The Fix: Quick Hits From the Week That Was

This will be a new weekly feature that will focus on some of the things that have happened around the world in the last 7 days. As this is the first one, I may take some liberties with that definition and go a little further back but regardless, here we go…

With all the bling they wear, they could probably afford to feed half the poor people in California by themselves

-Kanye West spent $6 million to propose to Kim Kardashian. At this time, it is unknown how much he spent on her ring but let’s put the whole day at about $8 million conservatively, or basically what he makes in about 1 month (based on last year’s figures at least). At a time when everyone is trying to be fiscally responsible, here is the self-proclaimed “next King of Pop” spending like a drunken sailor on a whore, sorry, she just plays one on reality TV. At least she didn’t name her child something stupid like, oh wait, yeah….she did

-The new wannabe Madonna known as Miley Cyrus needs to have a sit down with the real article so that it is explained to her why she is making herself look like a fool and isn’t really doing anything than making a mockery of her own public image. Her musical talent aside (and she appears to have some), she needs to have someone other than Sinead O’Connor (that paragon of one hit wonders that she was), espouse the lack of moral virtues of the industry they are (or once were in O’Connor’s case) a part of. Had Madonna or Britney or Lady Gaga said the same things to Cyrus, I doubt we would have heard the backlash from Cyrus that we did and still do as it appears most of the inability to listen to a very valid message from Sinead isn't the message but rather the messenger herself. Miley, it shouldn't matter who is giving you advice. It's valid. You need to listen.

-Will Americans finally wake up to the reality which was broadcast on the HBO show “The Newsroom” last year? In case you missed it, Star Jeff Daniels main character of Will McAvoy essentially made striking comparisons between the Tea Party and the Taliban. He drew parallels in their attitudes, their goals, their beliefs about freedoms, you name it. And then, to top it off, the Tea Party went and caused a near month long shut down of the US Federal Government. I guess they wanted to make that comparison a little more legitimate as now its crystal clear that they want to overthrown the President. Before it was more undertones of bigotry and hatred. The shutdown, brought on by the incredibly asinine notion that the poor deserve to have health care coverage, was a blatant attack on the people of the United States, akin to a terrorist attack from within. These people are poisoning America and the sooner that is seen, the sooner the cancerous tumor that they are can be extracted from the government offices they are currently infesting.

-The World Series looked like it was going to be a mismatch after Game 1 and I, personally, was disappointed. The last thing I want to see is the Red Sox cruise to another World Series Sweep. I have no love for the Cardinals mind you, I just can’t stand the smug attitude of john Farrell, former Blue Jays Manager, who pined for the Red Sox job so much, he forced his way out of town. A person who acts the way he did, clearly did not deserve to have this kind of success this fast. The only reason he has is that the Red Sox were re-built character-wise and have one of the deepest and most talent laden roster in the league, despite their age. They might well still win this thing but make no mistake, this is a mirage we are seeing. This team will not be able to repeat their success next year, not with all the changes coming within their own division with a young Tampa team still in its prime, the re-vamped Blue Jays, ever dangerous Orioles and the Yankees who we all know are going to do everything in their power to void the rest of A-Rod’s contract so that they can sign Cano to whatever he wants and then go shopping again on top of that.

After making this catch, Beltran left the game and the Cards got spanked but they won Game #2

The Red Sox are aging and, as we saw yesterday when the Cards evened the series, a young and hard throwing team can run and pitch their way past them as they will eventually implode (see that horrific top of the 7^th inning as case in point). I feel The Cards might just be able to pull it off but they will need to win the first game in St. Louis first or else the Red Sox will be deadly and out for blood in Games 4 and 5.

-It shouldn’t be a real surprise that people are upset with the US over the NSA’s actions being made public. They have spent the last decade spying on allies as well as friends illegally. I just wonder if such a fuss would have been made if the NSA had actually shared their findings with their allies instead of kept it to themselves as it appears they did out of fear of legal reprisals (which is where this story is heading).

Another part of this story that isn't making nearly as many headlines is the fact that many of the NSA analysts who were doing the illegal surveillance were also doing so for their own personal reasons. Jealous spouses checking phone voicemails and emails of their wives and husbands, fans checking in on their favorite celebs or athletes, it runs the gamut in terms of what these people did with little if any real penalty for their actions. Sure their were some who had their security clearance lowered or were suspended without pay for some time but the fact that this was allowed to even happen at all tells you how poorly these people were monitored...BY THE VERY SPY AGENCY THEY WORKED FOR!!!

