Morpheus Ramblings

People Are Awesome

2012-01-28T16:10:00.002-05:00

Hi

Take a look at this video and enjoy.

Walk Good

Women Drivers

2012-01-28T15:56:00.001-05:00

Damn women drivers!

Everyone reading this will enjoy it - no matter which gender you are.........

This morning on the Highway across Toronto, I looked over

To my left and there was a Woman

In a brand new Cadillac doing 110 km/h

With her face up next to her rear view mirror

Putting on her eyeliner.

I looked away
For a couple seconds...

To continue shaving

And when I looked back she was

Halfway over in my lane,

Still working on that makeup.

As a man, I don't scare easily.

But she scared me so much;

I dropped

My electric shaver

Which knocked

The donut out of my other hand.

In all the confusion of trying
To straighten out the car

Using my knees against

The steering wheel,

It knocked

My Cell Phone

Away from my ear

Which fell

Into the coffee

Between my legs!

Splashed,

And burned

Big Peter and the Twins,

Ruined the damn phone,

Soaked my trousers,

And disconnected an important call.

Damn women drivers!

Moral of this story
The pot miust not call the kettle black.

Walk Good

Election Results in Jamaica

2011-12-31T19:40:00.000-05:00

It is alleged that Omar Davis (the previous Finance Minister) once said "Jus run wid it", when he was asked about the Finsac debacle while he was Minister of Finance. I now echo his words in response to the recent Jamaica Elections held on December 29th, 2011.
Stats from the ECJ indicate that approximately 52.10% of eligible voters exercised their right to vote, so what happened to the other 48%?
I will refrain from getting into the analysis of the election, as Jamaica is known for a lot of talking, analyzing and nitpicking, but nobody has the definitive answers to the question of "what happened?. Prior to the election date, it was widely pronounced (using various polls, and learned pundits) that it would be a close election with the JLP winning by a nose. So to see that the PNP won by a wide margin, is a surprise indeed.
To the people of Jamaica, be careful what you wish for, now you have to "run wid it".
To the JLP, now in opposition, take solace that you will live to fight another day, in 2016. To the PNP, now forming the next Government, I hope you have a vision for Jamaica and be prepared for significant pain in this period of a weakening World economy. Be aware that Jamaica in now a welfare state, and you can't keep borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, it is not sustainable.
This is my last post for the year, so to all who venture to read my ramblings. I wish you HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!

Ah Sah
Walk Good

You Never Know

2011-12-26T13:25:00.002-05:00

Well, 2011 is nearly over and in some parts of the world, change is happening. This change may be for the better or worse, but change will happen. One of the things that human beings are afraid of is change. It maybe a change of job, or procedure, or climate or the cost of living, in each case us humans will have a deep down fear of the change, of the unknown.
As the new year is just on the horizon, it maybe a signal that each individual reading this, can and should consider the choices we make, and the change that will come from these choices.
It could be a choice of being kind to another human being, or show some compassion towards another human. Take a look at the homeless person begging some money, as he/she is somebody's relative. But for the grace of God, they could be your relative. Show them some kindness (if you don't have money to give, buy them a coffee), show some compassion, remember, but for the Grace of God, so go I; it does not take much for anyone of us to be in their shoes.
I am not preaching to anyone, just asking that each one of us can make the small effort to change our community for the better, and in doing so become the change agent and overcome our fears.
I humbly ask that you take a look at this youtube video (watch it to the end), then look inside of you, and become a change agent.

Walk Good

Tis The Season

2011-12-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

The world has reached a point that everything must be politically correct, so during the Christmas time we are now required to say Happy Holidays. However, for this brief sojourn, let us enjoy our family and friends, and wish each a Merry Christmas.

God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith;
the warmth of Christmas, which is love;
the radiance of Christmas, which is purity;
the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice;
the belief in Christmas, which is truth;
the all of Christmas, which is Christ.
--Wilda English

To all who visit or read this blog I wish you Peace and Love during this Festive Season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Walk Good

70 Years of Change

2011-12-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

Movie: The Great Dictator
Year: 1940
Actor: Charlie Chaplin
It is amazing, that over 70 years ago a Comedian made a speech that is still 100% relevant today.
Someone has edited it and infused some modern images, but left the speech intact.
The question arises and should be asked "Has the world changed in those 70 years"?
Take the time to look and listen to the speech, then make your own judgement.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

The Occupy Movement

2011-11-18T15:20:00.000-05:00

Hi
This came across my desk and I thought I would share.
After you watch this video, think about it, then form your own opinion.

http://www.pjtv.com/s/GYZTKNQ

AHH SAH
WALK GOOD

Meaning of Life

2011-11-15T14:54:00.000-05:00

Use your "smartphone" on this QR Code.
Read and follow the prompts to find out what is the meaning of life.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Lest We Forget

2011-11-09T17:01:00.016-05:00

On the 11th Day of the 11th Month, on the 11th Hour

I AM HONOURED TO DO THIS

LOVE & PEACE IN 2011

...

Prayer:

'Lord Jesus, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the
selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

These Colours Don't Run

Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world.
There is nothing attached.
Of all the gifts you could give a Soldier, Sailor, and all the others deployed in harm's way, prayer is the very best one.

WALK GOOD
GOD BLESS

Tribalism

2011-11-04T16:56:00.001-04:00

tribalism
1. the customs, life, and organization of a tribal society.
2. a strong loyalty to one’s tribe, party, or group.

Tribalism is when one group of people start to think people from another group are “wrong by default”. It’s the great-granddaddy of racism and sexism. And the most dangerous kind of tribalism is completely invisible: it has nothing to do with someone’s “birth tribe” and everything to do with their affiliations: where they work, which sports team OR political party they support.
There are a couple of hallmarks of tribal argument:
1. “The other guys have never done anything useful”. Well, let’s think about that. All of us wake up every day, with very similar ambitions and goals. I’ve travelled the world and I’ve never met a single company, or country, or church, where *everybody* there did *nothing* useful. So if you see someone saying “Microsoft is totally evil”, that’s a big red flag for tribal thinking. It’s just like someone saying “All black people are [name your prejudice]“. It’s offensive nonsense, and you would be advised to distance yourself from it, even if it feels like it would be fun to wave that pitchfork for a while.
2. “Evidence contrary to my views doesn’t count.” So, for example, when a woman makes it to the top of her game, “it’s because she slept her way there”. Offensive nonsense. And similarly, when you see someone saying “Canonical didn’t actually sponsor that work by that Canonical employee, that was done in their spare time”, you should realize that’s likely to be offensive nonsense too.
Let’s be clear: tribalism makes you stupid. Just like it would be stupid not to hire someone super-smart and qualified because they’re purple, or because they are female, it would be stupid to refuse to hear and credit someone with great work just because they happen to be associated with another tribe.
The very uncool thing about being a fanboy (or fangirl) of a project/party is that you’re openly declaring both a tribal affiliation and a willingness to reject the work of others just because they belong to a different tribe.
Now, bad things happen everywhere and because we have a huge community, they are perhaps more likely to happen there than anywhere else. If we want to avoid human nature’s worst consequences, we have to work actively against them. That’s why we have strong leadership structures, which hopefully put people who are proven NOT to be tribal in nature into positions of responsibility. It takes hard work and commitment, it’s hard, but sometimes we have to critique people who are associated with party politics, because they have been tribal.
Warfare between tribal groups in the distant past was probably an adaptive device as well. Cultures are conservative devices, the cultural systems of each group, and when taken as an indivisible whole constitute an adaptive mechanism for the group and preserve economically appropriate behaviour. When one unique culture comes into contact with another, cultural sharing could weaken the belief system and the associated economically appropriate rituals, leading eventually to the demise of the tribe. Therefore, warfare against out-groups would preserve the integrity of the cultural system, and improve the chances for survival for the individuals in the group. With widely dispersed groups this is actually a good thing; it's likely that different systems are required to adapt to differing economic environments, as different species do as well, so a little warfare following contact and then separation is a good thing. That said groups can and do borrow selectively from each other, which has occurred for thousands of years without always causing violence: the spread of agriculture, writing, spices, technology, and even ideas and religion as in the case of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
Those cultures that accept diversity, in the most universal sense of the word, will survive. Those that do not accept diversity will be engaged in conflict and will not survive, or alternatively, if humanity does not have that capacity, none of us will survive. Thinking out loud, perhaps there will be conflict on such an enormous scale that population will revert to 2000 year ago levels with the whole process then to repeat until humanity is able to get past it.
If we don't learn to live together in a connected global community we will destroy ourselves. That is the next step in our evolution.

The question I need to ask is the following:
Is tribalism an issue in your country of birth?
Is tribalism a major issue in the party politics in Jamaica?

AHH SAH
WALK GOOD

Retirement

2011-10-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

Today I went to a retirement lunch for a person who I had worked with some few years ago. It was a surprise, as I had not seen/heard of some of my former co-workers for some time. This usually happens when you work for the Federal Government and you move between Department(s), you no longer keep in contact.
I wish him all the best as he is a great guy and a honest human being.
I will say this prayer for my friend Norm "may He walk with you during your retirement years my freind, God Bless."

AHH SAH
WALK GOOD

The Seasons are Changing

2011-10-22T19:07:00.001-04:00

This depicts a pathway which I often use when going for my many walks. It shows the beauty of the fall colours, yet it harbours the message that the harsh winter is coming and we should get prepared.
P.S. Please click on the picture to see a larger version.

Enjoy
Walk Good

Call Center

2011-10-18T16:38:00.000-04:00

We all know about these Call Centers and how it can be frustrating to work as a Call Center Operator.
Here are some calls that were received in a Call Center... enjoy.
Actual call center conversations!

Customer:'I've been calling 700-1000 for two days and can't get through; Can you help?'
Operator:'Where did you get that number, sir?'
Customer:'It's on the door of your business.'
Operator:'Sir, those are the hours that we are open.'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caller: 'Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?'
Operator: 'I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand who you are talking about.'
Caller: 'On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and Telephone Jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the Number for Jack?'
Operator:'I think it means the telephone plug on the wall.'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RAC Motoring Services
Caller:'Does your European Breakdown Policy cover me when I am traveling in Australia?'
Operator:'Does the policy name give you a clue?'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directory Inquiries
Caller:'I'd like the number of the Argo Fish Bar, please'
Operator:'I'm sorry, there's no listing. Are you sure that the spelling is correct?'
Caller:'Well, it used to be called the Bargo Fish Bar but the 'B' fell off.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then there was the caller who asked for a knitwear company in Woven.
Operator:'Woven? Are you sure?'
Caller:'Yes.. That's what it says on the label -- Woven in Scotland ..'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On another occasion, a man making heavy breathing sounds from a phone box told a worried operator: 'I haven't got a pen, so I'm steaming up the window to write the number on.'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tech Support:'I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop.'
Customer: 'OK.'
Tech Support: 'Did you get a pop-up menu?'
Customer: 'No.'
Tech Support:'OK. Right-Click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?'
Customer: 'No.'
Tech Support:'OK, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?'
Customer: 'Sure. You told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'.'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tech Support:'OK. At the bottom left hand side of your screen, can you see the 'OK' button displayed?'
Customer:' Wow! How can you see my screen from there? '
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caller:'I deleted a file from my PC last week and I just realized that I need it. So, if I turn my system clock back two weeks will I get my file back again?'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHH SAH
WALK GOOD

Interesting and Funny

2011-10-03T16:04:00.000-04:00

They start them early in the 21st Century.
On my regular walk, I often pass this sign, and it has always intrigued me. OK, OK, not what they do (that is obvious)but when they begin the process.
I have seen other signs, and they usually state that they take children from age 1 to age X (whatever X means, it could be 5).
However, on this sign it is different, and that is what I find funny. Take a close look and it states "Daycare for ages 0-5", now tell me how they can do any daycare for age 0.
Does the mother have to come in on her eighth month?..... remember it says "Age 0". That is what I found intriguing.
They could have written "From 1 month to 5 years", but "From 0-5 years", that is what I call "Early Learning & Socialization"

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

It is here

2011-09-22T12:15:00.002-04:00

This tells us all that the election in Ontario, has started.
The signs are EVERYWHERE, even breaking the rules in some instances. Some candidates had to send out their ~~lackeys~~ volunteers to remove some signs because they are breaking the law on WHERE they are putting these signs.

All of politicians are a bunch of liars anyway. But one has to exercise ones democratic right, and VOTE.

I plead to ALL Ontarians (who can vote), to rise up and VOTE. This is our spring and democratic freedom is in the salient act of VOTING.

Use the QR code below (if you have a smartphone) and go to ONTARIO ELECTIONS and get more information.

VOTE, PEOPLE, VOTE.

