WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN 2020?

Rather than playing the personal New Year’s Resolution Game, I am going to assume complete control of the world and declare ten mandated changes that will affect everyone else instead. In 2020, I command the following changes effective January 1, 2020:

1. Regular seasons only. I would like all of the four seasons to begin on the traditional dates assigned by God centuries ago. March 21, June 21, September 21 and December 21 would be the official and actual starting dates for each season. I am tired of snow in summer, rain in winter and often no spring at all. Let’s stick to the original game plan!
2. A new Kurdish State. While this is not an issue with most people I know, I think it is time that a Kurdistan nation is carved out of the Kurdish enclaves in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. If the United Nations in 1948 could relegate a new Jewish state out of the old Palestinian lands, I think the Kurds deserve as much consideration.
3. New Political Structures for the US and Canada. Neither country has an electoral system that works effectively or efficiently. The outdated Electoral College process in the US is not democratic, nor is the Canadian system, that does not provide real representation by population as it should. Both countries need to retool their political structures.
4. No Sunday shopping. We shall return to the days of yore when all stores were closed on Sunday. Whether you use the day for worship or not is your choice. I just think one day without the constant commercialization of everything is overdue. Shopping addicts can get their fix by shopping online, but it would definitely be a nice respite for the rest of us.
5. A baseball salary cap. Just as is done in hockey, basketball, and football, baseball needs a salary cap - a limit on how much teams can pay in total for their playing roster. In baseball, teams with a payroll under $100 million should not have to compete against teams with payrolls well north of $220 million. It is just not fair!
6. Intelligent movies. Movie selection invariably is limited to about five categories: superheroes, cartoons including Pixar, violent action flicks, science fiction sagas, or third and fourth versions of a previous hit movie, e.g. Halloween 13. Can no one write an interesting plot that involves intelligent dialogue and a unique storyline? They are as rare as an intelligent Trump tweet!
7. Elimination of rap/hip-hop music. I think my intolerance of rap music is well known. How people can make millions grunting repugnant and profane lyrics to the same repetitive beat is beyond me. The number of current vocalists whose lyrics can be understood is extremely limited. eg Taylor Swift or surprisingly a fair number of C & W artists.
8. Restoring standards in schools. Through my secondhand sources, I believe that we have abandoned almost any standards in our schools. I think it is time that we reestablished regular standardized tests, standards of student and teacher dress, conduct and language. I believe, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp” and that is what clear, specific standards provide.
9. Mandatory solar power.  It should now become a requirement that all new construction, whether single-family homes or office buildings or shopping centers include a significant solar panel component with total conversion within a set number of years. Unless we get serious about reducing fossil fuel use, we will just continue to drift dreamily towards destruction.
10. Pay a substantial subscription price for this blog. Given the joy and enrichment that this blog provides on a regular basis, a $10 a month rate is not out of the question. Of course, my faithful readers will know this is a “fake” request, and recognize that I just ran out of ideas for a tenth commandment and snuck this in as a space-filler!

Happy New Year to you all and thanks for reading my Questions Blog!

HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOUR WEIRD BLOGS, KEN?

HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOUR WEIRD BLOGS, KEN?

One of my friends asked me how I come up with the weird questions that I deal with on this blog. Believe me, it is no simple task. First of all, you must possess certain characteristics: you must personally be weird in some ways, you must read a lot of books or online shlop, or occasionally view a smattering of the pulp TV offerings available. I can confirm that I check all of those boxes. Let me illustrate my method by using one small news item as an example:

“A US judge has handed down a sentence of at least 15 years to a man who stole an LGBT pride flag from a church and burned it outside a strip club. Adolfo Martinez, 30, admitted to the media that he took the flag from Ames United Church of Christ due to his animosity towards homosexuals. He was found guilty last month of hate crime harassment, reckless use of fire and being a habitual offender.”

After reading that news item I was racked with a bundle of questions. First of all, I was a little amazed that the guy was sentenced to “at least 15 years” for his crime. It seemed a little steep to me for burning an unofficial flag. In a recent court decision, a local man who attacked a woman in a road rage incident was sentenced to three years in prison for beating the woman with a metal crowbar and fracturing both of her arms. If I had the choice, I would far rather contend with the flag burning nutbar than the crowbar basher. And yet who was hit with the longer sentence? It doesn’t make sense to me.

