Too much too soon or too little too late?

To often and too early do we hear the talking heads on CNN, Bloomberg and pals utter the standard refrain 'too little too late'. As a self-confessed chronic skeptic I wonder how wrong the pundits are? And I wonder if, quite soon, they may be heard to admit that what today is thought of as too little too late may indeed have been too much too soon. I speak of course of the bailout packages rolled out over the past six months by governments - almost every government on the planet that could afford it - to banks, businesses and down-on-their-luck citizens across this globe of ours that we call home.

The markets and financial order will return soon enough - well, perhaps only soon; it will never be soon enough. And once the turn around happens what, one wonders, will the real reason for the turn around be attributed. Many may point to Obama; skeptics will say that without Bush there'd be no need for Obama's near-perfect leadership and timing.

Some will say that the turn around will be a result of simple gravity. That is to say the result of the dear old consumer and his family simply burning, albeit at a slower rate, through their perishables and non-perishables to the point where replenishment is order if not necessary and the consequence will be the need for more credit to replace old cars, computers , jeans, T-Shirts and PDAs.

Notwithstanding the rosy horizon it remains that several trillion dollars in debt will overhang the global financial system and the one wonders, as skeptics do, if the next big collapse may be the last. Has the leadership overacted? I'll bet my electric car from G(E)M that it has.

Apply the 'use or lose it' rule to neighbouring Zimbabwe to rebuild economy

IF SOUTH AFRICA FOLLOWS THROUGH ON THE 'USE IT OR LOSE' LEGISLATION ON AGRICULTURE IT COULD BE A TURNING POINT IN POST POST-COLONIAL ECONOMIC STRATEGY

The story on today's BBC website indicates that common-sense may have trumped knee-jerk socialism in South Africa. Unquestionably land distribution to the disadvantaged peoples in post apartheid was inevitable, ethical and the right thing to do. This said, it also become clear very early on that the way in which land was handed out had not been thought through and in the end the plan was recognized by all sensible people in South Africa as having been botched (and that is putting it kindly).

Handing land over to people who do not know how to husband the land is a mistake. South Africa was in danger of following Zimbabwe down a road to an agricultural apocalypse. The new legislation from South Africa's minister of agriculture is doubtless a carrot being waved at the electorate prior to the May election. Or is it?
If the ANC or COPE for that matter are looking to increase their standing with the populace in general, then threatening to take back land from blacks does not seem to be the way to go. So what is thinking here?

It may simply be that all races, creeds and colours and members of every political pursuasion in South Africa recognize a recession when they see one. And simpler yet all South Africans recognize that in times of failing economies and threatened financial systems all the stops must be pulled out. Going back on a promise to redistribute to the historically disadvantaged is a strong message that someone, somewhere in the South African halls of power undestands the problem and has figured out the solution. If only Zimbabwe's polotician's would sit up and take note.

From the BBC

South Africa says it will take over any land allocated to black farmers which is not being used effectively under a land redistribution programme.

The measure, which takes immediate effect, was announced by Agriculture Minister Lulu Xingwana, who warned farmers should "use it or lose it".

She said confiscated land would go to emerging farmers and co-operatives.

After apartheid, the government set a target to give 30% of all agricultural land to the black majority by 2014.

About 95% of that land has been handed over but much of it has lain idle for years.

Rush into the Glen

Can there be two more reprehensible, awful personalities on our wide screens than Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck. I'd like to think that Limbaugh has the excuse of insanity. Beck has no excuse and his parents for that matter have less of an excuse for unifying to bring this whining monstrosity into our living rooms.

I would like to think that what they do for a living is done for entertainment, as nothing comes from either mouth that relates even remotely to the true state of the United of States or any other state, hostile or benign.

We are told that CNN is representative of the left and that FOX is somehow right wing. Beck brought only insidious trivia to CNN and was so good at it that he now applies the same righteous drivel to FOX. Has he ever once watched or listened to himself. I suspect the answer is 'yes'. And if that is the case the US is in serious trouble i.e if he believes himself then others may follow. I would happily double the world's financial woes and see the collapse of numerous large banks to see the back of Beck. He needs to be locked up. He needs to be locked up with Rush in the same cell. Rush needs to catch Glen in the showers and roger some sense into his flabby white ass. That will make Glen's blue eyes shine even brighter.

If anyone has any suggestions on how we can rid the planet of Beck and Limbaugh all submissions are welcome. Perhaps a stint in Afghanistan will sort them out. They could clean out Al Quaeda latrines or dig ditches for the Taleban. Anything to keep them off our TV screens. Two fascist mafia, but without the flair one would expect of the Sopranos, Capone and Luciano.

Government

Government is so, so yesterday...............................

Perspective

It is possible to buy the Opel automaker from GM for $4.2 BN.

Add $800,000 million and you can bailout the nation of Zimbabwe.

Now, consider the returns from either investment.

Aid for Zimbabwe needs to be seen in perspective and needs serious governance rules attached

Aid needs for Zimbabwe's reconstruction has been touted as being around $5bn. This seems to be an inordinately small amount of money in today's bailout environment. Consider that General Motors lost nearly twice this amount in the fourth quarter of 2008. Consider the hundred's of billions of dollars being pumped into the failed banking systems internationally and Zimbabwe's $5bn price tag appears paltry by comparison. What price for a nation?

It is not surprising that Zimbabwe's request for aid falls on deaf ears in the west and in Africa. Robert Mugabe's behaviour has sealed the country's fate and even the presence of a token opposition party in parliament has done little to mitigate for Mugabe's nearly three decades of rampant crimes against humanity. He and his cronies have robbed Zimbabwe blind. Handing this same gang of thugs $5bn is neither palatable nor prudent.

With proper international governance and monitoring however the problem could be simply resolved and probably within a relatively short timeline. If the United Nations and Imminent Group of Persons wished to do something useful in African now would be the time. All that is needed is continue the political house cleaning that seems to have taken hold with the introduction of the MDC to the political landscape. With no faith in ZANU-PF we are left with the MDC and must be hopeful that it will show leadership and integrity in returning the lives of good Zimbabweans to normality.

Story below from the BBC:


Western donors have resisted African requests to help rescue Zimbabwe's economy.

They say they are waiting for proof that the unity government is really working.

Zimbabwe has asked for emergency aid to revive public services and the business sector.

But as the summit began on Thursday, local people expressed concern as to whether their country could afford the aid burden, says the BBC's Mohammed Allie in Cape Town.

He points out that South Africa has recently lost thousands of jobs, particularly in the mining, clothing and motor car industry.
Mr Tsvangirai said last week it would cost as much as $5bn (£3.5bn) to fix Zimbabwe's economy.

The new administration urgently needs to tackle an economic meltdown that has led to the world's highest inflation, food shortages and a cholera epidemic.

