Up, Down.
There Is A Balm In Gilead
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.
Some times I feel discouraged,
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again.
If you can’t preach like Peter,
If you can’t pray like Paul,
Just tell the love of Jesus,
And say He died for all.
at CyberHymnal, Mahalia Jackson, and many more at YouTube.
All of the arrangements I have heard are funereal. Good tune to use at a funeral I guess. But I would like to get together with a pipe-organist and a couple of horn players and do it with joyful swing & bebop, yeah.
Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
(So ... rumours that Mexican Swine Flu H1N1 will perhaps become Russell Hoban's 1 Big 1 eh? All good. A year or so ago it looked like Avian H5N1. Given the state of human conscience, and the level of human intelligence - morally we are greedy pigs and intellectually we are bird brains - extinction, or at least a serious thinning out, by pigs would seem to me to be almost entirely appropriate, apposite, apropos, ad rem, and apt ... fitting even :-)
This Little Light Of Mine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
Shine all over Toronto
I'm gonna let it shine
Shine all over Toronto
I'm gonna let it shine
Shine all over Toronto
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
Let it shine til Jesus comes,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine til Jesus comes,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine til Jesus comes,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
Bruce Springsteen in Dublin; curious that Cyber Hymnal does not seem to have This Little Light Of Mine?
Jesus Bids Us Shine
Jesus bids us shine
With a pure, clear light,
Like a little candle
Burning in the night.
In this world of darkness
So let us shine
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.
Jesus bids us shine,
First of all for Him;
Well He sees and knows it,
If our light grows dim.
He looks down from Heaven
To see us shine
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.
Jesus bids us shine,
Then, for all around;
Many kinds of darkness
In the world are found
Sin and want and sorrow;
So we must shine
You in your small corner,
And I in mine.
But they do have this one at CyberHymnal.
Thanks to Black Snake Moan, Offical Site, Craig Brewer, Stephanie Allain, John Singleton, Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, John Cothran Jr., Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson, David Banner, Neimus K. Williams, Son House.
Black Snake Moan
I - I ain't got no mama now
I - I ain't got no mama now
She told me late last night,
"You don't need no mama no how"
Mmm, mmm, black snake crawlin' in my room
Mmm, mmm, black snake crawlin' in my room
Some pretty mama better come
And get this black snake soon
Ohh-oh, that must have been a bed bug,
Baby a chinch can't bite that hard
Ohh-oh, that must have been a bed bug,
Honey a chinch can't bite that hard
Ask my sugar for fifty cents,
She said "Lemon, ain't a child in the yard"
Mama, that's all right, mama
That's all right for you
Mama, that's all right, mama
That's all right for you
Mama, that's all right, most seen all you do
Mmm, mmm, what's the matter now?
Mmm, mmm, honey what's the matter now?
Sugar, what's the matter,
Don't like no black snake no how
Mmm, mmm, wonder where my black snake gone?
Mmm, mmm, wonder where this black snake gone?
Black snake mama done run my darlin' home
Blind Lemon Jefferson, Movie Title Track.
Ginger Souffle
Ginger Souffle Soap at Clean and Bright Soaps and Candles:
My Fun & Funky Soap line is the only skin-care line that I use synthetic fragrances in. These soaps have fun, bright colours and razzle-dazzle fragrances.
My Ginger Souffle scent is an aromatic blend of fresh orange and cool mint top notes with a spicy warm heart of clove, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon leaf with rich vanilla base notes supporting it.
Ginger Body Souffle at The Body Shop.
Ginger Souffle Whipped Body Cream at Origins:
When waging battle with the elements, whether they're cold and dry or hot and humid, you can always seek shelter in this creamy cocoon. A relaxing sensation spreads all over you as tangy Ginger embraces your body while skin-nourishing Olive Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Rice Bran Oil and Apricot Kernel Oil invisibly surround weary, dreary skin in softness. All the while, the citrusy-crisp scent of lush, lighthearted Lemon, Lime and Bergamot lifts listless spirits. There's no more savory way to shoo your malaise.
Ginger Souffle with Rhubarb-Ginger Sauce Recipe:
Sweet crystallized ginger souffle is topped with a delicious rhubarb, ginger, and orange liqueur sauce. The souffle will fall if held for any length of time, so do serve it right away. This is a wonderful way to use rhubarb in a dessert.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Rhubarb-Ginger Sauce:
3 cups chopped rhubarb
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange liqueur
1/3 cup (or as needed) water
2 Tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
Souffle:
Prepared Rhubarb-Ginger Sauce (see instructions)
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
6 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 Tablespoon orange-flower water
7 egg whites, room temperature
Pinch cream of tartar
To make sauce:
Combine the rhubarb, sugar, orange liqueur, and 1/3 cup water in a heavy large saucepan. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until as thick as applesauce, about 30 minutes. Stir in the crystallized ginger and simmer another 15 minutes, adding more water if the sauce is too thick. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Makes about 1-1/2 to 2 cups
To make souffle:
Melt the butter in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in the milk and cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Remove from heat.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Stir in the sugar, then the ginger and orange-flower water.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup souffle dish and coat with granulated sugar.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into the souffle base. Pour the batter into the prepared dish. Bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes.