Then I wondered what kind of prison sentence included the term “at least” in front of the 15 years. Did it mean that if someone, sometime in the future felt like extending it to 16 or 17 years it would be alright? I thought a sentence was a definite period of time, often less, but never with the option of maybe more. Have you ever heard of that? I was puzzled.

Then I wondered whether if it had been a boy scout flag or a state flag if the penalty would have been more or less. Is there a hierarchy of flags of importance and do they have ascending sentence times if you lit them with a match? Would an American burning the Stars and Stripes get a longer jail term than if he burned our Canadian Maple Leaf flag? What if a Canadian burned an American flag? Would the sentence, like our dollar only be about two thirds as long?

Did the fact that it was stolen outside a church have some bearing? If it had been taken from in front of city hall or a school would it make a difference? How important a factor was the location of the theft in determining the sentence.

Does the fact that the flag was incinerated outside of a strip club carry a greater penalty than if it had been burned in front of a Walmart or Costco? Given the connotations associated with a strip club, it appears that the offense is far more serious and degrading.

It is funny how a seemingly simple first sentence of a news item can generate so many questions in my mind. Or do the same questions enter your mind as well? Is it any wonder this blog is entitled “Questions, Questions. Questions”? Well, that is another good question!

Rather than illustrate my question generating skills any further, I will not continue with the second and third sentences in the above article. I think you get my drift. Or do you? Sorry, I just can’t stop. I think I have become a questionaholic!

HOW IMPORTANT ARE “OPTICS” TO YOU?

HOW IMPORTANT ARE “OPTICS” TO YOU?

One of the new buzz words making the rounds these days is “optics”. Primarily a physics term to describe the behavior of light, it has become a very important new political expression. In politics, optics refers to how an event appears, not anything to do with the essence of the issue or event, but simply how the public perceives the news. For example, it is bad optics if after an increase in taxes a government office is found to have overspent its budget. It looks bad, even if there is a logical rationale or a long term benefit. Sometimes optics can generate positive reactions and sometimes more negative responses. Let me explain.

Australian PM Scott Morrison was on a long-planned holiday in Hawaii when the Australia bushfire crisis worsened during a heatwave that has been scorching the country. Morrison indicated that he would return from his holiday immediately after two volunteer firefighters died battling wildfires. Morrison has been heavily criticized for taking a pre-Christmas break in Hawaii, as more than 2,500 firefighters across New South Wales worked to contain raging fires. He said Friday that he apologized and would "happily" return to deal with the crisis. A firefighters' union leader said Australia was "seeing an absolute lack of leadership from this government and it is a disgrace”.

I should like to come to the defense of the beleaguered PM. In my opinion, he didn’t have anything to apologize for and there was no need for him to rush home. Morrison’s presence or absence from Australia during this time of natural disaster is irrelevant in any real sense. He was not going to be directing a hose at a burning bush or stomping on a grass fire. That is not his job. But the “optics” were bad. His absence implied that he did not care about the devastation and loss of human lives by not appearing on local TV wringing his hands in anguish. I am sure that although his absence “looked” bad, it really was not a matter of him not caring or poor leadership or apathy. He probably felt that his presence would not alter the wildfire crisis in any significant way. And he was correct.

We regularly see politicians at every level trying to take advantage of the optics of a situation. Kissing babies, making themselves available for selfies, two-handed handshakes, and cutting ribbons are all meaningless activities that are only political photo ops. A Prime Minister standing on the shore of the flooded Ottawa River while wearing rubber boots should not be interpreted as a willing volunteer to fill sandbags. He was there for the photos and the cameras. No bags were filled and the boots came off right after the photoshoot.

Sometimes trying to take advantage of the optics can backfire as well. I am sure we all recall President Trump casually tossing rolls of paper towels to displaced Puerto Ricans whose homes and lives were ravaged by Hurricane Maria. Those optics certainly did nothing to improve his image.

