Category: Society

Techno iRony

On By WinstonIn Personal, Society, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Like many other people, my daughter and I both have cell phones. The idea is for us to be able to quickly and easily talk wherever, whenever. The reality is quite different… sort of.

Earlier today my wife and I were (as usual) trying to decide what to have for supper. As a deciding factor, she asked if our daughter (a sophomore in college) would be eating with us or her boyfriend.

This according to the commercials is the very moment cell phones are made for. I whipped out my awesome new phone and called my daughter…. straight to voicemail. No problem. She often responds quicker to texts than calls. I send her a text message asking if she is eating at home.

We do some groceries. We do more groceries somewhere else. We decide to have subs for supper.

As we leave the grocery store I get a text saying she is eating with her boyfriend. I say “No problem. Thanks for the heads up.”. Two hours later, I receive another text apologising for not letting us know earlier. That for me is the great irony of super accessible instant communications.

By it’s very ubiquity, it is rendered mundane. Because it is so overexposed, we tend not to think of it as a communication tool. Instead it’s a cool gadget, a toy, anything but a phone.

A greater irony lies in its illusion of connectedness. I am fortunate to enjoy a very close and loving relationship with my daughter. We talk frequently and easily about anything and everything. A simple question about supper took longer to receive a reply to than it would if she were on Mars.

The very ubiquity of our connectedness has in some ways disconnected us. That’s the Techo iRony of it.

Cheers, Winston

The Good Thing About Mitt Romney….

On By WinstonIn Politics, Religion, Society, U.S. Election 2012, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

Anyone who reads this blog knows I’m not a Mitt Romney fan. His comment about the “47 percent” didn’t make me like him any more. It also didn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy about him possibly being the next President of the United States. I have however found something to make that idea at least a little more palatable.

He’s not Rick Perry. If you are all finished shouting “Thank you Captain Obvious!”, let me explain. While Mitt may be slightly richer than Croesus (look it up), at least he isn’t as scary crazy as Governor God-Botherer, from Texas.

Rick Perry is one of those special people who believe that everyone should live the way they want them to. In Scary Perry s world, everyone would live under Old Testament law. His latest gem was the declaration that the separation of church and state was an act of the devil. Here I thought that was an idea cooked up by the founding fathers.

You see, that’s a big part of what gets up my nose with Governor Slack-Wit and his ilk. They talk about how America was founded on “Christian” principles, then say the bits they don’t like are the work of the devil. The founding fathers were probably not wearing shiny black robes and sacrificing small animals when they agreed the country should be run by its people, and not by the church. It’s more likely they were thinking of the mess they left behind in Europe where church was intimately tied to the states.

A continent where heads of state were allegedly chosen by God and endorsed by the church. Where freedom and justice were determined by what a church backed Monarch felt like allowing, rather than constitutionally guaranteed rights determined by an elected and accountable government.

It would be so much easier for Governor Perry (is a nut-job) to push his hate and fear-driven agenda if his church was running the country. But that’s the problem with his church and state idea. He’s not talking about a moderate Christian church, or a Muslim church, or Hindu, Wiccan or (ironically) the church of Satan. Nope. He’s talking very specifically about his preferred brand of God-Bothering Evangelical Christian faith. That’s what the United States should be guided by.

Now you see why I prefer the stupidly rich guy. Sure he’s got problems with his brain to mouth filter, but at least when he says stupid things its a gaffe not his campaign platform. He may be okay with most of the nation drifting into unemployment and grinding poverty as long as he and his campaign contributors can continue to grow their wealth like literal cash crops, that’s fine. At least so far he hasn’t gone all Blues Brothers… You know… “We’re on a mission from God”.

Give me Mitt “Cash is King” over Rick “The Bible Psycho” any time. That’s the good thing about Mitt Romney….

Cheers, Winston

Bring Them All Home Alive

On By WinstonIn Canadian Military, Global Issues, Politics, Society, WarfareLeave a comment

The NATO mission in Afghanistan just sustained another giant kick in the groin. The head of the NATO mission has just announced the immediate cessation of joint Afghan/NATO patrols. To date, these joint patrons have been the norm and represented the cornerstone in the UN plan to train indigenous police and military forces to assume security duties from UN troops.

