I might as well be among the first to offer an extended middle finger to none other than Gordon Sumner, better known to White Rastas everywhere as the venerable music icon, Sting.

Gordo and his wife of some 30 years, Trudy Styler are featured in last month’s edition of Harper’s Bazaar in a series of provocative photographs accompanying an article in which the two discuss their apparently still passionate love life.

Don’t get me wrong; any musician in this day and age who can remain faithfully married to one woman deserves some considerable credit.  However, I just can’t help thinking that I can’t be the only person who is simply not interested in the slightest about how horny a sixty year old celebrity might be.

This isn’t even the first time Sting-a-ling-a-ding-dong has made his sex life something he considers worthy of sharing, as evidenced by his previous boasting a few years back about the hours long Tantric sex he and his wife routinely engage in, apparently with all the necessary apparatus and pretentious symbolism of a Cirque du Soleil performance.

I’m no spring chicken myself, but at least I have the common decency to recognize that my sex life (such as it is) has about as much appeal to the average person under 75 of a medically induced coma, and I don’t entertain even the most cursory expectation that any particular magazine, apart from ‘Middle Aged Masturbator Weekly,’ would give a shit.

Yet here is Sting and Trudy pawing one another in the photos and gleefully recounting what they do to keep one another from growing bored with their aged and shriveling genitalia; I know, I can barely even type it without feeling queasy.

Whatever happened to the old ‘less is more’ screed, especially as it relates to sex among seniors?  I know it happens, but do I REALLY need to have it detailed in an article that attempts to make age spots seem sexy?  Is this what ‘The Dream of the Blue Turtles’ was really getting at?

The real fear for me is that this kind of attention may entice more aging celebs to climb on board the lusty seniors band wagon in order to make their own octogenarian libidos the subject of yet more cringe worthy articles; God help us all if this inspires a photo spread of Joan Rivers and her selection of sex toys made from discarded shreds of the last vestiges of actual human skin tissue left over from her 78 plastic surgeries.

Some things are just better left unseen.

Copyright JQM 2011

Revelations that the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been receiving large sums of money from Iran has once again turned the spotlight on the reliability of his leadership at a time of growing concern for the United States and the Obama administration as to the durability of their partnership.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11618969

As the US mission in the beleaguered nation prepares to enter its tenth year, pressure continues to mount from Congress and the American people regarding the viability of a military operation whose rationale has fluctuated between retaliation for the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the increasingly destabilizing environment of the nuclear state of Pakistan.

What has never been openly discussed about ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) in Afghanistan, is the massive amounts of profit to be had from an expansive pipeline designed to transport the vast reserves of Central Asian oil and natural gas through the war torn country.

Indeed, the TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) pipeline has long been a dream of foreign petroleum conglomerates from a host of nations, including the former Soviet Union, which has lured them to the region for decades.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SGE68L0EZ.htm

With the announcement of the ‘discovery’ of Afghanistan’s supposed wealth in minerals earlier this year, it appears the stakes for these natural resources and the means to extricate them from this troubled land has only increased, though that is unlikely to deter those who have long coveted them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html

All of which has made the task of dealing with Hamid Karzai that much more difficult for the Obama administration and the United States, whose reliance on this man as their ally presumes that his agenda and theirs are one and the same.

The well documented corruption in Karzai’s regime continues to demonstrate that no matter the consistent rhetoric from US and other foreign officials regarding their support of his leadership, both internal and external efforts to rid the Afghan government of this counter productive element that has crippled advancement of ISAF progress has met with little success.

The collapse of the Kabul bank earlier this summer is merely one of the latest indications that corruption is endemic.

http://www.juancole.com/2010/09/collapse-of-kabul-bank-points-to-terminal-corruption-of-karzai-government.html

Recent reports that the Afghan Elections Committee has declared nearly 25% of votes cast in last month’s Parliamentary elections as invalid due to fraud, further highlights the insidious immensity of the problem.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SGE69J0D6.htm

Now comes the disturbing news that after months of suspicion refuted by the Iranian government, the Afghan regime has indeed been receiving huge sums of money from Iran in a relationship Karzai has pronounced as ‘transparent.’

Many Americans must be wondering about this alleged transparency, especially as it relates to the Afghan government’s ongoing ceasefire negotiations with high level representatives of the Taliban in an attempt to end the armed conflict for control of the country.

What, for example, have US and international forces been fighting and dying for, if not to ensure that the Taliban and its extremist compatriots such as Osama bin Laden and Al Queda, could not continue to operate with impunity in Afghanistan, from which to plan and launch attacks on the West?

How can ISAF continue to place their trust in an Afghan ‘partner’ that is actively receiving funding from a regime branded a terrorist sponsoring state and which is rife with corruption?  What are the implications of a Taliban inclusive government in Afghanistan whose influence on Pakistan has long been identified as a destabilizing force for both nations?

What will the likely result be when US and ISAF forces begin their withdrawal timetables in 2011?

All of these questions remain unknowns at this time, but one thing does appear clear; the government of Hamid Karzai will almost certainly be part of ongoing issues that will plague the Obama administration before U.S. involvement in Afghanistan has ended, and probably long after.

Copyright JQM 2010

The final day of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics is dawning, with the nation awaiting a classic showdown of hockey supremacy in the form of the Men’s gold medal game between arch rivals Canada and the United States.

A week ago, with the medal count looking very different than it does this morning, Canada’s much trumpeted and controversial ‘Own The Podium’ campaign was enduring a litany of criticisms that it had failed to produce the Olympic hardware that it was specifically designed for.

‘Arrogance,’ many said, ‘unrealistic,’ ‘overreaching,’ ‘doomed to failure,’ were among the chants coming from both domestic and international skeptics for whom the program was a contentious and decidedly un-Canadian effort to dare secure more medals for this country at a Winter Olympics than ever before.

The Federal government created OTP as a multipurpose enterprise; to infuse our athletes with more funding, to build and upgrade training facilities, to inspire the nation to believe that we could compete and win at the highest level, and to give our Olympians the best possible chance to win more medals than ever before.

Yet, after the first week of competition, with Canada sitting 4^th in the medal count, such was the backlash against Own The Podium, event CEO Roger Jackson in typically Canadian fashion, was quoted as saying the program was ‘…probably unachievable.’

Admittedly, OTP was a brash departure from how this country has traditionally approached international athletics; that is, by not funding them and then sedately applauding the modest achievements of competitors who defy the odds and take home some hardware.

Many countries took offence at the idea that a host nation would dare to create an environment for their athletes that inspired confidence and ambition, particularly those for whom the Winter Games have traditionally meant a prodigious medal haul.

The reality is that Own The Podium represented Canada’s first serious effort to offer our athletes the same level of support many other nations have long provided their competitors, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular.

As of this morning, Canada has tied a Winter Olympics record for the most gold medals by a host nation with 13, and currently sit 3^rd in the medal count with 25, behind Germany with 29, and the U.S. with 36.

That’s right folks; CANADA HAS WON MORE GOLD MEDALS AT THESE GAMES THAN ANY OTHER NATIION, EVEN POWERHOUSES LIKE THE UNITED STATES, GERMANY AND RUSSIA.

Clearly, we’re not going to pass the Americans in total medals won, but with the Canada-US gold medal hockey game still to be played, we can set a new Winter Games record for most gold won.

What this means is that the Own The Podium campaign has been an unmitigated success, something for which all Canadians should feel an immense pride in.  Pride in our government for recognizing our athletes deserve the best funding, the best facilities and the best sense of ambition this nation can provide them with; pride in the incredible achievement of our athletes to believe that they are among the very best in the world, deserving of Olympic champion status; and pride in ourselves as a nation that can stage a world class event, despite weather conditions that were less than ideal, despite unwarranted criticisms from near and far, because Canada is a nation that has always believed in itself, no matter what the rest of the world may believe.

No one at these Games better exemplified what it means to be a Canadian better than Joannie Rochette, who fought through heart wrenching adversity and emotional anguish to earn a Bronze medal in Women’s figure skating.