-Still on the topic, there are many countries still gripped with austerity measures designed to try and stabilize their economies and yet not a single one has seen those same austerity measures (which include cutting pensions and wages to the vast majority of people within their borders) used on the salaries of ministers and members of parliament within those same countries. In fact, in some cases, just like what AIG did in granting bonuses to its highest ranking staff members after they were bailed out 5 years ago, many have seen an increase in their pay (Portugal and Greece among them) as well an increase in the police protection they are afforded. Maybe if they were being fair to the people they are supposed to be governing on behalf of they wouldn’t need more police protection.

Euro governments are still in financial peril and yet they don't look at a top down solution, only bottom up

-A small question that still begs to be asked: The American Revolution happened over 225 years ago so why are they STILL using the un-scientific and very British Royal way of doing measurements in miles and inches as well as Fahrenheit? Meters, kilometers and Celsius are used by EVERY scientist on earth and is not based on some abstract measures created by an English King a few centuries ago. What gives?

-This one has “karma” written all over it. The man who dared to accuse North America’s longest serving mayor of conflict of interest charges, Elias Hazineh, has been ordered to pay $170,000 of her $500,000 legal bills she mounted fighting his claims. It’s been argued that Mr. Hazineh was actually a puppet for long-time political rival of the Mayor, Carolyn Parrish, who was the person who blindly forced a judicial inquiry which found that there was no wrong-doing on the part of the Mayor, despite Ms. Parrish’s deepest wishes that there were. Mr. Hazineh should go ask Ms Parrish for reimbursement or help in paying back the Mayor as she might well be the only person other than him who thought there was something wrong being done during the tenure of Mayor McCallion, who has seen her city grow from a farming community of 30,000 in 1978 when she took office, to a sprawling Metropolis-like City of nearly ¾ of a million people today.

The longest serving mayor in North America deserves to have a lot more respect shown to her then she has lately

-In case you remember the name Carolyn Parrish, she was the Liberal fool that openly criticized America by calling the entire country “a bunch of war-mongering bastards” back in 2003. While this is becoming more and more true by the day, her gaffe led to her being kicked out of the Federal Liberal caucus, led to her eventual loss of her riding in 2006 and was a sign to come for the entire Liberal party which is now but a shadow of its former self both in actual federal seats in parliament and in financial aspects as well. She thought she was going to just ride into city politics and knock the “old lady” Mayor McCallion into retirement. She should have probably just bided her time quietly until the Mayor moved on at her own pace instead of trying to push her out the door like the ungrateful brat she appears to be. Mayor McCallion is the reason that there are or have been ANY city governments in this area that have maintained a balanced cheque book (Just look at the mess David Miller left in Toronto. It has taken 3 years for the city to get out of the hell hole he created financially). Parrish is now looking more and more like an impatient child who feels the position of Mayor is hers by some sort of birth right. Won’t happen now and hopefully that should serve as a lesson to any and all challengers to Mayor McCallion (should she choose to run again).

-something really needs to be done about the amount of drivers on the road that literally think they are more important than the other thousands of drivers in and around them. Each and every day, I see drivers riding along the shoulder to pass others or failing to yield to emergency vehicles or blatantly on the phone flaunting their carelessness as they cut people off and then get mad at others for calling them on their pathetic behavior. There needs to be some kind of easily accessed webpage or site that others can either take pictures of these people violating the law and post to instantly or some kind of police traffic site where the same can be done. I mean what is the point of the HOV lanes and their painted road signs if every day people violate them without consequence?

-On the topic of the HOV lanes, I propose that the government should install those same plastic cones every 5 meters or so apart, right on the lane marker, to deter people from illegally changing lanes at high speeds while in those lanes. This would drastically reduce the number of lane violators and/or cause insurance rates to rise as idiots will damage their cars trying to swerve between them. Either way, at least someone will be happy (mostly the insurance companies).

-Again, still on topic, Car Insurance companies in Ontario are gauging people even more in the last few months before they are forced to cut rates by at least 15% by the government. In some cases, rates have soared for some drivers over 30%, which, after the forced cuts, would still bank them a hefty amount. This is truly pathetic of these billion dollar companies to try and milk the cow even more before they are forced to cap their rates by the government. Personally, given how this has transpired, if I were in power, I would impose huge fines on these businesses as these are predatory business practices they are employing and they all know exactly what they are doing.

-On a final note, there are rumblings of a possible snap Provincial election coming down in the next 60 days or so as the Fiberals are thinking they may be able to re-gain a majority position given how weak Andrea Horvath and Tim Hudak look to be lately. I fear that they may be right and that I may have no choice but to either spoil my ballot or bite the bullet and vote NDP as Tim Hudak is a putz who is ruining the gains made by conservatives in this province. No wonder the Conservative party of Canada is NOT affiliated with the Ontario PC Party. I wonder what it would take to get Hudak ousted as leader? A 3^rd defeat at the hands of a bunch of lying Fiberls? If so, then we may be able to finally get rid of him as leader and replace him with a new person who better understands how to wield the power entrusted to them when elected.