Serve immediately with rhubarb sauce spooned around each serving.
Yield: 6 servings
Down.
I like to play it straight ... said Moses to the Lord. (or: everything and the kitchen sink.)
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Saturday, 25 April 2009
TTC & ATU 113 & Vision
Up, Down.
... in progress ... or maybe not ...
One night last year, my son and I sat in a bar in Rio Grande (in the south of Brasil) and set ourselves the task of saving the world from global climate change. What we came up with was - Eliminate cars from, say, a diameter of two or three miles around city centres, and provide effective mass transit instead. And achieve this goal using a carrots rather than sticks. The up-sides are numerous including positive effects on public health and quality of life, particularly street-life.
Now I am wondering how to get ahead with it.
Of course I am going about it all wrong. What I thought of was to write a letter to the TTC masters saying something like, "You must do better. It is mostly the poor and needy who use the system, because they have to; and somehow you have to appeal to the middle and upper classes who fill the streets with their cars. These cars have to go from the urban scene if we are to make some influence on global climate change." ... etc.
If you ask a Torontonian, most of them will say, "TTC drivers make a hundred grand!" which is not quite the case:
Driver: The TTC offers competitive wages and benefits including: Healthcare and Dental plans, Group Life Insurance and a Pension Plan. As per the Local 113 ATU Collective Agreement, the hourly wage rate for this opportunity is $21.28 (rate after training) to $28.20 (rate after 24 months). (TTC Recruitment site)
OK, 44,500 to 59,000 annually; plus Healthcare (say, 10,000), Dental (600), Group Life (600), Pension (3,000); say, 14,000. Mean gestimate 65,000. Say, 10,000 of them: 1.8 million per day; 1.5 million riders per day @ 2.50: 3.8 million per day; so roughly half of revenue goes to ATU.
Labour cost is not the only issue I am aware of. What I have observed:
- vehicles jammed and uncomfortable at rush-hour and other times;
- maintenance implications of streetcars not being suited to the tracks;
- difficulty of determining how to get from A to B, poor internet maps; and
- difficulty in determining when the next car will arrive, poor scheduling.
- poor attitude among many (not all) workers who deal front-line with customers.
Assumptions are interesting. I assumed that the root of the problem was labour cost - those pesky greedy unions! But 65 grand does not seem to me an unreasonable ambition so this assumption is now under review. Next assumption is that it is the witless bureaucrats who are fucking it up. Maybe ...
References: Wage and Salary Conversion Chart, UofT Human Resources.
Players: Toronto Transit Commission - TTC, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 - ALU 113.
Down.
... in progress ... or maybe not ...
One night last year, my son and I sat in a bar in Rio Grande (in the south of Brasil) and set ourselves the task of saving the world from global climate change. What we came up with was - Eliminate cars from, say, a diameter of two or three miles around city centres, and provide effective mass transit instead. And achieve this goal using a carrots rather than sticks. The up-sides are numerous including positive effects on public health and quality of life, particularly street-life.
Now I am wondering how to get ahead with it.
Of course I am going about it all wrong. What I thought of was to write a letter to the TTC masters saying something like, "You must do better. It is mostly the poor and needy who use the system, because they have to; and somehow you have to appeal to the middle and upper classes who fill the streets with their cars. These cars have to go from the urban scene if we are to make some influence on global climate change." ... etc.
If you ask a Torontonian, most of them will say, "TTC drivers make a hundred grand!" which is not quite the case:
Driver: The TTC offers competitive wages and benefits including: Healthcare and Dental plans, Group Life Insurance and a Pension Plan. As per the Local 113 ATU Collective Agreement, the hourly wage rate for this opportunity is $21.28 (rate after training) to $28.20 (rate after 24 months). (TTC Recruitment site)
OK, 44,500 to 59,000 annually; plus Healthcare (say, 10,000), Dental (600), Group Life (600), Pension (3,000); say, 14,000. Mean gestimate 65,000. Say, 10,000 of them: 1.8 million per day; 1.5 million riders per day @ 2.50: 3.8 million per day; so roughly half of revenue goes to ATU.
Labour cost is not the only issue I am aware of. What I have observed:
- vehicles jammed and uncomfortable at rush-hour and other times;
- maintenance implications of streetcars not being suited to the tracks;
- difficulty of determining how to get from A to B, poor internet maps; and
- difficulty in determining when the next car will arrive, poor scheduling.
- poor attitude among many (not all) workers who deal front-line with customers.
Assumptions are interesting. I assumed that the root of the problem was labour cost - those pesky greedy unions! But 65 grand does not seem to me an unreasonable ambition so this assumption is now under review. Next assumption is that it is the witless bureaucrats who are fucking it up. Maybe ...
References: Wage and Salary Conversion Chart, UofT Human Resources.
Players: Toronto Transit Commission - TTC, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 - ALU 113.
Down.
Friday, 24 April 2009
Fat Cat
Up, Down.
