Falling rain, falling leaves, falling markets

What a lovely soft, gray day, as my late aunt used to say. With overnight single-digit temperatures, it is time for heavier coats. The leaves slowly flutter off the branches, but are fewer. The rain is blessing the land and the lakes and soaking the bright reds and yellows that have been sprinkled on our deck. The summer solstice has come and gone, as it should. As with the seasons, our lives rotate around an ebb and flow of diurnal, seasonal, and temporal changes.

Our clever feathered friends do not complain. They know they have no right to. They do not sit around the bird feeder, like the the characters in our local coffee shops, complaining about the weather: too rainy, cloudy, sunny, hot, warm, cold. (These people who have never experienced hurricanes or famine.) The birds are flying from food source to food source and doing something about their condition and do not sit and weep.

The blue heron popped in for a feast this morning. She caught a small sunfish and then took off to fish on other shores. She understands, as all surviving species, that she cannot fish in one place all day, all summer, without jeopardizing her fishing grounds. The frogs have gone underwater, it being too cold for them. Once the sunfish disappear into the deeper waters, that remain a stable 4 degrees all winter, the heron knows to move south to find more available food. Like those workers who moved from the over fished shores of the Atlantic coast to the richer oil-based work out west, she doesn't sit on the frozen land and complain about the fishing industry!

I believe that just like the weather (with its daily changes) and the current climate (and more seasonal patterns) we must read the weather reports on the economy and respond to the anticipated climate and not-so-sudden changes. We could have predicted the current extent of the economic crisis. Beginning with the decline in North American car sales, and decreased appetite for N.A. gas-guzzling cars, and ending with plant closures and job losses in terms of hundreds of jobs at one time, we knew what was happening. Government continued to bail out car companies, rather than supporting a redefinition of this industry. We needed a reshaping of our taxpayer dollars, rather than a rescue and a buy out of our hard-earned dollars here in Canada, as well as the failed Buyout Bill in the USA.

The US under Bush removed the protections and deregulation program for those who borrow, as much as lend, allowed those with no down payments and, therefore, no equity or collateral, to take part in the buy-buy-buy and borrow-borrow-borrow frenzy. To fulfill the American dream some have shouldered loans that were doomed to failure. In a bid to allow Americans to buy their dream homes, investors have turned them into nightmares as jobless rates (600,000 fewer jobs) in the US climb.

On CBC's The Sunday Edition, in a segment Sunday, September 28th, 2008, called Elitism, three panelists pointed out that Wall Street/corporate greed (1% of the population holds 20% of the wealth). With the American taxpayer shouldering the mistakes of many large corporations (Fanny May, Freddy Mac, Behr Sterns, AIG; Lehman Brothers would sh1t outta luck!), and yet CEOs, the American Elites, managed to get their $6 million, $36 million, $68 million bonuses. Bush advisers included those who formerly worked for Goldman Sachs, those in-the-know said.

Currently, what with variable-rate, sub-prime mortgages being in default and the impending doom and gloom, we must realize that rather than moving to another fishing ground, consumers and investors ought to be decreasing their appetites for those things they cannot afford. We ordinary people cannot afford to keep fishing in markets that cannot support such vast amounts of unsecured lending. Despite some economists touting the 'great opportunities' that greet investors, we cannot borrow more money to invest. We are not in that tax bracket! We shall have to retract and regroup.

For us, like our cats who sit and howl at the rain, complaining vociferously, we cannot migrate south, there is little fishing there. We will go to our cupboards and dig into the canned food we have stored and put away for a rainy day. Unlike the man I saw top up his boat gas tank and pay $450, we do not depend upon our investments. We will contract, buy less, spend less and more wisely. We will live within our means and live the lives we can afford to live on fixed income pensions that will limit us. This is all we can do.

Women in Government

Things are looking up. More women than ever before are running for this Federal election.

• Liberals are running 113 women: 37%
  
• NDP 104 women, or 34%
• Bloc Quebecois : 21 women, 28%.
• Green Party: 89 women, or 29%
  
• Conservatives: 60 women, just 20%
• Independents: another 50 women: 27%

I have concerns, mind you. I recall entering my chosen profession, teaching, in the late 80s. At this time women were keen to aspire to positions of added responsibility (PAR). In fact, if you did not try to claw your way to the top you were frowned upon and it was intimated that you should do better.

