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Wherin the Provincial Governments Sue the Tobacco Manufacturers
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Rants
- Hits: 2301
In the news today (How I loathe it!) an article about how the Alberta Government is considering leaping upon the bandwagon of suing the tobacco manufacturers to recover expenses related to Health Care.
Now this is an old show, remarkably transparent but a crowd pleaser, it still seems to appease a surprising number of people.
The government has, for a long time, been in the business of "Trying to get us to quit smoking". Now there are too many good arguments as to why we should quit smoking for me to dispute. Smoking is a nasty habit that has proven negative long term health effects.
But there's something about this coming from the government, - the government that makes $8-$10 per pack of cigarettes, that is a little like a pimp lecturing you on the evils of prostitution.
No tobacco company makes even the smallest fraction of what the government does on smoking. The incredibly staggeringly high taxation on cigarettes more than offsets any long term health care costs - despite any paper arguments to the contrary. Think about it. That 8-10$/day per average smoker, applied towards future healthcare bills with compounded interest over a duration of 40 to 50 years, is making the government rich. Add to this the fact that people tend to die reasonably quickly from lung cancer (under a year) and you realize quickly that you, at the end of your stint as a smoker, had you been privately investing the tax dollars, could pass not only the duration of your final illness but a good portion of your stay in paradise in the finest of Swiss clinics, attended upon by the most skilled of chefs and surgeons, without ever touching the principal of your investment.
This doesn't even consider that savings the treasury makes when smokers die early, leaving behind unclaimed pensions, benefits, etc. that overflow the governments coffers. Or the fact that if you don't die from smoking chances are you'll die of something else, and it just might be every bit as expensive.
It's the government, though, and it's in the business of making people "Feel Good". Simple people. So if you read that news story as well, and thought somewhere in the back of your mind that the tobacco companies were villains anyway and "had it coming", or "it's about time", rest assured you have plenty of company. And your simple.
I am a Strange Loop
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 1803
Just finished reading "I am a Strange Loop" by Douglas Hofstadter. Author of "Godel, Escher and Bach". Which started off enjoyably enough, but somehow he's turned what would have been an intriguing chapter in a book into a tedious book all and of its own. This despite the wonderful reviews posted all over the dustcover and bookflaps.
And again we come to the theme of "Preaching to the Choir". In that I was initially quite sympathetic to his arguments, not 100%, but there is much in them to think about, but he develops them, rephrases them with different examples, repeats them, repeats them, repeating them again and again (over and over) ad nauseum. The point would have been better made with fewer words.
Overall I'd give it one out of eight bananas.
TO save you the trouble of reading it for yourselves I'll summarize his arguments as follows: The Mind - Consciousness - "I" - The sense of self and individuality we all feel is an illusion created by nested patterns and thought processes running in the brain. This is expounded with many examples from Math and Physics; and using some of the techniques of his earlier books (the dialogues, for example). That's it.
Garage Sale Season - Week 4
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2440
One more day until the weekend. Not that I can get out, there's lots to be done, but there are the garage sales and I generally like to make time for them. Garage sale season begun roughly around April 18, then kicked off properly the weekend of the 25th with the "Good Samaritan" rummage sale in Kensington.
That one draws the crowds. Lineups of 2 - 300 people before it even starts.
So far there've been no great treasures, despite lots of searching. Or one treasure, almost, but I'll come to that.
The Good Samaritan sale in Kensington is one of the biggest and best rummage sales in the city. You can tell by the lineup. If you're not there by 8:00 AM, 8:15 at the latest you won't get a reasonable place in line. The sale starts at 9:00 AM. The die-hard dealers and flea market vendors are there by 7:00, some will even go so far as to spend the night.
It's a good sale.
Treasures vary. There's the room filled with collectables, antiques, a room filled with furniture, childrens toys, books and housewares, and another room (Gymnasium) filled with clothing.
Prices are reasonable.
And, as always, when at 9:00 AM they open the doors (never early) it's pandemonium. Imagine that God had come to earth for one day only to heal the sick and the ugly and you'll have a pretty good idea of the crowd. People jostling to rummage through clothing, pushing and shoving to get a look into the display cases, grabbing things they're not sure they want, but they're swept up in the confusion and if you don't grab it, and grab it quick, somebody else will....