Why are these patrols being discontinued? Mostly, it’s because in the past year 51 UN troops have died in so called “Green on Blue” attacks. That’s the term they roll out when “rogue” elements of the Afghan police/military kill their UN trainers. This is probably the single greatest tacit admission yet that the Afghan mission is a total bust.

So how can they fix this problem? They can’t. This is the sad truth. The NATO commander is doing the only thing possible. Refusing to put NATO troops into unnecessary danger. The mission is ending shortly, so why risk lives for no gains? Keep the troops as safe as possible and let them ride out the end of the deployment with absolute minimum exposure possible.

There have been enough deaths to assuage the U.S. rage over 9/11. NATO may feel honor-bound to stick it out to the very end of their commitment, but that’s no reason to sacrifice more troops in this un-winnable debacle. Afghanistan isn’t changing any time soon. There are some parts of the society who long for change. Unfortunately those who want to maintain the status quo are much more aggressive about it. Contrary to all the propaganda that came out later, Afghanistan only got invaded because the Taliban refused to turn over Osama bin Laden. Saving the Afghan people from the Taliban only became a mission when Osama proved harder to locate than a socially conscious Republican.

They never set out to save Afghanistan. That was the worst sort of mission creep. With the impending drawdown of NATO involvement in the Afghan theater, it’s small wonder the indigenous troops are increasingly susceptible to Taliban recruitment. It’s one thing to have joined up to fight side by side with the invaders. It’s a whole other deal if you can show that you just wanted to get close enough to kill them.

Refusing to let the locals build credit with the incoming regime by killing NATO troops is probably the first smart decision made since the invasion. Now let’s make another one and get the hell out before anymore troops die for nothing.

Bring them all home alive.

Cheers, Winston

Chuck, Gena And The Essence Of Hipocricy

On By WinstonIn Personal, Politics, Religion, Society, U.S. Election 2012, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

I’m a Chuck Norris fan. I have enjoyed many of his movies over the years and have nothing but respect for him as an action star. Politically however….. not so much.

You see, Chuck and his wife Gena just did a Republican PSA to get out the evangelical Christian vote come election time. That’s actually perfectly okay with me. They are entitled to endorse any party they want to. That’s one of the perks of living in a free and democratic society. The problem is their terminology. They talk about how President Obama getting re-elected will lead America into “a thousand years of darkness”. That little Reagan quote is in addition to a remarkably passionless spiel about how their great and free country is under attack.

So which freedoms are under attack by those evil Democrats. The right to love and marry whomsoever ones heart desires? Nope, that’s the Republicans. A woman’s right to make her own reproductive health choices? Ummm…. nope also Republicans. How about the right to learn science instead of theology in public schools? Oops… Republicans again.

All of that is mildly annoying, but no more so than anyone else I don’t happen to agree with. What really set me off is the truly EPIC scale of their evangelical hypocrisy. You see, Chuck has made a mountain of cash and an entire public career by glorifying violence and murder. Furthermore, his recent appearance in “The Expendables 2” seems to indicate a serious failure to repent and change his ways.

Now I don’t claim to be the most devout Christian. I’m still working at sorting some things out with God, but other things are pretty clear. Since the Norrises quoted Reagan, I guess I’ll have to settle for quoting the other guy. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”. Not sure who I’m talking about? Let me try a quote from his Father, “Though shalt do no murder.” Still stumped? How about my personal favorite from the Son again? “A new commandment do I give unto you that you love one and other. Even as I have loved you, that you also love one and other.”

I don’t remember too many of those ideas coming through in Mr Norris movies. Maybe he missed the idea of being Christian. In case he did, here’s a tip. You’re supposed to live your faith in all aspects of your life. All aspects. Even if it means you don’t get millions and millions of dollars for glorifying violence and murder.

Until that happens, Chuck and Gena will remain the very essence of hypocrisy.

