Ideeahs

Over the last few days I have started paying a little bit more attention to the US Presidential elections.  Sarah Palin has been the person getting most of my attention.  I watched Palin's interview with Katie Couric and was amazed by what I heard, specifically the section on foreign policy and how she believes she is has been prepared for the role of VP based on her being the "Executive of Alaska", a state that shares borders with Russia and Canada.  This was classic.   Palin struck me as nervous.  She was a fish out of water - flipping and flopping all over trying desperately to survive the interview.  You could see it in her eyes.  I imagined massive sweat stains under her armpits and her feeling amazingly relieved after her interview.  Gosh....a horrid performance.  And she might be VP and possibly President of the US?  What the heck is McCain thinking.  Unbelievable.  The dumbing down of America has never been greater and the fact that she was chosen as a running...

It has been a pretty amazing couple of weeks on financial markets, particularly the ones in the United States.  We've seen all the major independent investment banks get flushed down the toilet bowl with a few surviving with a different governance model.  Yesterday a large regional bank in the US, the largest such bank, Washington Mutual - WaMu - was bought out by JPMorgan Chase.  Complicated deals being brokered by government and corporate executive teams.  The root cause....basics. The whole problem has been looming for years.  The lack of governance within these institutions and also in external regulatory is partly to blame.  The lack of responsibility and accountability.  The extreme focus on short-term results as opposed to longer-term financial health is another place to lay blame.  Behind all of this however lies another cause -  the lack of knowledge and understanding of basic finance that individuals have, whether acting as consumers or as decision makers in an organizati...

The recent weeks have yet again highlighted to me how our society needs to get back to basics.  This time the subject is how individual families need to take back control of what they eat and, therefore, responsibility for what they ingest. Here in Canada we have had a large number of food items recalled due to listeria bacteria being found.  While not all of of the strains of listeria found were from the same source, the one that has been getting the most attention originated at a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto, Ontario.  The belief is that the bacteria was "deep inside" some of the slicing machines in that plant.  Maple Leaf Foods makes, among other things, sandwich meats that are used by a number of other vendors in prepared sandwiches, for example.  The result was a pretty wide recall. In China we've heard about the scandal around the use of melamine in milk products.  Now various countries are testing products to see whether milk products from China were used in t...

You all know that I enjoy reading The Economist.  Well they have come up with another gimmick that I find very interesting even though it draws an unsurprising conclusion.   The Global Electoral College .  It gives the world a chance to vote in the United States elections.  Well it gives readers of The Economist a chance to vote.  Of course these readers do not represent the various cross-sections of society.  It has been said that Barack Obama appeals to the more educated and that John McCain to the rest.  I would hazard a guess that the readers of The Economist don't represent both groups equally. Having said that though, what's up with Bulgaria?  As of 10:15am Pacific time on September 24 Bulgaria is the only country that is leaning towards electing McCain.  All others are leaning towards Obama...all others.  What's up Bulgaria? **Update** As of 11:26pm Pacific time on September 24 Bulgaria has seen the light.  The entire world is now in the Obama camp.

I recently spent three hours one evening on Granville Island.  I just want to describe what I saw.....it was a great evening. The sky was perfectly clear. The air was dry and cooling. The sun was setting in the west, behind the Burrard Street Bridge.  Bright orange. The full moon was rising in the east, behind the Cambie Street Bridge.  Light orange. Joggers, walkers, cyclists, kayakers, sailers, boaters were taking "it" all in. The patios were busy, their gas heaters on, with patrons having a drink and grub. Some had coffees and pastries on the various benches around the island. The tennis club was busy with people learning how to play. Music streamed out of Arts Umbrella's windows, little ballerinas learning to dance. The ferries were ferrying people around False Creek. People were lined up waiting for a show to start at the Arts Club. Pâtés, cheeses, meats, fish, pastries, breads, fruits, vegetables, pastas, sauces, sausages, wines, beers, candies, chocolates. Another ...

One.  James Yorkston and the Athletes playing on my iPod .  I am sitting in a park in the city.  The moon has risen.  The city lights are yellow, shining dim light on the sidewalks and pathways.  The colours of the fall contrast against the brown earth and black asphalt.  I am in a happy place, watching and listening to the world around me. Two.  Classical piano notes cascading down to my ears from an open window, two stories up and across the road from me.  I look up at the window and see girls dancing.  They are in a ballet class.  Their teacher is leading them through various steps and positions.  The girls come in and out of the frame created by the window. Three.  Sirens.  Lots of them.  I don't see this event.  But I hear it.  Must be a few blocks away, could be more however as sounds carries well over the water, which is not too far away. Serenity. Happiness? Seriousness?   Feelings - one lived, two imagined.  At the same moment, accompanied by different music, in one city.