The one person who has converted an optic moment into an extension of his career is Rudy Giuliani. Everyone will remember the somber photos of Mayor Rudy wearing an NYPD baseball hat sternly overlooking the site of the 911 disaster as if he was going to grab a shovel and get to work. In fact, Giuliani grabbed the opportunity to construct the persona of the single driving force behind the cleaning up and rebuilding of the Twin Towers site. He used that optical illusion to worm his way into Trump’s back pocket and become his personal lawyer. Although some optics can backfire, Giuliani hit the jackpot! Or did he?

Regardless, I thing PM Morrison should return to Hawaii to finish his holiday with his family and return when he can actually do something that will help, like establishing a wildfire disaster relief fund for the victims. Forget about optics and focus on action!

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES: DO YOU REMEMBER…?

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES: DO YOU REMEMBER…?

One of the benefits of belonging to the senior citizen club is that you have tons of memories that are fun to recall. As Christmas approaches, I can always slip into my memory bank and recall all of the fond memories that I enjoyed in my youth during the Christmas season. They never fail to bring a smile to my face. 

Which of my old memories of the Christmas season did you also experience and remember? Do you remember:

• when mandarin oranges arrived in the little wooden box that was later used to help start the fire in the coal stove
• bubble lights on a Christmas tree and the little metal reflectors that you attached between the tree lights and the sockets
• when the final step in decorating the Christmas tree was placing long silver tinsel on the branches one piece at a time
• there was always a bowl of mixed nuts on the kitchen table that had to be shelled with a nutcracker and a sharp pick
• when neighbors would drop by unannounced with a bottle of whiskey or wine to make a Christmas visit
• in cold weather, there was so much frost on the INSIDE of the windows that you would melt peepholes with your warm fingers
• going out to play no matter how cold wearing boots, snow pants, a warm jacket, gloves, a winter hat, and a scarf around our necks
• going to midnight mass on Christmas Eve at 10:30 or 11:00 pm in order to get a good seat so you wouldn’t have to stand
• sharing a meatless Christmas Eve supper with twelve (if possible) different dishes to represent each of the apostles
• going “tobogganing” down a nearby hill on a piece of cardboard or inside a cardboard box under the stars

If we fast forward to today, the comparable memories of today’s youth would look something like this:

• mandarin oranges are available all year now. Instead of a box they come in a mesh bag or are bought in bulk
• bubble lights and reflectors are obsolete and now Christmas trees can be purchased that are totally decorated when you buy them
• silver tinsel is also a long-gone memory for most. Instead, many purchase metallic silver Christmas trees that can be folded up
• If there are any nuts anywhere in the house they are contained in plastic bags and usually only used for baking, not snacking
• nobody ever drops in to visit anyone uninvited. It is not socially acceptable in today’s “by appointment only” world
• if it ever gets too cold in the house i.e. below 68 degrees, we are forced to just turn up the thermostat. No frosty windows anywhere.
• there is no need for an assortment of warm outdoor clothes as when it gets too cold no one goes outside. That is what TV is for!
• no need to rush to mass early, if at all, on Christmas Eve as you can stay home and watch it on television if you choose
• the only way that a twelve-course dinner would be available is if you order Skip the Dishes from four or five different restaurants
• rather than face the cold and dangers of outside tobogganing there are Nintendo or Gameboys or Wi games to play indoors

Won’t today’s generation have a dearth of Christmas memories compared to those that we still carry in our memory banks? Kind of sad, isn’t it?

Merry Christmas 2019,

Merry Christmas 2019,

I was almost going to grant all of our friends and acquaintances a reprieve from a Christmas letter this year. Then I sat back for a moment and thought about how disappointed I am when I do not get your annual letter (email) detailing your past-year highlights. I have difficulty sleeping and my days are long and stressful just waiting and waiting. Not wishing to disappoint you in the same fashion, I invite you, if you have nothing better to do, to read on!

As in the past two years, the highlight of the year occurred from early January to mid-March when we escaped our lovely Alberta snowdrifts and minus 30s in favor of the sun and sand of Mazatlan. We rented a new condo near the beach and basically tried to perfect the art of recreational slothing. Our basic routines included watching waves, eating fish, reading books, eating shrimp, walking the beach, eating dorado, breaking the casino, eating scallops, exploring the Old Town, eating calamari, scouring the outdoor markets, eating prawns, visiting with Canadian friends, eating tuna, and shopping (Darlene only). I was eating sea bass somewhere nearby. This routine may sound fishy to you, but it requires a lot of stamina and cold beer to survive!

