I am considering running for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. It’s just one option – I may also look closely at the coming race for the Premier of Alberta or the race to succeed Pat Quinn at the Toronto Maple Leafs. Difficult choices.
I have strong qualifications. I have lived in Canada for at least eighteen months – more than some candidates for the Liberal leadership. I have imagination, but I am sure I can soon learn to curb it. I have strong communication skills, though I understand that this is not a particular asset for the Liberal leadership race. I understand many of the key issues and can set up to five priorities at a time, which always sounds convincing, even if limited and not entirely true. I used to have a sense of humour until a combination of high gas prices and trying to buy goods at The Bay knocked it out of me. I have a high regard for democracy.
Reading this last paragraph again, I see my attributes rule me out of running for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives, who increasingly have scant regard for democracy, scorn effective leadership and have no priorities. So that’s it. It has to be the Liberals.
I understand that the key issue in the Liberal leadership campaign will be finding someone who is eligible to vote who is not also a candidate. This is often a problem, especially in small towns and decaying political parties. My solution – persuade the Liberals to join with the Green Party to form the Griberal’s or Libereen’s. We would then have to adopt an environmental policy. I have always favored the idea that we should get rid of the environment – it’s too big and difficult to keep clean. I suspect, however, that we will support Kyoto, though we will also follow our last thirteen years of focused government by not actually doing anything.
Another key issue will be our attitude towards the US. It is clear that we have the upper hand. We have infiltrated their entertainment system and can quickly pull the plug on key game shows, news programs and hit TV series.. We should use this power for good, and demand an immediate settlement of the soft wood lumber dispute as a condition of Kiefer Sutherland’s contract for the next three series of 24.
Our policy towards health care should be simple. Sick people should be made to join the NDP. Once there, we can demand that the NDP have a clear policy for health care, since most of those in need of it are their members. People needing hospital treatment could then follow Jack Layton’s example and attend a private clinic.
On gas prices, I think we should all be subsidized to own a hybrid vehicle. I borrowed one from a neighbour – the cart works well, but the horse is difficult to park.
Finally, I have been asked to make clear my position on education. I have always said that any Canadian can get an excellent K-12 education – it just takes four years of University study to do it. Our policy will be to make education affordable, if you have the money to pay.
So that’s my platform for the Green/Liberal alliance. I will choose a hard ass as my Deputy - Belinda Stronach comes to mind. She has strong views is very determined and has been a Liberal now for almost a year.
Reading over all of this again, I wonder how I can get in touch with the Toronto Maple Leaf’s.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
A Pressing Apology
The Spectator is a great (British) magazine, full of comment, reviews and excellent writing. One of its columnists, Taki, is a bit of a wild boy. The Speccie felt a need to apologise for one of his comments. Take a boo -
In his "High Life" column of 4 December 2004 (accidentally reproduced on this website as part of his 11 December 2004 column) Taki wrote that the author Lady Colin Campbell had once been a man who had persuaded her former husband to marry her by passing herself off as a woman. We accept that Lady Colin Campbell is a woman and had no need to pass herself off to her former husband as something she was not. We apologise to Lady Colin Campbell for the distress and embarrassment caused and have agreed to pay her damages and legal costs.
Dont you just love this kind of stuff...
In his "High Life" column of 4 December 2004 (accidentally reproduced on this website as part of his 11 December 2004 column) Taki wrote that the author Lady Colin Campbell had once been a man who had persuaded her former husband to marry her by passing herself off as a woman. We accept that Lady Colin Campbell is a woman and had no need to pass herself off to her former husband as something she was not. We apologise to Lady Colin Campbell for the distress and embarrassment caused and have agreed to pay her damages and legal costs.
Dont you just love this kind of stuff...
Thursday, April 13, 2006
New Ways of Working
Since I left full time employment and started my own companies, I have been creatively busy. The good news is that I am doing well. The bad news is that I hadnt realized just how much of an addiction work is.
I guess for me, it doesnt matter. Work for me is reading, writing, eating, talking, thinking, laughing, shaking my head. Not exactly difficult.
My dad, for example, was a carpenter and had to work inside and outside in all weathers and do exact measurements, build things, hit nails into wood and screw around (if you know what I mean) - very physical labour. The fact that he did this for a brewery kind of helped, but he also worked on building sites and in an old wool mill. Then there are friends who work on oil rigs off the north sea or are in the hotel trade. That's work.
Work for me is fun. I am on a couple of boards - Alberta Ballet, Heritage Community Foundation, Galileo Educational Network (where I am chair) - and helping to create the Alberta Chamber of Technologies (see www.2020network.ca). I have been able to write some very interesting pieces for the Edmonton Journal (see my journalistic blog - look to your right and click), Alberta Venture and even Lifestyle 55+ (where I am their technology editor). Alberta Venture also took a piece recently (see http://www.albertaventure.com/abventure_4621.html ) and I have real hopes of my piece for Atlantic Monthly.
I have consulting work through networks and links with others, including a nice piece for Molson and have just finished a very significant piece for Alberta Sustainable Resources and another for Alberta Human Resources and Employment.
I have someone pay me to look systematically at the future of various technologies, both for e-learning (Contact North) and for ICT (ICT Council, Alberta) as well as being hard at work on the fibre roadmap for Alberta (via ARC) and the strategy for innovation in Canada (thanks to Innovation & Science).
So fun. But work.
Maybe its time to drive to San Fransisco and then onto Oregon and visit the working son.
I guess for me, it doesnt matter. Work for me is reading, writing, eating, talking, thinking, laughing, shaking my head. Not exactly difficult.
My dad, for example, was a carpenter and had to work inside and outside in all weathers and do exact measurements, build things, hit nails into wood and screw around (if you know what I mean) - very physical labour. The fact that he did this for a brewery kind of helped, but he also worked on building sites and in an old wool mill. Then there are friends who work on oil rigs off the north sea or are in the hotel trade. That's work.
Work for me is fun. I am on a couple of boards - Alberta Ballet, Heritage Community Foundation, Galileo Educational Network (where I am chair) - and helping to create the Alberta Chamber of Technologies (see www.2020network.ca). I have been able to write some very interesting pieces for the Edmonton Journal (see my journalistic blog - look to your right and click), Alberta Venture and even Lifestyle 55+ (where I am their technology editor). Alberta Venture also took a piece recently (see http://www.albertaventure.com/abventure_4621.html ) and I have real hopes of my piece for Atlantic Monthly.
I have consulting work through networks and links with others, including a nice piece for Molson and have just finished a very significant piece for Alberta Sustainable Resources and another for Alberta Human Resources and Employment.
I have someone pay me to look systematically at the future of various technologies, both for e-learning (Contact North) and for ICT (ICT Council, Alberta) as well as being hard at work on the fibre roadmap for Alberta (via ARC) and the strategy for innovation in Canada (thanks to Innovation & Science).
So fun. But work.
Maybe its time to drive to San Fransisco and then onto Oregon and visit the working son.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Things, They are a Changing....
This report from the BBC web site: “A so-called super tomato bred to have unusually high levels of a substance which may cut the risk of certain cancers has been launched by Tesco. The supermarket giant says its Healthy Living Tomato on the Vine contains up to twice the level of lycopene found in other vine tomatoes”. Here’s the kicker: The new tomatoes will be sold in a pack of four or five costing £1.89 ($4.25Can = $1.06 a tomato).
But this is not the only new invention coming to a store near you. Sports clothing firm O'Neill is set to launch a jacket with a built-in keypad that lets you control your iPod or mobile phone without exposing your hands to the cold. A microphone sewn into the collar of the coat works via Bluetooth short range radio with the control box in the jacket so wearers can make and take calls while ski-ing. A backpack with similar controls built in, plus a camera that sits on one of the shoulder straps, will go on sale at the same time. The backpack should cost about 350 euros (£240 or $540Can).
NEC is developing a product called Sala that integrates a radio tag into an item of jewellery, such as a wedding ring - associated with an important event. When the ring, earring or brooch is placed near a display device that can read the tag it calls up the images, movies or sounds the owner has associated with it.
Metro (a large store company) is developing a prototype smart changing room that could help those looking for clothes see what they look like wearing them without actually having to put them on. The system used radio tags to identify clothes and when the items of apparel are put near a large display, sensors read the tags and show an image of a model wearing an outfit made up of those items. Early versions of the system show all the clothes on models but future versions will include a body scanner so the exact shape of shoppers can be used in the display.
Its getting interesting out there.
But this is not the only new invention coming to a store near you. Sports clothing firm O'Neill is set to launch a jacket with a built-in keypad that lets you control your iPod or mobile phone without exposing your hands to the cold. A microphone sewn into the collar of the coat works via Bluetooth short range radio with the control box in the jacket so wearers can make and take calls while ski-ing. A backpack with similar controls built in, plus a camera that sits on one of the shoulder straps, will go on sale at the same time. The backpack should cost about 350 euros (£240 or $540Can).
NEC is developing a product called Sala that integrates a radio tag into an item of jewellery, such as a wedding ring - associated with an important event. When the ring, earring or brooch is placed near a display device that can read the tag it calls up the images, movies or sounds the owner has associated with it.
Metro (a large store company) is developing a prototype smart changing room that could help those looking for clothes see what they look like wearing them without actually having to put them on. The system used radio tags to identify clothes and when the items of apparel are put near a large display, sensors read the tags and show an image of a model wearing an outfit made up of those items. Early versions of the system show all the clothes on models but future versions will include a body scanner so the exact shape of shoppers can be used in the display.
Its getting interesting out there.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Goodbye and Good Luck, Mr Klein
So, Ralph has decided to step down as Premier in the fall. There will be a leadership process and he will go in September.
Good thing too. A skilled street smart politician, it was clear that the time has come for him to move on. The question now we should ask is not who will succeed, now what are the key characteristics of the leadership that Alberta now needs to see. Here are my thoughts.
