Prime Minister Day

I notice (or I noticed in the past but forgot until recently) that the United States has a Federal Holiday called "Presidents Day" that celebrates Washington's Birthday (and all President's since then). What a wonderful idea! Celebrate the leaders of the past with a commemorative holiday that all citizens can share together. Wonderful.

We here in Canada do not have such a holiday. Why not? What not a holiday called "Prime Minister's Day" or "Founder's Day" where we celebrate our Aboriginal, French and English forefathers in a unified way. I for one would definitely partake in this event.

As an aside, it has come to my attention that the house where Sir John A. MacDonald was born in Glasgow Scotland may be torn down. The Right Honorable Sir John A. MacDonald was instrumental in creating this country and it would only cost a few bucks to save his house as a National Heritage visitation location although of foreign soil (are we really that foreign?). This would give all Canadians a sense of unity with a tie to the British Empire. Although I am not a super-fan of the Monarchy, we nevertheless should celebrate our heritage rather than destroy it...

Haiti - Another 2004 Tsunami Relief Effort?

So here we are in 2010 and we have another disaster we have to respond to. It breaks my heart to see the enormity of the catastrophe that has unfolded in Haiti. As a citizen of Canada I am very proud of our response in so short a time and I further expect significantly more Canadian effort in the time ahead.

But with honour and valour also comes opportunity and the potential for corruption. As Naomi Klein has magnificently pointed out in her book The Shock Doctrine, there is no better time for a corporatist takeover of the institutions and landholdings of those with little protection than in a time of crisis. We as citizens of the planet, need to be cognizant of these forces and must require of all governments public accountability in how they are dealing with the people of Haiti. The World Bank has already loaned Haiti $100 Million dollars and I am sure that is just a start. We must make sure a loan is just a loan and that Haiti can repay its debt in the long term. However with a still struggling world economy it may take awhile.

I have been trying to find out (on the web) what is the current status of the affected 2004 Tsunami areas and what has become of all of the donated money. It looks like http://www.tsunami2004.net/ carries some good information. Is it the truth? Anybody?

Fiscal Mismanagement.

Yet again the Federal Government is just figuring out that there may be an issue with the amount of tax revenues required to fulfill its agenda. The Conservative (did I say Conservative) Government is just realizing that "hey, we owe a lot of money!" It doesn't take a genius to understand that when you borrow you eventually have to pay back.

The notion that short-term fixes such as infrastructure spending - isn't it just all construction spending really - is similar to placing a band-aid on a bleeding carotid artery. The current allocated monies have run out and now what. Oh, let's see.. cut programs....raise taxes....increase service charges etc... And for what reason was the spending for? So that some companies can benefit such as GM. You would think building cars was a strategic thing for the government to be involved in. I thought there was competition there...

Anyways, the up and down cycle of the economy as we know is due to poor monetary policy and a capitalistic marketplace based on false advertising and manipulation. We need to address the future by investing (how does one invest really when money is merely a form of debt certificates) to create a society based on more natural and humane principles. In my opinion, the days of market speculation and manipulation will soon be behind us as they will have ripped the innards out of the economy leaving the corpse of the old ways to die. And out of the decay will rise a new and more just society based not on greed but on contribution.

Street Signage in Ottawa

I believe that reflecting the ethnic and cultural diversity is an important expression of our regard for who we are and where we come from. I applaud each culture’s ability and tenacity to bring to this area their personal views in a peaceful and open way. Anyone who moves to this climate must really want to live here and therefore should be commended on their perseverance and love of freedom.

But I do have an issue with the nature by which street signs - nay all expressions of cultural reflections in the public domain - are reposted with languages and characteristics related to particular interest groups. When council decides who should be allowed to change public spaces and what attributes those public spaces should be composed of, there should be guidance in place that directs their decision so that favoritism is minimized and that fairness prevails. A “one-off” decision making process leads to fractionalization whereas a cohesive approach to the creation and maintenance of our collective identity allows all to contribute within a level playing field.

Our decisions as a community should be guided by policy created through the assemblage of opinion and rational thought. Let all voices be heard, not just those willing to take the stage

Surgeries in Space

A news article today indicated that the number of knee surgeries can be reduced for overweight people by the simple idea that weight is actually a causative factor in knee pain and knee failure. In fact, it was shown that by reducing an individual's weight, the pain in the knee lessened thereby allowing the individual to cancel knee surgery as the pain became tolerable.

IMHO the real causative factor is not the mass the individual carries, but the acceleration due to gravity on the mass itself (the individual). This leads me to thinking that there may be an opportunity to study joint issues in space, to understand the nature of ligature and cartilage breakdown and perhaps design new treatments based on zero gravity conditions.

We, as a human race, are taking our first steps into commercial space flights. There may be an opportunity here to further our medical knowledge on the things that afflict mankind. Perhaps Sir Richard Branson could invest in this most potentially lucrative venture...

Global Warming?

Ever notice that when it gets cold outside, water vapor forms on the inside of the windows in your house. This is due to the fact that warm air holds more moisture than cold air. When the warm air hits the glass on the windows, heat is lost to the glass from the air, allowing the air to cool forcing the water molecules to "drop" on to the window pane and hence the "fogging" of the window occurs.

What if we take this to a global scale?

North America, Europe and most countries in the northern hemisphere this year are experiencing major downfalls of snow and rain unheard of in the last 60 years. If we were in fact heating up, would not the atmosphere be able to hold more moisture rather than drop it on the earth? My hypothesis at this time is that the earth is now in a short cooling trend evidenced by the amount of moisture coming to rest on the planet.

Increasing Food Prices

I do most of the grocery shopping for my household and I have noticed over the years ever increasing food prices and an ever increasing rate of change of food prices. For example in one year alone, cheese has gone up $2 for a 600g brick. The year before that it went up about a dollar. I am beginning to wonder when the "cost of food curve" will flatten out and allow wages to catch up.

I am what one would call an "aware" consumer. I voraciously read flyers and try to buy things only on sale. I do appreciate the "Christmas" sales that temporarily lower prices and that is when I stock up. Naturally fresh food cannot be stocked up on but you can limit what you buy to a more essential and traditional list. I live in a colder climate and hence fresh vegetables and fruit are at premium prices during the winter months.

I tend to eat as my parents did in the winter months by relying heavily on potatoes, turnips, carrots and any vegetable that can be frozen. To supplement my diet I take vitamins and minerals, including large doses of Vitamin C, D and E and with this I have noticed a significant increase in energy.

With all of that said, I am wondering what the food prices will be in the future. How will my children be able to afford the basics in life? Are we all going to have to go back to subsistence farming just to get by or are we going to become fully indentured servants to corporations and the government - the two main consumers of the outputs of all of our activities...

What Now 2010?

Here we are - a new year. What changes are we going to expect this coming year? Are there going to be earth shattering changes to our climate? Will economic policies change such that wealth is better distributed between the haves and the have-nots? Or like most years, there will be a series of gradual changes each incrementally changing the environment in which we live to some degree.

How are we, as a global community, going to move forward? Will the wars that constantly rage be calmed? Will rational thought creep into the minds of those in power so that the waste that is war (and the perceived threats that precede it) is ended.

My fervent hope is for a a shift in global fiscal policy to one not based on debt management but on long term sustainable growth in industries that truly benefit human kind.