We returned home in mid-March and then set our sights on a house exchange to Halifax from late June to mid-July. It was our first visit to the Canadian Maritimes and we were both very impressed with the friendliness of the people, the scenery, and the wonderful Canadian history that we are so devoid of living in the West. We loved our visit to PEI and the chances to investigate what real lobster and great fish and chips taste like. We did the usual touristic things like visit the Cabot Trail, Lunenburg, Peggy’s Cove, Mahome Bay etc. During the time between our sightseeing expeditions, we spent more time exploring seafood restaurants!

After we returned home, we had to prepare for two family weddings - one in Winnipeg in August and one in North Battleford in late November. Both weddings provided opportunities to spend time with family and to witness the continuation of the Circle of Life for Darlene’s two lovely nieces. Fortunately, the dreaded Manitoba mosquito was apparently on summer hiatus and was not attracted to our seafood enriched blood. Likewise, the anticipated freezing weather of Northern Saskatchewan in late November proved to be only a Chamber of Commerce hoax, initiated to keep Trump from planning a very, very wonderful Skidoo trip in the area.

Our lives continue to be blessed with relatively good health - a little Achilles pain for me and a little knee inflammation for Dar - the consequences of our “active” lifestyle. Although we do, we really have nothing to complain about health-wise. I continue to master the art of mindless nothingness sprinkled with a little reading, writing, and coffeeing. Darlene is still doing a smattering of subbing, but she has indicated recently that the well is running dry. She says she would rather be catching rattlesnakes in a gunny sack or swimming with the sharks. Does that mean that next year we will both be home together every day? Yikes! I am going to need to prepare. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that you will be able to share it with family and friends in a truly meaningful way. Our best wishes also for good health of body, mind, and spirit. If you have a moment, it would be great to hear from you over the coming holidays.

Darlene and Ken          

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR CHRISTMAS TREATS - WINK WINK?

HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR CHRISTMAS TREATS - WINK WINK?

You often hear people lamenting that we are losing the true spirit and meaning of Christmas. They maintain that we have converted a Christian religious celebration into a crassly commercial holiday. We focus on Santa Claus, excess consumption of food and drink, extravagant gift exchanges, and other meaningless activities. Thankfully, our local and federal governments have provided us with the opportunity to return to the treasured practices of earlier times. They have happily cooperated to help market two of my fondest memories - the Advent calendar and the Christmas stocking. Only, with a slight modification to each!

The tradition of Advent calendars dates to the mid-19th century when German Protestants made chalk marks on doors or lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas. Today, we mark the march towards Christmas day with little calendars which include paper doors that open to reveal an image, Bible verse, or piece of chocolate. Who cannot remember the anticipation of opening one door each day of Advent to extract the yummy little chocolate? Well brace yourself, you can now purchase Advent calendars that contain marijuana edibles hidden behind each of the little doors. And you can thank your federal government and local distributors for this enhanced opportunity for a more meaningful Christmas.

One distributor advertises, “Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house everyone was smoking, even the mouse. Enjoy this adult version of the classic Christmas advent calendar filled with cannabis products. Each day there will be something new to try.” And the best part is, depending on your choices of contents, the cannabis Advent calendar will cost only between $60 and $480.

If you prefer, you can also purchase filled red Christmas stockings to hang on your fireplace mantle for the sale price of only $99.99. Unlike the stockings of our youth which contained a mandarin orange, a chocolate bar, a candy cane, and a handful of nuts, today’s stockings provide a much more stimulating kind of candy - again, marijuana edibles. Who said we aren’t making progress in enhancing the spirit of Christmas?

