Happy New Year !

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I wish everyone the best, most prosperous and Happy 2013 possible from Kakabeka Falls, up here in Northwestern Ontario. 

  Here at Incoming Bytes it's always tough to see time--a whole year-- fly by so fast. 

 The year 2012 has been wonderful in many ways. 

My  friends, family and associates have all been thoughtful,  generous, creative, and supportive. Loyal readers and followers provided tremendous encouragement to keep going. The  inspiration I have received from loyal friends and dedicated followers during 2012 is the force that has kept me moving on, dreaming, creating and writing.

It's been a tough and challenging year in some respects,  with major world events, war, flooding, storms, and terrible, even unbelievable human  tragedies.  
Predicted, but failed apocalyptic events unfulfilled. 
The end of the world yet..that was a biggie. There were smaller events that caused more pain. 

Tragedies great and small took place, some close at hand and expected, and  personal losses of loved ones occurred that cannot be equated with anything tangible other than the terrible sense of loss --and equally, the sense of optimism that must necessarily follow. 

I lost a friend in August,  Mr. John Angus Carter III, an American from Barkhamsted, Connecticut-- perhaps the last of his breed. We worked on a number of projects together.  John left a legacy of written works, many  unfinished.  A brilliant thinker, geologist, and great writer, John was above all, a good friend. He will be missed. 

Meantime, the rest of the world shall carry on with new excitement and renewed optimism. Let us maintain our faith, optimism, offer eternal kindness to all others, --and grant understanding and help to those that have perhaps failed to meet unrealistic expectations.

  Let us move on into 2013 with a sense of joy, love and a fresh outlook on life, and not only set new goals, but achieve them victoriously.

Happy New Year, to everyone, especially to my very BEST friends.  
Each of you knows who you are !  I thank you. 

Raymond


Is that Incoming I hear?

Harper's New Legacy : Be Chinese.

by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

The light of truth is blinding...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has left a new legacy for Canadians:  Become Chinese

We will soon be living in Chinada and speaking Mandarin. 
We won't have to worry about the well-being of Canadians or our historical friends the Americans on the world's longest undefended border. 
We won't have to worry about  Quebec separatists. 
We won't have to worry about  speaking Quebecois 
We won't have to wonder  if our flag has a maple leaf.   Why?
It will all be Chinese. 

 In an 'oil deal' that 99.9%  of  logical, thinking Canadians did not want, China's state-owned oil giant CNOOC  has been allowed to take over Canada's Nexen, a $15B  mistake.  A huge swath of the Canadian oil sands will now be under the control of the Chinese government.

We cannot believe our eyes. This decision casts shame on the "Harper government" --And yes, let us, in this instance, call it what it IS...the "Harper government".  It certainly does not represent the interest of Canadians.
 
Is this deal good for Canada?  NO.  Let us exclude the opinions of short-sighted politicians with their own self-serving agenda,  greedy oil barons and foreign national communists alike, who will make billions of dollars.
Let us totally ignore  the Alberta "government" , which is blinded and  inebriated by oil fumes and doesn't  give a royal crap what they do as long as they make money from dirty oil at any environmental cost, prancing in delight at the prospect of big piles of money, regardless of the iron-clad guarantee of  an unprecedented  environmental disaster the size of Nova Scotia.

The question should be: 

Since when is it in the interest of Canadians to sell control of Canadian resources to a foreign Communist nation?  
What is this government up to?   Should we "follow the money?"  The truth always comes out. 
The approval of the Nexen-CNOOC deal will change Canada forever.

This huge mistake  is reminiscent of a previous huge mistake  by the "Diefenbaker Conservatives"   to kill off the AVRO ARROW -an incredibly bad error in judgment and a  decision that destroyed Canada's huge technological lead in the aviation industry.
This huge mistake  is also reminiscent of another HUGE mistake by the "Mulroney Conservatives", the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which made billions of dollars for big Corporate North America, but did nothing for ordinary Canadians. Canadians continue to pay incredibly high prices for comparable products. 

NO disrespect, but all Canadians should be asking this question: 

   Like the "Diefenbaker Government",  why is this Harper Conservative "government" so short-sighted? 

Why do  arrogant Conservative governments repeatedly make basic, essential errors in government that ARE  huge mistakes,  unmitigated disasters with bad long-term consequences?

It seems only Stephen Harper himself could make a decision as bad as John Diefenbaker's  AVRO Arrow decision was.     
 To wit:  It will now cost  Canadians  $60B to "buy" jet fighters that still cannot out-perform the highly advanced, high-performance Avro Arrow scrapped some 50 years ago. 
John Diefenbaker sold out to the USA aviation industry, and now Stephen Harper somehow appears to believe  it's a fine idea to allow a sell-out of Canadian resources to China--at any cost.

A couple of days ago I was walking around in "Canadian"  Tire, a 'big' Canadian retailer that now sells everything made in  China.
 No matter what I picked up to look at, it was "Made in China". From baking pans to dishes to appliances to tools. Soft goods, hardware, everything in between. "Made in China". Canada --has now been 'made by China" but let us not be TOO impolite.

