Talking to work out differences of opinion can give you great results that are acceptable to all parties. It is the premise that the United Nations and even the European Union has been built. That said, all these discussions do take a lot of time, and can be very bureaucratic. Going to extremes, having so many discussions can be used as a tool against one of the parties. This is a manipulation of one party over another. This is where I think the UN has sadly gone so wrong.
In this CoVid-19 era there has been a lot of talk about freedom, specifically personal freedom, the freedom to do as you wish irregardless of how it negatively affects others. National freedom, at a country level, is the freedom to not be blackmailed by trading partners. You would think that trade would not have such dark tones, but in this day and age trade between countries has been weaponized. It looks like this is changing.
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National Freedom, but for Germany, Freiheitsenergien is the first step
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The transition of public policy to “Living with CoVid-19” has been publicly announced. While it is coming, the implications are not yet known. What does “Living with CoVid-19” really mean? I am trying to figure this out, as there is scant honest information that I have gleaned from the news.
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The Public Policy of Living with CoVid-19 in Ontario
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Small, but still an operation, left me with a bit of fear of the unknown. I welcome new experiences, be they good or bad. Odd, is it not?
The wait was not overly taxing, but a bit long. I tried deep breathing, but in the end this did not lower my BP. Still, I did not have anxiety within my thoughts. I moved from one waiting area to another. The ear protection helped me block out the busy and unfamiliar outside stimulus. I had prepared well.
Canada Election 2021 DRO kit, ballot box, ballots, lots of papers. Photo by Don Tai
In Canada’s elections, there are hundreds of polling locations. Each polling location must have one or more polls, where a Canadian citizen over the age of 18 will receive a ballot, mark their chosen political candidate on the ballot, and finally drop the ballot into the ballot box. At the end of the night after polls close, the ballots in the ballot box are counted. Results for each candidate are then phoned into the local polling office. Results are then tallied up to larger and larger geographic levels.
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Canadian Election: Deputy Returning Officer DRO Tips
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Buy when you need something, but only what you need. Buy better quality products that can be repaired and last a long time. Eschew throw away consumerism. Repurpose products when these products are no longer needed. With these rules, people will buy less but better, putting much less pressure on Mother Earth. It is a possible solution to reducing the effects of climate change.
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Minimal Consumerism: A Possible Solution, but Could it Work?
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Willie Nelson’s Martin guitar, Trigger
I do love this story, of a guitar that is so special, that has stood the test of time through maintenance and a bit of luck. Willie Nelson is not gentle with this guitar, Trigger. A testament to quality build.
It has been beaten up, but also maintained, and used to full capacity. The new sound hole might even enhance its sound. What more can a player ask from an instrument? This really goes against the glitz and glamour of the shiny new toys that you can buy off the shelf and throw away once you’re tired of it.
Moen 7400 Series Kitchen faucet, Bought around year 2000, I don’t even recall, but with free parts, it continues to work very well. Photo by Don Tai
Some objects in life you just use every day and take them for granted. They just work, day in and day out, until something goes wrong and then you really notice them. Our Moen 7400 series kitchen faucet is one of our house appliances that just seems to last and last. When I think that, yes, it is time to replace it, I call Moen for free parts, they ship them to me, I install them and the faucet goes right back to working just as the day I bought and installed it. Smooth, problem free, drip free, to again fade into the background. Often times I use the kitchen faucet while thinking of something else and really don’t pay attention.
Viruses have been with mankind before there was mankind. I don’t even know if we can determine when they were created. As with all things that persist for a very long time, they have grown and adapted in surprising ways in order to stay alive and flourish. Our newest, and certainly not the last, virus is CoVid-19, which has thrown the world into a pandemic. This virus, and other corona viruses, may not have a brain, but are extremely smart in knowing how to use our human behaviours in order to proliferate. We do need to give credit where credit is due: These viruses are remarkably efficient.
As the world grapples with unexpected “100 year” weather events that seem to be more and more common, we need to acknowledge that climate change is real and needs urgent attention. Scientists are tracking unprecedented glacial melt that cannot be explained any other way. The damage to habitat and human existence is obvious to those experiencing it. But how do we repair and stabilize our planet?
I watched Bill Gates on the “60 minutes” TV series talk about investing in tech solutions, necessary to reverse climate change. I kept wondering how a tech solution can reverse our deep human mistakes, ones that we continue to make. I do not think it can.
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Underlying Causes of Climate Change and Why Solutions are Difficult
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