First, the leader has to have a strong, compelling and challenging vision for Alberta’s future. They cannot simply look at revenues and wonder how to best distribute wealth – they need to recognize the need to diversify the economy, to support development and challenge Albertans to think of the future in a positive but more realistic way.
Second, they need to understand the power of democratic institutions, effective government and public: private partnerships for the work that Alberta needs to do. They need to understand the balance between these different kinds of organizing forces and push for productive, effective and accountable government. There is much to do under this heading.
Third, they need to understand that less but focused government is better than more government. They need to get spending back under control – we have been spending more than the growth of the population and inflation requires and we need to cut again while we have a chance to do so. Spending avoids responsibility. They need to make focused investments and think long term about funding, rather than short term.
Fourth, they need to understand that Alberta needs to build a capacity for innovation and support focused efforts to do so. Innovation is about companies, supports for commercialization, market development and the flow of skilled people. We need to do much more here. We have done much to support basic research in the Universities – we now need to focus on strengthening the flow of new products from Alberta into the world’s economy.
Sixth, they will have to stop talking about health care and the “third way”, and face up to the fact that health care spending is a major challenge and needs a long term solution. Smart, brave rethinking focused on management, productivity, skills and prevention are key to the thinking needed here. This will mean that the new Premier will have to face down critics and challenge the system to do much more with less cash than the system wishes to see. The fundamental problem is not money, but imagination and courage.
Seventh, they need to have a clear and believable strategy for sustaining our natural resources – balancing development with stewardship, extraction with renewal. Albertan’s are strongly committed to sustainable natural resources and to prosperity – they look to leadership to balance these competing forces.
Finally, Albertans expect to be engaged and informed. They expect their Premier to be a world-class communicator, a team player as well as a leader and consummate politician. They will look for new ways of public participation, not bogus consultations or gimmicky surveys. They will look for a twenty first century leader to use twenty first century technologies to intelligently involve Albertans in policy formulation, deployment and execution.
Whoever ends up in this role has a lot going for them – a thirst for a new kind of politics, adequate resources to manage change and a growing acceptance that the resource revenues will not last for ever. There is also a tiredness in government which will readily respond to an injection of new blood, new thinking, new energy.
Political honeymoons are short – ask Stephen Harper. It is more important to have a clear, focused plan which the new Premier will act on than to have “spin”, “slogans” and marketing gimmicks. The next leader will need a plan to lead our future, not just “build on the past”.
Good thing too. A skilled street smart politician, it was clear that the time has come for him to move on. The question now we should ask is not who will succeed, now what are the key characteristics of the leadership that Alberta now needs to see. Here are my thoughts.
First, the leader has to have a strong, compelling and challenging vision for Alberta’s future. They cannot simply look at revenues and wonder how to best distribute wealth – they need to recognize the need to diversify the economy, to support development and challenge Albertans to think of the future in a positive but more realistic way.
Second, they need to understand the power of democratic institutions, effective government and public: private partnerships for the work that Alberta needs to do. They need to understand the balance between these different kinds of organizing forces and push for productive, effective and accountable government. There is much to do under this heading.
Third, they need to understand that less but focused government is better than more government. They need to get spending back under control – we have been spending more than the growth of the population and inflation requires and we need to cut again while we have a chance to do so. Spending avoids responsibility. They need to make focused investments and think long term about funding, rather than short term.
Fourth, they need to understand that Alberta needs to build a capacity for innovation and support focused efforts to do so. Innovation is about companies, supports for commercialization, market development and the flow of skilled people. We need to do much more here. We have done much to support basic research in the Universities – we now need to focus on strengthening the flow of new products from Alberta into the world’s economy.
Sixth, they will have to stop talking about health care and the “third way”, and face up to the fact that health care spending is a major challenge and needs a long term solution. Smart, brave rethinking focused on management, productivity, skills and prevention are key to the thinking needed here. This will mean that the new Premier will have to face down critics and challenge the system to do much more with less cash than the system wishes to see. The fundamental problem is not money, but imagination and courage.
Seventh, they need to have a clear and believable strategy for sustaining our natural resources – balancing development with stewardship, extraction with renewal. Albertan’s are strongly committed to sustainable natural resources and to prosperity – they look to leadership to balance these competing forces.
Finally, Albertans expect to be engaged and informed. They expect their Premier to be a world-class communicator, a team player as well as a leader and consummate politician. They will look for new ways of public participation, not bogus consultations or gimmicky surveys. They will look for a twenty first century leader to use twenty first century technologies to intelligently involve Albertans in policy formulation, deployment and execution.
Whoever ends up in this role has a lot going for them – a thirst for a new kind of politics, adequate resources to manage change and a growing acceptance that the resource revenues will not last for ever. There is also a tiredness in government which will readily respond to an injection of new blood, new thinking, new energy.
Political honeymoons are short – ask Stephen Harper. It is more important to have a clear, focused plan which the new Premier will act on than to have “spin”, “slogans” and marketing gimmicks. The next leader will need a plan to lead our future, not just “build on the past”.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Best Comedy Show on Television
Today I caught Prime Ministers Question period in the UK parliament. It was an interesting event. Tony Blair, sometime British Prime Minister, is away in Australasia and the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, took his place. David Cameron, leader of the official opposition, is also away, so a former leader, William Hague, took his place.
Both are Yorkshiremen from Rotherham. Both are seasoned performers. Hauge is widely regarded as the best speaker in the house. Prescott, a bruiser, is well known to have a serious problems in mangling the language (English, we think).
It was a great show - probably the best comedy on television today. Here are some examples (thanks to the BBC):
John Prescott: "The Tories have been going through leaders so fast they have started at the beginning again". (Hauge was 4 leaders ago)
William Hague: "He is over 65 yet he did not pay council tax at all. What was so special about election year that pensioners needed £200 council tax help just for that year?"
John Prescott: "The Tories are so green they are recycling their leaders".
And there was more
William Hague: "There was so little English in that answer, President Chirac would have been happy with it".
John Prescott: (On the prime minister's retirement timetable) "That's for me to know and him to guess at".
And here's another one from my blue bookWilliam Hague: "At least I got through that campaign (2001 election) without hitting anybody". (Prescott thumped a man who threw an egg at him - Prescott was widely admored at the time for being a real man not a girly boy).
John Prescott: "I thought we had finished with Punch and Judy politics. I know I will be called Mr Punch, what does that leave him as?"
William Hague: "The prime minister has fled the country before the police turn up". (A reference to the scandal surrounding the loans for peerages deal, which has now turned into a corruption case).
It was great fun. Bet we wont see this kind of stuff next week when the Canadian parliament opens again after a break for election, corruption and moving the chairs about.
Both are Yorkshiremen from Rotherham. Both are seasoned performers. Hauge is widely regarded as the best speaker in the house. Prescott, a bruiser, is well known to have a serious problems in mangling the language (English, we think).
It was a great show - probably the best comedy on television today. Here are some examples (thanks to the BBC):
John Prescott: "The Tories have been going through leaders so fast they have started at the beginning again". (Hauge was 4 leaders ago)
William Hague: "He is over 65 yet he did not pay council tax at all. What was so special about election year that pensioners needed £200 council tax help just for that year?"
John Prescott: "The Tories are so green they are recycling their leaders".
And there was more
William Hague: "There was so little English in that answer, President Chirac would have been happy with it".
John Prescott: (On the prime minister's retirement timetable) "That's for me to know and him to guess at".
And here's another one from my blue bookWilliam Hague: "At least I got through that campaign (2001 election) without hitting anybody". (Prescott thumped a man who threw an egg at him - Prescott was widely admored at the time for being a real man not a girly boy).
John Prescott: "I thought we had finished with Punch and Judy politics. I know I will be called Mr Punch, what does that leave him as?"
William Hague: "The prime minister has fled the country before the police turn up". (A reference to the scandal surrounding the loans for peerages deal, which has now turned into a corruption case).
It was great fun. Bet we wont see this kind of stuff next week when the Canadian parliament opens again after a break for election, corruption and moving the chairs about.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Pension Chaos
Britain is on strike - 80,000 public sector workers walked off the job today in a dispute over pensions. The argument is not about the size of the pension, but about when a person is entitled to it. Under the existing rules, a person who has worked for the equivalent of 35 years (the formulae is that a persons actual age plus length of service must be 85 or higher) can retire on a full, index linked final salary pension. The government wants to scrap this rule, and require a person to work to 65 (which may be changed to 70) before being entitled to a pension.
It is an interesting development. A strike over the right not to work.
The context is simple. Britain's demographics are the same as Canada's - the boomers are approaching retirement and many are eligible to pensions under this rule and many of them are smart enough to say that not working is likely to be more fun than working. The government, however, have a major problem. Unfunded public sector pension liabilities are £960b (according to Watson Wyatt) and will soon reach one trillion pounds. This is equal to £40,000 per household in Britain and is larger than the public sector debt in the UK.
The private sector fairs not much better. Many used to have final salary pension benefits, but most have abandoned these for new entrants into their firms. Over half of the working population in the private sector in the UK have no pension arrangements - they are either earning too little or have opted out. Of those in schemes, 40% have opted for the minimum scheme, which will give them just £31 a week on retirement.
Striking draws attention to the pension crisis in Britain. What will it take for Canadian's to wake up to the fact that the situation here is not much different?
It is an interesting development. A strike over the right not to work.
The context is simple. Britain's demographics are the same as Canada's - the boomers are approaching retirement and many are eligible to pensions under this rule and many of them are smart enough to say that not working is likely to be more fun than working. The government, however, have a major problem. Unfunded public sector pension liabilities are £960b (according to Watson Wyatt) and will soon reach one trillion pounds. This is equal to £40,000 per household in Britain and is larger than the public sector debt in the UK.