I worked for my union, Carleton Elementary Teachers, I found it interesting working part-time (occasional teaching) and having time for professional work as well as my young children.

Once I found a full time job I chose, instead, to concern myself about my three children. There was a lot of peer pressure aimed at forcing women to step up. In my school board, at the time Carleton B. E., we had a long line of women who rose to these PAR spots at the rate of principals of, as I recall about 65%. We had one of the first superintendents to go off on maternity leave. They were a driven group. I decided not to go this route. I did not want to burn out. Having stayed home with my children in the early years the penalty on my pension and early retirement, as well as a lower salary upon retirement not having gone for a PAR, means that my pension is about 25% of my last year's salary. It is a penalty I can live with.

bonfires and leaf burning

It is that season again. Leaf burning is an iffy proposition at best. In the fall in Muskoka our leaves are very wet and do not burn well; we just had rain a few days ago. Many Muskokans put their leaves into a metal drum and go to it. My neighbours have started already, the photo at the top was last year's efforts - biggie. We have strict by-laws that govern burning outdoors. One couple faced a $600 fine! Bracebridge has a by-law control officer on duty until 4:30 p.m., here is their list of by-laws.

When there is a Fire Ban in effect (full explanation here!), as there is right now, no burning, fireworks, etc. is allowed at all. When the Fire Ban is no longer in effect, then burning is allowed 2 hours before sunset through to 2 hours after sunrise. (Apr 1 - Oct 31... No Daytime Burning)

If folks burn wet leaves outdoors you can see by the smoke that they release pollutants: carcinogenic hydrocarbons ,that go into the atmosphere. This kind of pollution affects those who breathing problems: asthma, seniors, smokers and those with chronic lung disease. Many people in Muskoka burn wet leaves, or use wood furnaces, and the smoke drifts across the highway as you pass. It smells like something familiar, but as we learn more about the environment, we understand how harmful these practices can be.

It is difficult to speak to aging neighbours who have burned leaves since before I was born! Between the fireworks, and the other environmental invasions it is hard to make a dent. do not know how to influence them, as they pooh-pooh what is sommon knowledge amongst me, my generation and my children's generation.

As we dump our waste into the earth's atmosphere, we are putting carbon oxides from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, e.g., transportation, industry and home heating, into the air we breathe. Coal and oil fuel sources reacts with gases in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid (acid rain).

• Carbon monoxide - reduces the blood’s ability to supply oxygen to body tissues. Even small amounts can stress your heart and reduce your ability to exercise.
• Oxides of nitrogen – can lower a child’s resistance to lung infections.
• Hydrocarbons – can injure the lungs and make breathing difficult.

There are primary pollutants from natural events such as fires and volcanic eruptions, and secondary pollutants formed by the interaction of natural and human-made chemicals. We can control that latter and stop burning leaves, for example.

Connecticut's Dep't of Environmental Protection advises against wood furnaces (see photo of this small outdoor structure - they smell is horrible). This furnace burns wood to run a household. It takes large logs and you can tell be the smell and the amount of white smoke, that they are not functioning as efficiently as other devices.
For those who burn wood to save on other fuel costs, Canadian insurance companies require that stoves meet CSA requirements and have it assessed. The B.C. government provides some cautions against particulates that pollute:

WAYS YOU CAN REDUCE WOOD SMOKE
and SAVE MONEY ON YOUR WOOD FUEL

1. Select a stove that's certified clean-burning and tested to CSA BB415.1-00 or EPA 1990 standards.

2. Make sure it's the proper size for its location and use. Bigger is not always better.

3. Make sure it's properly installed and inspected.

4. Avoid smouldering fires by using proper burning techniques.

5. Use only dry, seasoned, firewood split to the right size for your stove.

6. Reduce your need for wood fuel by making your house
more energy-efficient (caulk windows and doors, etc.).

We had our old stove taken away, since the chimney and stove pipes were beyond current by-laws, could be recycled, and it was an old, inefficient stove. It was sad, but we installed an electric stove to keep people warm in our cooler shoulder seasons. Our current wood stove, the cat loves it, we carefully stoke and we put in a hot, efficient fire. Of course, you can see that our kindling and wood pile is too close to the stove and we move these during fire season. Usually we burn wood once the deep cold sets in. We have passive solar heat in our front windows. On those cool mornings the sun heats us up enough to take away the chill. Our new, efficient propane furnace heats the main floor only on those colder days. The heat rises and we have no need to heat the second floor. Once we hit the double-digit numbers we can crank up the stove in the morning and let it die once we get enough heat. Damping down a fire is not good as it causes smoke and pollution.

