Panglossian Notes

Harper's identifies an honest politican - Sr. Silva

From the May 11, 2011 Issue of Harper's magazine

[Foolery] SR. SILVA GOES TO BRASÍLIA

From campaign advertisements for Francisco Silva, a clown better known as Tiririca (Grumpy), who was elected last October to Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, winning 1.3 million votes. In December, after critics contended that Silva was ineligible for office because he is illiterate, a court administered a test and found that he could read well enough to serve. Translated from the Portuguese by Julia Powers.

Tiririca:

Hey everybody, I’m here to ask for your vote. I’m looking to become a federal deputy in order to help the people who need it most, including my family. If you don’t vote for me, I’ll diiie!

Tiririca:

What does a federal deputy do? I don’t actually know, but if you vote for me, I’ll tell you.

Tiririca:

[Standing with his mother and father, both of whom wear Tiririca’s signature blond wig and small hat]: I had to bring my mother and my father to ask for your votes. Everybody’s showing their families. People are moved by families on television. Dad, ask for the vote.

Tiririca’s father: It’s almost here. Laugh, Dad. Laugh, Mom. [They laugh.]

Vote for my son Tiririca. tiririca’s mother: Vote for my son Tiririca. tiririca: Don’t forget to vote on election day.

Tiririca:

The people are not fools. But I am!

Tiririca:

[Hands covering face]: Can you guess who’s speaking? I bet you can’t guess. [Chuckles before lowering his hands] It’s meee! Tiririca! For Federal Deput-yyy! Don’t forget! I got you! I tricked you! You all thought I was somebody else! It’s meee, the moron!

Sustainability

I was wondering today if sustainable isn't an oxymoronic adjective when it's used to modify development or economic growth. After all how can growth be sustainable within a closed system which is then by definition finite? It can't and in the long run something has to give so-to-speak. In other words leading up to the long run some variables that make up the system have to change unless, of course, the system has some miraculous outside intervention or internal transformation. I was thinking maybe a loaves and fishes event or a water into wine happening. Better, to keep it plausible at least, some major technological or biological breakthrough which would multiply our finite essential resources by some magic factor. I'll not hold my breath for any of the previously mentioned interventions or transformations. I suspect however some of those marvellous Malthusian feed-back loops to kick-in which should also cause some rather interesting sociological loops of their own with certain sets of people not directly impacted by the effects. All this is predicated on me not envisioning greed or nationalism disappearing in any serious way as we progress into the future.

But enough of my pessimism, some seem to be much more optimistic than me. Two of these individuals are Paul Gilding and Tim Jackson.

Gilding spoke recently at the RSA about his new book The Great Disruption. The RSA talk is here.

Jackson has also published a book Prosperity Without Growth which seems to be based on a document originally published by the UKs Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) in 2009. A link to a pdf copy of the SDC document can be had here or here (last link search for prosperity without growth). Jackson has also given a talk re his idea's. His talk was given at the LSE and here's a link to it.

Me, I'm not as pessimistic as I seem, when I talk or think to myself, but nor am I as hopeful as Gilding and Jackson seem.

Remembering eh?

Last night stumbling around the 500 or so channels I get on the tube I hit on The Bandits - funny to see Bruce Willis with hair again. I recall I liked the movie when I first saw it. Billy Bob Thornton maybe at his best in a faux action flick. I still think his acting in Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade may have been him at the peak - that's Billy Bob as friends watch it? Yes that's the boy. I've my copy downstairs somewhere so I'm happy.

Back to The Bandits - stay focused idiot - still interesting in funny non-personal ways and great for a diversion on a Thursday night.

Unfortunately I tuned in during the scene with Bruce & Cate Blanchett (redhaired) dancing on the beach with Tanita Tikaram's 'Twist in my Sobriety' playing as part of the soundtrack in the background.

Shit I'd not heard the cut from Tikaram's first album since maybe 1994. Looked quickly for my CD of her 1st album, then remembered likely gone missing with a bad break up with maybe the love of my life. So downloaded the album from iTunes. Still love the album not just the stunning 'Twist in my Sobriety' which was a special cut for 2 parents on Friday nights, each a child with another, trying to make things work back when we were busy, busy and always busier in the 90's. We adults didn't succeed, eh, but the kids are fine, happy and as beautiful now, themselves adults, as they were as babies & think the parents are now also, on all sides I hope, least happy.

A hypocrisy dictated by regional politics

One of the clearest hypocrisies in Canada is how we deal with the matter of asbestos. The game played in Parliament has been carried out by both Liberals, Progressive Conservatives and Harper's party. All 3, at one time or other, saying that "... chrysotile – the form of asbestos mined in Canada – is safer than past-used forms of asbestos". Of course the WHO doesn't agree nor do any Provincial governments in the country or for that matter our own Federal government when it comes to the health of members of parliament or workers on the Hill as all ban the use of asbestos no matter what type.

The reason for the hypocrisy is regional politics. Asbestos in Canada is mined in, and only in, Quebec and no party in power federally wants to be the one that finally kills the industry in that province because of the potential repercussions electorally. Nice, eh, so we continue to contribute to the death of individuals mainly in third world countries to sooth our country's ridiculous regional politics.

A rather nice example of the hypocrisy playing out in this current demonstration of our faux democracy, aka the Canadian Federal election, his Harper spouting that he is Quebec's white knight, as the creature from Calgary trolls for seats in la belle province. [Incidentally I wish the corporate media public and private would stop calling the Harper party Tories, they aren't, even though they baptized themselves conservative.]

For viewing pleasure, a couple of pictures of the West Block as it looks now wrapped as a precaution during the process of removing the asbestos from this section of the the Hill: