Are you tired of being lied to?

I have been silent for some time now.  I was very busy sorting out all the contradictory and devious informations being fed to me by mass medias all more or less voicing what their corporate or state masters were dictating them.  Do, so called, independant journalists exist?  And if so, where are they published?  I have read or known about no outlet that does not have a left or right agenda; nothing straight down the middle giving both sides of a story and chasing the straight facts as much as they can be accessed.

Obama vs Putin, Hollande caught in between and Cameron handcuffed by his own parliament.  (Wish ours could to the same to our Harper).  Even our Québec gpvernment wants to review how Québec's history is being taught:  not enough  about the Québec nation is being said, they say...worrysome indeed.  In Syria, what to do about Assad, the Alawites, Al Nusra, Hesbollah and assorted groups fighting it out, are there any Syrians involved in there?  Count the dead, the millions or so refugees all over the neighbouring countries, are there any Syrians left?

Heck, I'm not even sure it's me writing this post.

From a political orphan

Philippe Couillard has just elected as the new provincial Liberal leader.  To me, he represents all that was wrong with our Liberals.  Under his guidance they will become another center right party sharing the vote with the C.A.Q. (Coalition Avenir Québec).
Then there will be the hodge podge of sovereignist parties more or less center left, well Québec Solidaire and Option Nationale, far left.  But, I am not a sovereignist, nor a center rightist.
So, from now on, where should  a center left voter go to?
In the next election, I guess I will have to cast a white bulletin.  First time in my life.

How did we get there?

Canadians and Canada have always been, save under very particular circumstances, pacifists and mediators; having a balanced approach to world crisis and rivalries.  We now have a saber rattling and very partisan government, more Israelite than the Israelis and putting us all in line with whatever the U.S. government deems good for it's citizens.
WE have virtually become the 51st star on the Star Spangled Banner.  Yet, although having a majority of seats in the House of Commons, Mr Harper got only 40%  of the popular vote.  That guy said; "Give me a majority and in 5 years you will not recognize this country!"  The way he is going about destroying all that we were, by golly, he is keeping his promise.
And no one can say that they were not told.

(Photo Paul Costopoulos, St-Sauveur, octobre 2011)

L’arbre

        Trees

I Tthink that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

L’arbre, ce symbole de solidité, de puissance, de beauté et d’enracinement au sol natal, depuis toujours, occupe une place centrale dans notre vie…et notre vocabulaire.  L’arbre de vie, l’arbre de la science du bien et du mal, l’arbre généalogique, l’arbre de décision, l’arbre qui cache la forêt, etc…

Tolkien, utilisant la racine (encore l’arbre) grecque « dendron », en a fait les « Dendres », ces formidables arbres vivants finalement vainqueurs de Saroumane et libérateur de la voie qui mènera Frodo à l’accomplissement ultime de sa mission : rendre l’Anneau au Feu originel.

Les arbres marchent et conquièrent.  Voyez les ruines mayas ou les temples d’Angkor Wat.  Tous repris à la jungle qui les avait recouverts.  Plus près de nous, les Laurentides, quand j’étais enfant, étaient chauves, victimes de la coupe à blanc pour, successivement, les marines des rois de France puis d’Angleterre, enfin pour satisfaire les colons et les usines de pâte et papier.

Et nous, Québécois, que ferions-nous sans l’Érable même si le Lys est notre emblème?

Paul Costopoulos, Longueuil, mercredi, 30 janvier 2013

(Photo Paul Costopoulos, St-Sauveur, octobre 2011)

Télépathie

Ligne: Le plus court chemin entre deux poisons.

(Anonyme)

À l’abri d’une large feuille de nénuphar, la truite surveille, à travers le prisme de l’eau, le pêcheur qui la convoite.  Le dieu Pan, passant par là, avise la scène et se dit : « On peut faire quelque chose avec ça! ».  Aussitôt il crée un flux magnétique porteur d’ondes télépathiques.  Un drôle de dialogue silencieux s’engage :

-Je t’ai fait quelque chose?, demande la truite

-Qui parle?, demande le pêcheur médusé ne voyant personne autour de lui.

-Voyons, ne fais pas l’innocent; tu sais très bien que tu veux me tuer.

-Mais enfin je n’ai jamais tué personne, moi;  je l’ai peut-être désiré, à l’occasion, mais je ne l’ai jamais fait.  Je t’entends, pourtant, je ne te vois pas.  Montre-toi que je sache envers qui j’aurais des pensées homicides.

-Bon, je vais sortir de sous mon parasol, mais range ta ligne d’abord.

