ways in which it transformed her into someone largely unrecognizable to people who knew her in Alaska, where she hadn’t shown a great interest in national economic issues other than energy policy, or in international affairs, and where she was viewed as more often seeking the attention of the press than avoiding it.

The State of Sarah Palin
Philip Gourevitch
The New Yorker
September 22, 2008

But Fox could and will likely use her if McCain is truly the tragic Greek hero he, I hope, seems to be. And then she can leave the North, though for appearances she'll, I'll betcha, keep a residence up here there to help maintain some authenticity, fake or not, eh.

Technorati Tags: Politicians, Spin, Utopia, writing

Mr. Fish sums up SNL's cutsie toadiness.

Technorati Tags: art

Joe who? Oh the plumber.

Always nice to put a face on a new celebrity:

Thanks to Brad DeLong.

Technorati Tags: puppy

The stupidest country in the world or just Canada the day after a general election?

I've concluded I either live in the dumbness country in the world, judged by its "leader's" ability to spin bullshit accepted by so-called citizens or the CBC headline writer has my type of sense of humour.

I hope it's the latter and everyone is pissing themselves to death laughing down at the CBC news room at the thought of a minority government providing any kind of mandate to move forward. Forward to where, incidentally?

Technorati Tags: Assholes, Bullshit, Stupid Canadian tricks, The Harper, The Mission, The Plan, Utopia

Our useless Canadian election!

So did Harper breaking his own election law, because he said that the 39th Parliament was just too too unworkable accomplish anything.

NO!

But, of course, he now says that his new minority is actually a majority. I guess we've heard that bullshit before. It seems like most anyone who leans right can't stand reality and have an aversion for facts. It also seems that Canadians may have stayed away from the polls in larger numbers that ever before which is not a good sign for the so-called democratic way.

Now what?

It doesn't look like Harper was able to get any new elected candidates with better skills than the last sorry crew of flounders, so his pick of a Cabinet will still be hampered by an appalling lack of skills.

"The Conservatives are likely to form the next government, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been able to attract very few candidates of striking calibre. He certainly could use a few of them, given the rather ordinary quality of the current cabinet.

Jeffrey Simpson
Globe & Mail
October 1, 2008

Harper and the last group of conservatives, almost the same group to go back for the 40th Parliament, made the House unworkable with their committee blocking tactics, copied from the US GOP, but I suspect no one can call another election for a long time now. So how do you govern and who may have the worse current problems?

Just a few questions the answers to which I hope will start to reveal themselves over the coming days:

When will the Harper gag order be lifted from conservative MPs?

Will every two-bit conservative government Bill, brought before the House, be a "confidence" vote?

How long will it take to call the new Parliament?
Can we expect it before November the 4th?
Can we expect it in my life time?

When will Harper drop the Andy Williams impersonation and return to his real bitter nasty self?

When will Harper and his conservatives start to blame the previous Chrétien or Martin liberal governments for anything that comes their way?

As a side note, my friend, Leona Aglukkaq, won the seat in Nunavut for the conservatives. Good for Leona, maybe I'll get to see her more often than I have over the last few years but then again maybe not either. I console myself that Leona won for the conservatives knowing Nunavut politics is really non-partisan in nature. Funny thing though, Leona and Larry Bagnell, the liberal party winner and incumbent from the Yukon are quite good friends. Ah, the North, eh.

Technorati Tags: Canada, Confusing?, Duh we like hockey, Fun & Games, Harper Party government of Canada, Harper Republican Party of Canada?, Hot Air, Jackasses, I hope not, Politicians, Sarcasm

Restoring the good name of Brown & hating circles.

The Brown thing

So, Gordon Brown seems to be emerging as the real hero in the credit market fiasco.

Heavens an actual leader? The new Noble Laureate, funny to be typing that, asked yesterday:

"Has Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, saved the world financial system?

Gordon Does Good
Paul Krugman
New York Times
October 12, 2008

Now  it remains to be seen whether Brown's actions during this bloody mess will translate into voter support for his Labour Party. But, even if it doesn't, he has surpassed the beau Blair, I suspect - fingers crossed and knocking on wood, in terms of a place in history and handling a real crisis. He, of course, would have been supported by a competent crowd of officials both political and of the permanent variety, so kudos to them also.

Blair is, thankfully, off somewhere on a hill having a Christ sighting or counting angels dancing on the heads of Yalies.