Cheers, Winston

Thank You Rachel Carson

On By WinstonIn Environment, Global Issues, Politics, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Miss Carson during the demi-Centennial year of her book “Silent Spring”. For those unfamiliar with it, the book described a very near future in which one could walk through any suburban neighborhood without hearing a cicada, sparrow, or any other natural sound. All due to the rampant and uninformed use of DDT.

It was a brilliant and terrifying book and it led to an eventual ban on the residential use of DDT and limited its use in many other areas as well. Before you write her off as some sort of “green” nutjob, look a little closer. Rachel never advocated a ban on DDT, only a requirement to place responsible limits on its use. She was fully aware of the benefits of chemical pesticides particularly in the fight against insect born diseases such as malaria.

The chemical industry however paints Miss Carson in a different light. They portray her clinging to the lunatic fringe, hysterically demanding a ban on DDT. They also tend to hold her personally responsible for every malaria death in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the pro-chemical crowd, DDT spraying in Africa was stopped because she got DDT banned. That’s not quite the truth. Spraying programs in Africa stopped for the same reasons as any other aid program, a lack of funding and political will. It’s perfectly legal to export DDT to Africa and countries there don’t have the same environmental restrictions we do here.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, DDT is a neurotoxin. It is also a cumulative toxin, which means it is stored in fat tissues and builds up in the system over time. Beyond simple deaths, sub-lethal levels present a more insious hazard. It causes reproductive issues and subsequent developmental problems in the offspring.

But wait, it gets better. It also accumulates in the food chain. One bird eats a thousand bugs. One cat eats ten birds. One fox eats four cats. The fox now has roughly forty thousand doses of DDT in its system. That can’t possibly be a good thing.

But wait, it’s about to get better again. It’s also environmentally persistent. So after you spray, it’s in the water, it’s in the soil, it’s in the air. Oh goody. Now that can’t possibly be a good thing. Eventually, all those little droplets make their way through the environment into the food chain. Once they get into there, it’s only a matter of time until they make their way into you and I.

So yes, I think “Silent Spring” was an important book and Miss Carson did us all a huge service by writing it and putting up with a lifetime of vilification. I don’t know what the world would look like without her work, and but I firmly believe it would have been one hell of a lot quieter……. and not in a good way.

That’s why we should all say, “Thank you Rachel Carson”.

Cheers Winston

A Little Glimpse Of The Future

On By WinstonIn Education, Humor, Personal Responsibility, Society, Uncategorized, Values1 Comment

This morning as I was browsing headlines from United Press International, I came across a story about 125 University students suspected of cheating on a final exam. The students are accused of either working together to come up with the answers or copying off one and other. One might reasonably suspect that it should be tricky to get it past the people monitoring the test and normally you’d be right. Not so much in this case.

You see, this was a Take Home final exam. That’s right folks a final exam you can do at home. I may have to go back to school because finals didn’t include that option back in the day. I could get into that. Have a couple of beers to help me relax so I’m not all stressed about the exam. Maybe call up the a friend or two if I get stuck…… which is apparently exactly what about 125 of them decided to do.

Now if you’re wondering what sort of “B” grade, low-rent school might offer “We don’t really give a crap.” home final exams, turns out it’s pretty common. What they call an “exam” is actually an end of term essay paper. They are done at home to allow time for research, rewrites and consults with fellow students. This only becomes a problem when large numbers of students turn in essentially the same paper, sighting the same sources and presumably featuring the same spelling and grammatical errors.

But wait the humor only gets richer as we go. The house of higher learning involved in this fiasco….. Harvard. Yep. That Harvard. Ivy league creator of future Captains of Industry and Masters of the Ship of State. They are imbuing their students with such a “victory at any cost” mentality that a rather large clump of them felt that blatant cheating was an acceptable way to compete and get ahead. Then we are all surprised when they graduate obsessed only with personal advancement devoid of any conception of right, wrong or the greater good.

