I received this the other day:
I would sign a petition to privatize the CBC. It is an out-dated institution where tax funding produces primarily low grade content in an inefficient manner … just like where the idea came from.
$1B better spent elsewhere.
The Japanese economy is in trouble (which economy isn’t?). You never hear about it unless you seek the information for a few reasons; the Japanese like to keep their problems to themselves, the lack of immigrants means that no one abroad pays close attention as they don’t have family trying to carve out a new life in Japan and Japanese debt is held by Japanese.
So why is it in trouble? I reflected on that as I exited Costco a few weekends ago with my son’s English paper top of mind (He is writing on the economic crisis and we had been discussing supply/demand, the impact of consumer confidence on the economy and the downward spiral that leads to a recession).
In North America you exit a Costco with your fellow shoppers sharing a common concern: how the heck am I going to fit all of this stuff in my vehicle?
In Japan, there are a few of us with a full trolley, but many others are exiting with half a trolley full or more commonly only a few items. How many times in North America do you see someone exit a Costco with 4 items? Almost never …
Also, I have yet to see a single person wrestling out one of those impulses items that stock the middle of the floor of Costco. You know, the items you see couples “discussing” all the time in North America. It goes something like this:
“But we came in here for a brick of cheese and milk. Nothing else.”
“I know. I know. It sounds crazy. But at that price, how can we not buy the trampoline?”
In North America you enter a Costco thinking that you will spend $50 and leave spending $900.
The new Prime Minister is keen on kick starting the economy and getting out of deflation. He has launched another huge debt incurring public works program after a big debt year and is pushing the bank of Japan to weaken the Yen to encourage exports.
But it might not be enough. Economies are fuelled by consumer confidence and spending. If Costco is an indicator … Japanese consumers need to spend more. The question is, can they afford it when living in the most expensive city in the world?
Colliders and the “god particle” are all over the news. I always detested physics in school. In fact, first year honours physics is the reason why I changed studies in University; I loved to code, but detested mathematics and physics so I left computer science. Plus, I couldn’t see myself behind a screen coding for the next 40 years.
But I am interested in what they are doing with the large Hadron Collider so I watched a video that does a pretty good job of explaining what is going on. You can watch hit here.
Thank you NASA.
It seems like I have read a number of articles on the failing “War on Drugs” lately. There is no doubt that addictive drugs are a huge burden on society and as someone who actively avoided drugs, I am personally fine with the ban.
That being said, I really do wonder if other nations have it right and we have it VERY wrong. Most of the news on the failed war on drugs is in the US (although Canada could probably be substituted – just divide all dollar numbers by 10); the border that does not work, tens of thousands killed in the Mexican drug war and tens of thousands before them in Columbia, the ongoing funding that it provides to terrorists, the $20B+ per year that the US spends on the war on drugs which they could divert to education, medical care or debt payments and of course, the fact that the stats prove that it just is not working.
You know it must be failing when Pat Robertson says it is failing and time to consider decriminalization. I have never agreed with anything that Pat Robertson says, he is a nutter. This would be a first.
And the stats prove it all out – just look at Holland versus the US. The US fails on every metric (Canada would similarly fail).
What prompted this post? An article which created a sickness in the pit of my stomach on how much we spend and how we restrict people’s choice resulting in much higher usage. Human nature revolves around “If I cannot have it, I want it more. Allow me to have it, and I lose interest” and we are driving more people to drugs.
The article: Portugal drug decriminalization policy works (2012). It is not true Holland type decriminalization but a variant that has seen a radical drop in drug usage:
Portugal’s move to decriminalize does not mean people can carry around, use, and sell drugs free from police interference. That would be legalization. Rather, all drugs are “decriminalized,” meaning drug possession, distribution, and use is still illegal. While distribution and trafficking is still a criminal offense, possession and use is moved out of criminal courts and into a special court where each offender’s unique situation is judged by legal experts, psychologists, and social workers. Treatment and further action is decided in these courts, where addicts and drug use is treated as a public health service rather than referring it to the justice system (like the U.S.), reports Fox News.
The resulting effect: a drastic reduction in addicts, with Portuguese officials and reports highlighting that this number, at 100,000 before the new policy was enacted, has been halved in the following ten years. Portugal’s drug usage rates are now among the lowest of EU member states, according to the same report.
Too bad our dud of a Prime Minster (who has had a term which lacks innovation, true leadership, any form of memorable action or innovation) doesn’t have the leadership vision and strength to take this issue on. After all, that will tick off big brother down south – and that would require a true leader.
You can read the full report on soros.org here. Very sad that our we will not face the facts and stop wasting time, money and people’s lives.
And when I bring it up with die-hard republicans, it often gets awkward and silent. Here is my confusion; the republicans are supposed to be the “capitalists” and the democrats more like Canadians, with a socialist leaning. If that is the case, why is it the Republicans who have zero fiscal sense and restraint?
Consider the article Obama spending binge never happened.
Now I understand the Republican philosophy of low taxes for the rich. After all, many Republicans are rich white people. But why is it that the Republican “capitalists”, who you would think are well versed on reading a P/L, are the ones who have been spending the US into bankruptcy?
In Democracy’s Debt Dilemma HBR runs through the developing world – it is a problem that many countries face (including Canada):
Nearly every major democracy is now struggling with public debt. According to The Economist, the world’s governments currently hold debts of approximately $45 trillion (relative to a world GDP of $65 trillion). And many of the world’s top debt holders are its largest and most powerful democracies. The following table, based on IMF projections, is a list of the top 20 global economic powers (by GDP):
I think the world needs to hire Paul Martin.