Nothing more than collecting a bit of flotsam around an article in the Globe yesterday: The real fat cats of the auto industry by Neil Reynolds.
From Ken Lewenza in Wikipedia: ... Lewenza dropped out of high school after Grade 10, at age 16, ... Lewenza drives a Dodge Nitro.
Dodge Nitro at the Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler site, and Wikipedia, and Carseek: Recent Dodge Nitro Review (2007).
A clear winner in all dimensions.
"GM's pension fund is in trouble largely because of the failure of provincial pension regulations, and GM has paid a very substantial proportion of the premiums that have been collected over the years by the Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund. So, for the government to now suggest that retired autoworkers would be denied the protection of this fund is unconscionable."
Sure, except that I remember hearing the news 25 years ago that GM was already sinking under the combined strains of pension funds and health coverage. Whatever.
"We welcome the opportunity to join with other industry players in rebuilding the auto industry." (CAW President Ken Lewenza Calls for Increase to EI, CAW site, November 27, 2008.)
Rebuilding!? Doh! The movie will have to be called Jurassic Park XXIV!
There is a Christian/Anarchist myth that everyone will learn to read the Bible and be good and that eventually laws and politics will no longer be required. Engels & Marx had a similar notion that the state would eventually 'wither away'. Every Left-Lib & every Democrat has comparable ideas about universal sufferage and so forth.
But some people are smart and most are not. I wonder when eventually will begin?
The Ken Lewenzas, Jr. & Sr., look to me like good men, good people. My problem is that demotic (Of, pertaining or proper to, the common people; popular, vulgar.), one of Northrop Frye's ages or phases or modes (see below), reminds me strongly of daemonic (Of, belonging to, or of the nature of, a demon or evil spirit; demoniacal, devilish.) - no connection of course, just an overly simple symmetry.
From, Frye's The Great Code, page 5:
"This question took me to Vico, the first person in the modern world to think seriously about such matters. According to Vico, there are three ages in a cycle of history: a mythical age, or age of gods; a heroic age, or age of an aristocracy; and an age of the people, after which there comes a ricorso or return that starts the whole process over again. Each age produces its own kind of langage giving us three types of verbal expression that Vico calls, respectively, the poetic, the heroic or noble, and the vulgar, and which I shall call the hieroglyphic, the hieratic, and the demotic."
Meanwhile:
The point seems misdirected to me. What would be understandable would be joy at the demise of both CAW & Chrysler. The notion that either of them can be rehabilitated into servers of humanity and the planet is, well ... far-fetched.
In the same ambit, as a user of TTC services, an observer, it seems to me that the union is also impeding effective public transport, certainly someting is ... I will look into this.
***************************************************************************
The real fat cats of the auto industry, Neil Reynolds, April 24, 2009.
LABOUR RELATIONS: CAW
OTTAWA -- In his blog on the crisis of Canada's Detroit Three auto makers, political scientist James Laxer (a founder in 1969 of the far-left Waffle group) describes threats of bankruptcy protection by General Motors and Chrysler as "treason" and "betrayal." He uses the warfare metaphors explicitly, deliberately. Bankruptcy, he says in the April 17 posting, is a weapon "to bludgeon workers." It is "a gun" to reverse advances in wages, benefits and working conditions painstakingly gained over decades by the Canadian Auto Workers, which he reveres as "Canada's most effective industrial union."
This is one perspective, not altogether flimflam. An alternative perspective, probably closer to reality, views possible GM and Chrysler bankruptcy protection filings in simple judicial terms - as the prosecution of an egregious bunch of wage fixers whose conspiracy to rig the price of labour should have been regarded as criminal from the very beginning. Operating as a kind of union trust, with quasi-monopolistic rights and privileges, CAW negotiations often resembled shakedowns. The case is easily proven: Compare hourly wages in the closed-shop auto unions with hourly wages in competitive environments (all other North American auto makers and many other businesses).
The average hourly paid Canadian worker earns $21.66 an hour, or $45,052 a year (assuming a 40-hour workweek and full-time employment for 52 weeks). This rate doesn't include every fringe benefit but hourly paid workers don't usually get lavish perks - not like Canadian auto workers whose hourly labour costs (fringe benefits included) now exceed $72 an hour by some measures, or $150,000 a year. The CAW regards the $72-an-hour calculation as unfair. So let's arbitrarily use $60 an hour instead, or $124,800 a year.
We hear progressive anguish about the income gap between hourly paid men ($23.44 an hour, $48,755 a year) and women ($19.83 an hour, $41,246 a year) - but not about the gap between Detroit Three auto workers and everyone else who is paid by the hour. This alone is suspicious. Where are the pay equity people when you need 'em? Further, Statistics Canada says the average hourly paid worker gets only 30 hours of work a week. Thus the average hourly paid woman earns $594.90 a week, $30,934 a year - one-quarter as much as the average Big Three auto worker, male or female.
Pay equity programs are based on the premise that employers should pay men and women comparable wages for comparable work. You can't quite equate auto industry assembly line work with dentistry, for example - though the average dentist earns $60 an hour, too. You can't quite equate assembly-line work with scientific research - though the average scientist earns only $50 an hour. But why can't you equate the auto industry truck driver, who earns $19 an hour, with the assembly line worker?