Walk Good

Took The Plunge

2011-09-05T16:59:00.000-04:00

I finally upgraded to this Android Smartphone.
Let me clear up something here, I am not a huge fan of the iPhone 4 and as such was not going to wait and compare the upcoming iPhone 5 with the present crop of smartphones.
Internal Hardware
- 1.2 GHz Dual-Core Samsung Exynos Processor
- 1GB of RAM
- 16GB of Internal storage expandable with microSD card slot upgradable to up to 32GB
- Mali-400 Graphic processor
- 21.1Mbps HSPA+ capable chipset
- Wi-Fi b/g/n
- 8MP auto-focus camera with LED flash and 1080p HD video capabilities
Whatever task you can think of that is possible to do on Android and the Galaxy S II can not only do it but do it faster than ANY other Android smartphone, on the market today. In another few months it maybe overtaken, but right now it is just FAST.
Android 2.3? YES. Latest TouchWiz 4.0? YES. Does it mean a good experience? I think so. First off, it's good to finally see that a top of the line phone come out with the latest version of Android. So I will hand it to Samsung for being on the ball and shipping the Galaxy S II with Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
Camera: 10/10
- Top notch stills and PHENOMENAL 1080p HD recording, top of class, competing easily with low/mid range point and shoot digital cameras and smartphone camera kings; Apple iPhone 4, Nokia N8
Included Apps/Bloatware: 7/10
- Bearable level of bloatware, but of course room for improvement. This is the area that most smartphones fail with massive amounts of "bloatware", but it is passable, better than most.
Final Score: 9/10
My thanks to "ANDROID BUGLE" for their review(s) when I was researching smartphones.

Walk Good

Sharia Law

2011-08-25T16:04:00.001-04:00

Hi
Muslims practice "Sharia Law", which they state is outlined in the Qur'an. However, while speaking to a devout Muslim a few days ago, he stated that the Qur'an does NOT advocate/approve such outlandish behavior.
No, I do not speak Arabic, neither do I study the Qur'an, however, I respect the Muslim faith/traditions and they should respect my faith and traditions.
This altercation happened in Toronto a few days ago, and I thought I would speak up.
"a fist in the face doesn’t necessarily constitute assault in our increasingly culturally sensitive Toronto"
Culturally sensitivity and Political correctness have gone amok in this world.
Please take the time to read this article posted in the Toronto Sun recently.
As the article says "The fact we have Islamists living amongst us who despise western values isn’t news. But surely you can’t just sock someone in the mouth.
Well, apparently you can — as long as the intent of the aggressor was merely to inflict property damage.
World’s upside-down"
Infidels must not take pictures of Muslims-and now that apparently is enshrined in Canadian law or something.
The problem really is that we are so "used to" this, and that none of our institutions-police, judiciary, educational systems, etc.. can be shamed-they are pro-sharia. What can we do about dhimmi morons who feel happy that they are "keeping the peace" by "accommodating" sharia?

This is not acceptable as Toronto police officers have transformed into sharia enforcement squads.

What other Canadian police force is going to capitulate to "accommodating" sharia law.?

The world has surely gone to hell in a hand basket.

AHH SAH
WALK GOOD

Forward Thinking

2011-08-25T11:43:00.000-04:00

Apple does it again !

Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music.

The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size.

This is considered a major social breakthrough ... because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

AHH SAH
WALK GOOD

The Audacity of Racism

2011-07-31T15:10:00.001-04:00

This came across my desk and I though I would share it with whoever reads this blog.
It is a bit long, but please read it, whether you agree or not.
This was written by a white American...read on.

Arrogance of being President while being Black
I don't think anyone was under some real illusion that the election of Barack Obama actually means the end of racism in America . I'm pretty sure that the president-elect knew it better than anyone. After all, he saw it every day, from the moment he announced his candidacy. To some degree, he saw it within his own party during the primaries. And he saw it in all ugliness during the general election. For half of this country, he was "That One". No matter how big and clear his victory was. No matter how smart he is. No matter how decent he is. No matter what a true patriot he is. No matter how optimistic and positive his vision for America was. All that didn't matter. Because at the end of the day, he was still black.

I'm quite old. I remember, vaguely, where my parents were on November 22, 1963. I've seen so many presidents. Some were feared, some were hated, some were adored, some popular and some not. But all of them, without exception, were treated with the highest respect deserving the office of the president of the United States .

That is until a black man won the right to occupy this office. It's been 13 months now, and in the eyes of so many, Barack Obama is still that one. He is being disrespected and at the same time being held to the highest standard of any president I've ever seen – and not just by the Republican side! He has to perform three times better than any president in history, and even that may not be enough.

For the media, he is many more times just "Obama" than "President Obama". They create scandals out of nothing issues. It took them at least 6 years to start giving Bush a small part of the shit he deserved. It took them 6 months to begin crap all over Obama because he's yet to fix the catastrophe that was left for him.

They use condescending tones when they talk about him, and only mildly less condescending when they talk TO him. With anyone else, CNN wouldn't dare go to commercials every time the president speaks, like they did during that summit on Thursday. They wouldn't dare be counting how many minutes George Bush or Bill Clinton were talking. Chris Mathews wouldn't dare make an issue out of Ronald Regan calling members of congress by their first name, like he is not actually the president. They fully cooperate with the Right-Wing smear machine when it comes to president Obama's national security performance – even if almost every independent and military expert actually thinks that he's a terrific Commander-in-Chief. You'll never see them on TV, and virtually no one from the Left, in congress and outside, defend the president on this matter.

I don't care about the Far-Right. They're just crazy ignorant Neanderthals. It's the way the beltway and the mainstream treats this president that is shocking. On Thursday, almost every Republican had no trouble interrupting him in the middle of a sentence. They looked like they're going to vomit every time they had to say "Mr. president". They all had this Eric-Cantor-Smirk whenever he spoke. Then they went out and started to spit their stupid talking points, to the delight of the media. Sarah Palin, a woman who can hardly read, thinks that he was "arrogant" towards John McCain, and somehow this is an important news. Because you see, "Obama's Arrogance" is the talking point of the day.

Oh, those talking points. He is arrogant (because he knows the facts better than all of them combined). He is an elitist (because he uses big words that they don't understand). He is weak on national security (because he actually thinks about the consequences). He divides the country (well, he did that the day he had the audacity to win the election). Worst of all, he actually thinks that he's the president. He even dared to say so on Thursday. How arrogant of him. You'd think that previous presidents didn't have any ego. Somehow it turned out that the one president who treats even his biggest opponents with the utmost respect – is the arrogant one. I wonder why?

I expected that his winning the Presidency would bring out some ugliness, but it's been far worse than I imagined. The racism coming from the Right is obviously clear and shameless, but there's also some hidden and maybe subconscious and disturbing underline tone behind some of the things that I read here and throughout the Left blogosphere, even before the end of Obama's first year - 'He's weak, he's spineless, he's got no balls, primary him in 2012'. It'll be dishonest to deny that.

The fact is that for millions in America, Barack Obama is this uppity black man (Not even a "real" black), who received good education only due to affirmative action, and has no right to litter the sacred Oval Office with his skin color. They just can't accept the fact that the president is a black man, who unlike his predecessor, was actually legally elected. But what's really sad is that it's not just the fringe, its deep deep in mainstream America .

Barack Obama's ability to remain above all this slob, to keep his optimism and his strange and mostly unjustified faith in people, while continuing to gracefully deal with an endless shitstorm – is one of the most inspiring displays of human quality I have ever seen. And I can only hope that the Cosmos is on his side because God is and He never makes a mistake.

Sometimes, they make me feel ashamed to be a white man!!

AH SAH
WALK GOOD

Happy Birthday

2011-07-01T13:44:00.000-04:00

I became a citizen of this great country in 1974, so I can say with pride

Joyeux anniversaire, le Canada

Walk Good

The Non Rapture

2011-05-22T15:27:00.000-04:00

It is May 23, 2011 and if you are reading this you were NOT raptured.
Come on now, did you really believe that Camping could predict the exact date and time of Judgement day?
If you did believe him, I suggest that you go and read the Bible properly, it may help you to become a better christian and stop believing in false prophets.
This story I find hilarious, and I quote "Ensuring your pets aren't left defenseless comes at a cost, however. Eternal Earthbound Pets charges a $135 fee for the first animal and $20 for each additional pet." Eternal Earthbound Pets do not issue refunds, so the pet owners who paid $135.00 can't get their money back, and they are not raptured, now who is the sucker.
Every day is judgement day as it could be tomorrow, next week or any day now.
Some of us are like sheep who follow blindly and are worse that a 10 pound bag of stupid.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

A bit of This and That

2011-05-19T15:42:00.001-04:00

Hi
I am going to cover a few topics in one session, but make each one short.
CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT WINS MAJORITY IN CANADA
This I find a bit paradoxical. They had a minority and were found guilty of obstructing justice and abusing/disregarding the Parliamentary System, hence the "no confidence" vote and a new election. The people voted them back in, but with a MAJORITY... go figure. The hypocritical aspect of all this is the demise of the PQ (Parti Quebecois) whose existed only in Quebec and its mission is to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada. They now have only four seats (no longer classified as a party) and their leader lost his seat and resigned. So far nothing unusual, but this is the clincher... he gets a pension from the Government of Canada in the amount of $156,000 per year. This amount is from the same government that he was working to separate from in the first place...what hypocrisy.
CAN A CLOWN BE RACIST
Donald Trump insisted that President Obama was not born in the US, however, when the President showed the birth certificate, Donald took credit and said this... "I get along well with blacks". A clown with money is still a clown. When he said that, it is akin to white folks saying "I have lots of friends who are black" and that is a racist statement. Can you imaging Donald Trump being President of the USA?
Enough said.
CARIBU BARBIE GETS HER ROCKS OFF
Sarah Palin wrote in a tweet, "Media: admit it, Trump forced the issue. Now, don't let the WH distract you w/the birth crt from what Bernanke says today. Stay focused, eh?"
Why doesn't she stay in Alaska and hibernate.
TRYING TO COUNSEL A 27 YR FEMALE
This is a good one, as I may have to give up and say "I can't help you anymore". Let me give you some background. One of my co-workers is a 27 year old female,(lets call her Mary) who has a child for this man (lets call him Paul). They both cheated on each other before she got pregnant, but she got pregnant anyway (water under the bridge). Now Paul visits the child, pays support and regularly takes the child to to parents, so he is being a Dad. Mary feels she needs more from Paul because she maintains that she is still in love with him, but there is no physical contact between Mary and Paul. Paul has moved on, but Mary is still hanging on to the hope that he will return and make the perfect family of three.
All this stress is affecting her work and we have been trying to tell her that she has to look out for herself and move on with her life, but she seems to be prepared to live in constant hope, that Paul will come back to her.
I feel sorry for her, as she is hurtling toward an emotional calamity which she will have to deal with on her own.
I have no patience for stupid people.
SHOP LOCALLY
Every local paper/magazine you read, is pounding on the ever present adage that you should "shop locally".
I don't mind "shopping locally", but when the local customer service is lousy and the price(with HST) is 20% higher than the online store, shipped to my door something is wrong.
Unless the local stores see the light and notice that "WalMart", "Costco" and the online stores are selling the same product for less, and they need to change their plan and cater to me with better customer service and competitive pricing, then they have lost my patronage.

Summer is here (finally) so my work outside in the garden is more therapeutic than sitting in front of a PC.... so blogging is not going to be as numerous.

Enjoy your summer.

AHH SAH
WALK GOOD

God is Good

2011-04-24T16:11:00.001-04:00

If He is good, why do I suffer?
I was reading a blog about this very topic, and I found the urge to use that blog and present it here.
There is a quote in that blog which says "...... sometimes the very suffering we hate is God’s blessing to us."
When suffering hits us we feel abandoned or betrayed by God. But like little children we do not see the whole picture, the whole movie of our lives. We see that painful moment as the whole of life itself. God looks out not only for our present but for our future as well.
Please take the time to read this.

Take Care
Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Thinking about it

2011-04-04T15:46:00.001-04:00

What the hell am I thinking about?
Change... changes to this blog.

As British Novelist Arnold Bennett aptly puts it -”Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” But whatever said and done, there is no way to avoid change. You can probably stall it a bit, but not avoid it,as change is the only constant in life.
Within the next month, there will be some changes to this blog, Don't know what, but change it must.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Make Things Happen

2011-03-29T19:32:00.000-04:00

Go ahead and do it anyway
Somebody is going to criticize what you do. Do it anyway.
There will be problems and complications that come up, and you won’t get it finished as quickly as you planned. Do it anyway.
Right now there’s something you sincerely want to achieve, or experience, or become, or express. And though there are endless excuses for not moving forward on it, there’s also one very compelling reason to go ahead and get it done.
If you truly desire it, and believe in it, and know it’s worthwhile, then it’s something you are meant to do. And it’s something that somehow, in some way, can absolutely happen for you.
But it won’t just happen because you want it to. It will happen when you focus the power of your spirit and awareness persistently in the direction that makes it happen.
Go ahead, and experience the priceless joy of living with meaningful purpose.

Go ahead, and make it happen.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Out of the Mouths of ......

2011-03-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

Hi
This came across my desk and I thought I would share.

The following questions were set in last year's GED examination
These are genuine answers (from 16 year olds)............and they WILL breed.

Q. Name the four seasons
A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar

Q. Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink
A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists

Q. How is dew formed
A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire

Q. What causes the tides in the oceans
A. The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight

Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on
A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed

Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections
A. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election

Q. What are steroids
A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs(Shoot yourself now , there is little hope)

Q.. What happens to your body as you age
A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental

Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty
A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery(So true)

Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes
A. Premature death

Q. What is artificial insemination
A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow

Q. How can you delay milk turning sour
A. Keep it in the cow (Simple, but brilliant)

Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorized (e.g. The abdomen)
A. The body is consisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I,O,U. (wtf!)

