Paris Climate Conference? Better than nothing,- but what about Human Procreation

 The subject of the real and well trumpeted climate change came up in a free wheeling discussion  among a  small group of people while having a coffee.

Frankly, the subject palls  me, as  I have heard just about every argument surrounding the issue. At least the ones available on the outlets of the mainstream media.

Nevertheless, one of the debaters expressed his view. For a while I thought about the validity of his line of reasoning, which may be politically incorrect with some or many others

This is what he said: " I am not denying that something is going on with the climate. Climate change has been going on for thousands of years. That is the main reason that today we are not  debating sitting atop a glacier that used to cover most of the Northern part of the continent. What is up for debate is whether human activities are the major cause to what seem to be escalating climate change. Accepting this, we should identify the contributing human activities and do something about them."

"If human activities are the problem, then, any political solution will be nothing but a band-aid solution and we will pay for it big time.---- Because whatever we come up with, no matter how much we pay, any such solutions will be quickly outstripped by human population expansion.

Based on the current situation, as human numbers increase, so, too, does the amount of carbon emissions from human activities. Why circle around the problem? We should  place a cap-and-trade tax on human procreation. We  are already close to share the planet with 8 billion people and there is no indication that the growth of populations will slow down."

Roughly this is what he said. One does not automatically accept this gentleman's reasoning. Nevertheless, some people may find it interesting. I certainly do.

Dual Citizenship in Canada

 An interesting news item from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mohamed-fahmy-egyptian-citizenship-1.3382473

The comments following the article seem to be against the idea of the so-called practice of dual citizenship.

Scammers are creative and seek your money

 Almost unreal how scammers can dupe us with clever tricks and by the use of applied psychology.

Naturally, most of us using a computer or some other device will say that is ridiculous and only dummies can be victims of con artists using the computer to fool their marks. Don't be too sure!

The fact is the scammer  is trying to trick us to hand over our money. Simple as that.  And often they are successful.

Dating web sites are favored by some scammers, knowing that lonely people are vulnerable and often are hoping, even against the caution whispered by their subconscious. Scammers are creative and people from all walks of life have been freed from their money shattering their misplaced trust and hope.

The ability to hope for a favourable outcome makes lives at the very least bearable. Scammers know this and are sophisticated in the manipulation of the potential victim's mind.

So, be careful when you answer that unsolicited phone call, or open email from an unknown source.

"Why do we celebrate religious holidays - without religion?" Comment on article in the Globe And Mail

Once again,  Christmas came and gone. Even the over publicized boxing day sales are history. Well advertised super sales drew people into the stores only to find they only had a few of the drastically price reduced items available. The reasoning of the merchant was that, since you took the trouble to came to the store under the influence of the artfully induced shopping fever you will buy something else. And many people do.

Actually, the powers or whatever is behind it, should be congratulated, mission accomplished: By slowly reducing, eliminating the word "Christmas", people were successfully conditioned to max the credit card in a frenzy of often mindless shopping in the "Spirit of the Season". 

The positive aspect of this seasonal shopping mania is the temporary opportunities for many to earn some money by working in a temporary job. - Mostly for minimum wage. 

Read this very interesting article by clicking:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/why-do-we-celebrate-religious-holidays---without-religion/article27923650/

Forget the gender or colour of the candidate when casting your vote

Elections taking place  around you if you are living in a functional democracy.  Every candidate is doing their best to convince us that they will do just about everything they can to turn our wishes into reality.

It is up to the voter to decide  to believe it or not, that the elected person will deliver, at least some of the goodies promised.

Perhaps many will try to do so. Others, usually the ones living in the real world know that most of the promised goods simply can not be delivered.

However, they aware that many voters casting the ballot driven by emotion. Therefore the sharp campaigner doing the best to tap into the voter's emotionality to gain the vote. 

Hence, campaign managers begin beaming helpful 'hints'. Like, "Vote for him, he is the champion of" this or that. Or, "Vote for her because she is a woman and she will look after your concerns because you are a woman too"

The same tactic is utilized when a visible or other minority candidate is pushed into the foreground for the appropriate geographical area. There is nothing wrong with the approach.

After the election is over, the newly elected representative starts to work to actualize the dreams and wishes of the people who voted for them. At least that is what many people believe. And yes, that's the way this should work in an ideal situation.