Because the North American auto industry is fully integrated, hourly wage rates in one place can't significantly exceed hourly rates in other places without loss of competitive edge. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics collects wage data on all companies "associated with the production, wholesaling, retailing and maintenance of motor vehicles." It publishes average hourly rates for all sectors of the industry without regard to the nationality of the cars (Canadian or American, European or Japanese), or to the union status of the workers (closed or open shop).
In competitive environments, you don't need bankruptcy proceedings to adjust union contracts or other conditions of employment. Recession suffices. A year ago (March, 2008), 918,300 hourly paid U.S. workers were engaged in the manufacture of cars and trucks. The number now (March, 2009) is 711,200, a decline of 207,100. A year ago, about 1.89 million hourly paid U.S. workers were engaged in automobile dealerships and in auto parts sales (both wholesale and retail). The number now is 1.73 million a decline of 160,000. A year ago, 858,300 hourly paid U.S. workers were engaged in auto repair and maintenance. The number now is 815,680, a decline of 42,620.
In March, 2009, the average hourly rate of non-supervisory workers in U.S. car or truck manufacturing plants was $27.43 (U.S.), a decline of $2.53 - almost 10 per cent - from the preceding year. The average hourly rate in the parts industry was $21.25. In vehicle wholesaling, the average was $17.04; in vehicle retailing, $16.06. The average hourly rate of a person working in vehicle repair was $15.32; of a person employed in auto parts retailing was $13.94. And aren't car parts workers as skilled as assembly line workers?
The astonishing thing is that the average hourly rate for all auto workers in the United States is almost precisely the same as the average hourly rate for all hourly paid people in Canada, regardless of industry. The average U.S. auto industry rate for all hourly paid jobs in the industry: $22.01 an hour. The average Canadian rate for all hourly paid jobs in all industries: $21.66 (Canadian). (We're ignoring exchange rate differences, which move inexorably up and down.) Note that the auto companies that pay competitive rates aren't standing in line to file for creditor protection.
The verdict on Canada's most effective union: Guilty as charged. GM and Chrysler are guilty, too, of course. They shouldn't have stood there meekly, for all these years, with union "guns" held to their ribs.
***************************************************************************
Recent Dodge Nitro Review, Carseek ('recent' being a relative term - looks like it was done in 2007).
Dodge Nitro
The 2006 Chicago Auto Show was the showplace for the Dodge Nitro, a compact sport utility vehicle that is assigned the same platform as the Jeep Liberty. The Nitro was first sold in the fall of 2006 and was the only compact SUV in the maker's lineup. Since its inception at the auto show, consumers and reviewers have questioned Dodge's decision to give the Nitro a modern, boxy design. Sales have reflected that doubt, and the Nitro is one of the least profitable vehicles for Dodge.
Available with either a 3.7L Powertech V6 or a 4.0L SOHC V6 engine, the Nitro is also one of Dodge's least powerful SUVs on the market. The Nitro also has three transmission choices: a 6-speed manual, a 5-speed 5G-Tronic Mercedes automatic, or a 4-speed automatic. The exterior of the SUV is styled with oversized wheel wells, sharp lines, and a flat hood. Unfortunately, while the design has been well-received in Europe, American buyers have been put off by it. Mostly, consumers and critics alike agree that the sport utility vehicle simply does not fit in the maker's lineup.
More disappointment came for Dodge when the magazine Consumer Reports named the Nitro one of its eleven worst cars for the 2008 model year. The Jeep Liberty was among the ranks as well. Coupled with rumors of a Chrysler bankruptcy (Dodge's parent company), the maker is on shaky ground with consumers. Financial gurus like Jim Cramer are stating that Chrysler is a sure bet for failure. Unfortunately, claims that Bob Nardelli, the Chrysler CEO, is completely incompetent do nothing to help the American maker.
Another rumor floating around is that American manufacturer Ford will take over the minivan division of Chrysler and keep Jeep around, but will phase out all other vehicle models. Regrettably, that would mean an end to the short life of the Dodge Nitro. Most gossip points out that even if another manufacturer absorbed Chrysler into their ranks, they'd still surely get rid of the Dodge Nitro because of poor sales and harsh criticism. No matter what, Dodge claims that a newer, more publicly-accepted Nitro is in the works and will blow the competition out of the water. Nevertheless, reviewers are commenting back that Dodge is simply blowing smoke and has no real resolution for the current rebuffed design. Latest rumors include the addition of a V6 HEMI in the Nitro and a spinoff crossover vehicle that will resemble the Nitro, but will be marketed more to a younger market.
***************************************************************************
CAW President Ken Lewenza Calls for Increase to EI, CAW site, November 27, 2008.
CAW President Ken Lewenza called on the federal government to increase EI benefits to unemployed workers during a recent meeting of all local CAW leadership in the major auto, auto parts and heavy truck sectors of the union in the London area.