Q. What is the fibula?
A. A small lie

Q. What does 'varicose' mean?
A. Nearby

Q. What is the most common form of birth control
A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium (That would work)

Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarean section'
A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome

Q. What is a seizure?
A. A Roman Emperor.
(Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a fit)

Q. What is a terminal illness
A. When you are sick at the airport. (Irrefutable)

Q. Give an example of a fungus. What is a characteristic feature?
A. Mushrooms. They always grow in damp places and they look like umbrellas

Q. Use the word 'judicious' in a sentence to show you understand its meaning
A. Hands that judicious can be soft as your face. (OMG)

Q. What does the word 'benign' mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight(brilliant)

Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head.

Whiskey, Tango Foxtrot and they will reproduce

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

We Live With Our Choices

2011-03-13T20:04:00.001-04:00

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

Henley represents himself as one who is impervious to pain and hardship and is determined not to even remotely consider introspection in such times of trial. His motto could be, “Stay the course, come what may.” Being “unconquerable” sounds macho, but we all know that the love of another or that of one’s God can merit a bit of conquering! When proven wrong, one may be obstinate or allow the facts to conquer our pride and prompt us to apology.

The spirit of determination and conviction pictured here is certainly admirable when one is standing for principle. Many have died while refusing to bow to tyranny, persecution or torture, but the nobility is of greater value when the cause is greater than merely pride or personal aggrandizement.

In verse three, Henley speaks of future “Horror” beyond the hardships of the present. Perhaps he refers only to the empty void or oblivion that some believe awaits those who die. But, the word “Horror” sounds ominous enough to describe a hell of sorts anticipated by those who defy or deny their Creator. This fatalistic attitude is not completely unlikely and is even referenced in the biblical book of Revelation where those suffering tribulation woes curse the God they know has sanctioned their judgment. To claim to be unafraid in this context sounds somewhat boastful and premature.

In the final verse, Henley references the “strait” gate. While this could have been pulled from the words of Jesus found in the Gospels, it may simply be a reference to the author’s willingness to take the hard path. Line two seems to be an unavoidable reference to the “scroll” or book opened in the final judgment that records the sins of the condemned and (supposedly) the pronouncement of “punishments” in the Lake of Fire (again, Revelation) . Henley supposes that his judgment before God will somehow be overruled by his own human power of self-determination. One wonders if Henley understood the concept that a captain can choose to challenge the reefs with his vessel, but once upon the savage rocks, his will cannot overturn the shipwreck he has caused by his arrogance.

We can all make choices, we cannot control the results, but we do have to live with them.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Making Mistakes

2011-03-10T16:56:00.000-05:00

Hi
I read this in another blog that I came across, by sheer accident.
© Mahogony Diva/Cheatham Graphix LLC 2007 All rights reserved
I fell down the other day

Skinned my knee so bad , one of the worse scars I ever had
Thought I would neva' walk again and by the looks of that wound on my skin
thought I would neva' have the chance to dance or do the two step..
You would have thought the same lookin at the bruise that was left..
As I sat there wondering how my life would be now feeling all embarrassed cause I fell down
a cool breeze came blew all around me and then settled on my knee..
Felt like a whirlwind was twirlin ‘round on my skin..
All the sudden that scar started to mend and my leg started to bend
Straight that is..
I looked around to see if anybody was paying attention to me if anybody saw the wind that healed my knee
But nobody noticed..
Then a voice spoke and I almost choked
The voice said.. “Stand up” and the boom from the voice was so strong I felt it in my gut..
“Stand up”
So I obliged and to my surprise I was standing tall
Straighter than I did before I took that fall
All eyes were on me and there were lots of faces lookin on with glee
You see
Everybody noticed..
I realized at that moment in time
That I could rise just like an angel with wings
I could do anything..
Weren’t no need for me to be 'shamed 'cause I stumbled and took a tumble..
See
The indignity wasn’t in me fallin down
The indignity would have been
If I continued to lay there on the ground..

In her blog she states:
" Making mistakes is all part of the staircase to higher ground, and this world will surely come to an end if we all just lay and wallow in our failures. Master jumping the hurdles in your life. There is no shame in failure."
Please take the time to read her writings here

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Computers and Cars

2011-03-07T16:10:00.001-05:00

(A picture of the Ford Sync for Telephone)

A few days ago, I was reading this article by Maureen Dowd, and it started me thinking.
She states that “Studies show that drivers who talk on cellphones are four times more likely to be in a crash and drive just as erratically as people with an 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level.”
According to her article “Auto companies are busy creating new crack hits for our self-destructive cravings. Ford is developing a system that would let drivers use phones and music players and surf the Internet with voice commands and audible responses.
Sounds like a computerized death machine. But, as our dealers know, we’ll never disconnect.”
I may add that Ford is not the only automaker that is catering to our destructive behaviour.
You can read her updated column here , after Ford invited her to visit their compound and explained their reasons for implementing the "Ford Sync".
The present car I drive has “voice commands” for everything (telephone, radio, cd, iPod, Navigation, Update to your Twitter/Facebook pages to mention a few), and it also has this wonderful screen that tells you the results. I do not use it while I am driving as I find it distracting and taking my attention off the road. In my jurisdiction, if you get caught using this device (with your hands) while driving, the police will give you a ticket for $500, confiscate your vehicle and you get demerit points. Hence the automakers are pushing this “voice command”, encouraging the driver to use it instead of using your hands. However, the distraction is not using your hands or not, it is diverting your attention from the road to the conversation or looking at the screen in the car.
“Personal electronics have no business syncing with cars”

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Jamaica's Egypt

2011-02-27T14:58:00.001-05:00

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

Kindness

2011-02-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

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

Born or Hatched

2011-02-14T15:55:00.000-05:00

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

Mini Vader

2011-02-09T13:42:00.002-05:00

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

Caribu Barbie

2011-02-07T19:36:00.004-05:00

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

2011-02-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

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.

Internet Access - Canadian Style

2011-02-06T14:19:00.001-05:00

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

A Friend I Lost

2011-01-18T15:31:00.001-05:00

Hi
I know a couple very well, and her father passed away a few days ago. He was a terrific listener but never judgmental. In all our discussions, he would always be my ardent listener and now words fail me to express how I lost a friend. We will miss you Graham.

His family will grieve, but he is gone to a better place.

"The angels are always near to those who are grieving, to whisper to them that their loved ones are safe in the hand of God." ~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

As a tribute and celebration of his life, I ask that you take the time to listen to this.

May the Good Lord be with you.

Walk Good

Something is wrong with this picture

2011-01-11T15:56:00.005-05:00

Hi
The recent shooting in Arizona is wrong on many levels.
-Vitriolic Politics
-Hate
-Dislike of another human being.
-Second Amendment remedies (Does this mean that we must shoot the politicians we don't like)
-Blood Libel (What the hell does that mean)

Lets be clear, most of us have a right of free speech. We have the right to disagree with another person and to object to how our Government is being run by our elected officials.
WE DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO MURDER THEM.
Use our vote to boot them out of office, but that is the only weapon in our democracy that is allowed.
All the facts are not available as to the motive for the shootings, but to suggest that this happened because the Congress Woman is Jewish is not only far fetched, but borders on sheer hatred. It is wrong, so wrong. I plead with you to read Arizona Shooting
To read what SP said, please Read this
Will this tragedy change the political rhetoric?. I doubt it. They will talk about it for a few weeks and then go back to the "power hungry" vitriolic diatribe which both sides have been indulging in for the past few years.

What a sad state of affair, and what an affair of state is so sad.

Ah Sah
Walk Good

Raz Ma Taz

2011-01-11T13:51:00.002-05:00

Hi
This came across my desk, so I thought I would share.
1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15. The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17. A backward poet writes inverse.
18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine.
21. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'
22. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says 'Dam!'
23. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
24. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says 'Are you sure?' The
first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.'
25. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental
medication.
26. There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Ahh Sah
Walk Good

Digital Narcissism

2010-12-19T14:32:00.002-05:00

During the past few months, while walking on the sidewalk, numerous people bumped into me while staring down at their "smartphones". I asked a few what they were doing and not paying attention to where they were going; and they said they were "tweeting" or "texting".
So I decide to dig a bit deeper into this "digital narcissistic" tendency, and what I discovered was amazing, so I decided to share what I found.

"Digital Narcissism is a term that some use to describe the self-indulgent practices that typify all-too-much user behavior on blogs and social networking sites. People often use these mediums as tools to tune out much of the external world, while reinforcing and further rationalizing overblown esteem for their own mundane opinions, tastes and lifestyle choices"

Additionally, and to the point of this post, the digital documentation of ourselves also means that we exist. There is a common adage that if something is not on Google, it does not exist. As the world is increasingly digital, this becomes increasingly true. Especially for individuals. One adolescent told her mother, “If you’re not on MySpace, you don’t exist.”

The Internet isn’t killing anything. It’s tools, and it’s controlled by people. We are killing our culture through our miss-use of the Internet. . It’s not that I think services like blogs or twitter in themselves have a tendency to make people more self-conscious, but that more often than naught, people use the services for promotional purposes, and in the process, a lot of the personal glitter that made the early days of web-self-publishing so innovative and interesting are losing the sparkle.

Social networks aren’t doing their job. I suppose it’s because the “social” in “social network” has multiple meanings. Although people are socializing on a certain level, I find that more and more people are just using the network as a platform to boost their ego and promote themselves. This kind of digital narcissism greatly affects the kind of content they post their sites, since they are hugely interested in how others perceive them.
We are increasingly afraid of being nothing or unimportant so we develop narcissistic impulses to become real. The explosion of new ways to document ourselves online allows new outlets for importance, existence and perhaps even immortality that living only in the material world does not permit. The simple logic is that increased digital documentation of ourselves means increased digital existence. More than just social networking sites, we document ourselves on Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and even increasingly with services that track, geographically, where one is at all times, often via one’s smart phone.

Take a look at this

What do you think, is it ? "Digital narcissism" or "a new kind of shared national experience?

Walk Good

2010 is Ending

2010-12-18T13:47:00.001-05:00

Hi
If I may take this opportunity to wish everyone, who ventures into this space, a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and safe New Year. It does not matter what religion or creed you are, the wish is given with a free and compassionate heart.
To all those going through tough times, remember that He gave his life to save ours, therefore, our hardships pale in comparison.
No one person can change the world, but one person can make a difference within a community, and in doing so, provide some happiness to one person within that community.
As the song says:
This night
We pray
Our lives
Will show
This dream
He had
Each child
Still knows
We are waiting
We have not forgotten

Please take a moment to listen and watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cP26ndrmtg

May God Bless whoever cares to read this blog.

Walk Good

The Eagle Has Landed

2010-12-14T14:30:00.001-05:00

I wrote about her some time ago, in this session
http://morpheusramblings.blogspot.com/2008/06/ode-to.html

The time had finally arrived and I had to let her go. She was costing more to maintain, than her trade-in cost and certain expensive items were to be done in the near future, after the 2010 winter months.
I did not want to do it until next year ( 2011), but the deal was right for me to get a 2011 model with all the bells and whistles, AWD and NAV system to name a few.
The eagle landed a last week, and I had the winter tires/rims installed, undercoated.and the front clearshielded.
I will take it out in the snow and try the AWD system.
Walk Good

Lest We Forget

2010-11-11T11:12:00.001-05:00

They fought (still fighting) and died so that I have, what I have.
FREEDOM
Walk Good

Corporate Responsibilities

2010-10-21T16:07:00.003-04:00

The new KFC Double Down sandwich is real! This one-of-a-kind sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!

Sandwich Calories Fat (g) Sodium (mg)
KFC Original Recipe® Double Down 540 32 1780
KFC Grilled Double Down 460 23 1730

Read This
Exceeding the recommended sodium intake is known to worsen hypertension, so it is important to know how much salt your body can take. According to the Institute of Medicine, the recommended sodium intake (per day) for each age group is:
- 1000 mg for children aged 1 to 3
- 1200 mg for children aged 4 to 8
- 1500 mg for people aged 9 to 50
- 1300 mg for adults aged 51 to 70
- 1200 mg for seniors aged 70+
As you can see, the DD exceeds the minimum Sodium Intake for ANY age group.

Too much salt or excess sodium intake will elevate the blood pressure and cause edema (usually ankles and feet swelling). This particularly occurs in person who is more sensitive to sodium.
The kidneys regulate the amount of sodium by retain or excrete it as needed. When there’s a high amount of sodium in the body, the kidneys will excrete more sodium to balance body fluid volume while when it’s too low, the kidneys will retain more of it to maintain a normal fluid volume.
However, when the kidneys can’t excrete enough of sodium, excess sodium starts to accumulate in the body. The accumulated excess sodium then leaks to the surrounding tissues causing swelling especially in the ankles and feet. In addition, because sodium pulls and holds water, high sodium concentration in the body will lead to an increase in the blood volume. The heart then needs to work harder to maintain normal circulation thus resulting in high blood pressure.

