Ideeahs

Just got back from the grocers and had this thought: Do the English really have long cucumbers? Apparently they are seedless as well. Why cover them in plastic then? Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!

It has been a long time since I have written something here.  I feel a need to get things off my chest so I decided to use this platform to get my thoughts out. There are many reasons as to why I want to complain about the state of politics.  The reasons have all arisen over the last week of reading about various events happening around the world.  From wars to much less dreadful topics. Election results.  Decisions taken locally and others globally.  They have all reinforced a belief which I have and which I am frustrated to have.  I don't really know how to address the issue as I do not see a solution. The issue at hands is politics.  More specifically the issue is politicians.  The issue is the kind of person that is attracted into serving their country and how they might change once elected. Ever since I was a young boy I have always had a negative outlook on politics.  I grew up in the Province of Quebec in Canada.  When I was a chi...

Speaking Tuesday to legislators in London about Wimbledon, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "Absolutely nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed. Many of us would be willing and able to [allow them to] compete as non-aligned, non-flag-bearing entities. But I think it needs to go beyond that. We need some potential assurances that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to try and get some assurances along those lines." (source =  https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/wimbledon-british-government-in-talks-about-russian-players-1.6386102 ) The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has sparked much debate in the world of sports.  Should Russian teams be banned from competing?  Should individual Russian athletes be banned?  Should teams of athletes be allowed to compete but without flag, uniform, country name, anthem, etc.? Some athletes have said that it is unfair to mix politics and sports.  They r...

The hiring process for an employee into a company typically relies on a network of opinions and advice from people.  Before hiring references are checked, education levels confirmed, typically referrals from colleagues help, background check are completed.  Even once hired typically a 3 to 9 month probation period exists during which a dud higher can get the boot.  You want to minimize the risks. Why then is it that the UK is already talking about removing certain sanctions against Russia? (sources:  https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/uk-lift-sanctions-russia-these-conditions-putin-ukraine-317482/  and  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/03/26/crippling-sanctions-could-lifted-russia-withdraws-ukraine-says/ ) Is it good enough that Russia withdraws from Ukraine and commits to no further aggression?  Do we trust the Russian government? Have they historically shown their ability to behave properly towards their citizens and their neighbours? I ...

The news that Ash Barty has taken the decision to retire at the age of 25 has caused many people to react.  Some understand, others question, others accuse.   Her decision has touched off a few ideas of my own. When is enough actually enough?  When do we decide we have enough?  When can we stop and just be content with what we have? At 25 she has achieved so much.  I have seen words accusing her of lack of character, of quitting or of not having the mental fortitude (one person I saw was wondering what was wrong with women's tennis?)  I think none of these people can really speak with any authority.  First of all most of these people, writing the drivel, can hardly speak from a place of success.  How many grand slams have they won?  How many tens of millions of dollars have they earned, how many weeks at number one have they spend and how well known are they in the world?   At some point, enough is enough.  I respect Ash Barty for t...

The world is complicit.  The entire world is complicit.   Of course Vladimir Putin is the man responsible for causing so much of the human pain and physical destruction going on in Ukraine at this moment.  However the rest of the world is complicit. For too many years (for all of history one could say) we have turned a blind eye to the negative actions of one person, organization, company, country and allowed economic benefit to rule over, to take precedence over, good behaviour.   For years the world has allowed Putin and Russia to do as they please as it was deemed to be to the benefit of the world to turn a blind eye and choose to see but ignore their despicable behaviour.  While we purchased oil, gas and wheat from Russia we sold them all manners of goods and services. We even invited the bastards from The Kremlin to believe they were part of a world order.  Too many pictures have been published with the assholes from the Kremlin shaking hands and smili...

Ukraine. It am writing this on March 2, 2022.  The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is now in its seventh day.  I have so many conflicting thoughts and emotions.  What should the nations of the world do?  What specifically should NATO and the EU do?  What would I do? The animal in me, the emotional me, the me who might live in Ukraine or have Ukrainian blood would want the world to launch a full-scale assault of Russia.  I would want these nations to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, stop all Russian airplanes and missiles from overflying Ukraine, bomb Russian positions and go after the bastards in the Kremlin.  I would feel that those people sitting in the comforts of their homes, watching and commenting on the destruction of my country, are hypocrites and complicit.  While sanctions have an impact they will take months, if not years, to have an impact.  They will not stop the bombs and the deaths.  I would be mad, angry, disappointed, pi...