More than half the population is believed to need food aid, while just 10% of adults have a regular job.

The Herald quotes African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka as saying that Zimbabwe's economic recovery plan merits support. But he said Zimbabwe's foreign debts of $5bn (£3.5bn) had to be addressed, before more aid could be sent.

Spwingter has arrived in the Fraser Valley

When spring and winter combine to form spwingter the valley can from time to time look pwetty.

Water, water everywhere - not a drop to drink

Zimbabwe 'treason case dropped'

Mr Bennett, had only just returned to Zimbabwe.

Charges of treason against Zimbabwean politician Roy Bennett have now been dropped, and replaced with other allegations, his party says.

The new charge is conspiring to acquire arms with a view to disrupting essential services, the MDC said.

Mr Bennett, a deputy ministerial nominee, was arrested on Friday shortly before President Robert Mugabe swore in new ministers of the unity government.

His lawyer, Trust Maanda, said the treason case did not "hold water". (and even if it did hold water it would not be drinkable)

Park Zimbabwe in South Africa

Whither Zimbabwe - wither Zimabwe?

In the economic sense and in the health sense Zimbabwe is in desparate need of being sent to a rest home. The nearest and most convenient one is neighbouring South Africa.



Why? And what does this mean? With regard to 'why' it is simply because the leadership - even with the MDC apparently given some powers - it asks too much to expect that the MDC and ZANU-PF will be distracted by their political differences long enough to focus on extricating Zimbabwe's citizens from the hell they have come to call home. Politicians rarely have the community's best interests at heart. While this may sound rash to the average voter when describing the average sovereignty, in Zimababwe it is not only true, but a cliche.



In the past it has always seemed to Radio Haney that an eventual solution to fixing the broken Zimbabwe will come in the form of some sort of Chapter 11 arrangement or bankruptcy protection with South Africa as the 'Trustee in Bankruptcy' long enough for Zimbabwe to find its fiscal feet.



Now other voices - even from within Zimbabwe - are being heard making similar statements:

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has declared that his first priority will be to fix the country's basket-case economy.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's battles are only about to begin
It is a challenge of biblical proportions - even when leaving aside the problems of sharing power with President Robert Mugabe.

"The expenditure needs of government stretch from the North Pole to the South Pole while its revenue options are as terse as the shortest verse in the Bible - 'Jesus wept'," observes the All Africa news service.

With most of Zimbabwe's schools and hospitals closed, its roads and sewers in tatters, and with at least eight in 10 people out of work, there is no shortage of areas where expenditure can be clocked up.

But raising the cash is a trickier task.

Take Mr Tsvangirai's first promise to his people, that "every health worker, teacher, soldier and policeman will receive their pay in foreign currency until we are able to stabilise the economy".
Doing so would make sense, given that the US dollar and the South African rand have become the de facto currencies in Zimbabwe, with most shops refusing to accept the Zimbabwean currency as payment.

This has rendered the salaries currently paid to civil servants pretty much worthless.
In turn, many have been forced to seek an alternative income, whether from other jobs or by turning to corruption, while others have simply left the country.

No assistance

The question is not whether civil servants should be paid in a currency that will pay for their food, but rather where the government will get the money from.

The impact on Zimbabwe has been particularly severe
Economist Intelligence Unit

Unlike many other African nations which receive aid from wealthy nations, Zimbabwe saw the International Monetary Fund turn off the taps a decade ago.
Donors, led by the US and the European Union (EU), have said they will neither ease economic sanctions nor provide development assistance until it is clear that Mr Tsvangirai has truly managed to wrestle power from President Robert Mugabe.

First, the EU would want to see "tangible signs of respect for human rights, the rule of law, and macro-economic stabilisation", it said in a statement.

"We'll just have to wait and see," agreed US State Department spokesman Robert Wood, calling for evidence of "good governance and particularly real, true power-sharing on the part of Robert Mugabe".

Direct investment into Zimbabwe from abroad has also all but collapsed, which leaves the government with just one way to get hold of foreign currency, namely exporting.

Severe impact

In the recent past, more than half its export earnings have been generated by its platinum, gold, ferrochrome and nickel mines.

It would not work unless Zimbabwe accepted that South Africa would control its economy, which would make it virtually a province of South Africa
Azar Jammine, senior economist at Econometrix

In recent months, these earnings have plummeted as global prices for precious metals have slumped, with some mining companies mothballing operations till demand picks up again.

"The impact on Zimbabwe has been particularly severe, " according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

"All four sectors are in serious trouble, partly because of the global downturn but also the collapse of basic infrastructure, especially electricity and water supplies."
Zimbabwe's other foreign currency earner, agriculture, is a shadow of its former self after the wholesale looting of farms by Mr Mugabe's cronies during the early 2000s, when productive and profitable farms were either actively wrecked or left to rot.

These days they do not even produce enough to feed the country's starving population.
"Seven million people are in need of food aid"," says Mr Tsvangirai, so it is clear that significant export earnings from agriculture are out of the question.

The country no longer has a tourism industry to speak of, and it could take years before visitor numbers pick up.

Indeed, to make Zimbabwe attractive to tourists, the country's deadly HIV/Aids and cholera epidemics will need to be tackled and the rule of law must be re-established.
'Unhelpful and unacceptable'

With little scope for raising sufficient foreign currency from exports, another solution has been put forward.

Zimbabwe should adopt the South African rand as its currency, South African President Kgalema Motlanthe has suggested.

Zimbabwe's suffering people should not expect quick relief But there are plenty of sceptics.
"It would mean that Zimbabwe would have to follow very different policies than what they've followed up to now," says Rudolph Gouws, chief economist at Rand Merchant Bank.
"This would require Zimbabwe to give up its monetary and exchange rate policy sovereignty," observes Alide Dasnois, economist with the Governance of Africa's Resources Programme of the South African Institute of International Affairs.

Such a move would also leave Zimbabwe with "a very tight fiscal space in which to manoeuvre and pull itself out of its misery", he reasons in an article in the Cape Times.
And as the rand would be overvalued relative to Zimbabwe's situation it would "destroy the competitiveness of its exports" and hence remove any chance of an export-led recovery, he continues.

As such, adopting the rand would "paint Zimbabwe into a corner in its bid to revive its economy", though this is not the main reason why it is an unlikely scenario.

"It would not work unless Zimbabwe accepted that South Africa would control its economy, which would make it virtually a province of South Africa," adds Azar Jammine, senior economist at Econometrix.

Mr Mugabe in particular would resist any dilution of Zimbabwe's sovereignty, while Mr Tsvangirai would see it as "an attempt by South Africa to be party to the agreement via the back door", Mr Lwanda reasons, insisting that adopting the rand would be "unhelpful and politically unacceptable" to Zimbabwe.