Read This
Amid growing concerns over excessive fat and salt in the Canadian diet, KFC has launched the nutritional equivalent of a bunker-buster bomb, a package of chicken, bacon and melted cheese that delivers a mega-payload of sodium and grease. How much sodium? A total of 1,740 milligrams, which is more salt than a fully grown adult ought to eat in an entire day.
And that’s just the sodium. The Double Down also packs 540 calories, which, is the energy equivalent of two shot glasses of gasoline. A single Double Down, if burned efficiently, could heat a small bucket of ice-cold water to the point of boiling. If the “sandwich” were renewable, it would put Exxon out of business.
The point is this: Fast food has always been unhealthy. At least now it’s, ahem, interesting.
There is, alas, a problem with the Double Down, and it’s a problem no one seems to be talking about: the taste. It is salty. It’s salty the way crunching road salt between your teeth is salty. Imagine two dry but very salty pieces of otherwise flavourless chicken with salty processed cheese and salty (but oddly non-smoky) bacon in between, and you have a pretty good idea.
By selling this to customers, is KFC being greedy, do they lack corporate sensibilities and responsibilities or is this a great marketing ploy?

Walk Good

The Dance

2010-10-13T18:55:00.000-04:00

It is that time of the year, late fall, that I often use the term “The Waltz of the Winter Readiness”.
To those in the tropics this has no meaning for you.
It is the time during which you do everything to prepare for what you know is coming…. the freezing cold weather and lots of snow.
Let me separate it into three distinct areas, namely, personal, residence and transportation.
Personal
Do not let fashion be foremost, let “warmth” be the overriding factor.
If you have stored your warm (winter) clothing in containers, then this is the time to bring them out and store the summer clothes in the containers.
You check all your warm clothing, which includes thermal long johns, winter coats, winter gloves, winter socks and/or winter boots. If you have any that needs attention e.g. cleaning, then get it done or replace the worn out ones that will not keep you warm in the winter.(mitts are warmer than gloves in winter)
Because everything is seasonal, if you need to buy new items, this is the time to go shopping for those specific items, if any needs replacing.
Get your blanket(s) washed and cleaned.(replace if required)
Have your flannelette sheets washed and cleaned.(replace if required)
Do not use any sheets with thread counts of more than 400. (the higher the thread count, the colder the sheet).
Cost range $150 - $1000
Time 10 hours (approx)

Residence
If you rent, this is not required. However, if you own your residence the dance continues.
The purpose is to prevent any cold air from entering your internal space, and stop any warm air from escaping to the outside.
If you have an A/C, then it is time to turn it off and cover the outside unit.
You will need to have your furnace cleaned and serviced.
You will check ALL windows and doors to make sure that ALL cracks to the outside (or potential cracks) are caulked and sealed. The external and internal electrical outlets are plugged.
Outside plants are winterized. This involves wrapping evergreens (to prevent wind burn), covering the roots of sensitive plants and tying/wrapping shrubs to prevent breakage when the snow is on top during the winter. If you had an indoor plant stationed outside, it will need to be sprayed (to get rid of any bugs) and taken indoors.
If you are going to shovel the snow yourself, you will need to check and replace any worn winter shovels. If you are going to have a company remove the snow (snow plow), then you need to make the arrangements now.
You will need to turn off ALL inside water taps leading to the outside. (if you don’t it may freeze and create a severed pipe and subsequent flooding)
Shut off BBQ and store the cylinder. (if you are planning on doing BBQ during the winter, then leave it available)
Cost $50 - $1500
Time 15 hours (approx)
Transportation
The basic premise is to be able to go from point A to Point B, without you freezing.
In public transportation, make sure that your walking route to or from the bus stop is the shortest available, as it will be freezing during the walk.
If you own a car, the options are different. The intent is not to get stuck in the snow/cold.
Replace the tires with winter tires. Change the oil and filter. Have the battery checked and certified for the long winter months. Have the car thoroughly checked from bumper to bumper and should include, but not limited to the following:
-brakes
-fluids (oil, transmission, differential, radiator and washer)
-suspension
-lights
-wipers
-door locks and hinges
Never let your car run with gas gauge on ¼, as this creates condensation in the tank and leads to premature rusting. Follow the rule of filling the tank as soon as the gauge reaches ½.
Cost $150 - $2000
Time 20 hours

The Winter Readiness Waltz

Walk Good.

Smartphone or not to Smartphone

2010-10-09T19:07:00.003-04:00

SmartPhone or not
I dislike SMARTPHONES (let me get that out of the way). Let me rephrase that, I dislike the iphone and the Blackberry.
My employer provides me with a BLACKBERRY BOLD 9700 (with certain restrictions).
-Limited Texting
-No long distance calls (I must pay for them if I need to make a long distance call).
-No applications to be installed (unless approved by management).
-Units must be replaced every three months.
We got the new Blackberry Torch 9800, to trial, before we agree to do the replacement.
The Torch’s coming out party has been unprecedented for RIM, and it shows just how much the company needs this Smartphone to be a hit.
As a moderate but welcome evolution of the Blackberry line, the Torch succeeds. The question is, is that enough to fend off Apple and Android in the all-in one mobile phone market?
A smidgen thicker and heavier than the svelte Blackberry Bold 9700, the TORCH is a hybrid device with an 8:1 touch screen that slides up to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. It also boasts the latest version of the Blackberry OS, which makes the already simple task of navigating through the phone’s features more intuitive. It will take current Blackberry users time to adapt to using both touch and typing to interact with the TORCH, but overall it’s more logical.
The TORCH will be great for those who dwell in the RIM’s realm, either by choice or by the will of their corporate departments (read me). Better music & video playback features, a slick universal search function and a combined timeline of social media updates are welcome new features (had to get approval to test that one), but nothing compromises Blackberry’s greatest strength: Fast and easy e-mail.
Will the TORCH draw in customers? The keyboard-plus-touch screen combo is fantastic, but when placed side by side with iPhone/Android, the TORCH feels almost primitive. The touch screen is not as high resolution nor as responsive as the competition, and the web browsing and multimedia features, while much improved, re still not nearly as robust.
As a current Blackberry user, I find the TORCH to be more finicky than my current Blackberry Bold 9700. Little things, like Blackberry Messenger being slower to respond and the dreaded clock icon appearing more frequently, make me wonder if the slick new OS is perhaps straining the hardware a bit.
I can’t remember the last time a Blackberry caused so much of a stir. There’s still a lot of love out there for the old ‘Berry, and the TORCH will surely fan those flames.

Walk Good

Catfish Movie

2010-10-09T13:39:00.004-04:00

THE OTHER FACEBOOK MOVIE

This is not intended as a Movie Review.

Read This

One of the truly wonderful things about social media is that it enables you to connect with people you might never have met otherwise and, in some cases, might never meet in an off-line setting at all. But how do you know the people you are connecting with over, Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn are, in fact, who they say they are?

Read This

CATFISH is a film that conveys the social inaccuracies and dangers of Facebook in a compelling and even disturbing way.
The subject matter on display is very timely and important. It is important in a way that will hopefully open the eyes of the younger generation that use and flaunt themselves far too heavily in the social networking age.

Read This

Fiction or non-fiction, the movie’s message is one of importance for today’s wired generation. As social networking becomes more and more a part of every day life for people of all ages, Catfish is a reminder that it’s wise to wonder what’s truly going on at the other end of the line.

Although the social networking craze is bona fide, it must be used with some basic caveat(s).
-Privacy
-Security
It would appear that most people who are using social networking fail to ascribe to either privacy or security. Whenever the user(s) privacy or security is breached, then it will be too late.

Walk Good

Do we complain too much?

2010-10-02T15:20:00.002-04:00

B-Bitch
M-Moan
W-Whine
Some call it "ranting".
"If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it." ~Anthony J. D'Angelo,

com•plain
Is to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault.
Job 10:1 - I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.

What do we complain about? You name it - we can complain about it. My flight has been cancelled. The auto insurance company refused to hear my claim. It's too hot. It's too cold. My dog is in a bad mood.
People, who complain, trap themselves in a reality that constantly gives them more to complain about. Life keeps being unfair to them. Their luck is below average. They never get any real breaks. Unfortunate circumstances, seemingly beyond their control, keep manifesting. It seems totally unfair, but it isn’t. The complainers are merely witnessing the fulfillment of their own requests.
We complain about our wealth, or lack of it. I just saw a bumper sticker that said, "I'm too poor to vote Republican." Who ever has enough money? It's not fair that others have more than we do and that they have better opportunities to earn it.
One of the juiciest topics of complaint is others' actions and personalities. We're all like mental gossip columnists:
"My colleague at work doesn't turn in his work on time."
"My boss is too bossy."
"My employees are ungrateful."
"After everything I did for my kids, they moved to another town, and they don't come home for holidays."
"I'm fifty, and my parents are still trying to run my life."
"This person talks too loud."
"That one doesn't talk loudly enough, and I always have to ask her to repeat what she said."

What is the difference between complaining and discussing certain topics in a constructive way? It lies in our attitude - our motivation - for speaking. Discussing a situation involves taking a more balanced approach, in which we actively try to understand the origin of the problem and think of a remedy. In our mind we become proactive, not reactive. We assume responsibility for what is our responsibility and stop blaming others when we cannot control a situation.

For Buddhist practitioners, several meditations act as healthy antidotes to the habit of complaining. Meditating on impermanence is a good start; seeing that everything is transient enables us to set our priorities wisely and determine what is important in life. It becomes clear that the petty things we complain about are not important in the long run, and we let them go.

If you can’t influence or change something, don’t complain …. LET IT GO.

Walk Good

A War For Your Soul

2010-09-23T14:27:00.002-04:00

The attached video covers a topic which we do not want to discuss, but discuss it we must.
If we do not, then history is bound to repeat itself.

A War For Your Soul-regular version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.

Walk Good

Paraprosdokian

2010-09-14T14:52:00.002-04:00

This came across my desk, so I thought I would share.

Paraprosdokian sentences

A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect.

Ø I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.

Ø Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Ø I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.

Ø Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

Ø The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.

Ø Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Ø If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

Ø We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.

Ø War does not determine who is right -- only who is left.

Ø Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Ø The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Ø Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

Ø To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

Ø A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. My desk is a work station.

Ø How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Ø Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.

Ø Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.

Ø I thought I wanted a career; turns out I just wanted paychecks.

Ø A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.

Ø Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR."

Ø I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.

Ø I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with "Guess" on it... So I said "Implants?"

Ø Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Ø Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think they are sexy.

Ø Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

Ø Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.

Ø A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Ø You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

Ø The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

Ø Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.

Ø A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.

Ø Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.

Ø Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.

Ø I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.

Ø Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.

Ø There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.

Ø I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

Ø I always take life with a grain of salt... plus a slice of lemon... and a shot of tequila.

Ø When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

Ø You're never too old to learn something stupid.

Ø To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.

Ø Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Ø A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.

Ø If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child?

Ø Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Walk Good

The Rag Doll

2010-09-01T16:41:00.003-04:00

THis came across my desk, and I thought I would share it with all who care to read it.

The Puppet
If for a moment God would forget that I am a rag doll and give me a scrap of life, possibly I would not say everything that I think, but I would definitely think everything that I say.

I would value things not for how much they are worth but rather for what they mean.

I would sleep little, dream more. I know that for each minute that we close our eyes we lose sixty seconds of light.

I would walk when the others loiter; I would awaken when the others sleep.

I would listen when the others speak, and how I would enjoy a good chocolate ice cream.

If God would bestow on me a scrap of life, I would dress simply, I would throw myself flat under the sun, exposing not only my body but also my soul.

My God, if I had a heart, I would write my hatred on ice and wait for the sun to come out. With a dream of Van Gogh I would paint on the stars a poem by Benedetti, and a song by Serrat would be my serenade to the moon.

With my tears I would water the roses, to feel the pain of their thorns and the incarnated kiss of their petals...My God, if I only had a scrap of life...

I wouldn't let a single day go by without saying to people I love, that I love them.

I would convince each woman or man that they are my favourites and I would live in love with love.

I would prove to the men how mistaken they are in thinking that they no longer fall in love when they grow old--not knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love. To a child I would give wings, but I would let him learn how to fly by himself. To the old I would teach that death comes not with old age but with forgetting. I have learned so much from you men....

I have learned that everybody wants to live at the top of the mountain without realizing that true happiness lies in the way we climb the slope.

I have learned that when a newborn first squeezes his father's finger in his tiny fist, he has caught him forever.

I have learned that a man only has the right to look down on another man when it is to help him to stand up. I have learned so many things from you, but in the end most of it will be no use because when they put me inside that suitcase, unfortunately I will be dying.

Walk Good

Smoke Free Society

2010-09-01T10:00:00.004-04:00

This is NOT original...exerted from Sympatico News, by Daniela Syrovy
It depicts my quitting and outlook on the "quit" smoking movement.

A subsidized quit-smoking policy for all of Canada.

According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, there are approximately 5.5 million adult smokers in Canada. Many countries give unrestricted quit-smoking drug coverage to their entire population. With respect to smoking cessation drugs in Canada, only Quebec subsidizes ALL anti-tobacco products. While the Yukon and PEI both reimburse people for their purchases.

