MAYBE IT depends on whether you'd be shouting or getting shouted at. At Quebec, are the good guys fenced in or fenced out? A great philosopher reminded us of Bill Cosby's grandma's perspective on whether the glass is half full or half empty. ``It depends on whether you're drinking or pouring.''

But all kidding aside, Socrates, was George W. Bush really elected more democratically than Fidel Castro?

Toward the end of Thursday's column, John le Carré got quoted about the power of global pharmaceutical manufacturers to corrupt universities. Today he gets some room at the top.

``Times have changed since the Cold War, but not half as much as we like to think. The Cold War provided the perfect excuse for Western governments to plunder and exploit the Third World in the name of freedom; to rig its elections, bribe its politicians, appoint its tyrants and, by every sophisticated means of persuasion and interference, stunt the emergence of young democracies in the name of democracy.''

Now we're saddled with ``a ludicrous notion,'' one as beloved by George W.'s conservatives as by Tony Blair's New Labour. ``It holds to its bosom the conviction that, whatever vast commercial corporations do in the short term, they are ultimately motivated by ethical concerns, and their influence upon the world is therefore beneficial. And anyone who thinks otherwise is a neo-Communist heretic.''

That's from his essay, titled ``In Place of Nations,'' in The Nation. You were expecting maybe The Financial Post? In Quebec, will they be able to tell the neo-Coms from the neo-cons without a pogrom?

When some of us were young, the phrase was ``Gone west.'' Born in the mud of 1914-1918, its currency was refreshed pre-World War II by The Dawn Patrol; Errol Flynn and David Niven as World War I flying aces. Raw courage, comradeship overcoming fear, stiff uppers. No speaking of the dead: A pilot doesn't make it back from a mission. In the mess, someone asks, ``Where's Higgins?''

``Gone west.''

That was all. Glasses raised in silence, then around the piano for a boisterous rendition of ``Roll Out The Barrel.''

The direction has changed. Now it's ``Gone south.'' It has nothing to do with derring-do. It's strictly business. Gone south, to Mexico. Although ``south,'' like the earlier ``west,'' is a phantom bearing. South can just as well be China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand.

Wherever Canadian jobs go to die at 65-cents an hour, or a day, or a week.

When all the jobs have gone, killed by the insane demands of Canadian workers for living wages, dental plans, pensions, five-day weeks, vacations, stamp-presses that won't rip your arm off, toilets you can go to on company time, factory doors that aren't locked from the outside when the shift is inside, then what?

Then the widening gap becomes as wide as it can get. A few with everything, and everybody else with nothing at all, not one red cent. Who will there be to buy stuff? The very rich few will need only so many clock radios, coffee makers, Palm Pilots, Nike running shoes. They won't create enough demand to keep those ``southern'' sweatshops sweating, even at 65 cents a month. Then what? Is everything going to be all right?

Is there an economist in the house? Maybe you could help us with that one.

It shouldn't be that tough a question. It's not like we asked you to name one thing - anything - that has ever trickled down.

Brian Mulroney says things will - trickle down, that is. Happiness. Security. Prosperity. Clean water. Clean air. Healthy children. And the sun will shine every day on the long weekends. Just a few of the wonderful things in the wonderful life that will be brought to us by the wonderful folks gathered inside that wonderful fence in wonderful old Quebec.

We have his word for it. And although George W. will honour the agreement at the whim of the greedy ventriloquists who have their hands up the back of his shirt, we have his word for it too. Or whatever. Listen, if the greedy don't get what they want, there won't be any place for anything to trickle down from.

Be patient.

Quick Quiz. Is ``pursued in the belief that the processes human beings witness in heaven and on earth manifest the will of the Creator and, if correctly understood, will yield the key to the Creator's intentions'' from The Encyclopedia Britannica's entry on alchemy or economics?

Link

-- Anonymous, April 23, 2001

Answers

Hearts and heads in globalisation

And in the blue trucks, sponsored by the selfless, altruistic mulitnational corporations,who are, in the spirit of realpolitik, savings child laborers from prostitution.. Drumroll please!! Mr PAUL KRUGMAN

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/views/story/0,2276,5129,00.html?

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

Make that blue trunks

Sorry i messed up that link OG.. Thanks for fixing up that previous post.

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

The thread wouldn't start at the top so I edited the whole thing. Now I can see the top.

That website sure has some long URL's!~

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

Thanks Barefoot!!

Sorry to keep you folks so busy.. Is there any free software that an html dummy like me can use..to edit and check out stuff b4 i post and create a mess??

cheers
brent

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001

If you check the front page of this forum there are two catagories with lots of links in them.

Not that you have been keeping me busy, tho. I need the practice. LOL

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001