Some of the contents in one commercial stocking include:
1 x 75mg THC Dark Peppermint Cup
1 x 30mg THC Snowflake Cookie
1 x 30mg THC Gingerbread Boy
2 x 75mg THC Grint Mint Christmas Cookie
1 x 200mg THC Butter Tart
1 x 10-15mg THC Rice Crispy Snowball
2 x 25mg THC Christmas Pretzels
1 x 5-10mg THC Peanut Butter Shit Ball
1 x 10mg THC Assorted Flavour Shatter Candy
1 x 10mg  Sweet & Sour Gummy Candy
6 x 10mg THC Grinch Mints Chocolate

But our provincial government, in its kind and generous fashion, realizes that not everyone is, or wants to be, a consumer of ordinary or edible cannabis. In the true spirit of Christian charity and compassion, our Alberta government will now allow liquor stores and bars, as well as cannabis outlets, to be open on Christmas Day! Now that is what I call real progress! On the way home from church, you can have a Christmas cocktail at a neighbourhood pub before stopping in at the cannabis shop for a “special cookie” and then sharing Christmas dinner with the family.

I can hardly wait for the next commercial intrusion into our Christmas celebrations and can only speculate what is still to come. Can a Mega Black CHRISTMAS DAY Super Holiday 24 Hour Sale be far away?

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF AN AMATEUR DAREDEVIL?

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF AN AMATEUR DAREDEVIL?

Recently, a free solo rock climber fell to his death. Anyone who is a solo climber, which entails climbing a rock face or a mountain without any ropes, anchors, or safety nets, defies death every time they climb. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want to risk death for an adrenaline rush and some limited renown. My diagnosis is that these climbers are insane - placing their life at risk for a kick! This is the dumbest dangerous sport, but there are a lot of others that might qualify as “dangerous and dumb” as well.

Lots of people enjoy swimming and I understand that. I don’t really comprehend why some people feel that swimming with sharks in the wild without the protection of a metal cage is a good idea. Whether you swim in a shark pool or walk into a lion’s den, they are both inhabited by wild animals. You might be able to boast of your feat or share your adventure with a selfie, but you may also end up without any feet and your adventure will be shared in an obituary. I know I would pass on either event.

Another group of adventurers without many brains are heli-skiers. Skiers can drop from a helicopter and ski almost at 90 degrees downhill across the face of an 18,000-foot mountain. There is not a lot of room for error. Similarly, the sport of volcano surfing where a person slides kamikaze down a cold lava slope on a wooden or metal sheet can only lead to a lot of bruises, cuts, and pain.

Base jumping, wingsuit jumping, and bungee jumping are three closely related activities that are also reasons to question the sanity of the participants. To stand on the edge of a sharp precipice and jump off with only a parachute on your back or wearing a wingsuit that you can control slightly are not for the fainthearted nor the intelligent. The potential for injury or possible death is very high for the first two and defies any logic that I can understand. I also wonder if bungee jumpers ever consider the effects of the jump and resulting bounce on their skeletal structure. I don’t believe that the “snap” at the end of the jump has the same positive effects as a chiropractic treatment.

There are many other sports that I find hard to understand. Frozen waterfall climbing seems a totally unnecessary sport. Quit harassing innocent waterfalls that are just taking a winter hiatus from their summer jobs. I have no problem with people who try to ride a bucking horse, but I can’t find any reason anyone would choose to ride a Brahama bull. Is it a kind of cowboy deathwish? Tightrope walkers who feel that a hundred-meter stroll along a sagging wire over a waterfall or between two, hundred story highrises also ranks very low on my list of things to do!

I guess that I never was and never will be considered a daredevil kind of a guy. And the reason is fairly obvious - I am a certified coward when it comes to placing my life into a situation where there is a possibility of bruises, broken bones, blood excretion, bladder malfunction or bodily dismemberment! I consider myself a risk-taker if I hit on 16 playing Blackjack or throwing a five-card into my opponent’s crib in a game of cribbage! That’s as wild and crazy as I get!

DOES YOUR CHRISTMAS SENSE OF HUMOR NEED A BOOST?

DOES YOUR CHRISTMAS SENSE OF HUMOR NEED A BOOST?

A tried and true way to break up the monotony of my blogs, is for me to borrow some humerous quotes from others. Some Christmas quotes that might trigger a chuckle or two:

“Christmas is a baby shower that went totally overboard.” – Andy Borowitz

“Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.” – Victor Borge

“Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.” – Dave Barry

“I haven’t taken my Christmas lights down. They look so nice on the pumpkins.” – Winston Spear

“Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.” – Kin Hubbard

“I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, “toys not included”!”

“Aren’t we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas. You know, the birth of Santa?” – Matt Groening

“Did you ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music.”

“Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas” - Johnny Carson

“Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money.” – Author Unknown


“Pets, like their owners, tend to expand a little over the Christmas period.”

“Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.” – Author Unknown

“One good thing about Christmas shopping is it toughens you up for the January sales.”

“Three phrases that sum up Christmas are: Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men, and Batteries not Included.”

“The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn’t for any religious reasons. They couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin.” – Jay Leno

“Ever wonder what people got Jesus for Christmas? It’s like, “Oh great, socks. You know I’m dying for your sins right? Yeah, but thanks for the socks! They’ll go great with my sandals. What am I, German?”
– Jim Gaffigan

“What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.” - Phyllis Diller

“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.” – Author Unknown

“Christmas Shopping: Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find one gift that you didn’t have to dust, that had to be used right away, that was practical, fit everyone, was personal and would be remembered for a long time? I penciled in “Gift certificate for a flu shot.” – Erma Bombeck

“Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present.” – Author Unknown

“My mother-in-law has come round to our house at Christmas seven years running. This year we’re having a change. We’re going to let her in.”

One day, a little boy wrote to Santa Clause, "Please send me a sister." Santa Clause wrote him back, "Ok, send me your mother.”

If none of these made you chuckle, Scrooge, read them again!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE ANNUAL FLU SHOT?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE ANNUAL FLU SHOT?

One of the most polarising questions that I encounter has to do with the annual winter flu shot. One segment of the population swears by the value of getting a needle every November and another one doesn’t believe in it. My experiences have caused me to join the latter group and skip the shot each year.

The official Alberta Health Services website informs us that, Influenza – commonly referred to as the flu – is a respiratory disease caused by a virus that affects the nose, throat, and lungs. It is contagious and easily passed from person to person and lowers the body’s ability to fight other infections. It can lead to bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, and even death especially in seniors, children (6 to 59 months), pregnant women, indigenous people, and people with chronic medical conditions. AHS recommends that by getting the flu vaccine your chances of catching the flu can be minimized.

Both my wife and I obtained our first flu shots in November 2015 and also in 2016. Following the shots, we both developed bad colds both years that lasted four or five weeks. Whether there was any causal effect related to the flu shot is unknown. However, from 2017 to 2019 we chose not to get the shot. During this interval, we have not had the flu or even any significant colds. Our personal experience has led us to forego getting the flu shot.

The composition of the flu vaccine has always been kind of questionable to me. As I understand it, there are thousands of different strains of influenza. Medical researchers try to make a scientific guess as to which strains might be the most potent in the coming winter season. They select three of four of their best guesstimates and develop a vaccine for them. It always seemed to me that this kind of long-shot vaccine was not something that would really provide any guaranteed kind of protection. Thus I do not have a lot of faith in the practice.

The Alberta government purchased 1.6 million doses of influenza vaccine for the 2019 to 2020 season which is enough to immunize 35% of the population at a total cost of $12.5 million. In 2018 to 2019, 31% of Albertans (roughly 1.2 million people) received the influenza vaccine. There were 1,976 hospitalizations and 52 deaths (in hospital) among people with lab-confirmed influenza. It is not clear if the people who died did or did not have the flu shot, consequently, the effectiveness of the shot is not really certain.

Although there is plenty of advertising encouraging seniors to get a flu shot, the actual statistics do not identify seniors as the most vulnerable group. In fact, children are most likely to get sick from flu and that people 65 and older are least likely to get sick from influenza. Median incidence values (or attack rate) by age group were 9.3% for children 0-17 years, 8.8% for adults 18-64 years, and 3.9% for adults 65 years and older. Thus, I rest my case!

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Vaccine Update: to my fellow senior readers. While I am skeptical of the flu vaccine, I recently learned that there is a newer strain of shingles vaccine that is 95% effective and comes in two shots. It replaces the single shingles shot that was previously available. Also, there is an improved two-shot pneumonia vaccine for seniors that replaces the single-shot one previously administered to 65-year-olds.

WILL ELIMINATING CHAINING CHILDREN HURT EDUCATION?

WILL ELIMINATING CHAINING CHILDREN HURT EDUCATION?