The private sector fairs not much better. Many used to have final salary pension benefits, but most have abandoned these for new entrants into their firms. Over half of the working population in the private sector in the UK have no pension arrangements - they are either earning too little or have opted out. Of those in schemes, 40% have opted for the minimum scheme, which will give them just £31 a week on retirement.
Striking draws attention to the pension crisis in Britain. What will it take for Canadian's to wake up to the fact that the situation here is not much different?
Sunday, March 26, 2006
The Future Isn't What it Used To Be
The Australian Foresight Institute has closed.
Bet they didn't see that coming.
Bet they didn't see that coming.
A Tribute to Jen Anderson
It is rare to come across someone in one's professional life that becomes both a role model and a friend.
I met Jen Anderson in 1999/2000 when I was working with the team at Lifeskills. Jen had been Barrie Hopson's ex (founder of Lifeskills) and had been in consulting for a long time. We needed help with some work at Metropolitan Housing on our leadership development / project management work and Jen arrived to help. She was wonderful - organized, smart, focused, funny, supportive, challenging, imaginative, creative and well versed in the "stuff" both in terms of substance and process. We got on well.
In 2002/3 she won some work with Sunderland Hospital and again we worked together - just the two of us. We created a program, delivered it and trusted each other a lot. We spent time socially here too, where I found out more about her hopes and ambitions. Given that she had beaten cancer once, the only thing "odd" about Jen was that she continued to smoke.
She wanted to move to Kenya, to live there with her partner Phillip and rest. She had battled with cancer and won, but it had left her conscious of the frailty of life. They had a place in Kenya - they were getting ready to go. The idea was to do a bang up job on their house in the north, sell it a profit and retire to Kenya on the basis of this (and other cash set aside).
She couldn't, however, leave her father - who was frail and a little dementia got in the way of their relationship, which was a grumpy one anyway.
Then she got hit with another bout of cancer, this time she was finding it tough to beat. She tried chemo, she tried alternatives, she tried, well anything and was very systematic about it too - I can just picture her colour coded binders, key points underlined, power point slides with the focal points of various therapies... She kept us all informed of progress and was for ever optimistic, though her last note had a sense of running out of options.
She died yesterday. Her partner was there with her when she moved on and was able to spend the time caring for her.
But I will miss her. I will miss her smile. Her energy. Her commitment and her ability to show empathy with people. I have lost an exemplary colleague and a friend. I have lost someone who knew the value of life, and lived it to the full as long as she could.
Take care Jen, wherever you are. I know you will spend time in Kenya - be there whenever the mood takes you.
I met Jen Anderson in 1999/2000 when I was working with the team at Lifeskills. Jen had been Barrie Hopson's ex (founder of Lifeskills) and had been in consulting for a long time. We needed help with some work at Metropolitan Housing on our leadership development / project management work and Jen arrived to help. She was wonderful - organized, smart, focused, funny, supportive, challenging, imaginative, creative and well versed in the "stuff" both in terms of substance and process. We got on well.
In 2002/3 she won some work with Sunderland Hospital and again we worked together - just the two of us. We created a program, delivered it and trusted each other a lot. We spent time socially here too, where I found out more about her hopes and ambitions. Given that she had beaten cancer once, the only thing "odd" about Jen was that she continued to smoke.
She wanted to move to Kenya, to live there with her partner Phillip and rest. She had battled with cancer and won, but it had left her conscious of the frailty of life. They had a place in Kenya - they were getting ready to go. The idea was to do a bang up job on their house in the north, sell it a profit and retire to Kenya on the basis of this (and other cash set aside).
She couldn't, however, leave her father - who was frail and a little dementia got in the way of their relationship, which was a grumpy one anyway.
Then she got hit with another bout of cancer, this time she was finding it tough to beat. She tried chemo, she tried alternatives, she tried, well anything and was very systematic about it too - I can just picture her colour coded binders, key points underlined, power point slides with the focal points of various therapies... She kept us all informed of progress and was for ever optimistic, though her last note had a sense of running out of options.
She died yesterday. Her partner was there with her when she moved on and was able to spend the time caring for her.
But I will miss her. I will miss her smile. Her energy. Her commitment and her ability to show empathy with people. I have lost an exemplary colleague and a friend. I have lost someone who knew the value of life, and lived it to the full as long as she could.
Take care Jen, wherever you are. I know you will spend time in Kenya - be there whenever the mood takes you.
Films Watched in 2006 (so far)
Sidney Lumet, on Charlie Rose the other day, suggested that the 2005 films were among the best he had seen for many years. I obviously watched the wrong movies.
Here are some I have seen so far in 2006:
Broken Flowers – fell asleep and snored my way through a totally dreadful movie. Bill Murray plays the same character he played in Lost in Translation and fails here too. Avoid at all costs.
North Country – almost fell asleep, but did manage to write 3,000 words before the film finished. This is Charleze Theron playing a puffed up, angry woman again. Not much drama and a totally predictable film, based on pathos. Watch if you really have to get a job done.
A History of Violence – very strong, focused movie. Excellent production values and a good, compelling story. William Hurt good and deserved his Oscar nomination for best supporting actor (and I really thought Maria Bello did an excellent job as the wife of the main character, played by Viggo Mortensen).
Dear Frankie – a family movie, but a good one about a boy who believes his dad is at sea, when in fact his mum simply left him (and he’s now dying of cancer). She persuades someone to play Frankie’s dad, who then falls in love with the mum. Lead played by Emily Mortimer – daughter of Sir John Mortimer (Rumpole).
Crash - very surprised this won anything, anywhere. Dull movie. Potentially interesting story, lost in translation to the screen. Poor acting generally.
Ladies in Lavender - Judi Dench played a whistful spinster beautifully. Nice little film.
Junebug – disappointing movie, with a pretentious story line and the odd moment of acting. Embeth Davidtz plays the lead female role, but the real star of this film (and nominated for best supporting actress at the Oscars) was Amy Adams. Movie not really worth the energy.
Callas Forever – a Jeremy Irons movie about trying to persuade a fading Maria Callas to revive her career by doing full length feature films lip-sync’ing the words. Fanny Ardant (who learned to speak English for this film – you wouldn’t know) does a magnificent job of playing Callas. It’s a long movie, but well worth the watch. Great music too (if you like Carmen). Some trivia: Fanny was Truffaut’s partner.
Pride and Prejudice - the new version with Donald Sutherland, Keira Kinghtley and others. Stunning cinematography and good story telling (very condensed version of the story). Enjoyable.
Oliver - Polanski's version of this Dicken's classic is powerfully told, with Sir Ben Kingsley as Fagin. Again, story well told and stunning cinematography.
November – When her boyfriend is shot to death in a robbery, LA photographer Sophie Jacobs (Courtney Cox) tries her hardest to put the event behind her. But as she struggles to get over the murder, Sophie's life begins to change, leaving her clueless as to what's coming. But worst of all, the line between reality and fantasy is beginning to shatter. Its an interesting movie, leaving you wondering – a bit like Sixth Sense with grown ups. Its OK.
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill – a charming, effective documentary about San Francisco’s wild parrots. Very nicely made movie, and an Oscar nominated film.
Grizzly Man – film about the couple who loved grizzly bears so much that they got eaten by one. True story – it’s a documentary – of self0indulgent guy. Not very inspiring.
March of the Penguins – terrific documentary film, which deserved the Oscar in the documentary category. Compelling story of what it takes for an Emperor Penguin couple to create, incubate, birth and look after a baby penguin. Morgan Freeman’s narration strong. Highly recommended.
Downfall – A vivid, compelling and powerful version of Hitler’s last days. Very strongly recommended.
Wedding Crashers - came recommended as a funny film, but was not at all funny. The odd smile. Predictable, poor and occassionally pedestrian.
The Last Hour – a grieving widow is allowed to spend one last hour with his wife. In my view, he needn’t have bothered.
Mr and Mrs Smith - well, hope their real love life isnt this predictable and poor. Brad Pitt and Ms Jolie ramp around with guns.
The Great Raid – about getting PoW’s out of a Japanese war camp in the Philippines. Very realistic film, well made. Of specialist interest, but good.
In Good Company – a corporate morality tale with Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson. Quaid plays a middle-aged ad exec faced with a new boss who's nearly half his age ... and who also happens to be sleeping with his daughter and it has some funny moments, an irony.
Constant Gardener – very powerful film, effective acting (Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz – the latter won an Oscar) and a good story. Classic.
Good Night and Good Luck – powerful Clooney written and directed film (he’s also in it and won an Oscar for best supporting actor) about Ed Morrow’s campaign against McCarthy in the 1950’s. Black and white works well.
Almost at the end of the first quarter of the year, the last two films above being the best so far (with Callas).
Movie's I would like to see
Capote
The New World
Memoirs of a Geisha
An Unfinished Life (Redford)
Matchpoint (Woody Allen)
Nine Lives
Mrs Henderson Presents
Casonova
The Libertine (Johnny Depp)
Freedomland
Syriana
Hustle and Flow
Pirates II (and III when it comes out)
- we have a home theatre system, so I guess we'll just have to wait.
Here are some I have seen so far in 2006:
Broken Flowers – fell asleep and snored my way through a totally dreadful movie. Bill Murray plays the same character he played in Lost in Translation and fails here too. Avoid at all costs.
North Country – almost fell asleep, but did manage to write 3,000 words before the film finished. This is Charleze Theron playing a puffed up, angry woman again. Not much drama and a totally predictable film, based on pathos. Watch if you really have to get a job done.
A History of Violence – very strong, focused movie. Excellent production values and a good, compelling story. William Hurt good and deserved his Oscar nomination for best supporting actor (and I really thought Maria Bello did an excellent job as the wife of the main character, played by Viggo Mortensen).
Dear Frankie – a family movie, but a good one about a boy who believes his dad is at sea, when in fact his mum simply left him (and he’s now dying of cancer). She persuades someone to play Frankie’s dad, who then falls in love with the mum. Lead played by Emily Mortimer – daughter of Sir John Mortimer (Rumpole).