As an externality, maybe, to the political decision of pointing and demonstrating the sensible way of helping thaw out credit markets, Gordon may have also gone some way to restoring the good Scottish name of Brown after it was so thoroughly besmirched by "Brownie" of Arabian horse and Katrina fame.

The circle thing

Comes, as a result of me trying to understand the transactions, in simple terms, of Canada's own domestic contribution to providing our Banks with more liquidity.

This past Friday before he jetted off to D.C. to the G-7 non-event, Flaherty, Canada's Minister of Finance and (I can't resist) a "tiny perfect person":

"announced the Government [of Canada] will take steps to maintain the availability of longer-term credit in Canada by purchasing up to $25 billion in insured mortgage pools through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This action will help Canadian financial institutions raise longer-term funds and make them available to consumers, homebuyers and businesses in Canada.

Government of Canada
Responds to Global Financial Turmoil
With Support for Canadian Credit Markets
October 10, 2008
Department of Finance

The Finance press release was followed by:

a backgrounder,

a few PowerPoint slides (ppt format) indicating how clever we Canadian drones have been by paying down our mortgages (thankfully this slide didn't try to link this behavior to Harper dropping the GST by 2 percentage points) and our Banks have been by staying well capitalized, and

a graphic showing the "circle of .... " (pdf format). Who knows what?

It is likely just me but these graphic explanations in the form of circles just cloud over my mind. I look at them and come away understanding less about what I thought was going to happen and a little woozy. I like t-accounts so I can see what the world looks like once the issuing and shuffling back and forth has finished up with for a period.

So here's my simple look at the transactions associated with the $25 billion announced on Friday - I use $100 instead of $25,000,000,000 it makes for a smaller table format wise, eh.

GC (Government of Canada) issues T-Bills, gets cash. With the cash the CG buys CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) Bonds. CMHC takes this cash and buys MBSs (Market Based Securities - i.e. packages of guaranteed mortgages) from the Banks.

At the end of the day (period) the GC has increased its T-Bill liabilities and its assets in the form of CMHC Bonds. The stock of net GC debt stays the same. CMHC has acted as a conduit and now holds MBSs balanced by Bonds issued to the GC. Banks have turned their MBSs into cash.

Of course what the whole thing says is that our Banks, good conservative souls they might be, maybe were having, or were expecting to have a liquidity problem - i.e. they could not sell their MBSs in the usual markets or they didn't want to sell their MBSs in the usual markets, because, right now, the price is too low.  So the GC has taken on some of the risk for the banks that is implicit currently in credit markets in order to ensure things don't get too out of hand on "main street" ( sorry for using that term).

Technorati Tags: Canada, Snafu, The Plan

Wondering about Paul Krugman and the Head of State

As I checked out Krugman's blog, at the NYTs this morning, I saw the good news that he had been awarded the economics version of the Noble Prize. Nice, and congratulations.

Then I wondered whether George W. Bush still or ever has carried out his ceremonial duties as the POTUS.

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize is prestigious enough, ignoring small time politics - i.e. GOP stuff, that the Head of State, the Bushie guy, should phone up Paul and wish him the best for his internationally, now, recognized contribution to the dimming shine of an educated elite, and book learnin' US.

Just to even things out a bit in my snarky wondering, I'll bet Naomi Klein has her shorts in a knot this morning, also.

Maybe I'm wrong about both, of course.

An embarrassing, 30 odd year, past association?

[G]god I see, via Brad Delong, that Bob Mundell has signed yet another McCain bullshit press release.

There seems to be no depth my former teacher will not stoop too, and for what. I don't know. I really don't know.

Technorati Tags: Canada, Delusional?, Economics, Madness

McCain - rebel into mediocrity!

I read the Rolling Stone article, John McCain, Make-Believe Maverick, over the weekend. Interesting and funny, I thought.

Just what the USA needs, another psychotic mirage for the top executive position.

My favourite part of the article was the details about little Johnny's action during the horrendous U.S.S. Forrestal shipboard disaster and fire. It has always seemed to me that certain responses by individuals to particular events tell you all you need or likely want to know about some characters.

McCain's Forrestal response, if the reporter has the facts accurately, tell all about little John McCain - he runs away and hides. Too, too funny.

"Sometimes 3 a.m. moments occur at 10:52 in the morning.