If you burn damp wood, which is much of the wood outdoors at cottages, you are dumping hydrocarbons into the air. This site illustrates current levels of ozone pollution in North America.

Health Canada says,
Internally generated airborne pollutants fall into one of three categories:

• those formed in combustion processes for heating and cooking;
• those derived from construction materials and furnishings;
• those related to human activity or presence.

don't blame the US government

I cannot agree with blogger and pundits who blame the government for the collapse of the mortgage market. 

I blame investors who demand returns on their investments that outstrip the market.

I blame CEOs who can make bonuses in the double-digit millions that could feed a village in Tibet.

 I blame consumers who demand more for less, rack up credit card debt, mortgage debts, and fail to live according to their standard of living. For those with no down payments on homes, who continue to live the American dream, and use credit cards or reverse mortgages to pay for bigger toys; new cars every 3 years, expensive vacations, technologies they cannot pay for with cash (HD TVs, computers and computer peripherals, blackberries, cell phones for their 10 year-olds), or luxury items to help them keep up with the Jones'. 

These are middle class families who must wear designer jeans, or give in to their children who will wear nothing less. Parents who cannot say NO to themselves, much less their children are building up a debt load that they cannot maintain.

It is time to contract: figure out the difference between wants and needs. Reduce your debts, live in a home you can afford and live life in the present, in a reality-based budget in which layaway programs can help us to only purchase wants that you can afford. I am surprised as middle class Canadian complain about this economic crisis, in which the truth far exceeds the fear mongering threatened by taxpayers.

What has happened is that as consumers and home owners in the US cannot afford to keep their Credit Ratings, their costs go up, i.e., insurance and health care. Americans using credit cards to pay their mortgages use a short-term solution doomed to failure, with an impact on all taxpayers. Credit card debt is a slippery slope. Far better to carry a line of credit, than credit cards that charge exorbitant rates of interest. The trick with some credit cards: unless you pay the entire amount you pay interest on the original balance which compounds interest payments. Check the fine print.

In the economic boom of, for example, the oil industry in our Canadian west, people buy bigger, better, more sophisticated and keep an inventory of stuff they could not afford in a slight downturn of the market.  

Bala Streetscape project - 2008

We have had a street overhaul here in Bala. It has been quite a project, with trucks, accidents, single-lane traffic, and now we have new shoulders and prettied up parking areas. The local paper cites costs of $515,000.





As I passed through Bala last week, I noticed a car having a bit of a meeting with a garbage truck.

The driver was trying to prevent a further accident as people were trying to get around the accident!

Traffic is ever a problem and will continue to be so. The Bala Streetscape project is rendering parking lots inaccessible, and taking over the street, too. People are in an awful hurry to motor around and through town, despite flagger trying to slow them down and protect them from trouble.


I was shocked to see the results of the Streetscape project. There are those in town who question the need for this project in times of cutbacks, low tourism dollars, and protests by taxpayers, and some cottagers, who would prefer to not spend money.

It is great that we can support the local contractors, but I question the need of trees, plants and shrubs across from The Kee, where it is not seen in the dark. While we walk in town almost every day, we really didn't need a sidewalk. The asphalt was quite adequate. We would prefer our money going to plowing the sidewalk in winter when we vie for walking space with snowmobiles!

Port Carling construction

Things are booming in Port Carling. Blasting has been occurring over the past while, with big dump trucks taking away honking boulders in order to create a parking lot. "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"
I cannot imagine how councillors could pass such a project through town planning. Residents continue to be opposed, yet they have little recourse since Councillors have been hard at work creating a plan for the area.