Who will ever forget her determination, poise and self assurance to continue competing just days after tragically losing her mother on the eve of the event?

Can anyone truthfully say that they watched her performances without silently offering her all the love and support for which this country is renowned?  Was anyone not crying with her at the end of her routines?  If so, I strongly recommend you check your pulse, because Joannie gave these Games a quintessential demonstration of the fortitude, grace and beauty that this country can summon no matter how dark the hour; she not only Owned The Podium, she owned our hearts as well.

Could you ask anyone to do more than that?

Own The Podium has served notice that when it comes to sport, this country has shed its reserved and compliant nature to emerge as a proud and deserving member of the elite tier; the true North, strong and Golden.  

Copyright JQM 2010

For years now I’ve been attempting to make a living from writing; everything from advertising copy to adult themed material, and have been one meal of plain rice away from starvation the entire time.

Having wasted years of my youth in fruitless pursuits, dead end jobs and poverty line subsistence, it’s become clear that even armed with an English B.A. this planet is not in the slightest interested in acknowledging my existence in literature at even the most cursory level.

I’m sure there may be some who might consider the life of a struggling author to be the stuff of artistic apprenticeship, in the tradition of so many other literary folk heroes who died for their passion, but believe me when I tell you there’s nothing heroic about living in penury well into middle age.

I’ve battled depression, a profound sense of worthlessness, guilt and loneliness over the years, as most of my friends have achieved far greater levels of success than I, and have been rewarded with personal and professional recognition, adulation, lasting relationships, financial stability and emotional contentment; all of which I have managed to avoid.

When I was young, I used to frequently say that all I wanted when I was older was not to have any regrets, and ironically that appears to be the one enduring thing I will take to my grave.

Regrets in all manners and forms; poor choices, lack of ambition, abject laziness and an unfathomable capacity to fail have combined to stunt my growth emotionally and professionally to the point that I often don’t have the slightest sense of optimism answering job ads, no matter how ideally suited I might actually be for them.

The endless rejections, which in the computer age amount to just never getting a response, is so frequently and mind numbingly disappointing, that it’s sometimes difficult to even muster the enthusiasm to apply.

It’s not as though I’ve ever craved the kind of success that would make me a household name or rich or famous; I’ve only ever wanted to make a living, which has proven to be been immensely difficult, almost impossible.

It doesn't help that my older brother is a cardiovascular surgeon, my younger brother is a pilot, both married to beautiful and wonderful women, with two kids each, happy, contented and financially well off.

Me?  Single, poor and lonely, with no prospects and no future it seems.

There are days I feel like ‘Today could be the day my luck changes; I’ll find that one job out there and make the right impression on the right person and someone out there will recognize something in me that they will value, and my life will move in a new and better direction.’

Those days are rare however; mostly I just send out dozens of applications for writing gigs every damn day and wind up just as poor and underemployed as the day before.

Then there are the short stories I send out to magazines and publishers; I might as well be asking people to point and laugh and call me a gigantic loser.

Am I alone in this? 

Are there any other writers out there who are striving like Hell and getting nowhere? 

Or is everyone who can string two sentences together making a career of their writing talents except me?

I'm sure there must be, but for some reason it feels like I'm the only one.

It's a sad and beautiful world baby.

The scale of the destruction in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince,Thursday January 14, 2010

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that has decimated much of the Caribbean island nation of Haiti, the Canadian government was among the first in the international community to offer immediate assistance and aid.

On January 13, the day after the destructive quake struck, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and Minister of National Defence Peter McKay outlined Canada’s response to the massive humanitarian crisis that was unfolding by the hour in the beleaguered country.

These initiatives include:

- $5 million for urgent humanitarian assistance

- a federal government pledge to match individual Canadian’s donations to eligible charities up to $50 million, meaning a potential of up to $100 million the Haitian relief effort; allocation of these funds will be conducted by the Canadian International Development Agency through established development and humanitarian agencies in Haiti.