Political battle

An economic solution to Zimbabwe's woes is clearly not forthcoming at this stage, so expect Mr Tsvangirai to focus on his political battles.
He will have to fight on two fronts.

At home he will need to make the power sharing agreement with Mr Mugabe work.
While on the international arena he will need to convince both government leaders and investors that he has truly established himself as the nation's genuine leader.

Only then will sanctions be lifted and both aid money and inward investment begin to flow.
Without such input from the international community, there is little hope that Zimbabwe's economy can begin to recover and the country's humanitarian crisis be brought to an end.

BBC Front Page News (Africa) Friday 13, 2009

Government's role as a 'resistance movement'

Not many resistance movements, if any, can claim to be funded entirely by the enemy. Given the voter's role as a the sole provider of finance to government, the notion of government as an organization reliant on the citizen yet intolerant of his needs and wishes, may be worth closer study.

Why do governments for the better part resist the electorate.

How stimulating..............not

The current decline in the world economy became most obvious to the general population in the third quarter of 2008 highlighted by one of what were to be many milestones in the decline, the collapse of Lehman Brothers. 

Subsequent to the Lehman failure each new day has seen a new financial horror of one sort or the other delivered to us by CNN, Bloomberg, the BBC  World News or one of the other media who now, were it not for the world financial crisis, have very little to report, given the end of Bush, the beginning of Obama and the winding down of the Iraq fiasco.

The roots  of the current fiscal malaise are probably much deeper than we either know or care to acknowledge. For me the end of July 2008 was when it hit home when our company failed to secure financing for the acquisition of a gold mine in South Africa. Perhaps the financiers in Vancouver, Toronto and London did not like the deal, perhaps they saw a collapse in mining and mineral exploration coming. Perhaps both. 

It was only when Lehman glowed hot on the monitors in New York and London that we started to hear about national bailouts and multi-billion food packages for the world's largest banks and, famously, our international auto manufacturers.

Curious it is that the two businesses [second only to the business of government] that have the biggest captive audiences need bailouts. There is something very wrong when a bank fails. There is something very wrong when Ford, Chrysler or GM fail. Ford makes and sells the Ford 150 which is touted as the best selling pick-up in history. Banks borrow money from each other at low rates and lend money at higher rates [or at least that is theory]. What excuse can these businesses have for failure?

It is simple, in fact an oversimplification, to say that the reason they have failed is that the costs are too high. But if the costs are not too high then it must be that they are not charging enough to cover the costs as they are. It has to be one or the other. In a recent news piece we learned that auto workers in Detroit earn on average $67 per hour including benefits. Is it any wonder that these companies have collapsed. The sheer weight of cost on the roof of productivity has caused the roof to cave in. Our response is to prop up the roof with more debt. The real answer is to knock the house down and start again. There is no evidence in North America, Europe, the Asias or  South Americas that total restructuring is being considered. The experts simply cannot get their heads around this approach. Doomed to debt is where we stand in early 2009 and it is hard to imagine that we will recover or repay this debt for decades to come.

World leaders, including Barack [I prefer Barack to Mr President or Mr Obama as I feel he is such a nice guy - and enlightened - that he won't mind the informality of just "Barack"] have made a poor choice. They chose the path of borrowing and spending when the more prudent choice would have been to tighten and increase productivity through improved efficiencies. The Federal banks, the IMF and World Bank have taken us down a precarious path. In the worst case scenario is quite probable that if the mass bailouts do not work in the short term that civic action may result on a scale yet unseen. The Internet puts the world's citizens with seconds of one one another. As a consequence it becomes much easier for mass sympathy and mass action if needed. Hopefully we will not go to that place,

Hopefully the pendulum of growth and natural dynamics of supply and demand will swing our way before too long. Given that we live in the age of instant gratification however, the citizens of the world will be quick to ask 'why we could not' having been told that 'yes we can.'

Typical planning in Maple Ridge

Speechless. One has to wonder what was going through the mind of the planning technicians when they approved this project. No need to speculate however on what was going through the minds of of council members who approved this abomination.

The building has an admirable use in the community and one cannot condemn this building, but it is distressing to see how local government - in this case the District of Maple Ridge - hides behind social needs when justifying abysmal planning. Clearly the district's own policies were ignored in allowing this structure.

Laughable is the only way one can describe the faux windows imprinted in this wall of shame. The tiny building in front also belongs to the district so no argument from them. The small building stands in Callaghan Park. Park? Yes park. I suppose one could always demolish the little building and use the wall for tennis practice.

Doubtless we can look forward to more of this sort of thing in our already forlorn neighbourhood, Haney. We may as well make Jack Atwal chairman of our Design Panel. After all look what he has done for Northumberland Court.

All is quiet on the western front and snow is forecast

Maple Ridge is quiet this night before Stephen Harper delivers his budget. No doubt the NDP, Liberals and Partie Quebecois are rubbing their hands in anticipation of.............what? Ignatief is the first to say that he will not comment until after he has fully absorbed the implications of the Harper budget. So long as it does not lead to a February referendum then I think the country will happy.

For his part the leader of the Liberals is a welcome replacement. He may even have the presence to put the scandals of the Liberal party behind us and, who knows, become the next first minister. While not voicing his feelings on the subject I am certain that he'd like to put some distance between himself and the leaders of the NDP and Quebec Party; it will take some finesse, but if nothing else one can say that Ignatief has indeed more finesse than any recent political leaders in Canada.

A man of patent intellectual capacity and a dry wit to match he seems far more in the mould of Barack Obama than Harper and it is easy to visualize the two them taking this somewhat lost continent forward to a more reasoned and reasonable state of being.

Disagreement is likely to be cordial; agreement is likely to be warm and lasting. After all who would you trust; Harper and Bush or Ignatief and Obama? 

We are expecting 5 to 10 cm of snow in Maple Ridge over the next couple of days. There will lots of snow - as in 'job' - on Parliament Hill tomorrow. The next thing you know and it will spring, followed by one hopes a glorious summer of hope and, who knows, perhaps a little glory.

In the meantime, the west waits, in quietude.

 

The Rise and Fall of Haney

Is it big or simply nasty??

Dear Mr. Obama, Mr. Kerry and all the speechwriters and communications professionals in or around Capito(a)l Hill and the White House:

At some point or the other you will need to come to terms with the meaning of word 'Enormity'.

You continue to use the word out of context, most popularly when you refer to the 'enormity of the task.' We know of course that you are trying to say it is a big task, as in enormous. But when you refer to the enormity of the task what you are saying, as an example: "The outrageous, improper, and immoral job of rescuing the world economy. Now, while we know that the road to the world's economic ruin was doubtless created by people who may be described as outrageous, improper, vicious and immoral, the term 'enormity' is not the word to sue when describing what it will take to solve the problem. What find instead is the the enormous task we face when it comes to teaching politicians to speak plain English rather than attempting to grandstand at every opportunity and making idiots of themselves by using English which sounds great but which is balderdash.

