Decline of the media

For the next couple of blogs over several days, the topic of the decline of the media will be examined intensely. Well maybe not that intensely. Several causes lead to inescapable conclusions.

Primary to the decline of the print and internet media quality emerges from this image. It is of course a cup of coffee. And it is good coffee.

Yet one must ask oneself in a detached logical accent of a voice, does the increase of good coffee directly effect the sliding quality of the media reportage?

The relationship appears to be yes. In days gone by, reporters and editors could not get quality cups of coffee. Now that they can, coffee breaks are longer. Which means the storytelling around the coffe tables appears so excessive that it diffuses originality and the creativity of any sort of bullshitting.

So a turbid equation emerges. A theory proposed. Increases in the quality of coffee, leads to a comparative and proportional decline of print journalism.

Rejecting Anonymous Comments from goofball Green Party lurkers

For the first time in my life I exercised extremely reluctantly the tool of censorship. I received a slanderous and salacious comments from some total goof about other people who were prominent in the Green Party and in due course calling them fascists. Better to have a fascist than a cowardly gossipy sneak. To make matters worse this person, obviously a Green Party insider lurks looking for blogs stupid enough to publish their libelous statements.

This "coward" begged for anonymous status. I don't mind publishing anonymous comments so long as they are not slanderous or libelous and carry factual foundation to support or constructively criticize. The only statement which wasn't a libel insisted Elizabeth May was democratic.

Maybe this spamming coward doesn't really understand. I never meant to imply that she wasn't. That would have been an interpretation that could only made by a complete dyslexic too stupid to correctly read clear text. I meant to define her as a complete political idiot not fit to lead a national political party whose clear mission is to save the planet. And there are facts backing this up.

1. She is running against Peter MacKay. Of all the ridings in Canada that is the worst riding to pick. In the last sixty years only once has the Conservatives failed to hold that riding. Not only that MacKay is extremely popular in that riding. She is doomed to failure.

The Liberal support in that riding will not move to her instead it is more likely to move to their favorite son. Since Belinda betrayed him to shine in the Liberal light, any shake up in the demographic will favour his ass.

This is politics 101. Free fucking advice from a political expert here. No charge. A kindergarten kid could get the concept that in order to build a door ...you don't bang your head against a concrete wall.

2. "May" committed the ultimate failure of any political movement. She set back the Green Party grievously. By agreeing to anything with the Liberals publicly, by making this agreement with she handed the Liberals the principle foundational plank of the Green Party.

She allegedly commented that Dion is Green. Last I looked in his short tenure as Environment Minister, Dion did absolutely nothing. That is N. O. T. H. I. N. G.

Okay, lets suppose then, and she does defeat MacKay. She pulled the electoral platform feet out from every other Green in every other riding in the country for completely selfish egocentric reasons. Voters are not complicated people. Their major concern is self interest. They'll go for anyone who will lower taxes regardless of whether it causes bad government.

Here is the choice she left her constituency. Do I vote for a Green Party candidate, whose leader is so stupid to actually believe, that she can beat Peter MacKay. Do I vote for a Liberal who is running on the same environmental issues supported by the Green Party Leader, will be more likely to get to form the next government, who can then get me government grants for my gay child's dance performance. Or, do I vote for a Green Party candidate who won't form the government, who won't be able to enable green legislation based on the party platform, who won't be able to get me a grant for my gay child's dance performance.

Now who will these voter's choose. A enchilida or a single chili pepper. Isn't anyone in that Green Party capable of simple political concepts?

The riding May should've run in, Toronto Centre, was open with a dynamic voting pattern. That is why Bob Rae picked the riding its open to anyone phony lefties. Graham the puff adder, held the riding and did absolutely nothing for the constituents... and worse they didn't even mind.

The present perspective candidate in that riding for the Green Party, acts more like a goofy teenager than an a smart political animal. At one time ,I was actually interested in joining the Green Party, if only to stop Bob Rae's coronation.