No matter how much smokers are taxed, no matter how hard we try to ostracize them in public, and no matter how many studies are done confirming the ill effects of cigarettes, it is unlikely that we can achieve a 100% non-smoking society. Smokers know the health risks of their habit, and will continue to light up. As a former smoker myself I understand the addiction and its sociological aspects, and I would think that it is safe to say that most smokers have tried to quit, or have wanted to quit, at some point in their smoking career. For me personally quitting was a decision I made one day, cold turkey.

Anyone I know who has quit or tried to quit usually all agree on one thing. ‘Quitting smoking is not easy.' There are a plethora of quit-smoking drugs on the market today and if the government has to foot the bill to help get people to quit smoking, so be it. Of course ‘wanting to quit' is a very important mental aspect, but sometimes a helping hand is what someone really needs to take the next step. A subsidized quit-smoking system is that hand.

It seems blatantly obvious that a country with fewer smokers is a healthier one. The cost of cessation treatments is far, far less than dealing with all the health problems (heart disease, stroke, cancers) that typically occur to the habitual smoker. Economically it is extremely advantageous to a country's health care system in the long run.

I am not one of those self-righteous people who used to smoke and now preaches the evils to any smoker I come across. Nor have I sworn a blood oath to destroy all tobacco companies on the planet. However I do know smoking is not cool. It is a disgusting habit and has no health benefits. Aid in the battle to break their habit should be available to anyone who wants it. As the broken record of non-smoking spins, just remember that when you light up, it is really only ‘BIG Tobacco' who wins.

Walk Good

Political Hypocrisy

2010-07-25T14:34:00.002-04:00

This is my caveat.....I am not versed in the American political structure. I am not a Democrat or Republican, therefore my comments are based on what I have seen or heard, based on logic.
The war in Irag & Afghanistan is not going according to plan.
Blame it on the Obama Administration.
The economy is not working.
Blame it on the Obama Administration.
Oil spill in the Gulf.
Blame it on the Obama Administration.
There is a financial crisis in the US.
Blame it on the Obama Administration.
The banks in the US are not treating its customers properly.
Blame it on the Obama Administration.
The unemployment rate in the US is at 9-10%.
Blame it on the Obama Administration.
The US is in debt(just add zeros).
Blame the Obama Administration.
The racial divide is wider.
Blame it n the Obama Administration.

Does he do anything right, read
this

They say he was not born in the US (BTW he was born in Hawaii)
The Birthers were formed.
They say he is not doing what he promised.
The Tea Party Movement was formed.
They say he is not "black enough".
They say that he is afraid of whites?
What does that mean?...he is the President of the NATION, what does the colour of his skin have anything to do with governance?

The pundits use phrases like the following:
Right, left, conservative, liberal, independent, centre etc.
Do they know what those compartmental phrases mean or are they trying to sound intellectual.?

My question is simple.

Are they doing all this "back stabbing" because he is black?
Are they making sure that he does not get a second term because they do not want a "black" President in the White House?

Racism in the USA is alive and well.

Walk Good.

I Pray, I Weep, I Hurt

2010-07-22T13:14:00.003-04:00

The news I received this morning was not what I wanted to hear, but I expected to hear it.
Let me try to explain, through the fog of my brain.
I have a neighbour who has always been kind to me, and when I was hospitalized in the fall on 08', she would make the time to come and see me.
She didn't have to do that.
Her husband and I would talk and exchange ideas on lawn care and other mundane stuff.
They were our friends.
Over the past few years, she has had two battles with cancer, and she survived both attacks. Seven months ago, they told me that the cancer had returned and she was booked to get radiation treatment.
I prayed and hoped that she would win another battle.
This morning I saw her husband and was given the news which hit me like a tonne of bricks.
Gloria had passed away and gone to a better place.
I wept and I hurt.
In one's life, you meet people who have an impact on you and make you a better person.
Gloria was one of those people.

To paraphrase Robert Frost
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. She has kept her promises and earned her sleep"

She is now in the arms of the angels.

My Disconnect

2010-04-09T16:14:00.004-04:00

In this world we often see/hear stuff that begs the response of "What were they thinking".
In this case it is "What in the world are they doing"

"Ryanair wants passengers to stand during its flights so the budget airline can squeeze more people on board."

Read more here
Airline Seating

We all know that a number of airlines charge extra for each piece of luggage, including your carry on luggage.
To add fuel to the fire (so to speak), the same airline is proposing another charge.
"For customers of the airline, it appears even going to the bathroom will cost extra. Starting within several months, the airline will begin charging up to one pound, or 1 euro, for the use of the on-board airplane lavatory. In a controversial move, Ryanair has begun negotiations with Boeing, the airplane manufacturers, to lower the number of lavatories on the plane from the typical three down to just a single bathroom for up to 189 passengers."

Read the article here
Airline Charges

What next are they planning?

Walk Good.

Good Friday

2010-04-02T13:38:00.002-04:00

My Prayer
O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love for us
hast willed to be crucified
and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood
for the redemption and salvation of our souls,
look down upon us here gathered together
in remembrance of Thy most sorrowful Passion and Death,
fully trusting in Thy mercy;
cleanse us from sin by Thy grace,
sanctify our toil, give unto us and unto all those who are dear to us our daily bread, sweeten our sufferings,
bless our families, and to the nations so sorely afflicted,
grant Thy peace, which is the only true peace,
so that by obeying Thy commandments
we may come at last to the glory of heaven.

Amen.

Walk Good

Patriotism

2010-02-28T14:26:00.004-05:00

This is the Canadian way of expressing patriotism.

"......it certainly seems as though something new and different has been happening in Canada these past two weeks - at the very least, a sudden loss of national self-consciousness."
In past Olympics, the visual media(origin USA)gave us their unbridled sense of patriotism. They only showed on TV the US athletes and nobody else mattered or counted.
It was biased and one sided, only the U.S.A did anything in the Olympics (or so they would have us believe). Now the shoe is on the other foot.

".......for all of the preparation, and all of the packaged, premeditated tugging of heartstrings, this hasn't really proceeded according to script."

"It would have been no surprise in those circumstances for the country to curl up in the fetal position, to experience a great national cringe: We weren't good enough; in the big moment, we hadn't come through; we weren't up to the task; we should never have become involved (or spent the money) in the first place."

For the entire commentary, please read Brunt's Corner

Walk Good EH!

Only In Jamaica!!!

2010-02-21T14:35:00.002-05:00

This came across my desk, and I thought I should share.

An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the World. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to China .

On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read '$10,000 per call'.

The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.

The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for
$10,000 you could talk to God.
The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Japan . There, at a very large cathedral, he saw
the same golden telephone with the same sign under it.

He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in China and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was.

She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for
$10,000 he could talk to God. 'O.K., thank you,' said the American.

He then traveled to Pakistan , Srilanka , Russia , Germany and France . In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same '$10,000 per call' sign under it.

The American, upon leaving Vermont decided to travel
to Jamaica to see if Jamaicans had the same phone.

He arrived in Jamaica , and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read: 'One cent per call.'

The American was surprised, so he asked the priest about the sign. 'Father, I've traveled all over world and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the US the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?'

The priest smiled and answered, 'You're in Jamaica now, Son.
IT’S A LOCAL CALL '.

This is the only heaven on Earth.
!!KEEP SMILING!!

Tek time an walk good

Canadian Privacy commissioner reviewing Google Buzz

2010-02-17T11:49:00.005-05:00

Concerns around Google's recently unveiled Buzz feature are deepening with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada looking into the social-networking tool.

Valerie Lawton, a spokeswoman for the privacy office, said the office is looking into concerns about Buzz.

"We understand the public concern about privacy issues related to Google Buzz," she said. "Our office is looking at the issue."

Lawton added that the office may comment further on Wednesday.

Google has ignited a hailstorm of criticism with Buzz, which adds real-time communication and media-sharing features found on popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to its Gmail service.

Buzz users can share status updates, news stories, videos and photos, and they can link in feeds from sites such as Twitter and Picasa.

In the United States, the Electronic Privacy Information Center said it plans to lodge a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission because Buzz is forcing Gmail users into a social networking service they don't necessarily want.

Read here

A common Web programming error could give hackers a way to take over Google Buzz accounts. The flaw is a "medium-sized problem" with the Buzz for Mobile Web site, said Robert Hansen, CEO of SecTheory, who first reported the issue.

Read here
Tek Time Fi Walk Good

Down The Road

2010-02-17T11:10:00.004-05:00

"One can resist an intrusion of armies but not an idea whose time has come."
The spammers have invaded this blog, with anonymous postings in older sessions. I have been rejecting these postings as they have no legitimacy to the topic(s), however, it would appear that whoever is doing this has this blog name on a mailing list.
I do not believe in censorship, however, in this case "word verification" will be turned on, and if that fails, other methods will be utilized to stop the spamming.

If this constant spamming continues, then resistance is futile and the timely idea has come to consider closing this blog.
Whatever I have to say, has now been drowned out by the daily rejection of 5-10 anonymous postings.

Tek time fi walk good

Black History Month-2010

2010-02-08T10:23:00.004-05:00

"This photograph was taken on King Street about 1930"

"Jamaica Public Service Co. closed the Kingston tramway system on 10 May 1948. JPSC claimed that it could not afford to maintain the right-of-way or construct needed extensions. The entire system, all lines, ran until the end. Company records indicate that, because of a public protest, the Rockfort Gardens line [see map] continued operation for a few more months, until approximately August 1948."

To see the article/research in its entirety, please read Allen Morrison's interesting page
The Tramways Of Kingston, Jamaica

© Mr Allen Morrison

Tek time fi walk good

Remember

2010-02-04T12:55:00.002-05:00

Thanks for opening my eyes and mind with your productions at the National Dance Theatre Company(NDTC).

RIP

Tek time and walk good

The Company We Keep

2010-01-30T13:28:00.004-05:00

This appeared in the Trinidad Guardian a few days ago. You can interpret the meaning of AJ being overweight.
The Air Jamaica History can be seen here

In 2008 this article appeared in the Gleaner Air Jamaica Bankrupt

In 2007 the newly elected Government, made it clear that it intended to divest Air Jamaica. Why would anyone try to sell an entity such as a national carrier? The simple answer is overweight. No Government could continue to subsidize an entity to the tune of $30 to $50 million per year. The is just plain wrong and insidious.

Fast forward to 2010 and the government has to go begging to the IMF. The IMF has placed certain condition(s) (usual and expected), one of which is the divestment of Air Jamaica. The deal to sell AJ to the Trinidad owned airline is almost complete (minus the enormous debt load) and now people are coming out of the woodwork wanting to stop the sale.

Please take the time to read here and
here and finally
this

-Where were they in 2007-2009?
-If the sale of AJ is not completed, the IMF will not provide the loan, so what are these people with their brilliant ideas going to do about that?
- Is the Jamaican Government supposed to consult the diaspora every time the elected representatives make a decision? These people have the gall to say that they were not consulted?
-The divestment of AJ has been going on since 2008, now they also say that they are not aware of the haste in selling AJ?
I have always maintained that the Jamaican Diaspora is looking at Jamaica through rose colored glasses and they should wake up. They cannot and will not succeed by trying to institute solutions based on North American standards, which (in most cases) are opposite to the Jamaican culture. Jamaicans do not want the diaspora to dictate to them what must be done to solve their problems.

Here is a quotation from the Observer
"The diaspora has good people who decided to live, work and contribute abroad - not in their birth land. We rejoice that they "made it" but they must not burden us with duty waivers, conferences or be self-serving dictators in our lives."
You can read the article in its entirety here

Give me a break.

Walk Good

Need I say More?

2010-01-25T14:34:00.005-05:00

The fault line in Haiti

My thanks to Lowrie for bringing this up.

"In 1825, in return for recognizing Haitian independence, France demanded indemnity on a staggering scale: 150 million gold francs, five times the country's annual export revenue. The Royal Ordinance was backed up by 12 French warships with 150 cannon.
The terms were non-negotiable. The fledgling nation acceded, since it had little choice. Haiti must pay for its freedom, and pay it did, through the nose, for the next 122 years."

Please take a second to read the rest of the article

The Imperialists (US, France, Britain) should be ashamed of themselves.

Donkey seh dis yah worl nuh level, hill an gully yah so, hill an gully deh so.

Tek Time an Walk Good

What Did He Really Mean?

2010-01-16T16:06:00.004-05:00

The diatribe coming out of some people has always amazed me.
Some are so entrenced in their controversal teachings, that they forget their own miniscule place in the big picture.
Let us consider the words coming from Pat Robertson, on the recent earthquake in Haiti.
"They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal [...] ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."

Am I to believe that Mr. Robertson has had a personal conversation with the Devil?
Did God appear to Mr. Robertson and give him the whole story, note he says "true story"
Is Mr. Robertson trying to create a nominated place for himself in history and before God or the Devil?

What did he REALLY mean?

A wise man once said that tragedy is not what we
suffer, but what we miss
- Anonymous

To hear the entire interview, please listen here

Walk Good

Say WHAT!!!??

