Comments on the News

What a B-utiful day out there today... 26 degrees.. puffy clouds.. light breeze.. the perfect summer day. I lazed around all morning then had breakfast outside on my deck. I'm slowly getting through my 800 page book... it's a long read but so far not too bad. Mornings like this are perfect for it.

I haven't got much to say really. In the news the only thing of significance is the London Police have captured the four men suspected of trying to set off bombs on the London Transit system earlier this month. This happened after the four that actually went off and killed people two weeks earlier. The police acted fast and got the men in a really short period of time. I swear all the video cameras around London sure helped. We should have more here like that. So kudos to Scotland Yard and the London Police!

The Space Shuttle is in orbit again for the first time since Discovery fell apart on re-entry on the last mission. The news has focused on the launch and bits and pieces of the external fuel tank that fell off on lift off. Just like last time but hopefully not with the same tragic result coming back. Let's face it the Space Shuttle for all its marvelous technology and innovation has been a dud. It was originally designed to lift off once a week and now NASA is lucky if, when it is flying, it goes up once a quarter. I think they need to rethink the whole space objective, get a workable plan, a realistic goal and objective and start fresh. When I was a kid space was the ultimate frontier the possibilities seemed endless. I really expected moon bases, an attempt at landing on Mars and tourists up around Earth by the year 2000... instead it's really gone no where. Worse still the Russians, Chinese, Europeans and Japanese haven't really done anything on their end either other than put the occasional rocket into space. It would seem mankind can't come up with a common goal everyone can strive for in space.

There's another African crisis that's hit the world again. People in Niger are facing starvation and once again we are seeing scenes of fly covered emaciated African children nearing death on our TV screens. Once again the world was notified of the impending crisis and once again the G8 nations of the world ignored it leaving these people to the mercy of their hunger. All this puts the war in Iraq into perspective for me... somehow getting rid of Sadaam and his non-existent weapons of mass destruction was deemed more important than aiding poor Africans who face critical water shortages, disease, famine and death by nature or death by brutal dictatorships. None of which suddenly started the last couple of years... The Western countries of this planet will never see beyond their own interests to really put their help where it's truely needed.

In fact didn't Tony Blair of England recently try to raise funds globally to help get African nations out of their financial debts? When he was doing this Niger never came up? No one thought it might be a good idea to put Niger on the agenda then before people started dieing like they did in Somalia and Ethiopia? Do we have to leave it to the Rock Stars all the time? I have to admit this sort of blindness to humanity makes me angry. Food, water and shelter are basic human needs what better cause for an industrialized nation like those of the G8 to stand up and give genuine assistance? Do they really have to get a financial return in order for them to do it? It would seem so... Iraq has been so much more profitable it would appear. Africa too thoough is a tough sell. People gave en mass to the tsunami victims but the repetitve nature of African atrocities and famines makes people numb to it all. Here's where the generocity of the Muslim world would show the planet their good side. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States are so close to places like Ethopia and Somalia, can't some of their money go into helping the people in their back yard? If it does we don't hear or read about it. Very sad.

Pic of the day.. On my morning walk to get the newspaper.. Sherbrooke Street East.... nothing special but hey better than a blank space.