Unfortunately, things more often than not, don't work like that. Elections cost money, lots of it. Special interest groups often donate most or a large part of the money required for the election of a candidate. 

Therefore, at times, , people, except the cynics, are surprised that the anticipated goodies are not being delivered by their elected representative. No real problem because a savvy politician is able to explain why things turned out a certain way.

The most interesting aspect of this type of happening is that more often than not, the same people, will reelect the same person, election after election, based on the emotional aspect of the politicians sales pitch.

Why? One better leave that to a shrink to offer a credible explanation.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Don't know if you are old enough to remember. About twenty years ago the budding political correctness movement branched out into the war against violence.

The intentions were noble and the movement felt they must start with children. At a young age children should be sensitized against manifestations of violence in any shape or form.

Toy guns, toy soldiers were to be abolished. Instead young boys were to take cooking lessons, study recipes and become gentler young human beings. Violent and apparently sexist Popeye cartoons should be abolished. In place of these, kids should be coaxed to start taming peace loving white doves and feeding squirrels. All for a good cause, for a better and gentler future.

The campaign against the well known and empirically proven evils of smoking spread like the smoke from the burned off forests of Indonesia and parts of the Amazon jungle.

Keeping with the trend, Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon and the smoking character in the movies became rare as the ones who did not swear on the screen.

The manly country singer singing melodious ballads, the straight talking and straight shooting cowboy of the westerns disappeared. The macho singer was replaced by the almost petite country singer whining about an awakened female companion who left him and his badly tuned guitar just to become a bullfighter or at least a bouncer in some uptown night joint.

As for the man of a few words, the straight shooting hero of the western? He was replaced by the sensitive cowboy, who does not threaten anyone, who more often than not suffer an emotional breakdown on the screen and cries his eyes out at length, so the movie patron has a chance to visit the refreshment stand asking for a bromo to avoid barfing.

Commercials on the tube became really tame, and the stupid and smart aleck dads of the commercials lost their voice to mommy’s wisdom. Oh, beautiful and peaceful utopia has arrived. But it didn’t last.

Slowly but surely violence crept back into the movies, where bad men and women and gravity defying karate super-heroes maim or kill at will anyone who even smells evil, or just happens to be in the neighbourhood and if the body count of the movie is under a few dozen then the critics start their frenzy of criticism.

This is topped by the extremely loud electric guitar solo of TV commercials while ordinary looking man and women driving pickup trucks at high speeds and putting the seemingly indestructible vehicle through jumps from minor mountains and fording rivers the size of the Nile with the depth of the Mariana Trench at optimum velocity, without even having a flat tire or stalling the vehicle. --

Then the car chases in the movies. Fleets of vehicles driven by ordinary people are wiped out but the hero often escapes by jumping from rooftop to rooftop with his indestructible vehicle.

And one could not leave out the scenes, where usually in a nice neighbourhood a gunfight broke out. They bring in the bazookas and heavy armour, the destruction goes on for an hour or so, yet not even one call is made to the police, although the noise of the fighting has probably reached the next county.

While smoking of cigarettes is a no-no, the smoking of pot for medicinal purposes and in places for recreation was approved.

I have no problem with this. After all, the Medical community is advising the politicians.

Even so, just the other day an incorrigible sceptic announced, " Perhaps my eye-sight going south, but most of the people approved for the use of Pot for medicinal purposes, looking like the crowd I shared a joint at Woodstock". I would not know and I do not necessarily agree with his view.

Poor Popeye, the abolished violent sod would cry his eyes out seeing the violence our video games, directed at our young people and no doubt would reach for an unsalted king - size can of spinach .--

The return of violent movies, TV shows, some nasty 'reality' TV shows reinforce the feeling that the more things change, the more remain the same.

   

The Sneeze

The following popped up in an unsolicited email. I am not offering an opinion. Form your own if you wish.

"They walked in tandem,  each of the ninety-two students filing into the  already crowded auditorium. With their rich  maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps,  they looked almost as grown up as they  felt.

Dads swallowed hard  behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed  away tears.

This class would NOT  pray during the commencements, not by choice,  but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting  it..

The principal and  several students were careful to stay within the  guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave  inspirational and challenging speeches, but no  one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked  for blessings on the graduates or their  families.

