I drove back from Mississauga on Dec 31 with my sister Holly and her husband Kim, and six of us had New Years Eve dinner. I caught my brother's cold. A week later my sister Mary and her daughters Em and Sarah stopped in for an overnight. Holly and Kim (with friends) left for South Africa for 6 weeks, while my brother-in-law (Patrick) started his 3 month recuperation from heart surgery. Nearing the end of the month we (in the Windsor, Ontario - Detroit, Michigan region) experienced record low temperatures - with the wind chill in the -40F 's, and within a 48 hour period experienced a 90 degree temperature shift into the low +40F's. Australia experienced extreme heat at 120F, melting roads. This is starting to get scary. On a happier note, Marianne Williamson announced her run for the democratic presidential nomination. Lion King Jr. I'm the set designer and head builder (one of two of us) for the Windsor Light Music Theatre’s childrens’ production of this show. The main set piece is “pride rock” which must take the actors up 5.5 feet, then turn around (on wheels) to reveal a cave. To double its complexity it must be built in pieces (6) so we can move it up into the rehearsal space, reassemble there, then take apart again and reassemble in the theatre. The Alpena and Hamonic I enjoy reading and collecting books on sailing and shipping. It stems from my boyhood days of playing along the shores of the Detroit River and getting a thrill every time a lake freighter passed by - which was quite often. Last month I mentioned a book I found titled “Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals”. While out for a walk one afternoon, as I a strode toward the shore of the river I fantasized about going back in time to see some of the old boats I was reading about. One, in particular, was the Hamonic which I recently found a memorial plate with its picture and a short chapter dedicated to it in the book. As it was early January I did not expect to see any ships, but I did see one - the SS Alpena, which launched on Feb 28, 1942 and just happens to be the oldest Great Lakes freighter in active service. Do we really create our own reality? - I wonder. Let's be Frank, Joe About a year ago I started collecting Hardy Boys books. They were the first books I read, apart from comics and I started taking them out of the library in the fall of probably my 10th year. I return immediately after finishing one hoping to find another, but the library had a limited collection. The next summer while at our cottage, I noticed some of the older boys on another island had more Hardy books, ones I’d never heard of - library copies did not list them on the back like commercial ones. I was ecstatic. I would borrow and read them at night by flashlight in my sleeping bag in the tent - where my brother and I slept for our 3 week cottage time. Two summers ago I found a box in the cottage attic of ones I had collected, and realized that many of the original 58 were there - it would not take much to complete the set. I read them in the early to mid ’60s and they were what is called the “picture cover or PC books”. I also had a few tan covered copies which did not have a picture on the cover. Little did I realize how complicated and addictive collecting them would be. The original 28 were published in the late ’20s through the ’30s and more were written through the ’50s and ’60s. Each edition was reprinted yearly, and every so often the cover picture was changed, or the endpapers or the cover cloth changed, so there is just not one “Tower Treasure” but dozens. The earlier the edition the harder they are to find and obviously they cost more. Original first edition books can fetch $6,000 per copy. Ok, I’m not looking for those, but I am collecting books from the ’40s and ’50s which have the coolest cover art. So to wrap up this long story, after spending a few months combing the internet for good deals on older issues, I found a series of 25 books from 1953 right here in my home town. The lady who had them said her second stepmother (her father was married four times) had purchased them (all at once I realized) from Hudson’s in Detroit for her son. Why he didn’t have them I don’t know. She graciously sold them to me for $10 a copy - each should easily fetch $30, but I’m not inclined to sell for some time. Fun! Watched The Kominsky Method Starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. It’s about two old friends, Douglas an actor who now teaches (that’s where the title comes from) acting because he can’t get any parts and Arkin and very successful agency owner. It covers topics which men over 60 will identify with (read plumbing) and has an interesting take on relationships. Curious that the episodes are relatively short (40 minutes?) and going into the third straight one Netflix stops the feed to ask if anyone is still watching. (season 1 - 8 episodes) Good trailer here Anna, Seven Years on the Frontline A film about Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist who was assassinated in 2006 on Putin’s birthday and though unproven, widely believed to be on his orders, for reporting against his regime, particularly on the Second Chechen war and other social injustices. She called for the electoral defeat of his government. From the web: “She was brave, she was bold, and she was beautiful. In her fearless quest