As a final little pop of comedy gold can anyone guess which course The Young and The Stupid were enrolled in? Obviously, it could only have been an introductory course on……. Government! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, those who fancy themselves our future leaders have no problem cheating their asses off to avoid anything like actual work. One can only wonder to what depths they would stoop to secure that plum congressional seat or governorship.

How’s that for an unsettling little peek at the future?

Cheers, Winston

Welcome To the Mittbot-Gerbil-Zombie Apocalypse!

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Humor, Media, Politics, Society, U.S. Election 2012, Uncategorized1 Comment

Earlier today I was reading an article about Ann Romney’s speech at the Republican National Convention. This was the latest of the ongoing efforts to “humanize”, her husband, Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. This raises a couple important questions for me.

The first question that springs to mind is, “Why should I believe anything she said?” Mrs Romney admitted that she was speaking from a prepared text. So she wasn’t giving any deeply personal insights into an incredibly sensitive and deeply misunderstood Mitt. She was just the most convincing voice-over they could find for their product endorsement. It’s not about authenticity or sincerity, it’s just another cynical marketing ploy. It’s like using Justin Bieber to sell acne treatments or having Brooke Shields front for La-Z-Boy. Teens who are losing their minds about acne (or Justin Bieber [or just losing their minds]), are more likely to identify with the Biebs, while Ms Shields and her Calvin Klein jeans are going to resonate better with an older demographic more interested in home decor than zit zapping.

The larger question here is, “Why does Mitt need to be ‘humanized’ in the first place?” If he’s not human, just what is he? Is he a gerbil or a wildebeest? Perhaps he’s a llama and his handlers go about in constant fear of catching a face full of llama loogie. Not to worry, I’ve got a theory. He’s a gerbil. He’s a gerbil piloting a (mostly) human-looking robot. Think anime but without the giant guns or swarms of scantily clad young girls. Then again he is running for the Republican party so there may be a giant gun in there somewhere but Ann isn’t commenting on that. (Come on, could you have resisted that one?)

Here’s the setup. Decades ago, a race of space faring gerbils arrived on the planet. Realizing we are hundreds of times their size they developed a plan to infiltrate us and destroy us from the inside. They want to take over the government (Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin were trial runs at getting someone on the inside.). Romney’s track record at Bain Capital is a preview of the Gerbil plan to destroy the morale of the United States by undermining its economy, creating mass unemployment (shipping jobs overseas), and working hard to widen the gap between the ultra-rich and the peasants they rule.

Because Hollywood assures us the U.S. is the only country able to withstand an alien invasion, once Mittbot has completely ruined and destabilized them, the invasion will begin in earnest. Swarms of Gerbil piloted Republican robots will pour out of their secret underground bases at the poles. To supplement these R-Bots, the Gerbils have developed a technology that allows them to burrow into dead people’s heads and pilot them like bots. Together the R-Bots (patent pending), and their zombie cohorts will complete their conquest of the free world.

While average Americans spend their lives in the grinding poverty of union-free, sweatshop labour camps, China and India will continue to reap the benefits of having been the first to welcome the Gerbil invaders.

It hasn’t happened yet but it could. If Mitt Romney wins, watch for the signs……. like the corridors of power being lined not with rich, soft carpets, but with wood shavings. Then you’ll see that I’m not crazy. Then you’ll see! Then it’ll be too late!

Welcome to the Mittbot-Gerbil-Zombie Apocalypse!

Muaaahahahaaa!

Apparently Cancer Isn’t Fatal Anymore

On By WinstonIn Politics, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

This morning as I was sitting reading the news and enjoying my coffee (Keurig is awesome), I stumbled across an article from the Huffington Post. It seems Republican Congressional candidate Chris Collins was explaining his opposition to Obamacare when he rolled out this gem.

“People now don’t die of Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer and some of these other things. ”

That’s sure to be a relief to the roughly 68,000 people expected to die of Breast or Prostate cancer this year. Then of course there are all the people who won’t die of “some of these other things”. That probably includes the 500,000 plus who are expected the to die of other forms of cancer according to the American Cancer Society. What do they know though? I’m certain some wannabe Congressman is better informed about such things than the ACS.