Lewenza said government must take immediate action to increase the EI benefit rates and length of terms in order to prevent an even further downward spiral -a real threat with the recession.
The November 26 meeting was convened to provide an overview of the economic crisis and what it means to workers in the auto industry, as well as addressing workers' concerns on pensions. Similar meetings also took place in Windsor and Toronto on November 27 and 28.
Lewenza also said that workers are not to blame for the current crisis that has shaken the auto industry. "This is a knee jerk reaction to blame the union when the industry is struggling," said Lewenza, noting no similar blame was directed at bankers at the time of the Wall Street bailout.
"The union has shown time and time again that it's flexible and willing to take creative approaches when finding solutions," said Lewenza. "We welcome the opportunity to join with other industry players in rebuilding the auto industry."
He noted though that with a crumbling global market and disappearing North American sales, slashing workers' wages and benefits will do nothing to solve the industry's problems.
He also indicated the union will continue meeting with the companies to ensure they become more viable and keep the Canadian operations open well into the future.
The meeting included a speech by Lewenza and presentations by CAW Economist Jim Stanford and Director of Pensions and Benefits Sym Gill and was attended by several local politicians and representatives of non-profit organizations.
Down.
Nothing more than collecting a bit of flotsam around an article in the Globe yesterday: The real fat cats of the auto industry by Neil Reynolds.
From Ken Lewenza in Wikipedia: ... Lewenza dropped out of high school after Grade 10, at age 16, ... Lewenza drives a Dodge Nitro.
Dodge Nitro at the Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler site, and Wikipedia, and Carseek: Recent Dodge Nitro Review (2007).
A clear winner in all dimensions.
"GM's pension fund is in trouble largely because of the failure of provincial pension regulations, and GM has paid a very substantial proportion of the premiums that have been collected over the years by the Pension Benefit Guarantee Fund. So, for the government to now suggest that retired autoworkers would be denied the protection of this fund is unconscionable."
Sure, except that I remember hearing the news 25 years ago that GM was already sinking under the combined strains of pension funds and health coverage. Whatever.
"We welcome the opportunity to join with other industry players in rebuilding the auto industry." (CAW President Ken Lewenza Calls for Increase to EI, CAW site, November 27, 2008.)
Rebuilding!? Doh! The movie will have to be called Jurassic Park XXIV!
There is a Christian/Anarchist myth that everyone will learn to read the Bible and be good and that eventually laws and politics will no longer be required. Engels & Marx had a similar notion that the state would eventually 'wither away'. Every Left-Lib & every Democrat has comparable ideas about universal sufferage and so forth.
But some people are smart and most are not. I wonder when eventually will begin?
The Ken Lewenzas, Jr. & Sr., look to me like good men, good people. My problem is that demotic (Of, pertaining or proper to, the common people; popular, vulgar.), one of Northrop Frye's ages or phases or modes (see below), reminds me strongly of daemonic (Of, belonging to, or of the nature of, a demon or evil spirit; demoniacal, devilish.) - no connection of course, just an overly simple symmetry.
From, Frye's The Great Code, page 5:
"This question took me to Vico, the first person in the modern world to think seriously about such matters. According to Vico, there are three ages in a cycle of history: a mythical age, or age of gods; a heroic age, or age of an aristocracy; and an age of the people, after which there comes a ricorso or return that starts the whole process over again. Each age produces its own kind of langage giving us three types of verbal expression that Vico calls, respectively, the poetic, the heroic or noble, and the vulgar, and which I shall call the hieroglyphic, the hieratic, and the demotic."
Meanwhile:
The point seems misdirected to me. What would be understandable would be joy at the demise of both CAW & Chrysler. The notion that either of them can be rehabilitated into servers of humanity and the planet is, well ... far-fetched.
In the same ambit, as a user of TTC services, an observer, it seems to me that the union is also impeding effective public transport, certainly someting is ... I will look into this.
***************************************************************************
The real fat cats of the auto industry, Neil Reynolds, April 24, 2009.
LABOUR RELATIONS: CAW
OTTAWA -- In his blog on the crisis of Canada's Detroit Three auto makers, political scientist James Laxer (a founder in 1969 of the far-left Waffle group) describes threats of bankruptcy protection by General Motors and Chrysler as "treason" and "betrayal." He uses the warfare metaphors explicitly, deliberately. Bankruptcy, he says in the April 17 posting, is a weapon "to bludgeon workers." It is "a gun" to reverse advances in wages, benefits and working conditions painstakingly gained over decades by the Canadian Auto Workers, which he reveres as "Canada's most effective industrial union."
This is one perspective, not altogether flimflam. An alternative perspective, probably closer to reality, views possible GM and Chrysler bankruptcy protection filings in simple judicial terms - as the prosecution of an egregious bunch of wage fixers whose conspiracy to rig the price of labour should have been regarded as criminal from the very beginning. Operating as a kind of union trust, with quasi-monopolistic rights and privileges, CAW negotiations often resembled shakedowns. The case is easily proven: Compare hourly wages in the closed-shop auto unions with hourly wages in competitive environments (all other North American auto makers and many other businesses).
