What has Canada done?!?

[Steph Barrett]

Is this the gov't that was said would "greatly improve ties" with the US and
our current fucked up regime? I'd like to know how much US neocons pumped
into the Harper campaign... Makes it hard to oppress the masses down here
when you Canadians are letting the homos marry and letting swing clubs go
and everyone's smoking dope and it's ok... Enough of that.

Steph
bare feet

[cyn########]

(My newsfeed is sucking anchovies again...sorry if this shoes up
twice)
-------------

Post by Steph Barrett
Is this the gov't that was said would "greatly improve ties" with the US and
our current fucked up regime? I'd like to know how much US neocons pumped
into the Harper campaign... Makes it hard to oppress the masses down here
when you Canadians are letting the homos marry and letting swing clubs go
and everyone's smoking dope and it's ok... Enough of that.

Uggggggh.

[...delete...]
[...delete...]
[...delete...]

Ahem. I started a rant, then figured I should get rid of it --
nothing interesting. Suffice to say: some Canucks have rather poor
memories. And others...well, I suspect the coming days will not be
the elixir to end (Liberal) corruption, as the Tories are their own
bitter pill.

Arrrgh. I could go on, and on, and on, but it would bore you
senseless. Nevermind that the _last_ election is still fresh in my
mind, and I'm still so pissed off over it, (ah, the end of my
idealism), that it taints any perspective I have on current political
affairs in the nation's capital.

Two words: minority government. Expect another, (yay!!!!), election
in 2-3 years. <groan> In the meantime...well, the opposition parties
tend to be more progressive. In fact, (and lo, the end of the world
was nigh), during one of the debates I actually found myself agreeing
with Gilles Duceppe. (What the bleeeep????)

Feh.


cyn#
cynical shoes that would rather play with the koalas
.

[kay h]

< snip > words from my favourite Canadian shoe (it was painful, but it had
to be done)

Post by cyn########
Two words: minority government. Expect another, (yay!!!!), election
in 2-3 years. <groan> In the meantime...well, the opposition parties
tend to be more progressive. In fact, (and lo, the end of the world
was nigh), during one of the debates I actually found myself agreeing
with Gilles Duceppe. (What the bleeeep????)

As one of my other friends from North said about Harper, " I'm waiting this
one out. I expect Harper to do some rather scary things. I'm hoping that the
whole checks and balances things of highschool days actually holds. That he
won't be ABLE to make too much of a mess. But with a clear agenda (hey, all
the parties do, duh) that I don't agree with (other than in that randomized
way of "gotta be right at least once in a while by sheer mathematical
probability"), he and his party freak me. " So maybe the mathematics were to
blame for the agreement.

kay
doc clogs that need to take the garbage out

[cyn########]

On 25 Jan 2006 11:37:21 -0500, my fave Evil Femme(tm), "kay h"

Post by kay h
< snip > words from my favourite Canadian shoe (it was painful, but it had
to be done)

You are far too kind! <smooch>

And snip all of my words...I need some practice runs before I get back
into the habit of, (hopefully), writing a few good, readable posts --
this is just filler stuff. (Not bulk spam! I hope...)

Post by kay h
As one of my other friends from North said about Harper, " I'm waiting this
one out. I expect Harper to do some rather scary things. I'm hoping that the
whole checks and balances things of highschool days actually holds. That he
won't be ABLE to make too much of a mess.

Hmmm. Well, things will be interesting for the next 2 years, or so.
Assuming us poor Canucks can survive them. <g>


cyn#
(hailing from Under-the-Moss-Covered-Rock)
shoes contemplating sleep
.

[PengwinGal]

Post by Steph Barrett
Is this the gov't that was said would "greatly improve ties" with the US and
our current fucked up regime? I'd like to know how much US neocons pumped
into the Harper campaign... Makes it hard to oppress the masses down here
when you Canadians are letting the homos marry and letting swing clubs go
and everyone's smoking dope and it's ok... Enough of that.
Steph
bare feet

well, the good thing is: it's not a conservative majority government,
and the ndp has gained 10 seats. at least with a conservative minority,
they're gonna have to play it very careful so as not to get turfed out
in the next couple of years. although, maybe if people get pissed at the
cons, they'll vote the ndp in (not gonna happen but a bird can dream,
can't she?)

pg
fluish toes

[cyn########]

Post by Steph Barrett
Is this the gov't that was said would "greatly improve ties" with the US and
our current fucked up regime? I'd like to know how much US neocons pumped
into the Harper campaign... Makes it hard to oppress the masses down here
when you Canadians are letting the homos marry and letting swing clubs go
and everyone's smoking dope and it's ok... Enough of that.

Uggggggh.

[...delete...]
[...delete...]
[...delete...]

Ahem. I started a rant, then figured I should get rid of it --
nothing interesting. Suffice to say: some Canucks have rather poor
memories. And others...well, I suspect the coming days will not be
the elixir to end (Liberal) corruption, as the Tories are their own
bitter pill.

Arrrgh. I could go on, and on, and on, but it would bore you
senseless. Nevermind that the _last_ election is still fresh in my
mind, and I'm still so pissed off over it, (ah, the end of my
idealism), that it taints any perspective I have on current political
affairs in the nation's capital.