Years ago I wrote about how when rules are suddenly imposed on a group of people there is a resulting increase in the amounts of stress and arguments among the same group of people.  I wrote about how a park I used to live next to in Vancouver one day introduced a bunch of rules which described which trails could be used by people walking their dogs.  Some were on-leash, some off-leash, some weekends only.  It was a mess. Where there were used to be no confrontations between people there were now regular confrontations where people would point to the rule and say you were no longer allowed here or there. The thought again popped into my mind a few weeks back when I saw how my children had set the table.  The fork was on the right side of the plate, the knife on the left.  The cutting edge of the knife was facing out - away from the plate.  The napkin was on the left.  The glass was centred above the plate. I thought - gosh they have it all wrong! ...

I am currently reading Green Mars.  This is the second book in the Mars Trilogy written by Kim Stanley Robinson.  The books describe the happenings on Mars in the 21st century as man settles the planet.  Of course as more and more people arrive on Mars, and more and more companies also set up shop on the planet, standard human behaviour starts rooting itself on this newly inhabited world.  Consequently we have wars and revolution, ecologists vs industrialists, those who want to leave Mars relatively untouched vs. those who are wanting to turn it into another Earth. During this time, back on Earth, the planet is becoming less and less inhabitable.  People look to Mars as an escape from the sad reality on Earth.  The United Nations appears to have had increased power however it is being controlled transnational companies.  As a result Mars is also now being run not by a UN or a set of countries but more and more it is being run by these transnationals. ...

The world we live in is greatly influenced by what people read or hear.  The words read and heard will be stored in our brains and impact our thoughts.  These in turn impact our decisions, relationships and the ideas which we then write or speak about to others.  Words do matter.  They matter to our children, to spouses, siblings, extended family, neighbours, co-workers and to our fellow citizens of earth....those whom we have never met but who may read or hear our words. Journalism is a field which pumps out its fair share of the written and spoken word.  Journalism plays a fundamental role in the education of people and in ensuring that the truth always finds its voice.  It is a force against those in society which try to silence the truth.  It is important to decision making via its ability to educate us on current affairs and due to its investigative nature as well. But what is truth anyways?  Whatever it may be it generally is not right or wr...

Compromise is a requirement for progress.  No matter how stubborn one might be there will always be a point where a choice needs to be made.  Choosing one path or way over another always involves compromise as the paths all differ to varying degrees, each with their own pros and cons.  Some pros always need to be let go of and some cons need to be accepted.  No single party picks up all the spoils.  But all win something.  A compromise. Maybe I need to be a little more specific.  Compromise is important if what you desire is progress in a non-chaotic and steady way.  If you equate pros and cons to steps forwards or backwards compromise does not eliminate the steps back but it does, I believe, lead in smaller steps backward while continuing on a forward motion.  The steps forward may also be smaller but having more people in agreement the decisions taken are accepted and acted upon in a more unified and cohesive fashion.  Let's just say t...

I have just read Bill and Melinda Gates 2016 Annual Letter .  They talk about how time and energy are two of the more important topics which need to be tackled to help save lives and make the world a more equitable place.  I recommend you read it. After reading the letter I had a thought which has come to me multiple times over the years.  The relationship between advancements in technology and the time these advancements give us via the efficiencies they bring.  To sum up Bill and Melinda's letter very crudely I can say it is about making reliable, low cost energy available to more people so that they can take advantage of technological advances which minimize certain tasks and which permit a lengthening of the productive day and thus giving their users time. Of course this is completely true.  Energy allows pumps to work which allow water to flow closer to homes therefore reducing or eliminating the need to walk to water sources and carry it back.  Th...

I have just finished reading an article on Forbes.com  which makes a link between declining sales and the quality of the iPhone.   Apple is taking a hit not only on Wall Street but also in the press.  Reports of Apple company valuation, of lack of new products, lack of innovation and maturing are the latest rage.  The company has also been blamed over the years for purposely obsoleting its products and forcing people to upgrade. All of these arguments I think highlight the fundamental problem with our economy.  It is so overwhelmingly controlled by investors and the business news who consistently value profit growth over quality.  Listening to Wall Street the best thing for Apple would be for all of its customers to upgrade their phones every year.  This would drive revenue, profits and would be music to the ears of those analysts.  Ka-ching! Building a quality product that consumers want to keep and - crazy talk! - repair rather than throw ou...

Over the last week I have been wondering about what we learn and how we make use of this knowledge in our lives.  Much of my thoughts have centred on whether our approach to education is in fact giving us the knowledge we need in our daily lives.  Are we really gaining knowledge?  Are we simply being told how to accomplish a given task?  Are we being educated on the possible conclusions or just the one conclusion of the lesson - the educator's conclusion?  In other words are we learning to come to our own conclusions?  Are we able to, with what we are being taught, to really make the material our own, to synthesize it and to assimilate it into a true understanding?  To take all of this data and understand.  To come up with our own way and our own conclusion.  Are we always being asked to conform?  Do we need conformity? I have had many such conversations at work over the last days and, coincidentally, I came across some TED Talks by Si...

