I could barely believe it when I heard that the average Canadian would spend about $900 this holiday season on gifts. But then I spent almost that much, so now I believe it. With all that money now gone, people are probably tightening up the purse strings now and looking to conserve and save in the coming months, right? Well, not if you're from Alberta. Because hey, who needs to save when you have oil?
This article from the Globe and Mail is about the $400 rebate that will be given to Albertans early this coming year. I think that a person's response to this will provide a good example as to their priorities - seeing if they can put their money where their mouth is, basically. It does not surprise me at all that many people are just planning to spend it on toys and clothes - the evident priority there being "me." Some are planning on home improvement - I would say that goes to personal comfort, and some investment for the future. And even the President of the Young Liberals of Alberta, who is trying to convince others to donate a portion of their money to the party that opposes the handout, will be using his money on books for school. Of course, he was going to have to buy books regardless, so now he will just have $400 more with which he may buy more beer or buy a new camera for all we know.
I do believe the expression people are living by here is, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." While there are many who call this handout a bad idea, I am pretty confident that there are not very many who are going to refuse to cash the cheques when the time comes. I would probably put myself in this group of people. However, as was pointed out in the article, if you think that this money would be better spent on other projects, you now have free reign to make that happen. $400 probably won't go very far toward advancing solar or wind power in the province, it won't protect a very large area of wetlands, and it won't even buy a single day in the hospital for someone who is sick. However, this is a chance for you to put some money you weren't expecting toward something you believe in. You could make a donation to the Stollery Children's Health Centre. You could put your money toward your local SPCA, or sponsor a child through World Vision - that would be $396/year. Maybe you want to help support the Edmonton Firefighters Burn Treatment Society. Ducks Unlimited Canada aims to conserve Canada's dwindling wetlands while the World Wildlife Fund supports conservation on a broader scale. You can even sponsor a sea turtle, a polar bear, or some boreal forest on their website.
Obviously there are a million things that could use this money, not the least of which will appear to be a new TV or digital camera that you really "need." While I haven't decided yet where my money is going, I sure hope when the time comes I can put MY money where my mouth is. I will have to decide before the cheque arrives - that way, I will send the money off right away and I won't even miss it in my bank account. What are you doing with yours?
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Christmas
Merry Christmas everyone. It is great to be back with family and friends. This reminds me of how many people who can't be with their family over the holidays, and perhaps you could think of them too.
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE
MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT AT ALL HOW I
PICTURED A SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF FREEDOM
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE
MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT AT ALL HOW I
PICTURED A SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF FREEDOM
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
Sunday, December 18, 2005
They're back
Just a little update here, if you were interested in the previous post. Order restored in Sydney, and obviously the police don't plan to be caught with their trousers around their ankles again.
An anti-racism rally is a nice idea. However, it seems that less than half as many people attended that rally as were involved in the riot on the first day. Too bad.
An anti-racism rally is a nice idea. However, it seems that less than half as many people attended that rally as were involved in the riot on the first day. Too bad.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
How I feel
I'm not a very emotional guy.
I know, I know, stop the presses. But sometimes, maybe once in a blue moon, there is some semblance of emotion eminating from inside me. This time, that emotion is anger. And there is a lot of it.
I can't believe this crap. If you have been living under a rock, perhaps you don't know that that picture is from Sydney, where a huge crowd of white guys decided they were the only ones who belong in the country (after a couple of lifeguards were attacked by youth of Arabic or Mediterranean background), and then the targeted groups struck back the next day. Read here and here, and check out more images here. I actually heard a guy on the news yelling at a camera, "This is our country, git the hell out!" Excuse me? It's your country? And why is that, exactly? Because you grew up in Australia? And what about your parents or grandparents, did they grow up in Australia? Oh, no, they were immigrants too? Well maybe someone should have told THEM to get the hell out because they were going to conceive racist offspring. If you are really keen to read about Australia's "White History" read here.
Now, if you want to be a racist, there is nothing that I, personally, can do about that. But if you want to go beat someone down because he or she doesn't belong in "your" country, then you deserve to be taken down by the police. And if you decide that your feelings are more important than the police, and that you are going to attack them too, as well as attacking the paramedics trying to give aid to the person you just beat up...oh man.
