Sunday, February 27, 2011

Jamaica's Egypt

Hi


I was reading this article and it gave me pause.
Can this really happen in Jamaica?
Let us compare some of the commonalities between Jamaica and the countries now in turmoil.
-leadership issues
-corruption
-lack of jobs
-high illiteracy rate
-unemployed youths
-lack of education opportunities
-high poverty levels
-high crime rates
When you look at those issues it becomes a perfect storm, and death is more palatable than living under those conditions.
Some Jamaicans have this thought (and I quote) "when ppl call for "Jamaica's Egypt" i really wonder if they understand what they are asking for and what do they plan to do if it happens". That person has not reached the point in life that dying for ones country is better than living IN that country. Another said on Twitter "The change we need isn't gonna happen peacefully ; quietly IMO. Corruption etc is too ingrained for that to happen..."
Let us not white wash the truth, there will be death and destruction, but I doubt that Jamaican's are prepared to stand up and fight for their country. They will tolerate 1600+ murders per year, because it does not have a direct connection to them on a personal level, but they will not stand up and take back their country. They will complain about everything, but fail to see the big picture and stand up for their human rights. They insist that the "Government" must do what is required to run the country, but they fail to see that their rights are being eroded. They tolerate and participate in the corruption, but when their own politicians are being controlled by criminals, the trivialize the process.
Political tribalism overrides human rights in Jamaica, so don't expect any "Egypt" like demonstrations in Jamaica.
It will never happen.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Monday, February 21, 2011

Kindness

About

Who’s behind the kindness?

Ottawa’s Kindness Week Chair: Rabbi Reuven Bulka
Spiritual leader of the congregation Machzikei Hadas and a well-known community leader around Ottawa, Rabbi Bulka is often approached to lend his name, wisdom and support to many community causes. On more than one occasion, he has been asked to participate in activities against anti-Semitism and other initiatives aimed at fighting injustice and intolerance.
“All very important causes,” he said four years ago, “but I’d rather fight for something positive than be against something negative.”
The rabbi set about meeting with other community leaders all around the city and across all sectors. He wanted to know: what if we could make Ottawa a kinder community? Would we need to spend so much time on anti-bullying, anti-racism and issues of mistrust? Or is there an easier and more effective way to spread the kindness?
The rabbi’s questioning struck a chord in many. The Kind Ottawa Steering Committee was created shortly after and planning for Ottawa’s first annual Kindness Week celebration was under way. Since its beginning in 2008, the idea of encouraging the spread of kindness across the nation’s capital has attracted many like-minded community members — and the list of partners continues to grow. In 2010, Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi sponsored a motion that passed unanimously at Queen’s Park to proclaim Kindness Week a province-wide initiative every third week in February.
For Kindness Week 2011, Rabbi Bulka aims to once again spread a kind message across the city: We each have the ability to create the community we want. Make a conscious choice to contribute to a kind Ottawa.

My wish is that this is an everyday event, but alas, it is only a wish.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Monday, February 14, 2011

Born or Hatched


You may have heard by now that Lady Gaga arrived at the Grammy Awards last night in a giant egg. Geddit? Because she's "Born This Way"? (Actually, I feel like there's a quibble here between "born" and "hatched." Aren't they two different things? ...)
She then emerged from the egg on stage and gave the first ever performance of her brand new single. It still sounds a lot like Madonna and she's not doing anything to squash those comparisons by sporting a giant fake blonde pontytail that harkens back to Madge's Blonde Ambition tour. Also, I'm not sure about the beige rubber (?) outfits. Is it supposed to be afterbirth or something? What am I not getting? There's usually something. Other than that the whole things is pretty tame, considering.
Still, the single is  still no Poker Face.
Gaga took home three awards: Best Pop Vocal Album for The Fame Monster, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Short Form Video for Bad Romance.
She is no Madonna, Madge is so much better in style and substance.
Take a look at her performance here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t3o8duntv4

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Mini Vader

There have been many Super Bowl Ads over the years, some of which have been funny, others stupid, a few thought provoking and some weird. However, this 2011 ad I find very funny, particularly at the end when he appears to start the car.
Have a smile and lighten your day.
Mini Vadr
Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Monday, February 7, 2011

Caribu Barbie

Holy S@#$
This woman is dumber than a ten pound bag of stupid.
Sarah Palin gave an interview about the situation in Egypt.
Take the time to read this verbal diarrhea and see if you can decipher what the hell she said..... go on I dare you.
If she is going to run for President of the US, then Heaven help us all ... I shudder to think of the doomsday scenario if she wins the nomination.


Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Caverns or Potholes

Hey
Don't compare your city/location with my Ottawa.
The daily thaw/freeze cycle has left Ottawa streets littered with potholes the size of compact cars. Manhole covers (if that is not politically correct for you, call it Personhole ..jeez!!!) are like islands surrounded by moats, crack have opened up like crevasses, ridges rise up like concrete curbs. The streets are obstacle courses and Ottawans drive like slalom racers, weaving in and out of the asphalt pits and pylons. No wonder the emergency vehiles (EMS/Police/Fire) need so much of my taxes to fix them, as the potholes destroy the suspension of these vehicles on a daily basis. Drivers need to be alert and vigilant or risk loosing a wheel or bits of body to the road hazards.
The flaws in the road are not minor and test both your car's agility and the drivers reflexes. Hit one of those holes and you know it: you feel the jarring crash and feel for the pain that has been inflicted on the car. Broken suspensions and bent rims are but a few of the expensive repairs that are required. If you have a conscience you will stop, check all four wheels and caress a fender before cursing the city for leaving the roads in such awful conditions.
But the relentless winter weather just keeps on rolling.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Internet Access - Canadian Style

INTERNET UBB

The usage-based billing controversy is more about politics than anything else.

When you turn up the heat in your home, when you flip on a light or turn on a tap, you are accessing a network of pipes and wires that are constantly maintained and upgraded to provide you with service. And you are expected to pay for not just the commodity you are using, but for the utility system that distributes and delivers it.

Because it doesn't make practical or economic sense for different players to duplicate the same, expensive infrastructure, the cost of the commodity and its delivery are typically regulated to make sure the monopoly isn't abusive for those who rely upon it.

Strip out the political consideration. Discount the fact that its users are a very communicative and organized cohort. Set aside your aversion to the dominant power of a couple of big players in a relatively small domestic market. Then, ask yourself how the Internet is different from any other utility.

Essentially, telephone and cable companies have invested billions of dollars to meet the booming demand for Internet access. The more businesses and individuals have come to rely on the Internet for communication, entertainment and data transmission, the more it has cost service providers to pay for the technology to make it more reliable, more secure and, above all, faster.

The obvious question — one that's currently at the centre of an emotional public debate in Canada — is why consumers shouldn't have to pay for the capacity they use. After all, if you leave the lights on or the tap running, your usage is metered and your monthly bill will reflect that.

For some reason, however, usage-based billing (UBB) for the Internet is considered an outrage. It's a concept that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) recently decided to introduce after much deliberation.

The decision means that the small Internet service providers, who have been granted access to the networks developed by the big telecom companies (Bell, Telus, Rogers and Shaw) in a government-mandated attempt to create artificial "competition," will no longer be able to offer the flat-rate Internet access they have used to get a toe-hold in the market.

That means that the relatively small number of people — about 20 per cent of users create 80 per cent of traffic — who use the Internet to download movies and games and other big-byte items, will have to pay more if they use more.

This apparently is a violation of some inalienable right to cheap Internet access. And in the face of tremendous public clatter, the Prime Minister has now personally weighed in, demanding a review of the CRTC decision.

It's an overtly political response to the fact that this government likes to portray itself as the champion of "the little guy," especially with the possibility of an election looming this spring. The fact that UBB charges are higher in Quebec than in other jurisdictions doesn't make the concept attractive to a government that really, really wants to gain some seats in that province.

Individuals and small businesses have organized a collective bleat about the CRTC's initiative. The fact that they are taking aim at massive companies - like Bell, Telus, Shaw and Rogers - doesn't hurt.

Those prone to see plots and schemes are quick to point out one of two potential, if conflicting, conspiracies in all this: the big players now own television networks and are jacking up Internet pricing to drive viewers away from computer screens and back to television screens and/or they are trying to pump up the cost of Internet access so that they can capitalize on the download of all the content they now control.

There may or may not be something to that, but for their many (and often deserved) critics, the whole David and Goliath dynamic may make it easier to package and sell their outrage. However, the fact is that the small ISPs which are providing the flat-rate Internet service are an artificial construct.

Although they exist because the government said so, they perpetually claim that they can't be quite as competitive as they were supposed to be because they're charged too much by their competitors for access to networks.

It's a rather twisted turn in the federal government's aggressive push to let free market forces rather than intrusive regulation determine prices on the menu of telecom options. Now that the CRTC has complied by giving the nod to UBB, there's all sorts of complaining and second-guessing going on. And the chairman of the CRTC has been summoned to explain himself to the Committee on Industry, Science and Technology.

Chances are, however well he explains the approval of UBB, it's going to get overturned. There are certainly some reasons why that should happen, but those aren't the reasons that will prevail.

As with copyright and as with two previous reversals of CRTC decrees, short-term political objectives will trump a meaningful debate on an important topic.

My thanks to  Deirdre McMurdy  for her insight and article.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good