Two words: minority government. Expect another, (yay!!!!), election
in 2-3 years. <groan> In the meantime...well, the opposition parties
tend to be more progressive. In fact, (and lo, the end of the world
was nigh), during one of the debates I actually found myself agreeing
with Gilles Duceppe. (What the bleeeep????)

Feh.


cyn#
cynical shoes that would rather play with the koalas
.

[Steph Barrett]

Post by cyn########
[...delete...]
[...delete...]
[...delete...]

Now Cyn.... you pushed delete 3 times so I got the message 3 times. It has
nothing to do with indigestion at your server.
At least yours is a minority gov't. Miles behind us... They hold
everything.... including the Supreme Court. All those people that told me
I was nuts when I was screaming that they were voting in Bush for another 50
years will pay!

Getting ready for another day of typing and snow today. Yay. The good news
is that I have the shear pin swap down to a couple of minute operation and 3
fresh ones still in my pocket.

Did I tell y'all about the dog? And the new truck? Things have changed in
the great north woods.

Steph
slippers (on my feet, not in the puppy's mouth)

[cyn########]

(in triplicate)

Post by Steph Barrett

Post by cyn########
[...delete...]

Now Cyn.... you pushed delete 3 times so I got the message 3 times. It has
nothing to do with indigestion at your server.

Egads. I'm squirming in embarrassment at the mishap. Er...well, I
_did_ say I was going to post more this year, right??? Heh. Not that
I was going to post "unique" posts, just "more"...right???

Post by Steph Barrett
At least yours is a minority gov't. Miles behind us... They hold
everything.... including the Supreme Court. All those people that told me
I was nuts when I was screaming that they were voting in Bush for another 50
years will pay!

Ah, you never know. I think my koalas had plans of infiltrating the
US Supreme Court and...oops. Heh heh, that's Top Secret. Never mind.

Post by Steph Barrett
Getting ready for another day of typing and snow today. Yay. The good news
is that I have the shear pin swap down to a couple of minute operation and 3
fresh ones still in my pocket.

??? I'm thinking my grasp of the English language is too tentative to
understand the gist of the above. That, or I need to get out more.
Perhaps both.

Post by Steph Barrett
Did I tell y'all about the dog? And the new truck? Things have changed in
the great north woods.

For the good? Hey...great...! I think...I hope...?? Please tell,
and please let it be good news...I could use a little positive energy.
(Actually, a lot would be welcome!) It's always refreshing, and
wonderful, to hear of good stuff happening to friendly folks here.
Share!!


cyn#
(borderline nuthead...for real! I'm in the midst of a bit of a
domestic, and the fault lines in my thinking are starting to show...I
keep wavering between empty fluff and lightheartedness, deep cynicism,
and melancholy pensiveness...I'm a bit torn, (and tired), of trying to
pick a facade)

shoes dancing to a beat only they can hear
.

[Deanne]

Post by cyn########

Post by Steph Barrett
Getting ready for another day of typing and snow today. Yay. The good news
is that I have the shear pin swap down to a couple of minute operation and 3
fresh ones still in my pocket.

??? I'm thinking my grasp of the English language is too tentative to
understand the gist of the above. That, or I need to get out more.
Perhaps both.

Ahhhh... I think it may have something to do with snow blowers...
although googling also references airplanes and other assorted
mechanical gizmos.

Speaking of "Google", what are peoples' thoughts on their
collaboration with the government of China. I'm of two minds
about it... I understand that they state on their site that it is
censored, which to me has a whiff of subversion about it. I like
that. It's the old quandary... do you cut ties to a regime that
you disagree with, or do you continue doing business and hope
that you can influence change?

Post by cyn########

Post by Steph Barrett
Did I tell y'all about the dog? And the new truck? Things have changed in
the great north woods.

Tell about the dog! I love dog stories... or cat stories.

Post by cyn########
For the good? Hey...great...! I think...I hope...?? Please tell,
and please let it be good news...I could use a little positive energy.
(Actually, a lot would be welcome!) It's always refreshing, and
wonderful, to hear of good stuff happening to friendly folks here.
Share!!

Good news in these parts, also. I received a splendid performance
review at work, which I understand will result in a happy-making
change in my paycheque beginning in February, and MC surprised me
with a trip to San Francisco for my birthday.

Post by cyn########
cyn#
(borderline nuthead...for real! I'm in the midst of a bit of a
domestic, and the fault lines in my thinking are starting to show...I
keep wavering between empty fluff and lightheartedness, deep cynicism,
and melancholy pensiveness...I'm a bit torn, (and tired), of trying to
pick a facade)

Drop the facade, and let yourself be, if you can. It's scary, but
can be rewarding in the end.

Deanne
freely dispensing unrequested advice, now that I'm on the nearer
side of a half-century

[cyn########]

On 29 Jan 2006 13:31:40 -0500, my fellow Canuck, Deanne

Post by Deanne

The good news is that I have the shear pin swap down to a
couple of minute operation and 3 fresh ones still in my pocket.

Ahhhh... I think it may have something to do with snow blowers...