Mr Obama used the word often in his acceptance speeches and Mr Kerry used it just morning when addressing Congress at Hilary Clinton's Secretary of State hearing. Tut-tut.

Main Entry:
enor·mi·ty
Pronunciation:
\i-ˈnȯr-mə-tē\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural enor·mi·ties
Date:
15th century
1: an outrageous, improper, vicious, or immoral act
2: the quality or state of being immoderate, monstrous, or outrageous ; especially : great wickedness
3: the quality or state of being huge : immensity
4: a quality of momentous importance or impact
usage Enormity, some people insist, is improperly used to denote large size. They insist on enormousness for this meaning, and would limit enormity to the meaning “great wickedness.” Those who urge such a limitation may not recognize the subtlety with which enormity is actually used. It regularly denotes a considerable departure from the expected or normal . When used to denote large size, either literal or figurative, it usually suggests something so large as to seem overwhelming and may even be used to suggest both great size and deviation from morality . It can also emphasize the momentousness of what has happened or of its consequences .

What will be missing from the Harper stimulus package

TAX DEDUCTIBLE MORTGAGES

For simplicity's sake lets say that in order to make a $1000 dollar per month payment on a mortgage in Canada you need to earn around two thousand dollars pre-tax.

Income $2000 

Tax $1000 

Mortgage Payment $1000

Disposable income $0 = no benefit to national economy

Then let's say you were lucky enough to live in almost any other of the G8 countries or for that matter almost any other country other than Canada where your mortgage is tax deductible.

Income $2000

Deductible for mortgage $1000

Taxable Income $1000

Tax $500

Disposable Income $500 = Benefit to national economy

The same rule could be applied to say private school fees

As it happens I do not believe for a second that Canada at this point in time is in the least in need of a government sponsored handout of any sort to either the financial services industry nor the auto industry any other.

If the auto industry is truly in need then let the oil and gas majors bail out the auto industry. After all the auto industry is the oil and gas industry's only major client. Oh, and the airlines of course. When Shell and Esso start buying shares in airlines and Chrysler, Ford and Mercedes Benz then this world will start to stabilize. We need to robb Peter to pay Peter in other words.

Back to Canada. Instead of running huge surpluses in order to run huge deficits in times of trouble, would it not be expedient to run the economy correctly from the start. The pendulum game is a fools game.

 

January 1 2009 - what floats down must, er.....float up

Perhaps not surprisingly the boat house that passed by our house yesterday going downstream showed up on this January 1 2009 going back up the Fraser.

We'll look out for it coming back down the river this evening.

December 31 2008

From sub prime to submerged.............the year ends with home owners escaping down  the Fraser River

Christmas Eve in Haney 2008

Can debt replace productivity to spur growth?

Economic growth appears to be the single issue that has banks and senior banking institutions around the world scrambling for solutions to what seems to be an impossible goal.

It may be, however, that growth for growth's sake itself is the problem. Where actual demand exists productivity is increased to meet the demand. Where demand falls it may advisable to allow productivity to decrease in a natural course, thus creating a natural balance between the two.

Spending via debt clearly has the world institutions following one another like sheep down an endless path of debt from which there can be no return. Corruption and greed has not helped. The again corruption and greed are not the exclusive to the so called fat cats and CEOs of the corporate giantalia. Debt, as some auto manufacturers for instance are about to find out, is a last resort. Productivity and innovation should come first. The bailout mentality could be a recipe for disaster.

It is interesting to note that Ford is not banging quite as hard on the Federal Bank vault doors as say GM or Chrysler. Were Ford to survive 2009-10 without a bailout package it would doubtless come out ahead of GM and Chrysler as it would not be saddled with debt, but rather rely on its ability to produce than its ability to borrow.

The principle of 'productivity over debt' could be applied to all industries in all countries. The consumer has been conditioned much like Pavlov's dog to continually increase his debt load in the name of growth. In countries where this conditioning is not as prevalent one sees less negative impact on the national banking system and national debt. This is such a simple principle and often the choice of many individuals who need to make household financial decisions on a daily basis. Governments have to make similar decisions, but as we see today, for the most part sovereign states eschew productivity for debt.

If there ever was any doubt that Robert Mugabe is a demented and evil lunatic suffering from severe delusion that doubt has now been erased

COME BACK SADDAM - ALL IS FORGIVEN (BOB MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE A GIRL GUIDE LEADER)

The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe which has left hundreds dead was caused by the UK, an ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has said.

Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu described the outbreak as a "genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British".

On Thursday, Mr Mugabe said the spread of cholera had been halted.

But aid workers warned that the situation was worsening and the outbreak could last for months.
In his comments to media in Harare, Mr Ndlovu likened the appearance of cholera in Zimbabwe to a "serious biological chemical weapon" used by the British.

The Zimbabwean minister for information blames Britain for the cholera outbreak

He described it as "a calculated, racist, terrorist attack on Zimbabwe".
Mr Mugabe has already accused Western powers of plotting to use cholera as an excuse to invade and overthrow him.
Earlier on Friday a senior South African Anglican bishop said that Mr Mugabe should be seen as a "21st Century Hitler".

Bishop of Pretoria Joe Seoka called on churches to pray for his removal, the South African Press Association reports.
His comments came as the US ambassador to Zimbabwe warned that the country was turning into a "failed state".

We need to commit ourselves to assist the refugees from Zimbabwe... remembering that the one we call our Lord and Saviour was a refugee in Egypt, fleeing the Mugabe of that period, King Herod
Bishop Joe Seoka

Zimbabwe cholera is over - Mugabe
Cholera is 'S African disaster'
Failing Zimbabwe: Special report

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the outbreak has not been contained and the death toll has increased to some 792 people, the AFP news agency reports.

The WHO has warned that the total number of cases could reach 60,000 unless the epidemic was stopped.
US ambassador James McGee blamed the outbreak on Zimbabwe's political crisis and the failed economic policies of its government.

He told reporters in Washington that hospitals in Harare remained closed, there was no rubbish collection and people were drinking from sewers.

See detailed map of cholera-affected areas
President Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have been deadlocked in power-sharing negotiations for several months.

"The situation is truly grim. One man and his cronies - Robert Mugabe - are holding this country hostage," Mr McGee said, AP news agency reports.


Bishop Seoka said that Mr Mugabe was a "person seemingly without conscience or remorse, and a murderer".

Cholera has spread because of Zimbabwe's failing health system
"I believe it is now an opportune moment for all the church leaders to follow the retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, to call on God to cause the removal Mugabe from the office of the President of Zimbabwe," he said, calling for the prayers to be held next Tuesday.