Here's why stupidity gets contagious. So looking at this idiot's website, I saw an event where I could go and meet the person, press the flesh. I've done political work as a campaign management consultant for almost forty years. My political apprenticeship in practical politics was with the same campaign manager, Clem Downey of Nipigon, the guy who engineered the defeat of the most powerful Liberal in the country at that time, CD Howe.

People forget but CD Howe was big, big and he got dumped by an NDP guy. Such an upset would have been the same as hypothetically as Elizabeth May actually dumping Peter MacKay without Liberal help. Over the years I worked as a worker, advisor, driver, scrutineer, floor captain, rabble rouser, and manager on several campaigns until the normal middle age disillusionment with politics came into the fray. In short, I do know of what I speak.

I am an ad hoc member of Hoof & Cycle which is an ad hoc group which advocates on issues regarding active (human powered) transportation. We ad hoc a lot. Big. Really big on environment and practical not theoretical solutions. And the fearless ad hoc leader of our small but effluential ad hoc group, Wayne Scott was on the panel. Be there. Be square. Do a little ad hoc. Hoc. Hoc. Hoc.

So this Green Candidate, who shall remain nameless, because at this point I expect an apology for this person's simple minded behaviour from said person, listed in the "Calendar of Events." a panel discussion hosted by "Now" magazine which took place a couple of weeks ago. The topic was Bicycling and its perceived decline. To emphasize, I repeat, it was listed in the Green Party website. Not only that. The event occurred in his riding. Now Magazine's HQ and café is on Church south of Dundas East, and right inside the boundaries of Toronto Centre.

Hey I went. To be honest, most of these people are not in my demographic partying group. And they are stuck in bike lanes and most of them are jocks. Which isn't bad. Not at all. They are very good conscientious citizens. At least they cared enough to show up, unlike you know who. On the panel was the usual suspects in the Bicycle advocacy and the newly vetted TTC Chairman Adam Giambrone.

The hostess for this environment event, the co-founding CEO of Now Magazine, the beautiful Alice Klein, who is the most energetic environmentalists in the city. This was a not only the usual Toronto bitching-o-rama this was like a social environmental love-in. An ashram of purity and future light. This was the sunshine at midnight.

Not a demographic exactly in my personal comfort zone, but certainly it should be a must do for the Green Party. I mingled. Oh yes I did. Shook hands. Giggled at bad jokes. Grinned at boorish observations. Nodded at the inane environmental comments by urbanites who know squat about nature. Searching, searching. Screwing up the courage. Grinning like a lost child. I mingled.

The Green Party guy. The guy who has the most to lose in the next election Didn't bother to show up. Categorically no political reason for the Green Party to not be there even with a substitute. This was the guys Green demographic. This was the place to rally support. To press the flesh. To cash in on the moment. Get the momentum going. Garner support from those most likely to show up at the campaign rallies and campaign headquarter. I really looked hard.

Hey I am not going to give out free advice here. No way. I need the money. I know what I would be doing if I were the Green candidate. I be like behaving like there was no tomorrow. The race in this riding is open. Ripe for picking. Best chance to get into the House and shout insults at the Prime Minister. Best place to really go for the big bone. Got the right issue. Got the best alternative. I know what I would have done were I the candidate.

Also I know what I would have said if I were the campaign manager in the riding. Oh trust me. Tis would be a lesson. It would be a three... no a four hour fucking lecture with all the salient points and political examples extending back to Brutus's famous excuse... "Gee I didn't know that the knife was loaded!"

The guy didn't show. No one from the party stepped forward. It was on his website. Am I bitter about having to spend a half hour of time trying to ferret out the presence of this political movement? Did I feel bitter about having to pass up the free food service at the post game social reception to smile and ask people about people who should have been there? Am I bitter? Am I pissed?

I even went up to a scrawny look alike. I had too. There was a remote resemblance to the Green Party Candidate. Yes. At a function where I could have connected for employment. At a function where I could have scored a babe in my age category. You know what I was doing...? Oh yeah. Asking really stupid questions.

