aftermath of MonTreaL's freak stormMontreal’s Freak Storm leaves a trail of destruction in it’s wake A day after Montreal’s freak storm struck, Montrealers are busily trying to get what’s left of their lives together. The thunderstorm strike yesterday afternoon with all it’s rage and poor out fury on many like they had never seen before As seen in the photograph, large trees some said to be well over a hundred years old, were uprooted or split in two falling on houses, cars and anything that were in the way. NDG seems to be the borough which fared the worst in this however, other regions did get more than their fair share of the fury.
On Gouin Boul. Where this picture was taken, the homeowner seemed to have not suffered too much structural damages either to his house or the car, other than for the removal and cleaning up of the mess, it would appear as if he fared very well in the end. One might have also noticed (by viewing the video) that there are some fallen roadwork signs along either sides of the road, it’s as if somebody had gone and knock down all of them for some reason, HMMM I wonder why? Could it be that even the gods are angry at the Authorities for the proliferation of “roadwork” activities and paraphernalia’s around these part now-a-days? Could it be? Just asking.
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Fishing for a new NAFTA agreement in the age of slackers and covenant breakers.
Today, Wed. 16th August 2017 marks the first of five days of talks aimed at drafting a fresh new agreement between NAFTA member states; USA, CANADA and MEXICO, After US president Donald Trump threatens to tear up the 23 year old deal which he describe as;
The "worst" in history and vowed to fix it — or withdraw from it. Read more
The question here is; why bother? Why would Canada and Mexico want to go fishing for a new NAFTA agreement with such a slacker and covenant breaker as the Trump’s USA? How could someone just threatens to “tear up” an agreement as willy nilly as Trump has done and hardly a voice was raised in defense of common decency and well established laws and norms of honoring agreements?
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Now let’s suppose for a brief moment that one of the other two signatories in this deal; Canada or Mexico had for some reason decided to go the exact same rout as Trump’s America did, can anyone of you venture to speculate here what the; fallout, consequences or rhetorics which follow would look like?
Not good for that partner country I’d say, and even worse. Such a Country would be made a public example of, as a show to every other countries the world over, don’t you go tearing up any agreements signed and sealed between you and the mighty US of A, or even dare threaten to do so. Because you could/would face the same fate or worse. Why then is the Trump administration and/or the USA allowed to do this and have everybody concerned scrambling to try and work out a new agreement with the very same slacker and covenant breaker? Will such persons keep the new agreement? Only if and when that agreement is working well in their favor one would think, and then you’d better not try to get out of it later if you find that it doesn't suit you and most definitely; don't go using those very same tactics which this slacker just done used on you. Say it’s not so, I really want to hear your strong arguments Here is a link to the NAFTA members website where you may learn more about the agreement and it's workings
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As difficult as it is to say, Donald Trump is actually right in what he said the first time and now again in his latest speech in response to the happenings in Charlottesville VA.
The President Trump blamed “many sides” on many sides he said. The backlash was swift and load, two days later he released another statement; crisp, pointed and obviously very well crafted, the politically correct response but definitely not Trump.
Now the Donald is back to his usual self by going back to his original standpoint by saying: "There are two sides to a story. I thought what took place was a horrible moment for the country, but there are two sides to a story”. Read more
Whether it be two or many is not a point for contention here but as opposed to the “rest of the world” who seemed quick and ready to place the blame squarely at the feet of; white supremacists, Alt-right nationalists or whoever else, there are a few troubling questions here: who was it that clashes with whom and where? What were either sides doing out there?
So one group was out for a pre-planned rally, what was the other group doing out there, on their way to prayer meetings? I hardly think so. There is a reason why Donald Trump became and still remain president in spite of the toll and logic-defying odds.
Could it be that folks has just grown tired of the falsehood, fakeness, and broken promises and has now become overly willing and ready to try anyone and anything but the status quoi?
So there have been many different voices and groups lobbying for change over a long period, and change we have got no doubting that. Could it be that the pendulum has swung too far to one side and is now ripe for the swing back to the other?
So whether it be; soft nationalists, activists or anarchists, ultra-right, ultra-left or politically correct, heckler, sharp-shooters or passive aggressive.