The trucks are hauling away tons of rock. The trees look wobbly on the top of the promontory.The dentist in the house adjacent has had issues with the blasting, so says the Bracebridge Examiner.

It is most difficult to weigh progress, with the environmental issues and seasonal jobs in this town. It has a long history of difficulties, with the land originally being deeded to early settlers, ripping it out of the hands of the Aboriginal Peoples who settled it long ago. Finally, in 2007, I recall working in one of the stores when they renamed the park in honour of our Port Carling son, James Bartleman. I would highly recommend his book, Raisin Wine, if you are interested in both the history of Port and his story of abject poverty, yet love of nature and joy. What a difference he has made living his life as a survivor.


Port is a great town. All comes to a halt when the ferry steams on through the locks. At one point last year, and, apparently this fall, there will be a shut down as a ship is dry docked. For a town with a 3-season economy, based on good weather, they are hard-pressed to find the right time for such work.



What is interesting in the media is that in these small towns the press has a vested interest, or is related to someone who does. Articles tend not to be strictly reporting, with much bias embedded in what can only be coined editorials. The Save the Bala Falls group has won the hearts of the press, with quoted opinions that get in the way of facts. Having lived 25 years in Ottawa and the previous 25 in Toronto, I am more familiar with the cut-throat, dog-eat-dog reporting where bias is clearly reflected, but balanced with a panel from various view points. Each newspaper, of course, has its Liberal-Conservative-NDP bias, they tend not to be too Green yet, but within the articles and editorials we find much in the way of food for thought.

What is great in the Information Age, is that we have access to all sorts of opinions, some (i.e., blogs) we understand more biased than others but some media postings appear to be articles, rather than letters to the editor or information pieces.

Parry Sound Green Party Rally

Green Rally in Parry Sound photos
After a Green party rally, attended by about 80 supporters on the Equal Voice, trying to encourage women to enter politics, and our daughters to vote.
The platform of the Parry Sound train station, Elizabeth May's VIA train pulled in after 7:30. It had been expected around 4:00, but was inevitably delayed. Everyone crowded the platform. They put out the steps and Elizabeth burst from the train in an explosion of energy, enthusiasm and excitement. She has great energy and I see her as a role model to all those who aspire. There is a women's group,

What an historic moment, as previous candidates, such as Wilfred Laurier in the 1900s had not option but to travel by train. Then, John Diefenbaker in 1965 and Pierre Trudeau in 1974, similarly ran the rails visiting whistle stops across the country. As one fan said, is gives respect to those of us in small towns, as well as saving carbon emissions.

There were two false starts as two freight trains pulled through at breakneck speed. It was a practice run, as folks picked up signs and began cheering. There were 6 Green Party candidates on the platform, with 5 jumping on the train to travel the rest of the way to Toronto. There were no platform speeches other than a welcome to all of us and thanks for Mr. Hodgson's team, a missed opportunity, but perhaps the candidate, Glen felt he would be preaching to the choir.

Elizabeth May burst out of the train with such energy and spirit and spoke to a formerly weary but now energised crowd. We had anticipated a 4:00 p.m., then 6:30, and finally a 7:30 arrival of the train taking across the country. It was poignant as the train arrived in the dusk, the sun setting as she began to talk to us. The sound of the train entering the station is a Canadian moment, the whistle being a familiar Central and North Ontario sound. She was articulate and powerful, and greeted all with a strong presence that puts forward the women’s movement, unlike some female politicians, i.e., the American McCain's running mate Sarah Palin, who sets the women’s movement back 4 years with her conservative views!

It was a shame not to see more reporters; CTV was represented by A-Channel: Barrie, COGECO had a videographer, The Moose sent a reporter, Mark Clairmont of Muskoka Today, and North Star Media sent a videocam and photographer. The National news reporters embedded onboard did not even disembark, despite the cheering crowd on the platform.

My YouTube Elizabeth May's arrival | her platform speech .

US economic crisis

What has happened is that people who cannot afford mortgage payments were given mortgages. (The mortage brokers did not demand large enough down payments to ensure that the monthly payments were affordable.) The mortgages were bought by a series of investment companies in a long chain of companies now well removed from the original loans.