Here is what a day at the Islamabad Marriott Hotel might have been like, before today's bombing and total destruction.  The information I use comes from Marriott's website. I could lie down on my down comforter, rest my head on my down pillow, in my air conditioned room, watching CNN or ESPN.  I'd have my bathrobe on of course.  Maybe having a drink from the mini-bar.  In the morning I would have eaten at the Nadia Coffee Shop which is apparently popular for Sunday brunches.  Later on I swam in the heated, outdoor pool and checked out the Xavier Health Club (maybe an appointment for a massage tomorrow, before breakfast?).  Dinner tonight would be at the Royal Elephant restaurant for Thai food, but not before I visit a few of the attractions near the hotel - Faisal Mosque, Rose & Jasmine Garden, the Taxilla Museum.  Since their is wireless internet available I could send an email home about my day. Too bad.  Nobody will ever do this again....or at least not for a very lo...

9:30 AM, Pacific Time on Saturday, 20 September 2008. I see via the Google News aggregator that a bomb had gone off in Islamabad, Pakistan, in front of the Marriott Hotel there.  Scores are dead.  Many injured. A major event in the world today. I go to CNN and BBC to read the story.  I go to the CBC....no word of it yet and it has been 1.5 hours since the blast.  Wake up Canada.

On April 29th, 2005 I went to the fourth U2 concert of my life.  It was the Vertigo tour and it was at GM Place here in Vancouver.  The first U2 concert I attended was back on March 27, 1985 during the fourth leg of their Unforgettable Fire tour.  I remember the Montreal Gazette's description of that show being "a religious experience".  I remember Bono and the band really having control of the crowd.  Bringing us up into a frenzy and shushing us down to silence.  Inspiring us with great dialogue.  Well...back to 2005.  During this show he introduced one of the tunes, Miracle Drug, with the statement that the band has confidence in the future.  That statement stuck with me because it was so simple, it was confident and because the crowd reacted with cheers (well they did to everything said that night).  The way Bono pronounced and emphasized the word future still rings in my ears.  Anyhow, I completely agree with the statement that we should be confident. Given all the p...

Since the start of the school year fourteen days ago we have taken our bicycles to my children's school, morning and afternoon.  It has been an incredible stretch of weather in Vancouver and I hope it continues.  As mentioned in an earlier post being out in the morning air is an invigorating feeling and a fantastic way to start my day.  It creates positive energy, relieves me, gets my juices flowing.  The last few days we've been riding back through the forest trails that parallel the road we take to the school.  The feelings I have are multiplied by riding the trails as opposed to the road. 1) Winding vs. straight 2) Bumpy vs. smooth 3) Cooler vs. cool 4) Fresher smells vs. fresh smells 5) Greenery and brownery vs. metal and asphalt 6) Requires 100% attention vs. 90% attention Riding the trails my arms shake, my legs vibrate, my eyes are darting around looking for tree roots, rocks, branches, dogs or joggers as I round a corner, go down a hill, up a hill.  It awakens me.  It ...

This summer I again witnessed, and was also a participant in, the interesting human behaviour called telling a white lie. You know, we do it all the time.  When someone asks us "How goes it?" we typically automatically answer "great" or "good" regardless of whether or not the dog peed in our cornflakes that morning.  "So what do you think of my new dress?"  "It looks great!  Suits you well."  It goes on and on.  We just don't want the hassle of having to explain our thoughts, of inflicting embarrassment or unhappiness onto others.  It is just too complicated to be honest sometimes. There is not anything particularly unique about this summer lie I am about to recount - just that the day after I remember thinking how interesting it is that so many people participated. My family and four other adults were invited to someone's house for dinner.  The spread was fantastic.  Chicken, beef, multiple salads, chocolate cake, wine, beer, i...

Filling up my car today at a local Chevron gas station I noticed, on the other side of the gas bar, an Alfa Romeo 164.  I tend to notice those as my father had one.  When the owner of the car came out of the Chevron Town Pantry I struck up a conversation with him about the 164.  It was a '92 that he bought, used, in '94.  This was his fourth Alfa.  He had owned a Spider, a GTO (he didn't specify which one) and one of their saloons as well (again, no mention of the model).  Anyhow this guy clearly likes Alfas.  Not surprisingly he did mention that he has had some issues mechanically with the cars.  The front and back shocks, the transmission, the wheel bearings of the 164 all gave out at some point.  He chastised Alfa for not doing much to support the owners of Alfa's in North America.  Since they no longer sell cars here apparently parts are very hard to come by.  But who cares?!  It is an Alfa - since no other car drives as well as an Alfa, he was OK with having to dea...