Crash - very surprised this won anything, anywhere. Dull movie. Potentially interesting story, lost in translation to the screen. Poor acting generally.
Ladies in Lavender - Judi Dench played a whistful spinster beautifully. Nice little film.
Junebug – disappointing movie, with a pretentious story line and the odd moment of acting. Embeth Davidtz plays the lead female role, but the real star of this film (and nominated for best supporting actress at the Oscars) was Amy Adams. Movie not really worth the energy.
Callas Forever – a Jeremy Irons movie about trying to persuade a fading Maria Callas to revive her career by doing full length feature films lip-sync’ing the words. Fanny Ardant (who learned to speak English for this film – you wouldn’t know) does a magnificent job of playing Callas. It’s a long movie, but well worth the watch. Great music too (if you like Carmen). Some trivia: Fanny was Truffaut’s partner.
Pride and Prejudice - the new version with Donald Sutherland, Keira Kinghtley and others. Stunning cinematography and good story telling (very condensed version of the story). Enjoyable.
Oliver - Polanski's version of this Dicken's classic is powerfully told, with Sir Ben Kingsley as Fagin. Again, story well told and stunning cinematography.
November – When her boyfriend is shot to death in a robbery, LA photographer Sophie Jacobs (Courtney Cox) tries her hardest to put the event behind her. But as she struggles to get over the murder, Sophie's life begins to change, leaving her clueless as to what's coming. But worst of all, the line between reality and fantasy is beginning to shatter. Its an interesting movie, leaving you wondering – a bit like Sixth Sense with grown ups. Its OK.
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill – a charming, effective documentary about San Francisco’s wild parrots. Very nicely made movie, and an Oscar nominated film.
Grizzly Man – film about the couple who loved grizzly bears so much that they got eaten by one. True story – it’s a documentary – of self0indulgent guy. Not very inspiring.
March of the Penguins – terrific documentary film, which deserved the Oscar in the documentary category. Compelling story of what it takes for an Emperor Penguin couple to create, incubate, birth and look after a baby penguin. Morgan Freeman’s narration strong. Highly recommended.
Downfall – A vivid, compelling and powerful version of Hitler’s last days. Very strongly recommended.
Wedding Crashers - came recommended as a funny film, but was not at all funny. The odd smile. Predictable, poor and occassionally pedestrian.
The Last Hour – a grieving widow is allowed to spend one last hour with his wife. In my view, he needn’t have bothered.
Mr and Mrs Smith - well, hope their real love life isnt this predictable and poor. Brad Pitt and Ms Jolie ramp around with guns.
The Great Raid – about getting PoW’s out of a Japanese war camp in the Philippines. Very realistic film, well made. Of specialist interest, but good.
In Good Company – a corporate morality tale with Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson. Quaid plays a middle-aged ad exec faced with a new boss who's nearly half his age ... and who also happens to be sleeping with his daughter and it has some funny moments, an irony.
Constant Gardener – very powerful film, effective acting (Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz – the latter won an Oscar) and a good story. Classic.
Good Night and Good Luck – powerful Clooney written and directed film (he’s also in it and won an Oscar for best supporting actor) about Ed Morrow’s campaign against McCarthy in the 1950’s. Black and white works well.
Almost at the end of the first quarter of the year, the last two films above being the best so far (with Callas).
Movie's I would like to see
Capote
The New World
Memoirs of a Geisha
An Unfinished Life (Redford)
Matchpoint (Woody Allen)
Nine Lives
Mrs Henderson Presents
Casonova
The Libertine (Johnny Depp)
Freedomland
Syriana
Hustle and Flow
Pirates II (and III when it comes out)
- we have a home theatre system, so I guess we'll just have to wait.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Non!
Jacques Chirac walked out of an EU meeting when someone from a francophone country spoke English, one of the official languages of the EU.
Chirac, who looks imcreasingly like a caricature of himself (like one of the spitting image puppets), took the whole French delegation out with him. This is the President of France - one of the G8 and a country in the middle of a crisis over its ability to compete in the modern world (hence their new labour laws and the resultant resistance to change). This is the country who insists on sabotaging the World Trade Organization's Doha round of talks by refusing to really consider rethinking farm subsidy.
France is looking to isolate itself politically, linguistically, commercially and economically. They are doing very well at this. C'la vie!
Chirac, who looks imcreasingly like a caricature of himself (like one of the spitting image puppets), took the whole French delegation out with him. This is the President of France - one of the G8 and a country in the middle of a crisis over its ability to compete in the modern world (hence their new labour laws and the resultant resistance to change). This is the country who insists on sabotaging the World Trade Organization's Doha round of talks by refusing to really consider rethinking farm subsidy.
France is looking to isolate itself politically, linguistically, commercially and economically. They are doing very well at this. C'la vie!
Goodbye and Good Luck, Mr Oberg
(Yesterday, the Alberta Conservative MLA's stripped a cabinet member (Lyle Oberg) of his position and his caucus membership. It has no rght to do so - only the Premier can appoint and dismiss cabinet members. Earlier another cabinet member left to fight a leadership race that doesnt begin until 2007. Here is a response, with acknowledgements to Oscar Wilde)
Losing one cabinet Minister, Mr. Klein, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. Lyle Oberg’s “suspension” is a consequence of a political party which sees unity as more important than policy and performance and a leader who does not tolerate challenge within his own party.
In other jurisdictions – the US and Britain, for example – opposition within a ruling political party is normal. If Klein’s “obey or die” rules were applied, Britain would lose up to six cabinet members and Blair would not be on the way out. What is happening in fact is that Blair has more opposition within his party than he has from the official conservative opposition. In the US, many republicans oppose many aspects of George W Bush’s presidential policies and actions and don’t mind going on television to say so.
Oberg was right. A leadership review is not a coronation – party members should use their conscience to decide whether its time for Klein to go. Oberg was right to imply that he wouldn’t support Klein’s long goodbye – no one should. The Conservative Party should not tolerate this behaviour from their MLA’s and should let Klein know that intolerance is unacceptable. A smart caucus would have challenged Klein’s long goodbye and his leadership rules – both are party matters.
Losing one cabinet Minister, Mr. Klein, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. Lyle Oberg’s “suspension” is a consequence of a political party which sees unity as more important than policy and performance and a leader who does not tolerate challenge within his own party.
In other jurisdictions – the US and Britain, for example – opposition within a ruling political party is normal. If Klein’s “obey or die” rules were applied, Britain would lose up to six cabinet members and Blair would not be on the way out. What is happening in fact is that Blair has more opposition within his party than he has from the official conservative opposition. In the US, many republicans oppose many aspects of George W Bush’s presidential policies and actions and don’t mind going on television to say so.
Oberg was right. A leadership review is not a coronation – party members should use their conscience to decide whether its time for Klein to go. Oberg was right to imply that he wouldn’t support Klein’s long goodbye – no one should. The Conservative Party should not tolerate this behaviour from their MLA’s and should let Klein know that intolerance is unacceptable. A smart caucus would have challenged Klein’s long goodbye and his leadership rules – both are party matters.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
The Coming Pandemic
Three years ago I purchased a DVD recorder – a must for every serious watcher of The Soprano’s (HBO’s) and Swiss Tony (BBC). Now the only thing I record religiously is Charlie Rose (PBS) – the best in depth conversation show on television. Rose, a former lawyer, is well read and traveled, genuinely interested in the world and is very engaging. His interviews are in depth, thorough and yet are compelling, most of the time.
Today, he looked at the bird flu (H5N1) threat. He had a range of people, but asked Sir Paul Nurse (Nobel prize winner, President Rockefeller University) to help him push the debate with Peter Palese (Mt Sinai), Julie Gerberding(Director, Cenre for Disease Control), Laurie Garrett, Harvey Fineberg, Michael Levitt (Health Secretary, US Government) and David Nabarro (now senior UN official). Here is what came up:
- Some 50-75m could die if this thing takes off, though to date just 96 people have died (out of 165 infected) – this is about the same level of death as occurred in the very early stages of the 1918 pandemic (in 1918 50m died, as far as we know, with 700,000 deaths in the US).
- We don’t know infection rates, death probability or speed of transmission about this new bird-flu virus. If these were the same as 1918, then 150m or more could die under the most optimistic scenario. Right now, though, there has yet to be a case of human to human transfer.
- Not all bird species react in the same way – chickens die in larger number than ducks, for example.
- We don’t know if the virus will move to human : human transmission.
- We don’t have an antidote that is effective against this virus.
- It may be fast developing in Africa as a killer, given that many have weakened immune systems due to HIV/AIDS (yet, no one with HIV came down with SARS).
- Don’t get sucked into this being imminent – it could take some time.
- The key is to build effective surveillance, public health plans and speed up vaccine production and to engender a strong sense of personal hygiene.
- The economic consequences could be very serious – communities struggling to operate normally, when a significant portion of their peers are ill or dying.
My previous impressions have been that there is a lot of fear mongering going on. This show didn’t do this. It was a serious, calm and not Oprah like exploration of the issues. So now, wash your hands and keep an eye on the news.
The Last Days of Tony Blair
These are the last days of Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The signs of decline: a scandal involving backroom financial deals in exchange for favours and peerages, now being investigated by the British police; back bench disaffection over proposed reforms to the education system; the failure of public health reforms; Britain’s support of the US in Iraq; concerns over the undue influence of his wife, Cherie Blair – all are hallmarks of his last days.
A charismatic, inventive speaker and politician, he became Prime Minister in 1998 after the collapse, through disaffection and sleaze, of the Tory government of Sir John Major. Promising to clean up politics and to live by the highest standards, Blair proceeded to move quickly into a more Presidential style of government, speaking over his Ministers and using a small cabal of close advisors to drive policy and manage the media message.
