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Iceland
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2026
I like Iceland. By which I mean, I've never been, but from pictures on the web and the music of Bjork it seems a pretty progressive place.
They don't put up with a lot of shit either...
Following the 2008 Financial Collapse, orchestrated largely by the banks, they chose to hold their bankers accountable and imprisoned them. This is without precedent, the bankers who orchestrated the 2008 US Collapse not only profited hugely from their fraud and market manipulations, they continued to profit through bailouts, despite any number of clear and transparent examples of market manipulation and fraud.
This week, one of the reasons came to light with the leak of the "Panama Papers", the biggest leak in history, showing how the rich and powerful use tax havens like Panama to illegally store and launder their money. So far, not enormously big news in the west, despite any number of notable figures being named, but also interesting in that they've already begun censoring the internet in China for any mention of them...China's ruling party have a number of inconvenient ties to Panamanian Banks. Vladimir Putin as well. As well as any number of Western and European Companies, Political figures and celebrities.
How many banks are there in Panama, anyways?
As always in the west we'll probably ignore it, or find, vilify, and if possible imprison the person who leaked the information, certainly we will in no ways seek justice for those whose transgressions are made apparent.
The Prime Minister of Iceland's name was listed in the papers. And in the ensuing demonstrations has (apparently) resigned, despite no proof of wrongdoing, but in Iceland, after the Banking & Economic Collapse of 2008, appearances are everything, and the Prime Minister has resigned. Or not, maybe...
What is certain is that one way or another the people will demand, and have, justice. This, too me, demonstrates a nation of people with both will and a strong moral compass.
I've never been, but I like Iceland.
$500.00 Damage for a $20.00 Score
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 1898
Finish work, 9:30, an early night, the sun's been down about half an hour. The jeep, parked beside the restaurant, rear passenger window smashed, stolen, my pair of skates (I was getting rather fond of them), they left the friend's pair, they won't fit me, and some glowsticks on the floor. That's it. $500 damage for well under a hundred dollars worth of stolen goods that probably won't fit...
Fuck, I gotta get out of this town. And everywhere on the ride home, cops issuing tickets, photo-radar, in Calgary this is "Policing" or "Detective Work", the half-wits version of Scotland Yard, anything above and beyond issuing traffic tickets or photo-radar is completely beyond their scope and ability...
...and your income, half of what it was formerly, fuck, I'm lucky to have a job, but the cops, they're working overtime issuing tickets, it's a fucked economy where everybody pays but the snivel servants...
M*****
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 1295
A ridiculously slow day, broken up with news that M***** had died. Perhaps 57, a waiter there on and off, career waiter throughout the city so a few people were affected. The owner, he pretends, doesn't really care, seems a bit callous, but that's him, his own kids could die and he wouldn't give a damn...
M*****, to sum him up, career alcoholic waiter, perpetually drunk, short, balding, didn't look a day over 70 (and so to discover his real age was a surprise...), dead on vacation to Europe visiting relatives. And so the nephew regales us the entire day with tales of his drunkenness, his propping himself against the chair while he took the order, so as not to fall over, a notepad for a table of 2, and the letters of complaint that often followed his service...me, I'd happily frequent a restaurant where the waiters felt free to be drunk ass-over-keister at 12:00 noon, but others of our customers weren't so forgiving...
...and the hiring of him, he'd worked here before me, been fired for being a drunk, this time, he came for lunch with his wife, younger, the sad pretty of someone who's made a bad marriage, lived her life in regret, the owner speaks to him, receives assurances of his sobriety, M***** is quick to give them, "been months since I've touched a drop..." even if this were true this wouldn't be the job to keep that promise, but if the owner had looked closer the martini and the half liter of wine on the table might have given him away...
M*****, dead, we'd often wondered and shared his many adventures aloud, the other waiter, A***** never knew him, but knows him well enough through the legends, RIP.
Technology & Prizes
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Ideas & Questions
- Hits: 1562
And there's the "Drone Prix" in Dubai, I had no idea there was such a thing. Probably there wasn't, but now there is, and that's the new way of the world and if you didn't know you're an idiot...
I say that in Irony. If you knew I'd tell you you need a life...and that, sincerely...
And Drones, they're cool and all, and drone racing, well, I appreciate it, but imagine...
What if we gave out prizes for self-driving car competitions, and AI competitions, evolving AI, or genetic engineering, green energy, or other cutting edge technologies, where would we be? These are the things that deserve our attention...
Not drones, superficially cool, but autonomous drones that can interact with their surroundings, with convincing AI - Human interfaces, so many deserving endeavors and the basest of them get their own grande-prix...bloody hell...
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