More proof that politicians love bashing their opponents.  Love expending energy on useless negative words rather than taking the time to sound intelligent and positive.  I realize that politicians need to cater to the masses and that the citizens of Canada, the intended consumers of this noise generation, drink this junk up.  So who fixes the problem first....the politicians change their behaviour?  Or should citizens start rebelling against this childish behaviour?  Looks like both sides are content with letting this go on and on and on and on.  Year after year after year. Example 1: Earlier this week the ruling Conservatives had a clip on their website showing a puffin (a bird) dropping excrement on Stephane Dion's (Liberal Leader) shoulder.  Pretty positive stuff.  Definitely tells me what the Conservatives thoughts on Canada are. Example 2: Somehow I got on the email list of the Liberal MP in my riding.  She sent a note out this week stating: Please be advised that The Green S...

And they are off!  Sunday the Prime Minster of Canada visited the grand home of the Governor General of Canada.  The PM, Stephen Harper, advised the GG , Michaëlle Jean, to dissolve Parliament.  She obliged.  Apparently the current mix of elected politicians in the House of Parliament could no longer govern our country in its best interest and it was therefore better to have the people of the country elect a new government. And so they are off on Canada's version of an electoral campaign.  It all ends on October 14.  Between now and then I am sorry to say that I doubt we will hear very little concrete, heartfelt and genuine words of where this country should go.  Rather it will all be about positioning, about promises, about trying to shape the party platform in such a way that the most votes can by garnered on election day.  What we will hear is Stephane (Dion, the Liberal leader) calling Stephen (Harper, the Conservative leader) a liar and vice versa .  How one is incompetent a...

We had another beautiful day in Vancouver today.  Sunny, summer-like weather.  People were out.  Big time.  The Soapbox Race along 4th Avenue was on.  The Avalon Country Fair was in full swing on Wales Street near 41st Ave. and Nanaimo St.  Santana was playing GM Place downtown.  The Vancouver Whitecaps had a game at Swangard Stadium.  The Fringe Festival was in full swing as well.  So lots to do in the great city on the first weekend of September.  To me these are the positives of living in a city. A hot, gridlocked commuting nightmare in Vancouver today.  Sunday drivers, festivals, street closures.  Cars were out, people were coming from all over the place.  Victoria and Nanaimo was gridlocked.  4th Avenue was closed to traffic.  1st ave was packed as we neared GM place.  To me these are the negatives of living in a city. I love driving.  I love taking to the highway.  An open stretch of road, with nice curves and new, smooth pavement, is a lot of fun.  Sunroof open, music on.  Wha...

Back on July 26th I wrote an entry in Ideeahs entitled My Japan .  Well, I am going to visit those islands finally.  I'll be using Autumn in Japan to describe my journey.

The kids are back in school this week.  Since their new school is a little closer to our home we have decided that we will either bicycle or walk as much as possible and, so, this week we have taken to two wheels.  It has been great for all of us.  Fresh cool morning air, blood pumping through our bodies, heat from our bodies.  It also gets the kids energy used up.  All good really. Anyhow....what about connectedness?  For those of you who have been reading Ideeahs for sometime you know that I am taking time off work.  Of all the great things that this has brought to me, like time with my family (and just plain old time) it has given me a feeling of connectedness to the community we live in.  When I was working I spent my days a 45 minute drive away.  Today I spend my days in the community where I live.   My feeling of connectedness today came from a conversation I was having with one of our neighbours, in the schoolyard.  We were surrounded by other parents we knew and commenting on h...

I spent a few hours at a local park today watching my children play and talking to my parents about the world we live in and, as we typically end up talking about, how certain adults mess it all up for the next generation. Children and Parks.  There were eight or nine children playing at the park.  Of different nationalities and ages.  At first they were all playing separately - some on the swings, others on the jungle gym and others still on some new kind of park roundabout contraption.  After a few minutes they were all playing together on this roundabout.  Trying to get each other to fall off.  Collaborating to make this happen.  Trying new ways of increasing the speed by running alongside it, adding weights (themselves) at different spots.  It was nice to see them all play.  They got along, they enjoyed themselves and they did not have a care in the world (or so it seemed) other than trying to get the other person to fall off.  When one did they laughed once they saw nobody was hu...

I read two articles today that further highlight the dramatic changes our planet is undergoing as a result of human activity; its short-sightedness and its narrow thinking.  Both articles spoke about ice sheets in the north.  One, in The Economist , spoke about the ever shrinking Arctic Ocean ice and the other from The Canadian Press spoke about Greenland's ice. The former leads directly to global warming as less ice means less snow reflecting solar energy way from the planet; water absorbs the energy as it is darker.  The latter also leads to less reflected energy and also to rising sea levels. We need to get on with it.  Take these steps and start making a difference. 1) buy CFC lights 2) buy a smaller car with more fuel efficient engines (you don't need an SUV to drop the kids off at ballet) 3) buy a smaller house (you don't need 3000 sq. feet), closer to the city 4) take a shorter shower 5) wash your clothes in cold water 6) walk, bike, take transit 7) use a push mower...