A Real life Situation

This is a letter written to a good friend of mine (used with permission) from his son. I cleaned up some names and industry, but it shows the level of stress present in the workforce of the 21st century. I remember the days he is writing about from the 70's, 80's and see today that nothing much has changed. The almighty dollar rules both in the board room, the stock market, and people's personal choices. I am not judging. I am simply pointing out that life is still a rat race in the 21st century.

Are We Going to Learn?

Yesterday was my overdo trip to the barber to see if I still had ears. Apparently I do as I overheard one of the local realtors and a banker (I think) talking about the effects of the recession on the community  specifically and the country in general. It appears that 25% of all mortgages are in arrears by more than 90 days. This was mind boggling to me, and I got some very tired brain cells and synapses working overtime trying to figure out this question. "What are we going to learn from this recession and how are we going to change? Or are we going to change?" I guess that  is actually three questions, not one.If 25% of all home owners are facing repossession, are those people going to sit back, assess what they have done, and change? Or are they going to start the run on materialism once the economy turns? Are we as a nation going to learn? Or repeat the same mistakes over and over again? Credit is easy, repayment is difficult. A  loan of $5000 on a credit card will take something like 35 years to repay when making the minimum payment. Will the banks still push people further into debt by encouraging more "easy" loans?Will we still eagerly accept 0 down and 30 years to pay?

I knew a couple of folks that got through the Great Depression by living on snared rabbits. They learned! it took one fellow about three years and lots of haggling to wear down the dealer before buying a car. He would then drive it for 10 years. Here we have people sinking $70,000 into pick up trucks that will be down to half value in a couple of years. Probably the worst investment that a person will ever make!

Will we learn? Or continue as before? What do you think?

Wow, are my few remaining brain cells tired now!

Are North America's Priorities Right?

I was watching both the CBC and CTV news today and both were carrying stories on the latest epidemic in North America, namely Obesity. Doctors were interviewed about this and were quite concerned with the trend. It is getting worse, according to them. Heart attacks are moving to the younger generation as is other types of disease such as diabetes. I saw a program a few weeks ago where the gist of the story was that the generation now in school, public and secondary, is likely going to live substantialy shorter than their parents. Apparently, the genetic factor where, if you had grandparents and parents with a long lifespan, then you could expect to live a long time also, is now being over ridden by the above concerns.

The other issues tying into this are the time spent in front of the TV and now blackberries and the like, the lack of exercise and generally a sedentary lifestyle. Obviously, not every one can, or should live on an acreage where there is little time for inactivity, but there must  be a way to reverse this. What it is, I do not know.

Go to the flip side of the world where millions die each year due to starvation, and you have to agree that something is wrong in North America.

Is our culture so stressed, so self-centered that obesity and diabetes and the results, are in effect, the results?
Do parents come home so tired that they cannot spend time in the outdoors getting exercise?

I sure would appreciate your input on this question, as it is beyond this ones mind capacity to comprehend.

Canada: sucker nation......

I did a google search on this article under "the national Post", Diane Francis", "Sucker nation" and found a series of articles by her, including this one. Pretty sad! Do other countries other than canada have this happen, I wonder?


by Diane Francis
Financial Post

Vancouver's skyline of often empty pied-a-terres populated by who and why?
Condos in Vancouver and Toronto are often empty because they are addresses of convenience.
Owners work abroad tax-free but pretend to reside in Canada to qualify for immigration, health care and other entitlements and ultimately citizenship for themselves and relatives.

Here are two stories about residency fraud from a source with the initials WS, a Canadian:

Frozen Frustrations

This is a summary of a poll taken by TheHorse.com. The write in answers are kind of humerous if you don't have to deal with the situation described. It does make me wonder about the concept of global warming though. Here,the Southern US is dealing with record low (50 years anyway) temperatures. The Canadian news is showing orange groves being sprayed with water, and giving the prediction of higher than ever orange juice prices. Alberta has just experienced the coldest month of December on record. Yet, the scientists are saying the ice packs at the poles are melting at a rate 30% faster than predicted.

Thickness of a Hair

Imagine 1 kilometre of atmosphere and we want to get rid of the carbon pollution in it created by human activity. Let's go for a walk along it.
The first 770 metres are Nitrogen.
The next 210 metres are Oxygen.
That's 980 metres of the 1 kilometre. 20 metres to go.
The next 10 metres are water vapour. 10 metres left.
9 metres are argon. Just 1 more metre.
A few gases make up the first bit of that last metre.
The last 38 centimetres of the kilometre - that's carbon dioxide. A bit over one foot.
97% of that is produced by Mother Nature. It's natural.
Out of our journey of one kilometre, there are just 12 millimetres left. Just over a centimetre - about half an inch.
That's the amount of carbon dioxide that global human activity puts into the atmosphere.
And of those 12 millimetres Australia puts in .18 of a millimetre.
Less than the thickness of a hair. Out of a kilometre!

Letter from Jesus about Christmas

-- Courtesy of my daughter in law. Thanks, Jonita

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

One of Those Days....

