Author: canadaslim

New Zion vs the Taxman

Thursday 22 October 2015 – Two International NY Times articles capture my eye and imagination: “The black hole in Starbucks’ tax strategy: Obscure London affliate is focus of EU regulators investigating illicit deals” “Irwin A. Schiff, fervent opponent of income taxes, dies at 87” It has been often said that the only two certainties in… Continue reading New Zion vs the Taxman

Lost sheep

As those who know me will attest I am far from being a religious fellow. That having been said, attempts were made in the past by others eager to save my soul from myself so some of what was taught still remains with me long after Christian fundamentalist friends and family have abandoned all hope… Continue reading Lost sheep

A union in name only?

“Every person who comes is a human being and has the right to be treated as such.” Angela Merkel, German Chancellor “As throngs of Africans and Arabs turn Italian and Greek islands and eastern European railway stations into refugee camps, the Chancellor has taken a brave stand. She has denounced xenophobes, signaled Germany’s readiness to… Continue reading A union in name only?

And no birds sing

I hardly knew him. He was never in my classes in high school. We never hung around one another. His brother and I, though the same age and level, never really knew each other, except by recognisable face in the hallway or presence in the classroom. Until the high school reunion two decades later, I… Continue reading And no birds sing

Hope for the Hopeless: Electronic Charisma

This particular post is one of the hardest for me to write as it runs counter to many deep set feelings I have towards the modern tendency of increased computerization in so much of our lives. So often I feel that folks focus so much on what is gained by technology without the remotest consideration… Continue reading Hope for the Hopeless: Electronic Charisma

Pedestrian on the Information Highway

There is a powerful short story, referred to in Fahrenheit 451, called The Pedestrian, by the late great sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury. A man regularly goes for a stroll through the empty streets of a big futuristic metropolis to observe and absorb the world outside his door. One night a robotic patrol car stops him… Continue reading Pedestrian on the Information Highway

Fury in the Slaughterhouse: Guns in America

“There’s an old lady, Living in an old house Since her husband died She hasn’t been out. She lives in her own world With her own little nightmares And she’s stopped counting the days. She buys a radio station With her husband’s legacy. She does her own show 10 hours a day Plays poems and… Continue reading Fury in the Slaughterhouse: Guns in America