"The church in South Africa has done this before with the apartheid regime and there is no doubt that God will hear our prayers even today."

Several African and Western leaders have recently said it was time for Mr Mugabe to step down.
Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga said African countries should force him from power.
But the African Union has rejected such calls, saying a solution to Zimbabwe's problems must come from the power-sharing talks.

Bishop Seoka asked South Africans to show patience to Zimbabweans who have fled their homeland.
An estimated three million Zimbabweans are living in South Africa, and thousands cross over the border illegally every day.
More recently, hundreds have sought medical treatment because Zimbabwe's health service and water supply infrastructure have virtually collapsed.

Descent into Hell - Robert Mugabe the Murderer

Letter from Zimbabwe sent in by John Winter


I reckon that these are the last days of TKM and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn.

We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when 100 riot police came in with AK47's and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house - 5 bedrooms and pine ceilings - because it was 'too close to the airport', so we are feeling extremely insecure right now.

You know - I am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not know - how can you help? Even if you put us in your own mental ring of light and send your guardian angels to be with us - that is a help -but I feel so cut off from you all knowing I cannot tell you what's going on here simply because you will feel uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave here so that is not an option.

I ask that you all pray for us in the way that you know how, and let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive vibes... that's all. You can't just be in denial and pretend/believe it's not going on.

To be frank with you, it's genocide in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by Amnesty International which says we are - IN level 7 - (level 8 is after it's happened and everyone is in denial).

If you don't want me to tell you these things-how bad it is-then it means you have not dealt with your own fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our situation. We need you, please, to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say - oh well, that's what happens in Africa

This Government has GONE MAD and you need to help us publicize our plight---or how can we be rescued? It's a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family approached me, brother of the gardener's wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8 adult people and a child on this property, and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water.

How can I take on another family of 4 -----and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open?

I am not asking you for money or a ticket out of here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures. So PLEASE don't just press the delete button! Help best in the way that you know how.

Do face the reality of what is going on here and help us SEND OUT THE WORD.. The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please don't ignore or deny what's happening.
Some would like to be protected from the truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? 'If only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some way'.

[I know we chose to stay here and that some feel we deserve what's coming to us]

For now,--- we ourselves have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit of money for the next meal - but what is going to happen next? Will they start on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State now. I want to send out my Title Deeds to one of you because if they get a hold of those, I can't fight for my rights.

Censorship!----We no longer have SW radio [which told us everything that was happening] because the Government jammed it out of existence - we don't have any reporters, and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here, they would have an absolute field day. Even the pro-Government Herald has written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless by the wanton destruction of many folks homes, which are supposed to be 'illegal' but for which a huge percentage actually do have licenses.

Please! - do have some compassion and HELP by sending out the articles and personal reports so that something can/may be done.

'I am one. I cannot do everything, ---but I can do something.. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God,
I will do.'

Edward Everett Hale


Please send this on to everyone in your address book. We send jokes out
without blinking an eyelid. We don't get told this on the news in South Africa , we only get told what they want us to hear. We all have a chance to do something, even though the something is by pressing forward to as many people as possible. Let's stop talking and let's start doing! There is power in prayer, there is also power in more people knowing about this than you in my address book. This is going to America , Dubai , Australia , France , South Africans all over South Africa , the UK . By forwarding this to all in my address book I have done something. The world needs to know what is going on.

Peace at last - a prorogued parliament

With Christmas upon us it is comforting to know that our so-called political leaders are prevented from going about their business in Ottawa. Frankly, Canada would be better served if the Governor General could find it in her heart to extend the suspension of Parliament sometime into 2010 or beyond, to a time when the recession is behind us. The more fiscal and policy tinkering that the politicians take on, the worse life gets for the electorate. The choice of either one egomaniac acting alone or three egomaniacs acting in concert is no choice at all. On the bright side Canadians may have been awakened from their long, deep political slumber and may, at least for a brief moment, get their less-than-disinterested-in-politics backsides down the polling booth next time around. In the meantime enjoy the prorogue-induced snooze.

Not one moment too soon

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe must resign or be sent to The Hague for the "gross violations" he has committed, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said.

The Nobel Prize winner also told Dutch television that Mr Mugabe should be removed by force if he refuses to go.

On Thursday, Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga said African governments should oust Zimbabwe's leader.

Archbishop Tutu said Mr Mugabe had ruined "a wonderful country", turning a "bread-basket" into a "basket case".

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said it is "well past time" for Mr Mugabe to go, saying a "sham election" has been followed by a "sham process of power-sharing talks".

Zimbabwe has declared a national emergency over the cholera outbreak, which has killed at least 565 people - the most deadly in the country's history.

Oh (dear) Canada

Electorate to politicians: "Another fine mess you have got us into."

When the Governor General's away
Oh how the mice will play
And so much to her dismay
She was forced to shorten her stay

And all the electorate were to heard to say
Was
NO WAY!!!!!
How did she let the buggers stray?

Unconfirmed report suggests piracy on land in Africa is systemic

APOCALYPSE NOW?

The following unconfirmed reports points to the fact the leadership in the SADEC countries in the sub-Sahara is corrupt to such an extent that it far outweighs the criminality attributed to pirates and rebels.

With no food, no education, no water, no electricity and no medical care and no leadership it is no wonder that countries like Zimbabwe stand every chance of dragging the region into a fatal spiral of failure from which it is unlikely, from this vantage point, that it can recover.

THE REPORT

This has a private source that I cannot disclose, but the person who has done this research has professional intelligence training and lives in the region with excellent contacts throughout. I can confirm other deals such as the BBR and the New Limpopo Bridge Company as well as contracts involving oil trade that have directly benefited both ruling parties and individuals in leadership in regional States; these are not covered in the analysis below and could be included.

RF

___________________________________________________________

The web of corrupt Practice and Politics in the SADC region


As part of an effort by the MDC to disrupt the flow of cash to Mr. Mugabe ' s regime I have been researching some of the financial interests of Zanu (PF) and its top leadership. Those interests seem to network strongly with senior politicians in The Congo, Angola , Namibia , Malawi and South Africa . All of these countries support Mugabe and are vocal in Africa opposing any deal that might compromise Mugabe. Mugabe ' s right hand man in The Congo, Billy Rautenbach stands accused of bribing South Africa ' s Police Commissioner. Interestingly Mbeki has done all he can to stop the investigation, including sacking the Director of The National Prosecution Authority, arresting the man investigating Selebi and disbanding the elite anti corruption squad; The Scorpions.

Below I list a summary of my research. Unfortunately I have to start with a brief summary of The Congo wars to understand the current military and financial forces in Southern Africa at present.

Let ' s start the story in August 1998.