When I see people going after police officers (especially over injured and dead victims), I think of everytime someone told me, "We don't need them, the people will take care of each other," or, "I think we should just all get along, they don't need to carry guns or batons," or, "We live in a peaceful country, we don't need an army." And you know what I think about what you said to me? I think that you have your head up your ass. And if you think it doesn't matter in Canada, because hey, this violence is in Australia, perhaps you should try to find two countries that are more similar in their development in the world. I don't think you will find many.
Obviously the authorities had not been prepared for this violence when it broke out. Hence the images I saw of a police officer trying to run away from angry mobs, firing toward them with pepper spray, pulling with him a victim of the mob's anger. Do you know what I would like to see when this happens? As you may be able to guess, I'm not anarchist, and I believe in order, so what do you think I would like to see? Should we stand in front of them and say, "Hey, hey guys? Can we talk about this?" Or maybe we could send a text message to all of the rioters (apparently that is how messages are being spread quickly there) saying, "Come on, we live in a good country, let's not hurt each other!" No. Because there is a time for talking, and then there is a time for action. Yes, this riot could well be the result of a deeper problem, same with the riots in France. But this was a time for action. And I think that, ten minutes after we saw the first police officer being pelted by beer cans, we should have seen the same thing we saw on Whyte Ave in Edmonton a few years ago for the Canada Day riot. That is, van-loads of armour-clad and shield- and baton-bearing riot police, who ran into formation and then advanced in a line one step at a time, in a very organized fashion, clearing the roads and arresting by appropriate force anyone arrogant enough to try to be a hero by running at them.
An individual's security will never be enforced by a pledge that says, "Ok, everyone here has to be nice to everyone else." Sometimes, you just have to ensure that the good guys have the legal capacity as well as the physical ability to maintain a safe environment (while respecting the individual's rights). In the same way, a country will not be safe simply by not hurting any other country, nor by being a peacekeeper. I am in no way claiming that it is a bad idea to do so, of course. But if you see the videos of these riots, look at the guy at the bottom of a mob being kicked and punched until he is nearly dead. That could be the nicest guy you ever met. And he isn't going to be saved nor protected by even the most effective pacifist in the world.
I know, I know, stop the presses. But sometimes, maybe once in a blue moon, there is some semblance of emotion eminating from inside me. This time, that emotion is anger. And there is a lot of it.
I can't believe this crap. If you have been living under a rock, perhaps you don't know that that picture is from Sydney, where a huge crowd of white guys decided they were the only ones who belong in the country (after a couple of lifeguards were attacked by youth of Arabic or Mediterranean background), and then the targeted groups struck back the next day. Read here and here, and check out more images here. I actually heard a guy on the news yelling at a camera, "This is our country, git the hell out!" Excuse me? It's your country? And why is that, exactly? Because you grew up in Australia? And what about your parents or grandparents, did they grow up in Australia? Oh, no, they were immigrants too? Well maybe someone should have told THEM to get the hell out because they were going to conceive racist offspring. If you are really keen to read about Australia's "White History" read here.
Now, if you want to be a racist, there is nothing that I, personally, can do about that. But if you want to go beat someone down because he or she doesn't belong in "your" country, then you deserve to be taken down by the police. And if you decide that your feelings are more important than the police, and that you are going to attack them too, as well as attacking the paramedics trying to give aid to the person you just beat up...oh man.
When I see people going after police officers (especially over injured and dead victims), I think of everytime someone told me, "We don't need them, the people will take care of each other," or, "I think we should just all get along, they don't need to carry guns or batons," or, "We live in a peaceful country, we don't need an army." And you know what I think about what you said to me? I think that you have your head up your ass. And if you think it doesn't matter in Canada, because hey, this violence is in Australia, perhaps you should try to find two countries that are more similar in their development in the world. I don't think you will find many.