Pushing public sector reform by increasing accountability, pouring billions into education and health in the hope of achieving dramatic performance improvements, Blair spoke the language of effectiveness, efficiency and reform. The National Health Service is now running massive deficits and performance has only marginally improved after £45b injection of funds. Schools continue to produce weak performance in comparison to other systems in other countries – hence the current call for reform.
The secret of Blair’s electoral success were an apparently strong economy, the massive investment in the public sector creating close to 1.8m new jobs in eight years (only 400,000 private sector jobs were created since Blair came to power) and the fact that there were no real alternative choices for a national leader from any of the opposition parties. Another factor was Blair’s art of denial - denial of the fact that Britain is now a high tax economy with growing public sector debt (now over £400b), denial of the pension liability Britain now faces and denial of the failure of the US:UK Iraq strategy. His own denials helped others deny reality too.
His legacy will be more about style than substance – about how to create and manage images, messages and the media. There are some specific achievements – enabling the IRA to disarm, a partial reform of the House of Lords, forgiving a large portion of African debt, creating an enhanced role for the private sector in the delivery of public services. But when set against the rhetoric of policy announcements, platform speeches and media messaging, these achievements are shallow. They will be greeted with the sound of one hand clapping.
Another reason for recognizing these as the last days of Blair is the arrival, just over 100 days ago, of a new leader of the British Conservative Party, David Cameron. Modeling himself after the early Blair and reinvigorating his party, Cameron presents real policy alternatives, a true alternative to Labour and an opportunity for the electorate to change leaders without a knee jerk change in the way Britain runs. Blair, seeing this, will soon make his call and move on.
Blair’s likely successor is Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer and a dour Scot from the Kingdom of Fife. Though he too will be tainted by the Labour Party’s current financial scandal, he is a classic tax and spend labour party leader who will have no new ideas to revitalize Britain or its ailing public services. He is now behaves as if he already is the Prime Minister, laying out policies on foreign affairs, security, the future of the European Union. HE may well win the leadership but be a short serving Prime Minister.
As the British Labour Party stares at bankruptcy – financial and intellectual – the British Conservative Party faces a new opportunity and a new challenge. Blair’s departure will put the spotlight on Cameron, the Conservative Prime Minister in waiting.
Blair may seek office elsewhere – some have suggested the UN Secretary General position, available in 2007 or the EU Presidency – but he is more likely to follow the Bill Clinton’s money making lecture circuit, at which he will excel. Meantime, we can all begin to watch the final decline and fall of a leading G8 political figure.
A charismatic, inventive speaker and politician, he became Prime Minister in 1998 after the collapse, through disaffection and sleaze, of the Tory government of Sir John Major. Promising to clean up politics and to live by the highest standards, Blair proceeded to move quickly into a more Presidential style of government, speaking over his Ministers and using a small cabal of close advisors to drive policy and manage the media message.
Pushing public sector reform by increasing accountability, pouring billions into education and health in the hope of achieving dramatic performance improvements, Blair spoke the language of effectiveness, efficiency and reform. The National Health Service is now running massive deficits and performance has only marginally improved after £45b injection of funds. Schools continue to produce weak performance in comparison to other systems in other countries – hence the current call for reform.
The secret of Blair’s electoral success were an apparently strong economy, the massive investment in the public sector creating close to 1.8m new jobs in eight years (only 400,000 private sector jobs were created since Blair came to power) and the fact that there were no real alternative choices for a national leader from any of the opposition parties. Another factor was Blair’s art of denial - denial of the fact that Britain is now a high tax economy with growing public sector debt (now over £400b), denial of the pension liability Britain now faces and denial of the failure of the US:UK Iraq strategy. His own denials helped others deny reality too.
His legacy will be more about style than substance – about how to create and manage images, messages and the media. There are some specific achievements – enabling the IRA to disarm, a partial reform of the House of Lords, forgiving a large portion of African debt, creating an enhanced role for the private sector in the delivery of public services. But when set against the rhetoric of policy announcements, platform speeches and media messaging, these achievements are shallow. They will be greeted with the sound of one hand clapping.
Another reason for recognizing these as the last days of Blair is the arrival, just over 100 days ago, of a new leader of the British Conservative Party, David Cameron. Modeling himself after the early Blair and reinvigorating his party, Cameron presents real policy alternatives, a true alternative to Labour and an opportunity for the electorate to change leaders without a knee jerk change in the way Britain runs. Blair, seeing this, will soon make his call and move on.
Blair’s likely successor is Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer and a dour Scot from the Kingdom of Fife. Though he too will be tainted by the Labour Party’s current financial scandal, he is a classic tax and spend labour party leader who will have no new ideas to revitalize Britain or its ailing public services. He is now behaves as if he already is the Prime Minister, laying out policies on foreign affairs, security, the future of the European Union. HE may well win the leadership but be a short serving Prime Minister.
As the British Labour Party stares at bankruptcy – financial and intellectual – the British Conservative Party faces a new opportunity and a new challenge. Blair’s departure will put the spotlight on Cameron, the Conservative Prime Minister in waiting.
Blair may seek office elsewhere – some have suggested the UN Secretary General position, available in 2007 or the EU Presidency – but he is more likely to follow the Bill Clinton’s money making lecture circuit, at which he will excel. Meantime, we can all begin to watch the final decline and fall of a leading G8 political figure.
Monday, February 20, 2006
A Collection of Quotations...
Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself
"Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
.
I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: "No good in a bed, but fine against a wall."
Eleanor Roosevelt
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
Victor Borge
What would men be without women? Scarce, sir...mighty scarce.
Mark Twain
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and
then she stops to breathe.
Jimmy Durante
I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world
owes you nothing. It was here first.
Mark Twain
What's the use of happiness? It can't buy you money.
Henny Youngman
Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was Shut Up.
Joe Namath
I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish
do in it.
WC. Fields
Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty, but everything else starts to wear out,
fall out, or spread out.
Phyllis Diller
THE TALKING CLOCK
A drunk was proudly showing off his new apartment to a couple
of his friends late one night, and led the way to his bedroom where
there was a big brass gong and a mallet.
"What's that big brass gong?" one of the guests asked.
"It's not a gong. It's a talking clock," the drunk replied.
"A talking clock? Seriously?" asked his astonished friend. "Yup," replied the drunk. "How's it work?" the friend asked, squinting at it. "Watch," the drunk replied.
He picked up the mallet, gave the gong an ear-shattering pound, and stepped back. The three stood looking at one another for a moment. Suddenly, someone on the other side of the wall screamed, "MANIAC! IT'S THREE-FIFTEEN IN THE MORNING!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A POEM
He didn't like the casserole
And he didn't like my cake.
My biscuits were too hard...
Not like his mother used to make.
I didn't perk the coffee right
He didn't like the stew,
I didn't mend his socks
The way his mother used to do.
I pondered for an answer
I was looking for a clue.
Then I turned around and smacked him...
Like his Mother used to do.
Thanks Mike Scally..
"Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
.
I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: "No good in a bed, but fine against a wall."
Eleanor Roosevelt
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
Victor Borge
What would men be without women? Scarce, sir...mighty scarce.
Mark Twain
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and
then she stops to breathe.
Jimmy Durante
I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world
owes you nothing. It was here first.
Mark Twain
What's the use of happiness? It can't buy you money.
Henny Youngman
Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was Shut Up.
Joe Namath
I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish
do in it.
WC. Fields
Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty, but everything else starts to wear out,
fall out, or spread out.
Phyllis Diller
THE TALKING CLOCK
A drunk was proudly showing off his new apartment to a couple
of his friends late one night, and led the way to his bedroom where
there was a big brass gong and a mallet.
"What's that big brass gong?" one of the guests asked.
"It's not a gong. It's a talking clock," the drunk replied.
"A talking clock? Seriously?" asked his astonished friend. "Yup," replied the drunk. "How's it work?" the friend asked, squinting at it. "Watch," the drunk replied.
He picked up the mallet, gave the gong an ear-shattering pound, and stepped back. The three stood looking at one another for a moment. Suddenly, someone on the other side of the wall screamed, "MANIAC! IT'S THREE-FIFTEEN IN THE MORNING!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A POEM
He didn't like the casserole
And he didn't like my cake.
My biscuits were too hard...
Not like his mother used to make.
I didn't perk the coffee right
He didn't like the stew,
I didn't mend his socks
The way his mother used to do.
I pondered for an answer
I was looking for a clue.
Then I turned around and smacked him...
Like his Mother used to do.
Thanks Mike Scally..
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The Nigger Boys Sunset Saloon and other Stories..
The title of this blog is the name of a barbers shop in Butare, Rwanda's second city - and a very popular place it is too. If I put such a sign up in Edmonton, the political correctness police would be all over me like a tonne of bricks.
If I were to say that homosexuals are "not acceptable" and are "immoral" and that same sex marriage "damages the very fabric of society" and suggest that these views were the views dominant in the Muslim world, I would probably be told I needed to educate myself about the Muslim faith. But these exact statements were made by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, one of the leaders of the Muslim faith in Europe, and are seen by most Muslim's as moderate statements. (Interestingly, the arabic language does not have a term for "gay" - instead those who are gay are referred to in terms of "shouzouz jinsi", which means unnatural love, though more modern arabs refer to gays in terms of "Ahrer el jins" which means "queers").
Sir Iqbal is now been investigated by British police for the hate crime of homo-phobia. Think about this for a moment. Sir Iqbal is outlining the views of his religion - for which he can now be prosecuted. Pope Benedict beware.
It gets worse. Birmingham University's Christian Union has been told that it must admit people from other faiths, since it is not permitted on a University campus to exclude people by virtue of their religion. This after 76 years of doing precisely that. They have also been told that it is now illegal to advertise the Union as open to "men and women", since this disadvantages and discriminates against transgender and transexual individuals. The advice is to advertise as being open "to persons of all genders and persuasions" - not exactly inline with most Christian thinking.