Oh ya a lot of fun going up to people. Are you ______? or Do you belong to the _____ Party? No? Hey what a fun time!!!.

Conclusion. I could not select the right name to accurately describe this ____ Party candidate. Please help. Go ahead. Pick a name out of this list: 1. idiot, 2. moron, 3. dog poop scoop, 4. pickle brain, 5. cubic minded ... aka blockhead.

I am at a loss to pick one, or just pick one. It is best to be democratic in the assignment of proper titles. We are all happy democrats here aren't we?

Now I don't blame this guy for being a (pick a name from above list). I've never met him. How could that happen. He's gotta show at the events he promotes, ya think? Maybe the guy had something to do? I dragged my sorry ass out of bed to attend this event. I had been in the hospital bed recovering from knee surgery less than a week before. But this isn't about me. I am just the victim of this really bad politic.

Maybe the (pick a name from above list) will read this post and go "Ooops"? But what it does show is just how politically unfit this particular political party is at the moment. Shit happens. Maybe he was in a hospital..? Maybe recovering from a double lobotomy? Who knows? Who knows?

And worst of all. Their alleged supporters and members of the Green Party's in Canada waste time with petty differences. Waste time with personality issues. Waste time in fractious and nugatory issues. They are basically leaderless, do need a political leader, and in the same breath, don't want a good leader. The whole globe is about to burn and these clowns are screwing up with kindergarten attitudes and infantile parochial infighting. How could these clowns unite a whole country when they can't unite a simple political movement? They are behaving absolutely small, they are thinking small when the issue, Global Warming is not just large but in quantity humongous.

Don't blame polluters. The people they should blame ...is themselves. The members of the Green Party are the most to blame for the future failure of environmental change if the course of this event.

What is more? I just really don't appreciate in having to be put in the position of being a censor. I apologize to my blog readers for that much.

Censorship is absolutely against my inner wishes. But allowing such specious comments would have definitely violated the slander and libel laws in Canada and since the person was too cowardly, too weaselly to attach a verifiable name to these false arguments they were in the final issue my responsibility and I put them into the garbage, without recycling them.

How's that for response no three R's not even one. Straight to garbage. I apologize to the garbage can whence they went. There was no balance in the text and article to the comment. And it was unfair to the people mentioned by name in that comment to publish it.

I know one thing, recalling that meeting. It is the most patent reason why the Green Party staggers. Almost all the people there at that meeting regarding the future of bicycling in this city were united in one thing. People who should be on side with all parties Green... Couldn't care less.


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Environmental crisis - Part two - The Greens

At this point of time, the Canadian environmental effort staggers from disaster to disaster. The major crisis for the Canada isn’t Global Warming. Not at all.

Only one great disaster remains and it is Humans. The worst thing to happen to the Canadian environment may surprise some. The enemy isn’t the greedy selfish energy guzzling Canadian businessman. At the heart of the crisis is the failure of the environmentalists themselves. The Canadian Green Party(s) continue playing the parable to a political Katrina, …nay a whole series of Katrina class storms.

Politically they cannot get it together. In theory, the Canadian Green Party represents the environment. In action, they mimic Keystone Cops lurching from idea to idea. Bickering amongst themselves incessantly. Making plainly stupid political decisions. They lack leadership, focus and vision.

Result a disaster for the environment. The accumulated follies would assemble into a long list, a compendium of literal disaster. Certainly Green Party members are well meaning people, good people, but presently they haven’t identified the problem. It isn’t waste. It isn’t emissions. Its them.

Top of the list remains the leadership of the party. While the environment remains the top most priority, Canadian environmental politicians care more about strokes to their ego rather than saving a pound of air. Get with it. Hell will suffer from Infernal Freezing before Elizabeth May wins an election, and any election against Peter MacKay in Nova Scotia, in MacKay’s home riding.