Laurent Kabila (Senior), the newly installed leader of The Democratic Republic of The Congo is in big trouble . The D.R.C. was previously called Zaire under Mobutu ' s reign. Kabila had only overthrown Mobutu a year before and had only managed that with the help of Rwanda ' s disciplined RPF forces and the Ugandan military. Rwanda had invaded Zaire/The Congo to pursue the genocidal Hutu Interhamwe militias who were continuing their genocide against Tutsis in the Congolese areas surrounding Rwanda . But the Rwandan forces did not stop there and in association with Kabila conquered the rest of The Congo, including the mineral rich Katanga Province .

Kabila was initially hailed as a savior in The Congo having finally rid the Congolese of Mobutu ' s tyrannical regime which had plundered the country for decades. It soon became apparent however that Kabila was every bit as bad and corrupt as Mobutu. He was also having problems with internal rebellions and the fact that the Ugandan and Rwandan forces were showing no signs of leaving The Congo. Far from leaving they were consolidating their control of the vital mineral rich Katanga province. In August 1998 he ordered that the Ugandan and Rwandan forces leave The Congo along with all ethnically Tutsi Congolese.

The Rwandans and Ugandans replied by sending more troops to overthrow Kabila. This started the Second Congo war in which 5.4 million people died making it the deadliest war since the Second World War. The Ugandan and Rwandan backed rebels had quick and dramatic victories over Kabila ' s forces and within two weeks it seemed he would be ousted imminently.

On April 19, Kabila flew to Harare and met Mugabe who at that time was heading SADC ' s Organ on Politics and Defence. Three Three SADC countries; Zimbabwe , Angola and Namibia came to his immediate rescue. They were later joined by Sudan and Libya . It is alleged that Kabila signed $200 million worth of deals with Mugabe.

Once the Katanga province had been secured by Mugabe and Kabila ' s forces, Mugabe and Mnangagwa insisted that Billy Rautenbach lead Gecamines , Congo ' s state ' s mining company. Through Operation Sovereign Legitimacy (OSLEG) the Zimbabwean military involved itself in all sorts of mining deals. These are well documented in a UN report.

Namibian President Sam Nujoma also secured many contracts for his own businesses and those of his family. They remain heavily involved in The Congo ' s mining activity. Namibians worth investigating include The Permanent Secretary for Defence, Erastus Negona, T . Lamec, David Shimuuino, Army Chief Major General Shalli, Deputy Police Commissioner Fritz Nghiishililiwa and Police Inspector General Raonga Andima.

The Angolans grabbed the opportunity to invade their enemy UNITA ' s bases within the Congo . Until then UNITA had been involved in an illegal diamond scheme estimated to be worth about $500 million a year by De Beers. This then came under the possession on senior Angolan generals and politicians. The Angolans are listed second only to Zimbabwe in corruption lists of Southern Africa . In 2004 Human Rights Watch said that $4 billion was missing from the government ' s finances. "Angolagate" is shocking because it involved senior French Government officials, not least of whom was incumbent President Mitterrand ' s son, Jean Charles Mitterand. Jacques Jacques Chirac ' s knowledge of the deal is implicated too. Mitterand, Minister Pasqua and others were convicted in 2004 of tax evasion. In 2007 an investigative magistrate recently been indicted 42 people including Mitterand and Minister Pasqua.

On the issue of presidents sons, I have been unable to link Simon Mann and Mark Thatcher ' s attempted coup to any particular African politician. The fact that they landed in Harare for their arms makes it extremely likely that some Zanu politicians were involved before the deal turned sour. Both Thatcher and Rautenbach, and Rautenbach ' s son, are rally drivers.

So much for Zimbabwe , The DRC, Angola and Namibia . The story now jumps to May 2007 and to Pretoria , South Africa .

South Africa had an elite anti corruption investigative unit called The Scorpions. The Scorpions consisted of 2000 of the best police, financial, forensic and intelligence experts in South Africa . They came into being after the passing of The National Prosecuting Authority Act, 32 of 1998. This was one of Mandela ' s last projects before he stepped down in 1999. The Scorpions answered to the Head of The National Prosecuting Authority, not to The Commissioner of Police.

When Mandela took over in South Africa he appointed a professional Policeman, George Fivaz, as his Commissioner of Police. Mbeki replaced him Jackie Selebi who had no police experience whatsoever but was a trusted ANC man. He has been described as "the gatekeeper" of the ANC ; privy to all it ' s financial dealings. It appears that in 1999, as Mandela stepped down, South Africa involved itself in a controversial arms deal totaling $US4.8 billion. It appears over $200 million was paid in bribes. The Scorpions were investigating increasingly more senior members of The ANC about the deal. Names included Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, Zuma ' s financial adviser Schabir Shaik, his brother Chippy Shaik and Joe Modise, founder of the ANC ' s military wing and then minister of defence.

The Scorpions brought a successful prosecution against Schabir Shaik, Zuma ' s financial adviser. Shaik was given two 15 year imprisonment sentences. The Scorpions then turned their attention to Jacob Zuma, then Deputy President. Zuma ' s house was raided repeatedly. On 28 December 2007 The Scorpions served Zuma an indictment to stand trial in The High Court on counts of racketeering, money laundering, corruption and fraud.

During 2007 the Scorpions started to become concerned about Jackie Selebi, Mbeki ' s Commissioner of Police.

Selebi, it turns out, had been up to all sorts of unsavory business. His personal friend Glenn Angliotti turned out to be a mafia kingpin and drug dealer. Selebi claims they never discussed Agliotti ' s criminal activities but does admit to warning him of a British Intelligence request for information about him. Agliotti funded Selebi to the tune of about $170 000. Part of this funding was used to successfully lobby for Selebi ' s appointment as head of Interpol. Interestingly Zimbabwe ' s Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri has also had senior positions in Interpol. The senior Interpol positions are said to be useful in covering international money laundering and corruption tracks.

Among many other charges of corruption it is alleged that Selebi, in full police uniform, met Billy Rautenbach ' s lawyer and accepted US$ 40 000 to have the corruption charges against Billy Rautenbach dropped. Besides being Mnangagwa ' s right hand man, it turns out that Billy Rautenbach had many other financial projects. One of them was a transport company called "Wheels of Africa" which dominated SADC transport, especially up to The Congo. Through this he also had the exclusive deal for Sub Saharan Africa for Volvo and Saab. But it wasn ' t for his Volvo and Saab trucks that he got into trouble but rather his part in the sale of 35 BAe Saab/Volvo Gripen fighter planes which he allegedly sold to The South African government at the hugely inflated price of $65 million per plane (their real value was probably about $35 million).

Rautenbach ' s company Camtec acquired the Bougai and Kironde platinum concessions in Zimbabwe in April this year with an alleged payment of $100 million to a Zanu chef.

Mbeki ' s response to the charges laid out in front of him in May 2007 by the National Prosecuting Authority boss Vusi Pikoli against Police Commissioner Selebi was astonishing.