Building homes is good for the economy. Owning a home is better than renting in that you put money into equity in your homes. The equity is based on the down payment plus the amount you can pay down. The problem, of course, is that the home owner is paying interest on the loan (the profits for the investment companies that hold the loans) at the same time.

The mortgages were secured by the homes themselves. If the mortgagees defaulted, then the mortgage lenders take back the homes. Well, sure enough, many, many of the home owners defaulted on the homes - but in such numbers that there was a glut on the market and the value of the homes went down as mortgage holders tried to sell the homes to get back their money.

Investments are considered long-term and YOUR investments must be considered to be long-term. The problem with this glut is that everyone is panicking and trying to sell both stocks and home at the same time. You have to sit on your holdings. They will come back. We have watched our investments and the market will eventually self-correct. This is the advice our investment counsellor tell us. You have to look long-term, this is only a short term blip on the radar. It is silly to sell now, both property and stocks, as the investment accrues over the long term.

I think there were massive frauds occurred in the beginning as the loans were made to those who were doomed to default on their homes. There is a lot to maintaining a home. I say sit tight. The impact has been world-wide, here in Canada our portfolio has gone down in value - but this, too, is short-term and only on paper. We will sit on it and eventually it will accrue more value.

The current bear market started in August of 2007. The world economy has slowed, but is not in a true recession. There are signs that it is recovering and most Canadian and US stocks are demonstrating this fact. It is said that the US market is rebounding, as people like Warren Buffet demonstrate confidence in the long-term nature of economics by buying Goldman Sachs.

My hope is that the CEOs will be fired, and the $700 billion will go to those who have lost homes, not stock values, which will increase later. I hope that the CEOs involved will not get their bonuses and your government will ensure that those who screwed up will not benefit from more cash.

So hang in there - be tough and wait it out. This, too, shall pass!
/my two cents worth!

Bats in our belfry

We have experiences with bats here and there. I loved watching them come out at dusk and flit about. We know they are eating their weight in bugs!

Out in the garage fending off bugs, I was calling to get the cats in for the night I spotted one of our favourite, bug-eating friends on the inner wall! I had turned on the light and it had frozen on the wall.

In 2003, we found one in our old fireplace. The fireplace was doomed by our inspector and it is now gone, but the dog was quite keen on the bat in our belfry.

Bandy, dad's dog spotted them.















We put up a bat box, which hasn't done well. They say to put it in the morning sun, but this is too busy a spot with raccoons, nocturnal flying squirrels, and cats running around.

democracy

It is important to understand the political process in a democracy. We live in a country in which our spirituality and our faith (in ourselves, each other, and the world) is open to discussion and, unlike the fundamentalist right wing that demands obedience, we can separate out church, synagogue, mosque and state. We can hold politicians accountable to represent our ideals and our beliefs. If they do not, we can take responsibility by voting them out of office.

In an unhealthy community organized religion is what replaces personal values and love. Dogma is a God-substitute. We need not think for ourselves or employ our personal values. This is true, too, of gangs. People like ombudspeople, government employees, and unelected officials, should not hold power over policy. We are entitled to hold politicians accountable to fulfill their promises.

What is happening as social networking sites, such as Facebook, those with little experience, education, or objectivity, rant and promote misinformation. You can see this on sites in which people rant about issues where loved ones experience victimization by those who are mentally ill. The recent violence on buses, for example, have led to an outpouring of rage. There is a call to action and more vigilant security. Unfortunately, anything that the bus company does will cause bus tickets to rise. No one wants to pay $200 for a 200 km trip.

Progress has been made in the war on drinking and driving. But we are all responsible, not just governments. It takes a vigilance, and a reflection on policies to improve our legislation.

It is healthy to be clear and precise in our discussions. Stakeholders must sit down and work out what is best for all. The language we use is important. In my attempts to ask questions and employ discourse on the Save the Bala Falls issue I have been cut down. This is wrong. My conversations have been ignored and postings deleted in an attempt to remove any reflection.

Our spirituality, and a spirit of grace, unconditional love, is what we live for. Dogma and doctrine is what we kill for.

--to paraphrase Rev. Ed Bacon