2015: End Of Year Thoughts.

I think if there's anything about this year that's very obvious is that this is the year I really entered middle age.

For one thing, almost all of the hair on my face is pretty much white. What hair I have left on my head is still its original color, which annoys me further. I finally get attention from women, but it's always in the 'oh look at that kind distinguished elderly man with his granddaughter' crap.

Which on that note, I never bought into that whole 'men are so attractive when they are older bullshit'. The only reason women say that is to make themselves look and feel younger than they really are.

I finally did something about the soreness in my hands and started wearing braces on my wrists whenever I type.

I got sick - and more often. In fact, I got so sick in the last week or so, the last time I missed so much work was about ten years ago. So many of the problems from last year I've nearly forgotten about due to all the new issues.

But more than that - I realized this year this I've been completely behind on just about all pop culture for the last 10-15 years, and I don't really give a fuck.

I did write two more albums. Okay really more like 10 songs on one and nine on another (I'll add the last track as an instrumental). But even there, I could've finished that last records months ago, and I more or less waited till the end of the year.

Finally got a bonus this year - most of it I'm sure will be spent on all the medical bills I'll accrue in the New Year.

Hottest year on record - life will get worse.

Saw the new Star Wars movie - just a reboot of the original Stars Wars movie (though admittedly despite not liking any of that director's work, I didn't think it was that bad).

I did start setting some things in motion at work on getting closer to where I want to go - we'll see how it and the rest of 2016 goes.

Goodbye Lemmy.

Thank you for all the memories.

You'll be missed.

But your music will always be with us.

Happy Winter Solstice everyone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_solstice

2015-12-22 04:48 (4:47:58)

The Establishment must really fear Bernie Sanders.

Otherwise the DNC would not shut off access to data (based on a software issue earlier pointed out by the Sanders campaign) only to relent and turn it back on (http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/why-democratic-party-blocking-bernies-access-voter-data).

One has to wonder about the timing, considering Democracy For America's recent poll results indicate very clearly (89.7% in favor) that their members support Bernie Sanders for President Of The United States in 2016.

COP21 'a Fraud'?

So says James Hansen -

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/james-hansen-father-climate-change-awareness-calls-paris-talks-fraud

The talks, intended to reach a new global deal on cutting carbon emissions beyond 2020, have spent much time and energy on two major issues: whether the world should aim to contain the temperature rise to 1.5C or 2C above preindustrial levels, and how much funding should be doled out by wealthy countries to developing nations that risk being swamped by rising seas and bashed by escalating extreme weather events.

But, according to Hansen, the international jamboree is pointless unless greenhouse gas emissions aren’t taxed across the board. He argues that only this will force down emissions quickly enough to avoid the worst ravages of climate change.

Hansen, 74, has just returned from Paris where he again called for a price to be placed on each tonne of carbon from major emitters (he’s suggested a “fee” – because “taxes scare people off” – of $15 a tonne that would rise $10 a year and bring in $600bn in the US alone). There aren’t many takers, even among “big green” as Hansen labels environment groups.

Hope for the world - COP21?

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35084374

"A deal to attempt to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2C has been agreed at the climate 

 change summit in Paris after two weeks of negotiations.

The pact is the first to commit all countries to cut carbon emissions.

The agreement is partly legally binding and partly voluntary."

"The measures in the agreement included:
• To peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and achieve a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century
• To keep global temperature increase "well below" 2C (3.6F) and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C
• To review progress every five years
• $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, with a commitment to further finance in the future."


We'll see. Time will only tell.

US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia - in his own words.

http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/14-981_p8k0.pdf

There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas, where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less–a slower-track school where they do well. One of the briefs pointed out that most of the black scientists in this country don’t come from schools like the University of Texas…. They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they’re being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them.

But wait, here's the appalling part - the establishment media tries to hide what he said -

In a remark that drew muted gasps in the courtroom, Justice Antonin Scalia said that minority students with inferior academic credentials may be better off at “a less advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well.”

“I don’t think it stands to reason that it’s a good thing for the University of Texas to admit as many blacks as possible,” he added.

 Source: FAIR - http://us10.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8c573daa3ad72f4a095505b58&id=524d880c3b&e=9fd594db40

Scalia sounds like a bigot to me.

As if there aren't enough reasons to trust the right-wing establishment ...

... here's another, courtesy Mike Duffy.

http://ipolitics.ca/2015/12/10/duffy-on-the-stand-robocalls-and-black-ops/

In his third day of testimony in his criminal trial, Senator Mike Duffy told an Ottawa courtroom Thursday that a former Conservative campaign manager, the late Senator Doug Finley, operated a “black ops” organization that helped re-elect former Conservative MP Gary Lunn in the 2008 election.

“He’d had a close call in the previous election. And it was only through the divine intervention of Doug Finley’s ‘black ops’ group at Conservative headquarters that he managed to get himself re-elected,“ Duffy said in his third day of testimony in his own defence.

Gee I wonder where all this came from?

Maybe it had something to do with the horrific shooting and how all the gun nuts are conflating the shooter's name and background.

Anyways, read it and pass it on.

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/10-most-popular-and-wrong-arguments-gun-advocates-make

Let the establishment media and the right-wing bitch about Trudeau and his kids' nannies all they want.

It frankly is better this way.

For one thing, the vast majority of the country is behind the person who was legally elected in the last Federal election, so we as taxpayers have no issue shouldering his kids' care being taken care of. It's called socialized healthcare - something both the right-wing base and establishment media cannot accept.

And for another, if this is really the best they can do, then it's better to keep both occupied with such trivial matters while the Liberal Government can actually focus on more important issues, like addressing Global Warming, Fixing our infrastructure and health care and education, and restoring Canada's place as an international diplomat.