Education is a tough business. Teachers are constantly challenged to perform and deliver miracles every day. They are required to teach an ever more diverse student population, using constantly changing curricula, provide social and health services, and assume the roles of parent, counselor, disciplinarian, role model, confidant and friend. Sadly, two recent global events are going to make their jobs even more demanding. These changes have to do with eliminating chaining children and reducing the importance of the apostrophe. Let me explain.

Our society has reduced the number of disciplinary options available to deal with disruptive and truant students. Children can no longer be subject to corporal punishment, be kept after school, or forced to do extra homework or participate in physical chores as punishment for misbehavior. Consequently, student deportment and language have all continued to deteriorate. A disciplinary alternative that is practiced in Senegal, which held some promise, has now been ruled illegal.

A court in Senegal has handed down a two-year suspended prison sentence to the head of a Koranic school for chaining up children. All the defendants told the court that the parents had asked for their children to be chained up after they were caught skipping classes. Four parents and the metalworker who made the chains also received suspended sentences. They were all arrested last month after a photo shared on social media showed several students with chains around their feet. Many thousands of children attend Koranic schools, and some parents have said they didn't know chaining a child was illegal.

If the Senegalese appeal the court decision it might still be possible to eventually implement it in our school systems. I will keep you posted.

Another very critical blow to our educational system was also just revealed. For nearly two decades, John Richards dedicated his life to protecting an endangered species: the correctly placed apostrophe. As the founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society, he waged war against signs advertising “ladies fashions” or claiming that “Diamond’s are forever.” But last month, the 96-year-old admitted defeat. “The ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won!” Richards wrote on the Apostrophe Protection Society’s website. Given the lack of interest in correct apostrophe usage and his own advancing age, Richards recently announced that he is shutting down the group.

Though his days of lobbying on behalf of the apostrophe are over, Richards wrote last month that he plans to keep the society’s website up “for reference and interest.” Over the years, fans have submitted examples such a cafe advertising “light bite’s,” a warehouse offering storage for “boat’s” and “car’s,” and a restaurant selling “snow pea’s.” Richards told the BBC that he might once again return to campaigning, though this time for a different cause. “The use of the comma is appalling,” he said. Let us hope that he has more luck with the comma than the apostrophe!

So by removing another possible disciplinary alternative and ignoring another element of correct punctuation, teachers will continue to be handicapped in doing their jobs. Where and when will it ever end?

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR AIRLINE TAXES REALLY BUY?

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR AIRLINE TAXES REALLY BUY?

I have decided to make my New Year’s Resolution today and not wait until January 1st. Starting immediately, I am going to be nothing but positive and look on the sunny side of everything I encounter. For example, I was just perusing my latest airline ticket cost and the accompanying taxes. Before today, I would have been ranting, stomping my feet and complaining bitterly over the ridiculous fees and taxes. Instead, I am just going to explain to you how valuable and essential these extra little donations really are!

My quoted fare was $287.29 for a return flight from Calgary to San Diego. I was delighted with the price. The few additional fees and taxes were as follows:

An Air Travellers Security Charge of $12.10 was added. Now how could I complain about that minimal fee to ensure my security while in the air? I thought it was a wonderful bargain.

A Goods and Services Tax of $14.97 seemed only fair considering the wonderful service that we have always received when we fly. It didn’t specify what the GST was related to, but you can be sure that tiny gourmet packets of pretzels or cookies do not grow on trees.

A $30.00 Airport Improvement Fee is just my small contribution to help keep our local airport modern and up-to-date. With 16 million passengers passing through annually this modest $48 million bonanza should provide us with the swankiest airport in the world!

Oh, I almost forgot the $1.50 GST on the Improvement Fee so that our federal government can also get their small portion of the local enhancement charade.

Given the legendary good nature of Canadians, I was more than happy to pay the $49.26 International Transportation Tax. Anything to help out our international friends around the world. I am not sure how it works, but I think it is a jolly nice thing to do.

I was also delighted to pay the $7.80 Customs User Fee. I would feel like I was taking advantage of our custom’s officials if I did not tip them for the wonderful job they do keeping us honest, paranoid, and sweating every time we make a custom’s declaration.

I am not sure if I have ever used an immigrant, but the $9.27 Immigration User Fee is probably a bargain. I don’t now if immigrants need to pay a Resident User Fee, but I am sure it all balances out in the end.