It was July 29th, 1967, a hot, gusty morning in the Gulf of Tonkin atop the four-acre flight deck of the supercarrier USS Forrestal. Perched in the cockpit of his A-4 Skyhawk, Lt. Cmdr. John McCain ticked nervously through his preflight checklist.

Now 30 years old, McCain was trying to live up to his father's expectations, to finally be known as something other than the fuck-up grandson of one of the Navy's greatest admirals. That morning, preparing for his sixth bombing run over North Vietnam, the graying pilot's dreams of combat glory were beginning to seem within his reach.

Then, in an instant, the world around McCain erupted in flames. A six-foot-long Zuni rocket, inexplicably launched by an F-4 Phantom across the flight deck, ripped through the fuel tank of McCain's aircraft. Hundreds of gallons of fuel splashed onto the deck and came ablaze. Then: Clank. Clank. Two 1,000-pound bombs dropped from under the belly of McCain's stubby A-4, the Navy's "Tinkertoy Bomber," into the fire.

McCain, who knew more than most pilots about bailing out of a crippled aircraft, leapt forward out of the cockpit, swung himself down from the refueling probe protruding from the nose cone, rolled through the flames and ran to safety across the flight deck. Just then, one of his bombs "cooked off," blowing a crater in the deck and incinerating the sailors who had rushed past McCain with hoses and fire extinguishers. McCain was stung by tiny bits of shrapnel in his legs and chest, but the wounds weren't serious; his father would later report to friends that Johnny "came through without a scratch."

The damage to the Forrestal was far more grievous: The explosion set off a chain reaction of bombs, creating a devastating inferno that would kill 134 of the carrier's 5,000-man crew, injure 161 and threaten to sink the ship.

These are the moments that test men's mettle. Where leaders are born. Leaders like . . . Lt. Cmdr. Herb Hope, pilot of the A-4 three planes down from McCain's. Cornered by flames at the stern of the carrier, Hope hurled himself off the flight deck into a safety net and clambered into the hangar deck below, where the fire was spreading. According to an official Navy history of the fire, Hope then "gallantly took command of a firefighting team" that would help contain the conflagration and ultimately save the ship.

McCain displayed little of Hope's valor. Although he would soon regale The New York Times with tales of the heroism of the brave enlisted men who "stayed to help the pilots fight the fire," McCain took no part in dousing the flames himself. After going belowdecks and briefly helping sailors who were frantically trying to unload bombs from an elevator to the flight deck, McCain retreated to the safety of the "ready room," where off-duty pilots spent their noncombat hours talking trash and playing poker. There, McCain watched the conflagration unfold on the room's closed-circuit television — bearing distant witness to the valiant self-sacrifice of others who died trying to save the ship, pushing jets into the sea to keep their bombs from exploding on deck.

As the ship burned, McCain took a moment to mourn his misfortune; his combat career appeared to be going up in smoke. "This distressed me considerably," he recalls in Faith of My Fathers. "I feared my ambitions were among the casualties in the calamity that had claimed the Forrestal."

The fire blazed late into the night. The following morning, while oxygen-masked rescue workers toiled to recover bodies from the lower decks, McCain was making fast friends with R.W. "Johnny" Apple of The New York Times, who had arrived by helicopter to cover the deadliest Naval calamity since the Second World War. The son of admiralty surviving a near-death experience certainly made for good copy, and McCain colorfully recounted how he had saved his skin. But when Apple and other reporters left the ship, the story took an even stranger turn: McCain left with them. As the heroic crew of the Forrestal mourned its fallen brothers and the broken ship limped toward the Philippines for repairs, McCain zipped off to Saigon for what he recalls as "some welcome R&R."

Make-Believe Maverick
Tim Dickinson
Rolling Stone
October 16, 2008

So, like George W. Bush hiding on 9/11, John, the Great hero, McCain watches the real action on the Forrestal over closed circuit TV, then heads off for some screwing and shopping with a MSM type in Saigon.

Sorry I just can't stop laughing. Another fake with no merit but lots and lots of visibility. Come on, USA, USA, elected this guy you need him.

Technorati Tags: Confusing?, Dangerous?, Deceiver, Democracy, Dissembler, Elections, Funny, Hot Air, Hypocrite, Inventive?, Leadership?, Liar?, Madness, McCain, Myths, Politicians, POTUS , USA