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Author: NiteMayr

Before:

Kevin was born on the mossy hills of Scotland and lived for a while in West Lothian before the mores of pre-Thatcher and REALLY pre-Oasis Great Britain sent his family across the ocean to North America. They moved here and there and Kevin did the same when he was old enough. Now he lives in London with his family and a Dog.

Kevin Wardrop is an amateur writer, amateur photographer and professional pain in the ass. He has worked in the PC support business for most of his adult life and has been accustomed to simply answering technical questions as a matter of fiat, it was his career choice after all. Now he herds cats and puppies for a living as well as babysitting the web enterprises at the heart of western industry.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-29

Published by NiteMayr on August 29, 2009

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Let’s say “Goodbye” to the Summer that never was

Published by NiteMayr on August 28, 2009
This is Late August, "normal" but not "HOT"
This is Late August, "normal" but not "HOT"

Summer 2009 in London has been lacklustre at best, and for Ontario as a whole it hasn’t been the “Greatest Summah Evah” either.  Whether it was shivering in the cool July Nights or being soaked in the Early August Rain, this has been about the weakest summer I’ve experienced, and I’m from Scotland.

Let’s hope that it remains “warm” until October, but I have a sneaking suspicion that we are going to see snow by mid-October this year (considering the freak and heavy snow storm we had last October, this isn’t outside the realm of possibility)

God Damn Snow!

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-27

Published by NiteMayr on August 27, 2009

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America, All you can eat

Published by NiteMayr on August 26, 2009
Agustin Carstens / secretary of treasury
Agustin Carstens / secretary of treasury

The biggest industry beneficiaries were Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan, which accounted for 41 percent of the new vehicle sales. That outpaced Detroit automakers General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, which had a share of nearly 39 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. led the industry with 19.4 percent of new sales, followed by General Motors Co. with 17.6 percent and Ford Motor Co. with 14.4 percent. — Clunkers Sold bunches

Proof positive that Americans will continuously attempt to find new ways to screw their neighbors.  Buying foreign made cars using a program designed to help the local economy (I know that a majority of those cars are built in America, but my point stands)

The health care scream-ate is a good example of this.  While there are some malcontents who will never be happy in Canada until they can pay money to push a dying patient off of an operating patient because they can afford to, people in countries were universal health care is already set in at least mushy concrete can’t understand why Americans don’t want it.

In this brilliant article Mary Dejevsky correctly points out that Americans simply cannot fathom the idea that their tax dollars would be used to help out someone other than themselves.  As if they should see the benefit of every dollar in taxes that are spent.  This same mindset supported pre-emptive war because they could be sure that someone was getting fucked over using “their” dollar, and that warmed their cold, shriveled hearts.

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-26

Published by NiteMayr on August 26, 2009

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Utter Bullcrap, Why Bother recording it?

Published by NiteMayr on August 25, 2009

Didn’t we have enough Norah Jones when Norah Jones was doing it?  This is the most vanilla boring song that has ever lurched from my speakers during a commercial.  Moby might be able to get away with it, but Jewel learned to her chagrin that while Jingles are memorable, if your song is one, you suck.

Awww A Puma with a Pen

Published by NiteMayr on August 25, 2009

[info]okpulot_taha wrote:

Mary Dejevsky titles her article, “A mean streak in the US mainstream” and subtitles with “The US tolerates more inequality, deprivation and suffering than is acceptable here”.

No, we Americans are significantly more hardy and determined than our British counterparts. Our expectation is our peoples will stand on their own two feet and make their own way through life.

Right about here she lost me.  If there was ever a nation that proudly stood up after being held aloft by someone else and said “see how I did this myself” it’s America.  The worlds first almost entirely immigrant culture, created through domination and civil war, American Culture is anything but “doing it for yourself”.  There is hardly a single business in America that can be said to be both massively successful and individually driven.  Corporations are the ultimate expresion of profit-driven collectivism and are the anti-thesis of individual accomplishment.  This is what America is known for, but they will shoot you down for suggesting otherwise, which is the OTHER thing America is well known for.
Your British culture is born of aristocracy, born of two distinct classes; the ruling class and the impoverished ruled. I am writing of your cultural beginnings not so much of culture today.
Because there is no Aristocracy in the USA?  Sure.  The Hiltons, the Waltons and the Buffets might embody otherwise.
Our American culture is born of hard work, sacrifice and challenging struggles. Our beginnings are of independence, freedom and personal survival. Like your British culture, much has changed with our culture over the centuries.
Some people will work their asses off their entire lives and never be able to afford decent health care.  The End.
Your British peoples inherited a cultural thinking of being submissive to authority. Our American culture inherited a cultural thinking of being the authority. You are the subjects and not just in royal deemed name only. We are the rebels in charge of our lives. You British allow your royal family and your Anglican church to decide for you what is appropriate and what is not. We Americans, on an individual basis, decide what is appropriate and what is not; we value freedom much more than you British.
Considering you’ve never been to England, I’ll assume that you have no familiarity with Soccer hooligans, binge drining, Asbos and so on, so you may be forgiven for this, but only by Jesus.
You write of national health care. Here in America there are two major factors at play. One is Americans do not want our decision making taken away from us; we are to decide what is in our best interest. Other factor is economic fear. Americans are having a very rough go of it, Americans are suffering a lot of financial pain. A national health care program carries a lot of costs and we expect those costs to appear as massive tax increases. You British well know how we feel about Tea and Taxes.
You have no idea how society works and imaginge that the “Tea Party” had anything to do with anything.  Witholding taxes and shooting the kings soldiers, that’s something to do with something.  Old rich white dudes dressing up as natives to throw tea off a boat hardly smacks of heorism.
I am a traditional American Indian. Should you want to experience your “mean streak” notion give us traditional Indians a try. In my culture, you will either survive and contribute to our tribe or be banished from our lands if not simply killed. We are known for being harshly pragmatic.
See above, re: Old White people.  Your people  are also known for living on State Funded and assisted reserves paying no taxes and being the subject of much fretting on the left and outright scorn from the right.  Don’t you already get free health care?

The march from “Summer” to crap it’s snowing in September!

Published by NiteMayr on August 25, 2009

BooWeather2

Does anyone else think that it is a good chance that we’ll see snow on the ground by September 31st this year?  The glorious weather we had just a week and a bit past appears to have been what would have been a heat wave in a normal summer (40+ degrees) but was the only thing that looked like summer this year.

I’m going to hibernate this winter, call me when the Great Lakes have dried up due to the heat.