The average hourly paid Canadian worker earns $21.66 an hour, or $45,052 a year (assuming a 40-hour workweek and full-time employment for 52 weeks). This rate doesn't include every fringe benefit but hourly paid workers don't usually get lavish perks - not like Canadian auto workers whose hourly labour costs (fringe benefits included) now exceed $72 an hour by some measures, or $150,000 a year. The CAW regards the $72-an-hour calculation as unfair. So let's arbitrarily use $60 an hour instead, or $124,800 a year.
We hear progressive anguish about the income gap between hourly paid men ($23.44 an hour, $48,755 a year) and women ($19.83 an hour, $41,246 a year) - but not about the gap between Detroit Three auto workers and everyone else who is paid by the hour. This alone is suspicious. Where are the pay equity people when you need 'em? Further, Statistics Canada says the average hourly paid worker gets only 30 hours of work a week. Thus the average hourly paid woman earns $594.90 a week, $30,934 a year - one-quarter as much as the average Big Three auto worker, male or female.
Pay equity programs are based on the premise that employers should pay men and women comparable wages for comparable work. You can't quite equate auto industry assembly line work with dentistry, for example - though the average dentist earns $60 an hour, too. You can't quite equate assembly-line work with scientific research - though the average scientist earns only $50 an hour. But why can't you equate the auto industry truck driver, who earns $19 an hour, with the assembly line worker?
Because the North American auto industry is fully integrated, hourly wage rates in one place can't significantly exceed hourly rates in other places without loss of competitive edge. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics collects wage data on all companies "associated with the production, wholesaling, retailing and maintenance of motor vehicles." It publishes average hourly rates for all sectors of the industry without regard to the nationality of the cars (Canadian or American, European or Japanese), or to the union status of the workers (closed or open shop).
In competitive environments, you don't need bankruptcy proceedings to adjust union contracts or other conditions of employment. Recession suffices. A year ago (March, 2008), 918,300 hourly paid U.S. workers were engaged in the manufacture of cars and trucks. The number now (March, 2009) is 711,200, a decline of 207,100. A year ago, about 1.89 million hourly paid U.S. workers were engaged in automobile dealerships and in auto parts sales (both wholesale and retail). The number now is 1.73 million a decline of 160,000. A year ago, 858,300 hourly paid U.S. workers were engaged in auto repair and maintenance. The number now is 815,680, a decline of 42,620.
In March, 2009, the average hourly rate of non-supervisory workers in U.S. car or truck manufacturing plants was $27.43 (U.S.), a decline of $2.53 - almost 10 per cent - from the preceding year. The average hourly rate in the parts industry was $21.25. In vehicle wholesaling, the average was $17.04; in vehicle retailing, $16.06. The average hourly rate of a person working in vehicle repair was $15.32; of a person employed in auto parts retailing was $13.94. And aren't car parts workers as skilled as assembly line workers?
The astonishing thing is that the average hourly rate for all auto workers in the United States is almost precisely the same as the average hourly rate for all hourly paid people in Canada, regardless of industry. The average U.S. auto industry rate for all hourly paid jobs in the industry: $22.01 an hour. The average Canadian rate for all hourly paid jobs in all industries: $21.66 (Canadian). (We're ignoring exchange rate differences, which move inexorably up and down.) Note that the auto companies that pay competitive rates aren't standing in line to file for creditor protection.
The verdict on Canada's most effective union: Guilty as charged. GM and Chrysler are guilty, too, of course. They shouldn't have stood there meekly, for all these years, with union "guns" held to their ribs.
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Recent Dodge Nitro Review, Carseek ('recent' being a relative term - looks like it was done in 2007).
Dodge Nitro
The 2006 Chicago Auto Show was the showplace for the Dodge Nitro, a compact sport utility vehicle that is assigned the same platform as the Jeep Liberty. The Nitro was first sold in the fall of 2006 and was the only compact SUV in the maker's lineup. Since its inception at the auto show, consumers and reviewers have questioned Dodge's decision to give the Nitro a modern, boxy design. Sales have reflected that doubt, and the Nitro is one of the least profitable vehicles for Dodge.
Available with either a 3.7L Powertech V6 or a 4.0L SOHC V6 engine, the Nitro is also one of Dodge's least powerful SUVs on the market. The Nitro also has three transmission choices: a 6-speed manual, a 5-speed 5G-Tronic Mercedes automatic, or a 4-speed automatic. The exterior of the SUV is styled with oversized wheel wells, sharp lines, and a flat hood. Unfortunately, while the design has been well-received in Europe, American buyers have been put off by it. Mostly, consumers and critics alike agree that the sport utility vehicle simply does not fit in the maker's lineup.
More disappointment came for Dodge when the magazine Consumer Reports named the Nitro one of its eleven worst cars for the 2008 model year. The Jeep Liberty was among the ranks as well. Coupled with rumors of a Chrysler bankruptcy (Dodge's parent company), the maker is on shaky ground with consumers. Financial gurus like Jim Cramer are stating that Chrysler is a sure bet for failure. Unfortunately, claims that Bob Nardelli, the Chrysler CEO, is completely incompetent do nothing to help the American maker.