The speeches were nice,  but they were routine until the final speech  received a standing  ovation.

A solitary student  walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still  and silent for just a moment, and then, it  happened.

All 92 students, every  single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED  !!!!

The student on stage  simply looked at the audience and  said,

'GOD BLESS  YOU' 
And he walked off the  stage…

The audience exploded  into applause. This graduating class had found a  unique way to invoke God's blessing on their  future with or without the court's  approval."

Urban Speed Demons unfairly profiled?

I am revisiting a subject  that concerned me ten years ago and seemingly nothing has changed in the interim.

"Profiling" in this case affects people who drive souped-up vehicles. Like the ones often participate in illegal road races on our streets, endangering themselves and anyone else whose misfortune is to be in the unofficial Grand Prix area of these people, possessed by acute inferiority complex which necessitate the roaring of engines and roaming down residential streets at high speeds. As if this would make up for their shortcomings in other areas of their life.

Guess what?! In the present, just like in the past, we hear brassy complaints from the owners of these  souped-up muscle cars that they are unfairly singled out by law enforcement agencies and by the ultimate evil, the insurance companies. They feel that without a cause they are treated as unwilling but potentially large sum paying donors to the insurance establishment's coffers. Well, not too many people worship at the altar of the insurance companies. However, urban speed demons deserve the insurance fees meted out for them.

Many of us ordinary folks believe in the Easter Bunny, in the Toronto Maple Leafs and some even in the peaceful intentions of some Johnny- come-late egomaniac dictator pursuing the benign task of developing WMD's for the interest of..whatever he says.

But it is  hard to swallow the pap that people who spend large amounts of money to turn their standard vehicles into road racers able to exceed speeds of two hundred kilometers per hour, are just law abiding drivers, who just souped up their vehicles in order to impress their aunt Millie when driving her to the Bingo Hall twice a week.

If it is true, as they claim that only a small number of owners of muscle cars engage in dangerous and illegal road races, then it is up to the assumedly responsible majority of these owners to speak up and assist law enforcement agencies to stamp out these sometime fatal and illegal road-races.

And of course, any other segment of society, that quite often justified in feeling that they are negatively "profiled" because of the unacceptable conduct of some of their people, should come forward and assist in stopping those from committing acts that reflects badly on everyone in their community,- which is pattently unfair. - Simple.

"Barsik the cat a frontrunner in Siberian city election / CBC News

Finally, after many heart warming dog stories the tale of Barsik the Pusser hit the news. Briefly, the people of a Siberian city  say they would rather vote for a cat than for the 6 other candidates.

Judging from the pictures the pussycat is cute and cuddly. Most of all, the good people of the city believe Barsik the cat is not corrupt. In other words this kitty - cat is clean and up to now nobody was able dig up dirt covering a dead bird or some other eco - friendly creature terminated by this hairy candidate.

The spread of this kind of news will make some  politicians nervous. If people in some far away place prefer an adorable four-legged candidate to be in charge of the city's financial fortunes, not to mention overseeing the supply of catnip - well, that may develop into a trend and spreads like ideas how caring politicians will save the world - if we cough up tons of money.

Whatever, Good luck to Barsik, otherwise known as, "The people's Choice".
 Meow!

 http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/barsik-cat-siberia-russia-barnaul-1.3373334

Winston Churchill said, "I only believe in statistics that I doctored"

Mr. Churchill's comment clearly tells me that he was on to something. The statistics the great statesman had to deal with were not kicked out by computer programs created and interpreted by geeks in the world of algorithms and overtly influenced by vested interests.

Today, we are overwhelmed by statistics dealing with every aspect of our existence on this planet in this life.

The most interesting thing about the statistics vomited up almost daily for every occasion to convince us to buy this, or vote for that idea or person, is the timing of these statistical revelations.

A tragedy occurs involving an airliner and within minutes after the sad news comes the statistic telling us that travel by air is the safest method of transportation.

A rather nasty riot, or other horror occurs, and we are told that actually the crime rates are down and there is very little to be worried about as per the latest statistics.

A giant corporation lays off hundreds or thousands people earning good wages? Well, immediately comes the latest statistic informing us that employment is up, even if the created jobs are in the fast food industry paying minimum wage.