This post is about attitude and how it makes all the difference in the world.   Specifically this is about the attitude we bring to our daily routines and is based on three different men I have come across during my daily commute and one whom I have never met.  Each one made or makes the day just a tad bit better than it was - and they do it so simply. One is a Montreal cop who I used to see regularly in the Griffintown area of the city.  The second is a parking attendant at the Bell Centre.  The third is a train conductor who used to work the line I ride to and from the city every day.  The last is a singer in a band.  They are all examples of how easy it is to build a short human connection with a stranger and make the world that much more united. In every case they manage to, during a few seconds of interaction with fellow citizens, make a connection and put a smile on someone's face - well mine at least. The cop's job, during the extremely busy co...

This is a quick memory about my childhood spurred on by the news of David Bowie's death. I spent a good part of my elementary school years in my cousin's basement bedroom playing chess and listening to his records.  He was (still is!) nine years older than I and those formative years opened my eyes.  He had hundreds of albums.  The Beatles, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Gentle Giant, Genesis, The Rolling Stones and so many other great artists and bands.  One of them was Bowie. Of the first ten album I ever bought two of them were Bowie's.  The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was one I bought new at either Sam the Record Man on Ste-Catherine or Phantasmagoria on Parc near Sherbrooke.  Cellophane wrapped with a 3.99 of 4.99 written in black marker across the cover.  The second was Diamond Dogs - I bought that one used at Cheap Thrills (can't remember if that store was on Mountain, Stanley, or Drummond....one of those ...

We are in the midst of one of the most dreaded periods of the year in corporate life - end of year evaluations.  I have been reading more reports lately of companies dropping these reviews altogether and opting for continuous conversations and evaluations.  The last article I read was from The Economist World in 2016 .  It states that Deloitte had calculated it wasted 2 million hours a year evaluating its 65000 employees.  At a relatively cheap $100 an hour that is $200 million of wasted time and money.  Wow.   This huge number of hours may not take into account the stress, uncertainty, escalations, debates and resulting sick leave and reduced productivity that might arise from the process - one that definitely does not generate any real benefits to either managers or employees. I am thinking that this rigmarole that is followed by millions really has seen its day.  It may have been needed in the old days where managers never...

I just finished watching the first of a series of videos on a TED playlist entitled "Talks to watch when you don't know what to do with your life".  I have embedded the video below if you are interested in watching. Larry Smith makes a pretty straightforward and simple point.  One that is painfully obvious but one that seems so impossible to achieve, live by or even simply attempt to pursue given the constraints and constructs which we all inject into our lives as individuals and as a group.  We fear being embarrassed by pursuing it, we fear losing everything we have, we think of "buts" and "if onlys".  We therefore so rarely pursue it.  It....is our PASSION. In Avoiding the Blues I talk about the project being the monster.  The context is that when you are assigned to a project at work it can easily take over your every minute of every day for its duration unless you learn to manage your time and your effort.  It is so easy to los...

In my mind the next twelve months are critical for all organizations who were involved in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCCC) to show each other, and the world in general, that all the talk and negotiation which took place in Paris in December at the UNCCC were not a waste of time.  They have their work cut out. I have spent my twenty-eight years of employment working for massive global corporations and have experienced firsthand how talking and planning is cheap and easy.  We humans are great at having meetings and chatting about how wonderful things could be if we all just worked together with a common objective.  After all, we convince ourselves, we work for the same organization and so working towards a common goal just makes sense!  A conclusion so painfully obvious yet so hard to achieve.  After the talk we take the next step and have workshops where we gather in a common location to make good use use of colourful sticky notes, marker...

There is a certain hypocrisy to this post given the fact that I live in a suburb in a detached house that give us more personal space than most inhabitants of Earth.  In and of itself one could argue that I live a wasteful life beyond my needs.  Most of us in Canada do.  So talking about energy conservation while sitting in my home office seems, again, hypocritical.  Having said that, even in our suburban houses there is much that we could do to reduce our footprint. When we moved into our house in 2009 the previous owners left us their utility bills.  It has allowed me to make a comparison between the energy consumption of our family of four compared to the previous owners who were either four or five. Our average use of water, electricity and natural gas when compared to the previous owners compares as follows. Water 0.58 vs 1.13 m3 per day (51% of previous owners' usage) Electricity 12.78 vs 39.45 kWh per day (32%) Natural Gas 7.58 vs 10.125 m3 per da...