This all rather reminds me of Diane Rvaitch's book The Language Police (NY: Knopf, 2003). In an assault on political correctness, Diane looked at what happened to school text books in America in the 1990's onwards and she documents how the language police have radically changed the way in which events and realities are described. Classic works by Shakespeare, Poe and many others have been sanitized so as not to cause offence.
Ray Bradbury, a great author, ranted and raved against these developments, but to no avail. Censorship is rife throughout America and Canada and is growing in the developed world.
And then there is the liberal education industry, well described by Dinesh D'Souza in the book Illiberal Education (NY: Vintage Books, 1992). The development of political correctness, especially in terms of race and sexual orientation and relationships, has been rife in our Universities.
So then we come to the idea that newspapers protect free speech. I dont think so, since they too are constrained and not just by the laws of libel, but by their "best guess" at what political correctness looks like for their readers. While this is "self censorship", it is growingly the case that hate laws and related laws of human "rights" (sic) act as points for censorship and caution.
Here are some of the changes voluntarily imposed by the media and others:
If I were to say that homosexuals are "not acceptable" and are "immoral" and that same sex marriage "damages the very fabric of society" and suggest that these views were the views dominant in the Muslim world, I would probably be told I needed to educate myself about the Muslim faith. But these exact statements were made by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, one of the leaders of the Muslim faith in Europe, and are seen by most Muslim's as moderate statements. (Interestingly, the arabic language does not have a term for "gay" - instead those who are gay are referred to in terms of "shouzouz jinsi", which means unnatural love, though more modern arabs refer to gays in terms of "Ahrer el jins" which means "queers").
Sir Iqbal is now been investigated by British police for the hate crime of homo-phobia. Think about this for a moment. Sir Iqbal is outlining the views of his religion - for which he can now be prosecuted. Pope Benedict beware.
It gets worse. Birmingham University's Christian Union has been told that it must admit people from other faiths, since it is not permitted on a University campus to exclude people by virtue of their religion. This after 76 years of doing precisely that. They have also been told that it is now illegal to advertise the Union as open to "men and women", since this disadvantages and discriminates against transgender and transexual individuals. The advice is to advertise as being open "to persons of all genders and persuasions" - not exactly inline with most Christian thinking.
This all rather reminds me of Diane Rvaitch's book The Language Police (NY: Knopf, 2003). In an assault on political correctness, Diane looked at what happened to school text books in America in the 1990's onwards and she documents how the language police have radically changed the way in which events and realities are described. Classic works by Shakespeare, Poe and many others have been sanitized so as not to cause offence.
Ray Bradbury, a great author, ranted and raved against these developments, but to no avail. Censorship is rife throughout America and Canada and is growing in the developed world.
And then there is the liberal education industry, well described by Dinesh D'Souza in the book Illiberal Education (NY: Vintage Books, 1992). The development of political correctness, especially in terms of race and sexual orientation and relationships, has been rife in our Universities.
So then we come to the idea that newspapers protect free speech. I dont think so, since they too are constrained and not just by the laws of libel, but by their "best guess" at what political correctness looks like for their readers. While this is "self censorship", it is growingly the case that hate laws and related laws of human "rights" (sic) act as points for censorship and caution.
Here are some of the changes voluntarily imposed by the media and others:
- The term server is increasingly used for a person of either gender who waits tables.
Chairman was replaced by chair, chairperson (or president or some other term). (The term chair has its own history within academia.) - Fireman was replaced by fire fighter.
- Fisherman has been replaced by "fisher".
- Congressman was replaced by member of congress. The former remains in use for male members of congress, however.
- Policeman became policewoman when referring to females; then the term police officer was introduced for both genders.
- Likewise, Army wife, Navy wife, etc., are now Army spouse, etc. (Occasionally male civilian spouses of military members will ironically refer to themselves as Navy wives, etc.)
- "To boldly go where no man has gone before", from the introductory sequence of Star Trek: The Original Series, was changed to "To boldly go where no one has gone before" in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- "Man does not live by bread alone" became "People do not live on bread alone" in the 1996 NIV Inclusive Language Edition of the Bible, Matthew 4:4.
- Airlines no longer use the term stewardess (nor steward for men), partly due to disparaging stereotypes and the condescending nickname stews. Thus they have replaced it with the gender-neutral term flight attendant. As is the case within nursing, male members of the profession, who are the minority, are typically referred to by their gender (e.g. male flight attendant as opposed to flight attendant for females.)
- The word sex has largely been replaced with the word gender, though gender classically did not mean male/female, but rather it referred to grammatical masculine/feminine constructs ("steward" vs. "stewardess", or "actor" vs. "actress", for example). The word sex seems to have become an impolite or emotion-charged term, at least in part because it is prevailing verbal shorthand for sexuality and sexual intercourse.
- Lacking a gender-neutral alternative, many actresses now prefer the term "actor" when defining their profession, thus eventually likely rendering the term gender-neutral through common usage.
- TIME Magazine's Man of the Year became Person of the Year regardless of which gender wins it (there had been "Women of the Year" in the past).
- The phrase "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me", attributed to Jesus, is frequently changed to "Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me."
- Miss and Mrs. have been supplemented by Ms., providing a word that does not indicate marital status. The term was ridiculed by many when it was first introduced in the 1970s, but over time it has become common usage.
- The 1960s-1970s TV show The Dating Game needed terms for unmarried contestants; bachelor was obvious, but the feminine "equivalent" was the negatively-charged term "spinster", which was only more slightly polite than "old maid"; so the show either coined or popularized the term bachelorette, which has since come into common usage.
- The time-honored "I now pronounce you man and wife" at weddings has largely been replaced by "I now pronounce you husband and wife". Some etymologists find this amusing, as "wife" is Old English for "woman", while "husband" is Old English for "householder"; the original expression was meant to define a moment when both members of a couple officially and legally became equally committed to adulthood.
Generalized uses of man when referring to humanity (mankind) are frequently replaced by gender-neutral terms.
I will not mention the cartoons of the prophet which have led to riots, burning of the Danish embassy in one country and other problems world-wide. But the idea that we have free speech and we are trying to defend it is absurd. We lost it a long time ago. As one of my hero's has said political correctness "is the language of cowardice" (Billy Connolly).
By the way, colleagues in the UK are running a Campaign Against Political Correctness - for details see http://www.capc.co.uk/ - I may even start a Canadian chapter..anyone interested?
The Coming Pandemic
Bird flu cases have been reported in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Nigeria, Asia and China. Human deaths in these areas are minimal No deaths have occured in Nigeria that can be connected to the infected birds. Since 2003, a total of 88 people have died of a flu seen as a human form of the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The WHO and others (see Oprah with Frey's blog entry here for Jan 27th 2006) still advance the view that: (a) a pandemic is inevitable, it is just a matter of time; (b) that once the mutation from animal to human form occurs in a major population centre, all bets are off; (c) between 50 and 350m will be infected and between 50 and 150 million will die; and (d) the world's economy will collapse. They are also clear that we dont have an antidote - Tamiflu (the drug every country is stockpiling) has already been seen to be ineffective against N5N1, but may slow the speed of the spread of the disease.
So what to do. The key issue is whether the virulent strain of H5N1 avian flu that has now killed dozens of people from China to Turkey mutates so that it can be readily transmitted between humans, leading to a global pandemic. The problem is that no one can know whether this will happen. What is certain is that there is a sufficiently grave risk that the H5N1 virus might mutate in this way that we need to confront it, and the potential consequences, with great seriousness. Flu viruses mutate readily, morphing into new strains as they spread and reproduce through processes that scientists call genetic drift and shift.
In the New England Journal of Medicine, Michael Osterholm (the man who was on Oprah) reports that there have been ten influenza pandemics over the past three centuries and, although some were more severe than others, the lethal potential is clear. The 1918 “Spanish flu” killed between 50 million and 100 million people. Moreover, Dr Osterholm points out that, although the 1918 outbreak is often seen as an anomaly in its severity, the pandemic of 1830 to 1832 was, in fact, equally virulent.
Against this background, sensible policymakers will examine worst-case scenarios. So, if the unthinkable happens, what might be the economic consequences? Although Sars proved far less dangerous to health than was feared three years ago, its economic effects are instructive, and ominous. Sars infected only about 8,000 people worldwide, killing 775. Yet Hong Kong was tipped into recession. and in Toronto, where just 44 died, the economy also shrank.
The US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has attempted to construct some meaningful scenarios. Based on a severe flu pandemic on the scale of 1918, it estimated the economic effects of an outbreak in which 90 million Americans, just under a third of the US population, became sick and two million of those died, a fatality rate just under 2.5 per cent.
On this basis, the CBO projects that a flu pandemic would cut US GDP by 4.7 per cent — a blow slightly harder than that inflicted by typical US recessions since the Second World War. In fact, the impact would be exceeded only by the US recession of the early 1980s, which cut American GDP by more than 7 per cent. More comfortingly, the CBO also projects that a milder flu pandemic would probably not trigger recession and even could be hard to trace in economic data.
What can I do - wash my hands frequently! Clean my teeth and take care of personl hygene. That's about it. Will I worry - no. Should you - no. There's nothing much one can do. Will it turn out as bad as Dr Osterholm thinks - definately not (he's not been right on any of his predictions to date).
The WHO and others (see Oprah with Frey's blog entry here for Jan 27th 2006) still advance the view that: (a) a pandemic is inevitable, it is just a matter of time; (b) that once the mutation from animal to human form occurs in a major population centre, all bets are off; (c) between 50 and 350m will be infected and between 50 and 150 million will die; and (d) the world's economy will collapse. They are also clear that we dont have an antidote - Tamiflu (the drug every country is stockpiling) has already been seen to be ineffective against N5N1, but may slow the speed of the spread of the disease.
