Dec. 5:

The lead story on p. A1 sets the tone for this whole issue of The Moncton Times and Transcript.

"Metro Moncton lights up for Christmas" Gee. LIghts at Christmas.Who would have noticed?  But you can't fool the staff of the TandT. No, sir. They spotted those lights, and their investigative reporters found out why they're up.

Inside, there's even more exciting news and opinion. The editorial, for example, lays it on the line, "Moncton Council should set prudent fiscal course". Damn right. Nothing worse than an imprudent fiscal course.

(Going on the basis of earlier editorials and opinion pieces in the Tand T, the prudent thing would be to go in the hole for a couple of hundred million to build a hockey rink.)

The crises of Pakistan, Syria and Iran have us on the edge of World War Three, if not already in it. But there's not a word on them.

Canada is destroying what 's left of its international reputation by blocking any progress to international agreement on climate change. There's a story on the fast and steady increase of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. But nothing on how Harper has opposed taking any action. (If he supported action, it would displease his corporate sponsors.)

Enjoying our mild December? It's melting our permafrost up north, and releasing unprecedented amounts of CO2 - to join the CO2 from our shale gas - which will make it even warmer. Arctic ice is melting at the fastest rate in 1400 years.

Thank you, Mr. Harper, for protecting our billionaires.

In the whole paper, there is only one, real story. Performing Arts NB is shutting down for lack of government funding. In this province, where so much of artistic performance consists of acts like farting to the tune of White Christmas, this shutting down of real Arts is a serious loss - especially for rural New Brunswick which has little enough to enrich it.

However, we have to cut some budgets so we can finance cheap electrcity and other gifts for Irving, McCain, Ganong et al.

A reader has asked me to write a piece about why school and university ratings are a scam - and who's behind them. I have some writing on this in my earliest blogs. But it may well be a good idea to repeat it, perhaps in more conpact form. If the TandT continues non-news as it has today, I'll make it a section of a regular blog. If not, I'll write a couple of extra blogs in the evenings.

The blandness of the TandT is no accident. The whole purpose of that paper is to keep us in ignorance of what is happening, and how we are affected by it. The only exceptions are things that in no way affect our corporate masters.

That's why we are so well informed about sports, horoscopes,and how to throw a great cocktail party.

Oh, and Christmas lights.