Charge of the Light Bridage

Charge of the Light Bridage– Canada style

The recent hit movie, The Blind Side, near its end discusses the famous poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and its message for ordinary people and the challenges we face in life.

The poem is an ode to bravery and duty in the face of almost certain death – in the same vein as the famous story of the 300 Spartans. It was made into an epic film starring Errol Flynn in 1936,with extensive Hollywood spin (and remade in 1968). The climactic and spectacular 1936 charge is available on YouTube.

In a war half way around the world, a British cavalry unit of 600, armed only with lances and swords, is ordered to take an enemy, Russian position: a position at the end of a long, narrow valley, defended by canons on both sides and at its end.

To quote the poem:

….
Into the valley of DeathRode the six hundred.


….
Cannon to right of them,Cannon to left of them,Cannon in front of themVolley'd and thunder'd;Storm'd at with shot and shell,Boldly they rode and well,Into the jaws of Death,Into the mouth of HellRode the six hundred.

We in Canada have equally brave and dedicated troops in the various branches of our armed forces. And I have the greatest respect for its commanders and officers – and that is why I am writing this blog.
The brave 600 nearly all died because those higher up did not give them the proper tools to ‘complete the mission’, and I believe chronic underfunding and political games have put Canadian men and women in uniform at risk over the years in various ways.
Cases in point:
1. During the first Gulf War, one of our ships sent to blockade Iraqi waters left Canadian shores with new anti-aircraft guns. Unfortunately, the guns were still in crates, had to be assembled and bolted down during the journey to the Persian Gulf, and troops quickly trained in the weaponry.
Fortunately, as I was told by a spouse of someone on that ship, no Iraqi fighter jets attacked, or they might well have sunk the ship.
NOT VERY BRIGHT, Brian Mulroney!

2. Afghanistan
The original Canadian troops sent there almost 9 years ago arrived with camoflague combat clothing – traditionally motley green-tan-black. Great for hiding in a forest but not so good in barren, beige desert and treeless mountains.
So Canadian troops had to improvise and solve the immediate danger themselves – sharing the solution with other troops as well -- spray paint their ‘protective’ clothing sandy beige.
Tanks – or lack thereof – became another problem as we did not have the right equipment needed for the job. Thankfully Germany was able to loan us their state of the sart Leopard tanks.
IEDs have been another deadly problem as our original vehicles where not designed to withstand attack from underground. The heavy armour was on top – if there was any – to protect against motor or tank fire. The underbelly was ‘vulnerable’. So our troops,again, had to imptovise and add their own extra belly shielding and the government finally decided to ‘upgrade’ the vehicles to current standards with new orders.

3. Canada’s airforce
Thanks to Prime Minister Jean cretian after the defeat of the Tory government of Kim Campbell (19m ) the signed contracts for new, state of the art helicipters to replace the aging and old King fff was cancelled – at a penalty cost of over $500,000.00 for breach of contracts. Are search and rescue airmen are still waiting and continue to do their duty with little more than duct tape and cannibalized parts.
Now, the F-35 interceptor jet fighter is the new battlefield.
Canada, some 5 years ago, joined with the United States, denmark, to design a new plane for the future, to defend the sovereignty of these countries

Your Money

Stock market Shills

I am fed up with the 680News stock market reports – 4 times an hour – as they are such biased bull advocates that reason makes no headway with these ‘financial analysts’.

Aside from constantly using the gambling terms ‘wins’ and ‘loses’, the commentators – whether male or female -- get so excited and euphoric when the stock market goes up and almost weep in lamentation if the market is even down by 10 to 20 points.

As the market in Toronto and New York will regularly gyrate 50 to 100 points each way day to day, any change under 170 points (plus or minus) is within the ‘normal’ variation range of today’s volatile and overinflated stock markets.

In this we have become like Japan, where up to 200 point fluctuations are daily norms and only a change in the magnitude of 500 points shows a ‘real trend’ -- if sustained.

Secondly, the 680News analysts love when the price of crude oil and gold go up without thinking of the huge downside for the economy that such rises entail.

Yes, Canada is an oil producer and, yes, we have major gold mine companies, but oil price rises destroy manufacturing and create inflationary pressures that cripple economies, reduce family buying power and kill seniors on fixed pension.

And as for booming gold, it is all speculative and promotes the fear that the world’s economies and governments are in eminent collapse!!! Why else by gold or silver that one must pay to store?

If the TSX is so heavily dependant on these 2 commodities, we are at the same stock market risk as when Nortel accounted for 1/3 the TSE ‘s value and, on its collapse, devastated hundreds of thousands of investors – big and small.

No, a simple reporting of the data in a monotone is what we need; and even better would be stock markets that free of day trading speculators and a return to what a market should be - slow, gradual growth of 5% to 8% over the long term.

Anyone raised on market returns of 20% to 30% over the last 2 decades will think I am insane, but those radical ‘profits’ led to horrendous falls – as they always do.

What we need is the calm tortoise market, not the erratic if spectacular hare – and market reports who understand the benefit of green shells.

Our new World

In Praise of the real East

While watching an old episode of I Love Lucy from the 1950s in which the Ricardos travel to Japan, the words Oriental and Orient were regularly used.

I have not seen these terms in print for a long time, and a quick check with Wikipedia shows that they are now considered derogatory if not outright racial slurs.

So what has replaced them? Not the equally old usage of Far East. It too has become passe as China, Japan and South Korea are no longer -- in the jet age - 'far, far away' and, economically speaking,are central to the world's economy.

