Under discussion are plans by the local municipalities to set up Drug Consumption Sites in our cities. One example serving as role model is a site in Vancouver, called Insight [ http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/ ]. These types of facilities are intended to not only supervise safe drug injection and sharing, but also to assist in a variety of other services to drug addicts and mostly also homeless people. All this based on a platform of compassion and providing services paid by governments. How much of those services and facilities actually accomplish to combat drug addictions and release those addicted to the outside world as being healed from their addictions, is unclear.
An interesting notion from the 1960s: A heavy smoker who also was an alcoholic then had been considered as a sick person, at times incarcerated in a mental facility. Given an excessive number of cigarettes to smoke daily so as to make an addict sick, in order to give up smoking. Alcoholics were given sessions between psychiatrists and with their nearest relatives in which the origins of that disease were supposed to surface. However, on the whole all of those addictions stem from weakness. Let’s assume you put those addicts to work on something meaningful, not even hard labour, make them forget their addiction. And instead focus on whatever they are doing. Compassion does not always accomplish reduction in drug addiction. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy ]
Category Archives: COMMENTARIES
Germany – Canada Immigration Policies
Just reading the other day that Germany will have a closer look to Canada when making changes to their immigration rules. Canada being looked upon as a ‘Vorbild’ (model). Problems in Germany mainly brought about by strong opposition against certain groups of immigrants, having lead to massive demonstrations and racism. [ http://www.globalresearch.ca/germany-tens-of-thousands-protest-against-ultra-right-pegida-movement/5421806 ].
What is ridiculous is that the majority of those who march in demonstrations are not even German. They are immigrants having arrived from many different countries. And received some German passport. The real Germans are the older senior citizens, they do not march. If they would march, they would likely be killed or at least severely beaten by the young radical ones.
How on the other hand Canada can be a model is questionable. Canada is a large area, empty one might say. Of course, immigration rules can be relaxed here. There is space for so many more immigrants. And BTW to immigrate to Canada one must have proof of work or employment. That was when I came in. How it is now, I do not know. We certainly have large numbers of so called homeless people lying around in the street, who do not look like they ever worked. But get free health care and subsistence allowances and free everything.
Investment Advisors
Investment advice, investment advisors – better trust your own judgement. After getting yourself informed, using all pertinent channels of information available free of charge. Don’t blindly trust those who more often than not rely on guesswork and needing to take in a whole slew of data on overall market conditions, domestic as well as international. Definition of investment advisor [ http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/investmentadvisor.asp ].
One good example of investments proposed by banking investment advisors are mutual funds. As known: “mitgefangen, mitgehangen”. How many millions of investors are clumped together in one big investment fund, managed by a few (more or less capable), and when something goes wrong, “all of us hang with it” [ http://www.stock-world.de/index.html ].
Years ago on the advice of my then investment advisor I had also put some of my money into several mutual funds. Result: losses, high capital gains taxes to pay (each and every one of the investors must pitch in) despite the market value dropping. Pursuent to my research of what some funds are invested into I found some obscure off-shore banks, and others none existant. After my decision to rid myself of all mutual funds, my entire retirement portfolio went up again in overall value. Today I trust myself. Despite the fact that I may still loose money, but at least it is lost value based on my own stupidity and not somebody elses.
What is Cool, what is not
It is unfortunate that today’s young people believe that high speed car chases are cool, that smoking or drugs are cool, that war scenes in which civilians are being killed is cool, that using weapons on (imaginary) opponents is cool.
Tell you what is Cool. From my wartime experiences as a 4-year old I can tell you that it is cool to having survived, that it is cool to be standing on the ground and looking up, when the bombers arrived over our homeland and towns and started dropping their loads on us. That it is cool to write about it. That it is not cool to fly over enemy territory with a fighter plane, open a hatch and unload tons of bombs onto unarmed civilians. That it is not cool to receive medals and standing ovations many years later as a war veteran for having done so.
A little story. In the 1980s while living for many years in the Foothills of Alberta Rockies, alone on my land with my horses, I also had a Quarter Section of bare land somewhere West of Cochrane, near Ghost Lake region. It was heavily treed. I rented it out to a group of City people for playing Paint Ball. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball ] . This land was heavily treed. Usually when playing Paint Ball you stick together in a group. I had several (“cool strong guys”) to later arrive out of the trees, crying, because they got lost. When it comes to being cool, how cool is that !
Womens’ rights movement – nothing is more cool than the early fights for womens’ rights. Not so cool is, if women fight other women, or treat their elders with disrespect, as happens in many western cultures.
Cool is if women get the same rights on the job as men, same payment, same conditions, same respect, same treatment. Not cool is to discriminate against women when a company or entire industry falters (like for example the oil industry in Alberta), and women including single mothers are laid off first. As happened specifically at Trans Canada Pipelines Company in Calgary, AB. It seemed that in the 1980s no explanations were needed for these discriminatory practices in that industry.
Cool is to help yourself and others, not so cool is to wait for handouts from a government.
Women’s Rights
Not always only with our strength, but with ‘mind over body’. This particular very popular image depicts what happened during the aftermath of World War II with many countries destroyed and needing rebuilding, and when in those countries which needed the most rebuilding like for example Germany and Russia, and many more, only women were at hand to do all the hard work.
And what do we see now ? I take as an example Canada, one of the largest and typical immigrants’ continents of North America. A country that since 1812 did never have another war nor had any occupation by enemy nations, nor was forcing women into hard labor to rebuild the country. Wars as per Canadian statistics meaning battles, land battles, disputes, terrorist activity, gang “wars”. Where and when was ever an extended occupation of that country by enemy forces ? Yet Canada lacks when it comes to women’s rights.
