My opinion

Harper’s control central

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Harper’s message control is unprecedented, critics say – The Globe and Mail.

The funding for a retirement home, a mere 12,000 or so, is cause for a script, “to make sure everyone stays on message.” The message, according to this article in the Globe and Mail is heavily controlled, in an “unprecedented manner” citing former staffers of the Privy Council Office.

It doesn’t sound unprecedented to me. It sounds like the kind of control exerted in countries who don’t have democratic regimes. Harper got elected by saying his would be transparent government. It doesn’t seem to be transparent; it seems to be murky as hell. Why do they have to control so heavily. What is happening that we can’t know about? If we knew it, would we be calling for an election to throw them out?

No wonder they are spending one billion or so on security at the G20, when a few months ago it was three or four hundred million. They were spending too much time worrying about the 12,000 in Edmonton in the retirement home to pay attention.

And what does one billion in security buy anyway? Does anyone really know? Don’t expect an answer. It wouldn’t be on message.

Kobo Reader – the experience

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I’ve been away the last few days, visiting a friend in Toronto. I took along my new Kobo reader.

Good things about it:

1. It’s light

2.I didn’t have to buy anything for the trial as it comes with 100 books. I read Emma, a novel I had neglected.

3. I could change the font to reflect whether or not I wanted to wear my glasses.

4.No light source, so no computer like beam into my eyes at bedtime.

5.I could carry it in a small purse.

6. I read it at a solo lunch. No keeping the pages open with the greasy fingers on one hand while trying to eat with the other.

7. No one could see what exactly I was reading.

8. It’s cheap, compared to the Kindle or the iPad.

Things I didn’t like:

1. No wireless, so no instant download if I had a mad urge to read something other than one of the downloaded books while away from my computer

2. No clock. (Okay, I don’t wear a watch.)

3. No light source, so reading was difficult in a dark cafe.

4.Font changing limited to smallest, smaller, small, medium, large, etc. not a number. No change in font style.

5.No one could see what I was reading so no conversation starting questions.

6.The battery seems to have a much shorter life than advertised. 8000 page turns relates, I think, to the number of times the page is turned on the machine, not in the actual book. I have no idea how many times i turned the page while reading Emma, but I did have to recharge.

7. It doesn’t ship with the adapter needed to allow a recharge from an electrical outlet rather than the computer. I used the one for my iphone.

8. It’s not as pretty as the iPad.

9. No underlining of favourite passages.

All in all, I like it. It’s a single purpose machine, that performs that function well. The features it lacks would all increase the cost and the weight. Within the time it took to read a few pages, I found myself just reading, and not focussing on the fact that I wasn’t reading a “real” book. Emma was still Emma. I did miss the ability to go back to previously read pages to find something I wanted to read again. It is possible  to do that but it’s tedious.

I wanted a light weight storage/reading device that I could take to Europe. Kobo will do just fine. If I wanted to go into the Amazon, far from electrical outlets, it wouldn’t.

Another silver lining for the Icelandic Volcano problem

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BBC News – Transport firms hoping to turn ash into cash.

Yet another group which has seen its fortunes improve as a result of the volcano. Ferries in several European ports are reporting increased usage from travellers, who, forced into this alternative transport by the ash, are now discovering the superior service and comfort compared to budget airlines.

My book, Murderous Roots, is now available as  print on demand from the publisher, Write Words Inc.  http://www.writewordsinc.com Very exciting to hold the hard copy in my hand. Murderous Roots is also available as a kindle edition at Amazon.com and at the publisher.

However, I’m also trying out the Kobo ebook reader, which just arrived. So far – light, easy to use, not as options as I would like, but  I’m enjoying the experience.

Iceland Volcano- not all bad?

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Iceland volcano to provide jobs for unemployed | IceNews – Daily News.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/may/23/volcanic-ash-travel-insurance

Like many other people, I’m concerned that the volcano in Iceland is on a years-long venting spree, that will affect our up-coming holiday in Spain. But this volcano isn’t all bad. The first link above talks about a programme in Iceland that will provide jobs for unemployed farmers and those with agricultural experience. The jobs are to help the sheep farmers in the lambing season who are struggling with the ash. There’s talk of extending the aid to the dairy farmers as well. 40 jobs, not to be sneezed at in a small country.

The insurance industry, at least Aviva, also alert to the chance of making money from misfortune, is offering a trip cancellation rider to protect against loss due to the volcano. The second link takes you to Guardian(U.K.) story about it. Aviva is the fifth largest insurance company in the world.

This of course doesn’t include the initial windfall made by gouging hotels and other hostelries. By now, I imagine, business has fallen off in the affected areas.

Always a silver lining, I suppose, if you look hard enough.

No abortion law says Harper

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CBC News – Politics – No new abortion law: Harper.

Harper has stated that he is against a new abortion law and will oppose discussion in the house. Interesting, when he is trying to maintain his core vote which I understand to be amongst others, the anti-abortion crowd. However he refused to answer a question as to whether he would designate an up-coming private member’s bill as one the other conservative members must vote for.