You are stuck on the road and sitting in your car in the middle of an ongoing harsh winter storm, waiting for a tow truck to rescue you in a super storm that is part of a very cold and snowy winter.
In frustration you turn on the radio. After an almost unending commercial, you hear the news and the statistic that the earth is warming and thanks to the efforts of Mr. Al Gore and Dr. Suzuki now we are all aware of this inconvenient fact.

The salient truth is that no matter how the average person is pelted with statistics, most people instinctually reach conclusions from what they have seen and experienced around themselves.

 Ms Merkel, the German leader and according to Time magazine celebrated Person of the Year, announced that she does not believe in multiculturalism because it does not work. - In Canada, the official view is  supporting the practice of multiculturalism.-- Different experiences and statistics.


You may view this as a prosaic conclusion, but that's the way it is. Of course I have no statistics to support the statement. -:)

Ouch Doc! That Really Hurts!

The good old days.- A few years ago I was anxiously sitting and shaking in my sneakers in the dentist's chair, waiting for the prognosis.

 After reviewing the X- rays my dentist quietly announced that I will need a root canal to save the tooth that happened to be one of my yellowing molars that looked like a vampire's tooth in a B movie.

Two appointments were scheduled for the procedure. At the end of the second session my molar was as good as they come.

They years passed and beyond the periodical visits for checkups I had no other contact with the dental office.

One day my doctor's practice was taken over by a new young dental surgeon. -- She was pleasant and appeared to be up to date on leading edge procedures.--Shortly after I was told another molar needed a root canal, similar to the first one. Then,I was advised that she does not do root canals on molars and referred me to a specialist- next door.

The specialist, at specialists' fees, needed two sessions for the process. No problem.

During the session, I happily smiled that this is all over and in a few minutes I will be out of there and soon will be chomping on some delicious bits of something not harmful to the newly repaired tooth.

Good things and happy state of minds don't last for ever. The specialist approached me smiling. I opened my mouth expectantly so she will be able to put in the filling as the final touch.--And then she said, " Sorry,I can't put in the filling -The rules don't allow it, you have to make an appointment with your dentist for that".

I thanked her, relieved from my tooth induced pain, and a large sum of money I went home, turned on the TV to distract my thoughts of the disappointment concerning an additional appointment.

As designated by chance the TV shown one of those Nature programs where two laughing hyenas were feasting on one carcass.--

I hope the gods will forgive , but I could not help thinking that this show is in line with my experience.--Such is life. - At times

Uber Taxi, Uber Transit..What Next? Uber Air, Uber Dentist?

Hardly a day goes by without learning something new about the evolving world of Uber. First, there is the Uber car, which takes you from one place to another, just like a Taxi. Apparently a trip costs less than a taxi fare and the vehicles used for picking up people are mostly late model cars.

In one TV report, the Uber car looked like a Lexus,  driven by a young man identified as a university student supplementing his living expenses.

I don't know much about the licensing procedures involved in the approving of taxi licenses and the requirements the drivers must met to drive people safely around. Some time ago there was a program on TV illustrating the course a Taxi driver must take to drive a Taxi in the city of London, England. The curriculum was demanding and the test at the end of the two week course was difficult.

Truly, beyond hearsay, I haven't got a clue what one must do to qualify to drive a vehicle under the flag of Uber.

I won't even ask how does one qualify to drive several people in a dedicated Uber vehicle as it happens in Toronto, like some substitute transit system. According to some media reports the passengers are happy with this alternative to a
Toronto Transit Commission ride.

On TTC vehicles, there is a posted note stating. " The Operator of this vehicle has been carefully selected and trained...".

One can only assume that the drivers of Uber vehicles are qualified enough to able to challenge questions arising in a court case, resulting from an unfortunate mishap involving one or more passengers.

Otherwise, up to now both the passengers and the management of the ever expanding Uber service seem to be happy.

One "nasty" critic of the whole idea of the Uber phenomenon summarized his opinion saying,"This whole Uber business is just designed to sidestep licensing and qualification standards."

The regulating element will be the Public's response when something unpleasant, unsafe happens in the world of Uber.
At that point everything Uber does will come under the microscope and conclusions with enforceable recommendations will be put forward.