Everyone of them has an agenda on which they are campaigning when they hit the streets, the platform or in the glare of the camera. Some of you may not believe it when I say that; I’m not a Trump apologist, Nor do I support him in most of his policies or rhetoric, nor would I vote for him if I could. However, when the answer to a question is correct, one cannot make it incorrect and this time I must say that; Donald Trump is correct And that’s just the way I see it. Wait till you see my next post, you just might change your mind on how you think that I feel about The Donald. Walk good. Who really pays to build cities and howThe question was asked: who really pays to build a city and how is it done? And the answer is as I always say to many including my young son; cities are built on the backs of the poor, the young and the ignorant. One might ask; how so? And I would say, take a look at the video above and tell me, what do you see At a glance, it seemed very clear that a truck has got pulled over by a transport authority personnel (driver of the car behind the truck with flashing red lights). Nothing strange about that, it happens all the time. Transport authority people does (random) spot checks all the time to ensure that motorists, especially truckers do observe and obey the rules as well as making sure that these vehicles are safe enough to operate on the roads and highways. But, and there is a BIG “but” here, in this particular situation, this is not just any ole random stop. If one had been traversing these roads over the past couple of weeks and months, one would have noticed that this has become a regular occurrence of late. And what’s the catalyst you asked. Let me try to tell you. A while back, maybe a month or two, it was announced that; the sources south ramp to the westbound highway 20 is in need of major repairs. A Transports Quebec engineering report from November 2016, shows page after page of corroded metal, exposed rebar and crumbling asphalt. However, the minister responsible for the Montreal region, announced that there was no money available to repair the overpass in 2017. “Ideally, the City of Pointe-Claire would like to see that overpass torn down and reconfigured and rebuilt brand new Rebuilding is going to cost a lot of money But Transport Quebec said it will take between $10 to $25m, as is now needed, in order to fix the structure. Repairs are only planned starting in 2018. Meanwhile, the authorities have had to put up Jersey’s [concrete barriers] to prevent vehicles from touching the walls, and have been diverting heavy vehicles away from the westbound ramp onto highway 20 west. This detour sends heavy vehicles towards the eastbound 20 where they need to loop back around if they wants to go west. So the signs are placed there at the top of the ramp (I was told since I haven’t gone that way to see them for myself) but I also know how these things work. In the meantime though, a transport Quebec inspector or "personnel" may be seen sitting in his car there at the bottom of that ramp (sometimes two of them) and their job is, (it would appears) to catch and fine every heavy vehicle driver who comes down off of that ramp. Over the first two weeks or so since they have instituted those changes and detours I’ve grown tired of seeing those red flashing lights there at the bottom end of that ramp, right there at the sources overpass as I drive pass by there back and forth several times per day.
A nice and easy way for them to amass the necessary funds to effect the repairs don’t you think? So let’s dig in a bit deeper here. What if that overpass was really in danger of crumbling under the weight of a heavy vehicle? Would they have left it accessible any at all to those vehicles (even with the warnings)? Or, Wouldn’t they close it off totally before the tragedy occurs? Furthermore, and this may be the most important point here which you need to grasp in order to understand how cities are built on the backs of the poor, the young and the ignorant. Every time a heavy vehicle is caught coming down off of that ramp, the cash register goes; chi-chim, at the transport authority offices. That was a working person, someone who is most likely to be at or close to the bottom of the economic ladder, yet, it was s/he who was just taxed, again. Maybe he is a young driver too who hasn’t been hit and hurt hard enough yet to begin to learn and start really thinking things through, and/or he's foolish enough to be constantly doing the same thing (wrong) and be expecting different results. (Right one for him/her). Say it ain’t so So you may wish to dispute my theory and try to prove me wrong but consider this: As was said earlier; if the structure was as bad as you say that it is, (and I’m not saying here that they aren’t in a bad state, but) why not close it completely and prevent those vehicles from getting on and risking a terrible disaster? Ok, I hear you. You want to allow access to smaller vehicles which don’t pose such big a threat. I hear you too. But seriously though. Why didn’t you think to place those (same) transport authority personnel and the vehicles which they are sitting in down there at the bottom, why not place them at the top of the ramp, to stop them from venturing on before they do? Stop them up there before those: poor, young and/or foolish heavy vehicle drivers actually gets onto the ramp and risk a catastrophe, why take that risk? Could it be because it is worth your while? Could it possibly be because you did think about this long and hard, and you did take the conscious decision to go this “route”? Because! Oh, no, it's not that at all. So... Could it be though? Could it be that the intended purposes from the get go was to mitigate the cost of repairs at the hands of these “certain” types of people who you have learnt by experience that they will come through for you every time, could it be? Could it possibly be? Just asking. |
AuthorE Lloyd Kelly is an Author, poet and blogger born in Jamaica W.i. to Raglan and Alma Kelly. Now lives in Montreal Qc. where when not writing, he drives a shuttle bus between campuses at McGill university Via: Poetry Foundation
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