The Local View of Society

View of Kelowna from Knox Mountain, May 27, 2007.

People continue to floor me. A recent poll conducted by a local news source, Castanet, published the results of the following poll.

The question was: How would you characterise the state of our society?

The results based on three choices were:

Going downhill: 1156
Steady As She Goes: 267
Going Uphill: 52

My vote, without seeing the results to that point, went for Going Uphill.

As you can see I was among the measly minority.

Most people would not characterise me as an Optimist. I consider myself a Realist, I try to see the world as it really is.

Kelowna, where I live, is a relatively wealthy town in a beautiful setting with a nice climate (for Canada).

Most people have a lot of disposable income, we have nice neighborhoods, business is booming.

So whats the problem?

My contention is that, by default, everything improves. Everything gets better. Cars get better, computers get better, machinery gets better, communication, everything.

In the workplace, isn't your management constantly looking for ways to improve your operation? And most times, they do.

Things are cheaper and easier to manufacturer.

Sure those are superficial things. But the same can be said of society.

The complaints made are that there is too much crime, too many lenient judges, too many street drugs, too much homelessness, too much pornography and the level of respect we have for each other is diminishing.

I just don't see that. The stats show that crime is down throughout most of North America. Lenient sentences? Unless you have sat in the courtroom and heard ALL the evidence, you don't have the right to judge a Judge.

Homelessness, yes there is a problem, but there are a lot of good people aware of the problem and working on it.

Pornography? I say the more the better. Too many North American are hung up on sexuality, the more pornography is prevalent the less hang ups we'll all have.

I see our world as more tolerant of other lifestyles than ever. How can that be anything but good?

Respect? In a lot of cases this refers to the lack of respect the young have for the old. I don't see that either. I think the kids today are the brightest they've ever been and are good people.

I think those that feel this pessimism about our society are swayed by the news media which, because communication is so rapid and accessible, like to bombard us with sensational but very rare episodes of human frailty at its worst.

Here in Kelowna we live in one of the best cities in the one of the best nations (if not the best) with one of the most tolerant and free societies that has ever existed in world history. We are wealthy and at peace.

There will always be a reactionary right wing conservative god-fearing and pessimistic segment of our society which would like to have us all back living in a Feudal Society or at the very least, at a time when "Father Knows Best".

News flash: It's never going to be like that again. If you want that I suggest you fly to Afghanistan and join the Taliban.

Open your minds and look around. Enjoy the open society we are trying to build.

I am not advocating seeing our world through rose colored glasses. But think back to the fifties (read: Were The Fifties Really That Good) and before that. Think back decades and centuries. And ask yourself when our society was really better.

It's never been as good as it is now and its getting better with every passing day.

Anatomy Dissections

Anyone familiar with del.icio.us knows that one of the features of this very clever bookmark sharing client is the ability to randomly access other people's bookmarks.

I do this about every night while sitting on my Laz-Y-Boy watching my Big Screen.

With every click of the mouse appears a web site that someone out there felt was interesting enough to Bookmark.

And a lot of them are interesting. A lot of them have to deal with Geekdom (construction of web sites, CSS, html, xml or whatever) but most are personal sites and blogs that in some way or other peak one's interest.

A lot of them display the capabilities of Web 2.0 and are really clever designs.

But I have to say that this website on Anatomy Dissection has to be one of the most fascinating.

Crystal clear lengthy videos with audio play by play on the dissection of a human cadaver. Freaking wild!

Ever Hear of a "Lloyd"?

1958 Lloyd Alexander

Yesterday my wife and I attended the annual Peachland World of Wheels auto show, or "Show 'n Shine" as these things are called.

It's an outstanding event which displays over 300 vehicles in a terrific setting along Peachland's Lakeshore Drive.

There are all kinds of vehicles displayed from Model A, to Viper, Muscle Cars to Motorcycles. Corvettes, Mustangs, Jags, etc.

But the one car that stood out for me yesterday was a car called the Lloyd Alexander, a 1958 model. Not because it was beautiful or powerful or wonderfully restored. But rather it was an example of how pathetic automobiles at one time were and how far they have come now.

What a piece of junk. I love how the gas tank is situated directly in front of the driver, high on the firewall. I'm sure this car did it's job of transporting people across short distances. But God help you if you happened to accidentally share the same space as another vehicle or tree. Or if is those skinny tires lost traction on an icy road.

In contrast to the low tech piece of metallic Crap that is the Lloyd there was also the leading edge of vehicle technology, the Corvette Z06, perhaps the best car in the world.



Me, beside the 2007 Corvette Z06



But, you know, at one time someone bought that Lloyd brand new and probably was on Cloud 9 the day he or she bought it, probably their first new car and probably cruised around the neighborhood showing it off with pride.

As this and many other car shows proves, autos are more than transportation. They are an extension of ourselves, a reflection of our personalities. When we are in our cars, whether we are moving or not, we are in our special personal space. People who are "into" cars will get that.