North America has lost the ability to produce anything.  How sad for Canadians. How sad for North America. It's NOT for lack of rich people or a dearth of investment money in Canada or the USA. Follow the money. It is going offshore to Asia.

Increasingly, little of anything is now manufactured in North America because "big Corporate North America"  and the rich can make bigger profits  and more money outsourcing  in China--where virtual slave labour,  uneducated people, being paid  slave labour rates, and living in poverty --under iron-fisted Communist rule-- are the  labour force of choice.There are virtually NO environmental regulations in China, as witnessed by the horrific, stifling and deadly pollution that is everywhere.

With the CNOOC takeover of Canadian oil approved,  Harper's recently gutted environmental rules will come in handy to China. Environmental concerns will be ignored "the Chinese -Harper way"  
Pollution in, and  destruction of Canada's north  is now assured to be the planet's biggest environmental disaster. 

CNOOC will also  "conveniently"  now dictate the necessity of construction of the Northern Gateway Pipeline through the pristine BC coast line --an earthquake prone area.  Our "trusted Conservative politicians" who have known this from the very start will 'throw up their hands like foolish children and say "Well, what can we do, it's "our" industry"...... and "acquiesce smugly" -- knowing they had this planned all along.

Now that the deal is approved, the government "swears" there won't be any more deals like these?  We know better.   ALL Canadians know that Conservatives, like most politicians,  say what is convenient  to their egos and pockets at the time. The truth eventually proves them to be blatant liars and deceivers and as such, unfit to govern. We "wrested concessions from China in this deal?? Let us now laugh in disbelief at the blatant lies.

China is already laughing;  they will also laugh and walk away from the unprecedented ecological disaster and Canada will be without remedy after the oil sands resources are depleted, and  China will 'conveniently' move on to target other resources.
 
This is a sad day for Canada.   Harper's new 'legacy'. Be Chinese. Be happy. be stupid. Shop. Pat ourselves on the head. 
Let the government run the important things".

We are far too polite to say what should be said.

The fact is, this decision is a betrayal of the trust of Canadians.
This is not only an issue of sovereignty over Canadian resources,  it is an issue of lack of common sense  and short-sighted, very  poor governance.

Stephen Harper and  the  Harper Government" must resign in shame. We no longer have any confidence in this government. This agreement must be reversed.


Is that Incoming I hear?

The Writing Life: Self-Restraint: An Admirable Vice

by Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Time reflecting the eternal flame of hope  (c)2011 wlk photography

"Know thyself" --a fine ancient adage, is it not?

I'm kind of an old-fashioned type. I know that, and  perhaps I always have been. I like tradition, the 'expected' and edifying practices rooted deeply in the past, simply because such things are the bleached bones of my heritage. 
I enjoy beautiful things. I have an Achilles' heel for pets and wildlife, gardens, trees, sunflowers, Mother Nature's creations in water, rock, and sky.  Old cannons, rich dark chocolate,  coconut trees,  toasted cinnamon bread with coffee, amethyst clocks  and pirate chests filled with gold. 
Loyal readers continue to amaze me, as do other writers, my friends, those incredible scribblers of all things fascinating, good, creative people who continue to challenge me to get better;  dictionaries,  sultry, hot, sexy women, and bold, self-confident thinkers. Solid-minded people displaying innovation and intelligence invariably pique my interest.
Literature,  fiction, poetry, the spice of everything,  you name it, I like it. Savouring the English language is one of these rare, beautiful treasures;  the world of literature is a richly spiced jewel  that should be polished and tasted with vigour. It should be enjoyed.  That is why I write.
 The simple act of  creating and scribbling such tomes should equally be practiced,enjoyed, and above all, protected.
 Although literary perfection, Latin, and old English are now as rare as exotic orchids, -- and chests of pirate gold aren't  appearing upon the doorstep of most writers  anywhere soon,  dreams of literary elegance persist.   We dream creativity into reality. We dream of success. We work at creating beauty, fiction,excitement and perfection for those around us. For the world. For civilization. For the future.

Word mills, content mills, writing traps for novices,  set up with their own self-serving agenda, show the opposite, pay no more than lip service to creativity or the practice of traditional ethics.  The industry is preoccupied with money instead.
 Greedy word mills  are being revealed for what they are, and as a result are displaying instability and imminent failure.  We now know it's a great idea to not only read, but understand the self-serving 'terms of service' that can be changed daily without notice.  It is ever more essential to be aware.
In fact, the written word, "articles" today,  as delightful as they are, often buy the writer into a trap.   
Caveat emptor.
 I'm not delighted with this trend to the brazen practice of  commandeering and theft 'lesser' ethics  in the industry that has been taking advantage of, and damaging creativity.    This is not a 'good' change for civilization.  We resist change naturally, but it is difficult to watch, being traditionalist in nature. Great civilizations require unparallelled  creativity and art in all forms.

Should creative minds  be forced to a constant state of alert for hosers,  thieves, profiteers less than ethical corporate interests, greedy, arrogant,  non-creative people who willfully and brazenly take advantage of  the creativity of others?

