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moved to room Meeting Place
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to Dr.D.
Dr.D. changed username to Dr.D. rich-c: welcome Rich Dr.D.: Hello, sorry for missing Wednesday. Dr.D.: I fell asleep again. Dr.D.: Another long day. rich-c: we were wondering - the gang did miss you Dr.D.: I presume the whole crowd was there to welcome you back. rich-c: but then, you do have long days and we know it Dr.D.: Also lots of prep for our Thanksgiving trek to my Dad's house. rich-c: well, let's say a decent cross-section - the time shift is discouraging james these days Dr.D.: And a lab meeting that didn't end until 5:30 PM. rich-c: yes, few of the rest of us have as busy a life as you Dr.D.: So I hope your life (and Frances') is getting back to normal. rich-c: next week and after we will have Erin on from Toronto Dr.D.: Just a visit, or is she job-hunting? rich-c: well, I shan't try driving befoe Dec. 18th (my clearance appointment with the surgeon) rich-c: job filling - she's a "general assistant" to the provincial Minister of Agriculture Dr.D.: Is this permanent or temporary? rich-c: it's a political appointment - at the pleasure of Her Majesty (for which read until her boss loses an election or getss mad at her) Dr.D.: Well, it's what, 4 more years 'til another election, unless someone calls for No Confidence, right? rich-c: that's to distinguish it from a civil service position which is "permanent" rich-c: technically five years, customarily four rich-c: given the majority the Liberals have, No Confidence is at best highly unlikely Dr.D.: You may have read that our "permanent" civil service jobs are being reclassified/cut. rich-c: the real question is how badly the Liberals will screw up in the next four years Dr.D.: You think they will mess things up? rich-c: yes, Dubya and his doctrinaire masters are desperate to destroy the U.S. government as quickly as possible Dr.D.: I think W just wants to be able to fire people ala Reagan and the air traffic controllers. rich-c: I am not impressed with the calibre of most of the Liberal ministers Dr.D.: His gang will howl though if they ever get on the short end of it. rich-c: sort of .38 rounds in .50 bores, if you follow Dr.D.: They must have had something to get votes...unless it was all "not the current group". rich-c: but the Conservatives got their choice to wreck things after the NPD screwed up, so where next? rich-c: let's say our ex-premier is so loathed he needs a police bodyguard 24/7 - and he quit politics months before the election Dr.D.: I'm sure W would give him a cozy exile over here :-) rich-c: they are somewhat of a piece but our guy isnt extreme enough rich-c: the speculation we see is the W. is simply a puppet of Karl Rove, AEI and PNAC cabal rich-c: and that their objective is to ruin the economy so badly the social safety net can no longer be sustained Dr.D.: That was Reagan's aim. Dr.D.: Somehow, it didn't work. Dr.D.: Not sure how. rich-c: it wasnt as evident with Reagan; he did not seem so fanatically extreme rich-c: possibly Ronnie wasn't as amenable to control; had his own ideas sometimes Dr.D.: Maybe at first, but he was definitely senile in his second term. Dr.D.: Nobody will say that now, but give it 50 years... rich-c: certainly Ronnie had no appointments comparable to Rice, Rumsfeld, or Ashcroft in his term Dr.D.: I'm hoping that somehow W can get voted out next November, but I am not optimistic. rich-c: and while I'll buy the creeping senility, that can also be accompanied by a certain contrariness Dr.D.: He was either totally senile or totally lying. rich-c: I find on my Autoweek chat board a number of Americans desperate to get rid of him Dr.D.: If he truly didn't know about Ollie North, then he was incompetent. Dr.D.: If he wasn't incompetent, there's no way he couldn't have known. rich-c: one is working actively for Dean, another has signed up with moveon.org Dr.D.: If things start to look bad for W in the polls, look for some wartime offensive stuff...or some mini-9/11 to try to distract people and provide a "don't swap horses in mid-stream" rationale for his re-election. rich-c: there is also the usual mindless minority of reactionaries who uncritically worship the President - any President rich-c: I think Dubya is really getting panicky, or his advisors are Dr.D.: The conspiracy nut in me fears that W will be assassinated this year to put Cheney in office. Dr.D.: W has just about served his puppet purpose. Dr.D.: But that stuff only happens in bad movies. rich-c: that might even be helpful - the