So what to do. The key issue is whether the virulent strain of H5N1 avian flu that has now killed dozens of people from China to Turkey mutates so that it can be readily transmitted between humans, leading to a global pandemic. The problem is that no one can know whether this will happen. What is certain is that there is a sufficiently grave risk that the H5N1 virus might mutate in this way that we need to confront it, and the potential consequences, with great seriousness. Flu viruses mutate readily, morphing into new strains as they spread and reproduce through processes that scientists call genetic drift and shift.
In the New England Journal of Medicine, Michael Osterholm (the man who was on Oprah) reports that there have been ten influenza pandemics over the past three centuries and, although some were more severe than others, the lethal potential is clear. The 1918 “Spanish flu” killed between 50 million and 100 million people. Moreover, Dr Osterholm points out that, although the 1918 outbreak is often seen as an anomaly in its severity, the pandemic of 1830 to 1832 was, in fact, equally virulent.
Against this background, sensible policymakers will examine worst-case scenarios. So, if the unthinkable happens, what might be the economic consequences? Although Sars proved far less dangerous to health than was feared three years ago, its economic effects are instructive, and ominous. Sars infected only about 8,000 people worldwide, killing 775. Yet Hong Kong was tipped into recession. and in Toronto, where just 44 died, the economy also shrank.
The US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has attempted to construct some meaningful scenarios. Based on a severe flu pandemic on the scale of 1918, it estimated the economic effects of an outbreak in which 90 million Americans, just under a third of the US population, became sick and two million of those died, a fatality rate just under 2.5 per cent.
On this basis, the CBO projects that a flu pandemic would cut US GDP by 4.7 per cent — a blow slightly harder than that inflicted by typical US recessions since the Second World War. In fact, the impact would be exceeded only by the US recession of the early 1980s, which cut American GDP by more than 7 per cent. More comfortingly, the CBO also projects that a milder flu pandemic would probably not trigger recession and even could be hard to trace in economic data.
What can I do - wash my hands frequently! Clean my teeth and take care of personl hygene. That's about it. Will I worry - no. Should you - no. There's nothing much one can do. Will it turn out as bad as Dr Osterholm thinks - definately not (he's not been right on any of his predictions to date).
[With thanks to Daily Telegraph, BBC, Washington Post and The Times]
Royal Deaths
Many of you may have missed the fact that there has been a recent spate of royal deaths. I mention this, in case it hastens the opportunity of succession for you.
Just this week, Her Imperial Highness Princess Dürrühsehvar, Princess of Berar, died in London on Tuesday night aged 92. She was a member of the Turkish royal house; after her family had been sent into exile, she married an Indian prince.
The Princess was born at Tchamlidcha-Scutari on March 12 1913 (or possibly 1914 - the reference books are not clear), the only daughter of Abdülmecid II and his third wife, Mihisti. Her father was Caliph of the Faithful, with the additional titles of Successor of the Prophet Mohammed, Commander of the Faithful and The Shadow of God on Earth. A cultured man who spoke Turkish, Arabic, French and German, he composed music and was a highly proficient painter, producing landscapes and scenes from Ottoman history (which his daughter went to great lengths to buy when they came up at auctions). He succeeded as Caliph in 1922, and the family resided in the Dolmabahçe Palace on the European shore of Istanbul. In 1924 the family was deposed and moved to Paris.
In mid January another Royal death. HRH Prince George of Hanover, died in Munich on January 8 aged 90, was a grandson of the Kaiser, the brother of Queen Frederika of Greece and the brother-in-law of Britain's own Prince Philip. At the time of his birth, Prince George was technically a Prince of the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the British title of His Highness, due to his direct male descent from George III. The first world war, however, put paid to that.
A few days before, His Highness Sheikh Jaber III, Emir of Kuwait, died aged 79. He fled into exile when Saddam Hussain invaded his oil-rich emirate in 1990, returning a year later. Sheikh Jaber led his country, which produces 10 per cent of the world's crude oil, from his accession in 1977, as the 13th ruler of a 245-year-old dynasty. Decisive in his early years, Jaber was traumatised by the invasion and rarely appeared in public after his family dynasty was restored.
Unlike the flamboyant race-going princes of the Lower Gulf, Jaber liked to live modestly, and before a failed attempt on his life in the mid-1980s often liked to go shopping incognito in the souk dressed in street clothes.
At the start of January there was the death of another mid-east Royal. HRH Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum, died on a visit to Australia aged 62, was one of the principal architects of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but better known to the race-going public in the Britain as a leading owner and breeder of racehorses. On succeeding his father as Ruler of Dubai in 1990 Sheikh Maktoum, helped by two of his younger brothers, steered Dubai from dependence on dwindling crude oil sales to what is now a globally recognised brand for enterprise, tourism, sport and financial services. Thousands of shoppers will be said to know of his death.
Also this week, HRH Prince Carol of Romania, who has died aged 86, spent much of his life in the quest to prove his legitimacy. His paternity was never in doubt. He was the son of Crown Prince Carol of Romania (later King Carol II) and Jeanne Marie (Zizi) Lambrino, an aristocratic Romanian girl whom the future King had married in contravention of the rules of the Royal House. His father was the eldest son and heir of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie (daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh - later Duke of Saxe-Coburg - and thus a granddaughter of Queen Victoria). The Crown Prince was handsome and intelligent, but not without an element of instability in his character. He was also highly sexed, some believing that he suffered from satyriasis. Anatomical descriptions, when overheard, were mistaken for descriptions of the Eiffel Tower (according to the obituary in the Daily Telegraph, London).
In 2003, after a long court case, a Romanian court recognised Prince Carol's legitimacy and his birth certificate was altered accordingly. The former King Michael contested the decision; the Romanian Supreme Court has yet to rule on his appeal. Prince Carol earned his living in London as a bookbinder and picture framer while his claims were being pursued.
With all of these royal deaths occuring, the loss of a few other people of fond memory may have been missed: Sir Freddy Laker, founder of the low cost airline movement died yesterday; Ron Greenwood, former Englanbd football manager died this week; Al Lewis, who played grandpa in The Munsters; Moira Sheera, dancer; Henry McGee who was Benny Hill's straightman; and Shelley Winters, actress and fearsome lady - all gone since Xmas.
Just this week, Her Imperial Highness Princess Dürrühsehvar, Princess of Berar, died in London on Tuesday night aged 92. She was a member of the Turkish royal house; after her family had been sent into exile, she married an Indian prince.
The Princess was born at Tchamlidcha-Scutari on March 12 1913 (or possibly 1914 - the reference books are not clear), the only daughter of Abdülmecid II and his third wife, Mihisti. Her father was Caliph of the Faithful, with the additional titles of Successor of the Prophet Mohammed, Commander of the Faithful and The Shadow of God on Earth. A cultured man who spoke Turkish, Arabic, French and German, he composed music and was a highly proficient painter, producing landscapes and scenes from Ottoman history (which his daughter went to great lengths to buy when they came up at auctions). He succeeded as Caliph in 1922, and the family resided in the Dolmabahçe Palace on the European shore of Istanbul. In 1924 the family was deposed and moved to Paris.
In mid January another Royal death. HRH Prince George of Hanover, died in Munich on January 8 aged 90, was a grandson of the Kaiser, the brother of Queen Frederika of Greece and the brother-in-law of Britain's own Prince Philip. At the time of his birth, Prince George was technically a Prince of the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the British title of His Highness, due to his direct male descent from George III. The first world war, however, put paid to that.
A few days before, His Highness Sheikh Jaber III, Emir of Kuwait, died aged 79. He fled into exile when Saddam Hussain invaded his oil-rich emirate in 1990, returning a year later. Sheikh Jaber led his country, which produces 10 per cent of the world's crude oil, from his accession in 1977, as the 13th ruler of a 245-year-old dynasty. Decisive in his early years, Jaber was traumatised by the invasion and rarely appeared in public after his family dynasty was restored.
Unlike the flamboyant race-going princes of the Lower Gulf, Jaber liked to live modestly, and before a failed attempt on his life in the mid-1980s often liked to go shopping incognito in the souk dressed in street clothes.
At the start of January there was the death of another mid-east Royal. HRH Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum, died on a visit to Australia aged 62, was one of the principal architects of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but better known to the race-going public in the Britain as a leading owner and breeder of racehorses. On succeeding his father as Ruler of Dubai in 1990 Sheikh Maktoum, helped by two of his younger brothers, steered Dubai from dependence on dwindling crude oil sales to what is now a globally recognised brand for enterprise, tourism, sport and financial services. Thousands of shoppers will be said to know of his death.
Also this week, HRH Prince Carol of Romania, who has died aged 86, spent much of his life in the quest to prove his legitimacy. His paternity was never in doubt. He was the son of Crown Prince Carol of Romania (later King Carol II) and Jeanne Marie (Zizi) Lambrino, an aristocratic Romanian girl whom the future King had married in contravention of the rules of the Royal House. His father was the eldest son and heir of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie (daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh - later Duke of Saxe-Coburg - and thus a granddaughter of Queen Victoria). The Crown Prince was handsome and intelligent, but not without an element of instability in his character. He was also highly sexed, some believing that he suffered from satyriasis. Anatomical descriptions, when overheard, were mistaken for descriptions of the Eiffel Tower (according to the obituary in the Daily Telegraph, London).
In 2003, after a long court case, a Romanian court recognised Prince Carol's legitimacy and his birth certificate was altered accordingly. The former King Michael contested the decision; the Romanian Supreme Court has yet to rule on his appeal. Prince Carol earned his living in London as a bookbinder and picture framer while his claims were being pursued.
With all of these royal deaths occuring, the loss of a few other people of fond memory may have been missed: Sir Freddy Laker, founder of the low cost airline movement died yesterday; Ron Greenwood, former Englanbd football manager died this week; Al Lewis, who played grandpa in The Munsters; Moira Sheera, dancer; Henry McGee who was Benny Hill's straightman; and Shelley Winters, actress and fearsome lady - all gone since Xmas.