2010-01-07T19:44:00.003-05:00

Hi
There was an article in the Jamaican Observer today (01/07/2010), in which the Prime Minister of Jamaica is quoted as asking the people to pray for God's Intervention

Now where did I hear this before..... oh yes now I remember.

I said the same thing in a blog session last year. If you are interested go read it here

Do I hear the echo of "A FAILED STATE"?

Walk Good

Tall Grass or Sand Pit

2009-12-17T14:33:00.006-05:00

Printed with Permission © Patrick Corrigan

Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad. ~A.A. Milne

Let he without sin cast the first stone John 8:7

Whatever "infidelity" Tiger talks about, it has nothing to do with the game of golf. His actions are between him and his family, and I am not condoning what he "alleged" to have done.

Tiger is really in the rough.

Walk Good

Hope

2009-12-17T13:48:00.002-05:00

It is getting close to that special time of year again, and I get nostalgic, but not maudlin.

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

It is Christmas time and to all my readers I wish you all a Joyeux Noël! and if you do not believe in Christmas Felices fiestas (Happy Holidays).

As a child I had an abundance of hope, so I return to that state of mind and conjure up that hope for all of mankind. I pray that each person will feel and see in their hearts to be kind to another human being.

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

Walk Good & God Bless

Funny Quips

2009-11-29T14:41:00.001-05:00

These came across my desk, and I thought I would share.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an
artist once he grows up.
-Pablo Picasso

Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, 'BARB you should have remained a virgin.'
-BARBARA BUSH (mother of G.W. BUSH)
<><>

I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: - 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall.'
- Eleanor Roosevelt
<><>

Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement.
- Mark Twain
<><>

The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.
- George Burns
<><>

Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
- Victor Borge
<><>

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
- Mark Twain
<><>

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
- Socrates
<><>

I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
- Groucho Marx
<><>

My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
- Jimmy Durante
<><>

Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat..
- Alex Levine
<><>

My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.
- Rodney Dangerfield
<><>

Money can't buy you happiness ... But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
- Spike Milligan
<><>

Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP.
- Joe Namath
<><>

I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.
- Bob Hope
<><>

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.
- W. C. Fields
<><>

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
- Will Rogers
<><>

Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
<><>

Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty .. But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.
- Phyllis Diller
<><>

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.
- Billy Crystal

<><>
And the cardiologist's diet: - If it tastes good spit it out.

Walk Good

Call A Spade The Real Name

2009-11-13T14:12:00.002-05:00

Let me say this ....

JAMAICA IS A FAILED STATE

The pundits have had their say, now lets be honest with ourselves. The population in Jamaica is suffering from Crime, Complacency and Corruption.

The term failed state is often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government. In order to make this definition more precise, the following attributes, proposed by the Fund for Peace, are often used to characterize a failed state:

* loss of physical control of its territory, or of the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force therein,
* erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions,
* an inability to provide reasonable public services, and
* an inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community.

Common characteristics of a failing state include a central government so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory; non-provision of public services; widespread corruption and criminality; refugees and involuntary movement of populations; and sharp economic decline.

The level of government control required to avoid being considered a failed state varies considerably amongst authorities. Furthermore, the declaration that a state has "failed" is generally controversial and, when made authoritatively, may carry significant geopolitical consequences.

Take a moment to read This Article From The Economist

Walk Good

Hypocritical Blogging

2009-11-12T13:47:00.003-05:00

This came across my desk, and I thought I would share.
Some of it is not my original.
My thanks to the person who penned this piece.

Better to write for yourself and have no public,
than to write for the public and have no self.
-Cyril Connolly

The quote is the most hypocritical thing a blogger could say.

Write for yourself and have no public
This is the starving artist syndrome.

Write for the public and have no self
This is the artist wanting to be successful at any cost and defining success as fame and fortune.

Write for the public and have a self
It is possible to write for the public and deliver your weekly reports and still have a self. But only if you have something else that motivates you. It can be going home to your family or writing a blog at night.

But if your job makes it impossible to spend time with your family or to write, you're losing your self and you know that you're living a lie. Your means has become the end and your passion is dying.

Write for yourself and have a public
In a perfect world, your job is something that you would do anyway and it doesn't even feel like a job. It might take you a lifetime to find out what you really want or to gather the courage to go for it.

Just keep in mind that those who are living their dreams usually worked as long and hard as the ones aiming for fame and money. But they were reaching for something they truly wanted and continue to be disciplined and dedicated to this day.

Walk Good

Least We Forget

2009-11-11T10:23:00.003-05:00

It is that time, however, there is no specific time.
It is the 11th Month, 11th Day and the 11th hour.

Hearts are heavy now, dear Lord
For WAR is looming there.
Our prayers are calling out to you,
Our thoughts too much to bear.
Be with our loved ones--THEY NEED YOU.
Guide them, lead them, see them through.
Bless our leader, for we know,
He asks Your blessings, and needs them so.
Protect the innocent, shield their lives,
As bombs and missiles streak the skies.
Open our hearts and fill us with grace,
Guard our loved ones in that place.
This I say, in earnest prayer,
THANK YOU LORD
I know YOU'RE there.

Take the time to listen.

Walk Good

You Be The Judge

2009-11-09T15:29:00.003-05:00

This was voted the sexiest song, you be judge and jury.

Read about the survey Here

Listen/see Video Here

Walk Good

Cry for me

2009-11-06T13:29:00.003-05:00

This is going to be a short session.

Eulogy of a failed state.

"Is there a man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, this is my own, my native land?"

Cry! Cry! O Beloved Country

Walk Good

Hail and Farewell

2009-10-13T13:16:00.003-04:00

My return to blogging is not a great occasion, for I have heard the sparrow sing.
I have, over many years, enjoyed the sweet music of Sonny Bradshaw. Now to be presented with this news is a low point and blogging seems mundane in comparision.
Sonny Bradshaw Passed Away
Rest In Peace Sonny

Ave atque Vale
Through many countries and over many seas
I have come, Brother, to these melancholy rites,
to show this final honour to the dead,
and speak (to what purpose?) to your silent ashes,
since now fate takes you, even you, from me.
Oh, Brother, ripped away from me so cruelly,
now at least take these last offerings, blessed
by the tradition of our parents, gifts to the dead.
Accept, by custom, what a brother’s tears drown,
and, for eternity, Brother, ‘Hail and Farewell’.
Gaius Valerius Catullus(84-54 BC)

Delays

2009-07-24T16:12:00.003-04:00

This is a courtesy post, as not many (if any) people read this blog.

I am on my yearly hiatus from blog posting.

Being very busy at work and having some personal items that needs attention, I will not be returning to blogging until the fall.

Be Well.

Walk Good.

Cynicism

2009-07-11T13:58:00.003-04:00

The constant information overload on Michael Jackson death/memorial is overbearing. There are far more serious matters that are not even discussed by the mainstream media, such as starvation of the people in Darfur.
Let me return to the MJ fiasco and outline some hypocritical annoyances.
-why is the Rev Al Sharpton and Rev Jesse Jackson turning MJ's death into a racial situaton ?
-why are these two talking about MJ, as if he was the second coming of Martin Juther King Jr?
-many people are now coming out of the woodwork and having something to say about MJ, most of them great stuff. Where the %^&*() were these same people when he had the troubles with the law, they all were silent. The hypocrites did not open their mouths to support him when he was alive.
-former security people (they have not worked for MJ for 2 years) now have something to say about something they heard. Well, piss on you too fellow, why didn't you say something two years ago? Are you looking for a book deal now?
-a nurse practitioner (or whatever she is called), now has something to say about MJ asking her to get him restricted medications. Why didn't she say something at the time, but wait until after her meal ticket dried up to sprout her diatribe?

They are all a bunch of hypocritical, publicity grabbing, egotistical, selfish, dollar induced bastards.

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him;
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones"

RIP MJ

Walk Good

Happy Birthday Canada

2009-07-01T20:00:00.003-04:00

This is July 1st and it is CANADA DAY.

It is celebrated as Canada's Birthday.

Please take a moment to look at this Tribute to Canada

Thanks

Walk Good

Caution... They Walk Among Us!

2009-06-28T15:25:00.002-04:00

This came across my desk, and I thought I would share.

Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: 'Free to good home. You want it, you take it.' For three days the fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it. He eventually decided that people were too un-trusting of this deal.
It looked too good to be true, so he changed the sign to read: 'Fridge for sale $50.'

The next day someone stole it!

***They walk amongst us!***
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*One day I was walking down the beach, with some friends, when someone shouted....'Look at that dead bird!' Someone looked up at the sky and said...'where?'

***They walk among us!!***
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?' When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff'

***They Walk Among Us!!***
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but 'didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving'.

***They Walk Among Us!!!!***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the trunk.

***They Walk Among Us!!!!!***
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, 'Wouldn't the chain rip out every time she turned her head?' I had to explain that a person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned...

***They Walk Among Us!!!!!!! ***
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me, 'Has your plane arrived yet?'...
(I work with professionals like this.)

***They Walk Among Us!!!!!!!!***
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While working at a pizza parlour I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. 'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don’t think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 pieces.

***Yep, They Walk Among Us, too.!!!!!!!!

Sadly, not only do they walk among us, they also reproduce !!!!

Walk Good

Why waste my breath

2009-06-25T16:10:00.002-04:00

This "Diaspora in Search of Power" seminar was held in Toronto and I wonder who, what, why, where and when.
Who wants the political power
What type of power do they (diaspora)really want.
Why do they strive for this elusive power.
Where do they want the power to come from
When do they want to get this power.

"Caribbean nationals are faced with the Canadian multi-cultural dilemma: old Anglo-Canada wants newer arrivals to fall in line with a certain pecking order of power and authority while accommodating silos of cultural diversity. The old guard accepts turbans in the legislature and in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but no one will be happy with an RCMP of Gurkhas."

Feel free to read the entire article Diaspora in Search of Power

Change Agents are difficult to implement and "change" maybe seen as a threat to the establishment's comfort zone. The ship of "change" will take a long time to turn in the right direction.

Walk Good

Selling snow to Eskimos

2009-06-25T15:34:00.003-04:00

The phrase "carrying coal to newcastle" has similiar but not the same meaning.
"Newcastle on Tyne in England was a well known coal mining area and the UK's first coal exporting port. Taking coal there was an archetypally pointless activity"
The rest of the exposure can be read Carry col to Newcastle

This article Importing US made Ja. Patties to Jamaica is a perfect axiom for the phrase "Carrying Coal To Newcastle"

This additional article speaks volumes Imported Patty Row

This entire storm appears to be wrong on many levels.
-Currency exchange, when the Island is broke.
-support (or lack thereof) of the local Juci and Tastee.
-Frozen Patties in JA. (give me a patty and a coco bread)

Is this what is known as "selling snow to Eskimos"?

Walk Good

Tweets on Twitter

2009-06-22T16:31:00.006-04:00

The security on Twitter is suspect.

"Despite the popularity, Twitter still a lot to do when it comes to securing the platform"

Please take the time to read 3 Ways Twitter Security Fails

"Some Twitter users received scam tweets, or direct messages, to visit certain sites or blogs. The URL in the message redirected users to a bogus login page in an attempt to steal login credentials for a phishing scheme."

Read the entire article Twitter Security Hacks

"Identity theft, much like with Facebook and other Web 2.0 tools, it is always possible people are sharing too much information, ...... which could be useful for the purpose of identity theft or other illegal activity."

Phishers are now hitting Twitter.
"Facebook is no longer alone in its troubles. Twitter is also becoming a target of phishers. The last few days have seen a slew of Twitter phishing attacks, possibly orchestrated in a chess-like multi-move plan that resulted in three sets of victims and, very likely, some seedy profits."
To read the entire article, go Phishing on Twitter

I have a friend who had 659 updates on Twitter, in 60 days. My question to him was "Don't you have a life"?

Security on the Internet MUST be taken as a priority or else Identity Theft will be the norm.

Be Careful when you surf.

Walk Good

Some of Us Have Nothing To Do ......

2009-06-19T20:43:00.003-04:00

Hi
I am all for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, however, sometimes PETA goes way too far with their fanatical ranting.

"PETA took a while to slam President Obama for fly murder, but finally got around to condemning Obama for his war-mongering on flies. They even had a gift for Obama so he can treat flies more humanely next time."

To read the entire article, please visit
PETA Protests Obama Fly Murder

This is a FLY for heavens sake.

Walk Good

Apply for a Job, Give up your privacy

2009-06-19T12:34:00.005-04:00

There are those who value their privacy, and this development invades the fundamental rights of privacy.
When applying for a job in the City of Bozeman, Montana, USA, there are certain requirements.

"The requirement is included on a waiver statement applicants must sign, giving the City permission to conduct an investigation into the person's "background, references, character, past employment, education, credit history, criminal or police records."

"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.," the City form states. There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their passwords"

If you are interested, please take the time to read the entire article from the City of Bozeman

Is this a trend for any future job applicants?
If this is the acceptable future "norm", then everyone should be very careful of what they write/publish on the Internet and also refrain from publishing anything personal e.g. name, picture, birth etc.

This includes emplyees that are made redundant. Read this Article about Laid Off Workers

For any reader who wants to get more information on how to protect thenselves on "facebook", feel free to check Facebook Best Practice and 10 Facebook Privacy Settings

Walk Good

Grocery store rants...