For a while there, the Green Party appeared to be on the right track with the leadership of Jim Harris. They were in growth mode albeit one too slow. Harris steered the party into the business and commercial mainstream. The theme was becoming mainstream Canadian.

Canadian voters are for the most part central on the political spectrum. Middle of the road positioning is politically important. Key to the voters is the policies regarding the environment. Apparently the common sense approach to politics remained subordinate to personal viewpoints. The radical factions of the Green Party maneuvered Harris into resigning and took over the party.

May’s surrender to Dion in consenting to allow the Liberals to help her try to win against MacKay remains a questionable tactic.

Not all Liberals will join her and more likely simply refuse to vote. One hunch is that she is not listening to any sound political advice. Even on paper her challenge in this riding is politically stupid. The riding in any form has remained in Conservative hands for at least fifty years with the exception of four years during the first Chretien landslide that swept any Mulroney Tory aside east of the Manitoba Border save for three. In the next election, the riding returned to the Tory side and the politician that did this was Peter MacKay.

By this no-compete effort between her party and the Liberals she may think this is a good thing but she literally killed her very own party by denying the Green party in Stephan Dion’s own riding to make a statement at the polling station. It is an anti-democratic move.

Worse it instantly paints the red Liberals green and environmental. The only recorded achievement Dion did for the environment during his ministerial tenure was to name his dog Kyoto. As for the real Kyoto it was largely ignored suffering from the usual posture of the modern Liberal politician which is to sit quietly on all hands. May foolishly handed the Liberal party environmental legitimacy.

Contrast this with the Harris stand against the urbanite dandy leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) Jack Layton. Jim Harris’s move to the centre suborned the alleged tree hugging posturing of the NDP. The NDP jumps on any fashionable cause de jour, promising but never delivering in any government they controlled in the last twenty years. (Can anyone recall the NDP mantra about Ontario Public Auto?)

Magnifying this was the continuing grievous mishandling by the Green Party of the Wayne Crookes’ Affair. Apparently Green Party members and internet sites are being sued allegedly for libel and slander on the internet blogs. The merits of this litigation is best left to the law courts. Regardless this sequence of events should have never occurred in the first place.

Of all the Canadian environmentalists to constantly harp but do absolutely nothing about it, is David Suzuki. When I was a member of the now defunct National Party under the political amateur Mel Hurtig. The major plank of the National Party involved the environment. Suzuki was rumored to have assured that if Mel took the jump to lead the party, he would be a candidate.

Indeed doubtless Suzuki has not only been asked by the National Party but he had received offers from the NDP, the Liberals (but they’ll ask anybody), and the present Green Party to run in a riding as a candidate. I can only speak to the National Party experience with Suzuki and a little bit with the NDP.

The National Party did start out rather well and united. One of those reasons was the possibility that Suzuki would run. Indeed some of the senior officials within that party felt that it was a done deal. Another promise of participation allegedly came from Maude Barlow another mouth and no action person. Recall that at that time there were only four self proclaimed and widely acknowledged ethical champions of Canada. Mel Hurtig, Maude Barlow, David Suzuki, and Margaret Atwood.

Of the four only one stuck their neck out, and put their reputation on the line politically and that was Hurtig. It is easy to understand why Atwood wouldn’t run, she’s a writer, an unelectable political dilettante. Maude Barlow would have been an iffy candidate. But the star was Suzuki.

Political experts within the nascent political party had correctly ascertained that Suzuki was likely the single most electable environmentalist in Canada. Certainly he would have won in any riding in British Columbia. It was also felt that Suzuki would have been the number two political leader in that party and certainly any party for that matter. Indeed had he asked he could have assumed the mantle of party leader. So strong is the Canadian identity and contact to ordinary Canadians by Suzuki that any campaign manager could have assisted Suzuki to become a political party leader of any political party of his choosing.

That was then. This is now, a decade and half later. Incredibly if Suzuki so chose to do so, he would easily win in many of the seats in Canada. Why doesn’t he?