I can only take it for half an hour before I begin to get claustrophobic. One too many Granny's elbows, one too many dealers trying to push past you, I've seen it all and it's time to leave....
A Medalta #3 crock is my entire haul this year. Modest, poor even compared to other years but that's not a reflection on the sale, just my increasingly high standards and diminishing space.
A few more sales last weekend, again nothing too exciting, some mixed media art supplies but I'm running out of room to store all these treasures, a couple of antique automobile horns, and on Sunday, when all the sales are almost done I think to stop at a benefit for the Mustard Seed on Memorial Drive. It's habit, there's no hope of treasures here, not at this hour on a Sunday, but poking around I notice an antique iron safe, big round cast iron wheels, a "No Combination, Offers?" sign taped to the top.
This is the treasure of the weekend. Of the season, even. Barely believing my good fortune I find one of the hosts and make my offer, seal the deal when a blonde girl appears out of nowhere:
"It's been sold. I've already bought it. Sorry...."
Now she's trying to sound apologetic, but really it's a photo-finish, she, like me, has her money in her hand and has found a different salesperson to do the deal with, my salesperson is confused, she's already sold it to me, maybe I'm with the blonde...?
I'm not with the homely blonde but I'm seized with an irrational urge to throttle her, she doesn't seem genuine in her apology, the fact that she's still holding her cash still tells me the deal isn't done, that she's first in her eyes only, but I'm not going to dicker or fight (sorely tempted as I am) and accept that this is one treasure I've missed.
The rest of the week has been spent in mourning. The antique safe, locked and without combination, a diversion that would entertain the children for weeks, months even. I'm pretty sure I could crack the combination within an hour, but that would defeat the purpose, I would have placed it in the kids room, speculated upon it's contents with them and allowed them to while away their free time trying to crack it.
And when finally we did crack it, and sold the gold bars and junk bonds, the diamonds and jewels that were doubtless still safely inside, we'd have a safe of our very own to store our treasures in - X-Box 360 games, Fudgeo cookies, .... if ever we tired of it we could wheel it downtown and push it out of a skyscraper window, the possibilites were limitless....
There's always this weekend. Week 4 of the season, seven, maybe eight weeks to go. And the thought of the safe will keep me running.....
Clock Mouse
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2346
I've fallen behind. Projects to be caught up upon, tight deadlines, revisions have all conspired to keep me from keeping this blog up to date.
Nonetheless I've made notes.
There was the Clock Mouse of a few days ago. Now I knew that after the roundups of the last couple of months I still had a couple of mice left, but I wasn't comfortable rounding them up with the weather being so inclement and all. I'd just grin and bear it until it warmed up then finish collecting and transplanting them.
But there was one that seemed to have made his home on the kitchen counter, admittedly a bit of a mess, covered with toasters, blender, tupperware, an antique slate clock I've been meaning to find a place for, ....
And I'd see it dashing across the counter, but somehow it would always hide whenever I got near.
Then there was the chewing sound. As if it was somewhere close, but I couldn't quite place where, and as I scoured the countertop I for the life of me would have sworn the mouse was in the clock. But looking around it it was impossible.
Finally the weather turns and I resolve to clean the last few of them up.
With my daughter we search for it on the countertop, I can hear it chewing, oblivious, then the clock chimes. The clock I haven't wound for years. Taking this as a clue, I go to move the clock and from underneath dashes a mouse. There is a tiny, 1/4 inch groove at the back, invisible unless you happen to be looking right at it, and somehow or another the mouse has slipped under it and made him/herself a home.
Now I clean out the mousetrap and bait it with fresh peanut butter and leave it on the counter. That night I caught 2 mice, within 1/2 an hour of each other. I walk down the street a block or so and let them loose in a vacant lot/field.
The next day I catch yet another - an older, scruffier one, I can hear it tipping the trap back and forth from my room. I wake the children and we take it out and free it.
I begin to think that maybe I'm finally mouse free. For three days, then finally another one peeking out from behind the stove. I've moved the trap, but he still hasn't fallen for it.
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