to uncover the wrongdoings of the Russian State, Anna Politkovskaya inspired awe in some and fear in countless others. An investigative journalist for Moscow's liberal Novaya Gazeta, she was the only spokesperson for victims of Putin's government. Hers was a lonely voice, yet loud enough for the entire country to hear. It was too loud. At age 48 she was assassinated for simply doing her job. A documentary about the bravery of the human spirit. As the director says, it "is especially important now, when the world is so full of cynicism and corruption, when we so desperately need more people with Anna's level of courage and integrity and commitment". Watch here Grace and Frankie, Netflix. I’m late to this 2015 series starring Jane Fonda, Lilly Tomlin, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston. Like The Kominsky Method, this is a series about old people, which I’m fast becoming (insert smile here). Fast paced and stylish, Jane and Lily address problems of love, life and family - something I imagine would have been popular during the fall of Rome (if they had television). Fun comedy with heart. Trailer Read Great Lakes Shipwrecks & Survivals by William Ratigan From the web: "In this breathtaking chronicle of the most spectacular shipwrecks and survivals on the Great Lakes, William Ratigan re-creates vivid scenes of high courage and screaming panic from which no reader can turn away." Mr. Ratigan must have written that review - I'd give it a 3/5. Attended
ABBA Revisited - Capitol Theatre. A tribute band who might have been alright except the sound was much too loud - I don't think they had control of it. A very cold night and only 100 in the house (seats 800) I was ushering.
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George H. W. Bush died on November 30th, 2018. In 50 years people may look back and see him as one of the most corrupt presidents in American history (apart from Bill Clinton). I suspect he was the mastermind behind 911. You may at some point google his involvement with the Carlyle Group and ties to the Bin Laden family. 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia but the Bush government (H.W using his son) attacked Iraq. If 15 of the 19 were from North Korea, would they have attacked Iraq? (no) If 15 of the 19 were Russian would they have attacked Iraq? (no) If 15 of the 19 were Chinese would they have attacked Iraq? (no) 911 was a distraction to allow for an attack on Iraq to gain control of the oil fields. Watched “The Keepers” which is another true account of the abuse of people by men of the Catholic church. There has yet to be a study on why so many sexual criminals were and are attracted to this institution whereby abusing the mythical power of God, these men can prey upon the innocent and the simple-minded. It is a cancer which can only be eliminated by the closing down of the church. But power corrupts and so the alternative is to require all priests to be married and to eliminate confession. I realize marriage will not stop adultery within the priesthood, but it might mitigate the sexual abuse. Confession simply opens the door to the vulnerable - priests have proven time and again, they can’t be trusted. There are many good men of the clothe but sometimes it’s better to sacrifice the good to remove the bad. trailer (spoilers ahead) Watched “The Leisure Seeker” which is the name of the motorhome Donald Southerland and Helen Mirren take on their journey to visit Ernest Hemmingway’s home in the Florida Keys. What most reviews don’t mention is that Southerland’s character is suffering from severe dementia and later Mirren’s character reveals she has terminal cancer. I recommend this mostly due to Southerland’s portrayal of dementia - is it realistic and if you have not been around it, you should be aware of what might lie ahead for you. The ending is unique. trailer Prepared Mum’s annual Christmas Greeting letter (linked here) and the Upper French River Cottage Association Fall/Winter Newsletter, but due to privacy reasons I cannot link it. Watched “Pine Gap” a Netflix offering based on an actual joint US/Auzzie spy site in Australia of the same name. Apart from a kind-of-good whodunit, it does raise some interesting points regards Chino-Australian economic interests. A very large portion of the Australian GNP is based on purchases by the Chinese, so the Auzzie allegiance to China is actually much stronger - more important - than to the US. If they ever had to choose sides…… trailer
On Dec 15 my sons and their mother arrived to pick me up for the Christmas holidays. Usually, I take the train from Windsor (Ontario Canada) to Port Credit, which is a suburb of Toronto but this year they came down to visit their grandparents. We had a fun dinner at the Mandarin Restaurant and then did a quick tour of the “Holiday Lights” in Jackson Park - there were thousands of people there. We attended church the next morning and then headed back to Port Credit, a 4-hour drive - which was easy and uneventful. It was a beautiful sunny day. I’ve been wearing ankle weights till about noon each day for a month. They are not heavy and after a few minutes, you forget you are wearing them. I have the feeling that it’s a subtle core workout which is beneficial for the digestion as the intestines are invigorated. The better your digestion, the better overall health.
