This listeriosis thing is somewhat troublesome being that I consume a great deal of deli meat - actually, I just eat a lot of Prosciutto, all of which is imported from Italy, so. But it’s troubling for the public nonetheless. If you haven’t heard about what’s transpiring, the CBC has details.

This morning I was pleased to see large flats of water being unloaded off of a truck on East Cordova obviously meant to be handed out to those down here that are less fortunate and don’t have access to clean water. Of course, that hasn’t stopped some from suggesting that…

“While many people in Greater Vancouver consider the boil-water advisory to be a hassle, some residents of the Downtown Eastside are welcoming it.�

Imagine that. The balls on the disenfranchised hey? I’ve seen a grown woman throw a temper tantrum because America’s Next Top Model was preempted, and yet when people who are used to drinking out of filthy public taps are amazed that they’re being given free clean water they’re still humiliated for it.

Not to worry. The closer the Olympics get, the cleaner the streets around here will become. And complete jackasses such as myself will sit in our fancy fucking lofts and say things like “that’s bullshit!� before pouring glasses of pinot noir and reading the latest issue of Dwell.

Welcome to Vancouver.

There’s been mention of it in certain circles for years, but despite the belief of many that the exhaustion of fossil fuels will be the trigger that sparks the next great global catastrophe, the control of this planet’s fresh water sources may be a much larger issue.

The last few days have shown Vancouverites just how precious a commodity water is, which is something in a town in which drinking tap water is something that is still routine. The adage that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone rings sourly true in this instance, as many in the downtown core are discovering this weekend.

From what I am able to gather from the CBC’s BC website, the water ban is still in effect for the downtown core.

Turncoats

Henry Kissinger, architect of such wondrous happenings as Pinochet’s rise to power in Chile, not to mention Vietnam, commented today that the war in Iraq, on which he also advised President Bush, is now impossible to win militarily. He even commented that the United States government needs to enter into “dialogue with Iraq’s neighbors, including Iran�.

You’ve just got to love pathetic revisionists like Kissinger, the black architects of idiotic ventures that cost countless lives who have the audacity after the fact to claim them not the ‘great ideas’ they initially thought. How does one tell that to families of the disappeared in Chile or the relatives of the 3 million Vietnamese killed in America’s decade long engagement there?

Kenneth Adelman, for example, among others, is no different…

“The weekend after the statue of Saddam Hussein fell, Kenneth Adelman and a couple of other promoters of the Iraq war gathered at Vice President Cheney’s residence to celebrate. The invasion had been the “cakewalk” Adelman predicted. Cheney and his guests raised their glasses, toasting President Bush and victory. “It was a euphoric moment,” Adelman recalled.

Forty-three months later, the cakewalk looks more like a death march, and Adelman has broken with the Bush team. He had an angry falling-out with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this fall. He and Cheney are no longer on speaking terms. And he believes that “the president is ultimately responsible” for what Adelman now calls “the debacle that was Iraq.”

Adelman, a former Reagan administration official and onetime member of the Iraq war brain trust, is only the latest voice from inside the Bush circle to speak out against the president or his policies. Heading into the final chapter of his presidency, fresh from the sting of a midterm election defeat, Bush finds himself with fewer and fewer friends. Some of the strongest supporters of the war have grown disenchanted, former insiders are registering public dissent and Republicans on Capitol Hill blame him for losing Congress.�

Buried beneath the politics in one of the dirties towns on earth is to be found buckets of blood. One of these days someone is going to paint the White House red with all of it, and the men and women that have, over the decades, made the decisions that have ultimately cost the lives of innocent strangers, will be forced to wield the brushes.

Brought to my attention by Anton - (PDF Release)…

“The GVRD Medical Health Officers are advising that “the turbidity of the drinking water supplied to homes through the water distribution system has reached levels unprecedented in recent years. As turbidity increases, there is a potential for increased risk of gastro-intestinal illness. Until turbidity returns to acceptable levels residents may wish to use an alternate drinking water source (for example: bottled water) or boil their drinking water.

Discolouration of drinking water is a very good indicator of high levels of turbidity. If using boiled water use a kettle and ensure that you allow it to cool before decanting to another container or moving it to the refrigerator.

TAP WATER IS ACCEPTABLE FOR USES OTHER THAN DRINKING, BRUSHING TEETH OR WASHING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.�

Updated: Watch it out there Vancouver. I boiled water for the dogs and even it was still dirty. I made tea and coffee today prior to hearing about the warning and my stomach isn’t in the best of ways, so stick to bottled water if you can and please take the time to read the complete warning. If anyone hears of it being lifted, contact me and I’ll make sure to post about it.