Of course, If the ever growing world of Uber stays on the same track, then is only  the question of time is when you will be booking an appointment with an Uber Dentist for your much awaited root- canal procedure. -:)

Don't worry about the food, just hand me the salt

After raising our awareness of the health hazards of smoking, finally a long overdue campaign is on the way to curb the modern scourge afflicting our society, the spreading of obesity, brought on mainly by our gluttony, the availability of cheap junk-foods, coupled with successful advertising, beamed at us while playing serene couch potatoes.

Confronting the problem of obesity is a necessary measure, especially when with increasing frequency young children are being diagnosed as having diabetes.

And yet, in spite of the campaign against smoking, obesity, one hardly hears a word about the high salt content of prepared foods,weather they come in a can or served in our favourite eating places. In the medical community, especially the heart -specialists, backed by empirical data know the dangers of excessive sodium intake.

The recommended daily maximum is 1500 mg per day. - Yet our prepared foods are saturated with salt. Pick up a can of soup at the supermarket and look at it's sodium content. There are some where a single serving contains 1000 mg of salt. - Someone like me who loves soup and is able to gobble down two or more servings and eating other foods too before the day is out, feels saturated with salt like the salted pork kept in barrels in by gone days on the ships of the Royal Navy. If a soup does not tastes like a boiled boot, there is no need to add salt to it in excess amount.

Sodium content of servings of food should be minimal. If someone wishes to add salt, the person is free to do so. However, when a food is saturated with salt it's impossible to remove it.

Why is almost everything salted so heavily? Is it to mask the tastelessness of the food, since the taste of salt, like ketchup makes almost anything bearable to eat?

No wonder ages ago, salt was a monopoly of the crown.They knew something. Like how to make the slop the masses ate is palatable so they will not demand cake. -- Although the unfortunate Maria Antoinette proposed to offer cake to the hungry. Of course, the hardliners of the day said she was not herself when making the offer, she just lost her head.

Anti-Trumpsters are busy but not effective

As a Canadian, I can only watch the unfolding and the outcome of the Trump saga.

Still, one is compelled to ask, how many people are out there who think that if the powers most people call the Establishment is  successful in taking out Mr. Trump, things will not return to "normal"? The anger will still be there. Lobbyist and certain interests will be blamed.

The Establishment supposed to be intelligent, well educated and according to many, supported by the media.

How could they lose? Why would not the apparently undereducated masses just simply fold up and focus their attention again on sports, the scandals of celebrities and the usual things?

Right or wrong, Mr. Trump's not the only one who wants to return to the 1950's.  Somebody wrote, "Remember the TV character, Archie Bunker. Here was a guy with a union job, working on the loading dock, with a modest but nice home, a nice wife, a daughter and a meathead son-in-law. Can you imagine somebody like that today? He'd be working three "part-time" jobs at Wal-Mart with no benefits and still couldn't afford a family."

 Of course, he did not had to provide smart phones,cable TV and Internet access for the family and many other things we "must have" today.

There is a prevailing feeling out there that the middle class has been betrayed by the conservative movement.

Mr.Trump's supporters believe that he is providing a long over due service to his country. He is giving the establishment net minders and the neo-liberal media their comeuppance on a grand scale. We will know a lot more as time passes.

No matter how Mr. Trump will do in the coming months, business never will be the same again.

Carbon Credit, Carbon Pricing and Life Will Be Good?

You may read the article and think about the subject:

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/11/21/wynnes-carbon-pricing-scheme-grabs-our-cash

Governments need money to provide goodies for the ever-increasing groups of people who had been convinced to vote for the Party. No big deal. After all, this is the age old modus operandi and it had always worked.

In this day and age obtaining money to meet the promises made is much more difficult. People are more cynical and are asking awkward questions about how the money is spent.

Voila! The carbon pricing scheme may be marketable for the public. Who would not want to avoid the coming and much heralded climate change? Or even be identified as a sceptic? A doubter who simply does not believe that a scheme like carbon pricing will halt the climate change?

No, we rather pay up. Trim back on other items, trying to exist on less money. Somehow most of us will get by.

However, when once again more money is required to keep at least some of the campaign promises, new creative ideas will be needed to raid the pockets of the electors. - Rest assured they will find ways to gauge out more money to "serve the interests of the people" who put them into power. - We may grumble a bit, but no doubt we will pay up.