Dispatches From North Of The Border

From alleged democracy to "businesstoCRAZY" to economic ruin!

A smile of "Ahhhhh" and then a giant, sad feeling rolled over me as I read an 18 month old blog by Andy Hobsbawm from 30 April 2007. Hobsbawm was writing in his blog, " Small Is the Next Big Thing " that the world was/is rushing head long toward some type of disaster.

It is November 2008 and the ruling class "giants", the "businesstocracy" including the once might RBS, Merrill Lynch, CitiBank and the worshiped Goldman Sachs and so many more, who had have set about to collect all the marbles in the game of life, may have destroyed the economic game in which they made the rules.

In 2008, we have seen the collapse of RBS, Washington Mutual, CitiBank, Bear Stearns and the all powerful Goldman Sachs. The shell game of who has the money now is over. The difference in this game was one of scope of size in the shell. In this case, three card Monty wasn't for the one dollar a game variety it was for legalized pocket picking of billions of dollars with each play of the the game.

In "collecting things" (called money) they, the "giants", all may have set the world back to the likes of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The extent of the depression may not be seen in the same way as the '30s but for many the effects will be felt in the same way or even worse.

Will the decade of the 2010s be the new Great Depression?

Only time and history will tell, but already, during the last year, the world has seen a world economic collapse which is hundreds of times greater than that of the 1930s and for many the new depression is just beginning.It will not matter what the politicians and "leaders" of the world call it, for many it is already the new depression.

For the real poor of the world, in the undeveloped counties, the new depression will have no immediate effect. They have always been the worlds' neglected and will continue to be.

If the old order ran as a "businesstocracy" the new social and economic world order will require new rules and new leaders.

The question that can be answered rhetorically, "Did the world have any leaders during the last 20-30 years?" INDEED! It was the "businesstocracy"!

If one simply replaces the second letter "c", in businesstocracy, one has the reality of that old ruling class and the games played with other peoples lives: buinesstoCRAZY.

Long live the new order ... what ever that is!

恭禧發財

February 18, 2007 marks the arrival around the world of the Chinese New Year. For 15 days, the Chinese people will celebrate the pending arrival of spring with the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

The date of the Chinese New Year is derived from The Chinese calendar invented in the year 2637 B.C.E. by then Emperor Huangdi. On the Chinese calendar the year 2007 is officially the Lunar Year 4704 – 4705.

“The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the lunar calendar. The corresponding date in the solar calendar varies from as early as January 21st to as late as February 19th. Chinese New Year, as the Western new Year, signified turning over a new leaf.”

The importance of family and friends and the beginning of new opportunities are celebrated throughout the world.

There are twelve animals associated with the new year cycle. It is legendary that Buddha asked all animals to meet him but only twelve came. The history of the new year is that persons born in the year of a specific animal would have some of the traits of the animal. Like people celebrating other new years, resolutions for the coming year are made. The current Chinese New Year is the year of the “Pig” or the “Boar”. It is often said that people born in the Year of the Pig would have such traits as “excellent manners, make and keep friends, work very hard, and appreciate luxury”.

There are many celebrations which take place over a two week period, the Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on March 04, 2007, which is the fifteenth day of the new year.

Gung Hay Fat Choy translates to “Best Wishes and Congratulations. Have a prosperous and good year.”

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Photo from Patrick's Photoblog

Oakville, Ontario is celebrating its official 150th anniversary as a town/village in 2007. It is a unique suburban environment which I both live and teach in. A city with a small town flavour and small town promotion but one of the most affluent cities in Canada and in North America. As an educator living and working in Oakville, this affords me the opportunity to see what North America views as economic success and to also experience first hand the huge differences still found in one of Canada's wealthiest cities. Poverty and an underclass still exist here however the community has avoided or purposefully marginalized them from the eyes of these citizen elite who believe their community is immune from social stratification.

Since the early settlement days of the 18th century, Modern day Oakville was first located and known by being establishing at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek. This would have been a sixteen mile traverse by land along the lakeshore from the "Toronto Carrying Place". at the mouth of the Humber River. The "Town of Oakville", which is still its official name designation, has an estimated population of 174,000 persons in 2007.

GPS Locator:

43°26'44.74"N 79°40'05.36"W

Oakville, overall, has a gratuitous annual income per household. In 2006, this household income was just over $90,000 per year per household income compared to the provincial average of about $62,000. This extremely large household income level places Oakville as the most affluent city or town in Canada. It will periodically place a close second to other locations where new money wealth is growing. Oakville and in particular many of the people living in south Oakville (you can most certainly leave me out of this group) are barometers of the thriving essence and decadence of old and new money in Upper Canada!

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