December 22nd Anthea’s (my x) older brother Keith took us - her youngest brother Paul, myself, James, John and Laurel to lunch at the Colossus Restaurant in Port Credit - it was close enough to walk. It was a nice meal, the waiter was great and a guy dressed as Santa Claus came to the table and wished us a Merry Christmas. He recognized Keith (who is the anchor for the ABC news affiliate in Buffalo, New York) which surprised me. On the walk back Anthea stepped on a large round stone which resulted in a bad fall and she broke her collarbone. She spent the rest of the day in bed in pain. The next morning we were off to the hospital and she was seen relatively quickly and we were back in about 2 hours. That night James and I drove to Markham to my youngest sister Mary’s and her husband Pat’s for dinner. There were 19 of us and we had a fun time. I met Pat’s father and stepmother who had some interesting life stories. We were at the hospital the next morning by 6:45 for another consultation, and back an hour later. Scotiabank scanners As I keep watch on the takeover by the neoliberals and their robots of any job done by humans, I note the new scanners at the Scotiabank cash machines. Entering the bank to deposit a cheque I am disgruntled that I can’t find any envelopes to put the cheque in and the bank is closed - I will have to come back. Then I see the sign - no envelopes required. The process is different. You simply put your cheque in the slot and it scans it. This is quite interesting as people will invariably put the cheque in 4 different ways - the scanner can account for that. Handwriting is different in every case, but the scanners can handle that too! Once read the kiosk asks if the amount is correct and if you would like a copy of the scan. Usually, I don’t want paper but as this is new I say yes. Out comes a tiny copy of the scanned cheque. I assume that prior to this change a human had to open the envelope and do some kind of accounting - perhaps manually scan the cheque - I don’t really know. I just have the feeling someone has lost a job. My Take on the Next Cataclysm This will be the collapse of the stock market. An effort will be made to slow the decline of the market by lowering interests rates (by the Fed) and that is why they are raising them now, to allow for easing. It does seem counter-intuitive to raise them and perhaps precipitate the collapse, but they know it is coming and there is nothing that can be done. They know it is coming because of the commodification of education and health care. There is nothing left to be skimmed from the manufacturing sector. Even though worker productivity has increased by 70% over the last many years, wages have remained stagnant and health benefits and pensions have disappeared. (this is the skimming that has allowed executive pay to skyrocket). There was a time when management theory said that if the worker could produce more in the same period (increased productivity) then they could share in the profit. This idea is no longer accepted - the worker should be happy they have a job. With no profit left in manufacturing (making something and selling it) corporate American turned to education and health care. This will be the last bit of hollowing out before the collapse which will destroy all western economic structures. Student debt creates such a burden, that kids who educated themselves to become entrepreneurs have no money to start a business. Instead, they take mindless jobs that provide only enough to survive at the edges and pay their school debt. They can no longer continue to fuel the old economic engine - buying a home, filling it with the stuff, starting families, buying cars, etc. In turn the manufacturing sector (what is left of it) continues to shrink - think GM layoffs. A further drain on their ability to rise out of their indentured servitude is health insurance costs.
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AuthorI believe we are what we think. What we think depends on what we feed our brains. This is a partial record of what my brain has been eating. Archives
February 2023
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