Before anyone makes this a partisan question, let’s be absolutely clear about the issue here. I would be just as upset with a Democrat saying something so blatantly stupid to support his party line. This isn’t about party politics. This about a Congressional candidate either lying his ass off because he has no real argument, or being stupid as an oak post. Either way, it’s an embarrassment that he is even allowed to open his mouth in public, never mind running for office.

In the interests of full disclosure I have to say that I lost both my mother and oldest brother to cancer. I can only hope that Mr. Collins never has occasion to test his non-lethal cancer theory. He may not find the results to his liking.

Sadly Mr. Wannabe Congressman, cancer is still very much a fatal disease.

Cheers, Winston

Why Newt Gingrich Should Get The Republican Nomination

On By WinstonIn Humor, Politics, Rants, Society, U.S. Election 2012Leave a comment

Photo by: Joe Burbank/Orlando SentinelPhoto by:  Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel

For those who don’t know, I don’t live in the U.S.  I live in Canada, which means I still have a large vested interest in the activities of our friend and neighbour to the south.  As such, I have been following with some interest the campaigns for the leadership of the Republican party.  So far, I’ve been a little less than impressed by their “circus of the week” approach to selecting a front runner.

In their rush to find a political outsider who supports family [read Christian (read very narrow interpretation of Christian)] values, they have produced a series of truly spectacular failures with Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Michelle Bachman being just a few.  For me however, the most incredible candidate to date has to be Newt Gingrich.  This is a man who utterly typifies the very essence of modern democracy.

After serving for a number of years as the Speaker of the House, Mr. Gingrich then spent several more years selling himself and his political connections to the highest bidder.  All the while, he steadfastly refused to list himself as a lobbyist.  No-no!  He was just a consultant.  The beauty of this is not his non-lobbyist delusions.  The beauty lies in his ability to convince delegates and possibly himself that he is not a “Washington insider”.  That is hilarious!  But it’s not the best thing to come out of his campaign.  It gets better.

Mr. Gingrich also found time to work as a consultant for Freddie Mac.  You may have heard of them.  They, along with Fannie May, are the lending giants behind the sub-prime mortgage fiasco.  You remember that.  The record foreclosures, the collapse of the housing  bubble, and the bank bailouts that led to massive protests and the simultaneous destruction of faith in both business and government.  Yup.  Newt took a pile of consulting bucks from them.  This is still not the best part of his candidacy.  Nope.  The best part is his staunch defence of FAMILY VALUES.

That’s right.  Newt Gingrich values family so much that when Bill Clinton had an affair with Whitehouse intern Monica Lewinsky, Gingrich led the drive to have him impeached.  So it’s clear that he values family a lot.  The only problem, he isn’t sure which family he actually values.  You see Newt was cheating on his own wife whom he later divorced so that he could marry his paramour.  Okay.  That happens sometimes.  Right?  Maybe.  But then he cheated on that wife, divorced her and married paramour number two.  The second wife (first paramour) is now claiming that Newt “Super-Stud” Gingrich had asked her for an open marriage.  She declined, which she alleges is why he now married to paramour number two.

All of that would be “Yeah. Whatever.”  if he weren’t in danger of becoming the leader of a party which spends every possible moment screaming about Family Values and Christian Values.  Apparently, Newt never heard the bit about letting he who is without sin chuck the first brick.  The Republican  faithful seem to have missed the irony of having their holier than thou party led by someone who’s moral compass got smashed when his mistresses stepped on it.  Repeatedly.

Against the rest of the Republican circus, he polls well.  Against President Obama, the polls tell a significantly different story.  I’d like to see Obama get a second mandate.  Id like to see what he could do with another four years.

That’s the real reason why Newt Gingrich should get the Republican nomination.

Cheers, Winston

p.s.  I was just reading that Herman Cain (former candidate and pizza magnate) has thrown his endorsement to Newt Gingrich.  Mr. Cain dropped out of the running for the Republican nomination amid allegations of sexual harassment and marital infidelity.  His endorsement of Newt proves that birds of a feather really do flock together.

