Riots and Falling Stocks and Debts

The Animal Kingdom hunts for food, not for sport, yet Humans, part of the Animal Kingdom, alleged to be the dominant animal of the Kingdom, does just that.  Worse, we also seem hell bent on self destruction.

Like what the fuck is up with the riots in England?  It was France not long ago and it makes you wonder, what is happening to our youth that makes them plan ahead, thanks to the wonder of every kid needs a blackberry or iPhone, to go out and do wanton destruction.

Let’s not forget the pinstriped suits who run our Financial Markets either. I mean come on, let’s just go borrow more cash, and everything will be fine.  Course who is gonna pay for all that borrowing? Sure as fuck isn’t going to be those pinstripe suits, or the uber rich, now is it?

I wonder, if perhaps the Media didn’t help facilitate the entire downslide of the DOW and TSX on Monday? I mean all weekend long they kept harping on how serious the downgrading of the US credit rating was, and perhaps, that got a lot of little people scared? Maybe that is why there was a huge sell off, and today, well the greedy and opportunists started buying up those lower stocks. All because people got scared, needlessly.

The issue of the debt hasn’t been solved, buy hey we got some new millionaires, some new paupers. All because the Media played it up, so they could get some added ratings. Which in turn means they can charge advertisers more. Hey, guess who is the big winner? The Elite and the Media.

Think the riots in England aren’t also fueled by the Media?

After all, who fanned the flames initially with the shooting of that man, but the media. They played right into it, bringing up issues that were buried, and rekindled old hatreds. So why shouldn’t the little punks go out on a looting spree? The media said they would, even gave them a trumped up reason, so off they went.

And where is the Government? Well, they got caught napping, because they were busy trying to figure out how to pay for more debt, created by stupid economic policies by so called experts, whose only goal was to feather their own nest.

Ever notice how all these Media & Financial Experts are wage earners too? Like uh, if they are so smart about how the markets work, how come they aren’t right up there in the Fortune 100?

Simple, they KNOW SHIT !

As for the punks, maybe it’s time to start demanding some accountability from all who have kids. Instead of blaming video games, that these parents have bought for their brats, instead of blaming tough economics, while giving their kids expensive sneakers and cell phones, we should start forcing parents, TO BE PARENTS.

Oh I can see the hail storm of outrage coming, but you know, isn’t it time we all, myself included, started taking responsibility for our actions, instead of pointing the finger of blame everywhere else?

We might be surprised at how well things might go, if we just stopped blaming everyone else, and stood up and said.  It’s My Fault.

Darn No Mail Today

So the Postal Strike is in full swing, or should I say the Rolling Strike is.

Like okay, we get no mail today, but tomorrow, all is back to normal. Sure, things might be backlogged a little, so add another day before the mail gets through. Like that hurts me really bad… NOT!

I don’t understand Rolling Strikes,other than perhaps some PR value, but in all honesty, it really isn’t such a big deal. Even for those businesses that rely on Canada Post, its an inconvenience at worst, not something that is going to bankrupt them.  IF it does, then boy they weren’t long for the world to begin with.

And where is our Stevie Boy?

Well he’s bringing down his budget, and that is going to be interesting. As for the strike, haven’t seen a thing from the Government about it, so I suppose that means no plans afoot on ending the rolling strikes. Course, eventually it’ll escalade, and then who knows.

But until then, well, I can live a day without bills, flyers, or even a cheque or two. Not like it won’t ever arrive, so instead of getting them today, it’ll be tomorrow or Thursday.   I can live with that.

Yet, with all the dark headlines, the reminders of which city will be hit next, you would think that both the Government & Union would also use this opportunity to disclose just what is it, that is keeping them from reaching an agreement.

Course it would be logical to have the Media tell us what both sides are seeking, in clear precise terms, but then, that would be logical, right? Not our Media, they are more interested in creating panic, fear, and in exploiting hardships, than in actually relating the facts, or truth of a story.

Now IF the Media Workers were to go on strike, I’d enjoy that, and hope IT NEVER GOT SETTLED.  lol

Election Perception – Stephen Harper

I suppose, I like things neat and tidy. You’d never know it from how I keep house, but I like things in order. I love my routine, sort of, but in Politics, I like to KNOW who I am voting for.  I want to KNOW what I am voting for, what I can expect.

Stephen Harper and the Conservatives showed me that you CAN get elected, by sidestepping every single issue, by holding back from explaining what you plan to accomplish.

And YET the perception, that he generated, was one of a Commander, of a Cool Leader who had the answers, but wasn’t about to let us in on it. We had to trust him, or perhaps, trust the other leaders less.

With help from the Media, he created this impression that he knew what to do. He had the answers, and we just had to trust him. When questioned, and not answering, he gave us the impression that it didn’t matter, because we weren’t, well, smart enough to understand the subtle nuances of the problem.   And so many of us, bought into that bullshit, that we gave him our vote.

Maybe I am to cynical, but honestly, out of all the politicians, he gave the least about his plans, than the others. He talked in generalities, yet made it sound like a sermon from the mount.  Yet nearly 40% of voters, took the perception of him as a leader, as a good leader, to heart & voted for him.