He is afraid perhaps of antagonizing those he will need to vote for him if he is to get a majority. But this is the same guy who refused grants to Planned Parenthood, and Gay Pride. And he is the same guy who is refusing to have a place on the G8/G20 agenda for abortion rights in other countries. How do you spell hypocrisy?

Rating life-time learning.

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2010 | Composite Learning Index | CLI.

The results from this organization got a big play in the news. Easy to find out how your city rates if you live in one of the bigger centres, not so easy if you live in a small town as I do. What I found when I got to the full document was that I live in an average sort of place. Although the article suggests a bald figure, below which your community is a loser, the actual document refers to a range and our town fell within in on all measures except access to broadband. Our “city” is one of those government creations formed from the amalgamation of villages, rural areas and small towns. Our access to broadband varies tremendously across the area, in spite of  a city objective to provide the opportunity to all citizens. As well we are a poor area, little manufacturing, with government services and health care the big employers. Not so easy to be online if you are living on welfare.

I was surprised that the area fell within the average range on so many indicators, especially the education indicators. On the other hand, looking at a city like Saskatoon, which scored very well on the average, but poor scores in the areas of youth education, I am concerned about the weighting of the different aspects of the index. It sounds as thought Saskatoon is a great place to live if you are an adult, but not so great if you are a child in school. It wasn’t clear to me if the “time to travel to a museum” had an equivalent weight to ” youth problem-solving skills”.

Finally, the average is a score that is very dependent on the highs and lows. Wouldn’t the median be a better measure?

Raped, pregnant and condemned.

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CBC News – Montreal – PQ leader ‘outraged’ at cardinal’s rape remark.

A celibate priest with a singular lack of imagination and empathy thinks its quite necessary for a woman to carry to term and deliver the progeny of  her rapist. At least one commentator on the story seems to think this is quite a rare event, apparently not having heard that rape is a weapon of warfare in the battle zones of the world. Nor do either of them consider that rape in marriage is not a rare event. These men not understand that she must relive the event every day that she carries that fetus, that she may develop significant disease, be rendered sterile, and finally see the rapist’s face reflected in her newborn. Then what? Is she stare at that same face at her breast for twelve more months?

The mother’s health, mental, emotional, social mean nothing to these people. It would seem that in their minds she is only a host to a more valuable potential creature. I have never understood why the life of a living breathing sentient human being is less valuable than the embryo she carries.

The Cardinal deliver’s his message at anti-abortion rallies on Parliament Hill attended by thousand , and twenty or so M.P.’s. All of them were men, except Conservative MP Kelly Bock. Three of them, to their shame , were Liberals. No New Democrats, no Parti Quebecois, and no cabinet ministers.

All men but one. I think they want their power back. I don’t think we should let them take it.

Big oil, big denial

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What are oil dispersants? – CNN.com.

Every week there seems to be a new idea, and new untried measure to deal with the oil spill. I have a vision of a room somewhere, full of young engineers, throwing out ideas, and trying them in turn. Untested, first time ever, unknown effects, lesser of two evils; this last the apologia for unprecedented use of dispersants. What their effect on the evironment will be, apparently no one knows. Now they wish to use them underwater, to spread through the ocean itself. What will be the effect on the ecology of the Gulf, and the fisheries?

The question is: why didn’t the companies, or the regulators have plans in place to deal with this sort of catastrophe? Our government is assuring us that drilling won’t be done without safeguards. But what is the culture within these companies? As long as it is profit at all costs, I don’t think we can trust them to take appropriate safety measures.

The eleven people died in this disaster  seem to have been forgotten. Does the profit at all cost culture include skimping on worker safety as well?

And does the blame lie not just with the companies and the regulators, but with ourselves, and our desire for cheap oil?

Guarding the coasts-followup

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CBC News – Canada – Order to cut navy’s coastal vessels rescinded.

One day later, and they have resided the order to mothball the ships. A person can’t keep up with the changes in policy in this government. The overnight polls must have been bad, or they started getting calls form their “base”.  No mention of where the money is coming from or what they plan to cut instead.

Guarding the coasts

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CBC News – Nova Scotia – Canada’s navy cuts coast patrol fleet in half.

The Canadian navy has a long, proud history. At present it is celebrating 100 years of guarding our coasts and fighting our wars. On May 4th, it presented a ship’s bell to the people of Canada, a symbol of it’s dedication in the past and for the future.

The CBC reports that on May 13, the navy announced the mothballing of ship due to budgetary constraints, leaving 3 ships on each coast. Later in the article the Minister responsible says the navy  has more money than ever before in it’s history. The article quotes figures that reveal that the amount of the budget – 1.97 billion, is down from 2.1 billion last year with more cuts to come.

It would seem that the Conservative government thinks, again, that we can’t count. The navy is getting 200 million more in it’s budget, the Minister says. 2.1 billion minus 1.97 billion -do the math. Maybe it’s Minister MacKay who can’t count.