Today is one of those days... Some good, some bad. The chickens are bundled up in the hen house and won't come out. They don't like snow! They have settled down and are now producing 8 eggs a day (from 10 hens), so that is good. The bad side is that we are starting into the first blizzard of the year. That is bad! The forecast is for 15 to 20 cm of snow, winds up to 60 km per hour and due to continue for the next 48 hours. For all you folks that are not on the metric system (yet) that translates to a whole bunch of snow and very deep drifts.

The tractor is down (again), but I have a 6X6 12 foot timber that I use as a drag plow behind the 4 wheel drive truck. Several passes and the 400 foot driveway will be cleared. Until it stops snowing, why bother? The County will not get to the road plowing until the snow stops. Isolated, but warm! A good day to catch up on some reading, clean the fish tank, clean the garage, or have several power naps. Maybe in reverse order!

It's not so bad. I can still see across the field, sort of. I haven't checked yet, but Murphy says the stock water tank will be low and will need to be filled. 100 foot hose that must be drained well, and quickly afterwards.

All in all, life is still good on the Acreage! Wouldn't trade it for anything!

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

CLASSIC VERSION:

THE LAW IS THE LAW

I really love this one. This is one of the better e-mails I have received in a long time! I hope this makes its way around Canada several times over!

So Be It!

THE LAW IS THE LAW

So if the Canadian government determines that it is against the law for the words 'under God' to be on our money, then, so be it.

And if that same government decides that the
'Ten Commandments' are not to be used in or on
a government installation, then, so be it.

I say, 'so be it,' because I would like to be a law abiding CDN citizen.
I say, 'so be it,' because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions.

I would like to think that those people have the Canadian public's best interests at heart.

BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?

Since we can't pray to God,
can't Trust in God and cannot post
His Commandments in Government buildings ,
I don't believe the Government and its employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations
which honor the God  that our government is eliminating from many facets of Canadian life.
I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving , & Easter.

After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the ' CDN Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays.'
After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the Senate and the House of Commons
to not have to worry about getting home for the 'Christmas Break'
After all it's just another day.
I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved,
if all government offices & services would work
on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter.

It shouldn't cost any overtime
since those would be
just like any other day of the week
to a government that is trying to be 'politically correct.'

In fact....

I think that our government should work on Sundays
(initially set aside for worshipping God...)
because, after all, our government says that it should be just another day....

What do you all think????

If this idea gets to enough people, maybe our elected

officials will stop giving in to the 'minority opinions'

and begin, once again,

to represent the 'MAJORITY' of ALL of the Canadian people.

SO BE IT...........

Please Dear Lord,
Give us the help needed to keep you in our country!
'Amen' and 'Amen '

(Courtesy of Jack V)

These are definitely things I never thought about but from now on, I will be sure to question those in government who support these changes.

At the top, it says
'I hope this makes its way around CANADA several times over!!!!!'
Let's see that it does.

Amen and Amen!

Canada/ US Health Care Response to "The Old Geezer"

I follow part of the debate when it hits the Canadian Press. However, I feel that I get a very biased opinion of what is going on. I think, personally that our system is not perfect and in many cases, very much abused. If these abuses are cleaned up, I would much prefer our system over the U.S. I have experienced both systems, namely the abuse in the Canadian versus the very efficient U.S. Our major abuse is the apparent inability of the GP to make a decision without consulting an expert specialist. This leads to the GP referring to the specialist who referrs to the next specialist who refers to the originator. In each case, money (Government type) changes hands. In the case of the wife, we went around the circle at least three times before a doctor who specialized in cutting through red tape suggested we go to Duluth. We did, and for a cost of $400 US we saw 8 doctors, received a treatment plan and the lead doctor phoned us in Canada to see how things were going (at no cost). Problem solved! Our side missed a very obvious diagnosis that I would expect almost any doctor to be able to make.



It is said that a person shouldn't criticise without offering a solution. So, here goes...

1. Look at the liability insurance for doctors. In Canada the cost is exorbitant, leaving the medical profession feeling vulnerable to legal action.

2. This goes against the grain, but put a minimal cash charge to users to discourage people from bringing the "sniffles" to a medical office. Some proof of "hardship" or proven need might be required to help out those single moms/dads or destitute folks that are truly in need to allow a waiver of the token fee. I do believe in a universal health system, but not a blank check.

3. Some sort of accountability for the doctors. IE a scorecard on how efficient they are and also how effective they are at diagnosis and treatment. How this could actually work would really need some thought. I know that when I was in the Pulp and Paper Industry, as a Technical director, I would be gone if I couldn't meet goals/targets and get results.

4. A method of whistle blowing to handle those severe cases of abuse.

I could go on, but maybe this is a possible expanded blog article with a little more thought put into it.

Which system is perfect? At the moment neither. I still prefer ours, but with major reservations.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand misleading words

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand misleading words


Allow me to do the math for you as per below: Canadian oil sands CO2 emissions are 0.17% of the US coal industry and 0.08% of China's total CO2 emissions. Canada's supposed dirty oil is an insignificant drop in the bucket compared to the American's very dirty coal and to China's very dirty air. Canadians must recognize that our national pastime has too long been to sever our noses to spite our faces. Oil and gas made up 21% of Canada's exports in 2006 and is at the top of the list of all Canadian exports. Think of it this way, every Canadian across the country (from St. John's to Victoria) must recognize that 21% of each dollar you have in your account or wallet has gotten there because of oil and gas exports from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. - RW