Well, it would mean public scrutiny. This is the usual excuse. But then he has always been a public person used to being in the public. On the one hand the rumored participation by him in the National Party could have been used as membership bait. The mere mention of his name inspires participation. I can only relate what was told to me. He couldn’t run and keep his contract with CBC.

Recently, Suzuki went on a cross Canada environmental crusade to save Kyoto and stop global warming. According to the reports I’ve read, he did this in a large diesel guzzling luxury RV. He and his spokes people retorted that this was the only option. How wrong. Another option exists. He could have taken a Greyhound like the rest of us mortals.

But Suzuki is a case standard. Its fine and dandy for those celebrity environmentalists to spout. Remember, when people like Suzuki speak the critical issue of the environment to them it still is not their number one concern. Their bank account is.

To win this fight the time for talk is over. It takes guts to change the course of human history. Anyone can talk about it, til cows can roost in the treetops. People can make minuscule efforts to help the environment but at the moment it is not a small change, it is a big change that is needed. It is a political change that is needed. To save the environment depends wholly on a smart plan, a smart vision, a smart action on politics, a smart political leadership and a smart political unity.

Environmental crisis - part one - Shit all over the place

With the entire planet's environment entering a period of warming humans stumble with reality. The humorous episode generated by rocker Sheryl Crow's comments on one sheet for one shit begs a comedy of errors. Her comments were greeted with derision and comedic reaction.

What is staggering though is that these comments outstripped all the press about the impending global warming for the last month. Crows comment wasn't well thought out sort of impractical but definitely her heart was pointed in the right direction. Secondly she can say anything she wants. I'd walk on nails for her and if she went out with me I would never see another beef steak nor care.

Remember one important thing for over two hundred years ago the principle cleaning device for la derriere was the left hand. And there was no place to wash hands back then. So the issue of tissue wipes out the position of those who chided and criticized such ambitious remarks. It presents an idea going forward. Not one of the critics came up with a positive alternative. It would need a larger mind.

If a lot of people did a little bit there would be an impact on the environment. The alliance of the media to the people who tried to humiliate Crow demonstrates the rather small contribution of the mainstream media to the attention. If this is the reaction by those of the fifth estate then the cause is lost.

Yet there lies the heart of the problem with the Environmental movement. The emotion is correct. Yet there lacks a clear focus on how to deal with the great challenge of this century. The concepts and efforts are too fractuous. Each faction more loyal to its pet peeves in sacrifice to the extremely important issue of reducing green house gas emissions from an ever bulging human population. Not all ideas work well.

The great challenge isn't deep space exploration at the moment. The great challenge of this coming century is to adjust the human lifestyle and civilization to the limited resources of this small planet. We already have most of the technology capable of rectifying this environmental situation.

There is a crisis point in Global Warming. Its humanities largest crisis. It is moving much faster than the natural world can cope with. Plants and animals need time to adjust to the change in atmosphere. Humans constantly infringe on the natural habitats and devices that protected our nascent emergence from the Serengeti. The crisis period is about a decade. It needs a larger plan a more consistent vision.

Recently I asked a notable person very emphatic to the environmental issues. He would have made an excellent Member of Parliament. But even this great issue didn't overcome the individual angst. The environmentalist movement to this point insists on calling its members warriors. Nay we need no warriors. Humanity requires soldiers.

Soldiers not to kill. Soldiers to put their reputation on the line. Soldiers well versed to sell the new dream. Soldiers armed with the vision. Soldiers trained to be fearless. Soldiers foresaking comforts. Soldiers willing to move the wall of doom facing humanity on this small planet.

Turning the current path of Global Warming better called the Global catastrophy will require a loyal, selfless army division of these leaders of these soldiers. It must be tried albeit it might be too late for the short term impact on the globe. Whether now or even if it is too late, the sacrifices of many will be necessary for the survival of the human species. The enemy of this army of human environmental soldiers. Only one enemy. Themselves.