Instead of doing anything about Selebi, Mbeki in fact sacked the National Prosecuting Authority boss Vusi Pikoli, saying that there had been an irretrievable breakdown in the professional relationship of Vusi Pikoli and the Minister for Justice. The Scorpion Policeman investigating Commissioner Selebi, Gerric Nel, then found himself arrested on charges of "perverting the course of Justice."

The National Prosecuting Authority is still trying to pursue the case but fears the case will fall apart as The South African Police Service refuses to hand over vital documents on "security grounds". These include the details of Rautenbach ' s deal. Mbeki caused a stir last week by extending Jacki Selebi ' s contract. Mbeki has since had the Scorpions disbanded.

The most damning evidence though comes from The ANC ' s own Andrew Feinstein. Feinstein was head of The ANC ' s Parliamentary Public Accounts watchdog SCOPA. He was shocked when he tried to launch an investigation into the affair and was told that there was a financier, close to Mbeki and Zuma, who was off limits to his investigation. Feinstein resigned in disgust and wrote a book " After The Party" which has scandalized South African and international political commentators.

In view of these allegations listed above I believe the world should be very circumspect of any deals Mbeki negotiates. especially in mineral rich areas such as Darfur .

The story now moves to Blantyre , Malawi where President Mutharika astounded Malawian journalists last week when he told them to stop the negative reporting about Mugabe and Zimbabwe . He has since said he recognizes Mugabe as Zimbabwe ' s legitimate President. His brother and Vice President Peter Mutharika attended Mugabe ' s inauguration ceremony. Mutharika has many suspect ties with Mugabe ' s regime. He has diverted huge amounts (300 000 tonnes) of maize to Zanu PF, most recently during the just passed Zimbabwean election. There has been no entry in Malawian National Food Reserves Agency ' s regarding these deals. Similarly he has supplied Mugabe with fuel and also tear gas which killed 11 Zimbabweans in a single incident in 2005. Interestingly Mutharika has a farm in Zimbabwe , which is guarded by Mugabe ' s Presidential Guard.

Mutharika ' s past also merits some investigation. He was sacked when he was Secretary General of COMESA in 1995 for stealing money and diverting it to his Zimbabwean farm. He came to power in Malawi as The UDF ' s presidential candidate after the incumbent, Muluzi, had served the specified maximum number of terms. Soon after he came to power he began upsetting senior UDF and government people. His response was depressingly familiar. He undermined the Anti Corruption Bureau and then replaced the heads of the offices of The Director of Public Prosecutions and The Police Commissioner with trusted political associates. He had Muluzi arrested and Muluzi is currently being tried. Muluzi has dismissed the documents the state has offered to make its case as "laughable and fake." Their blatant forgery is reminiscent of many trials in Zimbabwe , such as that of Tendai Biti. The Zimbabwean CIO are said to be increasingly active in Malawi .

Carter shocked by Zimbabwe crisis - really!!

"Former US President Jimmy Carter has said the crisis in Zimbabwe is "far worse" than he had imagined."

That was the news reported by the BCC today.

The real shock is that Carter admitted to being shocked. What on earth was he expecting and where on earth has he been?

Zimbabwe's plight has been front and centre in the world's media for years and only now is Jimmy Carter shocked. Given the proximity of Kofi Annan, Graca Mandela and Elder chairperson Bishop Tutu to the action in Zimbabwe one cannot credit any one of the Elders with shock as to the peril the population faces in Zimbabwe. Feigning shock at this stage is pure theatrics.

The Elders have also stated that they do not mean to get involved in politics, only humanitarian issues. This ignores the fact that the politics of the Robert Mugabe dictatorship have lead us to the place where we are in Zimbabwe. It matters not a fig whether the Elders take a political, military or humanitarian stance. Only one thing matters; the women, children and helpless who have been cast adrift by the international community and SADEC - not for the first or last time - to drift towards a slow death in the vast ocean of Mugabe's insanity and neglect.

Once again Africa has turned its back on its own. And Carter is shocked. Oh please, who are the ELDERS kidding?

Comment on letter from Zimbabwe

It is amazing how Zimbabwe's neighbours just stand by and allow this disintegration to happen. Thabo Mbeki has a lot to do with this but seems to have walked away scott free. The only solution I think in the end will be to divvy up Zimbabwe into separate provinces run by the surrounding countries. Zimbabwe really ceased to be viable more than a decade ago and the chances of survival as a sovereignty have slipped away for good. It has gone from viable to Chapter 11 to all-out bankruptcy and from that letter now it seems absolute collapse. Essentially Zimbabwe exists is name only, the cadaver fast rotting in the African sun. Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and Palestine, probably even Haiti have much brighter futures ahead of them than Zimbabwe. Hard to comprehend. 

A letter from Zimbabwe

Dear Family and Friends,

Within half a kilometre of a main army barracks and in view of a steady
stream of traffic and hundreds of people, a man lay next to a main road
leading to the Harare airport this week. Barefoot, painfully thin and with
thick, unkempt hair the man lay unmoving on the verge, his feet protruding
into the busy road. Standing on the opposite side of the road four men in
army camouflage stood hitch-hiking, choosing not to see the man lying a few
steps away from them. Is this what Zimbabwean authorities did not want the
former UN Secretary General and former US President to see on a planned 2
day humanitarian assessment visit? Is this why these two respected Elders
were denied visas to enter Zimbabwe?

Outside banks, building societies and post offices the crowds of people
trying to withdraw their own money have grown to multiple thousands. Many
people have resorted to sleeping outside the banks in order to be near the
front of the queues where they can only withdraw five hundred thousand
dollars a day - enough to buy one mouthful of a single cornish pasty being
sold at a local bakery this week. Two and a half million dollars was the
price tag for this simple take away snack - five days of queuing at the bank
to buy one meal for one person. Is this what the authorities in Zimbabwe did
not want Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter to see? Is this why they were denied
visas to enter Zimbabwe?

On a seventy-kilometre stretch of road through what used to be prime
agricultural land on the way to the capital city, there is silence and
desolation as roadside farms lie unploughed and unplanted while the country
remains barren of seed and fertilizer. Even as the rains fall on the land
and the ground turns springy underfoot, the weeds are sprouting but not the
food. The lushest crop I saw in 70 kilometres was grass being carefully
manicured on a golf course. Is this what the authorities did not want Mr
Annan and Mr Carter to see and why they were denied visas?

In supermarkets, the majority of which are not allowed to trade in US
dollars, the shelves are empty. There are no staple goods, no dairy
products, no confectionary, no fast foods, no tinned or bottled products,
nothing to eat at all. From all over the country there are first-hand
reports of people barely surviving by eating roots, wild berries, beetles
and insects. Is this what the world's respected Elders were not supposed to
see and why they were denied visas to come into Zimbabwe?

