Chrystia Freeland's awesomely weird negotiating techniques

Chrystia Freeland thinks that Canada's special relationship and its propinquity to the US means it can protect its market from US competition while using US market to pass along Chinese subsidized cheap steel. She seeks special exemptions from US negotiators while slipping out of negotiations to participate in Trump is a dick symposium. Taking on the Tyrant, see video.

Then back from that symposium Freeland speaks to the press about 9-11 and our special relationship, and friends help friends. Comments to this video on YouTube are brutal from both Canadians and from Americans.

What kind of special treatment does Chrystia Freeland think she can expect from the US negotiators after pulling a stunt like that?

The sense of entitlement is astounding.

Here's something mental only vaguely related, barely tangental.

The maps and the globes that put north at the top are purely European conceit. In space, there is no up and there is no down. Earth sails along its orbit irrespective of our maps and our globes. For all intents and purposes we can very well put the south pole at top and do all our calculating and navigating from that perspective.

But politically, the farther north you go, the more intense the sense that you can ride the entities south of you like a pony. Conversely, this is the attitude that South American project onto us, they think that we think we can ride them to our unique success and they resent us for it.

When you do turn the globe upside down, there's hardly anything at all at the top. Just points of land masses, while the weight of the continents goes to the bottom. It's weird-looking. But that's how they'll have their Mercator maps and their globes.

[south up map orientation]

Speaking of cheap Chinese steel. 

I had to do my pickles in two batches because I don't have a pot large enough. 

So I looked at steel pots on Amazon. Some large pots are surprisingly inexpensive. Generally, they get good reviews. Except some people are unhappy with their purchase. I read all the negative reviews for all the pots that I'm interested in, and to a person, (except one) complained about the quality of steel. It's supposed to be stainless steel, but it stains. It's supposed to be nickel-free, but it has nickel in it. It's supposed to be coated with porcelain but there are uncovered areas. The steel comes dented, and the dents and imperfections rust. The steel exudes a black and gray tarnish into the food. The steel imparts unpleasant flavor into the food. The glass top shattered on first use. The metal lid doesn't fit properly. The pot dances around on the stove. The steel is so thin that it burned in areas. One pot melted and ruined the burning element. They're ALL made with Chinese steel. Even the ones that say "made in the USA." 

So I bought one. A rather large and heavy and somewhat expensive one. One from a well known reliable company. We'll see what's wrong with it. 

Speaking of pickles, I gave away two jars today. One of them I drove out to Cheesman Park and the other was right here nearby. Two people actually said that they'd wanted to try my sweet ginger pickles. Even though they're shriveled due to my pickle ineptitude. The wrinkly little things are delicious. And crunchy. And intense. I cannot keep off them. Soon they'll be gone and I can make a new batch with new knowledge of what not to do.