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April 06, 2015

Lunar Eclipse




Thy shadow, Earth, from Pole to Central Sea,
Now steals along upon the Moon's meek shine
In even monochrome and curving line
Of imperturbable serenity.















How shall I link such sun-cast symmetry
With the torn troubled form I know as thine,
That profile, placid as a brow divine,
With continents of moil and misery?














And can immense Mortality but throw
So small a shade, and Heaven's high human scheme
Be hemmed within the coasts yon arc implies?

Is such the stellar gauge of earthly show,
Nation at war with nation, brains that teem,
Heroes, and women fairer than the skies?

At a Lunar Eclipse by Thomas Hardy

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2015.

April 05, 2015

Let's abolish the Senate


Ah, yes. The Canadian Senate. A chamber of second thought, sober or otherwise. Not elected by citizens, not representative of regions nor citizens, and certainly not effective in any manner. It's difficult to know just what the role of a body such as this might be in a democratic federation such as ours.


Senator Nancy Ruth, noted feminist and philanthropist, dropped her last name several years ago as a statement against the patriarchy. All good things indeed. She will now be remembered as the cold fancy-cheese Senator. Nancy Ruth complained about being served cold Camembert and broken crackers while flying first-class. She has to fly first class and have a better breakfast. At our expense of course.


Nancy Ruth is from the Jackman family, three generations of whom have controlled one of Canada's largest financial companies, Empire Life. She sold off her shares in the company in 1980, at the age of 38, because, as she told then reporter Stephen Brunt, "I was tired of working for a living, to be blunt about it." She devoted herself to genuinely good causes and was rewarded in 2005 by the conservative Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin with an appointment to the Senate. That's about three months of actual work every year, with some party fund raising events to be added of course, and a whack of expenses to be paid by taxpayers. All at a starting pay rate of  $138,000.


Her case is minor compared to some of our senators. A number seem to be severely challenged when it comes to claiming expenses. Legal. Illegal. It' all rather confusing to most of them.






For all of us, the cold camebert story sums up what is wrong with our Senate. Unelected, unaccountable and out-of-touch senators cost our country almost $100 million every year.

It's time to get rid of the lot of them. Unless, of course, someone wants to appoint me.                                                      Copyright 2015 by Jim Murray

March 30, 2015

Do you really want to defeat Harper?

If you are like me... you want to see a change in government in Canada. Under our system it's possible, in fact, likely, that a government is formed without a plurality of votes across the country. How we vote against the governing party does make a difference.





















The election of 2011 was an incredible achievement for Canada's social democrats: official opposition and the chance to provide real change in Ottawa in 2015.

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Come October, British Columbia will be crucial in defeating Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. All the polls since the beginning of the year show a three-way race. The most recent polls indicate a decline for the Conservatives and the Liberals and growing strength for New Democrats.



CONGRNLIBNDP
2015-03-24   26.315.727.427.5EKOS

British Columbians can't afford to split the centre-left vote between Liberals and New Democrats, and voting Green is really just helping the Conservatives. Moving from second place to first place in a number of BC ridings can be done ~ if we don't waste our votes on the Liberals or the Greens.

We can make a difference. Find out the stakes in your riding. Contact a constituency office. Get involved. It is up to us.

By Jim Murray. Copyright 2015.