Hospitals without disposable gloves, medicines, drips, bandages or
disinfectant. Nurses who cannot afford to come to work. Toilets and taps
without water. A growing cholera outbreak in all areas of the country with
300 people already dead. Raw sewage flowing in the streets of high density
areas. Dustbins which have not been collected in urban residential suburbs
since July in my home town. Men, women and children collecting water in
bowls and buckets from swampy streams and murky pools. No soap to buy in the shops so no chance of preventing the spread of cholera by washing your hands with soap and water. Is this what Mr Annan, Mr Carter and Mrs Machel might have seen had they been granted visas to see for themselves the humanitarian catastrophe now engulfing Zimbabwe?

We hope that the Elders will not give up on Zimbabwe, even though there is
no welcome mat at our doorstep.

Until next time, thanks for reading,
love
cathy.
©Copyright cathy buckle 22 November 2008.

Why are we treating Ford, Chrysler and GM as equally guilty and equality innocent?

Got bailout fatigue yet? We are living in one of the most interesting times ever in fiscal history; how can one be bored when our head is on the guillotine but the executioner has us lying face up so that we can see the blade racing towards our necks at the speed of an electronic trade on Wall Street.

Bailout or failout? That is the question on each US lip this dismal week just before the Christmas month. One curious thing (or it at least it should be a matter of curiosity for Congress) is that the three CEOs - three stooges? - who came to Congress cap in hand this week seemed to speak as one and in turn Congress speaks of them as one. What the fuck happened to competition in the US? Are we to believe that Ford, Chrysler and GM follow the same design/build strategy, the same marketing strategies, the same financing and quality control policies, the same safety and emissions principles? Or do they not as separate entities have a mind of their own? Have they for all these years been sharing the same, solitary brain cell? Congress seems to thinks so. And that notion is more troubling than the bailout, or perceived need for a bailout, itself.

The US government must think that its citizens are fools, or they are fools or the government is a fool, or all of the above. One would think that Congress would treat the three auto giants - perhaps not the appropriate terminology - as separate entities and that they ought be reviewed on their individual merits going forward. A wholesale bailout would lead one to believe, once more this year, that the US as a country has turned its back on capitalism in favour of socialism, if not outright communism. Whatever happened to supply-demand. Or is it a case of 'no one demands our vehicles anymore, so would you mind supplying some cash. Please sir, can I have some more?"

On the bright side, $50 West Texas Intermediate means relief a the pump when the Lear or the Gulfstream pulls up at the pump in Detroit. In 2008 the voters in the US made the first right decision. Now is the time to make the next bright decision; dump Ford, Chrysler and GM.

Here's a thought; the US helps out Ford, Chrysler and GM by providing financing to Renault, Citroen and Peugot to acquire the big three. The European car makers can then use the plants in Detroit to manufacture cars that make sense. In the meantime Ford, Chrysler and GM can form a tripartite consortium called USMASSTRANSIT and set about building a national transit system that makes sense.

Leave one manufacturer to build pick-up trucks and that would be Toyota with Honda a close second. No one needs to loose a job or a pension. All they need to do is stop suckling on the aging tit of an aging auto philosophy.

In the Haney rear view mirror

2008 is the new 1929

And the doctor replied:"Well, don't go to those places then."

Hilarious British stand-up comic, magician and well-documented alcoholic Tommy Cooper said he went to the doctor and complained that his arm hurt in several places. The doctor said: "Well, then don't go to those places."

The recent spate of Cap'n Jack Sparrow events - commonly referred to as piracy - around the Horn of Africa and specifically near Somalia reminded me of the Tommy Cooper quip. The owners of the vessels should simply not go to those places. The Cape route, long favoured by navigators would welcome the business and other than perhaps getting mugged on Adderley Street or hijacked in Bellville, the crews should come away relatively unscathed.

Given the frequency of the piratical pranks around the Horn one cannot but help speculate on the notion that these naughty nauticals might be the doing of none other Osama bin Sailing the famous Saudi yachtsman. It would come as no surprise to learn that Al Qaeda's Caisse is running low, now that West Texas Intermediate is hovering around $50 and we find the financial markets distressed by ever ill imaginable. Hard times for Wall Street is reflected by hard times in the Wadi. And arming the buggers ain't cheaper as Osama was overheard saying in Harrod's the other day.

None of the usual scare mongers in Washington or the Pentagon have hit on this theory (it maybe more than a theory), but given the state of politics and social upheaval that dog the region it would take very little for Osama to arm a few local fishermen and instruct them to cast their nets a little wider than usual so that they can haul in a handsome ransom and reload Al Qaeda's recession-hit treasury. I'm surprised Osama has not put in his plea to Congress for some bailout cash - after all, we are entering the giving season.

Go BIG and Go Home

Well, the village of Mape, as I sometimes call it, can now, at least for a while, settle back into some semblance of 'normaldumb' as George Bush would say.

The incumbent set out to 'go big or go home' and judging by the money spent on his campaign managed, in one deft move, to pull of both; he went big and he went home.

The much maligned Sather managed to the surprise of many to garner considerably more votes than the incumbent. If there were any surprises in the Maple Ridge election then that was probably it.

Many friends and associates were behind Uncle Ernie's campaign and were rewarded for their common sense approach. A two-term Mayor is a rare thing in Maple Ridge, but as of now it is quite possible that we may have a two-term or perhaps even three-term guy with his hand on the gavel (I know, I know - he does not have a gavel).

As for council; Dueck, Hogarth and Ashlie make for a powerful trio of like-minded individuals. King and Speirs will continue as the conscience of Maple Ridge and defenders of all things social and green. Morden will find his way and learn the ropes quickly. I am keeping one of his campaign ads (not really, I'm just saying that) on my desk to see how closely he tracks his promises over the next three years. Just a guess, but he is certain to fall in line with Uncle Ernie, Dueck, Hogarth and Ashlie on most issues.

According the economists we are in for a quiet three years. Urban sprawl and big shopping centres in the Albion area will be less of a threat to rural Maple Ridge for a while. This then is a good time to plan. And plan we will, because that is what we do best. Plan and plan and plan.

Here's a to do list:

• Improve our image when it comes to outside investors
• Improve our desirability as a place to base a business
• Improve our downtown as promised by everyone and achieved so far by none
• Improve (ahem) transport
• Improve our 'branding' - a Morden chestnut and something that needs serious attention
• Improve our image as a festivals, cultural (both intellectual and agri) centre
• Improve, improve relations with outside agencies including provincial and federal
• Improve public safety in the downtown by getting on Athawal's case with some degree of seriousness
• Improve our museum - as in build a new one on 224th street
• Improve

and the winner is...............

WELL DONE ERNIE!!!