Instead, what is being used are the words Asia and Asian -- in spite of the fact that Asia (i.e., the land mass east of the Ural Mountains) not only includes China, Japan,and the 2 Koreas but also 3/4 of Russia,Pakistan,India, Turkey and many, many more countries.

To me, using the terms Asia and Asian with such 'looseness' is irrational --whether discussing economics, trade or culture. The area east of the Ural Mountains is too vast and socially diverse. To refer to any or all these groups with the same 'Asian' term is to reduce clarity and distort and confuse what is being said or written. And this in particularly true when referring to countries of distinct Chinese-Japanese-Korean descent and culture. After all, these 4 countries alone account for 1 in 5 humans on the planet!

So what better, more precise terms should be used-- which makes clear the related ethnic background,overlapping value systems, religious beliefs and cultures of the old orient?

I suggest, as did a recent single line in a Globe and Mail article , the terms EAST ASIA and EAST ASIAN. These words are geographically correct and in line with the common usage of SOUTHEAST ASIA for the area of Pakistan and India.


Using precise language and classifying items is the norm in the sciences and essential everywhere.

Long live East Asia!

Your Health

Gout pain be gone!


If you have gout or know anyone who does,, foot relief is available – and its name is CROCS.

This plastic footwear which started as an overnight sensation for the beach and has since spread to gardeners and hospitals and restaurant kitchens ( with special versions that have extra slip-proof soles) and now comes in dozens of models and colours, is also great for gout relief.

The large rounded and soft toe area prevents the pinching of the big toe that causes almost unbearable shooting pains, and the open back or swiveling strap back is great for anyone who has gout pain in the heal.

Since I started wearing CROCS exclusively – I own a half dozen different styles - I have been pain free in toe and heal.

Try it and see the joys of walking again.

MEDIA

Comics - the Times They are a Changing

For the last 2 weeks, reader's of the Globe and Mail's cartoon section have had a surprise. The paper -- which targets middle and upper class white collar business people, executives, and the like across Canada -- has had 2 of its 6 multi-panel Canadian comic strips become deadly serious.

Betty, the life and times of a plump blonde in her 30's, her stereotypical husband and video game addicted teen son, suddenly focussed on her desk job at a major company and the threat of re-organiation and layoff with the surprise arrival of a new CEO.

While Betty's job future is still up in the air, that of the main character of Fisher is not in doubt. Fisher -- also in his 30s, married for a few years and now father to a young son starting school -- often pokes fun at his workplace, an advertizing agency: his grim boss, Mr. Mogul and the often silly slogans and jingles he and his colleagues come up with to flog product.

But now, the company is suddenly downsizing and Fisher get laid off immediately.

Friday, May 18, 2012's episode sees him sitting on a park bench forlorn.

Through the recent story lines in Betty and Fisher the Great Recession and its impact on North American society is suddely highlighted.

It has been 3 or more years since the Recession began, and comics are usually not 'early adopters' to new ideas and situations, but now, it seems, the world of comics cannot escape the grim reality of close to 10% unemployment and corporate layoffs to the middle and upper classes.

The Company Men (2010) highlighted the layoff crisis that has devestated the U.S. middle and upper classes, and now it has hit Canadian consciousness and the Globe and Mail's comic strips -- that till now focussed on making us laugh.

YOUR MONEY

Facebook IPO - fool's gold


As the IPO for Facebook approaches, analists on radio and elsewhere are divided.  Some hype the chance to buy shares of the great facebook, while a few raise warning signs.

On 680 News Raido Thursday morning -- before the IPO -- 2 startling turths were revealed by bearish analists.

1. The public will not get 'access' to the IPO shares until 'preferred clients' get them first, so they can RESELL them to the public.  This has been a growng trend of late as Banks, Sovereignty Funds (i.e., the investment trusts owned by various countries), hedge funds, billionaires and the like get 'priorty' and 'behind closed door' chances to buy up huge stakes at discounted prices.   They then resell them to smaller investors at a profit through the 'open market' of the stock exchanges.  (See http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/17/technology/facebook-ipo-final-price/index.htm).

So you or I do not get a fair break on IPOs any more.  We become the suckers! (See point #2 below.)

#2 The posted IPO value for Facebook shares is so inflated that at least one analyst spoke up today.  The ratio is some 70 to 1 compared to earnings. Usually, anything over 17 to 1 is considered as 'highly speculative' and a 'high risk gamble'.

I don't expect Warren Buffett to be buying in.  He cares too much about his money and his company to ride this roller coaster.

The same commentator, by the way, mentioned that most recent IPO share prices have tanked within 2 years.

So don't be a lemming unless you want a facebook share to stick on your wall. 

PS: Don't trust me or any analyst; check it out yourself  first.

                          

YOUR MONEY

Surprise, surprise, Apple!

Again, the commentator in the business section of 680 News radio today was shocked to learn that Samsung cell phones account for some 40% of worldwide units, Nokia another 30% and North American media's 'darling' Apple's iPhone accounts for just 9% of world units.

Anyone who has been paying attention to these regular cell phone industry surveys would know this has been the ongoing pattern for a some time. Even Canada's RIM Blackberry units beat out Apple by 11% worldwide just before the fall of 2011.

Reality check:  The USA and Canada -- in the overall world market for cell phones -- is only one piece of the pie.  Europe and Asia far outweigh us and Apple is barely 'alive' in these markets to date.

The operating system of choice around the world is Android - and guess who is getting richer by the day as a result?   Not Apple!