Maybe it was the persona of the Attack Ads, that had a bigger impact on our decisions, or maybe it was that he didn’t appear in those ads?  Somehow we seemed to actively disassociate him from the mean spirited ads, that he ran.  We condemned them, yet gave him our votes, because we bought into those ads.

Or perhaps the real perception was, that he wasn’t going to raise taxes,  wasn’t going to spend us into the poor house, and wasn’t going to break apart the Country. In other words, he created negative impressions, perceptions, of the others, so we just naturally eliminated them. It gave us the perception that he wasn’t as bad as the others, hence he got our votes.

Maybe it wasn’t that we had any real perception about him, just that he created a worse impression of the others, so we would accept him.   Guess it worked, given how he is the Prime Miniter, and that others are also rans.

Election Perception – The Media 1

We are a trusting bunch of folks, don’t you think?  I mean we read something in the newspaper, or see a sound bite on the local news, and our opinions are formed, on what we have just read, or saw.

Question is, should we be so trusting of these so called News Media Gurus?

Think about it for a minute or two. I mean we read labels of stuff we buy, to see what the blasted stuff contains, whether it is food or some knick knack.  We check to see if the plumber we hire is licensed, or if the mechanic shop we take our car to, is licensed.

Yet, we are willing to allow our opinions be formed, by some group of people, we know absolutely nothing about. Are they qualified to tell us what something means, or are they merely voicing their own opinions, yet making it sound like fact?

Personally, I find that it is impossible to accept what the Media says, on anything, simply by the way it is reported to us.  I mean a 20 second sound bite, when the actual answer was ten minutes or more, is going to convey to me the truth?

Then too, do they actually report the facts, or is it slanted to not cause any repercussions to them, or to their advertisers?

Are certain stories, slanted or actually even ignored, because it might cause repercussions to their Advertisers?  Like how much do you believe a so called independent study from a University, if that study was paid for by the Tobacco Industry, and the study showed cigarette smoking wasn’t harmful?

Are the media any different?

IF politics is really about perceptions, not substance, then aren’t the Media in the perfect position to manipulate that perception? Don’t they reach the millions, that no politician can?

Stephen Harper recognizes that, and has used the media very adaptly, to his advantage. One way is from his attack ads, the other is by how he has changed the rules, which only benefits their ability to lie, distort the truth.  He’s made the CRTC toothless, which only means that he can continue with his attack ads, without worry.

There used to be standards, but those standards have fallen so low, they are meaningless now.  Even the Ad Council excludes political ads, from the low threshold of being truthful.

Doesn’t that send up any signals to our brain?

Ever wonder why Politicians watch all the different news sources?  Think it is to be informed, or perhaps it is to see which version of the truth, they can find some talking points on?   Hell, just look at the different ways the news has dealt with the floods in Quebec & Manitoba.

But, I am rambling. I suppose what I am really doing, is setting the groundwork for part 2 on this post.  I just believe, that we rely way too much on what we see from the mainstream media, or read in our newspapers.  I mean, we let some nameless entity decide what we can see, what we can read, and how much we get to see, or read.

How is that objective enough to provide the truth?

A Close Call They Say

But who are THEY?

Why the media commentators of course, and that is the new expert, in the political scene, finally taking center stage in what really, is not their responsibility.

I wonder whatever happened to the real news media? You know, the one’s who used to actually REPORT the news?

I mean, the one’s who searched out the stories, not googled for help. The reporters that donned disguises, to try and live as the subject, to get the story in all its glory, or ignomy. The people who lived and breathed news, not corporate boardrooms, and who weren’t afraid to call the big boys on their indiscretions, their rip offs.

Today, we have elections, where we are bombarded with 20 second sound bites, that tell us nothing, because they look for the lurid words, the look that puts the candidate in the worst possible light, according to the demands of their corporate masters, the one’s who control the advertising budgets.

They earn huge salaries, to tell us what we know already, slanted to the needs of their advertisers. They wear designer clothes, have styled hair dos, but can’t manage to speak clearly or even figure out the name of the people they are talking about.

After tomorrow, this election goes into the bag, but here it is, at the eleventh hour, and I doubt if anyone knows who all the candidates are, who or what they stand for, and how they plan to handle any of the tough issues facing us.

Do the majority know that there is the Green Party, the Conservatives, as well as the Liberals & NDP?

Who will fund the schools properly, without catering to the outrageous demands of the Teacher Union?

Who will ease the financial crunch facing our Hospitals, and clean them up, but not reward slovenly and sub standard care, that the Nurses Union seems bent on perpetuation?

Who will bring in real reform, to insure corruption and deals benefit the people, not the corporate elite?

In short, who is willing to lead?

So far, the media have given us sound bites, but nothing else. Hell, if it wasn’t for the road signs out, I’d never know we were in an election. In fact, when it did come, it took me a few days to even realize it had been called, that the writ had been issued. As for who is running, if it wasn’t for the road signs, for the unbelievable number of Carol James attack ads, I’d never know Gordon Campbell was still around. Heck, I’d not even know there was a Liberal Party running, let alone the current government.

The media has failed, as usual. They no longer report the news, but make news. They slant it, instead of presenting both sides of an issue. They allow the money to talk, not the issues, not what is truly important.