Obviously the authorities had not been prepared for this violence when it broke out. Hence the images I saw of a police officer trying to run away from angry mobs, firing toward them with pepper spray, pulling with him a victim of the mob's anger. Do you know what I would like to see when this happens? As you may be able to guess, I'm not anarchist, and I believe in order, so what do you think I would like to see? Should we stand in front of them and say, "Hey, hey guys? Can we talk about this?" Or maybe we could send a text message to all of the rioters (apparently that is how messages are being spread quickly there) saying, "Come on, we live in a good country, let's not hurt each other!" No. Because there is a time for talking, and then there is a time for action. Yes, this riot could well be the result of a deeper problem, same with the riots in France. But this was a time for action. And I think that, ten minutes after we saw the first police officer being pelted by beer cans, we should have seen the same thing we saw on Whyte Ave in Edmonton a few years ago for the Canada Day riot. That is, van-loads of armour-clad and shield- and baton-bearing riot police, who ran into formation and then advanced in a line one step at a time, in a very organized fashion, clearing the roads and arresting by appropriate force anyone arrogant enough to try to be a hero by running at them.
An individual's security will never be enforced by a pledge that says, "Ok, everyone here has to be nice to everyone else." Sometimes, you just have to ensure that the good guys have the legal capacity as well as the physical ability to maintain a safe environment (while respecting the individual's rights). In the same way, a country will not be safe simply by not hurting any other country, nor by being a peacekeeper. I am in no way claiming that it is a bad idea to do so, of course. But if you see the videos of these riots, look at the guy at the bottom of a mob being kicked and punched until he is nearly dead. That could be the nicest guy you ever met. And he isn't going to be saved nor protected by even the most effective pacifist in the world.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
On being fat
Check out this article in The Globe and Mail, on Canada's growing obese demographic. In 2004, 23% of Canadians were obese and 36% were overweight. Average weight for a man is now 82 kg, compared to about 76kg in the late 70s. Women are up to 69kg from under 62kg.
The article is concentrated on the changes that industry is making to accomodate these larger frames, andI couldn't help but think of how this is just encouraging obesity. I have very little sympathy for someone who doesn't fit in an airplane seat because they weight 300 lbs. I certainly have sympathy for the person who is sitting beside said person, though. Though there may be a genetic or even a viral link to obesity, that does not mean a person has no way out of it. That seems to me like having a history of alcoholism in your family, and becoming an alcholic and blaming it on genes. No, it is because you drink that there is a problem. Or perhaps smoking for 20 years, getting lung cancer, and blaming it on your oncagene. No, it is because you smoked.
Same story with your eating and exercise habits, but with a major difference. If you are obese, you are not stuck with it. It requires YOUR willpower to get back in shape. And if you keep that willpower, you are not in danger of relapsing into obesity, or its accompanyinf medical conditions (type II diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and others). For a more complete list, and the correlation between BMI and risk, see here.
Of course, capitalism trumps any wish for a turnaround in human behaviour here. If there is a demand for a chair that hold 400 pounds, and there is money to pay for it, then that chair will be built. I am not trying to stop capitalism by any means, but in this case it seems to be working against itself, not realizing the true costs. The huge health costs for this totally preventable disease will be borne by society. If we want to keep the health care system functional, I think we need to get more into the prevention business. After all, a penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The article is concentrated on the changes that industry is making to accomodate these larger frames, andI couldn't help but think of how this is just encouraging obesity. I have very little sympathy for someone who doesn't fit in an airplane seat because they weight 300 lbs. I certainly have sympathy for the person who is sitting beside said person, though. Though there may be a genetic or even a viral link to obesity, that does not mean a person has no way out of it. That seems to me like having a history of alcoholism in your family, and becoming an alcholic and blaming it on genes. No, it is because you drink that there is a problem. Or perhaps smoking for 20 years, getting lung cancer, and blaming it on your oncagene. No, it is because you smoked.
Same story with your eating and exercise habits, but with a major difference. If you are obese, you are not stuck with it. It requires YOUR willpower to get back in shape. And if you keep that willpower, you are not in danger of relapsing into obesity, or its accompanyinf medical conditions (type II diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and others). For a more complete list, and the correlation between BMI and risk, see here.
Of course, capitalism trumps any wish for a turnaround in human behaviour here. If there is a demand for a chair that hold 400 pounds, and there is money to pay for it, then that chair will be built. I am not trying to stop capitalism by any means, but in this case it seems to be working against itself, not realizing the true costs. The huge health costs for this totally preventable disease will be borne by society. If we want to keep the health care system functional, I think we need to get more into the prevention business. After all, a penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
A backup career
Maybe I should have been an accountant.