The growing specific lack of ethics in the industry annoys the hell out of me.
I don't like that trend. Why?   Changing to lesser ethics for profit is inexcusable.
Writers, thieves and court jesters alike have their own reasons for existing. What are yours? 
We can now laugh raucously.   We have diligently practiced the fine art of self-restraint with gusto;  a few months of generic self-improvement.  Where the good old-fashioned rant is concerned, self-restraint is an admirable vice.
 I have no idea how long I'll be able to hold out, how about you?
 At times I think  I'm too polite. Is it because I'm Canadian?
Call in the cavalry. Load the grape shot.
 
Is that Incoming I hear?

photo credit:    (c)2011  WendyLee Kukkee   (wlk photography)

Social Media: Damoclean Pot

The Age of Light is Upon Us

Human beings using social media have increasingly discovered the delights of stretching the limits of reckless anonymity. Anonymity.  The marginal propensity to hide in cyberspace while  allowing one's self the careless use  of four-letter 'words'.
The fact is, wanton, reckless, and at times, --brazen taboo crap  inappropriate redundant language is  seemingly inserted in communication  to raise the 'status'  without thought or concern.

Is it inserted to attract attention,  or assign instant importance to jaded, insecure or pathetic lives?  Does it enhance stature, relevance, or draw an  audience to the previously ignored?
 I don't know.
Perhaps the status quo is a sign of  collective societal insecurity.  Immaturity. Inability to distinguish between foul potty mouth and actual communication. Is this a dearth of parental teaching?

I have to be honest, from the point of view of a writer,  it seems like deterioration of civilization itself. It seems we are, unfortunately, at a crossroads;  Perhaps people are blissfully and totally  unaware of the  effect of  scribbling, keyboarding, or texting chopped,  deviate combinations of words, whatever be the method or the message.
 It seems at times that nobody cares about what they are exposed to, or what the effect of such unmitigated, liberally  applied and questionable values of filth may have upon their children. The true long-term effect will not be seen in civilization for some time.
I'm guessing our tasteless melange of social media and rudimentary foul language ultimately will inflict a cost.

Where does "potty mouth" originate from on social media sites like Facebook? Have traditionally taboo, detestable, four-letter invectives  become fashionable?  The associated symptoms are easily spotted. Hedonism.  Jaded narcissism. Warped, over-the-edge humor.  Commandeered language and blatant ignorance. 

Does Potty Brain not recognize that " Potty Mouth" reflects directly upon character, person, background, parents, upbringing, nature, essence, the very spiritual being?

From strictly a human standpoint, in  simple terms, which part of 'a foul mouth suggests a foul mind' is so hard to understand?

It seems it takes little to destroy one's image. It takes no practice at all to foam off at the mouth in  a rude, crude interlude and  begin sliding into that stinking morass;  it is deceptively easy to succumb.

 For the last couple of years I have been curtailing my thoughts on  this distasteful aspect of social media, zipping the lip.  I cannot tell a lie though. In truth we....are not impressed.
There are always better ways to express sentiment.

Go ahead, do feel free to speak as you will.  Here's the plan.  Use whatever language you wish; the English language is changing, but...for the record, --the reward, justice at its finest;  the full chamber-pot --is hanging high above us by the proverbial Damoclean thread. Will it be your next 'word' or thought that breaks the thread?

Think about it.


Is that Incoming I hear?

Heads, Tails, or the Edge?

  UPDATE

 
SoWrite.Us Competition: Best First Chapter
  
Unbridled optimism.  I don't know about you, but  here At Incoming Bytes I like to believe that hope springs eternal from proactive optimists.  Proactive optimists, worth repeating. Horseshoes and four-leaf clovers are lucky.  "Holes-in-one" happen.  We believe good stuff does happen to those who wait, and sometimes luck of the draw is just that, short straw,  long straw, heads, tails spin-of-the-bottle for a kiss.   Luck  is magic and illusion, balancing on the thin edge of life itself. 
Sometimes it pays to get proactive and jump in feet first,get in it to win it, or die trying.



At  SoWrite.us.com  my entry in the November Fiction " Best First Chapter" contest created by Jim Bessey was successfully submitted without a hitch. Didn't even have to die trying!
 
 Wow!  In return, we received some great news. It went better than usual for me. Proactivism worked!




 
I was amazed to learn,-- my very own entry,  From Raggs: The Bent Man
   -----was awarded first prize ...$50.00 !!  Wow!

 Did I get to see the cash? 

You bet!   For contest doubters, you will be happy to know that  prize money offers from SoWrite.us  are real.  The cash   arrived almost within the hour.   Thanks, Jim!   
 

 Nice, and just in time for Christmas!   Ho -Ho-Ho !
How about that?  Here comes Santa!
 
We must congratulate co-finalists, Glory Lennon  and Teresa DePoy  --and all other competitors for for their wonderful entries. Special thanks to judges Amanda and Tamara for their hard work and particularly difficult decision. It's so hard to make a thin dime stand on edge!   
--and to Jim and SoWrite.us......Thanks again! 

  Maybe unbridled proactive optimism isn't such a bad thing after all?
 
Is that Incoming I hear?


 Photo credits: courtesy of  SoWrite.us.com  with thanks.