-Parasol, parasol, je n’en vois pas autour et puis le ciel est totalement couvert, pourquoi aurais-tu besoin d’un parasol.

-Métaphore, mon cher, métaphore.  Vois-tu, devant toi, la grosse feuille de nénuphar, n’a-t-elle pas la forme d’un parasol.

-Euh!  Oui, si tu veux, serais-tu sous cette feuille?   Voyons, voyons, je n’ai pourtant rien fumé ni bu ce matin.

-Range ton engin, tu comprendras.

De mauvaise grâce, le pêcheur dépose, sur la berge, l’objet de la méfiance de son invisible interlocuteur.  Tout de suite, une magnifique et énorme truite arc-en-ciel sort de sous la verdure lacustre.  L’homme, éberlué, n’en croit pas ses yeux…et peut-être non plus ses oreilles.

-C’est toi qui me parle?  Impossible, inouï; inouï, bon le mot est mal choisi puisque je t’ai oui et que, des ouïes, tu en as de fort bien développées.

-Je comprends ta surprise, je suis toute aussi abasourdie, je n’ai jamais causé avec un humain.  Tu vois, maintenant, pourquoi je t’ai demandé de déposer ta gaule.

-La pêche et la chasse sont de vieilles occupations humaines.  Tuer un poisson ou un animal ce n’est pas un meurtre, quand même.

-Pour toi, non, mais mets-toi à ma place.  Je mords à ton hameçon, je t’entraîne sous l’eau et, avec mes amis, je te mange.  Tu vois ça comment?

-Vue sous cet angle, ton argumentation peut se tenir.  Si je me rends à ton point de vue, cependant, tu me condamnes au végétarisme, non?

Le dialogue n’amusait plus le dieu.  Il y mit fin, la truite s’enfuit et l’homme, bredouille, s’en fut chez le poissonnier pour son souper.

Our favourite Hippie Dancer

Why wait for Hallow'een to disguise one self.

Ariane wanted to know what hippies used to look like.  She caught on very fast.

Seesaw

Since yesterday we have seesaw weather.  Snow, sun, rain, sun, mild, freezing,  no wind, squalls and blowing snow.  Now it's sunny, two minutes ago you could not see the neighbour's 40 feet high pine tree.
Nature imitating the erratic behaviour of men.

La siesta en la casa Costopoulos

Ah! le dolce farniente. 
Sur la boîte sur le divan, Miss Capucine, à côté de la boîte, sur le divan, Mr. Valentin,
au premier plan, Miss Catherine.

Call me back later

Our soon to be 7 years old granddaughter is staying with us till next Sunday.  Today being Christmas she got presents, among other a play tea set.  She was serving tea to her plush toys when Skype rang.  Her parents were calling.  After a few moments we heard her saying:" Skype me tomorrow, I'm busy serving tea!"

Élégie

« Je n'ai jamais eu de chagrin qu'une heure de lecture n'ait dissipé.  »

de Montesquieu

Extrait des Pensées diverses

Combien de poètes se sont penchés avec nostalgie

Sur des bonheurs et des êtres perdus

Au fil de vers et d’élégies

À tous les échos entendus?

Combien d’yeux les ont lus en pleurant,

D’humains envahis d’émotions

Emportés par le courant

D’un torrent destructeur de leur déliction?

Combien de ces écrits

Sont-ils devenus dômes protecteurs

Contre les chagrins décrits

Sous la plume de leurs auteurs?

À travers ces œuvres, souvent magnifiques,

Combien de sentiments exprimés par procuration,

De moments magiques

Suscités par ces créations?

Merci poètes d’exprimer en vos mots

Mes élans intimes

Quant, ultimo,

D’un manque de vocabulaire je suis victime.

Paul Costopoulos, jeudi, 15 novembre 2012

“L’idée, trempée dans le vers, prend soudain quelque chose de plus incisif et de plus éclatant. C’est le fer qui devient acier."

Victor Hugo

        

A strange breed

Voters all over the world have become a very strange breed.  It would seem that they can not trust anybody enough to give them a clear mandate.  Where you have proportional representation systems, of course, coalitions are the norm but in systems such as the British patterned government systems they are not.
However, as of late in many countries voters seem to be unable to make a clear choice.  The U.S., for instance, will have, at least for the next two years, a Democrat President (Thank God), a Republican Chamber of  Representatives and a Democrat Senate; a clear recipe for legislative paralysis.  Britain has a coalition Conservative/Liberal government, odd bedfellows.
Québec very recently elected a minority government split evenly between Separatist P.Q. (54) and Liberal Federalists (50), the remaining seats split between a radical left party Q.S. also separatist leaning (2) and a the right leaning semi-federalist C.A.Q., about a dozen.  No one wants to coalesce with another so it will be negociations ad nauseam to pass legislation.
No wonder we have an unending  economic crisis and uncertain social climate.

