The latest breakthrough in the world of science is stunning. Apparently smoking helps increase a person's capacity for booze. This provoked a couple of random thoughts:
1) Why is this research happening? Who is funding it? Is this really pushing back the frontiers of science?
2) How do I become a subject in this research? Is pot the same as tobacco? Cigars as good as cigarettes?
2) Should I be smoking at the bar so I can have an extra beer before driving home?
3) Is this why bars don't want to embrace no smoking rules? I have to admit that I enjoy the cleaner air in bars. I used to smoke and not - coincentally I now discover - could drink more. Perhaps I should start again. Maybe the second hand smoke was enough to provide me with inebriation immunity.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Guns don't kill people - idiots with guns kill people
Alarming news from Indiana this week. A teenager has been charged with taking pot shots at trucks from several highway overpasses. The NRA might argue harmless teenage prank but a man was killed - completely randomly. The allegation is that this youth was out on a wholesome family activity - shooting and gutting deer - when he got angry and left. While others might just spin their tires and take off; maybe even hit a mailbox or two, this 17 year old had a gun and decided to release stress by shooting at vehicles on the interstate. Should a 17 year old - whether angry or not - be driving around with a gun? Probably not. He can't vote. He can't join the army. But he can carry a weapon. How does this make sense??
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Great Expectations from Lebanon
The escalating conflict in the Middle East is horrible. Everyone involved seems to ignore the rational and fuel the ongoing downward spiral. I don't pretend to understand it and will leave allocating blame to someone else. There is more than enough blame to go around.
I am amazed at the coordination effort that governments are putting together to get citizens out of Lebanon. I am, however, more amazed at the criticism that many people in Lebanon are levelling at Governments who are "not moving fast enough."
I remember when Canadians were trapped in Cancun during a Hurricaine and bemoaned the delay and cost in the Canadian government getting them home. I wondered then why it was the Canadian taxpayer's responsibility to get someone who got a good deal in hurricaine season to go sit on the beach and then are surprised when a hurricaine hits. Sure its nice to help but why bitch if it isn't fast enough. It was their choice and they should have understood the risk. The "safety net" shouldn't extend to hotels in Cancun.
It gets a bit more tricky in the war zone but conceptually its still the same. Face it, while Lebanon has been significantly more stable recently, it is still a higher risk spot. If you're a Canadian citizen who takes a holiday (whether six months or two weeks) in Lebanon and you get caught in a firefight, do you really have the right to bitch if it takes an extra day or two to get you out? Villages in southern Lebanon were acknowledged to be under Hezbollah control. Hezbollah launched an action and Israel responed. Clearly now an unpleasant place to be but these Canadian (and American )citizens went there by choice. Complaining the the government is taking too long to get them out seems a bit unreasonable. Appreciate the help and shut your gob. You chose to go there. The risk of bombing was higher there than heading to Sauble Beach for a couple of weeks of camping. I appreciate that many of these folks have been separated from family and want to go visit. I also appreciate that this is a remarkably dangerous and frightening situation. However, Canadian and American governments have not "abandonned" these folks in Lebanon. They went to Lebanon by choice and our governments are doing their best to help. This rescue is not an inalienable right of citizenship.
I am amazed at the coordination effort that governments are putting together to get citizens out of Lebanon. I am, however, more amazed at the criticism that many people in Lebanon are levelling at Governments who are "not moving fast enough."
I remember when Canadians were trapped in Cancun during a Hurricaine and bemoaned the delay and cost in the Canadian government getting them home. I wondered then why it was the Canadian taxpayer's responsibility to get someone who got a good deal in hurricaine season to go sit on the beach and then are surprised when a hurricaine hits. Sure its nice to help but why bitch if it isn't fast enough. It was their choice and they should have understood the risk. The "safety net" shouldn't extend to hotels in Cancun.
It gets a bit more tricky in the war zone but conceptually its still the same. Face it, while Lebanon has been significantly more stable recently, it is still a higher risk spot. If you're a Canadian citizen who takes a holiday (whether six months or two weeks) in Lebanon and you get caught in a firefight, do you really have the right to bitch if it takes an extra day or two to get you out? Villages in southern Lebanon were acknowledged to be under Hezbollah control. Hezbollah launched an action and Israel responed. Clearly now an unpleasant place to be but these Canadian (and American )citizens went there by choice. Complaining the the government is taking too long to get them out seems a bit unreasonable. Appreciate the help and shut your gob. You chose to go there. The risk of bombing was higher there than heading to Sauble Beach for a couple of weeks of camping. I appreciate that many of these folks have been separated from family and want to go visit. I also appreciate that this is a remarkably dangerous and frightening situation. However, Canadian and American governments have not "abandonned" these folks in Lebanon. They went to Lebanon by choice and our governments are doing their best to help. This rescue is not an inalienable right of citizenship.
Snowed off the Island
So Neil Smith got his dream job back and was an NHL GM. It lasted about six weeks and the Islanders owner Charles Wang fired him because he didn't like the new structure - everyone reports to the owner rather than the GM. This is starting to look like a CFL Glieberman circus. And it gets better.
Mr Wang, who stuck with Mad Mike Milbury for ever, then hired his backup goaltender as general manager. I promised not to tell but he interviewed me and I would have gotten the job if my fantasy hockey team had performed a bit better last year. Garth Snow, the new GM has a steep learning curve ahead of him. He has to find a way to dump his own salary which will count against the cap for the next two years and to hire his own goaltending replacement.
Pat Lafontaine who had come on as a special assistant to someone or other then decided to bail out before it got too crazy.
Apparently there is a fair bit of luck in getting filthy rich because Mr Wang does not appear to have a clue what a laughing stock he is.
Mr Wang, who stuck with Mad Mike Milbury for ever, then hired his backup goaltender as general manager. I promised not to tell but he interviewed me and I would have gotten the job if my fantasy hockey team had performed a bit better last year. Garth Snow, the new GM has a steep learning curve ahead of him. He has to find a way to dump his own salary which will count against the cap for the next two years and to hire his own goaltending replacement.
Pat Lafontaine who had come on as a special assistant to someone or other then decided to bail out before it got too crazy.
Apparently there is a fair bit of luck in getting filthy rich because Mr Wang does not appear to have a clue what a laughing stock he is.
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