More info on the Lloyd.

The Emerging Internet

I've been "on the net" since 1995. I remember buying my first modem which I connected to my "386" machine.

I also remember paying $10.00 for 10 hours of surfing a month! And this was being done on a 28.8 baud (dial up of course) modem!

Needless to say it was a pretty frustrating experience. But it was also fascinating. And it has been fascinating watching the Internet grow. Like watching a child grow up.

Right now, the Internet is in the late "teen" stages. Still growing and developing but with a seemingly real purpose and agenda.

In the last two years, Web 2.0 has developed into a new Internet controlled by the people that use it. This Blog is an example of what is being done right now on the Net.

Despite the desire of Corporate Interests to turn the Net into a big shopping centre, we as individuals have gained the most influence.

Here is a clever video which gives basic examples of what's going on with the net now.

Melinda Gets Nuked

I've said all along that American Idol is Not a Singing contest.

It's an entertainment contest, based on singing.

That's why the American Public rightfully voted off Melinda Doolittle last night.

Even though she clearly was the best singer I never looked forward to her "act". She is a good but boring singer. She is not all that pleasant to look at. She is predictable and alas, forgettable.

Early on I said Blake Lewis should win this thing and I think that will come true next week.

You don't really need a powerful voice to be a great singer. Blake knows he doesn't have the power so he has to use his finesse. He is a clever singer that uses understated tones which tend to make you listen very carefully to each of his songs.

Blake is a fellow that would greatly benefit from a wardrobe makeover, he looks a bit too much like Beaver Cleaver to me.

I think this guy has massive potential.

Last night they also had last year's second runner up, Yasmin something or other. I didn't like him last year and my feelings haven't changed.

He sang some lame forgettable song and my question is: Who listens to this type of music? What's the target demographic?

I have no idea what genre it is, maybe "Contemporary Boring"?

I sure hope there is a "Rockstar" show this summer, where we can see real musicians singing real songs.

Weight Loss Update

On January 1st of this year I committed myself to accomplishing a significant weight loss.

At that time my scale showed I weighed 193 lbs (87.54 kg).

As of this date that same scale shows I weigh 165 lbs (74.84 kg). A 14.5% weight loss.

Was it difficult? No. Like anything that needs to be accomplished, it's all about commitment.

People who say they just can't lose weight are plainly not committed to doing so.

On the picture above are two reasons why it was easy to accomplish my "diet" was easy.

Many people munch on snacks in the evening while they are watching TV or just sitting around on the deck or backyard.

Unfortunately many of us like to munch on chips, cheesies, cookies, or that kind of empty caloried "food".

These two cereals are good tasting and pack some considerable nutrition. I eat them dry for snacks in the evening as I do not have a large evening meal (the chief secret to weight loss success).

They have protein and fibre. There is a moderate amount of sugar added from evaporated cane juice, not white refined.

Weight loss is all about one thing: Calorie usage and consumption, nothing else. I limited myself to 1700 +/- calories per day and I never felt unusually hungry.

Canucks Update, Goodbye Marcus

Ok, its been a couple of days since the Canucks' humiliating departure from the Playoffs and I've had this time to settle down and think objectively.

Let's call a spade a spade. Game 5 was a gutless, soulless effort by all the Canucks except Luongo.

So I did not feel as bad as might have with the loss simply because they did not deserve to win that game.

It's shamefully too bad because all in all it was a great season with many successes. But that's hockey.

The major disappointment of the season and even the Playoffs was the sad play of Marcus Naslund.

Yes he got a few goals and now and then here was a flash of the player he used to be but don't forget this guy is making close to $6,000,000 per year.

When a player makes that kind of money he HAS to perform every night. He HAS to be the best player, among the forwards at least.

There are some really sweet players that could be had for that six million. A couple of first or second line forwards, three or four 3rd or 4th liners, or a superstar D-Man.

Think of what could have been if the Canucks had gotten Value for that money.

I have my doubts if Naslund will be back, if he is it would only be because no other team wants to inherit that salary with the risk attached.

I've always been a Naslund fan. Who hasn't?

But maybe now it's time to say goodbye.

More Posts Will Come !

Ok, faithful but mostly accidental readers. I know my posting frequency has declined rapidly.

Not because I have nothing more to say but rather because I have lots of other stuff to do.

There are a few topics I am working on that have been on the back burner.

I want to do a little piece on what I see as the Worldwide Insurance Scam and how insurance companies play on our fears and insure that, for the most part, they are at little or no risk.

The other issue thats been waiting for inspiration is this seeming necessity of our governments (on our behalf) sucumbing to demanding special interests groups for expressions of apologies and compensations for actions taken long in the past by dead or dying generations.

Like its my fault the Japanese were interned during WWII?

As well as my usual fluff on the foibles of todays society.

Fear not, I'll be back.