2009-06-14T13:30:00.003-04:00

I shop for groceries all the time, no big thing. It is usually a painless experience. The last few times I’ve gone to grocery stores in my neighborhood, the experience has been anything but annoying.
1) Why on earth would someone jump into the Express Checkout line when they have 20 items? The sign says 10 items or less. Did they miss the sign or are they really that inconsiderate?
2) Why on earth would someone use their American Express to pay for a carton of $2.00 blueberries and then break out their Air Miles card to further aggravate the situation? I wasn’t sure if I should just break out a Twoonie to pay for this guy’s berries or leave my ice cream at the cash and forget about my half price ice cream jug.
Is it just me or are people going insane?

Walk Good

Whatever happened to .........

2009-06-10T15:34:00.004-04:00

When I started blogging a few years ago, there were certain “blogs” that I read consistently. They provided me with some insight into the blogging world, what the topics could be and (to a certain extent) the methodology of bloggers.
The question usually asked is why did some people stop blogging?
Here is one analogy: You don't walk into a bar, start screaming about what's on your mind and expect people to converse with you. Instead, you first listen to what's being said - as it's always easier to enter an existing conversation than to start a new one.
Such is life in the blogosphere. If you only write but never read, the motivation can be lost.
My take on why people stop blogging is: because they have no reason to blog.

So where are these bloggers, whatever happened to them?:

http://jamaicangirl2007.wordpress.com/ (last entry Jan 19, 2007)

http://nuffcrap.com/ (this one seemed to have vanished)

http://onejamaica.blogspot.com/ (last entry Sept 11, 2008)

http://jamaicagirl.wordpress.com/ (last entry Jan 08, 2008)

http://veesgirl.wordpress.com/ (this one has been suspended by Wordpress)

http://marangand.wordpress.com/ (this one finally had an entry … whew!)

http://xaymacablog.com/ (this one finally had an entry … whew!)

http://enterjamaica.wordpress.com/ (the link works, but nothing has been updated. Same person had nuffcrap.com)

If anyone who reads this and knows the whereabouts of the above bloggers, let me know.

Walk Good

Making Old, New Again

2009-06-07T13:59:00.006-04:00

Over the years I have collected lots of records, including 78's, 45's and 33 RPM. The 45's and 78's were not kept in pristine condition, but the 33 were always stored properly.
A few years ago I decided to transfer the 45's to CD's. I wouldn't call it a disaster, but it was a trying experience. Suffice it to say I did do a fairly decent job and now have CD's of all my 45's and they sound decent enough, with no pops or crackles. I also transferred a few 33 to CD, and the effort was rewarding, but time consuming.
Using my existing turntable with a pre-amp to the PC had wires going all over the place, refer to this article, to get the picture and the requirements.
Now they have USB turntables, and that is what I needed, so I bought an Audio Technica, and that works great, without the myriad of wires and hookups.
I also used a piece of software called Spin It Again, and that makes the transfer easy. I tried a lot of software applications that transfer LP to CD's, however, SIA is the best I have used for its "ease of use" and its efficiency in doing what it is designed to do, and that is transfer LP/cassettes to CD.
To get the vinyl records clean, I use Nagaoka and Discwasher D4+
I decided to use "lightscribe" discs so that I could burn the label directly onto the cd, without having to print a label, which may create an imbalance in the CD player.
This is going to take me a long time to complete, but it is fun.
Walk Good

Priceless

2009-05-14T12:34:00.000-04:00

A CHILD'S PRAYER !!

"Dear God, this year please send clothes for all those poor ladies in
Daddy's computer...... Amen" !!!

Walk Good

Dijongate

2009-05-10T14:26:00.004-04:00

Some people need to get a @#$%^& life.
Cartoon used with permission © Frank Corrigan
The Canadian Press
WASHINGTON - The United States is in the midst of a devastating recession, mired in two overseas wars and grappling with a swine flu outbreak, but conservative critics are assailing President Barack Obama on another pressing issue: his choice of burger topping.
Dijongate is in full force, with Fox News and a conservative blogger leading the charge against the president for his choice of the apparently un-American mustard atop his cheeseburger during a recent impromptu lunch stop with Vice-President Joe Biden.
There's no evidence of wiretapped hotel rooms or a Deep Throat lurking in the shadows, but there are indeed accusations of a cover-up - MSNBC, apparently, edited out the president's request for Dijon in order to help Obama maintain his "man of the people" street cred.
Fox's Sean Hannity has been telling his viewers that MSNBC - and reporter Andrea Mitchell in particular - are trying to hide Obama's Dijon-loving ways from the public.
Hannity has been referring to the president's lunch as his "fancy burger."
"It was Grey Poupon, which is equally snotty," alleged one commenter on Hannity's website.
William Jacobson, a Cornell law school professor who has also been blogging about Dijongate, noted that Mitchell "didn't mention one arugula-like fact" about Obama's order earlier this week at Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Va.
Jacobson said the MSNBC video of the stop at Ray's cuts out just as Obama asks for Dijon. He refers to MSNBC as "Obama's favorite network."
"MSNBC edited out the audio when Obama ordered his Hell Burger just at the moment when Obama asked for Dijon mustard," Jacobson wrote in a Thursday post entitled "Thou Shalt Not Mock Obama's Mustard."
"Now, I have nothing against Dijon mustard, but the image didn't fit with the image being spun by the White House and MSNBC. Dijon mustard on a Hell Burger had a very John Kerry-ish quality about it."
Jacobson blogged about other incidents, in which Obama has revealed his weakness for the spicy French condiment.
It's a key ingredient, for example, in the president's favorite tuna salad, and he also had the gall to request it during his first trip on Air Force One.
"And the mainstream media didn't cover it," Jacobson wrote.
It all hearkens back to those silly days of "freedom fries," the name given to French fries by hawkish conservatives in 2003 when France expressed strong opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The French stance resulted in a call from American right-wingers for a boycott of French goods and the removal of the country's name from products. That left America's best-selling mustard - French's - in a bit of a quandary.
French's, in fact, figures prominently in a Dijon-related anecdote Obama himself chronicled in his book, "The Audacity of Hope."
He told the story of his first tour through Illinois, when he ordered Dijon on his cheeseburger at a TGI Friday's.
His panicked political aide assured the waitress that Obama didn't want Dijon at all and waved her away, thrusting a bottle of French's at him instead. The waitress, perplexed, assured Obama that she had Dijon if he wanted it.
"As the waitress walked away, I leaned over and whispered that I didn't think there were any photographers around," Obama wrote.
The anecdote underscored Obama's thoughts on what he viewed as the absurdity of focusing on non-issues in politics.
"What's troubling is the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics-the ease with which we are distracted by the petty and trivial," he wrote.
One commenter on Jacobson's blog mocked Dijongate on Thursday: "Wait till the right finds out he eats guacamole, then he'll be seen as a pro-immigrant nut job. God forbid he ever takes a bite of hummus!"
Jacobson, however, insists that alleged efforts to cover up Obama's choice of mustard this week are newsworthy.
"I don't think anyone is 'upset' with his choice of mustard, although that is how some are spinning it," Jacobson said in an e-mail. "It is the absurd level of image control, which is not trivial."
Nonetheless, some of the right's attacks on Obama have bordered on the inane, subjecting conservatives to ridicule.
Comedian Bill Maher, a longtime libertarian, recently maligned the right and their fixation on the trivial in an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times.
"Here are the big issues for normal people: the war, the economy, the environment, mending fences with our enemies and allies, and the rule of law," Maher wrote.
"And here's the list of Republican obsessions since President Obama took office: that his birth certificate is supposedly fake, he uses a TelePrompTer too much, he bowed to a Saudi guy, Europeans like him, he gives inappropriate gifts, his wife shamelessly flaunts her upper arms, and he shook hands with Hugo Chavez and slipped him the nuclear launch codes."
Conservatives, Maher wrote, are now behaving like "the bitter divorced guy whose country has left him - obsessing over it, haranguing it, blubbering one minute about how much you love it and vowing the next that if you cannot have it, nobody will," he wrote.
"But ... your country is not coming back to you. She's found somebody new. And it's a black guy."

Jamaica Bus Ride

2009-05-07T17:10:00.002-04:00

This came across my desk, and I thought I would share.

Jamaica Bus Ride...

Ever wonder what it would be like if Jamaican buses were set up like airlines, with the flight attendant and captain giving safety instructions?

Bus driver speaking on the intercom: Welcome to Bus numba 40 running from Papine to Down Town Kingston. Please direct yuh attention to di ConDucta who will instruc' yuh on our safety and model features.

ConDucta: Hail up massive! We want yuh fi know dat yuh a ride pon di safes' bus dat run pon di Papine to Downtown route. The moggle of our bus is a 1980 Encava, own and operate by Rough Rider transports. Dis moggle can survive any adversities an' cantravasies. As unnu can si dis bus get nuff lick up an' bad man shot it up nuff time an' it still a drive like new!

This bus seat up to 55 passenger, howeva, due to fi we commitment to excellent service, we no leave anybady straddling ina di streets. So expect to 'ave up to 140 people in yah by di time we reach downtown.

Durin' di journey we may encounta unexpected turbulences.......... dese are known as pot holes. In di case of a sudden bump please refrain fram bawlin' out "Lard Jesus mi dead now!" Our driva is an experience driva an' will mek sure di axle an' wheel noh bruck aff ina one a dem. But in case we drap inna one an ca'an come out.

Please do not climb troo di window dem til unnu pay unnu bus fare....... or I will shat unnu r*ss wid mi 45.

Dis bus no equip wid seat belt. Please hole on pon di railin' when dibus a tun di cana dem. De bus is capable of drivin' pon 2 wheels 'roun' all canas an' bends. When di bus a tun one wicked cana pon 2 wheelie, wi ask dat we seated passengers bear it if s'maddy slide dung inna dem seat an' squash yuh 'gainst di bus side. We seated passengers may experience standin' passengers losin' dem balance an' falling ova pon unnu ... please no yell out, "ey batty bway, coom aff a mi r*ss lap!" Dat might cause a serious shootout!

On exiting de bus please don' expect di bus to come to a full stop. Wi askin' dat yuh hop aff a di bus an' step skillfull .... if unnu drap an' lan' pon unnu backside an' bruck sinting, Rough Rider noh response.

Dis is NOT a non-stop journey. As a matta a fact wi stop any which part wi waan fi stop, at every yaad gate - all ina miggle road wi stop. Howeva dis bus noh stop fi police ... in case of an unexpected police chase, the driva will be forced to increase de bus' normal speed from 100 mph to 160 mph. Yuh will be instructed to hole on tight an shet unnu mout.

In case dis bus is hijacked by a teroris' known as "Pickpocket", hole di bway an' murda 'im, to r*ss. Dat said, if wi reach downtown inna wan piece please prepare fi new passenger fi shoob unnu dung before unnu can get aff Noh mine dem ..... seat kina ration.

Tank yuh for tekin' di iriest Rough Rider Encava pon di route.... and hope you enjoy di ride.

DRIVA - PRESS OUT!

Walk Good

Climate Change

2009-05-01T12:48:00.003-04:00

The Sun is getting warmer, so wear sunscreen.

Do one thing everyday that scares you ...... SING

Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you will fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

So listen to this

Walk Good

Don't Presume Anything

2009-04-27T10:09:00.001-04:00

A precious little girl walks into a pet shop and asks, in the sweetest little lisp between two missing teeth, "Excuthe me, mithter, do you keep widdle wabbits?"

As the shopkeeper's heart melts, he gets down on his knees so that he's on her level and asks, "Do you want a widdle white wabbit, or a thoft and fuwwy bwack wabbit, or maybe one like that cute widdle bwown wabbit over there?"

She, in turn, blushes, rocks on her heels, puts her hands on
her knees, leans forward and says, in a tiny quiet voice, "I don't think my python weally gives a thit."

Walk Good

Are Your Electronic Photos Safe?

2009-04-21T15:12:00.001-04:00

This came across my desk, and I thought I would share.
This past week, I've undertaken a new project: scanning the boxes of old family photos that I inherited from my mom. I started by sorting them and picking out the ones that I cared about most to digitize first, but my goal is to eventually get them all into electronic format and make copies for my kids, aunts and uncles and cousins. The experience got me thinking about how advances in technology have changed the whole family photo experience and the advantages - and disadvantages - of our new methods for preserving visual memories.

Many of the photos in the box are prints from negatives, some are Polaroids, and some are portraits made by professional photographers or commercial studios. The latter range from Olan Mills to the nameless portrait companies that use to set up shop in the local K-Mart and offer an 8x10 for 99 cents (hoping, of course, to talk you into buying many more when you saw the finished pictures). There are even a few ancient ferrotypes of ancestors I never knew that were passed down through the generations.

One characteristic of many of these pictures is that they're one of a kind. Even though most originated on film, most of the original negatives are long gone, lost or thrown away at some point over the years. The exceptions are a bevy of school photos, copies of which are likely residing in similar boxes on dozens of my family members' shelves, and those K-Mart baby pictures; the salespeople almost always succeeded in persuading the proud mom, dad and/or grandma to purchase plenty of "wallets" to distribute to friends and family.