With hard labor comes the responsibility of also standing in for one’s country and become completely liberated very quickly. Something that many men did not take to easily when it came to women’s rights. Look at the voting rights for women ( [ http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/compilations/ProvinceTerritory/ProvincialWomenRightToVote.aspx ] and women’s rights in particular [ http://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights ].
A nice action just came onto my desk: “Women on Banknotes”. By a British Columbia Activist and author Merna Foster (writer, historian, educator, public speaker) [ http://womenonbanknotes.ca/ ]. How many women have it ever made onto a Canadian banknote. Except Royalty.
My long time experiences having lived in Western Canada, Alberta, and having had the privilege to encounter many hard working women, have made me realize how important the women’s rights movement was and still is. Not to forget, my first hand experiences as a longtime employee in Alberta’s oil industry and the discrimination within that industry against female professionals and workers. This must stop !
{See also some of my previous posts: https://renataveritasopinion.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/sexual-crimes-in-the-military/ ; https://renataveritasopinion.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/women-in-construction/ ; http://renataveritashistory.com/2014/05/26/we-can-do-it-women-in-construction/ }
Corporate Losers
Want to meet some big time corporate losers ? How about Capstone Infrastructure Income Fund. [ http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=CSE ] Read up on those who manage that fund, and ultimately my own hard-earned savings, by publishing lies about their fund. How safe your investments are, and all sorts of other questionable propaganda. The company was formerly known as Macquarie Power and Infrastructure Corporation and changed its name to Capstone Infrastructure Corporation in April 2011. It is a well-known fact that when a company is not doing too well that they will change their name, supposedly to look like something new and BETTER. Well: “a rose that looks like a rose or smells like a rose is still a rose”. And nothing better. [ http://capstoneinfrastructure.com/NewsCentre/NewsRelease.aspx?smid=52a1fb1f-7ea5-4b52-9b9c-fbdfb0597de0 ]. Change of name 2011.
How has business developed Mr. New and New-New Manager with your new name ? Not any better. Most income consists of ROC (Return Of Capital), the market price of the units way, way down. 2014 downgraded from BUY.
The performance is not surprising, with all those men who are “managing” it. Get some women in and bring your house in order.
I hate losers and liars who just sit there, pay themselves big salaries and bonuses, and when they completely default in their function fly out with a golden parachute.
[see also: https://renataveritasopinion.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/golden-parachute-for-loosers/ ]
Ballooning Household Debt
Banks putting out warnings about world wide ballooning household debts. Do not blame households, put the blame squarely onto the shoulders of advertisers using (one could almost say) criminal marketing techniques. Who needs three automobiles, when they are barely even driven ? Then, why all this advertising of ZERO PERCENT DOWN ? (whatever that means ?). When in fact normal intelligent people know that ZERO percent could become EIGHTEEN percent annually interest, once that kicks in.
While we are at it, why not blame today’s ready access to all sorts of advertising media. Including also illegal via home telephone calling machinery. Most customers and ordinary folks are easy prey to those (marketing) predators, while others only buy what they need. Which would immediately reduce their household debt by eighty percent. [The last category including myself. Zero debt.]
Golden Parachute – for Loosers
WOW ! Listing here only a few of them: Exxon Mobil Corp. former Chief Executive Officer Lee Raymond tops the list with a $351 million payout. Stan O’Neal, former CEO of Merryl Lynch – 161 million for his retirement/ousting, (after reporting a $2.24 billion loss and the biggest quarterly loss in the company’s 93-year history). Stephen Elop, former CEO of Nokia – 25 million as a Good-Bye present. Mike Nafirovski, Nortel – 3.4 million (after having requested 12 million), in 2009, when stepping down from a bankrupt company. Hank McKinnell of Pfizer – a whooping 213 million in 2006 after the company’s stock decline by 40%. Carly Fiorina of Hewlett Packard – 42 million after being forced out.
[NOTE. the above payouts in dollars slightly below or above, depending on the market sources.].
What do they all have in common ? They fucked up big corporations in their capacity as CEO or otherwise at the helm of those companies.
In contrast, compare that with any of the companies within the oil and pipeline industry in their relationships towards professional employees:
Following a takeover within that industry (which happened and still probably does happen frequently), a ‘Kick in the butt to hard-working professionals’ – ZERO cents. Message often was: “Walk out and go home”, especially to vulnerable groups of employees such as women or single mothers. Example: the likes of Trans Canada (TCPL, early 1980’s), and many more of that genre.
Canada Operation Impact – IS
CANADA AIR STRIKES – Northern Iraq
Operation Impact – Canada’s contribution to air strikes against IS targets in Northern Iraq [ http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/operations-abroad-current/op-impact.page ], using CF-188 Hornet fighter jets conducting 62 sorties in Northern Iraq. This morning’s interview with the Minister of Defence on CFAX Radio 1070, explaining those recent missions. Latest air strikes following the Remembrance Day ceremonies across Canada – recounting all those heroic deeds of long past wars (heroic as in attacking entire populations from the air). As the past has shown, air missions inevitably target not only specific often small areas, but surrounding areas, which has resulted and will result again in killing large numbers of civilian populations, and children. Only cowards attack from the air. The so called coalition forces (most of whom are sceptical about these newest US/Canada air attacks on their soil) have their “boots on the ground”, fighting. [ http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-led-airstrikes-against-isis-kill-at-least-860-activists-say-1.2832092 ].
COMMENTARIES - OPINIONS 
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