Does that seem far-fetched? And why I think about being an accountant? Ok, I really have no desire whatsoever to do that. I just like getting numbers for things. Here are some of the numbers I have figured out lately:
-75.99% of my gross monthly salary is accounted for by automatic withdrawls. That doesn't include food, gas, extra minutes on the phone, that sort of thing.
-Today, I lifted a total of about 32 215 pounds at the gym. Geez, I wonder what I would look like if I could do that all at once.
-An Air Mile's value, in respect to earned flights, depends on your carrier. For a standard Air Canada flight it is worth somewhere around $0.18 - $0.30. That definitely makes it a better deal to get my $0.075/L discount at Superstore then to go to Shell for Air Miles (not to mention Shell's not-so-stellar human rights record).
-I have consumed 5kg of peanut butter in about 5 months. That is a little under 32 000 kcal, just in peanut butter.
So now you know some more useless numbers. Maybe I will just stick with my current job and do the calculating in my free time....
Does that seem far-fetched? And why I think about being an accountant? Ok, I really have no desire whatsoever to do that. I just like getting numbers for things. Here are some of the numbers I have figured out lately:
-75.99% of my gross monthly salary is accounted for by automatic withdrawls. That doesn't include food, gas, extra minutes on the phone, that sort of thing.
-Today, I lifted a total of about 32 215 pounds at the gym. Geez, I wonder what I would look like if I could do that all at once.
-An Air Mile's value, in respect to earned flights, depends on your carrier. For a standard Air Canada flight it is worth somewhere around $0.18 - $0.30. That definitely makes it a better deal to get my $0.075/L discount at Superstore then to go to Shell for Air Miles (not to mention Shell's not-so-stellar human rights record).
-I have consumed 5kg of peanut butter in about 5 months. That is a little under 32 000 kcal, just in peanut butter.
So now you know some more useless numbers. Maybe I will just stick with my current job and do the calculating in my free time....
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Ye Olde Times
Holy crap...it's 2005 already? And almost 2006??? Where did all the time go? I guess time flies when you're....when you're... What am I doing again, exactly?
I remember younger days. Days when I thought that the Dodge Stealth was THE car to have. Days where I didn't need technology to entertain me, but when I did it was Police Quest on the computer, with its small grey rectangle with a little blue bar across it representing my police cruiser. When the important decisions of the day related to whether or not to wear a toque, because it was cold, or not, because maybe it wasn't "cool?" I remember one of my all-time favourite lunch-hour and recess games, Wild Snides. I certainly wouldn't care about a 8:1 male-female ratio, because girls couldn't stop me in Wild Snides so what good were they to me anyway? My most important money decisions involved slurpee vs. mars bar when I went to the Happy Mart. Anywhere I needed to go, and everywhere I could imagine going, was within biking distance. My Christmas list was at least 20 items long - I KNEW what I wanted from life, and that was The Wheel remote control car. Lollipop park behind my house, hiding in the "lollipops" like they were spaceships.
No, this post isn't going anywhere. No grand conclusion here. I just hope I am doing things now that, when I look back in ten or twenty years, will seem just as good as my last twenty have been.
I remember younger days. Days when I thought that the Dodge Stealth was THE car to have. Days where I didn't need technology to entertain me, but when I did it was Police Quest on the computer, with its small grey rectangle with a little blue bar across it representing my police cruiser. When the important decisions of the day related to whether or not to wear a toque, because it was cold, or not, because maybe it wasn't "cool?" I remember one of my all-time favourite lunch-hour and recess games, Wild Snides. I certainly wouldn't care about a 8:1 male-female ratio, because girls couldn't stop me in Wild Snides so what good were they to me anyway? My most important money decisions involved slurpee vs. mars bar when I went to the Happy Mart. Anywhere I needed to go, and everywhere I could imagine going, was within biking distance. My Christmas list was at least 20 items long - I KNEW what I wanted from life, and that was The Wheel remote control car. Lollipop park behind my house, hiding in the "lollipops" like they were spaceships.
No, this post isn't going anywhere. No grand conclusion here. I just hope I am doing things now that, when I look back in ten or twenty years, will seem just as good as my last twenty have been.
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