Snow? What is this thing called "snow"? There's been so little in my
area, the koalas are lamenting the poor ski season. <sigh>

Post by Deanne
Speaking of "Google", what are peoples' thoughts on their
collaboration with the government of China. I'm of two minds
about it... I understand that they state on their site that it is
censored, which to me has a whiff of subversion about it. I like
that. It's the old quandary... do you cut ties to a regime that
you disagree with, or do you continue doing business and hope
that you can influence change?

Hmmm. Interesting. I kinda think it depends on the size and scope of
the country/evil empire being dealt with, and on how much influence
doing business with them can realistically be wielded. (For instance,
I think Canada should cut off all ties to Iran, especially since we
don't seem to have much influence there anyways. They're certainly
not influenced/intimidated by our diplomats or requests for action.)
I think, w/Google, there's a real potential to spread evil,
subversive, capitalistic ways...even with the censorship. And, who
knows? Life is changing so rapidly, over there, that maybe forging
more ties will push out the regime even faster. One can only hope.

Did you catch the CBC two-part special on Sunday night, "China Rises?"
It was a look at the changes China is undergoing in its race towards
modernization. (Globalization? Economic changes? I'm not certain
how to classify the big happenings over there). Anyways, it was a
really interesting program, a fascinating snapshot of what some of the
people have experienced in China's growth, and how their lives have
changed. Not always for the better -- there was a heartbreaking
contrast between the poor and the newly rich, a sense of real
helplessness amidst the boom times.

The segment on Shanghai was eye-opening. I can't believe the city's
25million population -- almost the entirety of Canada! Sheesh, we
need to get more of those folks over here to bump up our populace.
But again, very sharp contrasts between the old life, and the new
middle class. It was sad, and I found it hard to be objective when
confronted with the sense of displacement felt by those who'd had
their lives shunted aside to make way for $$$.

And yet...it's "progress"...and in another twenty years, China might
be _the_ economy to beat. On a pragmatic, selfish, money-motivated
scale, I can't decide to invest there, or not. ;-)

Post by Deanne
Good news in these parts, also. I received a splendid performance
review at work, which I understand will result in a happy-making
change in my paycheque beginning in February, and MC surprised me
with a trip to San Francisco for my birthday.

Hey, excellent! And, "wow", on the trip to San Fran. I hear it's a
great place to visit. I figure if I ever get over my Bush-inspired
reticence to cross the border, I'd go on a tour of the American
cities...you know, make my way from state to state, crashing with
friendly soles until they boot me out. <g>

[...on my moodiness...]

Post by Deanne
Drop the facade, and let yourself be, if you can. It's scary, but
can be rewarding in the end.

Yes, well...folks around me would get whiplash as they watch me careen
from one high/low to another. The scary part is just how homicidal my
thoughts can get. (OTOH, I find it amusing on some clinical level,
and at least I don't seem to be harbouring self-destructive
thoughts...that's _gotta_ be a sign of maturity, right?! <g> Heh. I
should start one of those blog things and spread the confuzzlement.)



cyn#
(goin' back to hibernate under the moss-covered-rock)
shoes at the cafe
.

[Steph Barrett]

Post by cyn########

Post by Deanne
Ahhhh... I think it may have something to do with snow blowers...

Snow? What is this thing called "snow"? There's been so little in my
area, the koalas are lamenting the poor ski season. <sigh>

Something to do with snowblowers.... She's right! The shear pin (or pins
on our machine) run through the shaft that rotates inside the tube the
augers are mounted on. The pin is designed to break so if something jams
the auger, the pin breaks instead of the more expensive parts upstream. To
replace, you need to line up the holes on the inner and outer shaft, then
punch out the old one and tap in a new one, followed by putting the nut on
back and tightening enough to make it snug without breaking the pin that's
designed to break.


Re Google and China: In our current regime, I'm afriad the technology will
flow back this way...

Post by cyn########
And yet...it's "progress"...and in another twenty years, China might
be _the_ economy to beat. On a pragmatic, selfish, money-motivated
scale, I can't decide to invest there, or not. ;-)

This is where it scares me. With George Bush and Co in charge, our economy,
education, culture, etc continue to slide, as China gains by leaps and
bounds. Call me crazy, but look at their national history and I figure they
are not a country to trust. Our response has been to borrow a shitload of
money from them. Not good policy. Someday, when we're paying our taxes and
freedom to China, in a backroom somewhere people will be remembering George
Bush and American corporations and their role in the sellout.

About the dog. Sidney is a lovely little Golden pup... close to 4 months
old. She came to us when word got out that we had to put Gordie down. His
cancer finally got the best of him. We were crushed the week he died and it
was horrible coming home each night to an empty house. Still, we were
adjusting. Rena was working out at the gym each night so I'd get home first
;-) The call about Sid came and we talked about it and decided to take her.
Much too quick, but I'm embarrassed to admit how she filled that empty hole.
She's a trip. The cats are finally warming up to her. They had packed
their bags the first night, but decided to stick around. Now all Louie has
to do to slow her down is haul back and say, "I'm going to slap you!" Puts
her right in her place. But she needs attention now, so I have to go.

Steph
bare feet