W

Too Many Police Or Too Many Idiots?

On By WinstonIn Personal Responsibility, Rants, SocietyLeave a comment

Recently I was browsing back issues of Maclean’s magazine when an article caught my eye from the September 5th issue.  It’s title “Too Many Cops?” makes the author’s position clear.  They aren’t asking a question, they’re delivering a verdict.  It just looks nicer if they frame it as a question.

The gist of the article is that crime is down, law enforcement is bigger than ever and minor charges are skyrocketing.  According to them, we have too many police with too little to do.  That’s why they’re handing out speeding tickets, manning record numbers of RIDE checkpoints and arresting far more people for marijuana possession.

It is pointed out that the RIDE program during the 2010 holiday season enjoyed only a .029 capture rate.  They feel that this is too low and there may be other, more beneficial ways to spend the same money.  Maybe, but I doubt that they’d find a lot of support among people who have lost family, friends or loved ones to an impaired driver.  They made “only” 294 arrests, but that’s 294 less potentially devastated families.  They lament that it required one million vehicle stops to achieve those arrests.  If they saved even one life, then it’s a bargain.

The article also insists that speeding ticket and moving violation increases are just a cash grab on the part of municipalities.  These would be the same municipalities that it states are allocating ever increasing portions of their budgets to law enforcement.  For example, if I’m the mayor of Toronto, I’m going to spend nearly one billion dollars on police services so that I can collect a few hundred million in ticket revenue.  Wow!  I’m a financial wizard with no interest in getting re-elected.

Montreal has long been recognized as having the worst drivers in Canada.  The article describes it as a “city long known for it’s spirited drivers”.  They aren’t spirited, they’re reckless with a blatant and potentially homicidal disregard for traffic laws.  According to the authors though, this has almost nothing to do with the 93% increase in citations for moving violations and the 140% increase for speeders.  Apparently, it has nothing to do with speeding and moving violations.  Nope.  It’s all about hordes of bored cops and greedy civc managers.

The other group of horribly abused victims they talk about are the pot users.  Yep.  Those poor people who get arrested and end up with a criminal record for committing a crime.  That’s just terrible.  The police are at fault again for charging people who commit crimes.  I agree that pot possession probably isn’t the greatest crime a person can commit, but it’s still a crime.  The amazing part for me is that they want to blame the police or the government.  How could they saddle this poor person with a criminal record that could interfere with their chances of crossing into the U.S. or getting the job they want?

Wait…. what?

This isn’t about over-zealous policing or government hard-liners.  This is all about the person who gets caught with a controlled substance in their pocket.  If someone is in possession of a controlled substance, after they get arrested is probably the wrong time to start thinking about the long term ramifications.  I agree that this isn’t the most serious crime in our society, but it’s not about the severity, it’s about the attitude.

Most people treat traffic tickets and minor pot busts like the Oscars.  “Who me?  Oh no.  I don’t deserve this.  Really.  I can’t possibly accept that.  This is only possible because of my parents/manager/co-workers.  Honestly, I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for God!”  Instead of implausible deniability, why not just opt for the truth.  “Yes, I screwed up.  Let’s just do this and hope I learn something from it.”

But that’s not where we live is it?  We live in a society where it’s always someone else’s fault.  Busted for speeding?  It’s not about my lead foot.  The cops must a ticket quota to meet.  Moving violation?  It’s not because I changed lanes without signalling and then hit my brakes almost causing a massive accident.  The cops must have a ticket quota.  Charged with marijuana possession?  It’s not because I broke some stupid law, it’s because some dickhead cop is trying to get promoted by making as many arrests as they can.

Wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

If I get a speeding ticket, odds are I was speeding.  If I get a moving violation, I probably did something stupid to deserve it.  Busted for possession?  I made the choice to break that law.  It’s not about too many police or generating extra revenue or appearing tough on crime.  If it wasn’t for the people who think the law shouldn’t apply to them, we wouldn’t have anyone for the police to be ticketing or charging.

It’s not about too many police.  It’s about too many idiots.

Cheers, Winston