- the Canadian Armed Forces dispatched a C130 Hercules transport with food and water supplies and communications equipment as well as the Interdepartmental Strategic Support Team and the Reconnaissance element of the Canadian Forces and the Disaster Assistance and Response Team (DART), comprised of 19 members, some with medical training and approximately 100 Canadian forces personnel.

- a C-17 heavy-lift transport carrying a Griffon search and rescue helicopter and basic and medical supplies, search and rescue and medical personnel, security equipment and engineers

- Royal Canadian Navy ships HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Halifax have departed for Haiti, and are expected to arrive within a few days.

Both Cannon and McKay have held numerous briefings to update the status of the Canadian relief effort and to relay the still fragmented information coming out of Haiti as to the increasingly perilous situation on the ground.

National Defence Minister Peter McKay and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announce Canada’s Haitian Relief efforts, Wednesday January 13, 2010

The International Red Cross estimates that some 45,000 to 50,000 people may have perished in the initial aftermath of the earthquake, with many more still trapped beneath mounds of rubble and debris, which indicates that these numbers are almost certain to rise as Haiti continues the hugely challenging and daunting task of digging out from among the nation wide ruins.

The scale of the devastation and the already fragile infrastructure of the poorest nation in Western hemisphere has prompted a global response from leaders all over the world, offering whatever assistance they can in response to the televised images of the calamity.

The Global humanitarian effort includes contributions from the United States,  Brazil, Russia, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, China, Israel, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and scores of others.

Many national leaders, chief among them U.S. President Barack Obama, made solemn statements during media appearances in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, to reassure the Haitian people that their plight would not be ignored.

Which only makes the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's’ conspicuous absence this past week that much more blatant and shameful.

While it’s true that the Canadian government has responded with the swiftness and diligence the world has come to expect from a nation long revered for its compassion and humanitarian ideals, the leader of the country has been rarely seen or heard, apart from a briefing held with senior cabinet members that included Haitian born Governor General Michaelle Jean, in Ottawa on Wednesday, January 13, 2010.

 Governor General Michaelle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a briefing for Canada’s Haitian earthquake response

Politically, Mr. Harper has strictly followed the old adage of ‘Deeds, not works shall speak me,’ never more evident than during his penchant for suspending Parliament with the little used but now infamous action of prorogue, which he has managed to employ 3 times in his short tenure as Prime Minister.

As Canada’s leader, he will surely receive the bulk of the credit for coordinating the nation’s Haitian relief efforts, and rightfully so. 

Nevertheless, as of today January 15, 2010, three days since news of Haiti’s devastation reached the outside world, Mr. Harper has yet to make another announcement regarding his government’s response, issuing no statements, holding no additional media briefings or press conferences to answer the innumerable questions regarding Canada’s humanitarian effort.

Mr. McKay and Mr. Cannon have clearly been sent forth as Mr. Harper’s chosen media representatives in the wake of the crisis, presumably because the Prime Minister is busying himself with the minute by minute operations that would normally have been hampered by the nagging business of his daily attendance in Parliament.

How fortunate for him in that case, that such trivialities as answering Opposition inquiries during question period or the boorish insignificance of daily press briefings have been presciently brushed aside in order to free up the Prime Minister’s itinerary to deal exclusively with the Haitian disaster.

It would seem he is so inundated with the minutiae of organizing Canada’s response, there has been no time for the P.M. to face the nation or its hordes of hostile media representatives, who may well dare stray off the topic of Haiti and press Mr. Harper on other matters, which he has already made clear he is not prepared to engage in until March.

Mr. Harper’s supporters are praising him for the speed and efficacy of Canada’s response to the Haitian disaster, and well they should; it has been both timely and attentive 

However, it is not without some irony that his decision to prorogue Parliament last month seems to have rendered the Prime Minister disturbingly reluctant to face the media and outline his government’s efforts to aid the Haitian people, fearing it seems that he may well have to answer to many more issues than the immediacy of Haiti’s earthquake relief.

Deeds indeed, Mr. Harper, shall speak thee.