Invisible Man has little public profile rich-c: but he would end up carrying the can for all the projects that have gone wrong Dr.D.: I'm tired of people in hiding. rich-c: still, I am fascinated by Ws trip to Iraq Dr.D.: He saw a Movietone Newsreel of FDR at Yalta or something. rich-c: given his history of avoidance of places whre bullets wre flying, that was exceptional rich-c: I mean, he actually went somewhere whre theoretically he could have got shot at rich-c: hugely effective photo op but given his record of combat aviodance, he must have been desperate for it Dr.D.: That would've been the time for someone to attack elsewhere...all the resources deployed in one place, means that they are taken away from other places. Dr.D.: Hard to believe people will be suckered by photo ops. Dr.D.: But like I read the other day: Dr.D.: "Y'know how dumb the average person is? Just think, by definition, half of all people are dumber than that!" rich-c: you should have seen the cartoon about it in yesterday's Star - my, it was pointed rich-c: check it out at thestar.com - it will be in the editorial area somewhere Dr.D.: Will do. rich-c: anyway as for Erin - basically her job is office dogsbody with priority to matters with a political side Dr.D.: Though not from this 486 right now (a bit too slow with the chat window running). rich-c: she is of course vary junior, but did have teh prior experience in Susan Whelan's office Dr.D.: Government go-fer. rich-c: seems they were eager to get her just to have anyone with any experience at all Dr.D.: Well, she's said on occasion that she wants to hold some elected office someday, and this is the way to start. rich-c: oh yes, and she's learning - gather she lost out previously by audibly saying nice things about the wrong rival Dr.D.: In this week's Plain Dealer, some high school senior (age 18) is on the City Council of his town, he decided to run, and got elected! rich-c: good, get to work and this time get the Case faculty to corrupt him rich-c: time you had someone at City Hall on your side ;-) Dr.D.: Haha rich-c: anyway Erin will be living in Toronto henceforth and till further notice Dr.D.: She's found a place to live already, I presume? rich-c: she is currently bunking with a workmate on the fringe of the University area Dr.D.: She must have known about this for a while, to give notice at her old job. rich-c: remembering that Queens Park (Legislatue) is within the general University grounds, so to speak rich-c: no, she was just doing supermarket minimum-wage joe-ing so no problem Dr.D.: I thought she had been working as cleaning lady/charwoman previously. rich-c: one of her supermarket jobs was mopping up Dr.D.: I see. Dr.D.: Well, let's hope her boss doesn't make any messes that she has to mop up :-) rich-c: she is still very young - about 20 or 21, as I recall Dr.D.: 21 or 22, can't remember which she said/ rich-c: she is the eldest child of Frances' adopted sister Dr.D.: I think Pam will be glad to have her around. rich-c: yes, although at the moment Pam has a little project on she does not want Erin to know about Dr.D.: I think I know which one you mean...and all is mum here. rich-c: I can't say anything more right now for fear someone might make a slip of the tongue rich-c: I suspect you do - we'll just have to watch our steps for the next month rich-c: say he, always remembering that chats are archived and accessible to anyone Dr.D.: Dale is pretty bad about putting them up, though :-) Dr.D.: And I'm sure he'd delete anything you asked him to censor. rich-c: there are times when that can be an advantage Dr.D.: What's happened to the cranky George guy? Did he show up last week? rich-c: no doubt he would, if anyone could find him! ;-) rich-c: no, he's been fairly scarce lately - don't know why, more illness or less sympathy, perhaps? Dr.D.: He's a topic for censorship in the archives... rich-c: yes, he is a little overenthusiastic about dispensing what Pam calls TMI Dr.D.: I have to sign off for now, Richard: I am running a backup Thanksgiving dinner at the fraternity and I have to start packing up the food to go. rich-c: mind you, when you go into hospital you need to check your inhibitions at the door Dr.D.: I've been cooking a ham all afternoon and it's about ready. rich-c: OK Rich, good to talk and see you Wednesday, then Dr.D.: I'm supposed to get there to set up at 5 PM and serve at 6 PM. rich-c: do take a peek at the Star cartoon Dr.D.: I will...and I'll try to stay awake Wednesday :-) Dr.D.: bye rich-c: bye now
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changed username to rich-c