Twenty-five years ago, photography was a fairly expensive proposition. My first Nikon, an F2, cost $1200 back in the 1970s - almost as much as my current semi-pro digital Nikon. If you adjust for inflation, it was much more expensive than the one I use today. Then you had to buy the film. Those of us who grew up shooting film still tend to be stingy and careful with our shots, forgetting that with modern digital cameras we can "spray and pray" without paying extra for the privilege.

The old shoeboxes full of photographs (or for the more industrious among us, the stacks of fat photo albums - I have plenty of both) are probably destined to disappear from our lives as those lives become more and more digitized. Many folks still make prints of the pictures they take with their digital cameras, but to an increasing degree, we share those photos on the web or via email instead of printing them. Even when we want to display them in our homes, we can do it more effectively with digital photo frames. We can even take them with us wherever we go, on tiny keychain displays.

Regardless of whether they originate in our digicams or as faded prints that we scan, for many people, the majority of the photos we own now are in electronic format. Does this make them more or less vulnerable to loss or damage? Well, that depends. The nice thing about electronic files of any kind is that you can make as many copies as you want and store those copies in disparate places. The bad thing about electronic files is that if you don't do that, it's easy to accidentally delete them, have them become corrupted, or get them wiped out by a hard drive crash or the loss of a memory card.

A mistake made by many amateur digital photographers is leaving the pictures on the card in the camera rather than immediately downloading them to the computer. Then you get out there in the field again and need to take more pictures, and your card is full. What do you do? If you don't carry an extra card, or have your laptop with you so you can do an emergency download, you may have to delete some of the pictures on the card before you can take more. That's a situation that's easily avoided with a little foresight, but it happens with surprising frequency.

Another common practice that can put your photos in danger is to download them to your hard drive, and then make a "backup" on that same hard drive. Now, this is better than making no backup at all; at least if one of the files gets corrupted or accidentally deleted, you will probably still have the other copy. But if the disk itself dies, you lose both copies. Ah ha, you say, but I have two separate physical disks in the computer and I put the backup on a different disk. Okay, that's better - but what if a natural disaster destroys the whole computer and both disks?

A better idea is to create an off-site backup. There are various ways to do that. You can copy the photos to removable media - a USB drive, a DVD or CD, a flash card - and then store it somewhere else: at a friend's house, at your office, in the bank safe deposit box. Or you can back up the files up across the Internet: zip them up and email them to a friend to save on his/her computer, email them to your own Gmail or Hotmail account, put them on your ISP's web server if you get free web space with your account, upload them to a "cloud storage" service such as Microsoft's SkyDrive or Mozy or Idrive, or an online backup service such as Carbonite or Backupmyinfo, or publish them on a web-based photo sharing site such as Flickr or Picasa or Shutterfly. The idea is to get as many redundant copies of your photos stored in as many different locations as possible.

Each of these solutions has its benefits and drawbacks. If you store your photos on removable media, you'll need to check on them now and then and maybe transfer them to new media every few years. How many people still have floppy disks full of pictures - and new computers that don't have floppy drives? Even if the technology itself is still current, it's not a bad idea to copy the contents of optical discs over to a new one every few years. It's difficult to know what the lifespan of a particular DVD or CD may be, since it depends on the quality of the disc, storage conditions, and other factors. Don't just assume you can burn your files to a disc and it will still be good five or ten years from now.

Online storage has its own set of drawbacks. You're trusting your precious pictures to a server over which you probably have no control. Free services are great but they tend to come and go. If you visit www.xdrive.com, you'll see a web page announcing "The Xdrive service is closed. Thank you for having been an Xdrive user." Even if you pay for the service, that doesn't guarantee it won't go away. Earlier this year, HP shut down their Upline online backup service:

Something else to consider when you put your photos online is how this affects your copyright. If you publish your pictures on the web, it can be very easy for someone else to copy them without your permission unless you have the expertise (or web publishing software) to disable right click and save/copy options. Of course, even if you do disable that functionality, anyone who can view your photos can still do a screen capture and copy the picture that way. Vista and Windows 7 make this particularly easy with the Snipping Tool. And if you plan on selling any of your photos, remember that posting them on the web may render them "published," so that you can no longer sell first publication rights to them.

Be sure to carefully read the Terms of Service of any web site to which you publish your photos, too. Ensure that by posting your pictures there, you aren't giving up ownership of the copyright or granting the site a license that's overly broad (such as the right to use your pictures for their ads or other commercial purposes).

With all the ways that electronic photos can be lost or destroyed, it might not be such a bad idea to print hard copies of your most important photos, after all. But how do you do that? You can get a pretty decent print now with an inexpensive ink jet printer if you use paper especially made for photos, but you may find that it ends up costing a lot more than you anticipated, given the cost of color ink cartridges. Of course, there are many printers now that are made specifically for printing photos and these may give you better results. You can also take your photo files, on optical disc or memory card, to WalMart or Target or the local camera shop and have prints made. This may be the most cost effective alternative. If you're concerned about how long the prints last without fading, you may want to pay more for archival grade paper.

Have you scanned all those "one of a kind" prints in your albums and boxes to preserve them for posterity? Do you back up your digital photos to several different locations, including at least one "off site" location? Have you automated the backup process or do you do it manually? How do you share photos with your friends and family? Do you email copies, put them on your own web site, publish them on a dedicated photo sharing site, create albums on a social networking site, or some/all of the above? Do you think the digitization of photography has, overall, resulted in better pictures or just more of them? Do you wonder whether your own kids will treasure those family photos as much as you did, now that they're mostly electronic images instead of paper prints?
Walk Good

A Little bit of Everything

2009-04-20T16:29:00.006-04:00

I have been busy with "busy", together with some trips to T.Dot.
Now that I have returned, I noticed a huge outcry of the "Boycott of Jamaica". This is covered very well in RUTHIBELLE's blog, so I will hold my tongue, to some degree.
-are they trying to change what the Jamaican Government is thinking OR are they trying to change a Culture.?
-Jamaica is not like North America, where Special Interest Groups(SIG)can pressure Senators/Congressmen, and the state to change laws with "proposition" and the population will follow like sheep. Jamaica is more tribalized.
-are they going to "boycott" the oil from Saudia Arabia also ... That country does not tolerate the lifestyle of LGBT's, as they are publicly flogged.
The group spearheading this boycott is being hypocritical.

The ritual of what "most" home owners do in the spring, is finally catching up with me.
-raking of the lawn
-spreading fertilizer
-re-seeding spots where the varmit destroyed(this picture shows the results of their work)

-putting away the snowblower/shovels and bringing out the lawn mower.
-servicing the lawnmower
-removing all the winter protection from the shrubs
-inspecting the outside for any winter damage (or animal/racoon damage), and fixing it promptly. This includes any exterior painting.

Some good things did happen. The hibiscus (which is kept outside during the Summer and inside during the Winter) bloomed yesterday.
You can't imagine the joy I get to see that bloom as it signals that we are awake from the winter hibernation.

As I write this, my screen is flashing ..... CanJet plane hijacked in Montego Bay. I don't think Jamaica or Jamaicans needed this development.

Poor mi dead man pickey.

Walk Good

Mistakes were made

2009-04-11T20:04:00.002-04:00

Is this considered determination or stupidity.... you be the judge. Click on the video to view.

Walk Good

A blogger Returns

2009-03-18T13:16:00.003-04:00

Hi
This blogger may never read this ..... lol
This specific blogger took a hiatus and has decided to return, albeit slowly, and continue her wonderful pictorial postings.
I did miss her blog, so I encourage all to go and enjoy her refreshing sessions.
Welcome back Ann, we all missed you.

Edited Session
I really forgot to mention two other pictorial blogs which I find interesting, so I thought why not edit this session and post my opinions.

It is not the camera equipment that takes a terrific photograph, it is the person behind the camera.
This bloggers pictorial exemplifies the above. He shows potential and has a good "eye" for capturing what he wants to portray. Take a good look at his blog.

Is photography an art form?
That phrase/question has been debated for years, and I am not going to solve or rectify that argument. However, this bloggers photographs may convince many that photography is art. Please take the time to view and appreciate this blog located here.

Walk Good

iDigress, Part II

2009-03-11T15:25:00.004-04:00

Now where was I ......
Ahhhh, I got it.
The other morning, I was listening to someone on CBC radio talk about newly-minted President Obama’s protectionist policies and I got to pondering. How many of us really think about the daily items that we use and where they come from?
I started poking around in my bathroom and came up with twenty items including shampoo, conditioner and moisturizer. Of those twenty items, only three of them were actually manufactured in Canada.
I must admit that I was embarrassed by this realization. I though I was a little more savvy in my purchasing choices and I do routinely check labels for food and clothing. Shampoo, soap, and cosmetics are fairly expensive items (for what you get) and, during my whirlwind grocery store forays, it never occurred to me to think about that whole classification of items.
Sad to say, I don’t think we can complain too much about being so tied in with America’s economy. Protectionism on the part of the U.S. is going to be bad for all of us. Maybe we should try doing something that is good for us and buy Canadian whenever possible.

It is also fascinating to see this story about CNS and NBC, as the shoe is also on the other foot.

Walk Good

Economic Upheaval and Social Unrest

2009-03-10T16:38:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, I devoted three sessions in discussing "Social Power". A few days ago an article came across my desk. This article started me thinking along a path that is dark, foreboding and in some respects "unthinkable".
Will the present Economic upheaval cause Social Unrest, more suicides or the destruction of the human spirit?
Quoting from the article:
"The global economic meltdown has already caused bank failures, bankruptcies, plant closings, and foreclosures and will, in the coming year, leave many tens of millions unemployed across the planet. But another perilous consequence of the crash of 2008 has only recently made its appearance: increased civil unrest and ethnic strife. Someday, perhaps, war may follow."
This is a serious thought process, and I hesitate to consider the unthinkable.

The article goes on further:
"As people lose confidence in the ability of markets and governments to solve the global crisis, they are likely to erupt into violent protests or to assault others they deem responsible for their plight, including government officials, plant managers, landlords, immigrants, and ethnic minorities. (The list could, in the future, prove long and unnerving.) If the present economic disaster turns into what President Obama has referred to as a “lost decade,” the result could be a global landscape filled with economically-fueled upheavals."
This sounds pathetic and has a wisp of a "doomsday" scenario.

It also states:
"The riots that erupted in the spring of 2008 in response to rising food prices suggested the speed with which economically-related violence can spread. It is unlikely that Western news sources captured all such incidents, but among those recorded in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal were riots in Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, and Senegal."

Read the article in its entirety Economic Crash Will Fuel Social Unrest

Walk Good

Against The Wind

2009-02-24T13:56:00.003-05:00

The heading is taken from the Bob Seger song, in which he says

“Well those drifters days are past me now
I’ve got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out
Against the wind
I’m still runnin against the wind
Well I’m older now and still
against the wind “

Having worked in the Government for all these years, I have had good Managers and poor Managers.
My present Manager is one of the terrific ones. Yes, he has his faults, but he is a “people” person and knows the art of politics. His often says “I guide people, but I manage things”. Well, he dropped the bombshell in a meeting yesterday afternoon, with a simple statement that he will be retiring within a year.
All ten of us in the Department are dumbstruck and walking around like zombies.
We are running against the wind.
When a high ranking Head of a Department (HD) retires in the Government, they are often replaced with an appointee with his/her own political agenda. So we know that after he leaves, we will not be treated with the fairness that we have enjoyed in the past.
We will not be shielded from the political masters, to which we serve, although the axiom in our Department is that our clients are the taxpayers of this country.

As Bob Seger says in his song:

“Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searchin
Searching for shelter again and again
Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind”

I am still running against the wind.

Walk Good

The Week That Was .......

2009-02-21T13:54:00.003-05:00

You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things -- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.
Edmund Hilary

He came, He saw and He charmed
The shortest layover of the century.
The President of the USA came to Ottawa for a visit and all I was praying for, was for him to be safe and return home in one piece. (This world is full of some very sick people). The security was tight, but that is expected in this city with its array of embassies and visiting dignitaries, the RCMP and the Ottawa police know how to provide security. Last week, they stepped it up to another level, and it was a joy to see the military precision that the security was executed.
The building where I work is adjacent to the American embassy; and a 5 min. walk to Parliament Hill, needless to say we felt the effects of the security. We were given permission to join the crowds, but we all declined …. I detest crowds.
The day that he arrived was fresh, (-2C) not cold, however, the US media thought it was extremely cold. I wonder if they want me to invite them up when it is REALLY cold, like -45C ….. jeez, set of wimps. The American Media has no idea what, who or where Canada is located. Proof is in this article US Media Struggles with Obama Visit to Canada
There were busloads of people from Montreal and Toronto, who came here, just to see this inspiring President. This is remarkably different from when his predecessor (Dubya) came for his visit. We almost had riots with demonstrations saying that he should go home. President Obama’s visit was one of welcome and awe, with many ordinary people shaking his hand in the Byward Market and where he bought his BeaverTail pastry.
I wish him well (he will need it) and may God’s Blessing be with him (this is mandatory) during his tenure as President and during these troubling times.

Walk Good