I enjoy taking photos and over the years have been to some pretty cool places. The problem with lugging around a larger camera and lenses (I am not qualified to call them “glass”) is that it can get heavy and awkward. Plus, I don’t like the traditional camera bag as they don’t cut it for hiking.
I have been using the Maxpedition Gearslinger but it doesn’t have compartments to protect my kit so I find myself using towels (less than optimum). I finally found a worthy replacement from Kata. Working as a backpack or a shoulder sling (I prefer sling), with fully customizable compartments and a rugged exterior. I went for the 3N1-20, a good midsize bag that will carry 2 lenses comfortably and a 3rd in a pinch. Great for a hike or walking around a new city.
I have been on a bit of a reading push over the last 6 weeks, catching up on magazines and reading 7 books. I am half way through Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes, a fictional book on the Vietnam war. The highly rated book reminds me of the movie Platoon, it is certainly full of despair and young men dying. There are a host of interesting leadership situations to contemplate through the book and on Sunday night I was struck by this passage:
“It used to be if you were out in the bush operating independently like we are, no one would second-guess the skipper. They didn’t have the radio power back then. Now they do, and the —- brass think they’re out on patrol. And now the smallest units are run by the colonels and generals, hell, right up to the president. Colonel and above used to be the level where people dealt with all the political shit like congressmen on junkets, television, reporters, you name it. But now those guys are running the show right down to this ——- river canyon and we’re in the politics too. And the better the radios, the worse it’s going to get. The politics is going to come right down to the company level, and people like Fitch and Scar are going to be culled out and people like you will take over.”
An interesting point. So far from the line, calling the shots and reducing autonomy of the front line leaders. One has to wonder what is lost in this new chain of command. I woke up the next morning (yesterday) to this headline, ‘Obama, aides watched and waited during bin Laden swoop’:
Brennan would not say exactly how Obama and his top advisors were able to follow Sunday’s 40-minute Navy SEAL operation unfolding in real time — but the suspicion was that some kind of sophisticated communications technology was available to them.
"We were able to monitor the situation in real time," was all he would say.
A decision like this had to be made at the highest levels due to the significant political risks. But, beyond a extraordinary situation, one has to wonder whether the technology improves leadership effectiveness or erodes it through micro-management? I lean toward erosion.
Bill Bryson wrote that you should never be unhappy for 3 reasons: You were born (a miracle of odds in itself), you are alive – it is a ‘miraculous privilege’ and you have plenty to eat at a time when there is no threat of a world war.
Reading the paper this weekend, I was reminded of just how fortunate we are in North America and the developed world. If ever you have a need to put into perspective a financial problem, or that the light turned red too fast or you have too many meetings today, just read any one of the following articles. For me, it made me reflect on just how fortunate I am:
Very thankful.
A colleague shared this interesting quote as we discussed just how fast our world is changing.
If ever the last 50,000 years of man’s existence were divided into lifetimes of approximately sixty-two years each, there have been about 800 lifetimes. Of those 800 at least 650 were spent in caves. Only during the last seventy lifetimes has it been possible to communicate effectively from one lifetime to another – as writing made it possible to do. Only during the last six lifetimes did masses of men ever see the printed word. Only during the last four has it been possible to measure time with any precision. Only in the last two has anyone used an electric motor. And the overwhelming majority of all material goods we use in daily life today have been developed within the present 800th lifetime.
Hans Kung, On Being a Christian
Makes you wonder, what will our children see 60 years from now?
He is a Major in the Canadian Forces and near the end of the exchange; he mentioned that he is off to Afghanistan in January. He will leave his family and non-military friends behind for 9-12 months and face a wide range of dangers.
I am sure that through 2007 I will think about what he is going through over there. An enemy that is disguised within the general population; snipers, random suicide bombings and many other things. What was interesting was his perspective on the Afghan people (one that I have heard before). These people do not know normal, it is not part of their history. They spent a decade with the Russians, then it was the Taliban and now it is random chaos where the things that we take for granted are luxuries (like electricity and running water).
Prayers are with him and his comrades, doing the work that our government has set in motion while we enjoy the benefits of freedom and an evolved civilization in North America.
The NDP and Jack Layton have won a victory for vets:
NDP Leader Jack Layton celebrated another victory for veterans today as the NDP motion for a state funeral for the last Canadian WWI veteran passed unanimously in the House of Commons.
Read the entire story on the NDP website here. I can’t stand Jack Layton, his grandstanding and weak platform .. but good for him. This is a great cause.
This story is a little late in coming, but it is never too late to support the cause. Here is the note I received from a friend:
I am emailing to encourage you to sign an online petition calling on the Prime Minister to offer a State Funeral to the family of the last veteran of the First World War resident in Canada. Only three Canadian veterans of the First World War remain. They are 106 and 105 years of age.
To sign the online petition visit www.dominion.ca/statefuneral<mhtml:{F75DBE30-B540-4834-AB2C-011597F4545A}mid://00000000/!x-usc:http://www.dominion.ca/statefuneral>
For more information on the campaign for a State Funeral for the last Great War veteran visit www.dominion.ca/petition/background.php<mhtml:{F75DBE30-B540-4834-AB2C-011597F4545A}mid://00000000/!x-usc:http://www.dominion.ca/petition/background.php>
Please forward this message on to friends and family!
The government constantly amazes me. We will blow billions on stupid projects that accomplish nothing (If you ever wonder about that, simply buy a Reader’s Digest and read ‘That’s Outrageous’), yet we will not stand up as a nation and honor the men and women who gave us the freedom we enjoy today with a simple funeral.
This marks an end to an era. Shame on us!
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