Friday, February 10, 2006
The Professor, The Computer and the Big Fat Lie..
Professor Jasper Rine lectures at UC Berkeley. Recently his laptop was stolen by a thief who was after exam data. Unfortunately for the thief, Professor Rine had some important stuff on that laptop.The webcast of last Friday's Biology 1A lecture gets very interesting at timecode 48:50. I've transcribed Prof Rine's comments here, so you can see what a world of shit the thief is in:
Important Update: The Professor admits he made it up to try to scare the thief - who has not, incidentally, returned the laptop. Wonder what this will do for the Professors credibility in the future - seems to me the loss of credibility is bigger than the loss of the computer.
(This story is from the blog Blast Radius which you can link to from any of the underlined areas in this blog. Thank you James Murgatroyd for drawing this wonderfully weird story to my attention. The question, then, is whether the Professor is more stupid than the thief).
- "Thanks Gary. I have a message for one person in this audience - I'm sorry the rest of you have to sit through this. As you know, my computer was stolen in my last lecture. The thief apparently wanted to betray everybody's trust, and was after the exam.The thief was smart not to plug the computer into the campus network, but the thief was not smart enough to do three things: he was not smart enough to immediately remove Windows. I installed the same version of Windows on another computer - within fifteen minutes the people in Redmond Washington were very interested to know why it was that the same version of Windows was being signalled to them from two different computers.
- The thief also did not inactivate either the wireless card or the transponder that's in that computer. Within about an hour, there was a signal from various places on campus that's allowed us to track exactly where that computer went every time that it was turned on. I'm not particularly concerned about the computer. But the thief, who thought he was only stealing an exam, is presently - we think - is probably still in possession of three kinds of data, any one of which can send this man, this young boy, actually, to federal prison. Not a good place for a young boy to be.
- You are in possession of data from a hundred million dollar trial, sponsored by the NIH, for which I'm a consultant. This involves some of the largest companies on the planet, the NIH investigates these things through the FBI, they have been notified about this problem.You are in possession of trade secrets from a Fortune 1000 biotech company, the largest one in the country, which I consult for. The Federal Trade Communication is very interested in this. Federal Marshals are the people who handle that.
- You are in possession of proprietary data from a pre-public company planning an IPO. The Securities and Exchange Commission is very interested in this and I don't even know what branch of law enforcement they use.
- Your academic career is about to come to an end. You are facing very serious charges, with a probability of very serious time. At this point, there's very little that anybody can do for you. One thing that you can do for yourself is to somehow prove that the integrity of the data which you possess has not been corrupted or copied.Ironically, I am the only person on the planet that can come to your aid, because I am the only person that can tell whether the data that was on that computer are still on that computer. You will have to find a way of hoping that if you've copied anything that you can prove you only have one copy of whatever was made.
- I am tied up all this afternoon; I am out of town all of next week. You have until 11:55 to return the computer, and whatever copies you've made, to my office, because I'm the only hope you've got of staying out of deeper trouble than you or any student I've ever known has ever been in.I apologise to the rest of you for having to bring up this distasteful matter, but I will point out that we have a partial image of this person, we have two eyewitnesses, with the transponder data we're going to get this person."
Important Update: The Professor admits he made it up to try to scare the thief - who has not, incidentally, returned the laptop. Wonder what this will do for the Professors credibility in the future - seems to me the loss of credibility is bigger than the loss of the computer.
(This story is from the blog Blast Radius which you can link to from any of the underlined areas in this blog. Thank you James Murgatroyd for drawing this wonderfully weird story to my attention. The question, then, is whether the Professor is more stupid than the thief).
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Bottled Water..and Botox
If someone had told me when I was growing up that there was a lot - and I mean a lot - of money to be made from putting water into a bottle and selling it, I would have thought the person telling me this was simply nuts. Show's you how much I know.
Last year some 41billion gallons of water was sold in bottles at a cost of US$100b.
For this same sum, everyone man, women and child in the world could have access to clean water.
Its not as if bottled water, in most of the developed world, is better than tap water. In some cases, bottled water has been found to be either not as safe as tap water or (at least in one case in the UK) it actually is tap water.
What makes all this even more amazing is that we are willing to pay more for bottled water than we are for a litre than for gasoline.
Tap water comes to us through an energy-efficient infrastructure whereas bottled water must be transported long distances--and nearly one-fourth of it across national borders--by boat, train, airplane, and truck. This involves burning massive quantities of fossil fuels. By way of example, in 2004 alone, a Helsinki company shipped 1.4 million bottles of Finnish tap water 4,300 kilometers (2,700 miles) to Saudi Arabia. And although 94 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States is produced domestically, some Americans import water shipped some 9,000 kilometers from Fiji and other faraway places to satisfy demand for ''chic and exotic bottled water.''
More fossil fuels are used in packaging the water. Most water bottles are made with polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic derived from crude oil. ''Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year,'' according to one source. Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.
Once it has been emptied, the bottle must be dumped. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. Incinerating used bottles produces toxic by-products such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals tied to a host of human and animal health problems. Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Of the bottles deposited for recycling in 2004, the United States exported roughly 40 percent to destinations as far away as China--meaning that even more fossil fuels were burned in the process.
Meanwhile, communities from near which the water came in the first place risk running dry. More than 50 Indian villages have complained of water shortages after bottlers began extracting water for sale under Coca-Cola Co.'s Dasani label, EPI said. Similar problems have been reported in Texas and in the Great Lakes region of North America, where farmers, fishers, and others who depend on water for their livelihoods are suffering from concentrated water extraction as water tables drop quickly.
''Bottled water is not guaranteed to be any healthier than tap water. In fact, roughly 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water; often the only difference is added minerals that have no marked health benefit,'' EPI said. France's Senate, it added, ''even advises people who drink bottled mineral water to change brands frequently because the added minerals are helpful in small amounts but may be dangerous in higher doses.''
To be sure, many municipal water systems have run afoul of government water quality standards--driving up demand for bottled water as a result. But according to the study, ''in a number of places, including Europe and the United States, there are more regulations governing the quality of tap water than bottled water.''
So there we have it..
Now I am looking for really odd ideas that might just catch on. Like just yesterday, as I empted my fridge, I was wondering if there was a social use of the toxin from saussages that have gone off ? I know that this very toxin here has been used in biological warfare but what about..... oh, just a moment, that's already on the market as BOTOX. Something else I find simply amazing...
Maybe I should stick to reading..
(All this reminds me of my mother's reaction to pantyhose (called "tights" in Britain). In the 1950's and 60's women were still wearing stockings and garter belts (ah...yes..) and then tights appeared. Mother didn't think they would catch on... well, what if one leg has a ladder, you'll have to throw out the good leg as well....no, it'll never catch on...". Show's you how much she knew as well....)
Last year some 41billion gallons of water was sold in bottles at a cost of US$100b.
For this same sum, everyone man, women and child in the world could have access to clean water.
Its not as if bottled water, in most of the developed world, is better than tap water. In some cases, bottled water has been found to be either not as safe as tap water or (at least in one case in the UK) it actually is tap water.
What makes all this even more amazing is that we are willing to pay more for bottled water than we are for a litre than for gasoline.
Tap water comes to us through an energy-efficient infrastructure whereas bottled water must be transported long distances--and nearly one-fourth of it across national borders--by boat, train, airplane, and truck. This involves burning massive quantities of fossil fuels. By way of example, in 2004 alone, a Helsinki company shipped 1.4 million bottles of Finnish tap water 4,300 kilometers (2,700 miles) to Saudi Arabia. And although 94 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States is produced domestically, some Americans import water shipped some 9,000 kilometers from Fiji and other faraway places to satisfy demand for ''chic and exotic bottled water.''
More fossil fuels are used in packaging the water. Most water bottles are made with polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic derived from crude oil. ''Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year,'' according to one source. Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.
Once it has been emptied, the bottle must be dumped. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. Incinerating used bottles produces toxic by-products such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals tied to a host of human and animal health problems. Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Of the bottles deposited for recycling in 2004, the United States exported roughly 40 percent to destinations as far away as China--meaning that even more fossil fuels were burned in the process.
Meanwhile, communities from near which the water came in the first place risk running dry. More than 50 Indian villages have complained of water shortages after bottlers began extracting water for sale under Coca-Cola Co.'s Dasani label, EPI said. Similar problems have been reported in Texas and in the Great Lakes region of North America, where farmers, fishers, and others who depend on water for their livelihoods are suffering from concentrated water extraction as water tables drop quickly.
''Bottled water is not guaranteed to be any healthier than tap water. In fact, roughly 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water; often the only difference is added minerals that have no marked health benefit,'' EPI said. France's Senate, it added, ''even advises people who drink bottled mineral water to change brands frequently because the added minerals are helpful in small amounts but may be dangerous in higher doses.''
To be sure, many municipal water systems have run afoul of government water quality standards--driving up demand for bottled water as a result. But according to the study, ''in a number of places, including Europe and the United States, there are more regulations governing the quality of tap water than bottled water.''
So there we have it..
Now I am looking for really odd ideas that might just catch on. Like just yesterday, as I empted my fridge, I was wondering if there was a social use of the toxin from saussages that have gone off ? I know that this very toxin here has been used in biological warfare but what about..... oh, just a moment, that's already on the market as BOTOX. Something else I find simply amazing...
Maybe I should stick to reading..
(All this reminds me of my mother's reaction to pantyhose (called "tights" in Britain). In the 1950's and 60's women were still wearing stockings and garter belts (ah...yes..) and then tights appeared. Mother didn't think they would catch on... well, what if one leg has a ladder, you'll have to throw out the good leg as well....no, it'll never catch on...". Show's you how much she knew as well....)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)