Another rumor floating around is that American manufacturer Ford will take over the minivan division of Chrysler and keep Jeep around, but will phase out all other vehicle models. Regrettably, that would mean an end to the short life of the Dodge Nitro. Most gossip points out that even if another manufacturer absorbed Chrysler into their ranks, they'd still surely get rid of the Dodge Nitro because of poor sales and harsh criticism. No matter what, Dodge claims that a newer, more publicly-accepted Nitro is in the works and will blow the competition out of the water. Nevertheless, reviewers are commenting back that Dodge is simply blowing smoke and has no real resolution for the current rebuffed design. Latest rumors include the addition of a V6 HEMI in the Nitro and a spinoff crossover vehicle that will resemble the Nitro, but will be marketed more to a younger market.
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CAW President Ken Lewenza Calls for Increase to EI, CAW site, November 27, 2008.
CAW President Ken Lewenza called on the federal government to increase EI benefits to unemployed workers during a recent meeting of all local CAW leadership in the major auto, auto parts and heavy truck sectors of the union in the London area.
Lewenza said government must take immediate action to increase the EI benefit rates and length of terms in order to prevent an even further downward spiral -a real threat with the recession.
The November 26 meeting was convened to provide an overview of the economic crisis and what it means to workers in the auto industry, as well as addressing workers' concerns on pensions. Similar meetings also took place in Windsor and Toronto on November 27 and 28.
Lewenza also said that workers are not to blame for the current crisis that has shaken the auto industry. "This is a knee jerk reaction to blame the union when the industry is struggling," said Lewenza, noting no similar blame was directed at bankers at the time of the Wall Street bailout.
"The union has shown time and time again that it's flexible and willing to take creative approaches when finding solutions," said Lewenza. "We welcome the opportunity to join with other industry players in rebuilding the auto industry."
He noted though that with a crumbling global market and disappearing North American sales, slashing workers' wages and benefits will do nothing to solve the industry's problems.
He also indicated the union will continue meeting with the companies to ensure they become more viable and keep the Canadian operations open well into the future.
The meeting included a speech by Lewenza and presentations by CAW Economist Jim Stanford and Director of Pensions and Benefits Sym Gill and was attended by several local politicians and representatives of non-profit organizations.
Down.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Honourable Mounties Breaking Ranks - Hallelujah!
Up, Down, In This Thread.
Al Clark:
"The RCMP, in my opinion, are more concerned with their corporate image, their public image, than looking after their own people and sometimes the guys that are out there every day doing the job are left floating on an island."
"What did the outfit or the RCMP do from the time that he left Merritt to help him?"
"What they do often is they just, rather than addresss a issue they move the issue ... I didn't think these people should be members of the Force."
Tunney Moriarity:
"I was embarrassed to call myself a member."
"They got caught in a lie. ... They got caught in their own lie, and now they just don't know what to do with it. They came back and said that they had followed the policy of the Force. If that is the policy of the Force then I will say the people of Canada have one big problem."
"They shoud be charged with an offence of criminal negligence causing death."
(Images and quotations from Insiders Perspective, CBC Video by Terry Milewski.)
Ron Lewis:
This Is Not The RCMP I Joined, The RCMP Pension and Insurance Scandal by Ron Lewis at GSPH, General Store Publishing House.
I have ordered a copy and will report when I have read it.
Down.
Al Clark:
"The RCMP, in my opinion, are more concerned with their corporate image, their public image, than looking after their own people and sometimes the guys that are out there every day doing the job are left floating on an island."
"What did the outfit or the RCMP do from the time that he left Merritt to help him?"
"What they do often is they just, rather than addresss a issue they move the issue ... I didn't think these people should be members of the Force."
Tunney Moriarity:
"I was embarrassed to call myself a member."
"They got caught in a lie. ... They got caught in their own lie, and now they just don't know what to do with it. They came back and said that they had followed the policy of the Force. If that is the policy of the Force then I will say the people of Canada have one big problem."
"They shoud be charged with an offence of criminal negligence causing death."
(Images and quotations from Insiders Perspective, CBC Video by Terry Milewski.)
Ron Lewis:
This Is Not The RCMP I Joined, The RCMP Pension and Insurance Scandal by Ron Lewis at GSPH, General Store Publishing House.
I have ordered a copy and will report when I have read it.
Down.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Braidwood Inquiry - RCMP continue in Denial Mode.
Up, Down, In This Thread.
Maggots!
Essential Links: Braidwood Inquiry official site, CBC continuing coverage - A Deadly Landing.
Wally Oppal is reconsidering charges, or, let's say, COVERING HIS OWN FAT ASS; while Tim Shields & Pierre Lemaitre & Brad Fawcett & Nycki Basra & Paul Hoivik & Gregg Gillis & Peter Thiessen & Jennifer Pound & John Ward & Stan Lowe continue dissembling, or, let's say, LYING; and William Elliott continues his blustering braggadocio bluff and weasel waffle, or, let's say, LIES.
