Raven's View

Reposted from my SubStack. 

Canadian and UK PMs share a beer and some hockey, before G7.

I’ve switched back and forth over the past 60 years or so between Liberal and NDP, preferring center and/or left of centre, as society changed, my values changed, and each party’s focus changed. But never a Conservative, as to me that would mean ignoring logic and science, at least in the party’s current incarnation. Maybe they need to split off the Canadian Alliance again. Right now, I’m a fan of our Liberal Prime Minister, Carney. I think he’s our best choice now, and is doing a good job. He’s not Trudeau, and he’s mixing up some of the ‘old guard’, while retaining a strong team against Trump.

Speaking of G7 - I think it went well, all things considered. Partially because Trump left early - supposedly to deal with the Israel/Iran crisis, but mainly to avoid a tri-lateral discussion with Carney and the president of Mexico, plus a meetup with Zelensky. Or maybe he was just tired out and fading. I saw a quote (?) from one of his “handlers’ it was like walking a tightrope with no net and a catheter. At any rate, I think Trump rightly suspected that Carney would not let him bully the Ukrainian leader like he had in the Oval Office. Interesting that the next day, with Trump’s chair now empty next to him, Carney sat Zelensky in it.

Exploring funeral options, shipping alternatives, and Halloween cut-backs.

Fancy custom funerals - Have you planned your own funeral yet? Either to leave one final unique imprint on the world or just save your family the fuss and bother. CBC had an interesting article (link) on some of the variations people are designing, such as giving mourners Sharpie pens so they can leave a final message on the coffin, or setting up as a casual drop-in with card tables and bowls of chips and shared remembering. Maybe you have a favourite bit of music or poem. Or you were a Rocky Horror fan. You could even get cremated and have the carbon pressed into diamonds - $50k for 3 carats. If you suspect not many people will show up to mourn you, just arrange for some Moirologists ahead of time. In the UK, they’re only £45 an hour (link). How about a parade, a New Orleans-style event, with a jazz band and a horse-drawn hearse? There’s lots of flexibility and choices now, and the old school imposing downtown funeral homes, classical style with tall columns, are being replaced by smaller places in an industrial park - tasteful, but very a la carte to tailor-make as much or little as is wanted.

It’s up to you, go wild! Although, you won’t be around to check the details unless you’ve planned a haunting.

Getting the kids to leave, evolving mushrooms, and back to roommates.

Photo by Allan Vega on Unsplash

 Mother evicts kids - From a New York Post article (link) - Italian mom wins court battle to evict her ‘parasite’ grown sons from home. Their 74-year-old single mother refers to them mockingly as “bamboccioni,” or “big babies”.

I was surprised she would need a court order, rather than just change the locks and/or call the cops. Nope, apparently, in Italy it’s not uncommon for adult children to still live with their parents. In fact, in 2022, this was 70 percent of adults 18-34 years old, with officials blaming economic conditions and a poor job market. So it’s the norm there, with the assumption parents must support their children. Both these boys, in their 40s now, were employed, but not helping with chores or finances. They refused to leave and hired a lawyer. The judge ruled enough was enough and they’re out.