Four seasons in one

An Autumn Bouquet from St-Sauveur, Qc

Le solitaire têtu

Un pommier solitaire croît dans le stationnement d'un motel, Le Jolibourg, à St-Sauveur-des-Monts.  Le croiriez-vous, il reste quelques 4 pommes dans l'arbre en ce 26 septembre.

Matter of fact

Last night, we all went to La Crêperie du Vieux Beloeil, in Beloeil of course, for supper.  We went in two cars since our cars are small.  On the way back, Ariane, 6 years and a 1/2, discussed her  3 former cats: one died accidentally and two of old age.  As the discussion evolved it turned to human deaths.
At one point, she told her aunts:"You will also die and when you are both dead, your house will be mine!"

The coin has been tossed

...and fell on the edge:  54 P.Q. MNAs and 50 Liberals, 19 Coalit6ion Avenir Québec and 2 Québec Solidaire.  We should have some very interesting moments in the coming months...and maybe a new elction within the next 12 months; but the Liberals will have to choose a new leader before we have one since the the ex-prime minister has resigned his leadership after being beaten in his own county.
Sic transit gloria mundi.

A toss of the coin

Tomorrow Québec will have a general elction to the Assemblée Nationale.  As of today, September 3, it is too close to call with over 20% of eligible voters claiming to be undecided as to who they will chose.
Of course it must be admitted that a "none of the above" option would be called for here; still tomorrow I will have to put a cross somewhere on that bulletin.  So I guess I will follow my ancestors advice: "Of two evils, chose the lesser one".  I will thus hold my nose and vote Liberal, Marie-Ève Pelletier, the Liberal candidate,   is a young woman and may bring something new to the grand old tired party.

Oh well!

When I turned 6 or 7, I started losing my baby teeth, not unlike anybody else, and grow my adult ones.  When I turned 30, the upper half quit on me.  When I turned 70, all but three of the remaining lower teeth retired.  I have now, on July 13, lost those three loyal ones.
Of course I had to get new prosthesis.  My trusted dentutologist now was 90 kilometers away, I had to find another one.  Just in the medico-dental center there happened to be a team, so I went.  Turns out the team was a father and daughter one.  The father began the job before leaving on vacation and daughter finished it before going on maternity leave.
That association seemed to confirm a trend I have noticed, lately, in our province.  More and more we see business signs, even in small construction businesses stating: "So &So et fille or filles"; there is a pastry shop somewhere nearby called " Mme et ses filles".
Our women are really taking their place everywhere, it calls for adjustments for everybody and it creates, I believe, a mellower business environmemnt...altough some females can be just as ferocious, and at times even more, than any male around.
"Times, they are achangin'".  Can't remember who wrote or said that, but is it ever true.

Minus a red square

Not surprisingly, young (20 years old) Léo Bureau-Blouin has hooked his political chariot to the Parti Québécois.  He will be running, in Laval, againts a cabinet minister involved in the negociations with the L. B-B. led students in last session,s class boycott in CEGEPS, 14 out of 48, and a few university faculties, mostly in the French sector.
The symbol of the fight is a red felt square.  Many P.Q. members wore it even at the Assemblée Nationale sittings.  When Mme Marois and L. B-B. announced his candidacy, they had shed the red square.  You don't head into an election wearing a symbol rejected by almost 70% of the population, do you now?

Politics and journalists

The Radiuo-Canada branch of the CBC has often been accused of being a separatists hive.  Some of it is true, just remember the almost teary eyed commentators on referendum nights or the smiles when the P.Q. swept to power.
If the renowned Bernard Derome has managed to keep a healthy ambiguity about his political opinions though some body language sometimes betrayed them, he remained balanced in his presentations and interviews with friends and foes alike, well most of the time, and out of active politics..  Yesterday, another well known commentator, Pierre Duchesne, came out of the closet.  He follows, Raymond Archambeault, a well known radio man.
In the last election, another prominent R--C man, Bernard Drainville had left "La Maison", as Radio-Canada is fondly called, to jump to the P.Q. a very short time after.
The two most famous, but many may have forgotten or are to young to knows, were René Lévesque and Lise Payette.
So that is 5 for the P.Q., 1, Christine Saint-Pierre, for the Québec Liberal Party.  Do we have a pattern here?

Moving travel log.

I have created a new blog on Wordpress:  Wanderings.  I will publish there my musings on trips and other movements.  You will find me at http://costoblog.wordpress.com