When I first read that I paid a $5.24 APHIS Fee, I misread it to be an Aphid Fee. How silly of me! Then I looked it up and found out I was right (slightly) the first time. APHIS is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that makes sure no bugs or fleas or aphids, I guess, sneak their way into our out of our country. Who knew?

The September 11th Security Fee of $7.42 is certainly a mystery, but I am assuming that calling it the Rudy Giuliani for President (of Ukraine) Fund would probably be considered political patronage and we certainly wouldn’t want to get into that debate.

Lastly, the $5.96 Passenger Facility Charge is well worth it. When you need to use the facilities in the airport it is nice to know that we do not need to have a pocket full of quarters to unlock a toilet stall door or secure adequate toilet paper when needed.

The additional $143.52 fees and taxes brought my final fare to $430.81. In times past, I would have probably been irate for all of the nickel and dime extra costs. Since I made my new resolution, I am completely delighted to pay a small fee for our security staff, our custom’s Gestapo, the flea and bug detectives, the new immigrants, a little help for Rudy and the peace of mind knowing that I can go to the men’s room without any fear of being locked out or paperless.

Life is grand when you adopt a new positive outlook!

DO YOU HAVE ANY SYMPATHY FOR BILL PETERS OR NOT?

DO YOU HAVE ANY SYMPATHY FOR BILL PETERS OR NOT?

Recently, the head hockey coach of the Calgary Flames, Bill Peters, resigned his post after allegations by a former player of racist comments. I don’t support racism, but I think that Peters’ situation needs to be looked at a little more closely.

The player, Akim Aliu, who raised the issue said,“ He (Peters) walked in before a morning pre-game skate and said “Hey Akim, I’m sick of you playing that n——- s—-“ Aliu told TSN, with Peters referring to Aliu’s selection of hip hop music. “He said ‘I’m sick of hearing this
n——s f——ing other n——-s in the ass stuff.’

“He then walked out like nothing ever happened. You could hear a pin drop in the room, everything went dead silent.”

Of course, the language used was objectionable by most standards but it was directed at the choice of music, not the player’s race. It was said in the heat of the moment and occurred over ten years ago in a minor league hockey setting. It had nothing to do with Peters’ job coaching in Calgary. Whether the resignation of Peters was justified or not, there is a different issue within this scenario that drew no attention whatsoever. The appropriateness of the lyrics of much of the rap or hip hop music that is played openly on radio and music outlets is grossly offensive.

A quick Google search uncovered some very inappropriate and vulgar language included in a number of rap “songs”. For example:

At this point, after searching for some examples to make my case, I was so disgusted with the profanity, sexual innuendos and totally offensive lyrics that I could not even allow myself to copy them and insult my readers with them. If you wish to read actual rap lyrics that are both sexually explicit and focused on violence and physical abuse have a look at any of the following sites. You have been warned!

www.xxlmag.com/news/2016/07/rap-lyrics-violent/       and
www.complex.com/music/2013/03/the-50-grossest-rap-lyrics/   or
https://genius.com/Luniz-dirty-raps-lyrics


How can we as a society allow these blatantly inappropriate words and sentences, under the guise of “music”, to be broadcast on our airwaves and available in musical downloads everywhere? As we continue to fight to discourage racist and sexually demeaning comments on all fronts, we allow hip hop and rap lyrics to demonstrate the lowest level of disgusting taste imaginable? Free speech is one thing; gross indecency and gratuitous violence are not acceptable in any form of speech - free or in the world of “music”!

Obviously, the music that was referenced in Peters’ alleged comment was disturbing and unacceptable to him. Although his choice of words was not exactly Puritan, he was clearly offended by the disturbing language when it came to locker room “music”. If a player wants to listen to rap or opera, get a headset and just listen to it. That way no one else has to be exposed to the music preferences of others. Consequently, I am on Peters’ side regarding the music.

Our world continues to spiral into a void. Our actions for our entire lifetime can now be scrutinized and we can be called to task years after the facts. With all due respect to my readers, I am almost 100% sure that at some time in everyone’s life they have used profanity or been guilty of offending some race, creed or colour in an outburst of language that they are now ashamed of. Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone. I guess that person is Akim Aliu and the latest victim is Bill Peters!