Some honourable retired Mounties start coming out of the woodwork (we knew there had to be at least two of them eh?): Tunney Moriarity & Al Clark (former boss of Monty Robinson, and clearly a compassionate and articulate individual): "They got caught in their own lie." "They should be charged with a charge of Criminal Negligence Causing Death." "I was embarrassed to call myself a member."
Next up to bat - Dale Carr - who will continue dissembling, or, let's say, LYING.
Lying Rat Bastards!
'Lying Rat Bitches' I suppose you would have to say as well. A-and if any of these would like to take it up with me that calling them liars is unjustified, that I am impugning their characters without basis - I will simply say that each of them had the opportunity to speak out, to tell the truth, and did not. They are rogues and liars and cowards. They are without honour. They are a laughing stock. They brought shame to themselves and to the RCMP and to this country and to every Canadian.
Wally Oppal, by the way, is fighting an election battle at the moment. You could do worse than support his opponent, Vicki Huntington, Independent Candidate for MLA, Delta South.
They are beginning to cry crocodile tears. Tim Shields steps a teeny-tiny baby step towards the line; William Elliott begins to signal, oh so subtly, that he is not immune to the heat being generated under his fat ass.
But it doesn't matter. It is waaay late. What they tell us as they begin to backtrack in the face of the wind (and in the face of an election for Wally Oppal of course), is that they are indeed liars and cowards, and cynical ones.
A reasonable outcome in the first instance would have been to charge the four who did the deed. But that was years ago. Now the only acceptable outcome is to fire the goons, charge the goons and lock them up while they wait for trial, and for the various proven liars to resign - including Elliott, Ward, the IHIT team, Lemaitre, Carr, the whole shitty shebang.
Rogues Gallery:
Fire the whole shitty shebang!
Interesting footnote - the CBC link to Insiders Perspective went dead sometime yesterday (?) I thought it might be something on my machine but colleagues encountered the same problem. This was Terry Milewski talking to the two retired Mounties, Tunney Moriarity and Al Clark, quoted above. In that sense the CBC is not so unlike the RCMP, there is no way (that I could find) to email directly to Terry Milewski to see what was what, nor to the CBC webmaster.
Aha! The link is back! So the way to contact them is to leave a comment :-)
Down.
Maggots!
Essential Links: Braidwood Inquiry official site, CBC continuing coverage - A Deadly Landing.
Wally Oppal is reconsidering charges, or, let's say, COVERING HIS OWN FAT ASS; while Tim Shields & Pierre Lemaitre & Brad Fawcett & Nycki Basra & Paul Hoivik & Gregg Gillis & Peter Thiessen & Jennifer Pound & John Ward & Stan Lowe continue dissembling, or, let's say, LYING; and William Elliott continues his blustering braggadocio bluff and weasel waffle, or, let's say, LIES.
Some honourable retired Mounties start coming out of the woodwork (we knew there had to be at least two of them eh?): Tunney Moriarity & Al Clark (former boss of Monty Robinson, and clearly a compassionate and articulate individual): "They got caught in their own lie." "They should be charged with a charge of Criminal Negligence Causing Death." "I was embarrassed to call myself a member."
Next up to bat - Dale Carr - who will continue dissembling, or, let's say, LYING.
Lying Rat Bastards!
'Lying Rat Bitches' I suppose you would have to say as well. A-and if any of these would like to take it up with me that calling them liars is unjustified, that I am impugning their characters without basis - I will simply say that each of them had the opportunity to speak out, to tell the truth, and did not. They are rogues and liars and cowards. They are without honour. They are a laughing stock. They brought shame to themselves and to the RCMP and to this country and to every Canadian.
Wally Oppal, by the way, is fighting an election battle at the moment. You could do worse than support his opponent, Vicki Huntington, Independent Candidate for MLA, Delta South.
They are beginning to cry crocodile tears. Tim Shields steps a teeny-tiny baby step towards the line; William Elliott begins to signal, oh so subtly, that he is not immune to the heat being generated under his fat ass.
But it doesn't matter. It is waaay late. What they tell us as they begin to backtrack in the face of the wind (and in the face of an election for Wally Oppal of course), is that they are indeed liars and cowards, and cynical ones.
A reasonable outcome in the first instance would have been to charge the four who did the deed. But that was years ago. Now the only acceptable outcome is to fire the goons, charge the goons and lock them up while they wait for trial, and for the various proven liars to resign - including Elliott, Ward, the IHIT team, Lemaitre, Carr, the whole shitty shebang.
Rogues Gallery:
Fire the whole shitty shebang!
Interesting footnote - the CBC link to Insiders Perspective went dead sometime yesterday (?) I thought it might be something on my machine but colleagues encountered the same problem. This was Terry Milewski talking to the two retired Mounties, Tunney Moriarity and Al Clark, quoted above. In that sense the CBC is not so unlike the RCMP, there is no way (that I could find) to email directly to Terry Milewski to see what was what, nor to the CBC webmaster.
Aha! The link is back! So the way to contact them is to leave a comment :-)
Down.